Poll: The Stephen Strasburg Shutdown
Innings limits and pitch counts are a relatively new phenomenon in baseball, as clubs go to great lengths to protect both their top young arms as well as their investments. No workload limitation in history has garnered as much national attention as Stephen Strasburg‘s, the 24-year-old former first overall draft pick, first-time All-Star in 2012, and Tommy John surgery survivor.
Nationals manager Davey Johnson announced this morning that last night’s five-run, three-inning outing against the Marlins would be Strasburg’s final start of the season, one fewer than originally announced. The skipper cited excessive media attention and other distractions that he felt were hurting the team overall, so he decided to pull the plug at 159 1/3 innings and 28 starts. Strasburg’s performance during those 28 starts was Cy Young caliber, a 3.16 ERA with a league-best 11.1 K/9.
Of course, what makes the shutdown so intriguing is that the Nationals are in contention. They own baseball’s best record at 86-53 following this afternoon’s walk-off win, and are almost guaranteed to make the franchise’s first postseason appearance since moving to the nation’s capital from Montreal in 2005. A World Series contender voluntarily shutting down their best pitcher is certainly a controversial move worthy of debate.
That said, the Nationals are built for the long-haul. They’ll still go into the postseason with a front three of Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, and Edwin Jackson, which is as good as any rotation in the game. Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen, and other core players are all on the right side of 30 as well. The Nats are as good a bet as any team to remain competitive going forward. Shutting Strasburg down could cost them a shot at the World Series this year, but it may greatly increase their chances of winning multiple titles in the future.
Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
Did the Nats make the right call shutting Strasburg down?
-
No 61% (8,988)
-
Yes 39% (5,832)
Total votes: 14,820
Outrighted To The Minors: Eric Hacker, Oscar Tejeda
Here are the day's outright assignments…
- The Giants have outrighted Eric Hacker to Triple-A, reports Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). The 29-year-old right-hander was designated for assignment earlier this week. Hacker has allowed six runs in 9 2/3 innings for San Francisco this year, otherwise pitching to a 4.01 ERA in 150 1/3 Triple-A innings.
- The Pirates have outrighted Oscar Tejeda to the minors according to MLB.com transactions page. The 22-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment earlier this week after hitting .242/.292/.364 in 221 plate appearances for Pittsburgh's Double-A squad. They claimed him off waivers from the Red Sox in June.
Rosenthal On Clemens, Indians, Pagan
Here's a look at the latest edition of Full Count (video link) from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- Roger Clemens says that he has no plans of making a big league return this season, but a lot of people with the Astros remain skeptical. If The Rocket plans on coming back, however, he'll have to do it soon. Houston begins a seven-game homestand against two non-contenders in the Cubs and Phillies on Monday. They'll be hosting the Pirates and Cardinals in their other homestand and they could not pitch him against those teams without compromising the integrity of the pennant race.
- Indians officials are leaning towards retaining manager Manny Acta as they know that a new manager won't make all that much of a difference. They also don't have to worry about placating their fans as they already rank 28th in MLB in home attendance. Of course, a poor finish to the season could change their minds about Acta.
- Giants centerfielder Angel Pagan will be coveted by several teams this offseason and his value to the Giants has only increased since the suspension of Melky Cabrera. Pagan is also similar offensively, from a statistical standpoint, to fellow free agent centerfielder Michael Bourn. Bourn is obviously a stronger base stealer, a year-and-a-half younger, and offers a longer track record. However, Pagan could be a decent alternative to the Braves star.
Rockies Notes: Francis, Tracy, Scutaro
On Thursday, Troy Renck of the Denver Post opined that there are still no winners in the trade that brought Alex White and Drew Pomeranz to Colorado for Ubaldo Jimenez. White and Pomeranz have yet to break through with the Rockies while Jimenez has a 5.44 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in the last year-plus for Cleveland. Here's a look at Renck's latest on the Rockies, with all links going to Twitter..
