Amateur Signing Bonuses: Yankees
Next up in our amateur signing bonus series, the soon-to-be no longer defending champs…
- Andrew Brackman, $3.55MM (2007)
- Gary Sanchez, $3MM (2009)
- Wily Mo Pena, $2.44MM (1999)
- Ian Kennedy, $2.25MM (2006)
- Slade Heathcott, $2.2MM (2009)
The Yankees are no strangers to spending money, and that goes for the amateur players as well. Brackman was considered one of the best talents available in the 2007 draft but fell to the 30th overall pick due to bonus demands and injury concerns. The Scott Boras client signed his big league deal right at the deadline and had Tommy John surgery almost immediately after the ink dried, which New York knew he needed. Brackman returned from the procedure at the start of the 2009 season, and has thrown 247.1 innings with a 4.77 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 as he climbs the ladder.
Sanchez received one of the largest bonuses among international free agents last year, and hit .329/.393/.543 in 196 plate appeared in the low minors this season, his professional debut. Heathcott was the team's first round pick in 2009 (29th overall), the pick they received as compensation for failing to sign Gerrit Cole in 2008. Like Sanchez, he made his pro debut this season, hitting .253/.354/.344 in 362 plate appearances at the Single-A level.
Despite being just 17-years-old at the time, the Yankees signed Pena to a major league contract worth a total of $3.7MM. His bonus stood as the record for international prospects for nearly a decade. Pena had originally signed with the Mets the previous summer, but MLB questioned the validity of the deal and it was eventually voided. He was with the Yankees for just over two full seasons (.234/.299/.391 in 541 Single-A plate appearances) before being traded to the Reds for Michael Coleman and former Yankee farmhand Drew Henson before the 2001 season.
Kennedy zoomed up the minor league ladder after being the 21st overall pick in 2006, making his big league debut just a year after signing. He spend most of his Yankee career in the minors (1.95 ERA, 9.9 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 in 248.2 innings) and also missed most of 2009 due to an aneurysm near his pitching arm, though he did throw 59.2 innings with a 6.03 ERA with the big league team. The Yanks shipped him to Arizona last offseason in the Edwin Jackson–Curtis Granderson–Max Scherzer blockbuster.
We're not counting veterans of the Japanese or Cuban leagues in this series even though they have zero MLB experience, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Hideki Matsui and Jose Contreras received $8.5MM and $6MM signing bonuses, respectively.
Poll: David Ortiz’s Future
Yesterday we heard that Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is still seeking a multi-year contract, brushing off criticism about his declining offense. The one they call Big Papi hit .270/.370/.529 with 32 homers last season, but he again had to overcome a brutally slow start (.143/.238/.286 in April). After hitting .302/.402/.612 with an average of 41 homers per year from 2003-2007, Ortiz has hit dipped down to .257/.356/.498 since 2008, which is still very good production.
The Red Sox hold a $12.5MM option for Ortiz's services in 2011, and last month we heard that they were prepared to pick it up. Their alternatives would be to decline the option and make him a free agent (no buyout), or attempt to work out the multi-year deal he desires. It's not an easy call, and it's made even more complicated by Ortiz's status as a franchise icon. Time to hit the polls…
What should the Red Sox do with David Ortiz this winter?
Click here to vote, and here to see the results.
White Sox Have Targeted Colby Rasmus
10:27am: Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Quentin-for-Rasmus stuff has been percolating since the end of the season. One Cardinals front office type told him "Gotta do better than that."
8:38am: Kenny Williams is certainly no stranger to blockbuster trades, and a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that the White Sox general manager has targeted Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus. Williams is said to be willing to part with Carlos Quentin in a package to acquire the young center fielder.
"It was obvious that [the Cardinals] were paying extra attention to Quentin at the end of the season, so this might have been something that was already talked about,'' says Cowley's source.
