NY Notes: Hernandez, Misch, Yanks Rotation
One New York team, the Mets, rested today while the other, the Yankees, opened their season with a win over the Tigers. Here are some items of note for each of Gotham's big league ballclubs …
- Luis Hernandez has decided to remain with the Mets organization after clearing waivers, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The second baseman, rumored at one point during Spring Training to be the favorite to win the starting job at second base, will report to Triple-A Buffalo rather than testing free agency.
- Similarly, left-hander Pat Misch has opted to stay with the organization after clearing waivers, writes Rubin. Misch, too, will report to Triple-A Buffalo.
- All the conjecture over the state of the Yankees' rotation came to an end today, at the outset of the regular season, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Despite the attention paid to the state of the Bombers' rotation this offseason and spring, Sherman writes, their starting five was hardly a sure thing in 2010, when they managed to win 95 games and reach the ALCS. As with last season, the lineup and bullpen are very strong, but it will be interesting to see how the spotty rotation plays out and whether GM Brian Cashman makes any in-season moves in the event that things don't work out between A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia. No team's Nos. 1-5 starters are perfect, of course, but as Sherman notes, the Red Sox and Rays appear to have the better rotations in the AL East on paper as of now.
D’Backs Sign Josh Wilson
The Diamondbacks signed infielder Josh Wilson to a minor league deal, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). Wilson, who was released by the Mariners earlier in the week, will report to Triple-A Reno.
Wilson appeared in 11 games for Arizona during the 2009 season before playing for the Padres and Mariners. In 388 plate appearances for Seattle last year, Wilson posted a .227/.278/.294 line as a utility infielder. Though he's primarily a shortstop, Wilson has pitched three times and played every infield position.
Blue Jays Have Not Approached Hill About Options
Aaron Hill told Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star that the Blue Jays have not approached him about the options they have for his 2012-14 seasons (Twitter link). The Blue Jays can exercise all three options before the season for $26MM total, exercise the 2012-13 options after the season for $16MM total or decline the options and allow Hill to hit free agency next fall.
As Griffin points out, it does not appear that the Blue Jays will exercise the three options before the season, which means Hill will either become a free agent after the season or see the Blue Jays exercise his 2012-13 options for $16MM total.
No qualified hitter in baseball had a lower batting average on balls in play than Hill last year, an indication that the second baseman was unlucky. Hill, who turned 29 last week, finished the 2010 season with 26 homers and an unusual .205/.271/.394 batting line.
Wade Davis, Agent Take Calculated Risk
The Rays acknowledge that they took a significant risk when they invested $12.6MM in a pitcher who has appeared in just 35 big league games. Wade Davis signed for more guaranteed money than any pitcher in his service class (one-plus years), but he took on a different kind of risk.
Davis’ agent, B.B. Abbott, acknowledges that there’s a chance his client will earn millions less than he would have obtained by going year to year and hitting free agency after 2015. It could amount to a $6-8MM discount for the Rays, but Abbott says it's a worthwhile tradeoff for Davis, who gets guaranteed money and security.
"I don't think anyone can definitively tell you that it's the wrong deal or a bad deal or a good deal," Abbott told MLBTR. "It was just the right deal for Wade and the right deal for the team."
It's a contract that will allow Davis to enter free agency in time for a major free agent payday. Even if the Rays exercise their three team options, Davis will hit the open market as a 32-year-old with $35.1MM in his bank account. He was flattered that the Rays considered him worthy of such substantial investment after just one full season.
"It doesn’t seem to happen a whole lot in baseball, so it’s a huge compliment and something that I’m looking forward to," Davis said on a conference call earlier today.
The Rays made a similar investment in James Shields after the 2007 season and though 2010 was disappointing, he has put together three consecutive 200-inning seasons under his current contract. Shields was one of the main points of reference for the Davis deal, along with Brett Anderson, who had the record for one-plus pitchers ($12.5MM guarantee) until Davis signed. Chad Billingsley, who just signed an extension of his own, and Matt Garza were other comparable pitchers relevant to the negotiations between Davis, Abbott and the Rays.
Friedman, Rays Take Calculated Risk With Deal
Wade Davis has appeared in 35 big league games and today the Rays signed him to a deal that could pay him over $35MM. Davis gets a $12.6MM guarantee from an organization that will spend just $41MM on its entire roster this year, so Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman fully acknowledges he's taking a risk. But the Rays didn't want to pass up the opportunity to sign a core player long-term.
"I think the one thing that we’ve really demonstrated over the years is how important these investments are for our organization," Friedman said via conference call. "We’ve been aggressive at that core that we can keep in place for a number of years and hopefully sustain success in this division."
