Royals Designate Lucas May For Assignment
The Royals designated catcher Lucas May for assignment, the team announced. In corresponding moves, the Royals placed Jason Kendall on the 15-day DL, selected the contract of Tim Collins and outrighted Gregor Blanco to Triple-A. Kansas City now has 39 players on its 40-man roster.
The Royals acquired May from the Dodgers with Elisaul Pimentel for Scott Podsednik last July and the backstop debuted with the Royals as a September callup. He seemed ready to become a big league backup, but the Royals acquired Matt Treanor this week and he will take May's place.
May hit .283/.349/.483 for three teams in the upper minors last year, adding 16 homers and 21 doubles. The 26-year-old has thrown out 28% of would-be base stealers in his minor league career. He is out of options.
How Teams Obtained Their Opening Day Starters
You can define a No. 1 starter in any number of ways, but in one respect, managers around the game have already done the work for us. Here's a list of the pitchers who got the Opening Day nod this year and how their current teams acquired them:
Draft Picks (15)
- Luke Hochevar, Royals – Selected in the first round of the 2006 draft (1st overall).
- David Price, Rays – Selected in the first round of the 2007 draft (1st overall).
- Justin Verlander, Tigers – Selected in the first round of the 2004 draft (2nd overall).
- Tim Stauffer, Padres – Selected in the first round of the 2003 draft (4th overall).
- Ricky Romero, Blue Jays – Selected in the first round of the 2005 draft (6th overall).
- Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – Selected in the first round of the 2006 draft (7th overall).
- Mike Pelfrey, Mets – Selected in the first round of the 2005 draft (9th overall).
- Tim Lincecum, Giants – Selected in the first round of the 2006 draft (10th overall).
- Jered Weaver, Angels – Selected in the first round of the 2004 draft (12th overall).
- Jon Lester, Red Sox – Selected in the second round of the 2002 draft.
- Yovani Gallardo, Brewers – Selected in the second round of the 2004 draft.
- Trevor Cahill, Athletics – Selected in the second round of the 2006 draft.
- Josh Johnson, Marlins – Selected in the fourth round of the 2002 draft.
- C.J. Wilson, Rangers – Selected in the fifth round of the 2001 draft.
- Mark Buehrle, White Sox – Selected in the 38th round of the 1998 draft and later extended.
Free Agent Signings (8)
- C.C. Sabathia, Yankees – Signed a free agent contract worth $161MM over seven years in December, 2008.
- Derek Lowe, Braves – Signed a free agent contract worth $60MM over four years in January, 2009.
- Ryan Dempster, Cubs – Signed a free agent contract worth $52MM over four years in November, 2008.
- Carl Pavano, Twins – Signed a free agent contract worth $16.5MM over two years in January, 2011. The Twins originally traded for him in 2009, but Pavano has since hit free agency.
- Kevin Correia, Pirates – Signed a free agent contract worth $8MM over two years in December, 2010.
- Brett Myers, Astros – Signed a free agent contract worth $5.1MM for one year in January, 2010 and later extended.
- Livan Hernandez, Nationals – Signed a free agent contract worth $900K for one year in February, 2010 and later extended.
- Chris Carpenter, Cardinals – Signed a free agent contract worth $500K for one year in December, 2002 and later extended.
International Free Agent Signings (3)
- Felix Hernandez, Mariners – Signed as an amateur free agent in July, 2002.
- Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies – Signed as an amateur free agent in April, 2001.
- Fausto Carmona, Indians – Signed as an amateur free agent in December, 2000.
Trades (3)
- Roy Halladay, Phillies – Acquired from the Blue Jays in a December, 2009 trade that sent Michael Taylor, Travis d'Arnaud and Kyle Drabek to Toronto and later extended.
- Edinson Volquez, Reds – Acquired from the Rangers in a December, 2007 trade that sent Josh Hamilton to Texas.
- Ian Kennedy, Diamondbacks – Acquired from the Yankees in a December, 2009 trade involving the Yankees and Tigers.
Waiver Claims (1)
- Jeremy Guthrie, Orioles – Acquired from the Indians in a January, 2007 waiver claim.
Astros To Designate Rowland-Smith For Assignment
The Astros plan to designate Ryan Rowland-Smith for assignment Thursday, the team announced. The Astros signed Rowland-Smith to a deal that could have been worth $725K last December, but he didn't crack the team's Opening Day roster.
