Stark On Padres, Dodgers, Stanton, Phillies
The Tigers, Phillies, Mets, White Sox and Rays are among the most surprising teams in baseball so far this season, Jayson Stark writes at ESPN.com. Here are some details from Stark's latest Rumblings & Grumblings column…
- GM Josh Byrnes admits that "this season is probably unsalvageable" for the 19-39 Padres, but he isn’t looking to trade Carlos Quentin. "We need his home run production in the middle of the order,” Byrnes told Stark. “So we're not looking to trade him in mid-June. We're definitely open to keeping him around beyond this year." The Padres haven’t yet talked to Quentin or his agent about a deal for 2013 and beyond. I set out to determine the outfielder's trade value last week.
- Rival teams say the Dodgers are looking for a starter, a lefty reliever and a bat.
- There are no indications the Marlins will look to extend Giancarlo Stanton in the near future, Stark reports. One person says the Marlins would “never” consider giving anyone, Stanton included, a seven-year deal. Stanton probably won’t qualify for arbitration until after the 2013 season.
- Anibal Sanchez will hit free agency a few months from now, but rival executives don’t expect the Marlins to sign another starting pitcher for $10MM-plus per season.
- MLB execs believe Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is aiming to make his team younger. Phillies scouts are eyeing young third basemen and center fielders as Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino near free agency.
Details On Brett Myers’ Vesting Option
Brett Myers’ $10MM option for 2013 vests if he finishes 45 games and doesn’t end the season on the disabled list, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. Myers, who has already completed 20 games, can also trigger the option with a points system based on other qualifications.
Myers has a 2.25 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and 14 saves this year. He'll earn $11MM in 2012 and his contract, which was restructured upon his return to the bullpen, includes a $10MM vesting option for 2013 with a $3MM buyout.
If the Astros trade the 31-year-old to a team that uses him as a setup man, the option likely won’t vest. There’s a good chance Myers will finish 45 games if he continues closing, but one executive suggested to Morosi that the $10MM vesting option isn’t that scary to prospective trade partners. “I wouldn’t imagine it’s going to be a huge hindrance,” the person said.
Olney On Hamels, Hamilton, Quentin
The free agent market will feature an unusually strong class of outfielders this coming offseason, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Josh Hamilton leads a group that includes Michael Bourn, Andre Ethier, Melky Cabrera, Shane Victorino, B.J. Upton and Carlos Quentin. However, teams are looking to avoid unnecessary long-term commitments, so it may not be possible for all of these players to cash in. Here are more notes from Olney:
- Cole Hamels’ contract talks with the Phillies remain dormant, Olney reports. Hamels is on track for free agency after the season, when he’ll be the top starting pitcher available.
- One general manager suggested the Orioles could become aggressive bidders for Hamilton, who will likely command an annual salary of $20MM-plus. "But [at that price] I don't think he's got a lot of places to go," the GM told Olney.
- Some MLB officials guesstimate Quentin could be in line for a deal in the four-year, $48MM range if he stays healthy and keeps hitting. Four years and $60MM isn’t out of the question, according to those officials.
- Personally I see Quentin signing for two or three years at an average annual value of $6-9MM. He'll turn 30 before the offseason, his defense isn't particularly well-regarded and injury questions persist, so I believe he'd do well to match Josh Willingham's three-year, $21MM deal.
Minor Moves: Kris Watts, Tim Sexton
Keeping track of the day's minor moves…
- The Nationals have acquired minor league catcher Kris Watts from the Pirates in exchange for cash, as announced on the Pirates' official Twitter feed. Watts was Pittsburgh's 16th-round pick in the 2006 draft and has a .259/.357/.385 line in 1702 career minor league plate appearances.
- The Royals signed right-hander Tim Sexton, according to MLB.com's transactions page. The 24-year-old pitched in the Dodgers' organization last year, posting a 5.48 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 162 2/3 innings at Triple-A and Class A. In five minor league seasons he has a 5.15 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America details the remainder of the week's minor transactions.
Astros Sign Carlos Correa
5:41pm: Correa's bonus is worth $4.8MM, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
3:54pm: The deal is official, McTaggart tweets. Luhnow said it's a "monumental day" for the franchise.
THURSDAY, 3:30pm: Correa is in Houston and will sign shortly, Alyson Footer of the Astros reports (on Twitter). The Astros are announcing their deal with the top prospect today.
WEDNESDAY: The Astros have a verbal agreement to sign first overall selection Carlos Correa, according to owner Jim Crane, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports (on Twitter). GM Jeff Luhnow said earlier in the week that he expected to sign the Puerto Rican shortstop by Thursday.
