Indians Acquire Derek Lowe
We have our first trade of the 2011-12 offseason! The Indians acquired Derek Lowe from the Braves, tweets John Kreger. The Braves will pay all but $5MM of Lowe's $15MM salary, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney says the Braves will receive 23-year-old High-A lefty reliever Chris Jones in return for Lowe. Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein provides a quick scouting report.
Lowe, 38, posted a 5.05 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.67 HR/9, and 59% groundball rate in 187 innings this year for Atlanta. Lowe's Braves career ended on a sour note, as his 8.75 September ERA contributed to their collapse. Still, his groundball rate ranked second in all of baseball. Lowe signed a four-year, $60MM deal with the Braves in January of 2009.
With Lowe, Justin Masterson, and Fausto Carmona, the Indians' rotation now has three of MLB's top seven in 2011 groundball rate. Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Tomlin are also penciled in, with Carlos Carrasco down for Tommy John surgery.
For the Braves, the benefit is $5MM in much-needed salary relief for a pitcher otherwise projected for middle relief on their 2012 club. The Braves and Indians last matched up on a trade in July of 2006, when the Tribe sent reliever Bob Wickman to Atlanta for Max Ramirez.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Braves Exercise Option On Hinske, Decline On McLouth
The Braves announced today they've exercised their option on first baseman/outfielder Eric Hinske and declined their option on center fielder Nate McLouth.
The Braves chose Hinske's $1.5MM club option over a $100K buyout. The 34-year-old hit .233/.311/.403 in 264 plate appearances this year.
The decision on McLouth was obvious, as the Braves faced a $10.65MM club option and a $1.25MM buyout. The 30-year-old outfielder hit .228/.344/.333 on the season.
NL East Notes: Wilson, Brown, Mets, Hanley
Some news from the NL East…
- "Folks seem to think the Nationals are going to make [a] big play for C.J. Wilson," tweets Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated. Heyman thinks the Nats will offer Wilson a contract worth around $75-80MM. In August, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes thought Wilson could fetch a $100MM deal this winter given the lack of quality starters in the free agent market, but Wilson's postseason struggles will probably prevent him from that nine-figure contract.
- Dealing Domonic Brown or keeping him in the minors in 2012 would be a short-sighted move for the Phillies, argues CSNPhilly.com's Casey Feeney.
- "With supply seemingly exceeding demand" on the free agent closer market this winter, the Mets can look beyond the biggest names (Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, Ryan Madson and Jonathan Papelbon) and still find a solid closer at a reasonable price, writes Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. Rubin also says the Mets are looking for another left-handed reliever to pair with Tim Byrdak, as the club worries that Danny Herrera will become less effective as opponents become more familiar with him.
- The Marlins haven't discussed moving Hanley Ramirez away from shortstop or asking Ramirez about a position change, club president David Samson tells MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- From that same piece, Samson says the Marlins will be "very active" this winter with their expected rise in payroll. "We're going to be very aggressive, but we're not going to be foolish," Samson said. "That's the key. When you raise your payroll, you've got to do it smartly, because if you don't, you are losing 90 games at a higher payroll."
- The Braves haven't yet decided if they will exercise Eric Hinske and Nate McLouth's 2012 options, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. McLouth's $10.65MM option will certainly be bought out for $1.25MM, that's a no-brainer. As for Hinske, he's a useful reserve — he can play first base and both corner outfield spots, and he had a .754 OPS against right-handed pitching last season. Hinske's option is worth just $1.5MM so my guess is Atlanta brings back the former AL Rookie of the Year.
Quick Hits: Braves, Diamondbacks, Padres, Epstein
On this day 36 years ago, Joe Morgan's ninth-inning RBI single helped earn the Big Red Machine a Game Seven win over Boston. That 1975 World Series was ranked by ESPN as the second-greatest in baseball history. While this year's Fall Classic has a long way to go to reach that level, the Cardinals and Rangers are off to a good start, having traded one-run victories so far. Here are today's links from around the league, as we await Game Three….
- The Braves have hired Greg Walker, formerly of the White Sox, as their hitting coach, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Walker was one of three candidates interviewed by Atlanta.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic shares scouting reports and biographies for eight international free agents signed by the Diamondbacks this summer. The reports, via Arizona's international scouting director Carlos Gomez, are must-reads for D'Backs fans.
- Within Piecoro's piece, he adds that the Diamondbacks re-signed a pair of players, Mike DeMark and D.J. Johnson, to minor league deals.
- Dan Hayes of the North County Times spoke to Baseball America's Jim Callis about the improvement of the Padres' farm system this season.
