Phillies Release J.C. Romero
The Phillies announced that they gave left-hander J.C. Romero his unconditional release. Philadelphia had designated Romero for assignment last week.
The 35-year-old signed a $1.35MM deal with Philadelphia in January and the Phillies got 16 1/3 innings of work for their investment. Romero posted a 3.86 ERA with a 10K/12BB ratio and missed some time with a calf injury. The Cardinals appeared to have some interest in him last week.
Pirates Designate Aaron Thompson For Assignment
The Pirates designated left-hander Aaron Thompson for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Chase d'Arnaud, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). Pittsburgh optioned Josh Harrison to Triple-A yesterday to create room on the active roster.
In 67 innings at Double-A Altoona, Thompson has a 4.97 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. The 2005 first round pick has posted a 4.37 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 747 1/3 innings as a minor leaguer. D'Arnaud, 24, has a .280/.347/.418 line at Triple-A this year and is set to debut tonight as Pittsburgh's third baseman.
Minor Moves: Steven Jackson
Here's a record of the day's minor moves…
- The Pirates announced that they acquired Steven Jackson from the Reds for a player to be named later. Jackson signed with the Dodgers in March then joined the Reds after Los Angeles released him in May. The 29-year-old played for the Pirates in 2009 and 2010, before they released him last November. He posted a 4.31 ERA with a 28K/28BB ratio in 54 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh in '09-'10, but posted a minor league ERA of 8.44 this year with 6.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
Heyman On Riggleman, Hardy, Melvin
Much to everyone’s surprise, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman stepped down yesterday. Baseball writers, including MLBTR’s Howard Megdal, have been buzzing about the move since. Jon Heyman of SI.com now weighs in on the decision before providing other notes from around the league…
- Riggleman had considered resigning a few times before actually doing so yesterday, according to Heyman. In the past, agent Burton Rocks advised Riggleman to wait it out, but the skipper’s patience evidently wore thin this week despite his club’s hot streak.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo wants a veteran manager, according to Heyman. Rizzo will consider Davey Johnson, the 68-year-old former manager who is currently one of Rizzo’s advisors.
- The Orioles are considering an extension for J.J. Hardy and would like to limit the deal to two or three years. Hardy, 28, is hitting .304/.366/.532 in his contract year.
- Though teams have to conduct thorough searches for every managerial opening, interim boss Bob Melvin will remain Oakland’s permanent manager “barring something unforeseen,” according to Heyman.
Indians Release Jensen Lewis
The Indians released Jensen Lewis from Triple-A last night, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter). The right-handed reliever has spent parts of four seasons with the Indians, but spent the 2011 season at Triple-A Columbus.
Lewis, 27, posted a 5.14 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 28 innings of relief at Triple-A this year. The former third round pick has a 3.68 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 198 innings as a Major Leaguer.
Angels Agree To Sign First Rounder C.J. Cron
11:26am: Cron's deal is for $1.467MM and he'll sign it Monday, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).
7:13am: Top Angels draft pick C.J. Cron announced on Twitter that he will sign early next week. The University of Utah first baseman says he has agreed to terms on his first professional deal.
"Off to Anaheim on Monday to sign the contract!" he wrote. "I'm going to be an Angel."
As Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times points out, Cron's pro debut will likely have to wait until 2012 despite the early deal. The powerful prospect has a tear in his throwing shoulder and surgery would sideline him for six months or more. Baseball America ranked Cron 26th among draft eligible prospects before the draft and the Angels selected him with the 17th overall pick.
Cron, the son of former big leaguer Chris Cron, doesn't move well or run quickly, but Baseball America says that's fine given his power and hitting ability. "He's the best all-around hitter in the country and should have no problem producing the numbers teams expect from a first baseman," BA explained. Here's MLBTR's complete list of top picks that have signed.
Amaro Would Like To Solidify Bullpen
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel would like a right-handed bat and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. agrees that making a move for one would “help balance the lineup.” But the GM told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is “always concerned” about his bullpen.
"I don't think it's absolutely necessary that we get a right-handed bat in order to win the World Series," Amaro said. "To me, I'm more concerned about our pitching than our offense."
The Phillies just placed Jose Contreras on the disabled list, where he joins Brad Lidge and starters Joe Blanton and (it appears likely) Roy Oswalt. Though Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo are pitching tremendously, Amaro would prefer not to have to rely on such inexperienced pitchers so consistently.
MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes presented some potentially available left-handed and right-handed relievers this month. David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News recently explained the impact of Contreras' injury on Philadelphia's 'pen.