Terms of the deal are not yet known but sources told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that it will likely be in the vicinity of $5MM. The Astros took signability into heavy consideration and reportedly didn't settle on selecting Correa until the eleventh hour. Pitcher Mark Appel, a Scott Boras client who fell to eighth overall, allegedly rejected a $6MM offer from Houston.
Crane says that the team's deal with Correa is structured in such a way that it will allow the club to also retain some of its favorite picks, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The Astros will likely need to spend big in order to sign No. 41 pick Lance McCullers Jr., a right-hander who has committed to play for the University of Florida.
Platform Years For First-Time Eligible Starters
Clayton Kershaw's salary jumped from $500K to $7.5MM this year, and it wasn't just because of his Cy Young performance. Kershaw qualified for arbitration for the first time in his career over the winter, so he obtained the right to establish his salary by comparing his production to that of his peers.
Though $7MM raises are reserved for elite performers like Kershaw, many first-time eligible starting pitchers will see their salaries rise from $500K or so to $2-4.5MM this coming offseason. A player’s case depends in large part on his career numbers, but his most recent season, or platform year, matters a great deal.
Advanced statistics like xFIP, wins above replacement and swinging strike rate don't generally figure in to arbitration cases. Instead, traditional stats such as innings, starts, wins and ERA determine players' salaries.
With one third of the season now complete, let’s check in on the prominent starting pitchers on track to be first-time arbitration eligible this coming offseason:
Rangers Designate John Gaub For Assignment
The Rangers designated left-hander John Gaub for assignment, Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com reports (on Twitter). The team is placing Derek Holland on the disabled list and calling up Tanner Scheppers in corresponding moves.
The Rangers recently claimed Gaub off of waivers from the Rays, who had claimed him from the Cubs earlier this year. Gaub, 27, has a 3.43 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 21 innings for the top affiliates of the Rays and Rangers in 2012. He appeared in four games for the Cubs last season and has a 3.69 ERA with 11.7 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9 across parts of four Triple-A seasons.
Regular MLBTR Features
If you're a regular MLBTR reader, you'll be familiar with our chats, our Week In Review posts and Mike Axisa's Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature. Here's some more detail on when you'll see our weekly features and exactly what to expect from them:
- MLBTR Chats - Come by every Wednesday at 2pm CDT to chat about the latest trades, signings and rumblings around the Major Leagues.
- Baseball Blogs Weigh In - Every Friday morning, Mike Axisa directs you to some of the best writing on baseball blogs around the web. Whether it's opinion, stats or something else entirely, you can connect to the best of the blogosphere once a week on MLBTR. If you want to send Mike a post of yours, reach him at: mike@riveraveblues.com.
- Week In Review - It's remarkable how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, we summarize the week's biggest stories in our Week In Review posts.
- MLBTR Originals - We gather all our original analysis and reporting in one place every Sunday night.
NL East Notes: Galvis, Halladay, Harper
The Phillies announced that they placed infielder Freddy Galvis on the 15-day disabled list and recalled utility player Michael Martinez from Triple-A. Here are some links from the NL East…
- Roy Halladay intends to win a World Series in Philadelphia, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports doesn't consider the Phillies a championship caliber team given their age and declining performances. Halladay said he aims to retire as a Phillie — a more attainable goal in Morosi's view. Because of Halladay's DL stint, he's on track for free agency following the 2013 season unless he completes 225 innings next year and 415 innings total over 2012-13.
- Bryce Harper's historically hot start has caught his teammates' attention, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The 19-year-old outfielder is on track to finish the season with a historically high OPS for someone so young. Harper, who knows fellow top prospect Mike Trout personally, says he'd enjoy playing with Trout — as long as it's with the Nationals. “I don’t want to leave here, I can tell you that,” Harper said.
- The Nationals announced that they recalled Tyler Moore from Triple-A and placed Carlos Maldonado on the 15-day disabled list.
Diamondbacks Notes: Drew, Upton, Bauer, Trahan
It’s been a busy week for the Diamondbacks, not only because of the draft, but because of the public admission from managing partner Ken Kendrick that he’s disappointed in Stephen Drew and Justin Upton. Here are some notes on the team via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic…
- GM Kevin Towers said Kendrick has the right to make bold comments, even if they don’t often occur in Arizona. “That happens in New York City about once a month, and in Boston and other places,” Towers said. “It kind of shocks everybody when it happens out here because you don’t see it happen that often.”
- Towers said the Diamondbacks aren’t really looking for ways to add top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer to the big league team. The GM noted that Bauer has done basically everything the team has asked of him in the upper minors.
- Scouting director Ray Montgomery said the Diamondbacks and first round selection Stryker Trahan are “in an area where [the sides] both feel like [they're] going to get something done,” as we heard from Piecoro last night.