SUNDAY: Alvarez, Parker and Doubront have all elected to become free agents, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter link).
FRIDAY: The Athletics have outrighted pitchers Henderson Alvarez, Jarrod Parker and Felix Doubront to Triple-A Nashville, reports MLB.com’s Jane Lee (Twitter link). Each of the three was a likely non-tender candidate, as Alvarez recently underwent shoulder surgery, while Parker underwent a UCL/flexor tendon repair back in April and Doubront underwent Tommy John surgery in April as well. Though they can technically accept the outright assignments, each of the three is able to reject in favor of free agency, and that’s the likeliest outcome in each instance.
Alvarez inked a one-year, $4MM pact with Oakland after being non-tendered by the Marlins last offseason but was never able to fully get back on track following his first shoulder surgery. Ultimately, it was determined that he required a second procedure to attempt to repair a balky shoulder that has allowed him to pitch just 22 1/3 innings since a brilliant 2014 campaign (2.65 ERA in 187 innings) that now looks like a distant memory. He’ll draw interest as a free agent again due to the upside he brings, but securing a Major League contract isn’t a given this time around.
Parker, meanwhile, was once one of the more promising young arms in the game and looked like a mainstay in the Oakland rotation before a pair of Tommy John operations derailed his career. Now 27 years old (28 next month), Parker has battled through both of those procedures and an olecranon fracture and underwent what was said to be an experimental procedure to repair (but not replace) his ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon this spring. The hope, of course, is that he can work his way back to a big league mound, but to call that goal an uphill battle in light of his myriad arm injuries is perhaps an understatement.
As for Doubront, he could theoretically be ready to return to the mound next April or May, as his TJ procedure was performed in the first half of this past April. Of course, it’s far from certain that his recovery from the procedure will go smoothly and allow that presumptive target date to be realized. Parker and many others in recent years (including New York’s Zack Wheeler in 2016) serve as reminders that while many arms are able to bounce back and return to a mound in 12 to 14 months, Tommy John surgery is by no means a guarantee and is often accompanied by setbacks that lead to considerably lengthier absences.
With these moves, the A’s have now shed an incredible 12 players to whom they had committed either 40-man roster spots or 60-day DL spots in a span of roughly 48 hours. Yesterday, Oakland outrighted Eric Sogard, Fernando Rodriguez, Andrew Lambo, Tyler Ladendorf, J.B. Wendelken and Donn Roach, while Matt McBride and Chris Smith were outrighted on Wednesday this week. And, on top of those players that went unclaimed by other clubs, versatile infielder/outfielder Arismendy Alcantara failed to make it through outright waivers and was claimed by the Reds.
You forgot Arismendy Alcantara
Alcantara was claimed by the Reds
Don’t see where the upside is with Doubrant, why Boston got fed up with him early on and sent him to Epstein for Marco hernandez. He got into that car accident in 2012, didn’t immediately tell the club where he hurt his shoulder and lost 4-5mph off his fb that he’s never regained. never had command of any of his pitches, even tho he’s got a decent to good curve, just no command of it.
He was a guy who would take 100+ pitches to get thru 5 innings, hard to win games with starters like that, especially wild ones. Cherrington sent him off for a really decent prospect in Hernandez, who was under the radar in Chicago, but Boston did well on there.
Alvarez and Parker are the 2 with talent, just bigger gambles worth taking.
I’d rather have Doubront, just because he seems to be the only one of the 3 with a chance to ever pitch again, even if not particularly well. No harm in minor league deals I guess, but I think the days of “high-reward” Alvarez and Parker are sadly over
Parker will absolutely be high on the Cubs radar. Alvarez to a lesser extent. Cubs starting pitching may look good now, but beyond Lester and Hendricks, there’s nobody under contract beyond 2017, and a bare cupboard in terms of upper level pitching prospects. An Arrieta extension’s always possible, and Montgomery could be a back-end option, but I expect HoyerStein to be very aggressive in the hunt for young starting pitching. And this could be a start.
Dude, Jarrod Parker probably will never pitch again AND the Cubs have a massive payroll to where they could sign or extend anyone they wanted.
I would take a gamble on Alvarez on a cheap deal. Same with Parker.
Any idea why the A’s are clearing this much room? Are they doing this to protect potential players from the rule 5 draft?
Because by watching the Rangers implode they realize depending on patch-up jobs isn’t the way to go very far in post season.
Parker and/or Alvarez end up with the Pirates i bet and end up in Toronto by 2018.(/s)
Personally I would make a serious push for both should they choose the FA market..
If Jarrod Parker pitches in the bigs again I will eat my hat.
Agreed. I really thought he’d make it back going into this year, but unfortunately, I think he’s done. It stinks that he never at least made some decent money in arbitration though
Coming soon! ..Moneyball II starring Gary Busey as Billy Beane, who traded away Josh Donaldson, Addison Russell, Yeonis Cespedes, Ben Zobrist, Rich Hill, Drew Pomeranz and more for next to nothing and now is sitting in a recliner drinking heavily while watching them all in the postseason.
Rich hill is old, Pomeranz has had a breakout that he may or may not be able to repeat, Russell Donaldson and Cespedes were bad deals, especially considering he moved Cespedes during a year where they could have made it to the World Series, but that’s baseball and it is what it is.
You’re right on Hill and Pomeranz, but had Billy signed Cespedes and Donaldson to early under-$20 mil/year contracts, I’d herald him as the “moneyball” genius the book/movie claims he is., but the truth is he’s won nothing, despite the 20 (or whatever it was) game win streak with an inherited great starting rotation during the regular season the movie made out to be a reason for great fanfare.
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lol. The next Moneyball will be Theo Epstein with unlimited funds just wildly spending it however he wants. The Cubs don’t win, of course, but he keeps spending more money. The douchiest part of the movie is when he wears a disguise in the stands.
Rich Hill? The guy Beane turned into the awesome Jharel Cotton, a consensus top 50 prospect in Grant Holmes and flamethrowing Frankie Montas? That’s a “f’n-A” classic Moneyball trade if ever there was one, and Beane plans to go after Hill again in free agency in November!
Donaldson and Moss trades were inexcusably bad, no doubt. Cespedes for Lester & Russell for Samardzija would have worked if only the Royals and A’s didn’t play the wildest wild card game of all time, a DS with Gray, Lester & Shark is a beast in 2014.
I just love how butt hurt Beane haters are. Its some Jake Peavy level of genius to not understand that Moneyball isn’t even about Beane really, its about his process and his process is unlike any other GM in pro sports. If it wasn’t for Beane the A’s would be in the cellar every single year.
Psst…the A’s kind have been in the cellar the last two years. As with any Beane trade you have to ask; did he get enough in return?
I understood the Cespedes deal; but they didn’t know Moss’ hip was balky. The Donaldson deal was good in theory; there’s the reality with Lawrie some teams don’t want to admit. Graveman looks solid and Barreto looks very good.