Gammons On Martinez, Red Sox Bullpen, Crawford
Peter Gammons of the MLB Network and NESN made his weekly appearance on WEEI's The Big Show earlier today, and DJ Bean has the transcript. Let's round up the good stuff…
- Gammons thinks the Victor Martinez situation could get dragged out all winter because the Red Sox do not want to sign him for four years as a catcher. That's the logic behind their two-year offer, they view him as a first baseman/designated hitter after the first two seasons and don't want to pay a premium for a guy playing a non-premium position.
- The Manny Delcarmen trade was the first step in recreating the bullpen. Gammons notes that Boston once landed Bronson Arroyo "for a dollar," and the club could try a similar approach with the pen this offseason. Basically, they'll just bring guys in and see what sticks rather than sign one player to a big contract. Matt Fox may have been claimed with that very idea in mind.
- Gammons doesn't believe the Red Sox can afford to sign Carl Crawford, who he thinks will get seven years and $140MM. There is also some concern about the lineup being too lefty-heavy in a division with several top-of-the-line lefthanded pitchers.
The Astros’ 2011 Rotation
The Astros finally caved and traded longtime ace Roy Oswalt as part of their rebuilding effort this year, but the move certainly didn't cripple the team's rotation. In fact, the starting five has been the team's greatest strength amidst a disappointing season that has Houston sitting in third place in the NL Central at 67-73. For all intents and purposes, the same group will be returning in 2011.
The last remaining link to the 2005 NL Championship team is 31-year-old southpaw Wandy Rodriguez. He followed up 2009's breakout performance with what can best be described as a tale of two seasons. His ERA stood at 6.09 with a 6.2 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 through his first 14 starts this year, but Wandy rebounded to post a 1.91 ERA, 8.8 K/9, and 1.8 BB/9 in 14 starts since. The Astros control Rodriguez as an arbitration-eligible player for the third and final time next season, when his salary figures to jump from $5MM into the $8MM range.
Joining Wandy at the top of the rotation is former Phillie Brett Myers, arguably the single best free agent signing from last offseason. After signing for just one year and $5.1MM guaranteed, all he's done is post a 2.91 ERA, 7.1 K/9, and 2.5 BB/9 in 29 starts this season, going no fewer than six innings each time out. The Astros rewarded Myers' effort with a contract extension that guarantees the 30-year-old at least $21MM through 2012.
Lefthander J.A. Happ, acquired in the Oswalt deal, figures to hold down a spot in the middle of the rotation next season. He's made eight strong starts since coming over (3.21 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 4.2 BB/9), and won't be eligible for arbitration until after the 2011 season.
Rookie righthander Bud Norris has been impressive even if his 5.16 ERA doesn't back it up. He's struck out 9.3 batters per nine innings, sixth-most among NL starters, and his walk rate is a tolerable 4.0 BB/9. The 25-year-old Norris figures to remain in the rotation next season after cutting his teeth this year.
Brian Moehler, Felipe Paulino, Wesley Wright, Josh Banks, and most recently Nelson Figueroa have rounded out the back of the rotation at different times this year. Paulino, 26, is the most promising of the bunch (4.40 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 4.5 BB/9), but he's missed the second half with a shoulder strain. At 95.5 mph, only Ubaldo Jimenez has a higher average fastball velocity than Paulino among starters (AL and NL) this year. Moehler is due to become a free agent after the season and Figueroa is a perpetual non-tender candidate, especially since he'll be up for arbitration for the first time this winter.
Down on the farm sits one of the game's best pitching prospects in Jordan Lyles, who dominated the Double-A level (3.12 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9) at just 19 years of age this season. Houston gave him a late-season cameo with Triple-A Round Rock, and it seems like a foregone conclusion that he'll make his big league debut at some point during the 2011 season.
Oswalt won't be around to be that veteran, shut-down ace next season, but the Astros have plenty of arms to work with. Rodriguez and Myers are a more than capable one-two punch (not necessarily in that order, of course), while Happ and Norris give the team plenty of cost-effective production with a chance to improve as they continue their development. If Lyles steps up and establishes himself at some point next summer, Houston's starting five will be one of the deepest, and perhaps most underappreciated, in all of baseball.
