Baseball Blogs Weigh In: K-Rod, Holland, Shields
Two years ago today, the Phillies and Pedro Martinez finalized a one-year deal worth $1MM. The then-37-year-old Martinez made nine starts down the stretch for Philadelphia, posting a 3.63 ERA in 44 2/3 innings. He also made three playoff starts for the eventual NL Champs but hasn't pitched since, and it looks like he's finally heading towards official retirement.
Are this week's links as good as Pedro in his prime? Probably not. But they're still worth your time…
- Disciples of Uecker interviewed Brewers' prospect Jimmy Nelson.
- Amazin' Avenue says the Mets didn't wave the white flag by trading Francisco Rodriguez.
- Brotherly Glove explains how the K-Rod trade impacts the Phillies.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness runs through buy, sell, and "other" scenarios for the Dodgers.
- Baseball Time In Arlington wonders if Derek Holland is becoming trade bait.
- DRays Bay explores the possibility of trading James Shields.
- U.S.S. Mariner tries to determine the trade value of Mariners that might be on the block.
- Royals Review revisited Dayton Moore's deadline trades as Royals GM.
- Splice Today thinks the Red Sox should extend Dustin Pedroia's contract.
- Clutch City Today wrote about the Astros selling high on Wandy Rodriguez.
- Beer Leaguer explains the problem(s) with trading Edwin Jackson.
- Feeling Dodger Blue wonders if Hiroki Kuroda's days with the Dodgers are numbered.
- The Friarhood listed some players the Padres should target in trades.
- Splashing Pumpkins believes Jamey Carroll should be a trade target for the Giants.
- Wahoo Blues wonders if the Indians could make a run at David DeJesus.
- The Yankees Analysts says the Yankees need to add a bat before the trade deadline.
- Blogging Mets thinks Mike Pelfrey could be a non-tender candidate.
- Cubs Den muses about Billy Beane becoming the next GM of the Cubs.
- Camden Chat wrote about what it means to be a fan of a bad team.
- Through The Fence Baseball wonders if the Pirates will be buyers at the trade deadline.
- Pirates Prospects posted a primer on the Pirates' needs and the prospects they could trade (preview, hitters, starters, relievers).
- Sports: A Game Of Inches proposed five changes to the Home Run Derby.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Quick Hits: Mariners, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Bailey
Friday night linkage..
- The Mariners are receiving calls on Jamey Wright and Adam Kennedy, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Both the Red Sox and the Yankees have scouts at tonight's Mets–Phillies game, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has made the rounds of his minor league teams and is willing to part with pieces at the deadline, writes Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Club ownership has told Towers that he will have some financial flexibility if he wants to add some payroll at the Deadline.
- The Athletics have received calls on Andrew Bailey, though their current position is that they would need to be overwhelmed by an offer, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday looks at some of the best mid-season rentals in recent years. No surprise here, No. 1 is the Brewers' acquisition of C.C. Sabathia in 2008.
- Over at Fangraphs, Dave Cameron continues his 2011 Trade Value series with a look at players ranked No. 25-21.
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NL East Notes: McKeon, Beltran, Phillies
Let's check out some notes from the NL East..
- Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria will consider Jack McKeon to manage the club in 2012, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Loria added that former skipper Edwin Rodriguez resigned on his own and was not pressured by the front office to quit.
- Loria also says that his team can work its way back into the playoff picture in 2011, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- A source told Jeff Passan of Yahoo (via Twitter) that the no-arbitration clause in Carlos Beltran's contract does transfer to his new team if he is traded.
- History always tells us that the Phillies always make a move and they usually go with a pitcher over a bat, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
Pirates, Rockies Interested In Slowey
The Rockies and Pirates are among the teams showing continued interest in Twins hurler Kevin Slowey as he nears the end of a minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Rochester, major-league sources told Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. The 27-year-old is currently on the disabled list with an abdominal strain, but he is said to be healthy now.
The veteran is earning $2.7MM this season but hasn't been able to find a spot on the team's big league roster. If the Twins don’t deal him soon, it’s possible that Slowey will be kept in the minors on an optional assignment.
Slowey will not be a free agent until after the 2013 season. For his career, the right-hander has a 4.43 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9.
Francisco Rodriguez Waives Vesting Option
5:05PM: Rodriguez's buyout will now increase from $3.5MM to $4MM with the Mets paying the original buyout and the Brewers paying the remainder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. K-Rod's vesting option now kicks in with the same 55 games finished, though the clause is now meaningless (via Twitter).
4:10PM: Francisco Rodriguez has agreed to waive his $17.5MM vesting option for 2012 in exchange for additional compensation, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The reliever will hit the open market at the end of the 2011 season.
The Brewers can now use Rodriguez without worrying that they'll have to pay him $17.5MM in 2012. The reliever's option would have become guaranteed for that amount if he had finished 55 total games this season, and he finished 34 with the Mets before heading to Milwaukee.
