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Archives for August 2013

East Links: Napoli, Sox, Stanton, Schierholtz, Yanks

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There has been plenty of news out of baseball's Eastern divisions already today; the Phillies' agreement with Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez is in jeopardy, the Blue Jays released Michael Schwimer and Alex Rodriguez has officially filed an appeal of his 211-game suspension. Here's more on a releatively busy August day for MLB's east coast teams…

  • An MRI on Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli's hips showed that his avascular necrosis (a degenerative hip condition he learned he had last offseason) has not worsened, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Bradford spoke to Napoli about his upcoming free agency, and Napoli said he feels more at ease this time around and is relieved to know that his condition hasn't worsened.
  • John Tomase of the Boston Herald writes that Red Sox DH David Ortiz doesn't think last year's team would have rallied to erase a 5-0 defecit and defeat the Astros 15-10 as they did last night. “I would say it was a lot of things going on and I don't think a lot of guys were focused on the things that we need to do to win ballgames.” Ortiz went on to praise Boston GM Ben Cherington and the team's front office for making tough decisions and reworking the entire organization in such a short time.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins never got to the point where they even received specific names in trade proposals for Giancarlo Stanton this July. Four high-ranking officials shot down a rumored blockbuster proposal from the Pirates involving Starling Marte and Gerrit Cole. Frisaro adds that the Marlins want to build around Stanton and will discuss a long-term contract this offseason.
  • There was less risk to keeping Nate Schierholtz around than there was in non-tendering him for the Phillies last offseason, opines David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Murphy questions GM Ruben Amaro Jr.'s claim that the team couldn't get a good look at Schierholtz last season as he missed time with a broken toe shortly after being acquired, noting that team could've tendered him a contract and just traded him at the end of Spring Training if they weren't impressed. However, as Murphy notes, Schierholtz alone would not have come close to solving all of the Phillies' 2013 problems.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman is operating under the assumption that he will have A-Rod for the remainder of the season, but he's also scouting the trade market for secondary options, writes MLB.com's Joey Nowak.

Rodriguez Appeals 211-Game Suspension

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WEDNESDAY: Rodriguez has officially filed his appeal of the suspension, tweets David Waldstein of the New York Times. The MLBPA has confirmed the appeal, tweets David Lennon of Newsday.

MONDAY: Major League Baseball has announced that Alex Rodriguez has officially been suspended for 211 games. That punishment would take effect on Thursday, August 8. However, unlike the other 12 players who were issued suspensions today, Rodriguez will appeal his suspension and therefore be allowed to play until that appeal has been heard. MLB issued the following statement regarding his suspension:

Rodriguez's discipline under the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program is based on his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years. Rodriguez's discipline under the Basic Agreement is for attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner's investigation.

Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Michael Weiner issued his own statement regarding Rodriguez's situation:

We agree with [Rodriguez's] decision to fight the suspension. We believe that the Commissioner has not acted appropriately under the Basic Agreement. Mr. Rodriguez knows that the Union, consistent with its history, will defend his rights vigorously. The Union’s members have made it clear that they want a clean game. They support efforts to discipline players, and harshly, to help ensure an even playing field for all. The players support the Union’s efforts to uphold the JDA while at the same time guaranteeing that players receive the due process rights and confidentiality protections granted under the agreement.

Rodriguez's suspension is far and away the largest of anyone connected to the Biogenesis investigation — coming in at 146 games longer than 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun. Rodriguez stands to lose the entirety of his $25MM salary in 2014 and would lose an additional $7.96MM if he were to drop his appeal prior to Thursday.

Blue Jays Release Michael Schwimer

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WEDNESDAY: The Blue Jays have released Schwimer, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (Twitter link).

TUESDAY: The Blue Jays designated righty Michael Schwimer for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for southpaw J.A. Happ, tweeted Mike Wilner of the Fan 590 last night.  Happ will take on the Mariners in Seattle Wednesday afternoon, his first start since being struck on the head by a line drive in a May 7th outing against the Rays.

