Rosenthal On Trout, Angels
In his article today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports took on several important issues facing the disappointing Angels. Here are some notes from the piece, which is worth a read in its entirety. (There is some interesting stuff on former Angel Zack Greinke's hot stove views.)
- It is not difficult to argue that Angels center fielder Mike Trout is the most valuable player in the game today, given his stellar production and bargain salary. His unmatched output-to-cost ratio is especially important to a club that is still in the early stages of dealing with two of baseball's most troublesome deals. While the Angels could simply choose to sit back and enjoy Trout at the league minimum for another season, Rosenthal says the organization needs to be thinking of his future cost.
- After all, when Trout reaches arbitration in 2015, he will almost certainly be paid more than any other first-time arb-eligible player in history. And the cost will only go up from there. As Rosenthal notes, a likely arbitration salary in excess of $10MM will give Trout immediate financial security, making an extension less enticing. While the team could try and dangle a long-term deal before Trout reaches arbitration eligibility, it may be hard pressed to commit the kind of salary needed, particularly given the massive outlays already owed Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. With Trout set to reach free agency at the tender age of 26, he might well elect to take arbitration year-to-year and wait out a historic contract on the open market.
- With the Halos well into a second consecutive season of angst, Rosenthal wonders who among the team's leadership might be sent packing. With GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia reportedly not on the same page, one or both could certainly lose their jobs. Rosenthal says Dipoto is more likely to go, given the poor performance of recent acquisitions. (Under Dipoto's watch, Rosenthal notes, the team has wasted resources on pitchers Joe Blanton, Tommy Hanson, and Ryan Madson.) On the other hand, says Rosenthal, Scioscia has failed to deliver the kind of "crisp, aggressive teams" that he once did.
Quick Hits: Cubs, Bell, Garcia
Before looking ahead, let's take a quick look back at former Braves shortstop Johnny Logan, who passed away yesterday. The four-time all-star racked up over thirty wins above replacement in his thirteen year career, most of which were accumulated during his 1953-61 run with the Braves in Milwaukee. Remaining in Milwaukee and becoming an avid supporter of the Brewers, Logan was also one of many golden era ballplayers to respond generously to letters from fans. Read Tom Haudricourt's obituary and this excellent biography from Bob Buege for more on Logan. Here are some notes from around the league:
- Cubs GM Jed Hoyer does not sound optimistic about the chances of pulling off any August deals, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. While the team might be interested in bringing back youth in exchange for players like Kevin Gregg, Dioner Navarro, David DeJesus, and Nate Schierholtz, Hoyer says that such players "are not likely to clear [waivers]."
- Meanwhile, Hoyer says he is pleased with the development of the club's pitching corps. "I certainly feel much better about our pitching than I did a year ago," he said. "You read the game reports and we have better arms down there than we did a year ago. We just have to keep doing that year after year after year after year." The club seems primed to get an extended look at one of the young hurlers it added in its flurry of July trades. Wittenmyer reports that Jake Arrieta –who was acquired in the Scott Feldman deal — is expected to take a spot in the team's rotation for the rest of the season. Arrieta, who has made one successful spot start for the Cubs, owns a 3.56 ERA with 39 strikeouts (against 16 walks) over 30 1/3 innings with Triple-A Iowa.
- With the Nationals' future managerial needs becoming an increasing priority, the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore writes that Pirates coach Jay Bell could be another name to watch. Much like previously mentioned possibility Matt Williams, Bell was a hard-nosed ballplayer who has a history with GM Mike Rizzo. Given his less developed track record on the bench, however, Kilgore says he may profile more as a coaching option at this stage.
- The White Sox are not hesitating to challenge recently-acquired youngster Avisail Garcia. After the club cleared a lineup spot by dealing outfielder Alex Rios, Garcia will make his first start for Chicago today. According to MLB.com's Joey Nowak, via Twitter, the Sox seems committed to playing Garcia in center field. His former club, the Tigers, had viewed Garcia as a corner outfielder, fellow MLB.com writer Jason Beck tweets. While opinions vary, Baseball America's Matt Eddy opines that Garcia can handle center, at least while he's young.
