Cubs Designate Jeff Stevens For Assignment
The Cubs designated Jeff Stevens for assignment to create 40-man roster space for infielder D.J. LeMahieu, the team announced. To create 25-man roster space for LeMahieu, the Cubs placed Jeff Baker on the 15-day disabled list.
Stevens has a 9.64 ERA with a 6K/10BB ratio in 14 innings at Triple-A this year. The 27-year-old right-hander has a 6.27 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings out of the Cubs' pen over the course of three seasons. Despite his recent struggles, he has averaged more than one strikeout per inning and posted a 3.48 ERA against minor league hitters in his career.
LeMahieu, who has never appeared in the Major Leagues, is in uniform for today's game. The former second round pick is the first member of the Cubs' 2009 draft class to reach the big leagues and he arrives with a .325/.360/.408 line in 984 minor league plate appearances, none of them above Double-A.
Jose Valverde’s 2012 Option
Just about anything could happen between Memorial Day and the beginning of November, when the Tigers have to decide whether to exercise their $9MM option for Jose Valverde. Injuries, trades and the performance of other Detroit relievers could affect the Tigers’ willingness to commit to another year of Valverde, so consider this an early and imprecise look at the closer’s option.
What’s unlikely to change for the 33-year-old is his profile as a hard-throwing right-hander who strikes lots of people out, allows more than his share of walks and works in and out of jams for saves. Since becoming Arizona’s full-time closer in 2007, that’s essentially what Valverde has offered and it doesn’t figure to change in the next five months.
So far in 2011, Valverde has a 3.52 ERA (3.53 xFIP) with 12 saves, 9.0 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. His fastball has averaged 94 mph and he has a 41.3 % ground ball rate through 23 frames.
Those are respectable numbers, but they’re not enough to command $30MM-plus on the open market, as Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera did last offseason. Valverde compares better with the likes of Kevin Gregg, Bobby Jenks and J.J. Putz, who signed two-year deals in the $10-12MM range last year.
Those contracts are worth $5-6MM per season, which makes $9MM seem like a lot for one year of Valverde (unlike most club options this one has no buyout). Plus, there will be even more selection than usual for teams seeking relief this winter, because there’s a deep class of free agent relievers.
Yet it seems unlikely that the Tigers will shy away from Valverde’s option if they believe he’s the best option for them. GM Dave Dombrowski, who’s in a contract year of his own, has shown that he’s willing to move quickly to secure the players he wants, even if it means spending aggressively.
Last offseason, for example, he signed Joaquin Benoit in mid-November instead of waiting for bargains. That particular deal hasn’t worked out to this point, but it shows that Dombrowski tends to pursue the players he wants, instead of waiting the market out for bargains (Dombrowski also locked Jhonny Peralta, Brandon Inge and Victor Martinez by Thanksgiving).
There’s no question that $9MM is on the steep side for one season of relief pitching. Plus, the Tigers could potentially obtain draft picks by turning down the option, offering arbitration and allowing Valverde to sign elsewhere. For a team that has given up its share of high draft picks in recent years, collecting an extra pick or two would likely have appeal.
As a result, the Tigers don’t figure to keep Valverde around for $9MM unless they’re convinced in his ability to perform at an elite level in 2012. But if the Tigers decide he’s the person they want in high-leverage situations next year, it's hard to imagine that an inflated salary would prevent them from keeping their closer for another season.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Padres Notes: Rizzo, Adams, Gregerson
The Padres are last in the National League in runs per game, but first base prospect Anthony Rizzo may help solve San Diego's offensive woes before long. Here's the latest on Rizzo and the Padres:
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer has said there are legitimate developmental concerns for keeping Rizzo in the minor leagues, such as the prospect's offensive approach against left-handed pitching. But service time may also be a consideration for clubs wishing to avoid going to arbitration an extra time. As Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes, the Padres "are dragging their feet for long-term financial reasons at the presumed cost of being more competitive right now."
