Poll: K-Rod’s Contract
The Mets placed closer Francisco Rodriguez on the disqualified list and, not surprisingly, the union has objected. After all, players on the disqualified list don’t get paid or pick up service time. The Mets will argue that they shouldn’t have to pay K-Rod to recover from a non-baseball-related injury, but the MLBPA will work to uphold the deal. The end result? That’s anybody’s guess at this point, but let’s make some predictions:
How will the conflict between K-Rod and the Mets end?
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The Padres’ 2011 Rotation
Clayton Richard, Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc, Jon Garland and Kevin Correia have been baseball's most dependable rotation and, arguably, its best. So far in 2010, those five pitchers have combined to start all but two of the Padres' 117 games and the group is second in the majors with a 3.46 ERA (the Cardinals' 3.35 mark is best of all). Looking ahead to next year, here's a closer look at the team's 2011 rotation.
The youngsters – Latos, Richard and LeBlanc – will be back and they'll be cheap, since they are not even arbitration-eligible. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Padres offer Latos an extension before the 2011 season, but he'll be around regardless as long as he's healthy. Latos, Richard and LeBlanc should comprise three fifths of the team's rotation in 2011.
We can't assume that the rest of the rotation will return, though. Correia is a free agent and Garland will also hit the open market unless he and the Padres exercise his $6.75MM mutual option. The Padres have an $8.5MM option for Chris Young's services, but there are probably more prudent ways of committing that kind of money.
The Padres could attempt to fill the rotation out with some of their minor league depth. Former Oriole Radhames Liz is striking out nearly a batter per inning at Triple A Portland, where he has a 4.87 ERA. Will Inman, a 23-year-old right-hander, has pitched well in 11 Triple A starts and Cesar Ramos and Cesar Carrillo also provide organizational depth at Portland. Jeremy Hefner, 24, is pitching well at AA. Before the season, Baseball America suggested that Hefner could become a back-of-the-rotation starter.
And then there are the top prospects. Simon Castro, a 22-year-old right-hander, has made a successful leap to AA this year, posting a 2.83 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 21 starts. Baseball America ranked Castro second among Padres prospects before the season, explaining that he "has the stuff and durability to profile at least as a No. 3 starter." Castro has pitched well this year, so he could be ready for the majors at some point in 2011.
Cory Luebke, another highly-touted prospect, has strikingly similar numbers to the ones Castro has posted. In 100 innings, Luebke, a lefty, has posted a 3.06 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9. Before the season, Baseball America ranked Luebke sixth among Padres prospects and said his "stuff and size give him a ceiling as a No. 3 starter." Luebke's strong 2010 campaign suggests that, like Castro, he could start for the Padres at some point soon.
Castro and Luebke are highly-regarded prospects and both seem likely to succeed in the big leagues. But the Padres, who have plenty of payroll flexibility in 2011, will probably not count on that duo right away, so it would be a surprise if GM Jed Hoyer did not pursue free agent pitchers.
Garland, who pitched 7.0 more scoreless innings tonight, has had an excellent season for San Diego and the club could look to bring back some combination of Garland, Correia and Young. Whether the Padres pursue those pitchers or others, they seem likely to spend on free agent arms this winter. The organization has a number of promising minor league starters who will likely contribute in 2011, but the Padres just don't seem likely to rely on such an inexperienced group to start the season.
Thanks to MLB.com's Corey Brock and Cot's Baseball Contracts.
Odds & Ends: Owings, Yankees, Counsell, Livingston
Some more links for Tuesday as two of the game's best second basemen – Chase Utley and Dustin Pedroia – return to action…
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Barry Bloom that Micah Owings requested that the Reds try to trade him to another MLB organization. The Reds, who designated Owings for assignment today, will try to trade Owings.
- Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal projects Boston’s 2014 roster.
- The Yankees agreed to sign Dominican shortstop Christopher Tamarez for $650K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. BA has video of the wiry 16-year-old.
- Craig Counsell told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he would not object to being traded to a contender. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes analyzed the market for Counsell, who cleared waivers yesterday.
- The Rays signed former big league pitcher Bobby Livingston, according to the International League's transactions page. The Dodgers recently released the left-hander.
- Teams are calling the Cubs about Derrek Lee and others, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. Lee, who can veto any deal, turned down a trade to the Angels last month.
Orioles Will Not Trade Wigginton Or Scott
Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott will not be traded this season. Both players were claimed when the Orioles placed them on waivers earlier this month, according to Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles pulled Wigginton and Scott back, so a trade is no longer possible. Technically, the Orioles could re-expose the players to waivers, but they would no longer have the option of pulling them back.
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail could not confirm which players have been claimed, but he told the Sun that it’s “highly unlikely” that the Orioles make any trades in August. The Braves and Cardinals, two teams that appear to be monitoring the market for infielders, can cross Wigginton off of their respective lists.
Wigginton hits free agency this winter, but the Orioles have ample time to consider offers for Scott, who has 22 home runs and a .932 OPS. The 32-year-old is under team control through the 2012 season.
Dodgers Release Claudio Vargas
The Dodgers released right-hander Claudio Vargas, according to the transactions page for the Pacific Coast League. It's the second time this year that Vargas has been released; the Dodgers signed him after the Brewers released him in early June.
The 32-year-old posted a 7.32 ERA with the Brewers this year, with 8.2 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 19.2 innings of work. His Triple A numbers were a little better, but similar; Vargas posted a 5.89 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 47.1 innings for Albuquerque.
