Tigers Interested In Hiroki Kuroda
The Tigers have some interest in Hiroki Kuroda, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). However, it's not clear whether the Dodgers would part with Kuroda or whether the right-hander would accept a trade to Detroit. The Dodgers aren't ready to sell and Kuroda, who is drawing lots of interest, will likely require compensation to accept a trade.
The 36-year-old has a 2.90 ERA with 6.7 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 43.9% ground ball rate in 108 2/3 innings for the Dodgers. He earns an $8MM salary, so he'll still be owed $2.7MM at the July 31st trade deadline. Kuroda, whose contract expires after the season, projects as a Type B free agent this offseason.
Improving the rotation is a priority for the Tigers. They just demoted Phil Coke from the rotation and Charlie Furbush will take his place tonight when he makes his first MLB start.
Rangers Interested In Rotation Upgrades
Though the Rangers' pitching problems appear to stem from their weak bullpen, that's not the only area they're looking to improve. The Rangers would like to upgrade their rotation this summer, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Rangers starters rank 12th in MLB with a 3.71 ERA (3.86 xFIP) and only seven clubs have counted on their starters for more innings than Texas (524 1/3). C.J. Wilson, Alexi Ogando, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis have started all but three of the Rangers' games this year.
GM Jon Daniels has been open about his interest in relief pitching, but this is the first indication that he'll be searching for starters as well. Here's a list of potentially available starters for Texas.
Updates On Converted Relievers Now Starting
From the moment they're drafted to the day they retire, starting pitchers are generally more highly coveted than relievers. They're selected earlier on draft day, they earn more in arbitration and they sign more lucrative free agent contracts. There are exceptions of course: Drew Storen was a first rounder, Jonathan Papelbon earned nearly $30MM through arbitration and most starters would love to match Mariano Rivera's free agent earning power. But for the most part, teams invest more in starters.
So when a rotation opening emerges or a pitcher is particularly impressive out of the 'pen, baseball officials are often tempted to convert relievers into starters. This year has been no exception, so let's take another look at converted relievers. None of the pitchers below had more than two MLB starts to his name before the 2011 season and all of them were big league relievers last year:
- Alexi Ogando, Rangers – Ogando has been tremendous for the Rangers. The converted outfielder has a 2.86 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 97 2/3 innings. His ground ball rate has dropped to 36.3%, yet his average fastball velocity is impressively high at 94.7 mph. After successfully converting C.J. Wilson in 2010 and Ogando this year, will Texas move Neftali Feliz to the rotation in 2012?
- Phil Coke, Tigers – Coke lost his rotation spot last week after posting a 4.91 ERA with 4.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 77 innings. The left-hander was solid in April and May, but put together a string of ugly outings in June.
- Kyle McClellan, Cardinals – McClellan, who is replacing the injured Adam Wainwright, has a 4.27 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 through 90 2/3 innings. McClellan's ERA has jumped two runs this year and he has already set a career-high in innings pitched. He has not surpassed 100 innings since he was a starter in the Midwest League seven years ago.
- Phil Humber, White Sox – It took a while, but Humber is finally putting it together in the Major Leagues. The former third overall pick has a 2.69 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 46.1% ground ball rate in 103 2/3 innings. Even if Humber's ERA rises – his peripheral stats suggest it will – the White Sox have found themselves a valuable arm.
Mets Unlikely To Trade Reyes; Big Offer Possible
There’s “almost no way” the Mets will trade Jose Reyes this summer, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Instead, GM Sandy Alderson is leaning strongly toward authorizing a substantial offer for the shortstop after the season, when he hits free agency.
Reyes, who could return from a mild hamstring strain this week, has been among the best players in the league to this point in the season. Alderson doesn’t sound particularly concerned about the injury, but Reyes has told the team he doesn’t want to negotiate in-season, so there’s plenty of time to determine the severity of the strain.
Alderson believes re-signing Reyes would energize the fan base and prevent a hole from opening up in the lineup, according to Sherman. The GM will have to convince ownership that a substantial offer is vital for the team’s success. Earlier this season owner Fred Wilpon said that Reyes isn’t worth a $142MM contract.
Alderson doesn’t generally like massive free agent contracts, but he acknowledges that some big market teams need to invest in stars for fans to spend on and cheer for. The New York front office is not concerned that a big contract would affect Reyes’ drive to succeed.
Clay Rapada Clears Waivers
SUNDAY: Rapada has cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY: The Orioles announced that they designated Clay Rapada for assignment to create active roster space for Alfredo Simon. The Orioles open up a 40-man roster spot by activating Simon from the 15-day disabled list and removing Rapada from the roster.
