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Archives for September 2011

Quick Hits: Strasburg, Cubs, Dodgers, Rockies

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • In a terrific article, Jonathan Newton of the Washington Post looks at Stephen Strasburg's recovery from Tommy John surgery and explains the four key advancements since the operation's initial occurence that have made it so commonplace and so successful.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney has an interesting take on the Cubs' extension of player personnel director Oneri Fleita.  The move means that the incoming general manager will not be allowed to pick his own executive in that spot.  Olney says that high-profile GM candidates like Theo Epstein, Andrew Friedman, or Billy Beane would likely want to fill that position themselves.
  • Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said that if he had to choose between a big bat or a quality arm this winter, he'd choose the former, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  Of course, their financial situation could hamstring them in the offseason.  Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, and Ted Lilly are all set to return but with Rubby De La Rosa possibly missing the 2012 season, the Dodgers could have two spots to fill in the rotation.
  • Troy Renck of The Denver Post writes that the Rockies have money to spend and they shouldn't be gun-shy this winter.  Their payroll situation is helped largely by Aaron Cook's $9.25MM deal coming off the books.
  • Mike Gonzalez already feels comfortable with his new club, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com.  On Thursday we learned that the Brewers were also in on Gonzalez before he was dealt to the Rangers.

Marlins Notes: Manager, 2012 Payroll, Offseason

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MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has a host of Marlins-related news as the team draws ever closer to its brand new stadium in 2012:

  • It appears unlikely that Jack McKeon will again manage the Marlins in 2012. McKeon, 80, would be 81 next season and is likely to return to the advisor position he held from 2005 until taking the reins this year. Ozzie Guillen and Bobby Valentine are again listed as possible managerial replacements.
  • With a new stadium on the horizon, owner Jeffrey Loria is ready to "do what it takes" to upgrade the organization. The club's payroll in 2012 is expected to top $70MM and could go as high as $80MM.
  • The Fish would like to re-sign both Greg Dobbs and Omar Infante for the 2012 season. The veteran infielders are both free agents, but neither should be overly costly given their modest production in 2011.
  • Starting pitching is a priority for the Marlins this offseason, and they'd like to add at least one left-hander. A look at the free agent market shows that the two biggest names that fit the bill will be C.C. Sabathia (assuming he opts out of his current deal) and C.J. Wilson, though it's hard to see the Marlins spending that kind of money. Beyond that, names include Erik Bedard, Mark Buehrle, and Chris Capuano.
  • The Marlins are expected to be busy on the trade front, with Chris Volstad being a possible piece to be dealt. The Marlins would be selling very low on the 2005 first rounder, but with a 5.05 ERA over his last 468 2/3 Major League innings, it's not hard to see why they'd prefer to deal him before he hits arbitration.
  • Selling low won't be an approach the team takes toward Hanley Ramirez. One of the Marlins' top priorities is getting their superstar healthy for Opening Day, and they aren't looking to trade him.

Cafardo’s Latest: Fielder, Nathan, Hart, Mauer

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One major league source told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that a lot of lefty relievers were blocked by teams and never got through waivers in August.  The price tag on most of them was steep so most teams bit the bullet and decided to go with what they had.  The Giants were one of those clubs as GM Brian Sabean opted to stick with Javy Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt.  Here are some other highlights from Cafardo's column..

  • The Mariners re-upped GM Jack Zduriencik this week and Cafardo wonders if Seattle will be in the mix with Prince Fielder this offseason, even though they already have Justin Smoak at first.  It's hard to predict how much the M's will be willing to spend and it's possible that the four-year, $36MM deal given to Chone Figgins in December 2009 could make ownership gun-shy.
  • The Twins didn’t seem to have anything major working for Joe Nathan at the deadline, but they asked him to waive his trade-veto rights just in case and Nathan declined.  Nathan's future with the club is uncertain as he heads into free agency but he has a shot at staying if he accepts a hometown discount.  It's unlikely that the Twins will pick up his $12MM option this winter.  The club can buy him out for just $2MM.
  • Cafardo writes that Brewers rightfielder Corey Hart would fit nicely with the Red Sox.  However, it seems likely that they'll lose Fielder this summer so they probably won't entertain a deal involving Hart. 
  • Twins GM Bill Smith says that Joe Mauer will be a catcher for the foreseeable future, but he continues to leave the door open for a possible shift of positions down the road.  There are also no plans for the Giants to move Buster Posey elsewhere, according to Sabean.