- With Theo Epstein officially heading to Chicago, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald lists the five best and five worst moves the former GM made for the Red Sox.
NL Central Notes: Rasmus, Bourn, Dempster
Weather permitting, we''re just a few hours from watching the Cardinals represent the NL Central in Game Three of the World Series in Texas. While we wait, let's round up some links on the Cards and a couple of their division rivals….
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak discusses the Colby Rasmus trade with Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noting that there was some internal opposition to moving the center fielder: "I'm not going to point anybody out specifically but there definitely was a robust debate internally on what we should do. But in the end, everybody believed it was what was best for the organization."
- In a highly recommended piece at Bloomberg Businessweek, Rob Gloster revisits another July deal, providing an in-depth look at negotiations between the Braves and Astros for Michael Bourn.
- ESPNChicago passes along a few quotes from Ryan Dempster regarding his future and the Cubs' new president. Dempster praised Theo Epstein and said he'd talk to the new front office regime before making a decision about his $14MM player option: "Hopefully it's not just picking up an option for this year, but I'll go out there and play the best I can and be here for a long time."
Astros Notes: Crane, McLane, Bourn
Some notes out of Houston, including news about the proposed sale of the club….
- Potential Astros owner Jim Crane wants $50MM off his $680MM purchase price as compensation for moving the club to the American League, reports Josh Kosman of the New York Post. Though it isn't clear if a deal will be reached, Crane and MLB are in the "ballpark" of an agreement on the compensation price. A source tells Kosman that there is a “65 to 70 percent chance" that Crane and Bud Selig will reach an agreement, but if the two sides can't work out a deal, Crane won't buy the club.
- Crane's $50MM request could be his "exit strategy" from the sale, writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, if he has become frustrated at how long it has taken to finalize his purchase of the Astros. Justice also speculates that current owner Drayton McLane could be the one who walks away from the deal if Crane wants to lower his price, even though $630MM is still higher than any other offer McLane could find.
- Rob Gloster of Business Week talks to several Astros and Braves officials for an oral history of the Michael Bourn trade.
NL East Notes: Reyes, Johnson, Phillies, Sandberg
Some news from the NL East…
- Two Mets players "wouldn't be surprised to see" Jose Reyes sign with the Nationals this winter, tweets David Lennon of Newsday.
- The Nationals are conducting a managerial search to abide by MLB rules, but Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that the job is Davey Johnson's if he wants it.
- All six members of the Phillies' coaching staff have signed new contracts for 2012, according to a team press release. This includes bench coach Pete Mackanin, who has been mentioned as a candidate to become the next Red Sox manager.
- As Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out, the intact coaching staff means that Ryne Sandberg (who managed Philadelphia's Triple-A affiliate last season) isn't getting a promotion. Gelb predicts that Sandberg will manage or coach somewhere in the Major Leagues next year, which would mean he'll leave the Phillies' franchise unless Mackanin gets the Boston job and Sandberg is promoted to bench coach.
- Also from Gelb, he examines Ruben Amaro's plan to sign a proven closer if Ryan Madson leaves and compares it to how the Cardinals relied on unproven (and cheaper) closing options like Jason Motte and Fernando Salas to great success this season.
- Despite the Braves' collapse in September, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution thinks the club is close to a World Series.
NL East Notes: K-Rod, Riggleman, Geren, Walker
Ten years ago today, the Braves signed 16-year-old right-hander Jose Ascanio out of Venezuela. Six years later they traded him to the Cubs for Omar Infante and Will Ohman, and two years after that he was part of a package for Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow. Here are some links from the NL East…
- "We haven't ruled anything out," said a Mets official to ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand when asked if a reunion with impending free agent Francisco Rodriguez was a possibility. "We need a closer. It is a long way down the road. We haven't had those meetings yet. But, for us, I wouldn't rule anything out."
- The Mets will interview Jim Riggleman and Bob Geren for their bench coach job, reports Andy McCullough of The Star Ledger (on Twitter) and MLB.com's Adam Berry. Back in June, Riggleman resigned as Nationals manager and Geren was fired as Athletics manager.
- The Braves will interview former White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker for the same role, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. The Padres will also interview Walker, says to Levine.
- In a mailbag, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro answered a series of questions about players the Marlins could target in free agency. Here's Tim Dierkes' offseason outlook for the club.
Quick Hits: MacPhail, White Sox, Nunez, Twins
Congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals, who will meet in the NLCS after each club won a superb Game Five tonight. This is the first all-NL Central NLCS since the Astros topped the Cards in 2005, and this is the first time Milwaukee and St. Louis have met in the postseason since the 1982 World Series. The NLCS begins on Sunday at Miller Park, with Zack Greinke getting the Game One start for the Brewers.
