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Tigers Sign Jose Valverde

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The Tigers have officially added Jose Valverde to their roster following the signing of a one-year, Major League contract. Valverde's deal reportedly contains a base salary of roughly $2MM with another $3MM available via incentives. The Scott Boras client will serve as the team's closer.

The 35-year-old Valverde initially signed a minor league contract with the club in early April that had a May 5 opt-out clause, but that contract didn't include a Major League portion, so the two sides have since worked out a Major League pact.

Uspw_6686672Valverde is the last of MLBTR's Top 50 Free Agents to sign. He rejoins the Tigers' organization after serving as their closer for the past three seasons. Valverde struggled mightily in the 2012 postseason, and the team did not attempt to re-sign him. Aside from picking up the club option on Octavio Dotel, Dombrowski did little with his bullpen over the offseason.  Relief prospect Bruce Rondon was talked up as the team's potential closer, but he was demoted to the minors at the end of Spring Training (he's since been called up). The team entered the season with the dreaded closer-by-commitee but had seen Joaquin Benoit emerge as the primary ninth-inning option prior to the Valverde signing.

Valverde posted a 3.78 ERA, 6.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, and 0.39 HR/9 in 69 innings last year.  He saved 35 games in 40 tries, but saw his strikeout rate plummet from years past.

Valverde's signing marks the conclusion of MLBTR's Free Agent Prediction Contest, and the winner is Josh Larabee with 20 of 50 correct.  I don't think anyone has come close to batting .400 in the past, and Josh won $500 for his excellent prognosticating skills.

Patrick Reusse of 1500 ESPN was the first to break the news of the minor league signing (on Twitter). Following the team's announcement of the Major League contract, MLB.com's Jason Beck wrote that it would be an incentive-based deal, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports added the salary information (Twitter link).

Charlie Wilmoth and Steve Adams contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Thuuz: A Better Way To Track Your Fantasy Baseball Teams On Mobile

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Looking for the best way to track your fantasy baseball team on your android and mobile devices? Check out a free app called Thuuz. Thuuz helps sports fans track all of their favorite sports so that they never miss an exciting game. With as many as 15 MLB games occurring simultaneously, Thuuz alerts you of all the most exciting games and performances. Thuuz is awesome for any MLB and sports fan – but it's even sweeter if you're in an MLB fantasy league.

Here's how it works:

Sign up for Thuuz Fantasy Baseball 2013 beta and import your fantasy baseball teams into the app from any of the major fantasy platforms. Along with tracking your favorite teams and exciting games, Thuuz will track games involving your fantasy players and let you know when your players are going off. Thuuz will also tell you if the game is on TV or available online.

What you can expect from Thuuz:

  • See your fantasy rosters, player status and league status on the Thuuz Fantasy tab
  • Scan timely fantasy updates in your Thuuz feed
  • Receive Thuuz fantasy alerts
  • Hot players – when your players reach statistical milestones
  • Scoring position – when pitchers enter the game or batters have RBI opportunities
  • Competition updates – end of the week updates if your match is close
  • Injury alerts – when your players get put on the DL
  • Talk smack in Thuuz to your league competitors
  • Screenshots from the app:

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You may already have an app (or two) that you use to track fantasy news – here's how Thuuz complements those apps:

  • Easier to track live sports for BOTH your favorite teams (as a fan) AND your fantasy players
  • Easier for fantasy owners with teams on multiple platforms to track players – Thuuz tracks across multiple sites, which is huge
  • Best in class alerts, including when your fantasy players are on TV

One last thing to that should get you to download Thuuz – Thuuz is running a $5000 Sweeten the Pot Promotion. If you and all the guys in your fantasy league download the app and integrate your fantasy teams, you'll be entered to win $5000 to sweeten the pot of your fantasy league winnings.

Go give Thuuz a download now.

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This is a sponsored post from Thuuz.

Billingsley To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Dodgers righty Chad Billingsley will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, announced the team, with the standard expected recovery time of one year.  Elbow pain first surfaced for Billingsley in mid-July of last year.  He had platelet-rich plasma injections in August and September and tried to rehab the injury, but Tommy John surgery was looming as a possibility.  The 28-year-old made a pair of big league starts this year before the elbow problem resurfaced.

Billingsley will earn $12MM in 2014, the last guaranteed year of his contract.  After 2014, the Dodgers will choose between a $3MM buyout and a $14MM club option for 2015.

Billingsley joined Dodgers starters Zack Greinke (broken collarbone) and Chris Capuano (strained calf) on the DL two days ago.  Greinke's collarbone was broken when the Padres' Carlos Quentin charged the mound on April 11th, with Capuano worsening his own injury by sprinting toward the fracas.  The Dodgers' rotation will welcome Ted Lilly tomorrow, with Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Josh Beckett, and Stephen Fife comprising the other four and Aaron Harang now pitching for the Mariners.