- Left-hander Jeff Francis is expected to return to the Rockies next season after his contract is through, Renck tweets. The 31-year-old owns a 5.38 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 19 starts this season.
- Renck writes that Jim Tracy still being under contract for one more season could weigh into the club's decision on whether to retain him. The Rockies have struggled this season but have pitched better since Tracy was asked to install their new pitching program.
- The Rockies couldn't have gotten more than they did for Marco Scutaro back in July, sources told Renck. Colorado wanted out from under the money owed to the veteran and netted minor league second baseman Charlie Culberson in return.
Update On This Year’s Rule 5 Draft Picks
Players selected in the annual Rule 5 Draft must remain on their new team's 25-man active roster all season, or be passed through waivers and offered back to their original club. Here's an update on the 12 players taken in the Major League portion of last December's draft…
- Rhiner Cruz, RHP, Astros (from Mets) — The 25-year-old has worked out of the Houston bullpen all season and owns a 6.80 ERA in 47 2/3 innings.
- Terry Doyle, RHP, Twins (from White Sox) — Doyle was returned to the ChiSox in Spring Training and he's since moved on to a team in Japan.
- Lucas Luetge, LHP, Mariners (from Brewers) — The 25-year-old southpaw has turned into a reliable bullpen weapon, pitching to a 3.13 ERA in 37 1/3 innings while holding left-handed hitters to a .169/.267/.169 batting line.
- Ryan Flaherty, IF, Orioles (from Cubs) — Flaherty, 26, has spent time on the DL this season but has otherwise hit .211/.252/.309 in 135 plate appearances for Baltimore.
- Cesar Cabral, LHP Yankees (from Red Sox via trade with Royals) — Cabral has been on the DL all season with an elbow injury.
- Lendy Castillo, RHP, Cubs (from Phillies) — The 23-year-old missed considerable time with a groin strain and owns a 10.22 ERA in 12 1/3 innings for Chicago.
- Gustavo Nunez, IF, Pirates (from Tigers) — Nunez has been on the DL all season with an ankle injury.
- Robert Fish, LHP, Braves (from Angels) — Fish has been on the DL all season with an elbow injury.
- Erik Komatsu, OF, Cardinals (from Nationals) — The 24-year-old hit .211/.286/.211 in 21 plate appearances with St. Louis, was claimed off waivers by the Twins, hit .219/.297/.219 in 37 plate appearances with Minnesota, then was returned to the Nationals in May.
- Marwin Gonzalez, IF, Astros (from Cubs via trade with Red Sox) — Gonzalez spent some time on the DL but has otherwise hit .234/.280/.328 in 215 plate appearances with Houston.
- Brett Lorin, RHP, Diamondbacks (from Pirates) — Arizona retained Lorin after a Spring Training trade with Pittsburgh.
- Brad Meyers, RHP, Yankees (from Nationals) — Meyers has been on the DL all season with a shoulder injury.
Cruz, Luetge, Flaherty, Castillo, and Gonzalez will become property of their current teams once the season ends, meaning they can go to the minors without having to clear waivers in the future. Players who not spend at least 90 days on the active (non-DL) roster like Cabral, Nunez, Fish, and Meyers will still be subject to the Rule 5 Draft rules next season.
Roger Clemens Hopes To Be With Astros in 2013
Fifty-year-old Roger Clemens made his second start for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters last night, throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out one, walked zero, and allowed two hits while his son Koby was behind the plate. In his two starts for the Skeeters, he's allowed no runs on three hits in eight innings. Following the game, Clemens spoke to reporters (including Fran Blinebury of The New York Post) about what's next…
“Well, not this year,” replied Clemens when asked if he'll pitch in the big leagues this season, reiterating what he said a few days ago. “But we’ll see what happens after that. I’m not going to rule anything out. I don’t know what Koby is going to do, where he ends up. I hope to end up probably in February with the Astros, put on a uniform and help those kids. That’s probably next.”