The 24-year-old Rasmus reportedly demanded a trade earlier this summer after which his rift with manager Tony LaRussa was made public, though he later denied that claim. GM John Mozeliak has said repeatedly that he will not trade his youngest regular, but you have to assume that he'd at least listen to any offers made. Rasmus hit .276/.361/.498 with 23 homers in 534 plate appearances this year, and UZR likes his defense: +2.6 over the last two seasons.
Quentin, 28, hit .243/.342/.479 in 527 plate appearances this year, though he missed a big chunk of the 2009 season with plantar fasciitis and is an awful defensive player (-40.6 UZR over the last three years). The salaries don't line up here, which would be one hurdle if the two clubs do pursue a deal. Rasmus is still a year away from arbitration eligibility (four years from free agency) while Quentin earned $3.2MM in 2010, his first year of arb eligibility (two years from free agency).
If Williams makes a run at Rasmus, he's going to have plenty of competition. Earlier this month we heard that several teams, including the Braves, Blue Jays, and Diamondbacks have interest in acquiring Alabama's high school single season homerun record holder. Ben Nicholson-Smith recently put together a list of potential trade destinations for Rasmus, though more than 57% of MLBTR readers would not trade him based on last month's poll.
Amateur Signing Bonuses: Mets
Next up in our look at each team's spending on amateur players, the Mets…
- Mike Pelfrey, $3.55MM (2005)
- Phil Humber, $3MM (2004)
- Matt Harvey, $2.525MM (2010)
- Scott Kazmir, $2.15MM (2002)
- Lastings Milledge, $2.075MM (2003)
The Mets made Pelfrey the ninth overall pick in 2005 after three utterly dominant years at Wichita State (2.19 ERA, 9.0 K/9, 1.7 BB/9), and just a year later he was making his big league debut. He didn't stick for good until the middle of the 2007 season, but the Amazins have gotten their money's worth. Pelfrey owns a 4.31 ERA in 113 career starts (and three relief appearances), and he just wrapped up the best season of his young career: 3.66 ERA in 204 innings. He'll be a fixture in New York's rotation for years to come.
Humber was the first of three Rice pitchers taken within the first eight picks of the 2004 draft (joining Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend), going third overall. He missed the second half of 2005 and the first half of 2006 after having Tommy John surgery, but he made his major league debut shortly after returning. Humber spent most of the 2007 season in the minors, and he threw just nine innings for the Mets (6.00 ERA) before being sent to the Twins in February 2008 as part of the Johan Santana trade.
Harvey was the team's first round pick this year, seventh overall, marking a change in the team's recent stance of adhering to MLB's slot recommendations. He didn't pitch after signing and will start his career next spring. Kazmir was the 15th overall pick in 2002 but as we all know that he never appeared in a game for the Mets. After posting a 2.41 ERA, 11.2 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9 in 49 minor league starts, he was traded to the then-Devil Rays for Victor Zambrano at the 2004 trade deadline. Nothing more to say here, this one's been beaten to death already.
Milledge was considered one of the three or four best prospects in the 2003 draft, but his stock took a hit after he was expelled from high school before his senior year for alleged sexual misconduct with a minor. The Mets gambled on him with the 12th overall pick, but negotiations between the two sides were halted a few months later after more allegations arose. The team eventually signed him after being satisfied with the results of their own investigation. Milledge climbed the ladder and made his big league debut in 2006, though he drew the ire of some team veterans by showboating. He hit .257/.326/.414 in 391 plate appearances with the Mets before being traded to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider after the 2007 season.
