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Archives for September 2011

Rays Notes: Moore, Roster Move

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Here's the latest on the Rays as they continue their late push for the AL Wild Card…

  • Joe Maddon said left-hander Matt Moore is "a possibility" to be called up later this month, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  The Rays will need an extra starter after they play a doubleheader against the Yankees on September 21.  Besides Moore, southpaw Alex Torres is also being considered for the role.  Moore is the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball and one of the top-rated prospects overall — Baseball Prospectus and Keith Law had Moore ranked second behind only Bryce Harper, while Baseball America ranked Moore third behind Harper and Mike Trout.
  • Also from Topkin, the Rays will need to make a move on the 40-man roster to make room for Russ Canzler, the International League MVP.  Canzler and right-hander Dane De La Rosa will both be called up to Tampa Bay on Sunday.
  • Earlier today, MLBTR's Mike Axisa looked at how Casey Kotchman's breakout season will impact his stock on the free agent market.

Mike Cameron Hints At Retirement

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Mike Cameron indicated that 2011 could be his last season in the Majors, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.  Cameron, who would be 39 on Opening Day 2012, has missed the Marlins' last few games due to a hamstring strain and noted that this latest injury is just one of many that are weighing on his mind.

“I may be too young to quit, but my body’s telling me different. My body’s 45,” Cameron said.  “[Retirement is] a small window that’s wide open…I’m not going to make a decision now because there are too many variables much more than how I feel.”

Capozzi noted that Cameron's comments could have been borne of frustration with his injury, but Cameron has struggled this season.  The outfielder has a combined .203/.286/.360 line in 268 plate appearances with Florida and Boston this season.  Cameron joined the Fish in July after being designated for assignment and dealt by the Red Sox.

Cameron has played for eight teams over his 17 seasons in the big leagues.  At his peak, Cameron brought a strong blend of speed (297 career steals), defense (three Gold Gloves ) and power (eight seasons with 20+ homers, plus a four-homer game on May 2, 2002) to the table.  He enjoyed a 24-homer season as recently as 2009 as a member of the Brewers.

Rosenthal On Wright, Showalter, Sizemore

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Let's take a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • There are conflicting signals over the Mets' willingness to deal David Wright.  They've turned away suitors and the subject has hardly come up in internal discussions.  However, others in baseball think the club will look to deal Wright if they re-sign Jose Reyes.  Wright's club option for 2013 becomes void if he's dealt, making him a free agent after next season.
  • Orioles owner Peter Angelos is willing to give Buck Showalter virtually anything that he wants.  Sources tell Rosenthal that Angelos has told the skipper that he can stay on as manager while assuming the role of General Manager.  The club will have to work out Andy MacPhail's siutation before making any moves.
  • The chances of a new labor agreement being struck by the World Series seem to be diminishing.  Things are tough to handicap as things can pick up at anytime, but the two sides are very far apart on the draft.  The owners want hard slotting and a worldwide draft which would be a difficult undertaking.  Of course, free agent compensation, the luxury tax, and revenue sharing are also among the chief topics of discussion.
  • Grady Sizemore's future with the Indians might hinge on how he performs in the final weeks of the season.  The Tribe holds a 8.5MM option on Sizemore for 2012 but they'll be reluctant to exercise it on a player who hasn't played much recently.  One potential solution would be a contract extension with a lower base salary but the outfielder might prefer to test the open market.

NL West Notes: Giants, Dipoto, Zito, Rockies

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Let's take a look at a few items out of the NL West..

  • This winter, the Giants will have 13 players eligible for salary arbitration and seven players hitting free agency.  Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle peered into his crystal ball to predict which players would return to the club in 2012.
  • Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports gives credit to Diamondbacks exec Jerry Dipoto for his role in the club's success.  The former interim general manager could have looked for another GM gig after the position was given to Kevin Towers last year, but he instead chose to be a company man.  Recently, Tim Dierkes spoke to Dipoto about his career in baseball and his future aspirations.
  • If all goes well, it looks like Giants pitcher Barry Zito will soon be activated and will get the chance to show the club where he stands, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News.  Recently, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy admitted that he wasn't sure where the lefty fits into the team's long-term plans.
  • Given their other needs, Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) expects the Rockies to wait another year to address their first base situation.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Casey Kotchman

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357110821397_Mariners_at_Rays The Rays signed a middle of the order hitter last offseason, but it wasn't Manny Ramirez. After just five games with Tampa, Manny abruptly retired rather than face a second suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. The Rays filled Ramirez's roster spot by promoting Casey Kotchman from Triple-A, and five months later, he's the middle of the order bat the team thought it was getting in Manny.

Kotchman, still just 28, has stepped in and hit .312/.380/.429 in 487 plate appearances since being promoted. He isn't hitting for much power (just eight homers), but he's drawing walks (42) and putting the ball in play (55) while providing his usual strong defense. After years of struggling against left-handers, Kotchman is hitting a respectable .300/.336/.367 against southpaws this season. 

