Phil Hughes of the Twins has capped off one of the game’s best turnarounds by topping 200 innings on the year after today’s outing. As Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes on Twitter, Hughes picked up a $250K bonus after passing the 195 IP threshold. Needless to say, Minnesota is thrilled that it not only landed Hughes, who just turned 28, but that it did so on a three-year deal that promises him just $24MM in total. As Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register observes (Twitter link), Hughes has struck out 181 batters while issuing a mere 16 walks this year, meaning that he owns an absurd 11.3 K/BB ratio. That is a historically significant mark, and one that would surely have made the righty one of the offseason’s most interesting free agents had he elected to take a one-year pillow contract last year.
- You can count the Yankees among the teams taking a hard look at Yasmani Tomas, reports George A. King III of the New York Post. Of course, they will be far from the only team doing so. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez provides an interesting look at the much-hyped young slugger, who is preparing for an important showcase on Sunday. “It was really difficult to leave Cuba,” said Tomas (translation from Spanish via Sanchez). “It is for all of us who do it. But it’s difficult there with the way the security is and how they control the players. I made an important decision to fulfill my dream and see if I was at the level of major league players. Here I am, and now I go forward.”
- Rangers hurler Colby Lewis says that he was told “maybe” when he asked club GM Jon Daniels about the possibility of a return next year, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star -Telegram reports on Twitter. The 35-year-old righty has only a 5.12 ERA over 158 1/3 innings this year, but then again he had been out since July of 2012 with various injury issues. Lewis owns a 4.33 FIP and has notched 7.0 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 on the season, making him a potentially appealing option for teams looking for a solid innings-eater.
- Twins closer Glen Perkins will be shut down for the rest of the year but ultimately received good news on his left arm, GM Terry Ryan told reporters including Phil Miller of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). Perkins will use a strength and conditioning program to deal with a forearm strain and nerve irritation, and is expected to be at full strength for the spring.
- The Orioles are nearing finalization of a deal with Cuban hurler Lazaro Leyva, reports Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Leyva has reportedly agreed to terms on a $725K deal to join the Baltimore organization.
I remember this offseason I was telling everyone on this site that Hughes would be a good pickup and everyone was just laughing at me. Look at his home/road splits last year. He just needed to get away from Yankee Stadium
I think his 3.50 era is fair for him. He always was a better pitcher than he displayed in NY, but was an extreme flyball pitcher. It simply didn’t play in the park.
That’s what I was referring to. As a Mets fan, I wanted to see him on the other side of New York. I thought he would flourish in Citi Field. Admittedly, I expected even more out of Phil Hughes, assuming the confidence boost would make him an even better pitcher than his 2013 away split numbers
I want to see the Cubs sign Yasmani Tomas.
Envision this future Lineup. Talk about stacked.
C Castillo/Baker
1B Rizzo
2B Baez
SS Castro/Russell
3B Bryant
LF Tomas
CF Alcantara
RF Soler
You can also have Tomas learn from Manny Ramirez.
I really wouldn’t be surprised to see Tomas end up in NY if they like him. They desperately need a power bat. I’m surprised they haven’t been able to find someone they can turn into an extreme left pull hitter like granderson recently.
Lewis does not need to come back with the rangers the rangers need pitching and this is the rotation for next year
Yu Darvish
Max Scherzer
Jon Lester
James Shields
Justin Masterson
That should win some games.
Hrmmmm, sure, but $100M rotation seems a bit expensive. Let’s not forget that Lewis has a 3.51 ERA since the ASG. Lewis would make an excellent end of the rotation option without costing $20M+.
Sorry Franklin Colby has got to go think about the rotation dude
Lewis has pitched like a #2 pitcher since the All-Star Break, and you just want to let him go in lieu of a $100M rotation… which one of us is crazy??
That being said, the Rangers have $108.35M dedicated to next year’s payroll at this time (including $1M buyout for Rios). The 2014 payroll is around $136M. With the new TV deal kicking in, the Rangers should be able to get 2 of those ace pitchers.
Darvish, 2 of (Scherzer/Lester/Shields/Masterson), and 2 of (Holland/Harrison/Perez/Lewis)
Death Valley will freeze over before the Rangers run out that rotation in 2015. Unless the Rangers suddenly find the means to have a Yankee-level payroll, they will (at absolute most) get two, and there is a very likely chance they won’t get any, not with the Cubs, Red Sox, and Yankees expected to shell out big bucks for those top 3 FA pitchers.
yankee Mgmt once again messed up on this as well as Cano.
Hindsight is 20/20. Hughes’ spent 7 years as an Yankee. He simply wasn’t good there.
No, he didn’t fit with the team. Hughes was way too homer prone for YS.
The good news is Chase Whitley, Ivan Nova, and Sabathia were able to replicate Hughes production from last year
Good for Hughes. You could always see the talent. As a Yankee fan, I would have preferred he did it here, but he was never able to sustain a high level of performance.
Some of what Hughes is doing is surprising even to me…and I loved the signing. That K/BB ratio is insane and I never expected it.
The guy should be a 20 game winner this year, sadly he didn’t always get the support he deserved and that OF defense is still bad.