Odds & Ends: Gomes, Mets, Compensation Picks
A few links to kick off Labor Day weekend…
- The legendary Hal McCoy of The Dayton Daily News says that if the Reds "don’t give (Jonny) Gomes a shot at playing left field next year they’re missing out." The 28-yr old Gomes is hitting .285/.357/.566 in 249 plate appearances this year.
- Joel Sherman of The NY Post writes that the Mets will have essentially the same problem this offseason that they had last offseason: a need for pitching even though they don't necessarily have the means to acquire it.
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports says that baseball's free agent compensation system is broken, but neither MLB or MLBPA leaders think it's a big enough problem for "either side to re-jigger it" before the new CBA in 2011.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today points out that seven of the nine highest paid teams would make the playoffs if the season ended today. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said it's "very discouraging, from a data standpoint."
Victorino Wants To Remain A Phillie Long-Term
Shane Victorino, a rare two time Rule 5 Draftee, has "said that he has a strong desire to remain with the Phillies long-term," according to Andy Martino of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Flyin' Hawaiian recently switched agents, moving from the Beverly Hills Sports Council to New York-based Seth and Sam Levinson, but said the decision came down to the "vibe" he got from the Levinsons, not necessarily the desire to secure a long term contract.
“I want to play here,” he said. “I don’t want to go anywhere. If I have to take one year deals the next few years, that’s fine.”
Victorino, 28, avoided arbitration by signing a one year, $3MM contract before the season. He has two more years of arbitration eligibility ahead of him, so he won't become a free agent until after the 2011 season at the earliest. An All Star for the first time this year, Victorino is hitting a stout .299/.367/.456, but his -9.8 UZR/150 defensive rating is near the bottom of the league among centerfielders.
Yankees Release Kevin Cash
According to Peter Abraham of The Journal News, the Yankees have released catcher Kevin Cash. The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Josh Towers, who was recalled today.
Cash, 32, hit .250/.308/.558 in 28 plate appearances for the Bombers this year. He's spent most of the year with Triple-A Scranton, and is currently out with a shoulder injury.
Giants Did Not Discuss Trade For Hoffman
According to Henry Schulman of The SF Chronicle, the "Giants did not even discuss a trade for (Trevor) Hoffman, making it likely the Giants claimed him to block the Dodgers or Rockies from getting him." We heard that a trade was unlikely when the waiver claim was originally made.
"It didn't seem to get too much of a head of steam," said Hoffman.
As Schulman points out, if the move was in fact made to block other clubs from acquiring Hoffman, it could end up being significant. The Rockies, who lead San Francisco by just one game for the NL Wildcard, just lost closer Huston Street to right biceps tendinitis for the foreseeable future.
Hoffman, baseball's career saves leader with 584, is enjoying another tremendous season at age 41, pitching to a 1.71 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in 42 IP.
Berkman Unsure If He’ll Play After Contract Expires
Astros first baseman Lance Berkman has been one of the best, if not most unheralded sluggers of the last decade. Since his first full season in 2000, a typical season for Fat Elvis has consisted of a .301/.414/.558 batting line with over 30 homers and 100 RBI. After slumping big time this April (.162/.326/.392), he's managed to rebound and is hitting .300/.419/.522 since May 1st.
But now, as MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports, the 33-yr old first baseman is unsure if he'll play after his contract expires next year. Berkman has one more season left on the six year, $85MM contract he signed prior to the 2005 season, but the team holds a $15MM option for his services in 2011. If the option is declined, they'll pay him a $2MM buyout.
Here's Berkman's quotes from McTaggart's article:
"I'm going to play next year because I'm under contract, and if they pick up the option, we'll see where I'm at after that year," he said. "That's kind of how I'm viewing it."
"I don't think that's fair to the team or to me," he said. "If I'm not going to perform a level I'm comfortable with, I'm not going to play. I'm going to play next year because I'm obligated to play. I'm going to give as a good of an effort as I can, and see what happens. If I have a good year and they pick the option up, I'll be committed for another year.