Quick Hits: Wilson, Santana, Mets, Soto, Chen

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When George Kottaras hits for the cycle, left-hander Tom Milone homers on the very first pitch he sees in the Major Leagues and the Tigers come back from an 8-1 deficit for a 9-8 win over the White Sox, you know it's been a wild day in baseball.  Let's end it off with some news items…

  • The Rangers should offer C.J. Wilson a five-year contract worth between $92.5 and $97.5MM, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor for ESPN Dallas, but not any more than that since Wilson isn't quite one of the game's elite aces.  If you think that Wilson isn't worth that kind of money, remember that unless C.C. Sabathia opts out of his deal, Wilson will be clearly the best free agent arm on the market this winter.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes thinks Wilson could even score a $100MM contract.
  • Kaja Whitehouse of the New York Post isn't impressed by the Mets' plan of offering ownership "units" worth $20-$30MM to several different investors.  She believes the club will find it hard to find investors willing to buy in without getting any say in the franchise's operations.
  • Johan Santana threw 30 pitches for Class A St. Lucie today in his first minor league appearance since July 28, reports Adam Rubin for ESPN New York.  Mets manager Terry Collins didn't rule out the possibility that Santana could pitch in a Major League game this season.   
  • The Cubs' new general manager may have a difficult decision to make about Geovany Soto, writes Patrick Mooney for CSNChicago.com.  While Soto will have to rebound in 2012, it's hard to imagine any new GM immediately getting rid of a catcher who has performed very well in two of four Major League seasons.
  • Bruce Chen tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times that he wants to return to the Royals next season, what he's learned from pitching for 10 different organizations and how he wants to be like Jamie Moyer.  Will MLBTR still be writing posts about Chen in 2025?
  • Juan Rivera's performance for the Dodgers has convinced the team that it needs another big bat for next season, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.  That big bat is intended for first base or left field, which would mean that the Dodgers would part ways with either Rivera or James Loney. 

Extension Candidate: Miguel Montero

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One of the key reasons behind the Diamondbacks' surprising run to the top of the NL West has been the play of Miguel Montero.  The catcher entered today's action with a .278/.348/.460 line, made his first All-Star appearance and (perhaps most importantly) showed no lingering after-effects of the knee surgery that sidelined him for two months in 2010.

Montero, 28, avoided arbitration last winter by agreeing to a one-year, $3.2MM contract and he has one arb year left before hitting the free agent market after the 2012 season.  Since hard-hitting catchers are a rare commodity in the game, it stands to reason that Arizona will try to sign Montero to a long-term contract.  The D'Backs explored locking Montero up before 2010 but nothing came of those negotiations, possibly since the club was still rueing its last multiyear deal to a catcher.

I could see the Diamondbacks approaching Montero with a three-year contract, thus covering his last arb year and his first two free agent seasons.  The total value would be in the ballpark of $21MM — $5.5MM for 2012 (about what Montero would make in a one-year contract that avoids arbitration), $7MM for 2013 and $8.5MM for 2014.  The D'Backs will probably shoot for at least one club option year, worth around $11MM for 2015.  If that hypothetical option year was used, then Montero would be a free agent at age 32 and a candidate to score another multiyear deal if he's still a productive bat and able to handle the rigors of catching.

The D'Backs also face interesting arbitration cases with Joe Saunders (third year) and first-timers Ryan Roberts and Ian Kennedy this winter.  MLBTR's Mike Axisa considered Kennedy's case for an extension back in July. 

Torii Hunter Considering Retirement After 2012

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Torii Hunter is thinking about retiring once his contract is up after the 2012 season.  In an interview with Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Angels outfielder says there is about a 40% chance that next season will be his last.

'I am going to retire an Angel," he said. ''Next year is my last year, and I'm going to retire an Angel. I'm going to evaluate it this offseason. That's when I'll know. It's 60-40, to the positive, that I'll keep playing."