AL Notes: Longoria, Rangers, Reynolds
You'll want to give a read to this excellent piece from Tyler Kepner of the New York Times on outlasting the decade-long saga of Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees. Elsewhere in the American League …
- Fellow AL East third bagger Evan Longoria discussed the recent PED suspensions in pointed terms, reports SI.com's Cliff Corcoran. Longoria's most interesting observations, however, relate to the possibility of the players approving (or even seeking) enhancements to the penalties for PED use. "I definitely feel the risk needs to outweigh the reward," said Longoria, who went on to explain that a 50-game suspension was inadequate. "[I]t seems more players are starting to come forward and voicing their opinion negatively about cheating and PEDs," he continued. "If it comes to this offseason or the next, where we have [a] formal meeting [take] place where everybody in the union is there, and we have keynote players in the game today speaking adversely, then policy could get changed. The penalties could get more severe because guys want it out of the game."
- GM Jon Daniels "did his part," according to Rangers manager Ron Washington. As MLB.com's Richard Justice reports, Daniels utilized a blend of aggressiveness and patience in scooping up two players — Matt Garza and Alex Rios — who Justice says were "probably the best" starter and outfielder available.
- If the Orioles are interested in the recently-designated Mark Reynolds, GM Dan Duquette isn't letting on. As Eduardo Encina writes for the Baltimore Sun, Duquette refused to comment on Reynolds, but did note that the O's "have a credible right-handed hitter in Danny Valencia, who is already on the [40-man] roster and would be available to us."
- Meanwhile, the Red Sox are not interested in Reynolds, according to a tweet from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. With power-first, strikeout-prone players like Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks already in the BoSox infield mix, the lack of interest from Boston is not surprising.
Athletics Designate Adam Rosales For Assignment
For the third time in just eleven days, infielder Adam Rosales has been designated for assignment, this time by the Athletics, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter.) The move will make room for hurler Sonny Gray on the club's active roster.
Of course, it was the A's who kicked off Rosales's recent movements, designating him on July 31. After being claimed by the Rangers, Rosales suddenly found himself back in Oakland after being designated by Texas. In the course of his travels, the 30-year-old has seen just one at-bat. His triple-slash line stands at .191/.267/.316 over 154 plate appearances.
The Athletics' one-day fling with Rosales is not as cruel as it may seem at first blush. As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter), the club intends to try and pass Rosales through waivers and keep him in the organization. With the exception of his brief dalliance with the Rangers, Rosales has been with the A's since 2010, bouncing between the big leagues and Triple-A Sacramento.
Josh Johnson Clears Waivers
Blue Jays starter Josh Johnson has cleared waivers, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. While this means that Johnson may be traded freely to any team, as Heyman notes, a trade remains rather unlikely.
Johnson's first season outside of the Marlins organization has had some moments of promise, but has largely been a disaster. After a dominating 2010-2011 stretch was interrupted by injury, Johnson put up a 3.81 ERA over a full 2012 (albeit with a below-career-average 2.54 K/BB ratio). Entering 2013, baseball was anxious to see how Johnson adapted to the AL East. While he has shown the ability to generate strikeouts on a consistent basis, Johnson has been hit hard. He currently sports a 6.20 ERA over 81 1/3 innings, and a WHIP of 1.66.
On the bright side, Johnson's 9.2 K/9 is the best of his career, and the 3.3 BB/9 he has surrendered is not out of line with his recent track record. Johnson's FIP is 4.62 and his xFIP is a much more promising 3.60. A brief glance at two other key metrics — BABIP against (.356) and HR/FB% (18.5%) — show that Johnson has probably been a bit unlucky this year.
The big righty is owed about $4MM more for the remaining of this season, and thereafter will enter free agency. With the Jays still weighing whether to extend Johnson a qualifying offer, and no team apparently willing to take on his full salary for the rest of the year, there does not seem to be much likelihood of a deal. Of course, Johnson's last start (5 innings, no earned) was an improvement, and a string of solid outings could restore some of his luster. Either way, Johnson promises to be one of the most interesting players to watch on the free agent market for 2014.
As always, you can keep track of players that have cleared trade waivers right here.
