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Five Potential Bargain Lefties For 2011
Teams are perpetually searching for effective left-handed relievers, so here are five southpaws who could become useful pieces at a bargain price next year. Some of the pitchers below are inching closer to 40, but Arthur Rhodes and Darren Oliver proved this year that there's no age limit for lefty specialists. The list focuses on pitchers who will likely sign for a couple million dollars at most, so I haven't included Hisanori Takahashi, Scott Downs and others:
- Randy Choate – The 35-year-old hits the open market as your prototypical 'left-handed one out guy.' He made 85 appearances in 2010, but logged just 44.3 innings. His numbers are strong (8.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 4.23 ERA) and suggest he could play anywhere, but teams that play in homer-friendly parks such as the D'Backs, Rockies and Brewers may take note of Choate's ability to keep the ball on the ground. His 60% ground ball rate ranked 15th among big league relievers with at least 20 innings.
- Will Ohman – Ohman, 33, recovered from a poor 2009 season and posted a 3.21 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 between the O's and Marlins. He's going to walk hitters, but he can still get lefties out.
- Ron Mahay – Mahay turns 40 in June, but that didn't stop him from posting a 3.44 ERA this year and striking out three times as many batters as he walked. He's not in position to demand a multi-year deal, but he could help someone's bullpen in 2011.
- Taylor Tankersley – The 27-year-old is the least predictable of the options listed, but possibly the most intriguing. Tankersley, a former first rounder, has struck out nearly a batter per inning in his big league career and has held lefties to a .223/.313/.372 line. There are drawbacks – he missed the 2009 season with a stress fracture in his pitching elbow and has trouble against righties – but Tankersley would be a good fit for the Pirates, Mets or Mariners at the right price. Why those clubs? As a fly ball pitcher, he probably fits best in a park that limits home runs and as an unproven pitcher, he fits best on a non-contender. That makes Pittsburgh, New York and Seattle potential fits.
- Brian Tallet – Unlike the pitchers above, Tallet won't necessarily hit the free agent market, but the 33-year-old is a non-tender candidate so he may be available by early December. Tallet, another fly ball pitcher, limited lefties to a stellar .176/.228/.343 line this year with a 28/6 K/BB ratio.
Dennys Reyes' 2010 numbers look OK, but don't let that 3.55 ERA fool you. Reyes posted a 0.54 ERA through May and a 5.91 ERA afterwards. He can induce grounders, but he walks more than one batter per two innings pitched.
Rockies Rumors: De La Rosa, Mora, Tulowitzki
When Ted Lilly finalized his three-year $33MM deal, he established a standard for other free agent left-handers. The agreement may not impact Cliff Lee, who figures to be in his own tier, but it could be a point of reference for Jorge de la Rosa's contract negotiations this winter. Here's the latest on de la Rosa and the Rockies:
- The Rockies have not offered de la Rosa a contract, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Colorado has opened dialogue with the 29-year-old, but it appears that he's going to hit the open market.
- Melvin Mora is open to returning to Colorado, but Renck says the Rockies anticipate lots of competition for his services (possibly from the Angels). I suggested in September that Mora is likely in line for a one-year deal worth $2-3MM.
- Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post looks ahead to the end of the 2014 season when Troy Tulowitzki can hit free agency and suggests the Rockies may no longer be able to keep the All-Star shortstop.
Orioles Eyeing Some Japanese Players
The Orioles will show interest in five to eight Japanese players if they become available, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Orioles director of player development John Stockstill told Zrebiec that he scouted Japanese players personally as recently as September.
Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima has the Orioles’ attention; they have seen him play several times. The Mariners also have interest in Nakajima, according to Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner and other teams will be involved in the bidding, too. There aren’t many shortstops with power available via trades or free agency, so Nakajima figures to draw interest if he’s posted.
The Orioles would have kicked the tires on Yu Darvish if he had become available this offseason. They have seen the right-hander throw about 30 times since 2008, but Darvish plans to stay in Japan for 2011.
Manager Rumors: Jays, Sandberg, Mariners, Orioles
The Cubs made the day's big move, signing Mike Quade to a two-year deal, but there's lots of chatter about another candidate for the Cubs job and other teams around the league. Here are the details:
- Sal Fasano, Dave Martinez, Luis Rivera and Rob Thomson have all been informed that they're no longer candidates for the Toronto manager's job, tweets Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press. Don Baylor is also out of the running and is "not pleased about it," according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link).
- Ryne Sandberg, a finalist for the Cubs job, may leave the organization, a source tells Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (Twitter link).
- Sandberg told ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago that he would like to manage elsewhere, though he was disappointed not to get the Cubs job.
- Daren Brown, who managed the Mariners after Don Wakamatsu's dismissal, will either manage at Triple-A or be on the major league staff next year, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
- Wedge said he's looking forward to working with Milton Bradley again, according to Stone (on Twitter). "I don’t hold any grudges," Wedge said. Bradley said yesterday that he's open to Wedge's hiring.
