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Archives for August 2013

White Sox Release Tyler Greene

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The White Sox have released Tyler Greene from Triple-A Charlotte, according to Knights director of PR and media relations Tommy Viola (Twitter link).

Greene, who turns 30 on Saturday, spent 22 games with the Sox earlier this season, batting .222/.263/.352 with one homer. He appeared exclusively at second base for the White Sox, though he has significant big league experience at shortstop and has also tallied 101 Major League innings at third base. He had a .649 OPS with the Knights this season prior to his release.

Greene was released by the Astros this Spring, a mildly surprising move given the power he showed in Houston last season. After being acquired from the Cardinals on Aug. 9, Greene hit .246/.278/.460 with seven homers over 39 games for the Astros. The former first-round pick is a lifetime .224/.289/.356 hitter in parts of five big league seasons with the Cardinals, Astros and White Sox.

Justin Morneau On Revocable Waivers

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11:10am: Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer press reports that Morneau was placed on waivers yesterday, and the waiver period will expire tomorrow at noon CT (Twitter link).

10:02am: The Twins have placed Justin Morneau on revocable waivers, according to the MLB Network's Peter Gammons (Twitter link). It's unclear when he was placed on waivers, but because the waiver period is 47 hours, the latest he could be claimed or clear would be Thursday.

Morneau, 32, has had his career slowed by a season-ending concussion in 2010, which caused lingering effects into the 2011 campaign. On top of the concussion issues, he's dealt with injuries to his wrist and neck. The injuries have resulted in a .257/.318/.411 batting line over the past three seasons — light years away from the .298/.372/.528 mark he posted from 2006-10.

Morneau, the 2006 American League MVP, is earning $14MM in the final season of a six-year, $80MM contract that he inked in January of 2008. Of that $14MM, approximately $3.6MM is still remaining. He was connected to the Pirates, Orioles and Rays prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, but a dreadful July swoon and his remaining salary cooled interest in the Canadian slugger.

Since the calendar flipped to August, however, Morneau has been on a power binge. He's hitting .269/.296/.673 with six homers and three doubles in 12 games this month. While it's a small sample, the resurgence of his power stroke and the fact roughly $918K has come off his salary since the trade deadline could persuade teams to renew their interest. American League teams (in order of reverse standings) will have the first crack at Morneau before he is made available to NL teams (also in order of reverse standings).

The Twins have already negotiated on August trade, sending Jamey Carroll to the Royals in exchange for a player to be named later. Other August deals thus far have seen Alex Rios traded to the Rangers and Wesley Wright traded to the Rays. Four other players have reportedly cleared waivers and are eligible to be traded to any team.

Grady Sizemore Likely To Sign In Offseason

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Former Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore has remained in touch with multiple clubs and is likely to sign with one in the offseason, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). A series of major surgeries on Sizemore's knee, back and elbow have slowed what looked to be one of the most promising careers in baseball a few years ago.

Sizemore, who recently turned 31, hit .281/.372/.496 with 107 homers and 115 steals from 2005-08 — his age 22-25 seasons — earning three straight All-Star selections, a pair of Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger. He missed only nine games over the course of that four-year run, but he's played in just 210 games since, hitting .234/.314/.413.

This past offseason, Sizemore stated that he would wait until he was ready to participate in games to sign with a club. He hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2011, but considering the fact that he's still just 31 and will likely receive a minor league deal, I'd imagine a significant number of teams will be in touch with Sizemore's agent, Joe Urbon of CAA Sports. Sizemore was connected to the Mets back in December, and more recent reports indicated that the Twins would be interested as well.