Players Who Have Cleared Waivers
MLBTR will continue to update this post as players reportedly clear revocable trade waivers, making it a running list of players that may be traded to any club in the season's final two months. Remember though, players must be acquired by Aug. 31 to be eligible for their new team's postseason roster. Click here for a further explanation of the August waiver and trade rules. Also bear in mind that a player's no-trade rights remain effective even if he clears waivers. Player names are linked to the source articles, and this article can always be found under the MLBTR Features portion of the sidebar on the right side of the page.
Last Updated: 8-15-2013
- Elvis Andrus, Rangers — Andrus is under contract for an additional nine years and $124.475MM, making it no surprise that teams passed on claiming him. He was hitting .255/.317/.306 at the time he cleared waivers — a notable decline in production for the 24-year-old. The Rangers reportedly have no intention to trade him.
- Erik Bedard, Astros — Bedard owns a 4.28 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 21 starts and two relief outings in 2013 for Houston. The southpaw, who cleared waivers on Aug. 14, would be a really cheap pickup as he is owed just $300K for the rest of the season.
- Dan Haren, Nationals — Haren was placed on waivers on Aug. 8 without any clubs biting on him and his remaining $3.7MM in salary. The right-hander owns a 4.99 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 so far in 2013 and he could be of interest to teams if the Nationals fall further back in the Wild Card chase.
- Brendan Ryan, Mariners — Word came down of Ryan clearing waivers on Aug. 14. The M's were said to have him available before July 31st but couldn't find any takers.
- Matt Lindstrom, White Sox — Everyone needs relief help, but the White Sox were selling at the non-waiver deadline and couldn't find a suitable deal for Lindstrom. The reliever, who has a 3.47 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9, cleared waivers on Aug. 14.
- Justin Morneau, Twins — Morneau cleared waivers on Aug. 14, when he had roughly $3.5MM remaining on his $14MM salary. A free agent at season's end, Morneau was dreadful in July, batting .175/.266/.330. He homered six times in his first 10 games of August though, which could make teams reconsider their stance.
- Barry Zito, Giants — Zito cleared waivers on Aug. 14, but at that point still had $5.14MM remaining on his $20MM salary. With an ERA north of 5.00 and that kind of money remaining on his deal, it seems likely that Zito will play out the rest of his widely panned contract in San Francisco.
- Josh Johnson, Blue Jays — With more than $4MM left on his salary at the time he was placed on waivers, no team was apparently willing to take a risk that the big righty's poor results will begin to reflect his more promising peripherals. Unless Johnson hits an August hot streak, it seems likely that the Jays will hold onto him and consider whether to make him a qualifying offer when he reaches free agency at the end of the year.
- Adam Dunn, White Sox — That Dunn cleared waivers isn't a huge surprise, given his $15MM salary in 2013 and in 2014. He's been red-hot since June 1, however, which could lead contending AL teams such as the Orioles and Rangers to show interest if the White Sox are willing to include some cash in the deal.
- Jimmy Rollins, Phillies — Rollins has taken a big step back in production this year (especially on the power side of the ledger) and is owed $11MM for 2014 (and possibly the same for 2015 if his option vests). The 34-year-old shortstop seems discinclined to waive his full no-trade rights, making him unlikely to change hands.
- Michael Young, Phillies — The third baseman could be an August trade candidate given his expiring contract, experience, and serviceable (if unspectacular) 2013 campaign. He is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade protection to go to a contender.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
East Notes: DeRosa, Reynolds, Nationals
Here are a few links from around baseball's eastern divisions:
- As expected, the Blue Jays pulled back Mark DeRosa after he was claimed on waivers yesterday, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweeted earlier today. The only team that put in a claim on DeRosa was under .500, making it unsurprising that the Jays ended up holding onto him. As Heyman explains, the club likes his veteran clubhouse presence and cheap 2014 club option ($750k).
- The Indians designated struggling slugger Mark Reynolds for assignment earlier today. His last employer, the Orioles, "do have interest" in bringing Reynolds back if he clears waivers, tweeted ESPN's Jim Bowden. MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli characterizes things somewhat differently, but concurs that the O's "would have some interest" in Reynolds.
