Royals Designate Lucas May For Assignment
The Royals designated catcher Lucas May for assignment, the team announced. In corresponding moves, the Royals placed Jason Kendall on the 15-day DL, selected the contract of Tim Collins and outrighted Gregor Blanco to Triple-A. Kansas City now has 39 players on its 40-man roster.
The Royals acquired May from the Dodgers with Elisaul Pimentel for Scott Podsednik last July and the backstop debuted with the Royals as a September callup. He seemed ready to become a big league backup, but the Royals acquired Matt Treanor this week and he will take May's place.
May hit .283/.349/.483 for three teams in the upper minors last year, adding 16 homers and 21 doubles. The 26-year-old has thrown out 28% of would-be base stealers in his minor league career. He is out of options.
How Teams Obtained Their Opening Day Starters
You can define a No. 1 starter in any number of ways, but in one respect, managers around the game have already done the work for us. Here's a list of the pitchers who got the Opening Day nod this year and how their current teams acquired them:
Draft Picks (15)
- Luke Hochevar, Royals – Selected in the first round of the 2006 draft (1st overall).
- David Price, Rays – Selected in the first round of the 2007 draft (1st overall).
- Justin Verlander, Tigers – Selected in the first round of the 2004 draft (2nd overall).
- Tim Stauffer, Padres – Selected in the first round of the 2003 draft (4th overall).
- Ricky Romero, Blue Jays – Selected in the first round of the 2005 draft (6th overall).
- Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – Selected in the first round of the 2006 draft (7th overall).
- Mike Pelfrey, Mets – Selected in the first round of the 2005 draft (9th overall).
- Tim Lincecum, Giants – Selected in the first round of the 2006 draft (10th overall).
- Jered Weaver, Angels – Selected in the first round of the 2004 draft (12th overall).
- Jon Lester, Red Sox – Selected in the second round of the 2002 draft.
- Yovani Gallardo, Brewers – Selected in the second round of the 2004 draft.
- Trevor Cahill, Athletics – Selected in the second round of the 2006 draft.
- Josh Johnson, Marlins – Selected in the fourth round of the 2002 draft.
- C.J. Wilson, Rangers – Selected in the fifth round of the 2001 draft.
- Mark Buehrle, White Sox – Selected in the 38th round of the 1998 draft and later extended.
Free Agent Signings (8)
- C.C. Sabathia, Yankees – Signed a free agent contract worth $161MM over seven years in December, 2008.
- Derek Lowe, Braves – Signed a free agent contract worth $60MM over four years in January, 2009.
- Ryan Dempster, Cubs – Signed a free agent contract worth $52MM over four years in November, 2008.
- Carl Pavano, Twins – Signed a free agent contract worth $16.5MM over two years in January, 2011. The Twins originally traded for him in 2009, but Pavano has since hit free agency.
- Kevin Correia, Pirates – Signed a free agent contract worth $8MM over two years in December, 2010.
- Brett Myers, Astros – Signed a free agent contract worth $5.1MM for one year in January, 2010 and later extended.
- Livan Hernandez, Nationals – Signed a free agent contract worth $900K for one year in February, 2010 and later extended.
- Chris Carpenter, Cardinals – Signed a free agent contract worth $500K for one year in December, 2002 and later extended.
International Free Agent Signings (3)
- Felix Hernandez, Mariners – Signed as an amateur free agent in July, 2002.
- Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies – Signed as an amateur free agent in April, 2001.
- Fausto Carmona, Indians – Signed as an amateur free agent in December, 2000.
Trades (3)
- Roy Halladay, Phillies – Acquired from the Blue Jays in a December, 2009 trade that sent Michael Taylor, Travis d'Arnaud and Kyle Drabek to Toronto and later extended.
- Edinson Volquez, Reds – Acquired from the Rangers in a December, 2007 trade that sent Josh Hamilton to Texas.
- Ian Kennedy, Diamondbacks – Acquired from the Yankees in a December, 2009 trade involving the Yankees and Tigers.
