Royals Notes: Hosmer, Francoeur, Duffy
Not only did the Royals beat the Yankees in Yankee Stadium last night, they did so behind Eric Hosmer's first MLB home run. Here's the latest on the Royals, with a focus on Hosmer…
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star argues that the Royals should attempt to sign Hosmer to a deal that guarantees him $25MM over six years and includes three club option years that could raise the value of the deal to $65MM over nine years.
- My take: agent Scott Boras would presumably decline the offer, instead of allowing Kansas City to lock Hosmer's free agent years up for below market value. Plus, Hosmer could easily earn more than $25MM for his first three arbitration years if he becomes the player we expect him to be. Ryan Howard, Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols and Mark Teixeira all earned at least $27.9MM for their first three seasons of arbitration. Justin Morneau was inconsistent early in his career, but had still earned over $25MM through his first three arbitration years. Still, as Mellinger says, there’s no harm in asking.
- As Ken Rosenthal points out at FOX Sports, fellow Royals Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur experienced similar hype to Hosmer and they haven't lived up to it. But Gordon and Francoeur like what they see from the rookie and what happened to them won't necessarily happen to Hosmer. Rosenthal's entire piece is worth a read.
- Royals manager Ned Yost told Dick Kaegel of MLB.com that he wants to make sure prospects such as Danny Duffy and Mike Montgomery are "absolutely ready" before calling on them. At this point, Yost says "we're not quite there yet with these kids."
Pirates Notes: McCutchen, Heredia, Ascanio
The Pirates have won just one of Paul Maholm's eight starts this year, but the left-hander and his 3.60 ERA aren't to blame. Pittsburgh has averaged 1.5 runs per game with Maholm on the hill, including last night's shutout at the hands of the Dodgers. Here's the latest on the Pirates…
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com explains that he believes the Pirates should move now to lock Andrew McCutchen long term. Since McCutchen hasn't fully realized his potential, the Pirates could save on an extension and pay him Justin Upton money ($51.25MMM) instead of Carlos Gonzalez money ($80MM). Plus, it would be a positive for fans and other players, Bowden argues. The Pirates have discussed a long-term deal with their center fielder and hope to sign him for five years or more.
- Tim Dierkes says he expects a six-year deal for McCutchen, who probably won't have to settle for less than $52MM.
- Pirates prospect Luis Heredia is just 16 years old, but he looks closer to 20, according to Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News. The right-hander retired rehabbing catcher Carlos Ruiz in extended Spring Training, much to the delight of his mother.
- John Grupp of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review chronicles Jose Ascanio's long path back to the Pirates roster. The right-hander, who was acquired as part of the 2009 Tom Gorzelanny trade, is back in Pittsburgh after a two-year absence.
Padres ‘Pen Continues To Thrive After Winter Trades
Bullpens don’t get much better than the one the Padres had last year. Led by Heath Bell, Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson, Padres relievers combined for over 500 innings of 2.81 ERA ball, averaging more than one strikeout per inning while allowing the fewest walks per frame of any MLB bullpen. But the Padres had weaknesses elsewhere and teams were interested in San Diego’s relievers, so GM Jed Hoyer faced a decision last offseason.
“We traded a bunch of quality arms, but that was our area of depth,” Hoyer told MLBTR. “We were quite weak up the middle a year ago.”
So the Padres parted with five of their relievers in the deals that brought Cameron Maybin and Jason Bartlett to San Diego. Gone are Edward Mujica, Ryan Webb, Cesar Ramos and Adam Russell, four pitchers who combined for 152 2/3 MLB innings last year, and Brandon Gomes, who struck out 93 batters in 72 1/2 Double-A innings and is now in the majors with the Rays.
The results – at least to this point – have Padres relievers among the league leaders in a number of categories. They’re first in MLB with a 2.10 ERA, second with 124 innings and 3.0 BB/9 and fourth with a 3.34 xFIP. (However, the relievers’ home run per fly ball rate is just 4.0% and opponents are hitting only .265 on balls in play, so luck appears to have been on the Padres’ side so far).
Bell, Adams and Gregerson are back, which gives manager Bud Black three premium options to call on. Southpaw Cory Luebke, who made all of four appearances in 2010, leads San Diego relievers with 19 2/3 innings this year (9.6 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 3.66 ERA, 47% ground ball rate). Developing relievers like Luebke (pictured) and finding others on waivers or in free agency has helped the Padres replace Webb, Mujica and others.
“Our biggest challenge has been trying to replenish the depth we lost by trading so many arms,” Hoyer said. “That is something that we continue to do and will be an ongoing issue.”
So far, the Padres signed Chad Qualls (5.1 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 2.33 ERA, 61% ground ball rate), claimed Pat Neshek and Samuel Deduno and promoted Luebke, Ernesto Frieri and Evan Scribner into more prominent roles.
A lot is going wrong for the Padres, who have slipped to the bottom of their division and are last in the National League in scoring. But their offseason trades are paying off, as they strengthened his team at two premium positions without weakening their bullpen.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI. Click here for analysis of the Rays' remade 'pen.
Quick Hits: Figueroa, Molina, Angels
Links for Wednesday, on a night we'll remember for Eric Hosmer's first MLB home run…
- The Mets signed Luis Figueroa to a minor league deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Figueroa hit .319/.354/.429 at Triple-A last year, but has just 16 MLB plate appearances to his name. The Brewers signed the infielder late last month and appear to have released him since.
- Peter Gammons said on WEEI’s Mut & Merloni show that he doesn’t think the Red Sox are actively pursuing Bengie Molina, even though they contacted him about a month ago, when they were more concerned about their catchers.