Baltimore signed Rapada to a minor league deal in January, a few months after the Rangers released him. The 30-year-old lefty appeared in 22 games for the Orioles (12 1/3 innings) and posted a 7.30 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. Rapada has thrown his slider 43.8% of the time this year a mark that only 11 pitchers have surpassed so far in 2011 (minimum 10 IP).
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun first reported the move (on Twitter).
Kerry Wood Expects To Stay In Chicago
Kerry Wood turned down more substantial offers to return to the Cubs last offseason and, ironically enough, his affordable $1.5MM salary has rival teams wondering if they can lure Wood away. Trade interest in the reliever is picking up just as Wood and his wife, Sarah, are starting a family foundation in Chicago. So Wood told Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald that he would have to be presented with a ‘great’ deal for both himself and the Cubs to waive his no-trade clause and leave Chicago.
“We’re committed here,” Wood said. “We’ve got an event in September. So I’ll just leave it at that. I don’t see it. I don’t see it happening.”
Wood says he and his wife have discussed the possibility of a trade and determined that they won’t accept any proposals that are less than ideal. Wood, who will be activated from the disabled list tomorrow, has a 2.25 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 24 innings for the 33-48 Cubs.
Indians Release Adam Everett
The Indians announced that they released Adam Everett after the infielder cleared waivers. Cleveland designated Everett for assignment earlier in the week to create roster space for callup Lonnie Chisenhall.
Everett, 34, played second, short and third for the Indians this year. Though he has never been known for his bat, his .217/.277/.233 line through 67 plate appearances was not enough for him to keep his roster spot, especially with promising infield talent on Cleveland's Triple-A club.
Outrighted To The Minors: Thompson, Brown
Here's a list of the latest players to be outrighted to the minor leagues…
- Catcher Dusty Brown and left-hander Aaron Thompson of the Pirates have cleared waivers, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). Brown will head to Double-A and Thompson has been assigned to Triple-A. The Pirates had designated the two players for assignment earlier in the week.
Rockies Acquire Mark Ellis
No second baseman has suited up for the A's as often as Mark Ellis, but when the 34-year-old lost his starting job earlier this month, it became clear that his time in Oakland would likely end soon. Ellis' nine-year tenure with the Athletics is now officially over. The A's announced that they sent Ellis and cash considerations to the Rockies for right-hander reliever Bruce Billings and a player to be named later.
Ellis hit .217/.253/.290 this year and lost his starting job to 24-year-old second baseman Jemile Weeks. The veteran pinch hit for the A's and even played a little first base, but he wasn't producing on offense the way he did in 2010, when he posted a .358 OBP.
The A's exercised Ellis' $6MM option last offseason and the infielder will be eligible for free agency this fall. He still has $3MM remaining on his 2011 contract and the Rockies will cover $1MM of that, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Though Ellis currently projects as a Type A free agent, draft pick compensation was probably not a major factor in the deal, as there's no guarantee he'll receive an offer of arbitration.
The Rockies have used six second basemen this year: Jonathan Herrera, Chris Nelson, Jose Lopez, Eric Young, Alfredo Amezaga and Jose Morales. The group has combined for a .610 OPS, 23rd among MLB second basemen. Herrera, the Rockies' primary second base option, has struggled to hit nearly as much as Ellis; the 26-year-old has a .237/.311/.303 line.
Billings, 25, pitched in his first (and so far only) MLB game on May 27th, when he allowed one earned run on five hits in two innings against the Cardinals. The former 30th round pick has a 4.47 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in his first season at Triple-A and his first full season as a reliever.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Tigers Eye Starters, Not Jose Reyes
The Tigers aren’t pursuing Jose Reyes, but they are looking at the market for starting pitching, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Though Tigers officials appear content with their offense, their rotation is becoming a concern.
The Tigers announced this morning that they’re replacing converted reliever Phil Coke in the rotation with rookie Charlie Furbush. The Tigers will intensify their search for starting pitching if Furbush or another young pitcher like Andrew Oliver or Jacob Turner doesn’t prove himself to be a reliable starter in the next month or so.
This afternoon's starter, Justin Verlander, has pitched himself into the Cy Young conversation. However, the rest of the Tigers' rotation – Coke, Max Scherzer, Brad Penny and Rick Porcello – hasn't been as effective.
The Tigers could get an offensive boost from Carlos Guillen, who is on a rehab assignment. One of the infielder’s representatives told Morosi that he plans to return after the All-Star break. In the meantime, Detroit’s offense is scoring; they’re fourth in the American League in runs.