AL Notes: Hanson, Ellsbury, Reynolds, Konerko

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Let's have a look around the American League:

  • Angels starter Tommy Hanson has been optioned to Triple-A to make room for Jason Vargas, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Hanson came to the team last November in a deal that sent reliever Jordan Walden to the Braves. While Walden has prospered in Atlanta, Hanson sports an unsightly 5.59 ERA over 67 2/3 innings and has seen his strikeout rate fall from a career-high 9.8 K/9 to 6.9 K/9 this season. Hanson received $3.725MM in 2013, his first year of arbitration eligibility. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted in late May that Hanson was not a likely non-tender candidate, but could price himself into a trade. At this stage, while he won't likely command a major raise, it is reasonable to ask whether Hanson will be tendered a contract by the Angels.
  • The Mariners could try to lure Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to Seattle, writes FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. The M's have a shade over $33MM on the books for next season, a young core of low-cost regulars already in the stable, and a hole in the middle of the outfield. A return to the Pacific Northwest for the Oregonian Ellsbury could make sense for both sides, Rosenthal suggests. In the midst of a nice bounce-back season at the age of 29, Ellsbury looks to have a strong hold on the number two spot in Dierkes's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings.
  • The Orioles have discussed bringing back Mark Reynolds and will continue to do so, says manager Buck Showalter. As MASN's Roch Kubatko tweets, Showalter did note that "we like our roster." Reynolds would cost nothing more than a roster spot and the league minimum salary, however, since he was placed on release waivers by the Indians earlier today.
  • This could be the last season for White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, writes Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald. Konerko has suffered through a down year (for himself and his team), has an expiring contract, and has dealt with lower back issues. Gregor notes that Konerko has previously indicated no interest in holding on "just to chase some numbers," and guesses that he'll ultimately decide to hang it up this fall.

Cubs Sign Jen-Ho Tseng

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August 12: Tseng has officially signed his deal with the Cubs, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (via Twitter). 

July 26: The Cubs have signed 18-year-old Taiwanese right-hander Jen-Ho Tseng for a $1.625MM bonus, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez (on Twitter). Sanchez adds that top international prospect Eloy Jimenez, who agreed to terms with the Cubs earlier this month, will officially sign with the team next week.

Sanchez ranked Tseng as the No. 29 prospect in this year's international crop, noting that his broad frame bodes well for future durability. Tseng's fastball touches 95 mph and sits comfortably in the low 90s, according to Sanchez, who adds that Tseng also has a feel for a curveball and slider. Tseng continued to draw interest from the Twins even after the initial reports that he was nearing a deal with the Cubs surfaced on July 9.

The Cubs have already signed Gleyber Torres for $1.7MM, Jefferson Mejia for $850K, Erling Moreno for $650K and Johan Matos for $270K, and their agreement with Jimenez is for $2.8MM. Despite having acquired additional bonus money from the Orioles and Astros, the Cubs are on pace to vastly exceed their $5.52MM international bonus pool.

I analyzed the Cubs' international expenditures earlier in the month, noting at the time that they were likely facing a strict penalty for exceeding their pool by 10 to 15 percent. The penalty for such an overage would be a 100 percent tax on the overage as well as severe restrictions on 2014-15 spending that would prevent the team from signing a player for any more than $500K. However, given the size of Tseng's bonus, it appears that the Cubs will exceed their bonus pool by 15 percent or more, which would mean they won't be able to sign a player for more than $250K in 2014-15 (in addition to the 100 percent tax on the overage).

Because teams cannot acquire more than 50 percent of their initial international bonus pool, the maximum bonus pool for the Cubs would be $6.836MM. With Tseng signing for $1.625MM, the Cubs have committed $7.895MM to international prospects. That's $1.059MM over their maximum international bonus pool, or a 15.5 percent overage, suggesting that the team is likely facing the maximum penalties for international spending next summer.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Zimmerman, Halladay, Abreu

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While first baseman Freddie Freeman has had an outstanding campaign for the Braves, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that shortstop Andrelton Simmons has been the team's most valuable contributor. While Fangraphs values the two at the same level in terms of WAR, notes Bradley, Baseball Reference pegs Simmons as worth over a win more than Freeman. Regardless, the team will control both players at reasonable rates for the foreseeable future, with Freeman set to reach arbitration for the first time next year and Simmons not arb-eligible until 2016. Here are a few notes from around the rest of the National League East:

