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Archives for April 2013

Tigers Designate Duane Below For Assignment

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The Tigers have designated left-hander Duane Below for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for Jose Valverde, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter)

The 27-year-old Below is a Michigan native who was selected by the Tigers in the 19th round of the 2006 draft. From 2011-12, he totaled 75 1/3 innings at the Major League level, posting a 4.06 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and 43.4 percent ground-ball rate. Despite the fact that he's left-handed, Below posted nearly identical numbers versus right-handed (.256/.313/.381) and left-handed hitters (.286/.313/.389).

The Tigers announced yesterday that they had selected the contract of Valverde from Class A Lakeland, and GM Dave Dombrowski told the media that a corresponding 40-man roster move would be made today.

Minor Moves: Fernando Nieve

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves here…

  • The Indians announced that right-hander Fernando Nieve has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Columbus (Twitter link). Nieve was designated for assignment on Monday when Matt Albers (whose roster spot he briefly took) was re-instated from the restricted list. Nieve has a career 4.61 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 185 2/3 innings for the Astros and Mets. He has not appeared in a Major League game since the 2010 season.

Central Links: Grilli, Cubs, Valverde

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The latest out of baseball's Central divisions…

  • Pirates closer Jason Grilli told ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required) that he wouldn't trade his past trials and tribulations in his career because they've made his new role that much sweeter. Grilli relishes the chance to be "The Guy" at the end of games, and he was encouraged last season by then-teammate Joel Hanrahan telling him, "Grilli, you can definitely do this."
  • Cubs manager Dale Sveum recently said he'd be lying if the team's early struggles didn't have him thinking about his job security, but GM Jed Hoyer told ESPN's Jesse Rogers that Sveum's job is secure. "[Job security] shouldn't be what he's thinking about in the least," Hoyer told Rogers in voicing his support.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski addressed reporters regarding Jose Valverde yesterday (video link), noting that a 40-man roster move is on the horizon to get Valverde on the club. Dombrowski said he's pleased to have Valverde back in the fold and that no Triple-A time was necessary given his track record and how his stuff looked at Class A Lakeland. Valverde is throwing 93-95 mph and is throwing better than he was last season, per Dombrowski.

AL East Notes: Orioles, Burnett, Arrieta, Ichiro

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The Orioles entered the eighth inning of yesterday's game with a lead and held on to pick up the victory. That might not seem all that noteworthy on the surface, but as MLB.com's Matthew Leach writes, yesterday marked the 100th straight win in games where the Orioles have held a lead through seven innings. Leach examines all the aspects of the Orioles' roster that have led to their improbably success with late inning leads. Here's more on the AL East…

  • Alex Burnett spoke candidly with Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca regarding the waiver process that led him to end up in the Orioles' organization, and he didn't sound happy about his brief stint with the Blue Jays. Burnett said he was "shocked" to be designated for assignment by Toronto and wondered what the point of his claim was. He also adds that he's had to have his car shipped across the country twice, break two leases and send his pregnant wife home because the constant moving would have been too difficult. Burnett said he's thankful that his process has been relatively quick, and he feels bad for Casper Wells, who spent the better part of three weeks in waiver limbo. Burnett hopes that the process will be brought up at the next Players Association meeting. MLBTR's Charlie Wilmoth recently looked at the waiver process in depth.
  • Davidi notes that the silver lining for these players is that they do collect a Major League salary and Major League service time while they are on waivers. 
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick spoke with an AL scout regarding Orioles' right-hander Jake Arrieta and was told, "I know 29 teams that would be takers" (Twitter link). Arrieta's raw stuff draws consistent praise despite poor results. He was optioned to Triple-A yesterday.
  • Danny Knobler of CBS Sports also talked to scouts regarding Arrieta, who said that he has "electric stuff." Knobler writes that Arrieta is simply too talented for the Orioles to give up on.
  • Another scout told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that the Yankees should be very concerned about Ichiro Suzuki: "His timing is all off. He looks terrible." Ichiro signed a two-year, $13MM contract with the Yankees this offseason.

Non-Tendered Players On Major League Rosters

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MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker lists 37 players who were non-tendered by their teams last offseason. Of those 37 non-tenders, some re-signed with their old teams while others latched on with new clubs. Here's a look at how those who have secured a Major League roster spot are faring in the early stages of 2013…

