Trade Market Update: Drew, Gomez, Beltran
2011/07/trade-market-update-72111.htmlDavid Purcey walked the bases loaded to kick-start Oakland's four-run seventh. … Those events could shape the trade market and so could the following developments from around the Major Leagues: Carlos Beltran appears to have recovered from the flu - he homered off of Kyle McClellan (by the way, McClellan pitched well enough, though he may lose his rotation spot if the Cardinals add a starter).
Carlos Beltran Rumors: Saturday
2011/07/carlos-beltran-rumors-saturday.htmlCarlos Beltran went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in the Mets' win over the Marlins last night, and every game he plays could be his last with the team these days. … SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets are still shooting for a home run with Beltran, targeting Domonic Brown, Wheeler, and Minor.
Matt Stairs Retires
2011/08/matt-stairs-retires.htmlI had a great career, a long career," the slugger said, "And it's one of those things where I can…… He has earned almost $19MM across his career while posting a slash line of .262/.356/.477 and 265 home runs in…
Free Agent Stock Watch: Jimmy Rollins
2011/08/free-agent-stock-watch-jimmy-rollins.htmlInstead, the Phillies could look to lock Rollins up during the five day period after the World Series, when they’ll have exclusive rights to him, wait and bid for his services against other teams, or let him walk (likely with an offer of arbitration and the expectation that he would decline). … He has a .264/.337/.399 line with 13 home runs and 24 stolen bases this year
Limited Free Agent Market For Bats
2011/08/weak-free-agent-market-for-bats.htmlHis walk rate is down significantly though, which could give some teams pause before making one of the ten largest commitments in baseball history, if not one of the three biggest. … Albert Pujols, 1B: Pujols now leads the National League with 31 home runs, so his off year is relative.
Berkman Plans To Play In 2012, Prefers St. Louis
2011/08/berkman-plans-to-play-in-2012-prefers-st-louis.htmlLance Berkman recently suggested that he’ll be prepared to walk away from the game after the season if he doesn’t see contract offers he likes as a free agent. … He has a .291/.404/.576 line with 29 home runs this year and projects as a Type A free agent, according to our latest rankings.
Checking In On Colorado’s Offseason Extensions
2011/08/checking-in-on-colorados-offseason-extensions.htmlGonzalez has boosted his walk rate, lowered his strikeout rate and, thanks to a recent hot streak that has included seven home runs in 12 days, raised his season line to .289/.360/.523. … The early verdict? Nearly five months into the season, the Rockies’ new deals are going well, largely because their biggest investments are looking good.
Jose Reyes’ Final Month
2011/08/jose-reyes-final-month.htmlAll of the players to sign free agent contracts worth more than $100MM since the 2007-08 offseason capped their respective walk years with healthy, productive final months. … Alex Rodriguez hit ten home runs after September 1st, 2007 before signing the biggest contract in MLB history.
Arbitration Eligibles: Detroit Tigers
2011/09/arbitration-eligibles-detroit-tigers-3.htmlHis power has bounced back in 89 plate appearances with Detroit, though he's yet to draw a walk. … If you look at Young's current 2011 counting stats - 7 home runs, 49 RBIs, 39 runs - they should lead to a relatively meager raise.
Dempster Has Not Thought About Player Option
2011/09/dempster-has-not-thought-about-player-option.htmlIt's worth noting that his strikeout (8.7 K/9), walk (3.4 BB/9), and home run (1.0 HR/9) rates are right in line with his previous seasons. … Unless he pitches very deep into the game in his last two starts, he'll fail to crack the 200 innings plateau for the first time since moving back into the rotation in 2008.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Cody Ross
2011/09/free-agent-stock-watch-cody-ross.htmlTo his credit, Ross raised his walk rate to a career-best 10.6% in 2011 and played all three outfield positions, marking the fourth time in the past five seasons that he has appeared in left, center and right. … Cody Ross would have been better off hitting free agency last year, after the Giants won the World Series and Ross hit five postseason home runs on his way to winning the NLCS MVP.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Josh Willingham
2011/09/free-agent-stock-watch-josh-willingham.htmlOn the other hand, a slipping batting average and walk rate have his OBP at a career-worst .335, and his defense doesn't come highly regarded. … Left fielder Josh Willingham has established career-highs in home runs and RBIs this year, with 28 and 94 respectively and three games remain on the schedule.
Jose Reyes’ Final Month: Part Two
2011/09/jose-reyes-final-month-part-2.htmlAbout a month ago, I explained that each player to sign a free agent contract worth more than $100MM since the 2007-08 offseason capped his walk year with a healthy, productive final month. … Reyes has appeared in 25 of the Mets’ 28 games and has a line of .340/.411/.443 for the month with…
Poll: Ryan Madson Vs. Heath Bell
2011/10/poll-ryan-madson-vs-heath-bell.htmlIn the last three years, Madson has increased his strikeout rate to more than a batter per inning while maintaining strong walk and groundball rates. … He still limited hits and home runs and converted 43 of 48 save opportunities.