Amateur Signing Bonuses: Twins
Time to take our amateur signing bonus series to the Land of 10,000 Lakes…
- Joe Mauer, $5.15MM (2001)
- Miguel Sano, $3.15MM (2009)
- B.J. Garbe, $2.75MM (1999)
- Adam Johnson, $2.5MM (2000)
- Ryan Mills, $2MM (1998)
It's funny looking back at it now, but the Mauer vs. Mark Prior debate was huge back before the 2001 draft. Both were legitimate first overall talents, but Prior was considered more of a sure thing and certainly closer to the big leagues. The Twins opted for the hometown kid with that first pick, and all he's done is develop into one of the two or three best players on the planet. Mauer debuted in 2004 as a 21-year-old and hit .308/.369/.570 in 122 plate appearances, though knee issues dampened his coming out party. He returned the next year fully healthy and hasn't stopped hitting since. Minnesota's franchise player is a .327/.407/.481 career hitter with four All Star appearances, three batting titles, and an MVP to credit. I'd say they got their $5.15MM worth.
The Twins faced heavy competition for Sano last year, most notably from the Pirates, but they were able to sign him to that huge bonus in December. He turned just 17 this past May, hitting .307/.379/.491 in 241 rookie ball plate appearances this season, his pro debut.
Garbe, Johnson, and Mills were all high-priced busts. Garbe, the fifth overall pick in '99, hit just .231/.314/.311 in more than five-plus seasons in the Twins' farm system, eventually getting traded to the Mariners for Pat Borders in August 2004. He's been out of baseball since 2006. Johnson was the second overall pick in '00 and managed to reach the big leagues with Minnesota for all of 26.1 innings (10.25 ERA) in 2001 and 2003. His minor league career consists of a 5.02 ERA in 747.1 innings, and he wound up in an independent league after the Twins released him in January 2005. Mills, taken sixth overall in '98, posted a 5.79 ERA in 480.1 minor league innings and never reached the big leagues. He's been out of baseball since becoming a minor league free agent after the 2004 season.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Braves, Rangers, Rays, Haren
The Phillies won their second World Series in franchise history two years ago today, beating the Rays in the first suspended game in series history. Game Five started on October 27th, 2008, and the two clubs played to a 2-2 tie through the first five and a half innings before rain forced the suspension. The game didn't resume until October 29th due to the weather, but when it finallly did the Phillies outscored Tampa 2-1 the rest of the way for a 4-3 final score.
There's no weather-related delay for these links; here's the best from around the web this week…
- Capitol Avenue Club provides a primer for the Braves' offseason.
- Pine Tar And Pocket Protectors explains how Mark Teixeira built the AL Champion Rangers.
- The Baseball Opinion re-lives Sandy Alderson's biggest trade.
- DRays Bay compiles Andrew Friedman's offseason to-do list.
- Meanwhile, The Process Report thinks about Nick Johnson as a cheap option for the Rays.
- Drunk Jays Fans reacts to the John Farrell hiring and more.
- Baseball Analytics breaks down Pat Burrell's resurgence.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness wonders if Ivan DeJesus should get a crack at the Dodgers second base job next year.
- Disciples of Uecker says it's time for Josh Butler to put up or shut up. The Brewers acquired Butler for Gabe Gross in 2008.
- Yankeeist wonders what would have happened if the Yankees managed to acquire Dan Haren this summer.
- SPANdemonium compares the Rangers, Rays and Royals.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Amateur Signing Bonuses: Brewers
Next up in our series looking at each team's spending on amateur prospects, the Brewers…
- Rickie Weeks, $3.6MM (2003)
- Ben Sheets, $2.45MM (1999)
- Ryan Braun, $2.45MM (2005)
- Prince Fielder, $2.4MM (2002)
- Mark Rogers, $2.2MM (2004)
The Brewers had a lot of high draft picks in the early-aughts, and they spent accordingly. Weeks was the second overall pick in 2003 after a season at Southern University that was straight out of a video game: .500/.619/.987 with 46 walks and 17 strikeouts in 50 games. He made his big league debut later that year but didn't stick until 2005. He finally put together a full, health season in 2010, hitting .269/.366/.464 with 29 homers.
