Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Beane, Dodgers, Braves
On this date in 1993, Charlie Brown hit a game-winning homer off the great-granddaughter of Roy Hobbs. She claims to have let him hit the homer though, perhaps in an attempt to save face. It was his first dinger in 43 years. Charles Schulz created nearly 18,000 Peanuts cartoons, but Charlie didn't hit more than a handful of homers. Here's the latest from around the web…
- Athletics Nation posted an interview with A's GM Billy Beane (part one, part two).
- True Blue LA posted some of the Dodgers' reactions to the new ownership group.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness doesn't think the Dodgers new ownership group should replace GM Ned Colletti just yet.
- Lasorda's Lair lists five things they'd like to see the Dodgers new ownership accomplish.
- River Ave. Blues wrote about the Dodgers sale and its impact on the Yankees.
- Cardinal Doctrines wrote about the Chris Carpenter's injury and the Cardinals' rotation.
- Phillies Nation explains how a deal between the Phillies and Cole Hamels can get done.
- Over The Monster wrote about the never-ending Theo Epstein compensation saga.
- Capitol Avenue Club wonders if the Braves are happy that Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson are Scott Boras clients.
- Redleg Nation wrote about the Sean Marshall Plan.
- Bay City Ball thinks the Giants might make some bad decisions soon.
- Bless You Boys tries to figure out what the Tigers should do with Brandon Inge.
- Puckett's Pond wonders why the Twins won't let Brian Duensing start.
- Yankees Fans Unite says Yankees GM Brian Cashman has learned from the past.
- Marlin Maniac mused about Ozzie Guillen and Randy Choate.
- Motor City Bengals wrote about the last few spots on the Tigers' roster.
- Warehouse Worthy wonders how the Orioles will handle Dylan Bundy.
- Giants Nirvana says second base is a problem in San Francisco.
- More Hardball highlighted MLB's last remaining active players from the 1980s.
- Baseball Nation wrote about an overlooked aspect of big money contracts.
- MLB Prospect Portal posted a video of Blue Jays prospect Adonys Cardona.
- Give Jon A Dollar explains why baseball is still the national pastime.
- The Hardball Times analyzed the fantasy LIMA strategy (part one, part two).
- The Knuckle Blog published a 105-page preview of the upcoming season.
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Marlins Release Aaron Rowand
The Marlins have released Aaron Rowand, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). Miami signed him to a minor league deal in December.
The Giants, who cut Rowand last August, owe him $12MM in 2012, the final season of the five-year, $60MM deal he signed with San Francisco in 2007. Rowand hit .233/.274/.347 in 351 plate appearances for San Francisco in 2011, playing all three outfield positions.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Josh Judy
Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here…
- The Reds have outrighted Josh Judy to Triple-A according to the team's transactions page. The 26-year-old right-hander was claimed off waivers from the Indians back in December. Judy posted a 7.07 ERA in 14 innings out of the Cleveland bullpen last year, and he has some impressive minor league numbers over the last five seasons: 2.81 ERA, 10.4 K/9 rate, 2.4 K/BB ratio.
Yankees Claim Craig Tatum Off Waivers
The Yankees have claimed catcher Craig Tatum off waivers from the Diamondbacks, the team announced. The 29-year-old backstop has been claimed off waivers three times in the last few months, first by the Astros, then by the D'Backs, and now by the Yankees. Their 40-man roster is now full.
Tatum has three partial seasons of catching experience at the Major League level and isn't yet eligible for arbitration. He has a .223/.291/.264 line in 299 MLB plate appearances and has stopped 21% of stolen base attempts against him. In eight seasons as a minor leaguer, the 2004 third round pick has a .249/.316/.377 batting line and has stopped 35% of stolen base attempts.
Yankees Sign Jack Cust
The Yankees have signed Jack Cust to a minor league contract, reports Sweeny Murti of WFAN (on Twitter). Last night we heard that the TWC Sports client was likely to sign with an NL team, but the Yankees apparently swooped in.
Cust, 33, was released by the Astros yesterday. He posted a .213/.344/.329 line with three home runs in 270 plate appearances for the Mariners in 2011, when he earned $2.5MM. However, the left-handed hitter averaged 28 homers and 103 walks with the A's from 2007-09. Cust gives the Yankees some left-handed hitting DH insurance in Triple-A in case Raul Ibanez doesn't work out.
Johnson/Kasten Group Agrees To Purchase Dodgers
WEDNESDAY, 7:40am: The Dodgers sold for $2.15 billion, the world record price for a sports franchise, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports (Twitter links). The Cubs had set the previous record for an MLB team with a sale price of $845MM. The new deal allows the incoming ownership group to control parking lots for games, but Frank McCourt and the new group will jointly pursue any development of the lots.
TUESDAY, 11:48pm: The Magic/Kasten/Guggenheim Partners group will in fact control the Dodger Stadium parking lots, reports Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). There was no auction between the three bidding groups; McCourt struck a deal with Walter after the owners vote today.
10:01pm: The Dodgers have reached an agreement to be sold to the bidding group led by Magic Johnson, Stan Kasten, and Guggenheim Partners according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Dennis Berman of The Wall Street Journal reports (on Twitter) that they will pay $2 billion for the team, by far the most ever paid for a North American sports franchise. The Dodgers have confirmed the sale.