- Orioles manager Buck Showalter will meet with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and owner Peter Angelos to discuss the team's offseason approach, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
- Earlier today, Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that the Mets "love" Joe Girardi and noted that the Yankees skipper lost some leverage when Quade got the Cubs job (Twitter links).
Brewers Sign Mike Rivera
Mike Rivera bounced between three organizations this year, but he appeared in just seven big league games and didn't collect a single hit. After unsuccessful stints with the Yankees, Dodgers and Marlins organizations, the catcher is returning to the team he knows best. The Brewers recently signed Rivera, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
The 34-year-old posted a .756 OPS in Milwaukee from 2006-09 as the Brewers' backup catcher. Rivera went hitless in 17 plate appearances for the Marlins this year, but the Brewers are no doubt hoping to see him hit well enough to provide insurance for Jonathan Lucroy and George Kottaras.
Yankees Rumors: Lee, Burnett, Pettitte, Girardi
Between Cliff Lee's dominance and A.J. Burnett's struggles, the Yankees have lots to worry about when it comes to the pitching matchups in the ALCS. But the Yanks have lots of off-field questions about the two Darek Braunecker clients as well. Here are the details on Lee and Burnett:
- Rangers owner Nolan Ryan told reporters, including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he expects the Yankees to bid on Lee this winter. When asked how much Lee will command on the open market, Ryan pointed to the Yankees. "I need to go next door and ask them," he said. "I think he's got their attention."
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post calls Burnett "the poison pill that is going to keep on giving for a while." The unpredictable right-hander has three years and nearly $50MM remaining on his contract.
- Yankees officials tell Sherman that Andy Pettitte has not told the organization he's retiring, but Sherman wonders if the left-hander intends to call it quits after the season.
- Joe Girardi won't be managing the Cubs and Jon Heyman of SI.com can't see him managing the Mets either (Twitter link). People in the Mets organization "love" Girardi, but Heyman finds it hard to imagine the skipper leaving the Yankees for the Mets.
Tankersley, Others Hit Free Agency
Taylor Tankersley and a number of others with big league experience recently hit free agency, as Baseball America's Matt Eddy reports. Joining the left-hander on the open market are Bobby Scales (Cubs), Justin Lehr (Reds), Paul Phillips (Rockies), Juan Rincon (Rockies), Hector Luna (Marlins), Anderson Hernandez (Astros), Adam Stern (Brewers), Denny Bautista (Giants), Brandon Medders (Giants), Willie Eyre (Rangers) and Sean Henn (Blue Jays).
Tankersley, the Marlins' first round pick in the 2004 draft, succeeded early in his career, but has since struggled. Still just 27, Tankersley brings a career 8.8 K/9 to the free agent market and could become a lefty specialist. He missed all of 2009 with a stress fracture in his elbow, but it wouldn't be surprising to see a team like the Diamondbacks take a flier on the former prospect.
Bautista, who turns 28 this weekend, is another interesting arm. He posted a 3.74 ERA with the Giants this year and struck out (11.8 K/9) and walked (7.2 BB/9) tons of batters in 33.2 innings. The right-hander has always walked lots of hitters, but his mid-90s fastball and ability to induce strikeouts may tempt teams looking to buy low on live arms.
Mets, K-Rod Resolve Grievance
The Mets and Francisco Rodriguez resolved the closer's grievance with the team, according to statements from the Mets and the Players Association. Rodriguez decided not to challenge the Mets’ decision to withhold his 2010 salary after he injured himself in a non-baseball-related incident this August. He says he looks forward to remaining with the Mets and apologized to the team’s owners, players and fans.
The Mets agreed not to attempt to convert Rodriguez’s contract to a non-guaranteed deal and will remove him from the disqualified list. The team lost its closer to a season-ending thumb ligament operation, but ultimately saved $3.1MM.
Nationals Sign Mike Rizzo To Five-Year Extension
The Nationals signed GM Mike Rizzo to a five-year extension and promoted him to executive vice president of baseball operations and GM, according to the team. Rizzo, who turns 50 later this year, has been Washington's GM since August 2009 and has acted as GM since March of last year.
The Diamondbacks drafted Brandon Webb, Justin Upton, Stephen Drew and others when Rizzo was the team’s scouting director. Rizzo has continued drafting aggressively with the Nationals, selecting Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) with recent first overall picks. The Nationals have also drafted Drew Storen, Jordan Zimmermann and Danny Espinosa under Rizzo.
Rizzo has signed Yunesky Maya, Joel Peralta, Miguel Batista and Matt Capps to deals that paid dividends for the Nationals. Maya climbed to the major leagues this year, Peralta and Batista pitched well and Capps made the All-Star team before Washington traded him to Minnesota for catching prospect Wilson Ramos.
Rizzo, who says he intends to improve Washington’s pitching this offseason, committed millions to Jason Marquis and Chien-Ming Wang last offseason, but neither pitcher has contributed meaningfully so far.