Pirates Release Iwamura, Outright Kratz
The Pirates have given infielder Akinori Iwamura his unconditional release, tweets Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He was designated for assignment along with catcher Erik Kratz earlier this week. Biertempfel says Kratz cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Iwamura, 31, failed to meet even the lowest of expectations after being acquired from the Rays last offseason. He hit just .182/.292/.267 in 193 plate appearances for the big league team in 2010, but was a bit better in Triple-A with a .264/.404/.393 line. This was the second time the Pirates designated Iwamura for assignment this season, certainly not what they expected to do with their highest-paid position player.
Kratz, 30, debuted in the major leagues this summer after a decade in the minors. His minor league numbers suggest he has some pop and patience, but he collected just four singles and two walks in 36 big league plate appearances.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rasmus, Manny, Phillies
On this date in 1969, the Mets moved into sole possession of first place for the first time in franchise history. They swept the Expos in a doubleheader to move ahead of the Cubs by a full game in the NL East. The Miracle Mets went on to defeat the Orioles in the Fall Classic for the first World Championship in their history, more than eight years after they played their first ever game.
Let's take a look at some links from around the baseball netweb…
- Yankeeist chatted with Alex Langsam, a Baseball Operations Assistant in the Pirates' front office who reports directly to GM Neal Huntington.
- The Sports Virus interviewed Huston Street about the topic of pitching injuries, an unavoidable evil.
- 1 Blue Jays Way spoke with Luis Rivera, manager of the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, a Blue Jays minor league affiliate.
- Play A Hard Nine examines Colby Rasmus' trade value following his fall-out with the Cardinals.
- Meanwhile, Capitol Avenue Club tries to figure out what it would take for the Braves to acquire Rasmus.
- The Hardball Times projects Manny Ramirez's performance for the White Sox.
- Crashburn Alley wonders if the Phillies' offense is just inconsistent, or if their core players are in decline.
- River Ave. Blues says that after searching all winter, the Yankees found their left fielder in Brett Gardner.
- Cubs Pack looks at Chicago's 2011 rotation, which MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith did just yesterday.
- DRays Bay muses about the responsibility of the baseball media.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Jeff Weaver Wants To Pitch At Least One More Season
Jeff Weaver told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that he wants to pitch at least one more season, and would prefer to do so with the Dodgers (Twitter link). The 34-year-old has spent the last two seasons with the team, his second stint in Chavez Ravine.
Working exclusively in relief, Weaver's posted unimpressive totals of 5.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 to go along with his 4.99 ERA in 39.2 innings this year. He was much more effective in 2008, when he compiled a 3.65 ERA on the strength of 7.3 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 79 innings as a swingman. It's worth noting that his fastball velocity has dipped quite a bit over the last few seasons.
Weaver has had to settle for minor league contracts in each of the last three offseasons, and there's no reason to expect that to change next year. He will earn $800K total in 2010, though his career earnings top $40MM.
Non-Tender Candidate: Willy Aybar
The Rays are a team built around versatility, and one of their most flexible pieces in recent years has been infielder Willy Aybar. The 27-year-old has spent the majority of his big league time at third base, but can also handle spot duty at first and second.
Aybar isn't a traditional non-tender candidate in that the decision is simply whether or not to offer him a contract for next season. The Rays signed him to a two-year deal worth $2.6MM guaranteed before 2009, and that deal includes $2.2MM club option for 2011 that can instead be bought out for $275K. Aybar still has two more years of arbitration eligibility left ahead of him, so Tampa could decline the option and then non-tender him for a total savings of $1.925M.
A bargain in 2008 and 2009, Aybar hit .253/.329/.413 with double digit homers in each of those two seasons while playing no fewer than three positions. This year's been a different story, however, as he's fallen off to .235/.309/.348 with just five homers while spending the most of his time as a designated hitter against lefthanded pitching despite hitting just .252/.299/.390 off southpaws. Aybar's strikeout rate has risen for the third straight year as well.