Sheets, the tenth overall pick in '99, was really the first young player to come up and help get the Brewers back to respectability. He was an All Star as a rookie in 2001, and overall made four trips to the Midsummer Classic in his eight years with the team. Injuries derailed him starting in 2005, but he was always dominant before leaving as a free agent after 2008: 3.72 ERA, 7.6 K/9, and 2.0 BB/9 in 221 starts.
Braun was the fifth overall pick in 2005 and the third college third baseman drafted (behind Alex Gordon and Ryan Zimmerman), but he's since moved to left fielder. His Rookie of the Year campaign in 2007 featured a .324/.370/.634 batting line and 34 homers, and overall he's a .307/.364/.554 hitter in his four big league seasons.
High school first basemen aren't drafted in the first round all that often, but Milwaukee made an exemption for Fielder, who the chosen seventh overall in '02. He reached the big leagues three years later, and is a career .279/.385/.535 hitter in five-plus seasons. Fielder has a 50 homer season and two top-four finishes in the MVP voting to his credit.
Rogers was the fifth overall selection in 2004, but a series of arm injuries and setbacks kept him on the shelf from June 2006 through the 2008 season. He returned in 2009 and performed well (1.67 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 4.0 BB/9 in 64.2 innings), then reached the big leagues this past September. Rogers struck out 11 and allowed just five baserunners and two runs in ten innings, putting himself in prime position to break camp with the team next season.
The Brewers have gotten a ton of return on these investments, with Rogers even coming back from major injuries to produce at the big league level. They haven't spent much on international free agents, but that should change after kick-starting their Latin American program earlier this year.
Phillies Notes: Werth & Manuel
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel provided a look into the team's offseason plans on 610-WIP and David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News passes along the details. Let's round them up…
- "I think we definitely have some money to spend," said Manuel when asked about the possibility of retaining Jayson Werth. "But at the same time, the problem is, length-wise of a contract, and also what direction we want to go in."
- Manuel said he believes they can develop a top-notch hitter, presumably referring to top prospect Domonic Brown, allowing them to target high-end pitchers during the offseason.
- Reporters floated the idea of a rightfield platoon if Werth departs, and Manuel acknowledged that possibility. Murphy says not to be surprised if they target a lesser righthanded bat like Jeff Francoeur or Matt Diaz to pair up with Brown or Ross Gload. Ben Francisco could also be an internal option in this scenario.
- "I think [GM Ruben Amaro Jr.]'s got a lot on his plate as far as which way he wants to go in getting it done," said Manuel. "But I think he can. Evidently he definitely still wants to negotiate with Werth. It sounds like he's going to talk to Scott Boras, his agent, and things. That's definitely the first priority. And then that will lead us into which way he wants to take our team."
- As for his own contract, which is up after next season, Manuel indicated that Amaro told him they'd speak this fall, probably before Christmas.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Frank Francisco
Neftali Feliz is ready to close games in the World Series and is a strong candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year Award, but it's easy to forget that he didn't even start the season as the Rangers' closer. That job belonged to Frank Francisco, who saved 25 games in 29 chances last season. He blew the save in his first two opportunities of the season and sported a double digit ERA in late-April, putting the ninth inning in Feliz's hands.
Francisco is set to hit the free agent market for the first time in his career in a few weeks, so let's break down his stock…
The Good
- After the rough start, Francisco was exceptionally strong as Feliz's setup man the rest of the way. After April 20th, he pitched to a 2.83 ERA with 56 strikeouts and just 13 unintentional walks in 47.2 innings.
- He's dominant, striking out 200 batters over the last three seasons (10.9 K/9) walking just 54 unintentionally (2.94 BB/9).
- As stated before, he has experience closing games, not mention familiarity with the setup role as well. Versatility is always a plus.
The Bad
- Francisco finished the year on the disabled list due to a strained rib cage suffered in late August and hasn't been able to pitch in the playoffs. He also hit the disabled list twice in 2009 due to a shoulder strain, plus once more with a bout with walking pneumonia.
