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Archives for May 2012

Outrighted To Triple-A: Brad Bergesen

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Let’s keep track of the day’s outright assignments right here…

Padres To Release Orlando Hudson

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The Padres have requested release waivers for second baseman Orlando Hudson, the team announced. The Padres placed shortstop Jason Bartlett on the 15-day disabled list and called up infielders Everth Cabrera and Alexi Amarista from Triple-A in related moves.

“We felt it was time to make a change,” GM Josh Byrnes said. “O-Dog has been a two-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner and a contributor to playoff teams, but at this point, we want to give our younger players an opportunity.”

Hudson has struggled at the plate, posting a .211/.260/.317 line in 131 plate appearances so far this season. Once an elite fielder, Hudson has lost range and fielding ability in recent years, according to The Fielding Bible Volume III. This year the four-time Gold Glove winner has started 33 games at second base, the only position he's played at the MLB level.

Hudson will earn $5.5MM this year, the final season of a two-year deal he signed following the 2010 campaign. The contract includes an $8MM option for 2013 and the Padres are responsible for the related $2MM buyout. ESPN.com's Keith Law first reported that the Padres were removing Hudson from the roster (Twitter link).

Yankees Claim Matt Antonelli

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The Yankees have claimed infielder Matt Antonelli off of waivers from the Orioles, Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger tweets. Antonelli, who was designated for assignment four days ago, will report to Triple-A.

Antonelli, 27, signed a Major League deal with the Orioles this offseason. He posted a .204/.351/.280 battling line for Baltimore's top affiliate before the O's removed him from the 40-man roster over the weekend. The Padres selected Antonelli 17th overall in the 2006 draft.

Padres Claim Eric Stults

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The Padres have claimed left-hander Eric Stults off of waivers from the White Sox, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The White Sox had designated the 32-year-old for assignment earlier this week.

Stults had appeared in two games for the White Sox this year, allowing two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. He signed a minor league deal with Chicago this past offseason after spending most of the 2011 season as a reliever for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate. Stults also appeared in six games for last year's Rockies team. He joins a Padres bullpen that includes left-handers Alex Hinshaw and Joe Thatcher.

Qualifying Offers For Free Agents

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A few months from now, when the season ends and players file for free agency, teams, agents and players will navigate a new system for determining free agent compensation. Here’s a brief primer on compensation under the sport’s new collective bargaining agreement:

  • Type A and Type B designations have been eliminated. Instead, teams will have to make players a qualifying offer to be eligible for draft pick compensation. 
  • The qualifying offer, which will be determined by averaging the top 125 player salaries from the previous year, is expected to fall in the $12-13MM range for the coming offseason. All qualifying offers are for the same duration (one year) and the same amount ($12-13MM). 
  • Teams will have until five days after the World Series to make qualifying offers and the players will have seven days to accept.
  • Once a team makes a qualifying offer, the player has two choices: he can accept the one-year deal or decline in it search of other offers. If he declines the offer and signs elsewhere, his new team will have to surrender a top draft pick (the selection doesn't go to the player's former team). 
  • Teams that sign free agents who turned down qualifying offers will surrender their first round picks. However, the forfeited picks don't go to other MLB teams. Instead, the first round simply becomes condensed.
  • The first ten selections in the draft are protected. Teams with protected picks will surrender their second-highest selections. 
  • The player’s former team will receive its compensatory selection at the end of the first round. Teams now obtain one compensatory selection, instead of two.
  • If teams don’t make a qualifying offer, the player can sign uninhibited.
  • Only players who have been with their clubs for the entire season will be eligible for compensation.

Cardinals Acquire Jamie Romak

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The Cardinals acquired infielder Jamie Romak from the Royals for cash considerations, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (Twitter link). The 26-year-old had been playing for the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers.

Romak, a former fourth round pick by the Braves, has a .246/.345/.443 line in ten minor league seasons. The London, Ontario native has minor league experience at all four corner positions.