"I am thrilled to be part of the historic Dodger franchise and intend to build on the fantastic foundation as we drive the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section in our wonderful community of Los Angeles," said Johnson in a statement.
“This transaction underscores the Debtors’ objective to maximize the value of their estate and to emerge from Chapter 11 under a successful Plan of Reorganization, under which all creditors are paid in full," said the team in a statement.
Former owner Frank McCourt purchased the Dodgers from NewsCorp for $430MM in 2004. He will form a joint venture with Guggenheim Partners to acquire the Chavez Ravine property for an additional $150MM according to ESPN's Molly Knight (Twitter links), indicating that the Dodger Stadium parking lots were not included in the sale. McCourt's debt has been estimated at $1.1 billion, so he'll still turn a significant profit with the sale.
The Dodgers are getting the best of both worlds with the new ownership group. Magic brings unmatched local starpower while Kasten provides decades of baseball experience. He has previously served as the president of the Braves and Nationals. Mark Walter, CEO of Guggenheim Partners, will become controlling owner of the team according to Knight (on Twitter).
The Johnson/Kasten group was competing with Stan Kroenke and a group led by Steve Cohen and Patrick Soon-Shiong. All three bidders were approved by the other MLB owners just today.
Quick Hits: Byrnes, Hoyer, Cain, Mets, Chamberlain
Ten years and one day ago today, the Marlins traded Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca to the Cubs for Julian Tavarez, Ryan Jorgensen, Jose Cueto, and Dontrelle Willis. Willis alone made the deal worthwhile for the Fish. Here's the latest from around the league…
- When Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein first called former Padres CEO Jeff Moorad for permission to speak to a member of his front office, he asked about assistant GM Josh Byrnes according to Dan Hayes of The North County Times. Epstein was instead allowed to speak to GM Jed Hoyer because "he was the GM of a last-place team," said Moorad.
- There has been some recent "back and forth" between the Giants and Matt Cain about a contract extension, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Cain did say that his upcoming free agency is "an exciting part of your career."
- Outfielder Mike Baxter, catcher Mike Nickeas, and lefty Danny Herrera are front-runners for roster spots with the Mets, writes ESPN New York's Adam Rubin. Baxter and Herrera are not on the team's 40-man roster.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman declined to comment when asked about Joba Chamberlain's contract situation according to Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger (on Twitter). The right-hander suffered an open dislocation of his right ankle playing with his son last week and could miss the season.
- When the Blue Jays and Athletics discussed Gio Gonzalez this offseason, Oakland asked for 19-year-old right-hander Noah Syndergaard according to Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail. Baseball America ranked Snydergaard as Toronto's seventh best prospect in December.
Mike Gonzalez Auditioned For Reds
Mike Gonzalez was spotted throwing a bullpen session during an audition for the Reds at their Spring Training complex on Monday, reports Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. With Sean Marshall set to close following Ryan Madson's injury, Cincinnati could be looking to add a left-handed setup man.
Gonzalez, 33, remains a free agent despite recent interest from the Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Rangers. The lefty reliever had knee surgery early in the offseason and appears unwilling to sign a minor league contract at the moment.
Jack Cust To Sign With An NL Team
Jack Cust will sign a minor league contract with an NL team, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter). That team is not the Rockies however, and we can also rule out the Astros since they released him this morning.
Cust, 33, signed a non-guaranteed Major League deal worth $600K with Houston in January. The one-year contract had also included a club option for 2013. Cust posted a .213/.344/.329 line with three home runs in 270 plate appearances for the Mariners in 2011, when he earned $2.5MM. However, the TWC Sports client averaged 28 homers and 103 walks with the A's from 2007-09.
Make Or Break Year: Scott Baker
The Twins are coming off the second-losingest season since moving to Minnesota in 1961, in part because they only got 21 starts out of Scott Baker. The right-hander has been a stabilizing force in their rotation over the last half-decade, though he's now entering what might be the most important season of his career.
Performance has never been an issue for the 30-year-old Baker. He's consistently pitched to a 3.98 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, and a 34.1% ground ball rate since breaking into the big leagues full-time in 2007. Brandon Warne of FanGraphs argued last month that Baker is one of the most underrated pitchers in the game, noting that his fastball command allows his otherwise nondescript stuff to play up. Like I said, his problem hasn't been performance. It's been staying on the field.
Baker has visited the DL in three of the last four seasons, and in that fourth year he missed most of September with an injury but remained active due to expanded rosters. He's dealt with a groin strain (2008), shoulder stiffness (2009), elbow soreness (2010), and a flexor strain (twice in 2011). Sure enough, elbow tendinitis has limited Baker in Spring Training this year. In his first start back this week, he allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings.
The Twins hold a $9.25MM club option for Baker's services next year with no buyout. He's a prime midseason trade candidate if they fall out of the race again, but another injury-riddled campaign could ruin Baker's trade value and prompt the team to cut ties with him after the season. If the Twins' longest-tenured starting pitcher can avoid the DL and pitch like his usual self this summer, Minnesota will have no qualms with bringing him back at that price in 2013.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.