Minor League Signings: Lawrence, Place, Salome
Baseball America's Matt Eddy tweets a few minor league signings of note:
- The Angels released Virgil Vasquez and signed Brian Lawrence. Lawrence, 34, hasn't pitched in the Majors since '07. He racked up 142 2/3 innings for the Marlins Triple-A affiliate last year, posting a 4.42 ERA. Lawrence was a staple in the Padres' rotation from 2002-05, even winning 15 games in '04.
- Right fielder Jason Place, released by the Red Sox in Spring Training, was signed by the Yankees. Place was drafted 27th overall in 2006, one spot ahead of Daniel Bard. 18 of the 44 first-rounders from that draft have yet to play in the Majors, Place among them.
- The Mariners signed catcher/right fielder Angel Salome. Salome was a fairly well-regarded catching prospect as recently as a year ago, but he was removed from the Brewers' 40-man roster last July after taking an extended leave for the birth of his child and requesting a switch to the outfield upon his return (Tom Haudricourt reporting for Baseball America).
Giants Option Brandon Belt
Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has been optioned to the Triple-A Fresno, tweets CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban. The move opens a spot on the 25-man roster for Cody Ross.
The demotion is justified based on Belt's performance; he hit .192/.300/.269 in 60 plate appearances and the Giants can't afford to give him on-the-job training. He's still considered one of the best 20 or so prospects in the game.
There is another benefit to optioning Belt, as MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith explained yesterday. If he stays in the minors for 20 days or more, which seems likely barring an injury at the big league level, Belt's free agency will be delayed until after the 2017 season at the earliest. Had he remained in the Majors all year, Belt would have been eligible for free agency after '16.
Pirates Sign Blaine Boyer, Brett Sinkbeil
The Pirates signed pitchers Blaine Boyer and Brett Sinkbeil to minor league deals, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
Boyer, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in January after being non-tendered by the Diamondbacks, but was designated for assignment on April 10th. He elected free agency rather than accept an assignment to the Mets' Triple-A club. Boyer posted a 4.26 ERA, 4.6 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, 0.5 HR/9, and 65.8% groundball rate in 57 relief innings for Arizona last year. His groundball rate ranked third in baseball among those with 50 innings, and he averages around 94 miles per hour on his fastball, so he'll keep getting chances.
Sinkbeil, the 19th overall pick in the 2006 draft, was released by the Marlins in late March.
Tigers Outright Enrique Gonzalez
The Tigers outrighted righty Enrique Gonzalez to Triple-A Toledo, tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck. The move was done to create a 25-man roster spot for reliever Ryan Perry, who came off the DL today.
One side benefit: the Tigers' 40-man roster now stands at 39, so they can make a waiver claim without losing anyone.
Undoing One Fateful Diamondbacks Trade
Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes made many trades that dramatically altered the team's future, but none more so than the 2007 deal to acquire Dan Haren. Hindsight is always 20/20, but what would the team look like if we undid this trade?
On December 14th, 2007, the Diamondbacks shipped Brett Anderson, Carlos Gonzalez, Chris Carter, Aaron Cunningham, Dana Eveland, and Greg Smith to the Athletics for Haren and Connor Robertson. At the time I called this a win for the Diamondbacks, failing to fully realize what Gonzalez and Anderson would become. So I can't knock Byrnes for pulling the trigger, especially since he was adding a second ace to pair with Brandon Webb without hurting his big league club. Plus, Haren was signed at a third of his market value for three seasons. You have to give up a ton to get a guy like that.
Still, let's undo the Haren trade and put CarGo in left field for Arizona. We can also take Joe Saunders out of the rotation and slide Anderson in. Those are a couple of huge upgrades. WAR might peg the total upgrade over what the Diamondbacks have now at five wins or so, but I have to admit that intuitively it feels like the difference would be about twice that. Just undoing the one Haren deal, the D'Backs have a fantastic, affordable front three of Anderson, Kennedy, and Hudson in their rotation plus a pair of superstars at the outfield corners.
What else would be different right now? Would Byrnes still have his job? Would Mark Reynolds still be manning third base? Would the team have made a more serious offseason push toward contending in 2011? It's fun to wonder, unless you root for the Diamondbacks.
2012 Contract Issues: Atlanta Braves
The Braves are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series.
Eligible For Free Agency (3)
- Veteran relievers Scott Linebrink and George Sherrill will be free agents, so the Braves figure to dabble in the relief market again.
- Shortstop Alex Gonzalez might be worth re-signing if the Braves want an affordable shortstop, unless they feel Tyler Pastornicky is ready.
Contract Options (2)
- Nate McLouth: $10.65MM club option with a $1.25MM buyout. This figures to be declined.
- Eric Hinske: $1.5MM club option with a $100K buyout. There's a good chance the Braves pick this one up.
