By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Cardinals designated Raul Valdes for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Arthur Rhodes, according to B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com (on Twitter). They optioned Tony Cruz to Triple-A Memphis to create room for Rhodes on the active roster.
Valdes appeared in seven big league games for St. Louis this year, mostly in July. The 33-year-old also has a 4.73 ERA with impressive rates of 9.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 59 innings at Triple-A Memphis.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Pirates announced that they designated right-hander Tim Wood for assignment to create space for Ross Ohlendorf on the 40-man roster. The Pirates recalled Ohlendorf from rehab, reinstated him from the 60-day DL and optioned him to Triple-A.
Wood, 28, has appeared in 13 games for the Pirates this year. He has spent most of the season with Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate, where he has a 2.84 ERA with 23 saves, 6.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 44 1/3 innings. The former Marlin has a 4.50 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in nine minor league seasons. It won't be surprising if he gets claimed within ten days.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
There's now almost no chance that MLB will expand the playoffs by next year, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. It's far from a lock that the postseason will expand under baseball's upcoming collective bargaining agreement, despite heavy rumblings about expanded playoffs. The union views postseason changes as part of a series of related possible changes, which is why we won't necessarily see more playoff teams by 2012, according to Stark. Here are the rest of his rumors…
By Mike Axisa | at
The Diamondbacks lost first baseman Xavier Nady for four-to-six weeks with a broken hand last night, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says (on Twitter) the team is considering signing Lyle Overbay. Nady suffered the injury on a hit-by-pitch.
The 34-year-old Overbay became a free agent earlier this week when the Pirates cut him loose. He hit just .227/.300/.349 in 391 plate appearances for Pittsburgh, but that's better than what Nady was doing for Arizona: .248/.287/.359 in 223 plate appearances. The D'Backs could also turn to Juan Miranda, who is hitting .268/.387/.500 in Triple-A after being outrighted last month.
Overbay started his career with the D'Backs after they took him in the 18th round of the 1999 draft. He hit .271/.357/.391 in parts of three seasons with Arizona before being one of six players they sent to the Brewers for Richie Sexson after the 2003 season. The Diamondbacks would only have to pay Overbay the pro-rated portion of the league minimum, with the Pirates being on the hook for the rest of his $5MM salary.
This post was originally published on August 12th.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
1:42pm: Reed obtains a $1.589MM bonus, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). That appears to be slightly over slot.
1:28pm: Dodgers assistant GM Logan White officially announced the signing.
7:23am: The Dodgers have agreed to terms with 16th overall pick Chris Reed, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Terms of the deal are not known for Reed, a Scott Boras client. The commissioner's office recommended a bonus of $1.512MM for the 16th overall selection last year, according to Baseball America.
The 6'5" left-hander posted a 1.80 ERA in 45 innings of relief as a junior at Stanford last year. However, the Dodgers see him as a starter in the Major Leagues, Cassavell reports. Be sure to track every top pick's status with MLBTR's list.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Cardinals have released left-handed reliever Ron Mahay, according to their Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds (on Twitter). The Cardinals signed Mahay and Blaine Boyer to minor league deals in July, but didn't call Mahay up to the Major Leagues. After signing southpaw Arthur Rhodes, St. Louis' need for left-handed relief diminished and they could afford to let Mahay go.
The Dodgers signed Mahay in February and released him the next month. By the middle of May he had already signed with Arizona and been released a second time. Mahay has a 3.83 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in parts of 14 Major League seasons. Through 23 1/3 minor league innings this year, he has a 5.01 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
It’s too early to predict with complete accuracy which franchises will be looking for new general managers in the coming months, but it’s fair to assume that an opening or two will emerge, maybe more. In anticipation of these openings MLBTR has surveyed dozens of baseball people about candidates for general manager jobs. Over the course of the past six weeks, Tim Dierkes and I have heard from a diverse collection of voices, including GMs, agents, scouting directors, scouts, former GMs and, we expect, future GMs.
It's now time to present the resulting list of 20 GM candidates, plus honorable mentions. The list is by no means comprehensive; we acknowledge in advance that the list of qualified GM candidates extends beyond the 28 names below. We have limited the list to those who obtained three votes or more from their peers within the game and we are focusing on the candidates who have yet to accept a permanent GM job. Many former GMs like Josh Byrnes and Paul DePodesta received votes, but we are presenting those who haven't had a full-time gig.
Here is MLBTR’s inaugural list of the top 20 GM candidates in MLB:
Honorable mentions in alphabetical order: Matt Arnold, Director, Pro Scouting (Rays), Jeff Bridich, Senior Director of Baseball Operations (Rockies), John Coppolella, Director of Baseball Administration (Braves), Dan Jennings, VP Player Personnel & AGM (Marlins), Jason McLeod, VP, AGM (Padres), J.J. Picollo, AGM, Scouting & Player Development (Royals), Shiraz Rehman, Director of Player Personnel (Diamondbacks) and Josh Stein, Director of Baseball Operations (Padres).
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Indians announced that they have designated outfielder Austin Kearns for assignment to create active roster space for Shin-Soo Choo, who has been activated from the disabled list. Choo had been on the DL since June 25th after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured thumb.