Hunter has a .261/.332/.423 line for Los Angeles this year and was hampered in the early part of the season by a quad injury.  Since getting back to better health, however, Hunter has been on fire, posting a 1.013 OPS in 118 plate appearances since August 2.  Hunter will be 37 at the end of the 2012 campaign and told Souhan that he doesn't want to keep playing just for the sake of playing: "You don't want to see your skills diminish. You don't want to linger."

If Hunter did decide to return for 2013, he would give the Angels "first dibs" on bringing him back but also noted that he would enjoy returning to Minnesota, where he spent the first 11 seasons of his career.  This isn't the first time Hunter has talked of rejoining the Twins, but a return could be difficult given Hunter's feelings about Twins GM Bill Smith, who he describes as having "no heart, no compassion, no nothing." 

Hunter said he would have re-signed with Minnesota as a free agent after the 2007 season had the club offered him a four or five-year deal, but Smith's largest offer was for three years.  Hunter believes Smith's offer was just a token effort and thinks the Twins are making a similarly half-hearted attempt to re-sign Michael Cuddyer, who is a free agent after this season and was reportedly offered a two-year, $16MM contract by the club earlier this month.

"Cuddyer is going to make less, as a free agent?" Hunter said.  "I told him before, 'They'll make an offer and people will say, 'You turned down the money, you could have stayed, you're money-hungry.' "

Beltway Notes: Strasburg, Livan, MacPhail, Roberts

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The Nationals took a 63-73 record into today's action, putting them on pace to finish with a better record than the Orioles (55-81) for the sixth time since the Nats moved to Washington after the 2004 season.  Of course, since neither team has topped the .500 mark in that stretch, the Battle of the Beltways isn't exactly recognized as a top-tier baseball rivalry.

Here are the latest items about the Nats and the O's….

  • Stephen Strasburg talks to The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore about his year-long rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery.  Strasburg is scheduled to make his 2011 debut on Tuesday against the Dodgers, and is penciled in for three more starts in September if things proceed as planned.  Strasburg is on a 60-pitch limit for Tuesday and will be on an innings cap for the 2012 season.
  • Livan Hernandez will be shut down after his start on Sunday so the Nationals can take look at some younger pitchers, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  Hernandez agreed to the move and will be "a mentor/coach" for the club's young pitchers, perhaps with an eye towards a coaching job after his retires.  Hernandez wants to return to Washington next season and has even offered to pitch middle relief, noting he will not go to the bullpen for any other team. 
  • If Hernandez doesn't re-sign, Adam Kilgore hears from a source that the Marlins are the top candidates to sign the veteran hurler. 
  • With Andy MacPhail rumored to be leaving at the end of the season, MASNsports.com's Amber Theoharis looks back at MacPhail's three best moves as the Orioles' president of baseball operations. 
  • This is probably no surprise given MacPhail's possible departure, but Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun expects "a significant front office overhaul" in Baltimore.  In that same piece, Zrebiec also discusses how Kevin Gregg is a popular clubhouse figure and a valuable mentor to the Orioles' young pitchers, but the right-hander is having a difficult time closing games.  Gregg is under contract for $5.8MM in 2012, with a $6MM club option for 2013.
  • Also from Zrebiec, Brian Roberts has been told by doctors that his concussion problems shouldn't be career-ending.  The second baseman hasn't played since May 16 after suffering his second concussion in as many seasons.

MLB Voids Contract Of Yankees’ Paniagua

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SATURDAY: Paniagua's suspension was due to "falsified documents," Badler hears from MLB vice president Kim Ng.  The league is still investigating the matter and hasn't made a final ruling on Paniagua's status.  Ng notes that Paniagua's representatives are asking the league to reconsider the initial decision and that while the right-hander is unable to sign with any team for a year, Paniagua isn't technically "suspended" since he isn't under an official contract yet.

THURSDAY: Major League Baseball has voided the $1.1MM contract of Yankees pitching prospect Juan Carlos Paniagua and suspended the right-hander for one year, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. MLB hasn't specified — even to the Yankees — why Paniagua has been suspended, but "one-year suspensions are usually reserved for a player who presents false information to teams about his age or identity," writes Badler.