Friedman locked up current Rays Evan Longoria, James Shields and Ben Zobrist to similar club option-heavy deals to provide the team with flexibility. The since-departed Carlos Pena and Scott Kazmir also signed extensions with the Rays since Friedman took over baseball operations in 2006.
The Rays wanted to add Davis to the list of players they've signed long-term, partly because they like his ability and his character. However, talent and dedication don't eliminate the risk inherent in signing a rookie pitcher to a multiyear deal.
"There’s no question that the injury rate is much higher with a pitcher than a position players and that fairly intuitive," Friedman said. "That’s why it’s so important for us in the sense of how well we know our guys – what their makeup is, the work ethic, how driven they are and it’s something that Wade fits into very, very well on all those fronts."
There’s another reason the Rays signed Davis long-term, though it’s impossible to quantify. Friedman says multiyear deals allow players to focus entirely on baseball and not on the money they may or may not make through arbitration or free agency. Davis, who considered the deal carefully before signing, agrees.
"The biggest thing for me is to be able to relax and I think it’s like that with anybody when they’re able to relax on the baseball field and just go all out out there," Davis said.
Jermaine Dye To Retire
After 14 seasons and 325 home runs in the Major Leagues, Jermaine Dye is retiring, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Dye, 37, last played in 2009, though he considered returning to the majors in 2010 and 2011.
Dye, a 17th round selection in 1993, hit 325 homers in his career with a .274/.338/.488 line. He played for the Royals, White Sox and Athletics after breaking in with the Braves as a 22-year-old in 1996. The two-time All-Star and 2006 Silver Slugger recipient was the World Series MVP in 2005 when the White Sox won the World Series.
Dye was traded twice; he went from the Braves to the Royals in 1997 and from the Royals to the A's in a three-team trade in 2001. He earned just shy of $75MM in his career, according to Baseball-Reference.
Pirates Designate Ramon Aguero For Assignment
The Pirates designated right-hander Ramon Aguero for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Jose Veras, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Pirates had optioned Aguero to Double-A Altoona on March 14th.
Aguero posted a 6.14 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 29 1/3 innings at Class A and Double-A last year. The 26-year-old Dominican has a 4.14 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in parts of five pro seasons.
Rays Extend Wade Davis
The Rays announced that they agreed to a four-year extension with Wade Davis that's worth at least $12.6MM and could be worth up to $35.1MM. Jet Sports Management represents the right-hander.
The 2011-14 seasons are guaranteed and the Rays hold options for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons. The options span Davis’ final arbitration year and his first two years of free agency while the guaranteed years span Davis' final two pre-arbitration seasons and his first two seasons of arbitration eligibility.
Agent B.B. Abbott told MLBTR that Davis earns $1MM in 2011, $1.5MM in 2012, $2.8MM in 2013 and $4.8MM in 2014. The Rays then have options worth $7MM (2015), $8MM (2016) and $10MM (2017) or a buyout worth $2.5MM.
Davis, 25, posted a 4.07 ERA with a 39.2% ground ball rate, 6.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 168 innings last year, finishing fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting.
The option-heavy extension mirrors those signed by Ben Zobrist (2 club options), James Shields (3 club options) and Evan Longoria (3 club options). Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman clearly likes the flexibility that multiple club options provide and so far he has been willing to commit to certain players early to obtain it.
Pirates Sign Tim Wood
The Pirates signed recently-released right-hander Tim Wood, MLBTR has learned. It didn't take long for Wood to find a job after the Nationals released him and two others.
Wood logged 27 2/3 innings for the Marlins last year, posting a 5.53 ERA with more walks (15) than strikeouts (10). He was more effective in 2009, when he posted a 2.82 ERA with 16 strikeouts and 10 walks in 22 1/3 innings for Florida. The 28-year-old has a 4.72 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 over the course of his eight-year minor league career.
Wood, selected in the 44th round of the 2002 draft, first made it to the majors in 2009, and he began his big league career in style, throwing 9 2/3 scoreless innings over the course of eight appearances.
Rockies Would Listen On Lopez; No Current Talks
The Rockies would listen to trade offers for Jose Lopez, but no talks are going on at the moment, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). Though the Rockies have been impressed with Jonathan Herrera's spring, they would like to see Lopez hit at Coors Field before striking a deal, according to Renck.
The Rockies acquired Lopez from the Mariners for Chaz Roe in December, so he has yet to play an official game for Colorado. The Rockies are looking for a bounce-back year from Lopez, who hit .239/.270/.339 in 622 plate appearances last year. Lopez can play second and third base and will earn $3MM this year.