AL West Notes: Rangers, Casper Wells

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The Rangers and Athletics sit atop the AL West with about 88% of the season remaining; the Angels, Mariners, and Astros are currently below .500.  The latest from the division:

  • "There's not a lot flashy about what we do. We work. We stick with each other. We try to make good decisions. We've made some bad ones. But more good than bad," Rangers president Jon Daniels told Yahoo's Tim Brown.  The Rangers missed out on all the big names during the offseason, yet they're still looking good in the early going.
  • The idea of a Jurickson Profar–Oscar Taveras swap between the Rangers and Cardinals "has crazy legs for something never discussed between the two teams," Daniels told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  MLBTR probably deserves some of the blame for that, but don't worry, we'll have real trade rumors to discuss soon enough.
  • The Athletics sent $100K to the Blue Jays for Casper Wells, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Wells' role with the team once Yoenis Cespedes returns Sunday is unclear.  After spending about a month in waiver/DFA limbo, Wells should at least get into a few games for the A's.  He lamented the transaction-related layoff, tweets Slusser.

Blue Jays Claim Aaron Laffey

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The waiver claim kings have struck again.  The Blue Jays announced today they've claimed lefty Aaron Laffey off waivers from the Mets, transferring shortstop Jose Reyes to the 60-day DL.  Laffey had been designated for assignment by the Mets on Sunday.

Laffey tossed 100 2/3 big league innings for the 2012 Jays, but lose his 40-man roster spot in October and later joined the Mets on a minor league deal.  The 28-year-old made four appearances for the Mets this year.

The Blue Jays have been the most active team on the waiver wire, as recently pointed out by our own Steve Adams.  MLBTR's Charlie Wilmoth recently asked if excessive adds and drops this season should lead baseball to reevaluate the way that the waiver system works.

Nationals Claim Xavier Cedeno

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The Nationals claimed lefty reliever Xavier Cedeno off waivers from the Astros, according to a tweet from the team.  They've optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse.  Cedeno had been designated for assignment by the Astros on Thursday.  He nearly made it through unclaimed, as the Nationals were the last team in the waiver order.

Cedeno, 26, was scored upon in four of his five appearances this year.  In 2012, he posted a 3.77 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 0.87 HR/9, and 50.0% groundball rate in 31 relief innings, tossing another 27 2/3 innings at Triple-A.  A native of Puerto Rico, Cedeno was drafted by the Rockies in the 31st round in 2004.  They released him in March 2010, and he signed with the Astros as a free agent in December of that year.  Cedeno made seven appearances in the World Baseball Classic this year for Puerto Rico.

The Nationals only have one other left-handed reliever on their 40-man roster: Zach Duke.

Minor Moves: Leroux, Alberto Gonzalez, Maine

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Today's minor moves…

  • Former Pirates pitcher Chris Leroux signed with Japan's Yakult Swallows, tweeted Chris Cotillo last night.  The signing has since been confirmed by Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, who spoke to Leroux's agent, Fred Wray of Octagon.  Leroux received a $500K contract for 2013 that includes incentives and a 2014 vesting option, reports Nicholson-Smith.  The 29-year-old righty had been designated for assignment by the Pirates earlier this month, after which point he elected free agency.  He's never exceeded 25 big league innings in a season, tallying 63 2/3 Triple-A frames in 2012.
  • Infielder Alberto Gonzalez and righty John Maine have been outrighted to Triple-A by the Cubs and Marlins, respectively, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page.  Both players had been designated for assignment on Friday, Gonzalez for Julio Borbon and Maine for Tom Koehler.
  • Three players currently reside in DFA limbo: the Indians' Fernando Nieve, the Mets' Aaron Laffey, and the Astros' Xavier Cedeno.

Trade Candidate: Carlos Villanueva

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29-year-old righty Carlos Villanueva has kicked off his Cubs career with three quality starts.  That's been a big part of the team's 3.11 rotation ERA, third-best in the National League.  The Cubs, however, have failed in most other aspects of the game and are already six games back in the NL Central with a 5-13 record.  Once again, the team's veterans need to be ready for the possibility of a summer trade.

