Red Sox Notes: Millwood, Morales, Okajima
The Red Sox made a pair of moves yesterday and won again, boosting their record to a season-best 23-20. Here’s the latest on Boston as they prepare to take on the Cubs…
- If recent signing Kevin Millwood reaches the Major Leagues, he’ll earn a pro-rated portion of $500K, plus incentives, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. In other words, he's guaranteed slightly more than the MLB minimum.
- If the Rockies had sent Franklin Morales to the Pirates instead of the Red Sox, Colorado would have asked for a prospect rather than former Rockie Joe Beimel, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox designated Hideki Okajima for assignment to create roster space for Morales, but the Japanese left-hander says re-signing in Boston this offseason was not a mistake, according to Speier.
Quick Hits: Okajima, Friedman, Millwood, Red Sox
Some Thursday night Quick Hits..
- Boston DFA'd Hideki Okajima tonight in order to clear a roster spot for Franklin Morales but GM Theo Epstein told WEEI's Alex Speier that he's hopeful that he'll fall through waivers if he's unable to find a trade partner for him.
- If Rays GM and Houston native Andrew Friedman is offered the Astros' GM job, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video) says that he should stay put. While the Rays obviously don't have deep pockets, he points out that they have a tremendous farm system and a ton of draft picks this June. Meanwhile, Houston's farm system is barren and it will take them quite some time to bolster their big league roster. Rosenthal advises the young executive to instead wait for a job opening that could allow him to win right away.
- Speaking of Friedman, the Rays were trying to obtain Morales before the Red Sox landed him,tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- A scout told Abraham (via Twitter) that what Kevin Millwood exhibited in the minors for the Yankees "won't translate to majors very well." Millwood signed with the Red Sox earlier tonight.
- The Millwood signing reflects the Red Sox's concerns over pitching depth, tweets Rosenthal. Coincidentally, Josh Beckett exited tonight's game against the Tigers with neck tightness, though the team said it was for precautionary reasons.
Red Sox Acquire Franklin Morales
The Red Sox have acquired Rockies left-hander Franklin Morales for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). In order to make room for Morales, Hideki Okajima has been designated for assignment by the BoSox.
Boston has until November to either agree on a player in the Morales trade or pay a nominal amount of money to the Rockies, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.
Morales was ranked as the eighth-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America prior to the 2008 season. The left-hander throws the ball extremely hard as evidenced by his 94.4 mph fastball last year. Across parts of five big league seasons, he owns a 4.83 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9.
The 25-year-old is out of options and the Rockies have reportedly been concerned about losing him to waivers. Yesterday we learned that the Rockies were measuring trade interest in Morales as well as fellow fireballer Felipe Paulino.
Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) first reported that the two sides were close to an agreement while Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) reported that a deal was completed.
NL East Notes: Marlins, Vazquez, Sanchez, Botts
Let's check out some tidbits from the National League East..
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter) doesn't see Kevin Millwood as being a quality upgrade over Javier Vazquez for the Marlins. He also tweets that the Fish are hopeful that Vazquez will turn things around soon.
- Rodriguez (via Twitter) also says that he could envision the Marlins thinking about an extension for Anibal Sanchez, but not until after the season. The 27-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the final time this winter.
- The Mets' signing of Jason Botts will help replenish Triple-A Buffalo, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The club also inked infielder Luis Figueroa and acquired outfielder Bubba Bell for the same purpose.
Red Sox Notes: Rodriguez, Millwood
A pair of items on the Red Sox as they take on the Tigers at home..
- Scouts around the league tell Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that the Red Sox need to find another catcher. Could Ivan Rodriguez be the solution in Boston? "That's a good park to hit in," Rodriguez told Knobler. "I've always hit well there." The 39-year-old says he wants to play two or three more seasons.
- The BoSox are still talking with Kevin Millwood, but nothing is happening there yet, a source tells Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). Today we learned that the Cubs are interested in the veteran right-hander.
Mets Sign Jason Botts
The Mets have signed first baseman/outfielder Jason Botts, according to Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter). Botts, who will be assigned to Triple-A Buffalo, was playing for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League.
The 30-year-old hooked on with the Nationals organization last summer, hitting .279/.345/.438 with eight homers for their Triple-A affiliate. In parts of five seasons at the Triple-A level, Botts owns a .909 OPS. In addition to the independent circuit, Botts also saw time overseas when he spent parts of two seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters.
NL Central Notes: Rendon, Astros, Green
The Cardinals and Reds sit atop the NL Central standings thanks to the two highest-scoring offenses in the National League. Even without vintage Albert Pujols, the Cards lead the league in runs (227) and OPS+ (120). Here's the latest on a few of their division rivals…
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington saw possible first overall selection Anthony Rendon three times last week, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (on Twitter). The Pirates are considering a handful of players with the top pick.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs examines Charlie Morton's unusual platoon splits and says the Pirates right-hander will have to adjust his approach against left-handed hitters if he wants to maintain his early-season success.
- When incoming Astros owner Jim Crane talks about spending wisely and having enough money to run the team effectively, it sounds good, but as Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle says, “nothing really matters except results.”