  • Robert Andino, non-tendered by the Mariners, re-signed with the Mariners: Andino is batting just .161/.181/.226 in 33 plate appearances thus far. 
  • Scott Atchison, non-tendered by the Red Sox, signed with the Mets: Atchison and LaTroy Hawkins both inked minor league deals with the Mets this winter and broke camp with the team. He's posted a 3.86 ERA in 9 1/3 innings thus far, though he's struck out just four against three walks.
  • Ben Francisco, non-tendered by the Rays, signed with the Yankees: Francisco didn't hit much for the Astros or Rays last year, and he's continued that trend by going 2-for-25 to open the season with the Yankees.
  • Tom Gorzelanny, non-tendered by the Nationals, signed with the Brewers: Gorzelanny has been solid with the Brew Crew thus far, yielding just two runs in nine innings of work. Despite his notable platoon split, it's actually right-handers who have yet to get a hit off the lefty.
  • Jack Hannahan, non-tendered by the Indians, signed with the Reds: Hannahan was the recipient of a surprising two-year deal. He's been terrific in limited time thus far, batting .350/.381/.450 in 21 trips to the plate. He's played both third and first base.
  • Rich Hill, non-tendered by the Red Sox, signed with the Indians: Hill has only totaled four innings across five appearances thus far, but he's been reasonably effective in that small sample, allowing just a pair of earned runs.
  • Jeff Karstens, non-tendered by the Pirates, re-signed with the Pirates: Karstens technically doesn't fit this list as he's not on the Pirates' Major League roster, but that's only due to injury. He'll join the Buccos' rotation when he's healthy. I was surprised to see him non-tendered and by the lack of interest as a free agent.
  • John Lannan, non-tendered by the Nationals, signed with the Phillies: Lannan's first two starts with the Phils went well (four runs in 13 innings), but he was rocked by the Reds in his last outing and landed on the DL with a sprained tendon in his knee. He'll miss another six weeks or so and could lose his rotation spot to Jonathan Pettibone.
  • Wil Nieves, non-tendered by the D-backs, re-signed with the D-backs: Nieves signed with the D-backs after getting cut by the Rockies last summer. He's been solid in all 21 games he's appeared for Arizona since August, hitting .311/.340/.400.
  • Manny Parra, non-tendered by the Brewers, signed with the Reds: Parra has been pretty brutal for the Reds. He's allowed four hits in three of his six outings and walked the only batter he faced in another. He's been charged with six runs in 6 2/3 innings for an 8.10 ERA.
  • Mike Pelfrey, non-tendered by the Mets, signed with the Twins: Kudos to Pelfrey on being ready for Opening Day after Tommy John surgery in May 2012, but the results have been dreadful. He's allowed 15 earned runs in 17 innings with just six strikeouts and 29 hits allowed.
  • Mark Reynolds, non-tendered by the Orioles, signed with the Indians: If a "Non-Tendered MVP" award existed, Reynolds would be the front-runner. He's batting .283/.371/.700  with seven homers and has even cut his strikeout rate to a reasonable 22.8 percent.
  • Derrick Robinson, non-tendered by the Royals, signed with the Reds: Robinson had never appeared in a Major League game but the Royals chose not to renew his minor league contract. He's 4-for-17 through 20 plate appearances as the Reds' fifth outfielder.
  • Nate Schierholtz, non-tendered by the Phillies, signed with the Cubs: It's early but this looks like a great addition by Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein; Schierholtz is hitting .316/.371/.544 with a pair of homers as the Cubs' primary right fielder.
  • Geovany Soto, non-tendered by the Rangers, re-signed with the Rangers: Soto has only played four games with iron man A.J. Pierzynski on board as Texas' primary backstop. He's gone just 2-for-13 in 15 PAs during those four games.
  • Andres Torres, non-tendered by the Mets, signed with the Giants: Torres was great for the Giants when they won the 2010 World Series, and he's been pretty good in 2013 as well. He's hitting .293/.310/.390 with a pair of steals and his usual great defense through 16 games.

Andino, Francisco and Parra strike me as DFA candidates in the event that their teams make a waiver claim or choose to promote a minor leaguer that isn't on the 40-man roster. Lannan, too, could find himself without a roster spot if Pettibone pitches well while he's on the shelf. Pelfrey seems likely to have a longer leash given his base salary and the fact that he's still shaking off the Tommy John rust, but another handful of poor starts could put him in jeopardy.

Quick Hits: Cubs, Dodgers, Padres

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Former Red Sox GM and current Cubs president Theo Epstein, speaking along with Athletics GM Billy Beane at a panel discussion in Boston on Monday, says that the big problem facing big-payroll teams is how to spend their extra money, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports. New rules have made it difficult to splurge in the draft or in the international market, and more and more younger players are signing long-term deals that buy out free agent seasons. That leaves the free agent market as the next obvious place to find talent. Big-payroll teams have historically dominated the free agent market, of course, but with so many players signing long-term with their current clubs, the free agent talent pool will be shallower in the coming years than it once was. "It's one thing to have an advantage as far as the amount of dollars you have, but if there aren't effective places to spend that money, what do you do with that advantage?" says Epstein.