Schwimer, a 27-year-old reliever, hasn't pitched since May either.  Perhaps he's been dealing with an injury, as he'd been on the DL earlier this year for a lat strain.  The Jays acquired him from the Phillies in February for A-ball first baseman Art Charles.  His relationship with the Phillies became strained in August of last year, when Schwimer claimed he should have been placed on the Major League disabled list with a biceps injury instead of being demoted to Triple-A.

Schwimer was drafted by the Phillies in the 14th round in 2008, a round which also produced David Phelps of the Yankees.  Schwimer made his big league debut in 2011, after which Baseball America ranked him 30th among Phillies prospects.  At the time, they noted his "super-sized frame" and deception, profiling the "thinking man's pitcher" as a middle reliever.

Tigers Release Jose Valverde

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The Tigers have unconditionally released former closer Jose Valverde, the team announced on Twitter. The 35-year-old Valverde had previously accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo as he looked to regain his form after being designated for assignment at the end of June.

In 11 innings at Toledo, Valverde picked up seven saves with a 4.09 ERA, 10 strikeouts and six walks. While not stellar numbers, it's an improvement from the 5.59 ERA he posted in 19 1/3 innings as the Tigers' closer earlier this season. Valverde's return to the ninth inning for the Tigers started well, but over his final 7 1/3 innings he surrendered six homers, resulting in 11 runs and his subsequent DFA.

Indians Extend Ryan Raburn

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The Indians have signed utility man Ryan Raburn to a two-year extension with a club option for a third season, the team announced via press release. It's reportedly a $4.85MM extension, and the option year is valued at $3MM with a $100K buyout. RaburnRaburn, a client of CSE, would have been a free agent following the season had he not signed an extension. He will earn $2.25MM in 2014 and $2.5MM in 2015.

Raburn, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Indians back in January that has proved to be one of the best minor league pick-ups of the offseason. He was released by the Tigers back in November, as Detroit clearly wasn't comfortable giving him a raise via arbitration (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $2.1MM salary for Raburn in 2013).

Raburn has been used primarily as a right fielder by the Tribe this season, though he's also seen time in left field and at second base. He's hitting a strong .277/.370/.565 with 13 homers in just 211 plate appearances. Raburn has been particularly strong versus left-handed pitching, hitting southpaws at a .307/.402/.627 clip with five homers.

As shown in MLBTR's Transaction Tracker, this marks the third extension hammered out by Indians GM Chris Antonetti since assuming the role after the 2010 campaign (when longtime GM Mark Shapiro was promoted to club president). Antonetti has also worked out a two-year, $16.5MM deal for Asdrubal Cabrera and a five-year, $21MM deal for Carlos Santana.

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer first reported the terms of the contract's guarateed portion as well as the yearly breakdown (Twitter links). MLB.com's Jordan Bastian was the first to report that the option was for $3MM (also via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants Outright Yusmeiro Petit

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Yusmeiro Petit has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Fresno, MLBTR has learned. The Giants had designated the right-hander for assignment ten days ago.

The 28-year-old Petit appeared in one game with the Giants this season, hurling 5 1/3 innings of strong relief. He fanned seven and walked none while issuing just two runs. In 13 minor league starts for the Giants this season, the Venezuela native has a 5.01 ERA, though he has a far more impressive 6.8 K/BB ratio in 73 2/3 innings.

Petit has appeared in parts of six Major League seasons since debuting with the Marlins as a 21-year-old in 2006. Most of his experience came with the Diamondbacks from 2007-09 when he made 35 starts and 21 relief appearances.

NL West Notes: Mattingly, Cabrera, Young Jr.