- MLB executive VP of labor relations Rob Manfred told Sullivan that "there’s nothing illegal, immoral or fattening about it" because cutoffs such as the one for super two status are always subject to strategy.
- The Padres will listen to offers for any of their relievers, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The inquiries have already started on Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson and others, according to Morosi.
Mets Agree To Sell Minority Stake In Team
7:23pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Mets have shot down this morning's report, issuing a statement saying "[there] is uninformed speculation regarding terms of a potential deal." Rubin points out that the team has made a series of misstatements in the past.
ESPN's Buster Olney wonders how MLB will respond since the deal is "seemingly a body blow to [the] perceived franchise value of team," and the league could be wary about how future investors perceive the club's worth (Twitter links).
SATURDAY, 8:54pm: Adam Rubin of ESPN New York has learned the terms of the purchase, which sound extremely favorable for Einhorn. The $200MM buys him 30-35% of the team, and he has an option to increase his stake to 60% in three years. If the Wilpons do not want to give him a majority (and controlling) share at that time, they can refund the $200MM while Einhorn still gets to keep his 30-35% stake.
THURSDAY: The Mets have agreed to sell a minority share of the club to David Einhorn, president of Greenlight Capital Inc., according to ESPN's Karl Ravech. The Mets confirmed that Einhorn is their preferred partner, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. MLB has not yet approved the deal, but the Mets stand to obtain $200MM from Einhorn. The Mets expect to enter into definitive agreemets within a month.
Though the Wilpon family has had its share of financial troubles, the Mets say they're going to continue spending. They are prepared to exceed the commissioner's recommended bonuses in this year's draft and expect to maintain a payroll in the $100-145MM range next year. The influx of cash figures to help the Mets pay their bills.
Draft Notes: Cole, Hultzen, Meyer
Eleven former first overall picks are currently on MLB rosters (DL included): Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Pat Burrell, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzalez, Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Justin Upton, Luke Hochevar, David Price and Stephen Strasburg. Here are some draft-related links in anticipation of this year's top pick:
- Anthony Rendon played his first games in the field since suffering a shoulder injury in March, and interestingly, Rendon played second base, reports John Manuel of Baseball America. Rendon made an error in his second game but according to one scout, "handled his routine chances just fine." While Rendon has displayed a strong third base glove in his college career, some executives have wondered if he is better suited to play second in the majors.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America has Rendon going first overall to Pittsburgh in his latest mock draft.
- The Pirates are open to taking any of the top three or four players with the first overall pick, and they don't even have a "front-runner" for the pick, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Pirates continue to consider Gerrit Cole as a candidate for the first overall pick in the draft. Cole’s struggles have scared some teams off to an extent, but not Pittsburgh. Cole hit the 101-mph mark on the radar gun during a start tonight, according to ESPN's Keith Law (Twitter link).
- MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo lists the draft's top college arms, including Cole, Trevor Bauer and Danny Hultzen. The 2011 draft class stands apart from others thanks in large part to the deep, talented crop of college hurlers.
- As Mayo explains, 6'9" right-hander Alex Meyer has developed from a hard thrower into a more polished college arm.
- Reed MacPhail of FanGraphs offers more on the Kentucky starter and his “tantalizing combination of size and stuff.”
- Hultzen is "probably" the Diamondbacks' most wanted player, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and he thinks the D'Backs would pass on Cole if he's still available when Arizona makes the third overall pick.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
Stark On Giants, Padres, Pence
Now that Buster Posey is on the disabled list for the foreseeable future, the Giants are looking around for catching, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Ivan Rodriguez, a player the Giants have asked about, and Bengie Molina, a player who would like to return to San Francisco, are the team’s most viable options at this point. Here are the details from Stark, plus other notes from around the league:
- The Nationals have been shopping Rodriguez since Spring Training and one executive says they would love to move him.