Beane, meanwhile, has a different take, lamenting that, as a small-payroll GM, he isn't able to keep his players longer. "If we could have one thing, it would be to draft, develop and keep our own players," he says. "Having capital, it's not just about signing free agents. Having capital allows you to take your Gio Gonzalez and keep him through the rest of his career." Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer gave manager Dale Sveum his vote of confidence Tuesday, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports. "We’re all in this together," says Hoyer. "We’ve struggled, it’s been painful to watch because we keep on squandering leads. That’s on Theo and that’s on me. We have to figure out ways to get better. We’re not the most talented team in the league right now." The Cubs are currently 5-13.
  • Dodgers team president Stan Kasten expects the team's currently-stratospheric payroll to decrease as the team adds more talent from the minors, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports. The Dodgers are focusing on scouting and development, Kasten says, so that, in the future, the payroll "is not going to be where it is." The Dodgers are currently 9-10 and have been racked by injuries.
  • Ted Lilly is scheduled to start for the Dodgers Wednesday, and he'll be the Dodgers' eighth starter in their first 20 games, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick points out. (The other seven are Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley, Chris Capuano, and Stephen Fife.) The Dodgers' quandary of what to do with their starting pitching depth was a major story in spring training, and the Dodgers did, in fact, deal Aaron Harang to the Rockies. But after a slew of injuries (including today's revelation that Billingsley will have Tommy John surgery), that starting pitching depth is no more.
  • Playing badly might or might not yield big dividends for the Padres, notes Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Krasovic quotes Baseball America's Jim Callis, who points out that the top five picks in the draft are much more valuable than other picks, but Krasovic also notes that the Padres haven't done so well lately with top picks like Matt Bush and Donavan Tate. The Padres are currently 5-14.
  • Veteran Eddie Bonine, who recently signed a minor-league deal with the Padres after being released by the Diamondbacks, is trying to make it back to the big leagues as a knuckleballer, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports. Bonine used the knuckleball as a secondary pitch in the past, throwing it 19% of the time as member of the Tigers bullpen in 2010. Bonine missed the 2012 season after having Tommy John surgery.

Blue Jays Designate Ramon Ortiz For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have designated Ramon Ortiz for assignment, Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi reports (on Twitter). Ortiz's departure makes room on the 25-man roster for waiver claim Aaron Laffey.

Ortiz, 40, appeared in one game for the Jays. That one outing marked Ortiz's first appearance in the big leagues since 2011. Ortiz spent the 2012 season pitching for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton. In 12 seasons in the big leagues, Ortiz has a 4.93 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 while pitching for the Angels, Reds, Nationals, Twins, Rockies, Dodgers, Cubs and Jays.

AL Notes: Gardenhire, Blue Jays, Wells

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Ron Gardenhire is in the last year of his contract and the Twins have lost 99 and 96 games the last two seasons, but don't expect him to be dismissed anytime soon, says Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. "I expect Ron to be on this job for a long time," says Twins GM Terry Ryan. "I don't consider it lame duck at all." Here are more notes from the American League.

  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says he has been so active on the waiver wire because he wants the Jays to field a good team in Triple-A Buffalo, Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes (on Twitter). Earlier today, the Jays claimed pitcher Aaron Laffey, marking the Jays' 21st waiver claim since mid-October, as Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star noted earlier today (also on Twitter).
  • Outfielder Casper Wells will be rusty as he tries to get his season started with the Athletics, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group writes. The Mariners designated Wells for assignment near the beginning of the season. The Blue Jays claimed him, but he never played a game for them, and then they too designated him for assignment. That left Wells in limbo for several more days until the Jays traded him to Oakland. At that time, Hickey notes, Wells hadn't played a game in almost a month, and he hadn't faced live pitching since taking batting practice with Toronto. "The rules hurt guys like me in this position, not seeing live pitching," says Wells. "It’d be nice to stay fresh. But I haven’t had any real at-bats in a month. I’ve done all that I could with that situation." Wells entered with the A's up 13-0 in Tuesday night's game against the Red Sox, and flied out. MLBTR wrote this weekend about how MLB's waiver claim rules hurt players like Wells.

AL East Notes: Bundy, Yankees

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Top Orioles prospect Dylan Bundy will see Dr. James Andrews after throwing on Monday and "not feeling quite right," MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli reports. Bundy has not pitched since March. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft and is arguably the highest-upside player in that draft, but it's hard not to be concerned about a young pitcher paying a visit to Dr. Andrews, even though a recent MRI on his right elbow came back clear. Over the weekend, we asked you which of the first ten picks in the 2011 draft would have the best career, and 31% of you said it would be Bundy. Here are more notes from the AL East.

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman wasn't expecting his team's decision to go with Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart at catcher to go as well as it has so far this season, Andy Martino of New York Daily News reports. "I can’t tell you that we made any decisions based on knowing that we were tapping into that, and we would be fine," says Cashman. "That would be inaccurate. … Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good." The Yankees let Russell Martin leave for Pittsburgh in the offseason. Cervelli has hit .283/.389/.478 as his replacement, and Stewart has hit .353/.353/.529. Of course, both stat lines come in very small samples, which is one reason Cashman is wise to abstain from bragging. Cashman is also modest about his team's acquisition of Vernon Wells, which has also worked out well in the early going.
  • The flip side is that the Yankees ignored glaring needs in their "dormant" offseason, Mike Axisa of River Ave Blues writes. The Yankees should have acquired a righty-hitting outfielder and a utility infielder over the winter, Axisa says. Ben Francisco currently occupies the righty-bench-outfielder role, and he hasn't hit. In the infield, Eduardo Nunez and Jayson Nix have struggled so far.

Thuuz: A Better Way To Track Your Fantasy Baseball Teams On Mobile

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