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Because of his age and some decent rotation work for the Blue Jays last year, Villanueva was able to find a two-year, $10MM deal with the Cubs in December.  The Cubs had already signed Scott Baker and Scott Feldman at that point, and went on to add Edwin Jackson.  That's a whopping four free agent starters, but the depth has been necessary so far with Baker and Matt Garza on the shelf.  Garza's first minor league rehab start is scheduled for tomorrow, so he's projected to return in May.  Baker will be out until at least June, after undergoing Tommy John surgery a year ago.  Even with the uncertainty surrounding Baker, the Cubs have assembled significantly more rotation depth than they had last July, when they traded Paul Maholm and Ryan Dempster.  

So, there's a chance the Cubs move two starting pitchers again this summer.  With free agency looming, Garza is a prime candidate.  If he stays healthy and reasonably effective, Villanueva is another.  Though he has one of the slower fastballs you'll see from a right-handed starter, Villanueva has been effective since joining the Jays' rotation in late June of last year.  Since then he's started 19 games, with a 3.90 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, and 1.67 HR/9 in 113 innings.  Some of his numbers in his brief Cubs career are unsustainable, but if Villanueva's walk and groundball rates stick, he should have continued success.  In particular, he shouldn't be quite so homer-prone moving forward.

Perhaps they underestimated Maholm at the time, but the Cubs were still able to acquire a top-90 prospect from the Braves in Arodys Vizcaino last summer.  Like Maholm, the Cubs can offer an additional full season of Villanueva's services, making him more than just a rental.  The Indians, Angels, and Phillies are a few early potential matches, should those teams remain on the fringe of contention.  Should the longball remain an issue for Villanueva, though, it could cause teams with hitters' parks to shy away.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

MLBTR Seeks Part-Time Writing Help

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We’re looking to add to the MLB Trade Rumors writing team. The position pays on an hourly basis.  Unlike some of our previous openings, this is specifically for the regular Saturday night shift, which runs from 5pm til 11pm or midnight central time every week.  The criteria:

  • Exceptional knowledge of all 30 MLB teams, no discernible bias. Knowledge of hot stove concepts such as arbitration and free agent compensation.
  • Availability to regularly work Saturday nights from 5pm til 11pm or midnight central time.  This availability is required every week.
  • Writing experience is necessary and online writing experience is preferred. 
  • Journalistic experience writing and reporting is also a plus.
  • Attention to detail and ability to follow the MLBTR style and tone.  
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news concisely. 
  • Ability to accept and learn from constructive criticism. In general, a team player.
  • Ability to use Twitter and an RSS feed reader. You must be able to multi-task.
  • If you're interested, email mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and explain how you stand out in a couple of short paragraphs. Hundreds may apply, so we will not be able to respond to most applications.

NL East Notes: Wheeler, D’Arnaud, Simmons, Nolasco

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The day after he was rocked for six earned runs in 1 2/3 innings, the Phillies placed lefty John Lannan on the DL with a strained quadriceps in his left knee.  There's no word yet on who will replace him in the rotation, but he could be out six-to-eight weeks.  Tonight, the fourth-place Phillies and Cole Hamels host Adam Wainwright and the first-place Cardinals.  Elsewhere in the NL East:

  • "Let's just say if this continues, certainly we've gotta start visiting that here pretty soon," Mets manager Terry Collins told Mike Francesa of WFAN in regard to a question about quality reinforcements including top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.  The Mets' rotation has struggled beyond Matt Harvey and Jon Niese.  GM Sandy Alderson was noncommittal, telling Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, "It was always a case that it would be Zack’s sufficiency and the major-league team’s need.  If those two things merge, the need and the performance converge, then it is a possibility.  That could happen sooner or it could happen later."  Ackert hears that people within the organization privately do not feel Wheeler is ready, plus the Mets would like to avoid the pitcher achieving Super Two status after the 2015 season (necessitating a promotion in mid-June or later).
  • Meanwhile, another top Mets prospect won't be seeing Citi Field anytime soon.  Catcher Travis D'Arnaud, acquired from Toronto in the R.A. Dickey trade, fractured a bone in his left foot yesterday in a Triple-A game.
  • The Nationals' depth is on display, explains James Wagner of the Washington Post, with Kurt Suzuki seamlessly taking over as the starting catcher after Wilson Ramos suffered a hamstring injury.     
  • Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons is now represented by SFX, MLBTR has learned.  He'd previously been with The Sparta Group, up until the August switch.  A few new additions to our agency database include Jonathan Gray (advised by Jay Franklin of BBI Sports Group), Oswaldo Arcia (Martin Arburua), and Tony Cingrani (Curtis Dishman).
  • "He's decent for a club that needs a starter. There are worse No. 5 starters in the big leagues right now, but he's not the pitcher he used to be," a scout told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in reference to the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco.  Nolasco, Miami's highest-paid player by a long-shot at $11.5MM, is a strong candidate to be traded this summer.

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