Paniagua is no stranger to these circumstances. The Diamondbacks signed him — then going by the name Juan Collado — for a mere $17K in May 2009. While that contract was under review, Paniagua was allowed to play in the Dominican Summer League under a rule that's since been changed, and he impressed scouts with a big fastball. The contract with Arizona was voided and Paniagua was suspended in June 2010. When that suspension was lifted in March, teams were lining up for his services, with the Yankees placing the winning bid.

His contract once again was pending MLB's review since signing with the Yankees, and he has not played in any games during that time. We can't say for sure why Paniagua was suspended, but Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic speculated in March that the hangup may have been regarding Paniagua's birthday, which he didn't amend even when he came clean about his name:

There still is a lot of skepticism about whether he’ll actually get off the island and into the U.S. The fact that he changed his name, but not his birthday, is a red flag.

Front Office Notes: Beane, Cubs, Epstein, Friedman

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Here's the latest on some GM vacancies and other front office moves…

  • Would Billy Beane be a good fit as the Yankees' general manager?  Mike Silva of the New York Baseball Digest takes on the question and wonders how Beane would navigate the politics of the Yankee front office.  Beane's name has been whispered in connection with the Cubs' GM vacancy, and Silva agrees that if Beane leaves Oakland for any job, it would be in Chicago.
  • The Cubs have signed Oneri Fleita to a four-year contract extension to continue as the club's vice-president of player personnel, reports Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The Tigers were reportedly interested in hiring Fleita, which is why the Cubs moved to lock him up despite the fact that Chicago's GM candidates could have possibly wanted to fill that position themselves. 
  • Three AL East general managers will likely be staying put, says FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (video link).  The Yankees and Brian Cashman are mutually interested in continuing their relationship, Andrew Friedman is "extremely loyal" to Rays owner Stuart Sternberg and since Theo Epstein has one year left on his Red Sox contract, an interested suitor like the Cubs would have to give Epstein the proverbial "offer he can't refuse" in order to convince him to leave.
  • Also from Rosenthal, he hears from sources close to Ozzie Guillen who feel the manager's recent demand for a contract extension was "a classic Ozzie diversionary tactic" to take the heat off the players.  On the other hand, common sense dictates that Guillen wants more job security and doesn't want to risk being fired in mid-season if the White Sox struggle in 2012.  One anonymous GM tells Rosenthal to bet on both Guillen and Kenny Williams staying in Chicago, since Jerry Reinsdorf is loyal to both men.

Rosenthal On Papelbon, Yankees, Fielder, Pujols

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A Marlins shakeup is looming and the focus is on the team's minor league system, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports in this week's edition of Full Count.  Jim Fleming, the vice president of player development and scouting, has informed his staff that he will be reassigned.  The club's revenues will grow once they move into their new stadium but they still need to do a better job of producing homegrown talent.  Let's take a look at some more highlights from Full Count..

  • The Red Sox are reluctant to give lucrative long-term contracts to closers, but with Jonathan Papelbon they might not be able to resist.  Papelbon will want an increase from his $12MM salary, perhaps something closer to Mariano Rivera's $15MM average yearly pay.  It's possible that no team will want to go there but Rivera has just one year left on his deal and Rafael Soriano hardly looks like the heir to Mo's throne.  Rosenthal wonders aloud if the Yankees would jump in and offer Papelbon a backloaded deal to take over as closer.
  • The Rangers would seem to be an obvious suitor for Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols, especially in light of Mitch Moreland's recent struggles.  Texas will have to spend on pitching if they lose C.J. Wilson in free agency and they might prefer to keep both their payroll and roster flexible.  Josh Hamilton is only one year away from free agency and Ian Kinsler is only two years away. 
  • The sale of the Astros to Jim Crane is not yet official and some in baseball believe that he will not be approved as owner.  Others, however, view a deal as inevitable.  Current owner Drayton McLane wants out and Crane is offering a fair price for the club.  Perhaps most importantly, there does not appear to be any other bidders.  McLane has been loyal to the commissioner's office and he will want to see that loyalty reciprocated.

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