There are reasons to believe that the improved performance is unsustainable, however. Kotchman's batting average on balls in play (.341) is the highest of his career (by far) even though there's been no significant change in his batted ball profile. More than half of the balls he puts in play are hit on the ground, just a quarter are fly balls, and fewer than one in five is a line drive. It could work, but it hasn't for him in the past.

Low power first baseman usually aren't in high demand on the free agent market, especially ones with the proverbial "one good year." That said, Kotchman could be a nice, budget friendly alternative to stopgap first basemen like Derrek Lee, Lyle Overbay, and Carlos Pena. The Diamondbacks, Pirates, and Dodgers could all be looking for help at first this winter, and of course re-signing with the Rays is always a possibility as well.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Sutton, O’Connor, James

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Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here, with the first batch coming courtesy of the International League transactions page…

  • The Red Sox have outrighted Drew Sutton to Triple-A. The 28-year-old utility man had been designated for assignment earlier this week after hitting .315/.362/.444 in 60 plate appearances with the big club and .295/.382/.476 in Triple-A
  • The Mets have outrighted Mike O'Connor to Triple-A. The 31-year-old lefty had been designated for assignment earlier this week. In 39 games for New York's Triple-A affiliate, he posted a 5.22 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 60 1/3 innings. O'Connor also appeared in five games at the big league level.
  • The Twins have outrighted Chuck James to Triple-A. The 29-year-old lefty threw 10 1/3 ineffective innings for Minnesota, but did post a 2.30 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 62 2/3 innings in their minor league system. James had been designated for assignment earlier this week.

NL Links: Dobbs, Wang, Cubs, Brewers

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Here are some links from the Senior Circuit as we await tonight's Clayton Kershaw–Tim Lincecum matchup…

  • Marlins manager Jack McKeon told Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post that he hopes the team brings Greg Dobbs back next season. Of course, it seems unlikely that McKeon himself will be back in the dugout next season.
  • A report by Focus Taiwan News Channel (passed along by Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post) indicates that Chien-Ming Wang could earn more than $1MM in incentives by staying in the Nationals rotation all season. He's already made $250K for staying on the roster for 30 days, and will make another $500K for staying on the roster for 60 days. Every start after his tenth (he's started eight) will earn Wang another $100K.
  • SI.com's Tom Verducci says Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts can learn a lot from the Red Sox, who were aggressive in their search for a GM after John Henry bought the team in 2002. Billy Beane and J.P. Ricciardi were among the Boston's first choices before hiring Theo Epstein.
  • Within the same piece, Verducci notes that the Brewers haven't won a series against a non-Cardinals winning team since Memorial Day. He wonders if all of Milwaukee's wins against sub-.500 teams is making them seem better than they really are.

AL Central Notes: Zumaya, Twins, Tigers, Cabrera

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Links from the AL Central before the Tigers host the Twins and the White Sox host the Indians…

Wang Wants To Return To Nationals In 2012

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The Nationals have spent the last two seasons waiting for Chien-Ming Wang to get back onto a big league mound, which he finally did earlier this summer. Because of the way the team has stuck with him, Wang told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he would like to return to Washington in 2012.

"They have taken care of me a lot the past two years. So I want to come back," said Wang. "I want to help them get more wins. I just want to get back, no matter the salary."

The 31-year-old sinkerball specialist is having an odd statistical year, with more walks (13) than strikeouts (12) in 44 2/3 innings across eight starts. He's getting by thanks to a 53.9% ground ball rate, which is very good but a notch below where he was before shoulder troubles set in a few years ago. 

Earlier tonight we learned that Wang could end up making more than $1MM in incentives if he stays in the rotation the rest of the season. The Nats signed him to a one-year deal worth $1MM guaranteed, and he's scheduled to become a free agent after the season.

Dodgers Links: Blake, Vogelsong, Burke

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One year ago today, the Dodgers released Ronnie Belliard after he hit just .216/.295/.327 with two homers in 185 plate appearances. Mini-Manny spent some time in the minor leagues this year, but he called it a career in June. Here's the latest from Chavez Ravine…

  • Jim McDowell, agent for Casey Blake, told MLBTR that his client had a post-surgery follow-up appointment this morning, and that everything checked out fine. Blake had surgery to repair a neck issue. He'll be able to begin his offseason workouts after six weeks of downtime, by which point the Dodgers will have already declined his $6MM option.
  • John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Dodgers offered Ryan Vogelsong a contract this past offseason, but the he declined (Twitter links). "I couldn't see myself being a Dodger," said the right-hander, who has a 2.62 ERA in 154 1/3 innings with the Giants.
  • Steve Sugarman, spokesman for Frank McCourt, told Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times that Bill Burke's $1.2 billion offer to buy the Dodgers was "unsolicited and a surprise." The team has not yet publicly responded to the offer, and Sugarman made it clear that Burke is not an acquaintance of McCourt's.

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