- He can be prone to the long ball, averaging one homer for just a touch over every nine innings pitched over the last three seasons. The Ballpark in Arlington has exacerbated that problem, his HR/9 on the road since 2008 is a much more managable 0.68.
- Francisco is projected to be a Type-A free agent, so if the Rangers offer him arbitration, a team would have to surrender a high pick to sign him.
Verdict
Francisco's offseason is going to depend on whether or not the Rangers offer him arbitration. If they don't, his stock will be much higher because the stigma of forfeiting a high draft pick is gone. If they offer and he declines, he could find himself in a Juan Cruz circa 2008-2009 situation, where he's unemployed late into the offseason because no one feels he's worth giving up a pick. There's also a non-zero chance that Francisco would accept an arbitration offer, since an award would push him close to $4MM next year ($3.265MM salary in 2010). He might not be able to find that much money on the open market.
If Francisco does hit the market, perhaps his best course of action would be to take a one-year deal to serve as a non-contender's closer, building up his value so he could shoot for a multi-year guarantee next winter. He could also be a nice fallback option for a team breaking in a young and/or inexperienced closer.
Amateur Signing Bonuses: Dodgers
Time to head to Hollywood for our amateur signing bonus series. Here come the Dodgers…
- Zach Lee, $5.25MM (2010)
- Clayton Kershaw, $2.3MM (2006)
- Joel Guzman, $2.255MM (2001)
- Ben Diggins, $2.2MM (2000)
- Ethan Martin, $1.7325MM (2008)
With the McCourt's divorce still ongoing and the team facing an uncertain financial situation, many assumed that the Dodgers were punting the 28th overall pick in this year's draft by selecting Lee. The talented righthander was considered extremely tough to sign, using a scholarship to LSU as one of the nation's best quarterbacks recruits as leverage. The Dodgers could have claimed to have made Lee a fair offer, then taken the 29th overall pick in the 2011 draft as compensation if they didn't sign him. Except they did sign him, so give them credit. Lee didn't pitch after signing and will start his career next season.
Kershaw was the seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft, the first high school player selected in a class dominated by college arms (and Evan Longoria). After just 44 minor league starts (and four relief appearances), Kershaw was pitching in the the big leagues as a 20-year-old. Two-plus seasons into his career, the lefty owns a 3.17 ERA, 9.3 K/9, and 4.2 BB/9, as well as the top spot in Los Angeles' rotation.
The Dodgers signed Guzman out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old and allowed him to steadily climb the minor league ladder. He made his major league debut in June 2006, and his first career start came as a cleanup hitter. Unfortunately Guzman didn't live up to the bonus or hype, hitting .211/.348/.211 in just 23 plate appearances before being sent back down. The Dodgers dealt Guzman to the then-Devil Rays a few weeks later for Julio Lugo. He hasn't appeared in a big league game since 2007, but is still toiling away in the minors.
Diggins, drafted out of the University of Arizona with the 17th overall pick in 2000, made his pro debut in 2001 and had was solid: 3.58 ERA, 6.7 K/9, 4.1 BB/9. He was better the next year (3.20 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 3.3 BB/9), but the Dodgers traded him and another minor leaguer to Milwaukee for Tyler Houston and a player to be named a week before the 2002 trade deadline. Diggins appeared in five games with the Brewers that season, but was out of baseball a few years later after having Tommy John surgery and subsequent setbacks.
Martin was the team's first round pick in 2008 (15th overall), but he didn't make a good first impression. He suffered a season ending knee injury almost immediately after signing, and didn't debut until 2009. Martin's currently working his way up through the system; in 213.1 career innings, he's posted a 9.5 K/9, 6.0 BB/9 and 6.35 ERA.
We're not counting Japanese veterans in this series even though they have zero MLB experience when signing, but Hiroki Kuroda's $7.3MM bonus would easily top the list. Hideo Nomo received $2MM when he came stateside.