Waiver Claims (1)
- Jeremy Guthrie, Orioles – Acquired from the Indians in a January, 2007 waiver claim.
Astros To Designate Rowland-Smith For Assignment
The Astros plan to designate Ryan Rowland-Smith for assignment Thursday, the team announced. The Astros signed Rowland-Smith to a deal that could have been worth $725K last December, but he didn't crack the team's Opening Day roster.
The 28-year-old Australia native posted a 6.75 ERA with 4.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 37.1% ground ball rate last year before the Mariners non-tendered him. He missed time with a triceps injury in 2009 and a lower back strain in 2010.
The Astros' rotation is set with Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Bud Norris, J.A. Happ and Nelson Figueroa. The Astros will have ten days to outright Rowland-Smith to the minor leagues, trade him, or release him, assuming they go ahead with the DFA tomorrow. If outrighted, Rowland-Smith has the right to elect free agency.
Ethier’s Agent Issues Statement
WEDNESDAY, 1:22pm: Ethier's agent Nez Balelo issued a statement, acknowledging extension talks with the Dodgers but adding that an offer was never made. He says Ethier is open to staying with the Dodgers for the rest of his career. Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has the full statement.
TUESDAY, 9:25pm: Andre Ethier told Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles that he won't be surprised if the Dodgers trade or non-tender him after the season. The outfielder will earn $9.25MM this year and remains under team control through 2012 as an arbitration eligible player, though he knows that doesn't guarantee him a roster spot.
"If I don't play well, we have seen [the Dodgers] non-tender guys here," Ethier said. "If you do play well, sometimes they don't offer those guys arbitration because their salaries are too high."
Ethier won't be cheap in 2012, assuming typical production in '11, but he would figure to have value on the trade market even if the Dodgers decide his salary is rising to unacceptable levels. Ethier will play the 2012 season as a 30-year-old and he has never posted an OPS below .800 in five MLB seasons. He hit .292/.364/.493 with 23 homers last year, so teams may not flinch at a salary of $13MM or so (Ethier could surpass the $12.5MM salary Mark Teixeira earned in his final year as an arbitration eligible player).
Ethier's agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, briefly discussed an extension with the Dodgers this spring, but talks did not develop and Ethier was not aware that they had occurred.
Chad Billingsley’s Extension
If Chad Billingsley had been looking to extract every last dollar from his big league career, he wouldn't have signed an extension this week. But he's 26 years old in a profession where career-altering injuries are commonplace and his employer offered him $35MM in guaranteed money. It's not hard to see why he signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers. In fact, Billingsley pushed agent Dave Stewart to get a deal done now despite the agent advising he wait until after the season.
Though Billingsley will earn $9MM in 2012, a healthy '11 season would have positioned him for more given his career numbers to date. Two similar pitchers, Joe Blanton and Wandy Rodriguez, both asked for over $10MM heading into their respective final arbitration seasons though neither was as well positioned to ask for an eight-figure salary as Billingsley might have been. Blanton and Rodriguez started from lower base salaries than Billingsley's current $6.28MM mark and their ERAs sat more than half a run higher than than Billingsley's, so Carlos Zambrano may be a better point of reference.
Zambrano was working from a similar salary to Billingsley ($6.5MM) his second time through arbitration and had similar numbers to the ones now found on the back of Billingsley’s baseball card. Zambrano set himself up for a $12.4MM payday in 2007 with a banner '06 season, so an eight-figure salary would have been well within Billingsley's reach in 2012 with a typical showing in '11.
Billingsley's deal provides the Dodgers with a likely bargain on his first two free agent years as well. The contract pays him an average of $11.5MM for 2013-14, two seasons that could have been free agent years. The 25 extensions signed by arb-eligible starting pitchers since 2009 suggest the going rate for free agent years in multiyear extensions is $13.4MM, so the Dodgers appear to be getting a bargain of about $2MM per year.