- Just because offense is down doesn't mean Angels aces Dan Haren and Jered Weaver are assuming they're going to put together standout seasons, as Yahoo's Tim Brown explains.
Kendrys Morales Out For Season
Kendrys Morales will undergo a second ankle surgery and is out for the season, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports (on Twitter). Morales' rehab had stalled, so he went to Colorado for a second opinion this week, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. The first baseman has not played or run at full speed since last May 29th, when he broke his left ankle in a walk-off celebration.
Catcher Bobby Wilson has five games of MLB experience at first and Howie Kendrick, who is now playing left field for the Angels, has played 69 games at first. The bulk of the playing time will presumably continue to go to Mark Trumbo, the powerful rookie who has a .270/.311/.486 line with 6 homers through 119 plate appearances this year.
Morales, 27, earns $2.975MM through arbitration this year and is under team control through 2013. He hit .306/.355/.569 with 34 homers in 2009, finishing 5th in the AL MVP voting.
NL Central Notes: Pujols, Cubs, Ascanio, Hall
Tim provided updates on all six NL Central teams earlier in the day, but plenty more news is emerging from baseball's biggest division. Here's the latest, including a follow-up on Jose Ascanio…
- Though the Cardinals probably wish that Albert Pujols and Cubs GM Jim Hendry hadn’t exchanged a heavily scrutinized public hug, they aren’t overly concerned with it, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- The Pirates recalled Ascanio and placed Michael Crotta on the DL with right elbow inflammation, according to Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter). The team had to decide whether to add Ascanio to the roster or risk losing him to another team, since he's out of options.
- As MLB.com's Brian McTaggart explains, the Astros will have to clear up roster space when Jeff Keppinger returns from the disabled list. Bill Hall could slide into a utility role, or the Astros could part ways with him. Including the buyout on next year’s mutual option, about $2.5MM remains on Hall’s deal.
Blue Jays Release Scott Podsednik
The Blue Jays released Scott Podsednik, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter). The transactions page for the Pacific Coast League confirms the move and Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com notes that Podsednik requested his release (Twitter link).
The Blue Jays signed Podsednik to a minor league deal in February and he would have earned $1MM for making the team. The 35-year-old posted a .297/.342/.382 line in 595 plate appearances for the Royals and Dodgers last year, stealing 35 bases in 50 attempts.
Podsednik was sidelined earlier this spring with plantar fasciitis on his left foot. He has since recovered and posted a .254/.365/.352 line in 85 minor league plate appearances. However, the Blue Jays have Rajai Davis, Corey Patterson, Juan Rivera and Jose Bautista roaming the outfield already, so they didn't need the speedy Podsednik in the majors.
AL West Notes: Langerhans, Bedard, Rangers
The versatile Howie Kendrick has kept the Angels' offense afloat despite injuries and poor performance from key players. The Angels rank 10th in MLB in runs scored and, more importantly, are atop their division with a 21-16 record. Here's the latest on their AL West rivals…
- Ryan Langerhans cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Tacoma, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). Seattle designated him for assignment Monday.
- Stone reflects on the trade that sent Erik Bedard to Seattle for Chris Tillman, Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Kam Mickolio and others. Stone's conclusion three years later: a bad Mariners trade isn't quite as bad as it once seemed.
- Earlier tonight, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark noted that Bedard could be a trade chip again this summer (though the return would be considerably less impressive this time).
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that though Texas is "not playing real well," he doesn't want to make an irrational knee-jerk move. The Rangers believe in their team, but are considering ways of making it better, including possible call ups, according to Daniels.
Stark On Pirates, Royals, Bedard, K-Rod
Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that he wants “to fight that mentality of, 'We're .500, so we're really on our way.'" Huntington points out that it takes years to develop an elite team and an elite farm system and says one season of .500 ball isn't going to satisfy the Pittsburgh front office. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors from around the league:
- People in the game suggest the Royals' decision to call Eric Hosmer up early may mean they intend to compete in the AL Central this year. Stark hears that the Royals will have money to spend in July if necessary (remember that Gil Meche retired instead of collecting the $12MM he was scheduled to earn).
- The Royals believe Triple-A pitchers Danny Duffy and Mike Montgomery are nearly MLB-ready, so GM Dayton Moore may talk about moving Kyle Davies and Jeff Francis within a few weeks. The Royals probably wouldn't get much for Davies, but Francis could draw interest.
- Erik Bedard could be an attractive trade chip this summer, but one NL executive says the left-hander needs to “prove he can log innings.” Tim Dierkes suggested a month ago that Bedard could have lots of appeal at the deadline.
- Left-hander Randy Flores can opt out of his minor league deal on Sunday if the Padres don't call him up from Triple-A. Cory Luebke is the lone left-hander in the Padres' 'pen at the moment, so they could consider calling on Flores instead of cutting him loose.
- Teams are still skeptical of Francisco Rodriguez, despite his 10 saves and 1.10 ERA. K-Rod has walked 10 of the 73 batters he has faced (16 1/3 innings).
- Stark points out that it's been a while since Giants GM Brian Sabean made win-now midseason trades that cost him top prospects.
Yankees Won’t Talk Opt-Out With Sabathia In Season
Yankees GM Brian Cashman told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the team won't discuss C.C. Sabathia's upcoming opt-out clause during the season. However, Cashman says he fully expects the left-hander to be with the team in 2012.
Sabathia can opt out of his contract after the season instead of collecting the $92MM he's owed through 2015. As Olney points out, the Yankees allow their free agents – even franchise icons like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera – to hit free agency before discussing deals. The same applies to Sabathia, who could position himself for well over $100MM in guaranteed money with another Cy Young caliber season.