Tampa is facing a payroll reduction next season, so parting ways with the increasingly unproductive Aybar could be one way to cut costs. That said, it's time to vote. Click here to tell us if you think the Rays will non-tender Aybar after the season, and here to see the results.
Dodgers Designate Ronnie Belliard For Assignment
The Dodgers have designated infielder Ronnie Belliard for assignment according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick (via Twitter). The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for outfielder Trent Oeltjen.
Belliard, 35, hit just .216/.295/.327 with two homers in 185 plate appearances this season. He signed a one year contract worth $825K this winter. Oeltjen, 27, hit .347/.416/.563 in 226 plate appearances with Los Angeles' Triple-A affiliate this year.
Rockies Designate Taylor Buchholz For Assignment
The Rockies have designated righthander Taylor Buchholz for assignment according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter). The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for catcher Paul Phillips.
Buchholz, 28, missed the entire 2009 season and most of 2010 due to Tommy John surgery. He returned in July to throw ten reasonably effective innings (4.50 ERA, 8.1 K/9) before landing on the disabled list with back stiffness. As Renck explains in a second tweet, Buchholz can choose to become a free agent if he goes unclaimed on waivers, however he would forfeit the $163K left on his contract by doing so.
Acquired from the Astros in the Jason Jennings trade four years ago, Buchholz pitched to a 2.17 ERA, 7.6 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 in 66.1 innings of relief in 2008 before his elbow gave out. Given the dearth of quality relievers and the fact that Buchholz is under team control for another two seasons, there's a chance someone will roll the dice and place a claim.
Odds & Ends: Konerko, Kuroda, Astros, Morgan
A few links to check out while we wait to see if Jon Garland can halt the Padres' eight-game losing streak and get his team's season back on track…
- The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo wonders out loud (via Twitter) if Paul Konerko could be a fit for the Red Sox in 2011. That speculation, of course, likely depends on Adrian Beltre's future in Boston.
- In a piece for MLB.com, Sarah D. Morris opines that the Dodgers should re-sign Hiroki Kuroda, even though the team's financial situation makes it unlikely.
- ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider req'd) draws the parallels between this year's Astros and last year's Padres, pointing out that both clubs traded long-time stars at the deadline for young players and payroll savings, then went on to have strong second halves.
- Olney also notes that given his disappointing season (.255/.314/.315) and recent suspension troubles, Nyjer Morgan is hurting his chances for future employment. FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi also chimed in on the subject.
- The Nationals plan to call up Cuban defector Yunesky Maya following Monday's game according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Washington signed the 28-year-old righthander early last month.
- USA Today's Bob Nightengale recently sat down for a chat with Dan Hudson. Among other things, the righty said it's nice to be with a team that wants him. Hudson was traded from the White Sox to the Diamondbacks for Edwin Jackson before this year's deadline.
Non-Tender Candidate: Ryan Theriot
Dodgers second baseman Ryan Theriot will be eligible for arbitration for the second time this winter. He will earn $2.6MM this season after losing his arbitration case with the Cubs last offseason, when he filed for $3.4MM.
Theriot, 30, hit .284/.320/.327 in 412 plate appearances while playing both second base and shortstop for Chicago before being sent to the Dodgers in the Ted Lilly trade at the deadline. In 132 plate appearances as Los Angeles' everyday second baseman, The Riot has hit .307/.380/.377, drawing nearly as many unintentional walks (13) as he did with the Cubs (16) in 280 fewer plate appearances. UZR pegs him as an average defender at second, but well below that level at short.
It's tough to imagine GM Ned Colletti acquiring a player only to non-tender him a few months later, but he has to at least entertain the option with Theriot. A career .288/.352/.363 hitter, Theriot received a $2.1MM raise last offseason, and a strong finish with the Dodgers could bump his salary up another $2MM this offseason. The free agent market looks to be flooded with light hitting middle infielders that could approximate Theriot's production for a fraction of the cost.
Remember, Colletti doesn't have to non-tender Theriot only to let him walk. He could attempt to re-sign him at a lesser salary, perhaps exchanging a second guaranteed year for a salary discount.
With that in mind, it's time for you to weigh in. Click here to vote whether or not you think Theriot will be non-tendered, and here to see the results.