- As recently extended GM Mike Rizzo looks to right the Nationals going into next season, perhaps his most important task will be to find a replacement for outgoing manager Davey Johnson. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that Diamondbacks coach and longtime Giants third baseman Matt Williams (who Rizzo knows from his days in Arizona) could be among the candidates. According to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times, three other candidates with current or recent ties to the team could also be under consideration: current Astros manager Bo Porter and current Nats coaches Randy Knorr and Trent Jewett.
Jimmy Rollins Clears Waivers
Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins has cleared waivers, making him eligible to be traded to any team, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Indications are that Rollins would not waive his no-trade rights, however, Heyman further notes. (Rollins has ten and five rights.)
At 34 years of age, Rollins has taken a step back from his excellent 2012 season. His batting average and on-base percentage are right in line with last year, but his slugging percentage has fallen from .427 to .348. While he hit 23 home runs last year to go with 30 stolen bases, moreover, he has logged just 5 long balls and 15 swipes through 113 games and 474 plate appearances in 2013. According to Fangraphs, Rollins's defense and baserunning have both taken a downturn, leaving him with just 1.0 fWAR to date this year.
Looking at the contract, the Phillies are obligated to pay Rollins $11MM next season. If Rollins stays healthy and in the lineup next year, moreover, it is likely that his 2015 option will vest, guaranteeing him an additional $11MM for that season. If that option fails to vest, the Phils will hold a $8MM team option and Rollins will hold a $5MM player option for that year.
AL Central Notes: White Sox, Raburn, Indians, Kazmir
As the Tigers do everything they can to run away with the division, let's check in with some of their competitors in the AL Central:
- GM Rick Hahn's plans for the White Sox are better characterized as a "reshape" than a "rebuild," according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin. "It's not in our nature to write off any season," said Hahn. "You see too many teams make fairly quick and significant turnarounds in the course of one offseason. With that said, we have some work to do."
- The Indians extended utilityman Ryan Raburn yesterday; today, Max Lom posted interview excerpts on MLB.com. Raburn noted that the team aproached him before the All-Star break about a possible extension. GM Chris Antonetti explained that the team liked Raburn as a bounce-back candidate after his woeful 2012 campaign. For his part, manager Terry Francona noted that the club's relatively low payroll means that it must rely on players like Raburn and fellow benchmate Mike Aviles to compete. (Notably, the club also signed Aviles to a multi-year contract with a club option.)
- Even if Cleveland falls out of the AL Central race, it is worth keeping an eye on the organization in the coming months. Antonetti is believed to have approached other players about extensions, reports Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.
- Hoynes went on to note that another player who has revived his career with the Indians — lefty Scott Kazmir – has indicated that he might be amenable to a hometown discount. However, Antonetti implied that the sides have not talked about a new deal.
Phillies Notes: Utley, Ruiz
It has been a rather noteworthy day for the Phillies front office: the club announced its extension of Chase Utley, claimed Casper Wells on waivers, and saw Michael Young clear waivers. Let's look at a few links regarding the Fightin' Phils …
- Negotiations between the Phillies and Utley began in earnest a few weeks back, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia, after the club approached its star second baseman with trade interest it had received. When Utley told the team his preference was to stay, says Salisbury, the sides set out to make a deal happen.
- The deal that Utley signed will effectively come with full no-trade protection, Salisbury notes (also via Twitter), as Utley will obtain ten and five rights on August 22.
- Utley expects to remain satisfied with his decision to sign an extension before reaching free agency, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Sulia). "This is something that no matter what happens I'm not going to regret," said Utley. "I've talked to some guys that have played here and moved on to other organizations. The grass isn't always greener on the other side."
- With Utley pretty firmly entrenched as a Phillie-for-life, it remains to be seen what will happen to another stalwart from the club's 2007-2011 peak seasons. As MLB.com's Todd Zolecki writes, catcher Carlos Ruiz may have a guaranteed place in Philadelphia's history, but it is far less clear whether he will have a place on its roster over the coming seasons. For his part, the 34-year-old Ruiz says he hopes to remain with the only big league club he's every played for.