Arbitration Eligible (5)
- First year: Kris Medlen (has a shot at Super Two)
- Second year: Jair Jurrjens, Martin Prado, Eric O'Flaherty
- Third year: Peter Moylan
Jurrjens will be the best-paid of the group, with $6MM a possibility depending on how this season goes. The Braves' arbitration eligible players could cost around $15MM in total.
2012 Payroll Obligation
The Braves' 2012 payroll obligation, according to Cot's, is $62.742MM excluding Hinske's buyout. Add in Hinske and the arbitration eligible players and you're in the $80MM range. That'd leave $15MM to spend assuming payroll is around $95MM. The Braves could add $6-15MM in flexibility (minus the salaries of the players coming back) by trading Jurrjens, Tim Hudson, or Derek Lowe, as they have great rotation depth. They might be in the market for a shortstop, a center fielder, and a reliever or two.
Which Teams Could Use Brandon Wood?
Brandon Wood seems like he's been an Angels prospect forever. However, at this point he's 26 years old with 494 career big league plate appearances and a .168/.197/.259 line to his name. The Halos designated him for assignment last night, and a trade or claim seems likely.
Since Wood is out of options, any team giving up a prospect of value for him will have to be able to keep him in the Majors rather than risk exposing him to waivers. Wood can probably play an acceptable shortstop or third base. This scouting report is three years old, but before the '08 season Baseball America said Wood had unexceptional range but could "handle shortstop just fine," and he was "solid if unspectacular at third base." He's never played second base, but he might be passable there as well.
I'd like to see a non-contending team install Wood as the starting shortstop and just let him rip for 500 plate appearances. That plan might be unfair to players who don't have the "advantage" of being out of options. But the Pirates might as well try him over Ronny Cedeno. The Mets could be a fit, if they're thinking of trading Jose Reyes in a few months. Wood could man a middle infield position for the Astros, though they might consider themselves booked between Clint Barmes, Bill Hall, Angel Sanchez, and Jeff Keppinger. Likewise, the Mariners aren't contenders but would have to do some shuffling to get Wood regular at-bats.
Since they sit atop the AL Central at the moment, I won't rule out the Indians and Royals as contenders. But the Tribe might be able to get Wood some third base at-bats until they deem Lonnie Chisenhall ready. Wood could also keep the seat warm at the hot corner for Royals prospect Mike Moustakas.
The Twins, Brewers, and Dodgers were regarded as preseason contenders, but haven't been spectacular in the early going. All three clubs have question marks at shortstop, though Wood is certainly not a clear upgrade. The Marlins are cobbling together a solution at third base, though it's actually going well overall.
In the end, I expect Wood to land with a non-contending team like the Pirates. Like the Royals, the Bucs should still be thinking long-term even though they're technically in contention at the moment. But even in a lower-pressure environment I'm not sure Wood will get regular playing time, given how far his stock has fallen.
2012 Contract Issues: Chicago White Sox
The White Sox are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series.
Eligible For Free Agency (5)
- Mark Buehrle is a 10-and-5 player, so if the White Sox trade him they need his permission. I mention this because his contract has a unique clause that adds on a guaranteed $15MM for 2012 only if he's traded. If he does reach free agency, Buehrle is inclined to play for a contender and in a place that is comfortable for his family. Retirement isn't out of the question. Buehrle told Dan McNeil of the Chicago Tribune last month that he doesn't know what the White Sox are thinking, and speculated that maybe they think Chris Sale could do a better job for a lot less money.
- Edwin Jackson, a Scott Boras client, seems very likely to test the open market. A breakout season would be nice for his wallet, but so far he's been his inconsistent self. Though they could lose two starters to free agency, the Sox don't necessarily have to bring two in, if they want to try Sale or Jake Peavy is healthy.
- Left fielder Juan Pierre is eligible for free agency, so the Sox may need a corner outfielder this offseason.
- Omar Vizquel and Ramon Castro will also be eligible for free agency.
Contract Options (0)
Arbitration Eligible (3)
- First time: None
- Second time: None
- Third time: John Danks, Carlos Quentin, Tony Pena
- Fourth time: None
The White Sox may have to pay Danks, Quentin, and Pena $20MM for 2012. That includes a $10MM estimate for Danks, which could be light. Comparables are scarce for front-end starters in their final arbitration year, but Carlos Zambrano made the leap from $6.5MM to $12.4MM.
2012 Payroll Obligation
The White Sox have a $94.75MM payroll obligation for 2012, according to Cot's, with four $12MM+ salaries locked in. Throw in another $20MM for the arbitration eligible players, and the team would have roughly $13MM to play with in 2012 salaries if payroll is held constant at $128MM. The team might need a starter or two, a corner outfielder, and some veteran reserves, but GM Kenny Williams will have to be creative (perhaps by backloading contracts) if he wants to bring in high-salary players, unless payroll is increased again.
Offseason In Review: Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are next in our Offseason In Review series.
Major League Signings
- Takashi Saito, RP: one year, $1.75MM.
- Craig Counsell, IF: one year, $1.4MM.