Rangers Sign Alex Cora
The Rangers signed infielder Alex Cora and assigned him to Triple A, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Rangers were considering Cora.
The Mets released Cora ten days ago, after the 34-year-old posted a .207/.265/.278 line in 187 plate appearances. At the time of his release, he needed just 18 more games for his $2MM 2011 option to vest. Cora has mostly played second base this year, but the Mets also used him at first and at short. Ian Kinsler is on the DL, so the Rangers are presumably interested in Cora as a second baseman.
Pirates Remain Favorites To Sign Heredia
The Pirates are the “strong favorite” to sign Mexican pitching prospect Luis Heredia, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Pirates have been scouting the 16-year-old right-hander more aggressively than any other MLB club and have close ties to Veracruz, Heredia’s team. Not only do the Pirates have connections to Veracruz, which controls Heredia’s rights, Pittsburgh’s Mexican scouting suprevisor, Jesus Valdez, has known Heredia since the pitcher was five.
Veracruz cannot entertain formal offers until Thursday, but many teams other than the Pirates appear to have interest. The Yankees, Blue Jays, Rangers, A’s, Giants and Braves all scouted Heredia in Mexico last week, according to Kovacevic.
Draft Notes: Whitson, Indians, Harper
The smoke has cleared and all but three of the first 50 picks signed deals. Barret Loux (Diamondbacks) and Dylan Covey (Brewers) did not sign, but both pitchers had medical issues that influenced the dialogue they had with the clubs that selected them. Here are the details on the third player who did not sign, plus Baseball America's winners and losers:
- John Manuel of BA lists the Nationals, Pirates, Anthony Ranaudo and Bud Selig as winners. The losers? The Brewers, Padres and the process itself.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer told XX Sports Radio in San Diego that the Padres had a verbal agreement with Karsten Whitson for $1.953MM on draft day. The club boosted its offer as high as $2.1MM, but Whitson and his representatives were holding out for more, so the sides didn't reach a deal. You can listen in on Hoyer's comments here.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law finds it "hard to see [Whitson] beating the Padres' offer … in the 2013 draft."
- In the same piece, Law explains that he believes Bryce Harper and the Nationals both did well with last night's deal.
- The Indians spent $9.3MM on the draft, Indians scouting director Brad Grant told MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince (Twitter link).
- The Rockies are allowing first-rounder Kyle Parker to play college football, but their $1.4MM bonus is protected if he gets injured, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Giants Release Todd Wellemeyer
AUGUST 17th: The Giants have asked for unconditional release waivers on Wellemeyer, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
AUGUST 9th: The Giants designated Todd Wellemeyer for assignment to make room for Emmanuel Burriss, according to the team (on Twitter). San Francisco activated Wellemeyer Thursday and he appeared in one game, but pitched poorly. The Braves picked up four hits and an earned run off of the right-hander before he could record an out yesterday.
The 31-year-old has a season ERA of 5.68 with 6.3 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 58.2 innings. Wellemeyer was a fixture in the Giants rotation before a quadriceps injury sidelined him for much of June and all of July. He makes $1MM this year and hits free agency after the season. Last night's performance and his quad injury will likely limit interest in Wellemeyer.
Analyzing The Tigers’ 2010 Draft
The Tigers didn’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft, but that didn’t stop them from spending first-round money on three players. David Chadd, the team’s vice president of amateur scouting, says it’s important to be able to spend, but insists that the Tigers' approach isn't about the money.
“I’m just trying to get the best player in the Tigers system,” Chadd said. “I don’t think spending has anything to do with [selecting the best players] at all. It comes down to the players, not the money.”
The Tigers have a reputation for spending big on players who price themsleves off of other teams’ draft boards. For example, Detroit paid up for Rick Porcello and Jacob Turner after other teams shied away from their demands. This year the Tigers spent on prep third baseman Nick Castellanos, who obtained a $3.45MM deal.
Chadd says Castellanos was by far the best player available when the Tigers made their first pick (44th overall) and at the time of the draft, Baseball America agreed. It’s never fair to compare teenagers to big league All-Stars, but Chadd reluctantly admitted that Castellanos reminds him of Evan Longoria.
“I’m very confident in his ability to play third base,” Chadd said of the 18-year-old Florida native. “He can field, he can throw, he can run. So as a scout, when you start talking about tools, he has all five.”
The Tigers also signed Texas reliever Chance Ruffin to a $1.15MM deal and Arkansas left-hander Drew Smyly for $1.1MM. Chadd compares Ruffin to Huston Street, another right-hander who closed for the Longhorns. Smyly doesn’t throw as hard as Ruffin, but Chadd says the lefty's pitching instincts are like Cliff Lee’s.
Castellanos, Ruffin and Smyly would be welcome additions to any farm system, but it took a while for the Tigers to come to terms with the trio, especially Castellanos.
“It came down to the last second,” Chadd said. “It was gut-wrenching and fortunately we got a deal done, but it was tense.”
Teams, players and agents will always have tense moments before the deadline to sign picks, whether or not the deadline falls in mid-August. At this point, it’s too late for players to start their pro careers, so Chadd would be in favor of moving the deadline to sign picks in the next collective bargaining agreement.
“I think that makes the most sense,” he said. “I would be extremely in favor of that … The earlier the deadline, the better from me.”
For example, a mid-July deadline would give teams, players and college coaches certainty earlier on in the summer and would enable players who sign at the last minute to start their pro careers sooner.