Kearns signed a one-year, $1.3MM deal with the Indians last offseason and produced a .200/.302/.287 line with two homers in 174 plate appearances. He played both corner outfield positions for the Tribe, but saw his slash line drop significantly; he posted a .263/.351/.395 line for the Indians and Yankees in 2010.
By Howard Megdal | at
Time for a new segment, where we analyze recent trade targets and compare them to their historical ancestors. First up: the recent Ubaldo Jimenez deal, and its historical twin: the trade of Ernie Broglio.
Consider that through his most recent start, Ubaldo Jimenez has pitched 864 innings with an ERA+ of 126. Broglio, from 1960 through getting traded during the 1964 season, pitched 942 2/3 innings with an ERA+ of 125. Broglio was 28 at the time of his deal; Jimenez was 27 when the Rockies traded him last month.
So why, exactly, do we fail to remember the "Ernie Broglio Trade" as clearly as we currently think of the "Ubaldo Jimenez Trade"? Let's take a closer look to find out.
The St. Louis Cardinals dealt Broglio on June 15, 1964. At the time, the Cardinals were 28-31, seven games out of first place, and obviously going nowhere. Why not deal Broglio for some young talent? The Cubs were eager to get Broglio, veteran hurler Bobby Shantz and backup outfielder Doug Clemens in exchange for pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth and a young outfielder named Lou Brock.
Ah, that's why it isn't called the Ernie Broglio Trade.
Spring, Toth, Clemens and even Shantz (once a very good pitcher himself) did little for their new teams. Broglio pitched moderately well for the 1964 Cubs, with a 4.04 ERA, before arm injuries ended his career by 1966. And Brock immediately became Hall of Famer Lou Brock, hitting .348/.387/.527 with 33 stolen bases following the trade. He'd go on to steal at least 51 each year until 1977, when he was 37. He stole 118, the single season record Rickey Henderson broke the next decade, as a 35-year-old.
To boot, the Cardinals team that had been underachieving so much that it felt it could trade one of its best pitchers and fire its general manager went on to win the 1964 World Series. And they had their arch rivals to thank for a trade that helped make it possible.
The question is, will any of the players Colorado received from Cleveland - Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Joseph Gardner and Matt McBride – produce like Lou Brock? Drew Pomeranz looks like the best of the bunch, but he cannot even be officially traded to Colorado until August 15, nor is he expected to join the big league club when he makes the move. In other words, he could turn out to be the focal point of the deal, but he is unlikely to make Cleveland pay the same season the Indians traded him.
But is helpful to remember that history may not call this the "Ubaldo Jimenez Trade". Our children may think of it instead as "The Alex White Trade". After all, that's how it happened when the Jimenez-like trade target was… separated at birth.
By Dan Mennella | at
In an upcoming class of free agents flush with solid closers, Red Sox stopper Jonathan Papelbon will arguably be the grand prize. Papelbon, 31 in November, is still in his prime and on track for his sixth consecutive campaign of at least 35 saves in as many seasons as Boston's closer. He didn't merely compile those saves by virtue of simply holding the job; the 2.33 career ERA and 2.68 FIP are befitting a stud closer.
This season, in particular, has been an important one for Papelbon on the heels of a tumultuous 2010. He's posted a 3.14 ERA and 26 saves to date, but if you dig deeper, the advanced estimators like him more than that, enough for a 2.37 xFIP and 1.62 SIERA. If the end-of-season numbers are closer to those figures, Paps will hit the open market on quite the high note.
Papelbon avoided arbitration last offseason for a $12MM salary in 2011, and I'd guess he won't want to take a cut in annual salary (I know, going out on a limb there). And considering three-year deals were handed out like so many Jolly Ranchers to setup men such as Joaquin Benoit and Scott Downs last winter, he'd be silly not to seek a pact of at least that length.
The tricky part is that his most obvious suitor, or perhaps the one that seems the likeliest, is his current team, the Red Sox, and they have plenty of bargaining leverage. Setup man Daniel Bard has emerged as one of the game's elite relievers the past couple years, and Ryan Madson, Heath Bell and Francisco Rodriguez threaten to dent the market for Papelbon, as do older guys like Francisco Cordero, Joe Nathan, Brad Lidge and Jose Valverde, whose respective teams hold club options for 2012.
Bargaining is a ways off yet, but a couple of experts have shared interesting and differing takes recently. One NL GM told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he wouldn't break up the formidable late-innings duo of Bard and Papelbon, and that he thinks Boston will buck up when it comes down to it. Meanwhile, Peter Gammons said last month that if Papelbon is seeking something like three years and $36MM, the Sox will likely allow him to walk.
I think the terms mentioned by Gammons are probably the magic numbers for Papelbon. Consider, for example, that Mariano Rivera will have earned $15MM for five consecutive years from 2008-12 (on three- and two-year contracts), and $36MM for three doesn't seem so unreasonable. Of course, that's a dicey comparison because of Mo's greatness, his inextricable ties to the Yankees organization and so on. But there are parallels. Is Paps the Red Sox's Rivera? More pointedly, will the sides proceed in contract dealings the way the Yanks and Rivera have — knowing that they need each other? My bet is, "yes."
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