- Mark Kotsay, OF/1B: one year, $800K.
- Wil Nieves, C: one year, $775K. Arbitration eligible for 2012.
- Total spend: $4.725MM.
International Signings
- Elvis Rubio, Estervin Matos
Notable Minor League Signings
- Mike Rivera, Zack Segovia, Shawn Riggans, Sean Green, Brandon Jones, Eulogio de la Cruz, Jeremy Reed
Extensions
- Rickie Weeks, 2B: four years, $38.5MM. Includes $11.5MM vesting option for 2015.
Trades and Claims
- Claimed RP Justin James off waivers from Athletics
- Acquired cash considerations from Blue Jays for RP Carlos Villanueva
- Acquired SP Shaun Marcum from Blue Jays for 3B Brett Lawrie
- Acquired SP Zack Greinke, SS Yuniesky Betancourt, and $2MM from Royals for CF Lorenzo Cain, SS Alcides Escobar, RP Jeremy Jeffress, and SP Jake Odorizzi
- Claimed RP Roque Mercedes off waivers from Diamondbacks
- Acquired OF Brett Carroll from Royals for cash considerations
- Acquired P Sergio Mitre from Yankees for OF Chris Dickerson
- Acquired CF Nyjer Morgan from Nationals for IF/OF Cutter Dykstra and $50K
Notable Losses
- Carlos Villanueva, Brett Lawrie, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, Jake Odorizzi, Chris Dickerson, Cutter Dykstra, Joe Inglett, Gregg Zaun, Dave Bush, Chris Capuano, Todd Coffey, Trevor Hoffman, Doug Davis
Summary
In recent years, Doug Melvin's attempts to bolster the Brewers' rotation with free agents have fallen short, and the 2010-11 market didn't offer much front-end pitching anyway. So Melvin pulled off a near-impossible feat: he traded for a pair of high quality starters, including two years of control for each. He also hired Ron Roenicke as the team's new manager and extended Weeks one year shy of free agency.
First Melvin dealt for Marcum, giving up only one player in Lawrie. Lawrie's bat makes him a top 40 prospect in the eyes of most experts, so the price was significant. Melvin again showed a willingness to move one of his recent first-round draft picks, as he did with Matt LaPorta in the '08 trade for C.C. Sabathia. This time, the Brewers got more than a rental.
Melvin wasn't done; he aimed to take his rotation from good to great by acquiring Greinke. As I mentioned in the Royals offseason in review, it was surprising to see the Brewers acquire Greinke without sending a top 50 prospect or equivalent young Major Leaguer. Sure, the two trades gutted the Brewers' farm system, but I'm a big supporter of trading prospects in the name of winning now. If you're a team that can't afford to bid on Cliff Lee, this strategy is a strong alternative. The Brewers have a strong rotation, and the entire group will be back for the 2012 season.
The Brewers' offense ranked fourth in the NL last year, and the only change was swapping out one offensively-challenged shortstop for another. When Corey Hart returns the team should have enough offense, though in keeping with his "all-in" mindset it'd be great to see Melvin go after Jose Reyes this summer. Center field was another potential weakness, but the Brewers commendably bought low on Morgan to provide Carlos Gomez with some competition.
Melvin opted not to spend money on the bullpen, instead importing Saito, Mitre, and Green. The pen could be a weakness, especially if closer John Axford continues to falter. On the plus side, LaTroy Hawkins is close to returning. The one questionable trade Melvin made this winter was shipping Villanueva to the Blue Jays for cash. Unless this trade was unofficially part of the Marcum deal, I don't understand why Melvin would move a decent reliever for cash.
One day before an arbitration hearing, the Brewers agreed to a four-year extension with Weeks. The Brewers added three free agent years at $10-11MM salaries, plus a 2015 option that vests based on Weeks' health. On one hand, this is a scary investment for a player coming off his first fully healthy season. He's endured surgeries on both wrists as well as a thumb and knee. On the other hand, the Brewers know Weeks' health better than anyone, and if he repeated his 2010 season they wouldn't have been able to sign him for three years and $31MM.
The Brewers are currently one of four NL Central teams sporting an 8-8 record. My pick for the NL pennant, they'll get a big boost when Greinke and Hart come off the DL. Hopefully Melvin continues to be aggressive this year, because even with a strong rotation in 2012 the club will likely be without Fielder.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Stark On Mauer, Indians, Myers
The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…
- Stark tackles the topic of whether Joe Mauer can and should pursue his goal of staying at catcher for the life of his eight-year contract. Manager Ron Gardenhire was realistic about it, admitting that a position change is worth thinking about if Mauer continues to have leg and knee issues.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti explained that if the team remains a contender at the trade deadline, "we'll be looking to acquire guys," rather than trade players like Grady Sizemore.
- Rooting for the Yankees to acquire Brett Myers this summer? One NL scout told Stark, "If he's in the AL East, he's a fifth starter." For more on the Astros' trade chips, check out my post from this morning.