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Archives for March 2013

Garland Taking Physical For Rockies

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Jon Garland, who was released by the Mariners over the weekend, is in camp with the Rockies and taking a physical, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding (on Twitter). An official announcement for a Garland signing could come at some point today.

Garland, 33, hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2009 due to a host of shoulder injuries. In 2083 1/3 career Major League innings, he owns a 4.32 ERA, 4.9 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 to go along with a 45.1 percent ground-ball rate. Garland is a client of LSW Baseball.

Minor Moves: Nick Weglarz

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves from around the league right here…

  • The Rays released first baseman/outfielder Nick Weglarz, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). Weglarz, 25, hit .239/.349/.413 with 14 homers for the Indians' Double-A affiliate in 2012. A former third-round pick who ranked as the game's No. 58 prospect prior to the 2009 season (according to Baseball America), Weglarz signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay this offseason.

Kyle Lohse Rumors: Sunday

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On Friday, we learned that the Blue Jays are at their payroll limit and won't pursue Kyle Lohse and once again heard that the Rangers aren't likely to sign the right-hander. Teams such as Angels, Rockies and Brewers have been connected to Lohse recently. Here's the latest on the former Cardinals hurler…

  • Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that the Twins are not one of the teams who have been scouting Lohse's simulated games in Arizona. The Twins have been hungry for starting pitching, but there doesn't appear to be interest in bringing back Lohse, who started his big league career in Minneapolis.
  • Club officials have told ESPN's Buster Olney that Scott Boras continues to ask for $14-15MM per season for Lohse (Twitter link).

Orioles, Phillies Swap Minor Leaguers

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The Orioles have acquired minor league right-hander Julio Rodriguez from the Phillies in exchange for outfielder Ronnie Welty, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (on Twitter).

Rodriguez, who turned 21 in August, pitched to a 4.23 ERA with a 9.1 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 134 innings for the Phillies' Double-A affiliate last season. He did not rank among Baseball America's Top 30 Phillies prospects, nor did he appear on MLB.com's list of Top 20 Phillies prospects.

The 25-year-old Welty has some experience at all three outfield positions but played right field exclusively in 2012. Last season, he batted .333/.373/.662 with 13 homers in 229 plate appearances across four levels. However, a great deal of those plate appearances came in Rookie ball and Class-A (both levels) as he rehabbed from an injury. In 37 games for Double-A Bowie, he batted .286/.303/.564. Like Rodriguez, he did not appear on his team's respective Top 30 and Top 20 prospects.

Dodgers Release Mark Lowe

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The Dodgers have released non-roster invitee Mark Lowe, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).

The 29-year-old Lowe inked a minor league pact with the Dodgers in early February. He appeared in nine games for Los Angeles in Spring Training, allowing four earned runs in 8 2/3 innings (4.15 ERA) with six strikeouts and three walks.

In 262 2/3 Major League innings between the Mariners and Rangers, Lowe has pitched to a 3.94 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. Lowe's fastball averaged 93.9 mph for the Rangers in 2012, but he typically throws much harder. From 2006-11, he averaged 95.6 mph on that heater. In 2010, Lowe was traded to the Rangers from Seattle as part of the Cliff Lee blockbuster.

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels

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The Angels added the top position player available and rounded out their rotation after narrowly missing the 2012 playoffs.

Major League Signings

  • Josh Hamilton, OF: five years, $125MM.
  • Sean Burnett, RP: two years, $8MM. $4.5MM Club option for 2015.
  • Joe Blanton, SP: two years, $15MM. Club option for 2015.
  • Ryan Madson, RP: one year, $3.5MM.
  • Ervin Santana, SP: one year, $13MM. Club option exercised. Later traded to Royals.
  • Total Spend: $164.5MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Extensions

Notable Losses

Needs Addressed

Teams seeking bargains don't shop for elite free agents. Fortunately for Angels fans, owner Arte Moreno seems more concerned about adding impact players than uncovering bargains. For the second consecutive offseason, Moreno and general manager Jerry Dipoto landed the top free agent position player. Josh Hamilton signed a five-year, $125MM deal after being pursued by division rivals Seattle and Texas.

Josh Hamilton - Angels (PW)

On the field, Hamilton makes the Angels a markedly better team. He has tremendous power and his high batting averages drive his on-base percentage well above league average. The top of the Angels’ batting order will now intimidate even more teams. The off-field questions surrounding Hamilton are well-documented, and $125MM represents a massive commitment. The Angels are assuming considerable risk with this deal. But as a large market team they can afford take on risks, so the decision to spend on MVP-caliber talent is defensible.

After declining the club option for Dan Haren and re-directing Ervin Santana to the Royals, the Angels needed to acquire starting pitching depth. They signed one pitcher and turned to the trade market for two more additions.

In Blanton the Angels added a dependable back-of-the-rotation arm. A two-year, $15MM commitment strikes me as fair value for both sides considering Blanton offers durability but limited upside. Angel Stadium has ranked among the ten most difficult home run environments in MLB for each of the past three seasons, which could benefit Blanton, a pitcher who struggles to limit homers.

Vargas is a fly ball pitcher who could also benefit from the depressed home run environment and the Angels' speedy outfield of Hamilton, Mike Trout and Peter Bourjos. Dipoto acquired Vargas from the Mariners for Kendrys Morales in a deal that makes sense for the Angels and their AL West rivals. Vargas should provide steady innings in the middle of the team's rotation, something the Angels can use more than Morales' bat, especially after the Hamilton signing.

