Dodgers Release Ron Mahay
The Dodgers have granted Ron Mahay his release according to Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). The left-hander was recently informed that he was not going to make the team.
Mahay, 39, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last month, but he allowed eight runs and 15 baserunners in 7 1/3 innings this spring. He owns a 3.83 ERA in a career that spans parts of 14 seasons, holding lefties to a .232/.303/.386 line.
Mariners Release Gabe Gross
Gabe Gross requested and has been granted his release from the Mariners reports MLB.com's Greg Johns (on Twitter). The outfielder hit just .077/.200/.231 in 23 at-bats this spring after signing a minor league deal last month.
Gross, 31, hit just .239/.290/.311 for the A's last year. He's a .239/.330/.385 hitter in 1,680 career plate appearances, though his defense in right field has been particularly strong.
Mike Hampton Retires
Veteran left-hander Mike Hampton has informed the Diamondbacks that he has decided to retire, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com. He originally told GM Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson that he was leaning that way on Thursday.
"It just wasn't there," said Hampton. "In fairness to [The Diamondbacks] and fairness to myself I'm just done. It's not a decision that's easy to make. It's not one you make overnight. It had been two weeks that different thoughts have been creeping in my head. Then all of the sudden I felt, I think this is going to be it."
Hampton, 38, made a brief comeback with Arizona late last season, throwing 4 1/3 innings across ten appearances. He was in camp with them this year after signing a minor league deal in December.
Although the latter half of his career was filled with injury and ineffectiveness, Hampton was one of the game's best starters in the late-1990's, pitching to a 3.35 ERA in 184 starts with the Astros and Mets from 1995 through 2000. He pitched poorly for two years with the Rockies after signing an eight-year, $123.8MM contract that was then the largest deal in baseball history. Hampton finished his career out with the Braves, Astros, and D'Backs, and owns a 4.09 ERA in 2268 1/3 career innings.
AL Central Notes: Indians, Gonzalez, Tigers
Some Saturday links from a few midwestern AL clubs…
- Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer says the Indians' Opening Day payroll projects to be just north of $42.4MM, the third straight season it's shrunk. Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, and Fausto Carmona account for close to 63% of that total. The payroll sat at $81.6MM just two seasons ago.
- The Tigers sent Danny Worth, Adam Wilk, and Andy Dirks to minor league camp today, indicating that Enrique Gonzalez has made the team. MLB.com's Jason Beck tweets that the club doesn't have to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Gonzalez until next week.
- Noah Trister of the AP (via The Detroit Free Press) explains how the Tigers rebuilt on the fly thanks to the three-way trade that sent Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson to the Yankees and Diamondbacks, respectively.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Perez, Morgan, Belt, Royals
Three years ago today, the Tigers signed Miguel Cabrera to an eight-year, $152.3MM contract extension less than four months after acquiring him from the Marlins. It was the fifth largest contract in baseball history at the time, and it bought out two arbitration years plus six years of free agency. Despite some off-the-field trouble, Cabrera has more than held up his end of the bargain, hitting .314/.388/.567 with 109 homers since signing the deal.
Here is the latest baseball talk from around the web…
- Pitchers & Poets lists the worst caps of all-time.
- MLB Trade Trees put together a Gary Sheffield trade tree.
- Beer Leaguer looks back at the Paul Konerko for Mike Cameron trade (part one, part two).
- Crashburn Alley makes an encouraging comparison regarding the 2011 Phillies.
- The Nats Blog tries to make sense of the Oliver Perez signing for Washington.
- Beyond The Box Score wonders if the Marlins should try to acquire Nyjer Morgan.
- Splashing Pumpkins lists some conditions that have to be met if the Giants start Brandon Belt in the majors.
- DRays Bay explores the Casey Kotchman option.
- Royals Review lists the ten worst decisions the Royals could make in 2011.
- Lookout Landing muses about Michael Pineda and developing a pitch.
- U.S.S. Mariner breaks down the Mariners' Opening Day roster.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness isn't sure that Jay Gibbons is the best use of a Dodgers' roster spot.
- The Yankee Analysts believes the Yankees should let C.C. Sabathia walk if he opts out of his contract after the season.
- Capitol Avenue Club wants to know where all the Braves' left-handers have gone.
- Bay City Ball thinks a platoon is the best way to replace Brian Wilson if the closer's oblique injury forces him to miss the start of the season.
- Camden Crazies tries to figure out who should bat leadoff if Brian Roberts keeps getting hurt.
- Wahoo Blues speculates about a Travis Hafner for Michael Young trade.
- Gaslamp Ball previews some potential milestones for the 2011 Padres.