Rodriguez had the Brewers on his no-trade list, but his former agent did not properly submit the list, so it was not in effect when the Mets sent the 29-year-old to the Brewers. Rodriguez recently hired Scott Boras, who will represent him this fall. The last time the closer hit free agency, he signed a three-year $37MM deal with New York on the heels of his 62-save season.
Latest On Extension Talks For J.J. Hardy
4:34pm: One holdup in the talks between Hardy and the Orioles has been concern on Hardy's part that the Orioles will trade him, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
4:02pm: The Orioles and Hardy are progressing on a three-year deal that could be worth $21-25MM, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
3:10pm: There's optimism from the Orioles and J.J. Hardy about a potential extension and Baltimore appears to be willing to offer a three-year deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). It's not clear how much money the Orioles will offer the shortstop, who will become a trade candidate later this month if the Orioles don't complete a long-term deal, as they hope to.
The Orioles started extension talks with Hardy in June, but that hasn't stopped other teams from inquiring about his availability. It's not surprising that general managers are taking note of the 28-year-old's play. He has a .277/.336/.496 line with 13 home runs and a $5.85MM salary so far in 2011. If the Orioles don't reach an agreement with Hardy, he'll hit the open market after the season.
White Sox Sign Doug Davis
Doug Davis' stint with the Cubs didn't work out particularly well, so he'll try his luck with Chicago's other team. The White Sox signed Davis to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez, who suggests that the veteran left-hander will likely provide rotation depth in the minor leagues.
The Cubs signed Davis to a minor league deal in April after he worked out for a number of interested teams. The 35-year-old started nine games for the Cubs and posted a 6.50 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 45 2/3 innings. The Cubs released Davis after he gave up ten runs in one game to the Giants, who are 15th in the National League in runs scored.
Elias Rankings For Relievers Headed For Free Agency
Like it or not, the Elias rankings affect players’ free agent value. Signing unranked or Type B player doesn’t cost a thing, even if they turned down offers of arbitration. But signing a Type A player who turned down arbitration is different. Teams have to surrender a high draft pick to sign those free agents and, especially when it comes to relief pitchers, that’s a definite deterrent. So Type A relievers who turn down arbitration have fewer suitors, less leverage and, often, less money.
The Elias rankings also matter to teams assessing a player’s trade value. Acquiring a Type A player has different consequences than acquiring an unranked player, so a player’s value depends, in part, on his ranking. I’ve taken the relievers heading toward free agency who could be traded and grouped them by free agent type so we can gain some insight into their summer trade value:
Type A: Koji Uehara (vesting option), Matt Capps, Heath Bell
- Teams could obtain two draft choices for these pitchers if they maintain their ranking and turn down offers of arbitration to sign elsewhere. Bell will probably obtain an offer of arbitration from his new team, assuming he’s traded. Would teams be willing to give up a top pick to sign Capps, who has seen his strikeout rate, ground ball rate and fastball velocity drop this year? Prospective suitors might prefer a Type B ranking for Capps and the same goes for Uehara, who has had trouble staying off of the disabled list.
Type B: Jason Frasor (club option), Octavio Dotel (club option), Jon Rauch (club option), Shawn Camp, Frank Francisco, Michael Wuertz (club option), Kerry Wood
- Offering arbitration to a Type B player is simpler, since other suitors don’t have to give up a draft pick. A major consideration for teams offering arbitration to Type Bs: what if the player accepts and sets himself up for a raise through arbitration? It’s a risk many teams are willing to take for the possibility of a draft pick. Plus, it’s not unheard of for players to agree to turn their former clubs’ offers down (after all, it doesn’t affect their free agent value).
Unranked: Chad Qualls (club option), Tim Byrdak, John Grabow, Jason Isringhausen
- The Elias rankings are subject to change, so these relievers could be ranked by the end of the season, but at this point there’s no chance of obtaining draft picks as compensation losing for Qualls, Byrdak, Grabow or Isringhausen. There's no hidden value to trading for these pitchers; what you see is what you get.
Click here for a primer on free agent compensation, here for details on the Elias Rankings and here for a look at the history of the rankings.
Morosi On League, Astros, Red Sox, Blue Jays
It's unlikely that incoming Astros owner Jim Crane would want to start his tenure as Houston's new owner by opposing MLB's other teams, as Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports points out. That means it will be hard for Crane to turn Bud Selig down if the commissioner asks the Astros to move to the American League West at some point. Here are more of Morosi's notes from around MLB:
- The Mariners are taking calls on Brandon League and have no plans to make Felix Hernandez available (Twitter link).
- Despite the many injuries to their starting pitchers, the Red Sox haven't begun an all-out search for rotation help, according to Morosi. The Red Sox, who have checked in on Carlos Beltran, are prioritizing a right-handed hitting outfielder.
- The Blue Jays are hearing from teams interested in their relievers (Twitter link).
- The Angels prefer left-handed hitters over right-handed hitters, according to Morosi (on Twitter). They had serious discussions about the left-handed hitting Garrett Jones earlier in the year.