"I don't want to hang around. I don't want to hamstring the organization, and I don't want to take away from my family and things like that. If I'm not as productive as I want to be, I'll take it to the house."
Thanks to the April slump, Berkman is hitting a career low .272 and is slugging under .510 for the first time in his career. Most players would consider .272/.400/.496 with 18 homers and a 79/81 K/BB ratio a career year. For Berkman, it's enough to consider hanging up the spikes.
Rockies Release Russ Ortiz
Diamond Leung reports that the Rockies have released veteran righthander Russ Ortiz, who had been pitching with Triple-A Colorado Springs. After spending most of the year in the Astros rotation, Ortiz agreed to the minor league contract with the Yankees before opting out of the deal in hopes of finding a better big league opportunity. Colorado signed him to a minor league pact two weeks ago.
In three starts with the Rockies' top minor league affiliate, Ortiz allowed 28 baserunners and 12 runs in 14 IP. The former 21-game winner hasn't been an effective pitcher since 2004.
Mets To Sign Japanese Teenager
Patrick at the great NPB Tracker passes along a report from the Japanese publication ChuSpo, which says that the Mets have agreed to sign Japanese teenager Taiki Kawasaki. The lefthanded hurler stands 6'1", 170 lbs, and reportedly throws a high-80's fastball, as well as a slider and curve. He'll receive a minor league contract.
The 17-yr old native of Osaka left Japan after high school in hopes of signing with a Major League franchise, and has been training at Julio Franco's academy in Florida. Patrick says that Franco will reportedly travel to Japan in the middle of next month to officially announce the signing.
Odds & Ends: Hillman, White Sox, Japanese Pitchers
Let's start the evening off by rounding up a few spare links…
- According to The Associated Press (via ESPN), Royals manager Trey Hillman will return to the team next season. Kansas City GM Dayton Moore, who originally hired Hillman, had his contract extended through 2014 earlier this week.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams was asked if the Jim Thome and Jose Contreras trades indicate that he was throwing in the towel according to Scot Gregor of The Daily Herald, and Williams replied "Hell no. We're still in it to win it.”
- Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report saying that the Yokohama BayStars are looking to import Japanese pitchers currently playing in the States. The article mentions that players like Tomo Ohka, Yasuhiko Yabuta, and Masahide Kobayashi could interest the BayStars, while Patrick throws the names of Kei Igawa and Takashi Saito into the ring.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. writes that Miguel Angel Sano is not the only big name Latin American free agent stuck in age investigation limbo. Venezuelan pitcher Daniel Sanchez, considered one of the best pitchers available this year, is stuck in the same boat after the Brewers put in a formal request to MLB to investigate his age. An age investigation is a prerequisite to signing any player from Latin America.
Discussion: Derek Jeter
Over the last few days, we've seen reports from SI.com's Jon Heyman and ESPN's Jayson Stark indicating that the Yankees were ready to let star shortstop Derek Jeter play out the rest of his contract before worrying about resigning him. Jeter will make $21MM next season in the final year of the monster ten year, $189MM contract he signed prior to the 2001 season.
Still extremely productive, Jeter has rebounded from a substandard 2008 campaign to hit.330/.396/.474 in just over 600 plate appearances this year. The 35-yr old has even managed to improve his usually poor defense, checking in with a +6.8 UZR this year, good enough for third best among shortstops with at least 900 innings at the position. He's a legitimate MVP candidate after finishing in the top three on the ballot twice before.
Assuming he stays healthy and has a typical Derek Jeter season in 2010 (.317/.387/.459 career batting line), what kind of contract do you think would be appropriate for him heading into his age 37 season? Is three years at say, $15MM per year a good starting point?
Discussion: September Callups
The other day we talked about which players we'd like to see called up to the big leagues this month, so let's change things up a bit. What do you think about the concept of September callups in general?
Is it fair to have more players available this late in the season when playoff races are being decided? You can argue that having an extra reliever or an extra pinch hitter possibly decide a game in September isn't fair to the 25 players who've been on the roster all year. Would it make more sense to have callups in April?
Let us know what you think in the comments.