The 28-year-old Australia native posted a 6.75 ERA with 4.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 37.1% ground ball rate last year before the Mariners non-tendered him. He missed time with a triceps injury in 2009 and a lower back strain in 2010.
The Astros' rotation is set with Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Bud Norris, J.A. Happ and Nelson Figueroa. The Astros will have ten days to outright Rowland-Smith to the minor leagues, trade him, or release him, assuming they go ahead with the DFA tomorrow. If outrighted, Rowland-Smith has the right to elect free agency.
Yankees Designate Romulo Sanchez For Assignment
WEDNESDAY: The Yankees designated Sanchez for assignment and announced that he has an offer to play in Japan.
MONDAY: The Yankees are selling Romulo Sanchez's rights to a Japanese team, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). Sanchez, 27 in April, is an out of options hurler with a 95 mile per hour fastball.
He spent most of last year at Triple-A, posting a 3.97 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 5.1 BB/9, and 0.7 HR/9 in 104 1/3 innings. The Yankees acquired him from the Pirates about two years ago for Eric Hacker. At that time, Baseball America wrote Sanchez was "a big, intimidating presence…[who] lacks a great feel for pitching and has control lapses that keep him from dominating."
Ethier’s Agent Issues Statement
WEDNESDAY, 1:22pm: Ethier's agent Nez Balelo issued a statement, acknowledging extension talks with the Dodgers but adding that an offer was never made. He says Ethier is open to staying with the Dodgers for the rest of his career. Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has the full statement.
TUESDAY, 9:25pm: Andre Ethier told Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles that he won't be surprised if the Dodgers trade or non-tender him after the season. The outfielder will earn $9.25MM this year and remains under team control through 2012 as an arbitration eligible player, though he knows that doesn't guarantee him a roster spot.
"If I don't play well, we have seen [the Dodgers] non-tender guys here," Ethier said. "If you do play well, sometimes they don't offer those guys arbitration because their salaries are too high."
Ethier won't be cheap in 2012, assuming typical production in '11, but he would figure to have value on the trade market even if the Dodgers decide his salary is rising to unacceptable levels. Ethier will play the 2012 season as a 30-year-old and he has never posted an OPS below .800 in five MLB seasons. He hit .292/.364/.493 with 23 homers last year, so teams may not flinch at a salary of $13MM or so (Ethier could surpass the $12.5MM salary Mark Teixeira earned in his final year as an arbitration eligible player).
Ethier's agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, briefly discussed an extension with the Dodgers this spring, but talks did not develop and Ethier was not aware that they had occurred.
Pirates Acquire Carlos Paulino For Jim Negrych
The Pirates traded infielder Jim Negrych to the Marlins for catcher Carlos Paulino, tweets MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
Negrych, 26, hit .283/.369/.384 in 457 plate appearances at Double and Triple-A last year, playing second base, third base, and left field. He last appeared in a Baseball America Handbook two years ago, ranking 24th among Pirates prospects after being named the team's minor league player of the year. His main ability is to hit for average, and he profiles as a utilityman if he reaches the Majors.
Paulino, 21, hit .184/.214/.234 in 216 plate appearances in Low-A last year. He's never appeared on a BA Marlins top 30 prospects list.
Phillies Release Luis Castillo
The Phillies released second baseman Luis Castillo, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. It was a brief trial for Castillo, who was picked up nine days ago after the Mets released him on March 18th. All along, the understanding was that Castillo would make the Phillies out of Spring Training or be released.
Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is dealing with chronic knee pain, and hasn't offered a timetable aside from saying he aims to be back before the All-Star break. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. currently isn't thinking about putting Utley on the 60-day DL. While he's out, the Phillies will apparently go with Wilson Valdez and some combination of Michael Martinez, Pete Orr, and Delwyn Young. The Phillies opened a spot on the 40-man roster yesterday by outrighting Matt Rizzotti, which according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer means a spot is open for either Young or Mike Stutes (Twitter link).
Breakout Candidate: Edwin Jackson
Edwin Jackson has had a pretty good career to date, with a 14-win season and a 3.62 ERA campaign on his resume by age 27. He's made at least 31 starts in each of the last four seasons and topped 209 innings in the last two, so his ability to take the ball every fifth day alone will get him paid as a free agent. If this is all Jackson will ever be, that's not bad. But seven years ago, when Jackson was considered the fourth best prospect in the game by Baseball America, he was expected to become much more than a solid #4 starter.