  • The Esmailyn Gonzalez saga is not yet over for the Nationals, reports the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore. In a lawsuit against the team's insurance company, the Nats have leveled the charge that former big-leaguer Jose Rijo received a $300k kick-back from the ill-fated $1.4MM signing bonus given to the supposedly 16-year-old Gonzalez (who, it was later learned, was actually four years older and named Carlos David Alvarez Lugo).
  • More importantly for the team going forward is the long-term defensive position of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Once a plus fielder, Zimmerman's throwing has deteriorated to the point that UZR rates him at a troubling 15 runs below average thus far in 2013. With even manager Davey Johnson implying that Zimmerman's "mental" issues could force a move across the diamond, MLB.com's Bill Ladson says he thinks the club could make the shift during the coming off-season. 
  • In addition to dampening the value of Zimmerman's long-term extension, of course, such a move would have wide-ranging considerations and repercussions for the Nats. In addition to raising the question of what would happen with first baseman Adam LaRoche, who is under contract for next season, the team would have to move rookie Anthony Rendon back to his natural position at third. The resulting void at second would presumably be filled by a free agent or one of the team's less-than-certain internal options (including Danny Espinosa, Steve Lombardozzi, and Jeff Kobernus).
  • Roy Halladay could be starting for the Phillies sooner than expected, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says that, if all goes well, Halladay could only take two rehab starts in the minors before rejoining the big club. With Halladay set to become a free agent, it will be fascinating to see how he bounces back from shoulder surgery (and generally poor results over 2012-13) before hitting the open market.
  • If and when apparent Cuban defector Jose Dariel Abreu is made a free agent, he is expected to command a substantial contract from a MLB club. Based on scouting reports and other contracts given to international free agents, ESPN's Jim Bowden suggests that the big slugger could land a deal in the six-year, $54MM range. (For a detailed discussion of Abreu's prospect value, check out this recent podcast from Baseball America's Ben Badler and John Manuel.)
  • As an "early guess," Bowden places the Marlins atop the list of Abreu pursuers. Reasoning that the club would be willing to overpay for a Cuban star after missing out on Yoenis Cespedes, Bowden writes that Miami is "expected to go all out on Abreu." 
  • In addition to a host of other possible landing spots, Bowden says that the Nationals could also be in on Abreu. He opines that the club would not find it difficult to deal first baseman Adam LaRoche to clear a spot.

Rosenthal On Trout, Angels

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In his article today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports took on several important issues facing the disappointing Angels. Here are some notes from the piece, which is worth a read in its entirety. (There is some interesting stuff on former Angel Zack Greinke's hot stove views.)

  • It is not difficult to argue that Angels center fielder Mike Trout is the most valuable player in the game today, given his stellar production and bargain salary. His unmatched output-to-cost ratio is especially important to a club that is still in the early stages of dealing with two of baseball's most troublesome deals. While the Angels could simply choose to sit back and enjoy Trout at the league minimum for another season, Rosenthal says the organization needs to be thinking of his future cost. 
  • After all, when Trout reaches arbitration in 2015, he will almost certainly be paid more than any other first-time arb-eligible player in history. And the cost will only go up from there. As Rosenthal notes, a likely arbitration salary in excess of $10MM will give Trout immediate financial security, making an extension less enticing. While the team could try and dangle a long-term deal before Trout reaches arbitration eligibility, it may be hard pressed to commit the kind of salary needed, particularly given the massive outlays already owed Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. With Trout set to reach free agency at the tender age of 26, he might well elect to take arbitration year-to-year and wait out a historic contract on the open market.
  • With the Halos well into a second consecutive season of angst, Rosenthal wonders who among the team's leadership might be sent packing. With GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia reportedly not on the same page, one or both could certainly lose their jobs. Rosenthal says Dipoto is more likely to go, given the poor performance of recent acquisitions. (Under Dipoto's watch, Rosenthal notes, the team has wasted resources on pitchers Joe Blanton, Tommy Hanson, and Ryan Madson.) On the other hand, says Rosenthal, Scioscia has failed to deliver the kind of "crisp, aggressive teams" that he once did. 