Tommy Hanson took a step back in 2012, both in terms of traditional stats and fastball velocity. At $3.73MM he is no longer the bargain he once was. It's not clear what Hanson can offer, especially now that he has encountered triceps soreness. This isn't the only injury question with Hanson, who has recently dealt with back and shoulder issues. Nevertheless I like the decision to acquire Hanson for hard-throwing 25-year-old Jordan Walden. The Angels should have a capable bullpen without Walden, and if Hanson pitches poorly he can be non-tendered a year from now.

Dipoto added to his bullpen, spending on free agents Ryan Madson and Sean Burnett. Burnett, one of the top left-handed relievers available in free agency, obtained a two-year, $8MM deal. He and lefty Scott Downs will give manager Mike Scioscia plenty of flexibility late in games.

It appears that Madson will start the season on the disabled list as his recovery from Tommy John surgery continues. The results have been troubling so far, yet the decision to invest $3.5MM in a reliever as accomplished as Madson was justifiable.

Questions Remaining

The Angels' rotation remains questionable entering the season. Hanson represents an injury concern, and there doesn't appear to be much depth beyond Jerome Williams and Garrett Richards. As long as Kyle Lohse remains available in free agency he could be a tempting option for Dipoto. The Angels already gave up their first rounder to sign Hamilton, which lessens the impact of signing players linked to draft pick compensation. As Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs wrote in January, Lohse does a lot of things well.

Vernon Wells, now a bench player, surfaces in trade rumors from time to time when rival teams are looking for veteran right-handed bats. At this stage it looks as though Wells is staying put. Whether the Angels trade him or not, they'll be responsible for nearly all of the $42MM remaining on his contract.

Deal of Note

It doesn't appear that Mike Trout will obtain a long-term deal just yet, and the team's seemingly patient approach looks prudent. Trout had a historic 2012 season, which means potential comparables are either in the Hall of Fame or Cooperstown-bound. For this reason the outfielder would have a strong case for a record-setting contract for players in his service class — potentially $100MM plus. If Trout repeats his performance then the Angels will eventually pay him at that level. Yet they will have avoided an unprecedented commitment if he’s less exceptional in 2013.

On a related note, the recent hand-wringing over Trout’s 2013 salary seems unwarranted to me. Yes, baseball’s most recent collective bargaining agreement depresses salaries for inexperienced players. But this structure is hardly new. The MLBPA signed off on the CBA, so the suggestion from agent Craig Landis that Trout should be paid more than $510K isn’t convincing (not that it hurts to ask!). We don’t often see players renouncing salaries when they’re overpaid, and we shouldn’t expect owners to pay players extra when teams have the chance to take advantage of a collectively bargained benefit.

Overview

The Angels are poised to contend for the postseason after another winter of aggressive spending by Moreno. With a strong offense and a capable pitching staff they project as one of the most complete teams in the American League.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rangers Looking For Utility Player

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The Rangers are in the market for a utility player, suggesting that 20-year-old Jurickson Profar will begin the season in the minor leagues, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

That Profar, the No. 1 prospect in the game according to Baseball America and MLB.com, won't make the roster doesn't come as a shock. He's yet to play at Triple-A and is blocked by Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler at the middle infield positions.

Earlier this morning it was reported that the Astros are looking to trade Tyler Greene, who has been told that he won't make the big league roster out of Spring Training. General manager Jon Daniels should have no shortage of options given the number of players who will find themselves in similar situations to Greene in the coming days.

Astros Sign Ronny Cedeno

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The Astros have officially signed Ronny Cedeno to a one-year Major League contract, the team announced via press release Sunday morning. The Praver/Shapiro client was released by the Cardinals last week.

After the Astros' February trade of Jed Lowrie to the Athletics, Tyler Greene and Marwin Gonzalez top the organization's depth chart at shortstop, but neither has been impressive this spring. Cedeno also plays second base, although Jose Altuve is entrenched there.

Cedeno hit .259/.332/.410 in 78 games for the Mets last season. He has also played for the Pirates, Mariners and Cubs. After losing Nate Freiman to the Athletics, the Astros have space for Cedeno on their 40-man roster.

MLB.com's Brian McTaggart first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal and also was the first to report the deal was completed.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Astros Shopping Tyler Greene

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Tyler Greene, who is out of options, has been told by Astros GM Jeff Luhnow that he will not make the club following the signing of Ronny Cedeno to a Major League deal yesterday, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. As such, the team is exploring trade possibilities with the 29-year-old infielder (Twitter links).

The Astros acquired Greene, a former first-round pick, from the Cardinals in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations last August. Greene hit .246/.278/.460 with seven homers in 133 plate appearances for Houston following the trade. He has significant Major League experience at second base, shortstop and third base, although both UZR and The Fielding Bible caution that he's a below-average defender at all three positions.

Greene has 689 career plate appearances but just a .224/.292/.356 batting line. He's fared significantly better against left-handed pitching (.720 OPS) than right-handed pitching (.601).

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Cubs, Cabrera

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Red Sox principal owner John Henry has no intention of selling the team, he says in a wide-ranging interview with Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald. "I’ve not had one partner in 11 years suggest thinking about selling the Red Sox, even though they haven’t received dividends," he says. Henry also defends club president and CEO Larry Lucchino, saying Lucchino "revolutionized the game" with the building of Camden Yards in Baltimore, and adding that Lucchino's focus on revenue is critical to the Red Sox maintaining a high payroll. Henry also suggests that Lucchino will one day be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Here are more notes from around the majors.

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