When Winning Managers Go, Are They Hired Again?
Washington's 1-0 victory yesterday did more than just accentuate the shock resulting from Jim Riggleman's decision to resign. It meant that the Nationals were making a managerial change despite a winning record, 38-37. Though not a change of their own volition, it still represents a relative rarity in-season.
Riggleman is the 41st manager to be replaced in-season since the start of the 2001 campaign, and of the previous 40, just four had winning records at the time of the change. For fun, we'll include Jimy Williams as well, whose 2004 Astros were 44-44 when Houston replaced him with Phil Garner.
Considering that Riggleman left over the issue of his 2012 option, it is fair to think he wanted to keep on managing. Does leaving with a winning record augur good future employment prospects for Riggleman? Not necessarily.
The two most recent managers to leave while winning were Mike Hargrove, who resigned as Seattle manager with his 2007 Mariners at 45-33, and Ned Yost, fired with his 2008 Brewers at 83-67. Hargrove's not an ideal comparison, since he decided he didn't want to manage anymore. But Yost landed on his feet, taking over as manager of the Kansas City Royals in May 2010. And unlike Yost, who got his walking papers after getting swept in a four-game set, Riggleman certainly had his team playing well.
The other three managers to lose managerial positions with a .500 record or better are Larry Bowa, Jimy Williams and Jimy Williams. Let's start with the latter two, since it's the same guy. Williams actually knows what it is like to lose a managerial job in-season three times. The first came in 1989 with the Blue Jays, when his team's record then was just 12-24. But in 2001, with his Boston Red Sox at 65-53, Williams got the ax. It certainly didn't help Boston any; the Red Sox stumbled to a 17-26 finish.
Williams then landed a job managing Houston in 2002, leading the Astros to a pair of second-place finishes. But in 2004, with Houstonn at 44-44, Williams got fired again. This time, Houston flourished, making the playoffs under Garner. But this was the last managerial go-around for Williams. He served as Charlie Manuel's bench coach from 2006-2008 in Philadelphia, resigning after the Phillies won the World Series. The multiple stops make Williams a pretty decent comparison for Riggleman.
As for Larry Bowa, he was technically an in-season firing, but at 85-75, his season was essentially over. Bowa's Phillies won at least 80 games in each of the four seasons he was in charge, well over a decade after his failed tenure running the Padres. Bowa never managed again, topping out as a third base coach for Joe Torre with the Dodgers.
What could make for an interesting test regarding Riggleman is how his now-former team fares without him. Charlie Manuel, Bowa's successor, led the Phillies to a ton of postseason success, which reflects poorly on Bowa, player personnel differences aside. In the case of Williams, when his successor in Boston, Joe Kerrigan, faltered, Williams got another managing job. When his successor in Houston, Garner, led the Astros to the playoffs, he didn't.
In other words, it would probably be best for Jim Riggleman to see Washington fade, Marlins-in-June-style, over the remainder of the season. But given the acrimony surrounding his departure, I have a feeling Riggleman wasn't going to root for the Nats anyway.
Uncertain Future For Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt told Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that back problems may put his career in jeopardy. The 33-year-old right-hander left last night’s start with lower back soreness after two innings and isn’t sure whether he’ll pitch again.
“You throw as long as you can and when you can’t throw anymore you don’t,” Oswalt said. “Hopefully it’s not to the point where I can’t throw anymore. If it’s at that point, you just have to accept it.”
Oswalt spent time on the disabled list with a back issue in April and May and he says his back has bothered him for a while. He has had cortisone shots in the past, but says he still feels pain while sitting, standing, walking, pitching and sleeping.
The three-time All-Star has posted a 3.79 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 71 1/3 innnings for the Phillies this year. His average fastball velocity has dropped from 92.6 mph to 91.2 mph, however.
Oswalt’s contract includes a mutual option for 2012 valued at $16MM. The Phillies can buy out the option for $2MM or Oswalt can walk away for a lesser buyout, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
Joe Mather Elects Free Agency
Joe Mather has elected free agency, according to MLB.com's transactions page. The Braves had designated the utility player for assignment on Sunday.
The 28-year-old had a .213/.272/.307 line in 83 plate appearances at various positions. Mather played all three outfield positions and both corner infield positions this year. The Cardinals selected him in the third round of the 2001 draft and he made it to St. Louis for parts of two seasons, 2008 and 2010. Mather has a career line of .228/.283/.384 with nine home runs in 294 plate appearances.