There's a good chance that the Dodgers saved at least $6MM from 2012-14 by signing this extension. Billingsley has obtained $35MM in guaranteed money, however, and will be no older than 31 when he hits free agency for the first time. He has enough time for a major free agent contract after this extension expires.
Meanwhile, In committing to Billingsley, the Dodgers are taking on risk themselves. They're hoping that the right-hander's history of durability continues and that they save money, as expected. But they've invested tens of millions in a resource that's as fragile as it is valuable – starting pitching. With Clayton Kershaw approaching arbitration as well, it's a risk GM Ned Colletti may have to get used to.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Orioles, Montero, Silva
We've seen four trades already today, but there's still more news on possible deals and free agent signings. Here it is…
- Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli that there's no late trade in the offing this spring (Twitter link). Baltimore made late-spring trades in 2009 (Robert Andino) and '10 (Julio Lugo, Steve Lerud).
- Yankees catching prospect Jesus Montero failed this spring, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees wanted him to become their backup catcher and to pretend now that they didn't plan on that is disingenuous, writes Sherman.
- Carlos Silva cleared waivers and is now a free agent, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Giants Release Jeff Suppan
The Giants released Jeff Suppan, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). GM Brian Sabean says the decision was mutual, since Suppan wasn't going to make the team. The right-hander is now looking for a job elsewhere.
Suppan posted a 7.84 ERA in 15 appearances with the Brewers before they released him last year. He then appeared in 15 games for St. Louis and posted a much-improved 3.84 ERA for the Cardinals. Overall, he logged 101 1/3 innings and posted a 5.06 ERA with 4.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 40.3% ground ball rate.
Sabean signed Suppan in January to provide depth and insurance, but did not need him in the end. He could have earned $1MM for making the team.
Red Sox Designate Mark Wagner For Assignment
The Red Sox designated catcher Mark Wagner for assignment to create 40-man roster space for newly acquired backstop Mike McKenry, the team announced.
Wagner has a .264/.349/.420 line in 1898 minor league plate appearances over the course of six pro seasons since the Red Sox selected him in the ninth round of the 2005 draft. For what it’s worth, the 26-year-old hit .224/.299/.328 in 156 minor league plate appearances last year.
Giants Notes: Belt, Lincecum, Posey
The Giants' offseason moves may not have generated much hype, but the defending champs are sure getting their share of attention now that the season's about to begin. Here's the latest…
- Buster Posey tops Jon Paul Morosi's list of candidates to become baseball's next superstar at FOX Sports.
- Giants manager Bruce Bochy did not make an announcement on whether top prospect Brandon Belt will make the team, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
- Jon Heyman of SI.com offers some predictions for the coming season and two young Giants, Posey (NL MVP) and Belt (NL Rookie of the Year) figure prominently into Heyman's prognostications. Heyman also says the Giants "will prove that they are no fluke, winning the NL West."
- Tim Lincecum is one of the few true aces in baseball, according to baseball people who spoke to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. What differentiates aces from other good pitchers? Giants GM Brian Sabean says the best pitchers inspire confidence when they pitch. “There’s a difference in your clubhouse,” Sabean said. “People are thinking, ‘This is win day.’ ”
AL Central Links: Mazzaro, Tigers, Everett
Links from the AL Central as Royals prospect Mike Moustakas makes Alden Gonzalez's list of top young standouts at MLB.com…
- The Royals optioned Vin Mazzaro to Triple-A and returned Louis Coleman, Luis Mendoza and Zach Miner, Irving Falu and Lance Zawadzki to minor league camp, according to the team. Mazzaro should join the Royals in the middle of April when the club needs another starter.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that the organization has never been stronger during his nine-year tenure in the Motor City. “We have now a nice blend of young players at the big-league level, veteran players and some guys in the prime of their career,” Dombrowski said. “And they’re backed up by some guys behind them that are prospects that are talented."
- Adam Everett told Jordan Bastian and Tom Singer of MLB.com that he would have been ready to contemplate retirement if he hadn't made the Indians' Opening Day roster.