We covered some Rangers news earlier today, so let’s look around the rest of the AL West…
- Jered Weaver is looking to rebound from a rough 2015 season, and the Angels righty tells reporters (including MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez) that he focused on offseason flexibility and stretching exercises to help his durability for the coming year. Beyond just keeping healthy and helping the Halos win, Weaver is also entering the last year of his contract and wants to ensure his career continues past 2016. “I’d like to play for as long as I can. But if I go through another season like last year — with not just the frustration of the numbers but how my body felt — your heart and your mind can only do so much,” Weaver said. “Sometimes, your body pulls the reins back and tells you you need to slow down a little bit. That’s kind of what happened last year. I was definitely motivated every time I would go out. I was still competitive. I still love pitching. Sometimes your body’s just not on the same page.”
- Leonys Martin of the Mariners has issued the following statement on the indictment of his former agent, Bart Hernandez (Facebook link via Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports): “I am obviously aware that Bart Hernandez was arrested yesterday by the United States government. The decision to arrest him was made by the government, not by me, and any questions about why he was arrested should be directed to the prosecutor in Florida. Out of respect for the judicial process, I will have no further comment on this matter, and I ask that the media respect my privacy and the privacy of my family. My total focus is on doing everything in my ability to contribute to a successful season for the Seattle Mariners.”
- Henderson Alvarez is feeling good in his recovery from shoulder surgery and tells the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser that he is hoping to be throwing in minor league games by April. That would project Alvarez for a May debut with the Athletics, or roughly a month ahead of his original schedule. “If you watch him play catch, it looks like there’s nothing wrong with him….We want to make sure he’s healthy, but we’re really excited about having him,” manager Bob Melvin said. Obviously, if Alvarez is able to return healthy and get back to his old form, that would make his buy-low signing a steal for Oakland.
- In another item from Slusser, the A’s are hoping Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley stay healthy since the club is otherwise quite thin at catcher. Those two are the only catchers on the 40-man roster, though Oakland recently signed Bryan Anderson to a minor league contract. Then again, as one AL executive tells Slusser, “The state of catching in the whole industry is scary. It’s unbelievable how few good catchers there are, everyone is concerned. Is Oakland in trouble? Sure they are. Is every else? Yes. It’s not unique.”
Marlins could use a pitcher like Henderson Alvarez
Wasn’t that long ago that Oakland had three catchers on the 25 man roster.
John Jaso was only ever a hitter who wore catchers gear. Then he got concussions. Not a real catcher. Great hitter though.
The A’s only really have to hope Vogt and Phegley stay healthy for the first two months, because then this batch of potential rental catchers starts becoming available. Someone like Ruiz or Pierzynski could be had for basically nothing:
Alex Avila (30)
Drew Butera (34)
Jason Castro (30)
Francisco Cervelli (31)
A.J. Ellis (36)
Nick Hundley (33)
Jonathan Lucroy (31)
Jeff Mathis (34)
Dioner Navarro (33)
A.J. Pierzynski (40)
Wilson Ramos (29)
Wilin Rosario (28)
David Ross (40)
Carlos Ruiz (38)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (32)
Geovany Soto (34)
Chris Stewart (35)
Josh Thole (30)
Matt Wieters (31)
I’m assuming the numbers are the age of the players? Cervelli doesn’t turn 30 for a couple more weeks.
AJP can’t be had for basically nothing. Yes, he is an aging vet who wouldn’t fetch a huge return, but he also hit 300/.339/.430 last year. He was more productive last year than he has been since his days in Chicago. He can be had, but don’t expect the Braves to give him up for nothing.
Funny that you would think the A’s would be more competitive than the teams these catchers would be coming from.
Weaver will bounce back
Disagree….
Hmmmm not like you think!