Some more news as we head into the weekend….
- There is plenty of reaction to Andy MacPhail's decision to step down as the Orioles' president of baseball operations. Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun credits MacPhail with leaving the team in better shape than when he arrived, though this wasn't reflected in the win-loss column. MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli provides a recap of MacPhail's most notable moves in Baltimore. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com expects the next O's GM to have "a more aggressive approach [in free agency]…for better or worse" as opposed to MacPhail's practice of "letting the market play out."
- The White Sox seem to be looking to 2012 as a rebuilding year, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin. After a year of seeing how young players develop in the Majors and seeing how rookie manager Robin Ventura adapts to the job, Merkin says Chicago could push for contention in 2013 if all goes well.
- With this youth movement in mind, Merkin thinks A.J. Pierzynski and Paul Konerko could be approached about waiving their no-trade clauses. Both players were somewhat open to the idea, though both clearly stated they wanted to end their careers with the White Sox.
- How did Juan Carlos Oviedo (a.k.a. Leo Nunez) keep his identity hidden for years? Frances Robles of the Miami Herald examines Oviedo's situation and the risks that some Latin American players take to escape poverty and reach the Major Leagues. Oviedo "was able to keep the secret for long, because he was living the dream that every Dominican boy imagines growing up. If he lied and succeeded, then the end justified the means,” said Charles Farrell, head of the Dominican Republic Sports and Education Academy. “No one was going to fault him for that, no one was going to blow his cover."
- Farrell also tells Robles that by his estimate, there are at least 30 current Dominican players using false identities.
- Ron Gardenhire says the Twins aren't likely to sign a top free agent pitcher like C.J. Wilson, reports MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger as part of a mailbag piece. "I think we're all smart enough to figure out that free agents out there, as far as pitchers go, if they're really good they're probably going to require a little bit more money than we're willing to pay them," Gardenhire said. "All the big shooters. And there's going to be a market for the rest of them."
- Mark DeRosa could be a good fit as a versatile bench bat for the Braves, provided he can stay healthy, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
- With the Astros' possible move to the AL West in mind, Fangraphs' Reed MacPhail analyzes how each of this season's National League teams would've fared playing in the AL West.
GM/Manager Notes: Cubs, Angels, Red Sox, Orioles
The Cubs and Angels officially have general manager vacancies and, depending on what Buck Showalter decides to do, the Orioles could be looking for a GM, too. Throw in the uncertainty surrounding Theo Epstein's future and many expiring contracts for managers and there’s the possibility for a lot of leadership changes in the next month or so. Here are the details from around MLB…
- Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts declined to address rumors that Red Sox GM Theo Epstein may be interested in coming to Chicago, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
- The Angels dismissed assistant GM Ken Forsch and special assistant Gary Sutherland, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. They dismissed GM Tony Reagins on Friday.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Red Sox have had informal conversations about what they'll do if Epstein is no longer their GM (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox aren’t targeting Bobby Valentine or Joe Torre for their managerial opening, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. It appears that Epstein is considering two candidates without MLB managerial experience, according to Heyman.
- People who know Epstein tell Heyman that the GM doesn’t expect to work for the Red Sox for life. It’s possible that Red Sox ownership will add a couple years to Epstein’s contract (it expires after 2012) or change his title.
- Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts likes the Red Sox organization, not just Epstein, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). That could mean the Cubs are interested in assistant GM Ben Cherington.
- The Red Sox would surely demand and obtain compensation if the Cubs hire Epstein, so Dave Cameron of FanGraphs wonders how much he is worth. Cameron isn't sure that spending big on recognizable executives makes sense, since there's a steady supply of qualified candidates who are available more cheaply.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says it's time for the Red Sox to extend Epstein and that it would be a mistake on their part to let him go.
- The Cubs' shortlist includes Cherington, White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn and Braves director of professional scouting John Coppolella, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
- Connolly explains that he expects the Orioles to hire someone from outside of the organization with a background in scouting and/or player development if Showalter continues managing the team.
- Though GM John Mozeliak says he has a “very good” relationship with manager Tony La Russa, Heyman hears that some top Cardinals people don’t believe the skipper is worth his salary of $5MM or so.
- Despite rumors connecting him to the White Sox, La Russa says he’s not going to manage another team, according to Heyman.
- The Angels are meeting to start forming their list of GM candidates today and they seem likely to go outside of the organization for the position, Heyman writes.
- Don't forget to check out our list of GM Candidates.