- Sean Green accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A and will stay with the Brewers organization, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (on Twitter). Milwaukee designated the reliever for assignment earlier in the month.
Cubs Interested In Kevin Millwood; Angels Aren’t
1:31pm: Angels GM Tony Reagins told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels aren't interested in Millwood, despite the Twitter report below. "That tweet has no basis," Reagins said.
10:54am: The Angels and Cubs are among the teams showing interest in free agent starter Kevin Millwood, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Heyman also confirms Peter Gammons' report that the Red Sox are interested.
Millwood became a free agent more than two weeks ago, when he opted out of his minor league contract with the Yankees. Though some scouts weren't impressed with the right-hander's minor league stint, he posted passable numbers: 10 strikeouts, 5 walks and 15 hits in 16 innings over the course of three starts.
Millwood posted a 5.10 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 last year in his first season as an Oriole and Baltimore had at least some interest in a reunion with him.The 36-year-old is no longer the same pitcher he was in Atlanta, but he has averaged 31 starts and a 4.67 ERA over the course of the past five seasons.
Quick Hits: Mortensen, Dodgers, Benoit
On this date 101 years ago Cy Young became the first pitcher in baseball history to win 500 games. We don’t pay too much attention to pitcher wins at MLBTR, but 500 of them sure are impressive. Here’s the latest from around the league…
- Clayton Mortensen told Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post that his goal is simple: maintain a spot on the Major League roster for as long as possible. The right-hander has a 2.01 ERA through 22 1/3 innings in his first season with the Rockies.
- An attorney for Dodgers owner Frank McCourt told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that they aren't even thinking about selling the team (Twitter link).
- The Joaquin Benoit deal won’t be a total waste of money, but will be a bad contract, according to Jamie Samuelsen at the Detroit Free Press. Benoit signed a three-year, $16.5M deal with the Tigers over the winter and has since posted a 7.98 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 14 2/3 innings.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Mets GM Sandy Alderson talk to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff about the challenge of balancing a team’s needs with personal relationships with players.
Jack Of All Trades: Roger Maris
After writing about Jose Bautista last week, I got to thinking about some other shocking home run totals that followed trades. And one that isn't getting enough attention is that of Roger Maris, whose 50-year anniversary of hitting 61 home runs happens to take place this season.
To be sure, Maris was no one-hit wonder, having captured the 1960 AL MVP. But were his home run totals to be expected when the Yankees traded for him? I'm not so sure. Let's take a closer look at his career and deals.
Maris signed with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent in 1953. Certainly, he profiled as a strong prospect, hitting 32 home runs in Class B Keokuk as a 19 year old, then 20 home runs the following season, split between Class A and Double-A. But when he got to the big leagues, it looked like batting average would limit his overall offensive profile. He hit .235 with 14 home runs in 424 plate appearances for the 1957 Indians, then .225 with nine home runs in 202 plate appearances in 1958. The Indians played him primarily in center field and he was overshadowed by the young star in right: Rocky Colavito.
Seemingly without a position, Maris became expendable, and the Indians traded him to the Kansas City Athletics on June 15, 1958 with lefty swingman Dick Tomanek and utility player Preston Ward in exchange for defensively extraordinary first baseman Vic Power and Joe McEwing-like Woodie Held. Maris hit another 19 home runs for Kansas City in 1958. Power's best years were behind him, meanwhile, though his glove kept him in the league for many seasons to come.
Maris blossomed in his age-24 season, 1959. He made his first All Star team, raised his average to .273, cut his strikeouts down from 85 to 53, and clouted 16 home runs. He certainly looked like a potential star, but the idea that he, and not Rocky Colavito, would challenge Babe Ruth's record wouldn't have made much sense to contemporaries.
Still, the deal Kansas City made in December 1959 – shipping Maris and throw-ins Joe DeMaestri and Kent Hadley to the Yankees for Hank Bauer, Don Larsen (both past their sell-by dates), Norm Siebern (a hitter without a position on the Yankees) and Marv Throneberry (a future 1962 Met) – looked one-sided at the time. Maris was clearly the best player in the deal. But he didn't profile as any kind of home run champion.
Maris immediately set about proving that conventional wisdom wrong. He hit 39 home runs in 1960. And while it has become common to dismiss Maris' hitting as a product of Yankee Stadium's short right field, the numbers don't bear that out. He actually hit 26 of his 39 home runs on the road in 1960, and 31 of his 61 home runs away from home in 1961. In 1962, when his total dropped to just 33, he hit 19 home runs at home, 14 on the road. Over that three-year period, he hit 71 home runs on the road and 62 home runs at Yankee Stadium. He was no park fluke.
Maris hit 23 home runs in 1963 and 26 in 1964, his last reasonably healthy season. By the time he got dealt one final timen – in December 1966 to the Cardinals, for infielder Charley Smith - even his double-digit home run seasons were behind him. He provided enough defensive value, however, to be an important member of two NL pennant-winning Cardinal teams in 1967 and 1968. His total home run output over 812 plate appearances? 14.
In short, I think the Yankees had greater reason to believe they were acquiring an impact player when they traded for Maris than Toronto did when dealing for Bautista. But the teams were probably equally surprised to receive all-time levels of home run production.