- Replacement Level Baseball provides some Spring Training notes about Royals and Padres prospects.
- Amazin' Avenue asks which box score is the best.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Diamondbacks Sign Kip Wells
The Diamondbacks have signed Kip Wells to a minor league contract according to Baseball America's Matt Eddy. Wells had been with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.
The soon-to-be 34-year-old last appeared in the bigs leagues with the Reds in 2009. Cincinnati re-signed him last February, but ended up releasing him before the season started. Wells then hooked on with the Ducks, and posted a 4.00 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 15 walks in 27 innings (five starts) with them. He owns a 4.71 ERA during a Major League career that has spanned parts of 11 seasons.
Astros Sign Fernando Nieve
The Astros have signed Fernando Nieve to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter links). Nieve has already passed his physical and will report to minor league camp.
Nieve, 28, was released by the Pirates just two days ago after allowing 17 hits in just 7 1/3 Spring Training innings. Last year for the Mets, he posted a 6.00 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, 2.1 HR/9, and 37% groundball rate in 42 innings. 18.5% of his flyballs left the yard, a rate that led all of MLB among those with at least 40 innings. Nieve also made eight starts in Triple-A, posting a 5.63 ERA. Pittsburgh signed him to a minor league pact back in December.
The Astros originally signed Nieve out of Venezuela back in 1999, and five years ago he was their third-best prospect according to Baseball America.
Phillies Sign Luis Castillo
The Phillies officially signed Luis Castillo to a minor league deal, the team announced today. He'd been released by the Mets on Friday. The Mets are on the hook for the 35-year-old's $6MM salary, less the league minimum that Philadelphia will pay him. Castillo will either make the team or be released, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters this morning.
The Phillies have a question mark at second base right now given Chase Utley's knee injury, and Castillo gives them a veteran stopgap. Although he hit just .235/.337/.267 in 299 plate appearances last season, Castillo is only a year removed from a .387 OBP. More than 2,500 MLBTR readers predicted that Castillo would join the Phillies, and Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com was first to tweet the agreement.
MLBTR Originals: 3/13/11 – 3/20/11
With the regular season drawing ever closer, let's recap the the original content produced here at MLBTR over the last seven days…
- MLBTR first reported that Brian Wilson, Kurt Suzuki, Brett Wallace, and Jason Repko are now being represented by Dan Lozano. Also make sure you check out our brand new Agency Database.
- We published our annual list of players that are out of minor league options.
- Tim Dierkes explored the concept of delaying free agency and mused about Rafael Soriano's contract. He also listed some American League and National League midseason trade candidates, as well a few players that would have been entering their walk years had they not signed extensions.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at C.J. Wilson as an extension candidate and also explored the Phillies' interest in Jon Jay. He also dug up some potential suitors for Chris Davis.
- Ben's latest draft Q&A was with UConn outfielder George Springer.
- The offseason in review series continued with the Rockies, Braves, and Indians.
- We broke down Omar Infante of the Marlins and Jeff Francis of the Royals as players entering make or break years.
- This week's poll questions asked where Luis Castillo will end up and what Neftali Feliz's 2011 role will be.
- I rounded up the best the blogosphere had to offer in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Howard Megdal's latest Jack of all Trades post focused on Oliver Perez.
- This week's chat transcript can be found here.
- Here's a handy guide on all the different ways you can use MLBTR.
- Last, but certainly not least, we introduced Rumores de Béisbol, MLBTR's Spanish language sister site.
Padres Looking At Alberto Gonzalez, Robert Andino
Earlier this month we heard that the Padres were looking for a utility player for their bench, and it appears they've turned their attention to Alberto Gonzalez and Robert Andino. MASNsports.com's Phil Wood reports that San Diego has been "looking hard" at the Nationals' utility infielder, while MLB.com's Corey Brock says Andino is on the radar as well (Twitter link). Both players are out of options.
Gonzalez, 28 in April, has spent the last two full years and part of a third in the nation's capitol, hitting .266/.302/.350 overall. He has plenty of experience at second, third, and short, and has also dabbled at first base and in right field. The Padres currently have Jarrett Hoffpauir, Kevin Frandsen, and Jesus Guzman in camp competing for the utility infielder's job, and the Nats have depth at the position with Jerry Hairston Jr. and Alex Cora.
Andino, 27 in April, is a .226/.275/.318 career hitting in 440 plate appearances, most of which have come with the Orioles. The vast majority of his playing time has come at short, though he's also seen time at second, third, left, and center fields. Baltimore has Cesar Izturis, Nick Green, and Brendan Harris on their utility infielder depth chart as well.