Phillies Will Prioritize Catching This Offseason

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The Phillies locked up one 35-year-old last week when they signed Chase Utley to a two-year extension with three vesting options, but they appear set to let Carlos Ruiz test the open market, writes Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Ruiz is hitting .257/.307/.322 with a pair of homers in 203 plate appearances this season. His playing time has been limited by a 25-game suspension he served after testing positive for amphetamines and a hamstring injury that landed him on the disabled list for a month. His 2013 numbers are clearly a far cry from the .325/.394/.540 batting line and 16 homers he posted in 2012.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told Lawrence that catching will be one of his top priorities this offseason, if not his No. 1 priority:

"Catching is going to a very big priority for us – maybe the biggest. There are some players out there. But there's not a lot of catching in the industry. It's going to be a tough decision for us. We might have to look to try to acquire it via trade. Or we could be looking right here at Chooch [Ruiz]."

Ruiz voiced his desire to stay in Philadelphia to Lawrence, calling it his home. He is earning $5MM in 2013 after the club exercised an option at the end of his three-year, $8.85MM extension from the 2010-11 offseason.

As Lawrence notes, Brian McCann will headline this year's crop of free agent catchers. While he would represent a significant upgrade behind the dish, Lawrence writes that McCann is a tough fit in Philadelphia because he is a left-handed bat. The Phillies will routinely deploy Utley,  Domonic Brown, Ryan Howard, Ben Revere and Cody Asche in 2014, and adding McCann to that mix would give the Phils six lefties in their everyday lineup.

Injuries to top Phillies prospect Tommy Joseph have increased the need for the team to acquire catching, as Joseph won't be ready for the Majors next spring. He hit just .179/.229/.285 and battled persistent concussion-like symptoms. As Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out last week, Joseph has had three concussions in his career and may ultimately be forced to change positions.

Phillies Release Laynce Nix

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AUGUST 12: Nix was released by the Phillies, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

AUGUST 6: The Phillies have designated outfielder/first baseman Laynce Nix for assignment, activating left fielder Domonic Brown from the seven-day concussion DL.

Nix, 32, is batting .180/.228/.258 in 136 plate appearances this year.  The Phillies signed Nix to a two-year, $2.5MM deal in December 2011, hoping for a powerful left-handed hitting reserve to use against right-handed pitching.  Nix, older brother of Yankees infielder Jayson, was drafted in the fourth round by the Rangers in 2000.  Three quality big leaguers were picked earlier in that round: David DeJesus by the Royals, Cliff Lee by the Expos, and Yadier Molina by the Cardinals.   

Pirates Sign Kelly Shoppach

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The Pirates have signed catcher Kelly Shoppach to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, the team announced via press release. The 33-year-old Shoppach recently opted out of a minor league pact with the Nationals that he had signed after being released by the Mariners earlier in the year.

Shoppach hit .196/.293/.346 with three homers in 35 games for the Mariners and was leaned upon heavily with the demotion of Jesus Montero. It's not surprising that Shoppach, who has a drastic platoon split, struggled when pressed into everyday action. He's batted just .204/.289/.367 against right-handed pitching in his career but owns a healthy .261/.355/.501 batting line against southpaws. He did struggle against lefties this season, but those struggles came in a small sample size of 30 plate appearances.

Shoppach originally signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Mariners this offseason, of which Seattle still must pay the majority. He drew interest after opting out of his deal with the Nats, reportedly receiving an offer from the Cardinals.

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