2013 Contract Issues: Washington Nationals

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The Nationals are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (6)

  • Edwin Jackson - It would make sense for the Nationals to make Jackson a qualifying offer after the season, assuming his strong year continues. If he accepts, they have a capable starter in his prime on a reasonable one-year deal. If he declines, they obtain draft pick compensation.
  • Chien-Ming Wang - It's hard to imagine more than an incentive-based short-term contract for Wang next winter, even if he pitches well after his minor league rehab assignment ends.
  • Brad Lidge - Lidge last pitched on April 21st and remains on the disabled list as he recovers from hernia surgery.
  • Rick Ankiel - There's an expectation that the Nationals will look for a long-term answer in center field after the season, when Shane Victorino, Michael Bourn and B.J. Upton hit free agency. Even so, the Nationals could have interest in bringing Ankiel back for another season.
  • Chad Tracy - Tracy will probably be looking at minor league offers this coming offseason.
  • Xavier Nady – Until the core of the Nationals' 2013 lineup has been established, it'll be hard to say whether Nady fits on the team's bench.

Contract Options (2)

  • Adam LaRoche: $10MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout. LaRoche seems to have returned to form, so the Nationals could look to retain him in 2013. However, Michael Morse would presumably be bumped to first base if the Nationals sign a center fielder.
  • Sean Burnett: $3.5MM mutual option with a $250K buyout. Burnett doesn't obtain buyout if he declines option. I can see the Nationals picking up their half of this mutual option.

Arbitration Eligible (10)

Desmond, Storen and Detwiler lead a large class of first-time eligible players. Zimmermann, Clippard and Gorzelanny can also look forward to raises this coming offseason, but Lannan will surely be non-tendered if he's still on Washington's roster in December. The Nationals saved themselves millions by delaying Stephen Strasburg's MLB debut in 2010; he will miss the cutoff for super two eligibility by a couple of weeks.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Nationals, who have a $92MM payroll this year, have committed $52MM to next year's team. That should leave GM Mike Rizzo with approximately $40MM to deal with the team's arbitration eligible players and sign free agents. The Nationals have steadily raised payroll under the ownership of Ted Lerner and it wouldn't be surprising to see payroll climb again in 2013.

2013 Contract Issues: Chicago Cubs

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The Cubs are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (4)

  • Ryan Dempster - Dempster owns a 1.74 ERA through six starts and could be traded this summer. The Cubs may make the 35-year-old a qualifying offer after the season, but I don't expect them to. Dempster's ERA is definitely not sustainable and he's bound to start declining at some point, so the Cubs may look to ensure that it doesn't happen on their roster and payroll.
  • Shawn Camp - Camp has pitched well for the Cubs, and the team may have interest in retaining him on a minor league deal for 2013. 
  • Reed Johnson - Johnson, 35, has been a valuable extra outfielder in recent seasons, but the Cubs' offseason plans won't revolve around him.
  • Jeff Baker - Baker, who is off to a slow start at the plate, won't necessarily be asked to return.

Contract Options (2)

  • Paul Maholm: $6.5MM club option with a $500K buyout. Maholm has stayed healthy this year and $6.5MM isn't unreasonable for a back-end starter with some upside.
  • Kerry Wood: $3MM club option without a buyout. Wood has struggled through nine appearances, as his 8.64 ERA indicates. However, this has the potential to be a bargain for the Cubs if the right-hander can stay healthy and show signs that he's the same pitcher he was in 2011.

Arbitration Eligible (8)

The Cubs face a relatively expensive projected arbitration class that includes some of the team's best players. Soto and Garza will earn raises next winter as they go to arbitration for the final time. Samardzija and Castro seem primed for salaries of at least $2MM (unfortunately for Samardzija, starters Rick Porcello and David Price didn't seem to be able to use their generous pre-arbitration salaries to boost their arbitration earnings this past offseason). Wells, Volstad and Stewart could each be traded or non-tendered if the Cubs aren't comfortable locking them in for raises and roster spots going forward.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Cubs have approximately $35MM committed to next year's payroll, including Alfonso Soriano's $19MM salary. They have spent at least $100MM on payroll in each of the past five seasons, so president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer should have financial flexibility even after accounting for arbitration raises.

Minor Moves: Zavada, DeWitt, Cubs, Diamondbacks

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Today’s minor moves..

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