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The red-hot Dodgers suffered just their third loss of the second half last night and have expanded their lead on the NL West to five games over the second-place Diamondbacks. Here's the latest out of the division…

  • It's easy to forget what a dreadful situation the Dodgers were in just two short months ago, but manager Don Mattingly offered a reminder when speaking to reporters, including Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Mattingly said that team president Stan Kasten approached him and told him that they would have to let him go if things didn't turn around. There was plenty of speculation back in May regarding Mattingly's job security, but this is the first that either side has acknowledged how close he may have come to getting fired.
  • Suspended Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera gave an emotional, bilingual speech to his teammates, apologizing to them behind closed doors prior to Monday's game, writes MLB.com's Jamal Collier. Collier adds that Cabrera took a banned substance in the spring of 2012 to help heal a shoulder injury at the advice of former ACES employee Juan Nunez  – the same employee who was reportedly behind Melky Cabrera's web site scandal.
  • Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes that former Rockies outfielder Eric Young Jr. has no ill feelings towards Colorado after being traded to the Mets earlier this season. "I’m more appreciative they made the move they did, because I wouldn’t be in this situation if they didn’t," Young told reporters on Tuesday. Young has been outstanding with the Mets, hitting .270/.350/.362 with a home run (of the walk-off variety) and 15 steals in 19 attempts.

Phillies’ Agreement With Gonzalez In Jeopardy

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Last month, the Phillies and Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez reportedly reached an agreement on a six-year, $48MM contract that contained an $11MM option for a seventh season. However, Philadelphia has yet to announce that a deal has been finalized, and MLB.com's Todd Zolecki writes that the deal may not end up going through at all.

The two sides have "hit a snag" in recent weeks, writes Zolecki, which would explain the silence from the Phillies (a previous report had indicated they were simply waiting for Gonzalez to get visa approval before making an announcement). GM Ruben Amaro Jr. would not comment on the situation when asked by Zolecki prior to last night's game against the Cubs.

After the agreement was announced, reports surfaced that some clubs had been wary of problems in Gonzalez's elbow. Zolecki reports that Gonzalez has had bone spurs removed within the past two years but is said to have recovered from that procedure. If the agreement were to fall through, it would drastically change the Phillies' outlook for 2014 and perhaps even 2013, as he was expected to be in the Majors next season and possibly even this year.

The Phillies have appeared to be more active on the international market than in recent years between the Gonzalez agreement and their signing of German outfield prospect Julsan Kamara. They are also said to be the favorites to sign Dominican third baseman Luis Encarnacion this Friday when he turns 16. Baseball America ranked Encarnacion as the No. 4 international free agent in this year's class, while MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez ranked him 12th.

Which Players Will Be Extended Before Free Agency?

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Five days after the World Series ends, free agents will be free to sign with any team.  Our current list is here, but often a few key names are plucked off the market early by signing an extension or new contract with their team.  For example, in October 2011, the Yankees were able to negotiate an extension with C.C. Sabathia prior to him opting out and reaching the open market.  Such deals could even happen now, like when the Astros added two years for Brett Myers in August 2010.  Below we've identified six players teams may want to retain before they hit the open market.  Let us know which will get a deal done!  You can choose multiple players.  You can view the poll results here.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Minor Moves: Mike Ekstrom, Julio Borbon

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Here's your collection of minor moves from Tuesday…

  • The Angels released right-hander Mike Ekstrom from Triple-A Salt Lake, according to the Pacific Coast League's transactions page. Ekstrom, who turns 30 at the end of this month, posted a 5.19 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 26 innings for the Bees this season. He's appeared in the Majors for at least one inning each year from 2008-12, but he has just a 5.61 ERA in 61 career big league innings.
  • Julio Borbon has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). The Cubs designated the speedster for assignment last Friday after he hit just .202/.284/.279 in 117 plate appearances after being claimed off waivers from the Rangers earlier this year.
  • Six players are currently in DFA limbo: Laynce Nix of the Phillies, Michael Schwimer of the Blue Jays, Brent Lillibridge of the Yankees, Adam Rosales of the Rangers, Josh Sullivan of the Rockies and Yusmeiro Petit of the Giants.

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