- The Padres are starting to give indications that they’ll be willing to move Heath Bell, Ryan Ludwick and Chad Qualls in a few weeks.
- However, rival teams say the Padres are “not motivated” to talk about players who are under control through 2012 or later, such as reliever Mike Adams.
- The Astros keep saying that they imagine Hunter Pence on Houston’s next winning team, which would presumably make him difficult to obtain this summer.
Quick Hits: Gonzalez, Cardinals, Posey
On this date in 1968, MLB announced two new expansion teams: the Montreal Expos and the San Diego Padres. The Expos’ ancestors (the Nationals) and the Padres occupy last place in their respective divisions this year. Here’s the latest from the Major Leagues:
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that the Tigers kicked around the idea of trading for Adrian Gonzalez when he was with the Rangers in 2004-05 (Twitter link). However, talks never got very far and the Rangers dealt the first baseman to San Diego.
- A rival GM told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he expects the Cardinals to make a “major push” to acquire talent this summer, since this could be St. Louis’ last playoff run with Albert Pujols.
- Giants catcher Buster Posey would be “infinitely safer” at first base because he’d stay fresher, according to Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle (she acknowledges that Posey adds plenty of value as a catcher).
- An NL executive who could benefit from Posey’s absence was rattled by the catcher's injury because he's good for baseball, according to EPSN.com’s Buster Olney.
Tigers Acquire David Purcey For Scott Sizemore
The Tigers have acquired left-hander David Purcey from the Athletics for second baseman Scott Sizemore, the teams announced. The move provides the Tigers with another left-handed relief option and gives the A's second base depth behind the struggling Mark Ellis. In related moves, the Tigers called Danny Worth up and the A's called Bobby Cramer up.
Purcey, a 2004 first rounder, arrived in Oakland last month, after the Blue Jays designated him for assignment. He has a 3.60 ERA for the A's and Blue Jays this year with a 10K/7BB ratio through 15 innings. Last year, the 29-year-old posted a career-best 3.71 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 34 innings out of Toronto's 'pen.
Sizemore has been Detroit's everyday second baseman since getting the call to the Majors in early May. He has a .222/.329/.238 line in 74 plate appearances this year, which is similar to the batting line he produced as a rookie in 2010 (.224/.296/.336). A fifth round pick in 2006, Sizemore has a .301/.387/.453 line in the minor leagues.
The Tigers currently have three left-handed relievers on the active roster: Daniel Schlereth and recent additions Charlie Furbush and Adam Wilk (Brad Thomas is on the DL). Wilk and Furbush debuted this week and Purcey has pitched more MLB innings than Schlereth and Thomas combined, so he'll provide manager Jim Leyland with something of a known commodity.
Mets Designate Pat Misch For Assignment
The Mets designated Pat Misch for assignment to create roster space for Dale Thayer, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). In related moves, the Mets optioned Fernando Martinez to the minor leagues and promoted Thayer.
Misch, 29, made six relief appearances this year and has allowed 11 hits and four walks in 7 innings, striking out five. The left-hander has a 4.80 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in six seasons with the Giants and Mets.
Thayer, a right-hander who had brief stints with the Rays in 2009-10, has been pitching for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate. He has a 2.05 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 26 1/3 innings with Buffalo. A 47th round selection in 1999, Thayer has struck out nearly a batter per inning over the course of his nine minor league seasons.
Cubs Designate Robert Coello For Assignment
The Cubs announced that they designated Robert Coello for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Rodrigo Lopez. The Cubs optioned Justin Berg to Triple-A to create 25-man roster space for Lopez, who was acquired from Atlanta yesterday and will be in uniform for Chicago today.
Coello, 26, appeared in six games for the Red Sox last year before Boston traded him to Chicago for Tony Thomas this February. In 48 1/3 innings at Triple-A Iowa, Coello has a 7.82 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. The 6'5" right-hander has a 3.78 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 127 minor league appearances, most of which have come in relief.