Offseason Outlook: Detroit Tigers
2011/10/offseason-outlook-detroit-tigers-3.htmlWith so many holdovers, there may be concern about the 2011 bullpen's walk rate of 4.4 BB/9 -- the highest among MLB 'pens. … He hit eight home runs in the final six weeks of the regular season and added five more homers in the playoffs.
Baseball’s Spookiest Transactions
2011/10/baseballs-spookiest-transactions.htmlFor the Rangers in 1998, Perisho was stalked by a devastating walks-per-nine ratio of 14.4 -- toxic for any pitcher. … As for Mike Bell, merely by virtue of being associated with baseball's second-scariest trade made him a pariah, playing for organization after organization -- Diamondbacks, Mets, Reds, Rockies, White Sox, Cardinals, Indians -- without ever finding a home.
Royals Acquire Jonathan Sanchez For Melky Cabrera
2011/11/royals-acquire-jonathan-sanchez-for-melky-cabrera.htmlSanchez, 28, may have been a non-tender candidate for the Giants after a disappointing 2011 season that saw him walk 5.9 per nine innings and miss significant time with biceps tendinitis and a sprained ankle. … The 27-year-old hit .305/.339/.470 with 18 home runs in 706 plate appearances for the Royals, playing mostly center field.
The Stats MLBTR Readers Need To Know
2011/11/the-stats-mlbtr-readers-need-to-know.htmlTo compute OBP, add hits, walks, and hit-by-pitches as the times on base, and divide this total by the sum of the player's at-bats, walks, hit-by-pitches, and sacrifice flies. … Some of them are easy to understand (Prince Fielder hit 38 homers in 2011) and some of them aren't as simple (he posted a -5.2 UZR/150 last year).
Diamondbacks Sign Aaron Hill To Two-Year Deal
2011/11/diamondbacks-hill-agree-to-two-year-deal.htmlHis career 6.2% walk rate is below league average, but he also doesn't strike out very often (12.6% career). … SUNDAY, 8:30pm: The Diamondbacks may have declined Aaron Hill's option last month, but the second baseman will still be calling Chase Field his home.
Extension Candidate: Justin Masterson
2012/01/extension-candidate-justin-masterson.htmlFresh off a breakout season, could 26-year-old Indians righty Justin Masterson be next? Masterson's 2011 season featured career-bests in innings (216), ERA (3.21), walk rate (2.7 per nine), home run rate (0.46 per nine) and wins (12). … In general, he might not be able to maintain 2011's 6.3% home run per flyball rate, but Masterson still remains capable of a sub-4.00 ERA.
Brewers, Marcum Have Yet To Talk Extension
2012/02/brewers-marcum-have-yet-to-talk-extension.htmlI'm assuming that's what that means -- we're just doing one year and they're going to let me walk." Marcum and the Brewers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $7.725MM earlier this month. … It feels like home; it's a lot like where I live back in the off-season (Missouri).
Extension Candidate: Brandon McCarthy
2012/02/extension-candidate-brandon-mccarthy.htmlIn terms of starting pitchers extended entering walk years, Ryan Vogelsong, R.A. … He's got excellent command and posted a career-best 46.7% groundball rate last year, suppressing career-long home run concerns.
Offseason In Review: San Francisco Giants
2012/03/offseason-in-review-san-francisco-giants-3.htmlJonathan Sanchez was once considered an excellent trade chip, but after an injury and walk-filled 2011, Cabrera (pictured) was probably the best hitter Sabean could get for him. … If you're not getting free agent years, where are the savings? Using the optimistic assumption that Sandoval gets 600 plate appearances and hits .305 with 25 home runs, 90 runs batted in, and 75 runs in 600 plate appearances in each of the 2013 and '14 seasons, Matt Swartz estimates arbitration earnings of $18.3MM for 2012-14 if he'd gone year-to-year.
Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Rays
2012/03/offseason-in-review-tampa-bay-rays-3.htmlIn the Rodney signing press release, Friedman provided a euphemism for Rodney's control issues, saying, "Fernando's pure stuff is top-notch and can beat hitters both in and out of the strike zone." Having walked almost eight batters per nine innings in a 2011 season shortened by a back injury, I thought Rodney was in line for a minor league deal. … The 29-year-old allowed just one home run in 63 2/3 innings last year for the Marlins.
Make Or Break Year: Kendrys Morales
2012/03/make-or-break-year-kendrys-morales.htmlHe appeared in yesterday's Spring Training contest, but hasn't played in an official game since May 29th, 2010, the day he injured his left ankle in a walk-off home run celebration gone wrong. … But there’s a difference between appearing in a Spring Training game and contributing regularly at the Major League level.