He didn't specify if he would like to wear that uniform as a player or coach, though I think it's fair to assume he would prefer to be an active player. Astros owner Jim Crane is open to signing Clemens and they have been scouting his recent outings, but it doesn't sounds like the two sides have had any dialogue about a contract yet.
"I'd listen to [Crane], but I'd have to do some work again," said Clemens. "I just don’t think I'm close to pitching in a Major League game."
ESPN's Buster Olney says (on Twitter) that Clemens opened last night's outing by throwing 79 mph in the first inning, but that climbed to 84 in the second, 86 in the third and fourth, and then 87 in the fifth. That is obviously way down from his prime, ditto the 90.3 mph he averaged with the Yankees during his final season in 2007.
Returning to a Major League club as an active player (and appearing in a game) would restart Clemens' five-year waiting period for the Hall of Fame. He will appear on the ballot for the first time next year along with Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, and others. Despite his seven Cy Young Awards and historic playing career overall, Clemens seems unlikely to be inducted into Cooperstown on the first ballot due to the PED shroud. Delaying his candidacy five years could improve his chances for induction.
Quick Hits: ACES, Yankees, Steranka
Stephen Strasburg made his final home start of the season tonight, allowing five runs in three innings to the Marlins. The Nationals will infamously shut down their star right-hander following his next start on the road against the Mets. Here's the latest from around the league as Friday turns into Saturday…
- MLB and the player's union are investigating the Levinson brothers and their ACES baseball agency about whether they facilitated PED use by their clients, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. As our Agency Tracker shows, ACES represents the recently-suspended Melky Cabrera as well as players like Heath Bell, David Wright, Jonathan Papelbon, and Dustin Pedroia.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post wrote about the Yankees and the oldest roster in baseball, which has contributed to their second-half slide and has them just a game up in the AL East.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America recapped a week's worth of minor league transactions. The Pirates signed 21st round draft pick Jordan Steranka, who was free to sign after the deadline as a college senior.
Giants Designate Steve Edlefsen For Assignment
The Giants have designated Steve Edlefsen for assignment, reports Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Yusmeiro Petit.
Edlefsen, 27, has made 27 relief appearances for San Francisco over the last two seasons, pitching to a 6.75 ERA with more walks (16) than strikeouts (15) in 26 2/3 innings. The right-hander owns a 3.79 ERA in 38 relief innings down in Triple-A this year.
Outrighted: Ohlendorf, Rodriguez, Chavez, Correa
The latest outright assignments from around MLB…
- The Padres outrighted both right-hander Ross Ohlendorf and catcher Eddy Rodriguez to Triple-A, reports Jeff Sanders of The North County Times (on Twitter). San Diego designated the duo for assignment earlier this week to create room on the roster for some September call-ups.
- The Mariners outrighted Johermyn Chavez to the Double-A Jackson Generals, according to MLB.com. The Mariners removed Chavez from the 40-man roster earlier in the week after he posted .232/.339/.386 batting line in 288 plate appearances with the Generals this year.
- The Giants outrighted Hector Correa to Triple-A Fresno, according to MLB.com. The Giants had designated the right-hander for assignment six days ago.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Nationals Hope To Retain Adam LaRoche
The Nationals own the best record in baseball (85-52) thanks in large part to Adam LaRoche, who is healthy after missing most of last season due to a shoulder injury. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the team hopes to retain the first baseman beyond this season with a new contract. GM Mike Rizzo went on to praise his primary cleanup hitter…
"He's a terrific player. He's probably been our most consistent player," said Rizzo. "We love having him as a player on the club. He's exactly the player we thought he was.''
LaRoche, 32, has a $10MM mutual option for 2013 in his contract, though he is likely to decline his half while the team picks up theirs. He signed a two-year, $16MM deal with Washington prior to last season and has hit .270/.343/.511 with 29 homers in 130 games this year after playing in just 43 games last summer. The upcoming free agent class is light on first basemen, so LaRoche should have no problem finding a multi-year guarantee on the open market.