Jackson reached the Majors as a 20-year-old with the Dodgers, outdueling Randy Johnson in his debut. Since then he's been traded four times. Jackson's career numbers are middling: a 4.62 ERA, 6.7 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and more hits allowed than innings pitched. When he was traded from the Diamondbacks to the White Sox for Dan Hudson and David Holmberg on July 30th last year, he looked like the same old Jackson: mid-90s fastball, flashes of brilliance (including an eight-walk no-hitter in June), and disappointing statistics.
Something changed with the White Sox. It appears that pitching coach Don Cooper helped Jackson make a few adjustments, as he was brilliant in 11 starts for Chicago: a 3.24 ERA, 9.2 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9 and 47.2% groundball rate in 75 innings. Note that Jackson's groundball rate leap actually began with the Diamondbacks.
The Chicago sample size is small but tantalizing. Jackson even had a three-start stretch in August where he struck out 32 against just six walks in 23 2/3 innings. If Jackson's superb strikeout and walk rates hold up over a full season, he could become the best available free agent starter aside from C.C. Sabathia. He'll reach the market as a 28-year-old with Scott Boras at his side, which could make three years and $30MM required just to begin the discussion. Boras will just have to avoid Oliver Perez comparisons.
Marlins Release Dewayne Wise
Outfielder Dewayne Wise exercised his out clause and has been released by the Marlins, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Wise was reassigned to minor league camp yesterday, losing the big league backup outfielder job to Scott Cousins partially because of a toe injury.
Wise, 33, hit .250/.282/.393 in 118 plate appearances for the Blue Jays last year, putting up a .270/.315/.511 line for the Phillies' Triple-A club before exercising his out clause. Wise is capable of playing all three outfield positions. He joins free agent outfielders such as Ryan Church, Randy Winn, and Gabe Gross.
Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are next in our Offseason In Review series.
Major League Signings
- Scott Downs, RP: three years, $15MM. Angels also gave #74 overall draft pick to Blue Jays.
- Hisanori Takahashi, RP: two years, $8MM.
- Total spend: $23MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
Trades and Claims
- Acquired LF Vernon Wells and $5MM from Blue Jays for OF Juan Rivera and C/1B Mike Napoli
Notable Losses
Summary
The Angels entered the offseason seemingly ready to spend; they were a strong fit for free agents Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, and Rafael Soriano. However, they came up short on all major free agent targets, succeeding only in upgrading the bullpen. Then GM Tony Reagins made matters worse by acquiring Vernon Wells, who has one of the worst contracts in baseball.
Wells has four years and $86MM left on his contract. If we are to consider Juan Rivera to be dead weight, that's $5.25MM cleared, and the Blue Jays reportedly sent another $5MM. The Angels' reluctance over the years to give playing time to Napoli unless they had to indicates they weren't fond of his receiving skills, and I'm guessing they didn't want to pay him $5.8MM in 2011. Still, could have been non-tendered if the Halos didn't want him and he did have trade value by himself. Since he wasn't a pure salary dump, I can't subtract Napoli's contract from Wells' burden even if Arte Moreno does. Ultimately, it's as if the Angels gave Wells a four-year, $75.75MM free agent contract, with the bonuses of opening up an extra roster spot and not having to surrender a draft pick.
Wells isn't a $19MM player at this point in his career, though I am curious what kind of contract he would have gotten this winter as a free agent. I think coming off one good year following a pretty bad one would have set his ceiling at four years and $52MM at the very most. My comparison is Victor Martinez, another player who can handle a premium defensive position but is not regarded as good there. So even with this generous comp, the Angels overpaid Wells by at least $20MM. For the Wells deal to work out for the Angels, he'll need to improve defensively with the switch to left field and have offensive seasons resembling '08 and '10 rather than '07 and '09. You can cherry-pick Wells' 2010 numbers either way, but it was a streaky season bookended by strong performances in April and September. From May through August, he hit .251/.300/.449. The ZiPS projection system calls for .260/.313/.432 in 2011 (and presumably worse in future years), which would make this trade a disaster.
As for lefty relievers Downs and Takahashi, the Angels certainly paid full sticker price. But their bullpen needed the upgrade and such expenses are justified for big budget contending teams.
On the plus side, the Angels have improved their outfield defense, which is crucial given their flyball pitching staff. The Angels have serious offensive concerns, but all of the AL West contenders are flawed. Despite a poor offseason, the Halos' fine rotation may still carry them to the playoffs in 2011.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.