Brewers Release David Riske
The Brewers released reliever David Riske, according to the team's Twitter feed. Riske has about $1MM remaining in 2010 salary, plus a $250K buyout for 2011. The Brewers will be on the hook for that minus the prorated league minimum if Riske signs elsewhere.
Riske was activated from the disabled list in June and has posted a 5.01 ERA, 6.2 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 with two home runs allowed in 23.3 innings. He had Tommy John surgery in June of '09. Riske has dealt with elbow issues for the duration of his Brewers career. He was signed by GM Doug Melvin in December of '07 to a three-year, $13MM deal. The Royals were the winners in that deal, as they chose Mike Montgomery with the supplemental pick received when they let Riske leave.
What’s Next For Wandy Rodriguez?
The Twins, Reds, Mets, Dodgers, and Blue Jays tried to acquire lefty Wandy Rodriguez on July 31st, wrote ESPN's Jayson Stark, but the Astros "never seriously entertained trading him." Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle wrote yesterday that Rodriguez, the longest-tenured Astro, had his representatives sit down with GM Ed Wade over the weekend to discuss his future. Wandy hopes to remain with the Astros, but Wade will wait on specific discussions until the offseason.
The Astros have Rodriguez for 2011, as he'll be arbitration-eligible one last time. The team's victory over the pitcher in a February arbitration hearing will continue to benefit them, as his raise will be added to a $5MM salary rather than a $7MM base.
If Rodriguez seeks an extension that buys out free agent years, Joe Blanton's deal might be an apt comparison. Blanton, entering his final arbitration year, signed a three-year, $24MM deal with the Phillies in January of 2010. Aside from strikeouts, their numbers stack up quite well. Check out Wandy's projected career numbers through 2010 (with ZiPS projecting the rest of the season) and Blanton's through 2009:
- Innings pitched: 1026.6 for Blanton, 983.6 for Rodriguez
- ERA: 4.21 for Blanton, 4.25 for Rodriguez
- Wins: 63 for Blanton, 63 for Rodriguez
- Strikeouts: 643 for Blanton, 826 for Rodriguez
One other point in Rodriguez's favor is that his ERA in his last three seasons should be around 3.50 while Blanton's was 4.22. Wandy has really turned it around recently after a rough start to the 2010 season. He had a 6.09 ERA as recently as June 19th, but has allowed five earned runs over his last six starts to drop his season ERA to 4.00.
Rodriguez turns 32 in January, so he qualifies as a late bloomer. His agent Barry Praver might suggest that as a southpaw who does not depend on velocity, Wandy figures to age well.
Arbitration Eligibles: Baltimore Orioles
A look at the Orioles players who will arbitration-eligible after the season…
- First time: Adam Jones, Felix Pie
- Second time: Jeremy Guthrie, Matt Albers
- Third time: Luke Scott
Albers could be a non-tender candidate, in that his 2010 numbers are nothing special. On the other hand he's earning only $680K this year.
Last November Jones was on the losing side of a three-way tiebreaker to determine whether he'd receive Super Two status. He'll get his first big payday this winter, perhaps $3MM or so.
Guthrie, 31, and Scott, 32, are a couple of late bloomers. I expected the Orioles to shop them this summer, but there hasn't been much in the way of rumors.
Non-Tender Candidate: Clint Barmes
Rockies second baseman Clint Barmes will be eligible for arbitration one last time this winter. He's already earning $3.325MM this year; will the team tender a contract and potentially give him a raise for 2011?
Barmes, 31, lost most of his power this year en route to a .241/.307/.360 line through 400 plate appearances. By measure of UZR Barmes has played average defense at second base the last few years and as a bonus he has significant experience at shortstop.
The Rockies flirted with the idea of acquiring Dan Uggla as far back as the offseason, reportedly discussing offering Barmes and a prospect with the Marlins. Nonetheless, the Rockies made a multiyear offer to Barmes that would've guaranteed his 2010-11 salaries and included a club option for 2012. Instead, the Rockies now have the flexibility to cut him. Sometimes the looming possibility of a non-tender can kill offseason trade value, as in the case of Matt Capps last winter. If the Rockies don't intend to retain Barmes, it may make sense to move him now. Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post wrote on Thursday that a handful of teams are waiting for the Rockies to put Barmes on waivers.
If Uggla can't be had in the offseason, the Rockies could consider free agents such as Orlando Hudson or Juan Uribe to play second base. Internal options may include Jonathan Herrera, Eric Young Jr., and Chris Nelson.
Less than a year ago Barmes was coming off a 23 home run season and the Rockies wanted to lock him up. Assuming Barmes does not change teams this month, they must decide whether to even tender a contract for 2011. Click here to predict the Rockies' decision, and here to see the results.
Giants Designate Matt Downs For Assignment
The Giants designated infielder Matt Downs for assignment to make room for Cody Ross, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
Downs, 26, struggled in the bigs over 148 career plate appearances in 2009-10. He played second base in the Majors, but has minor league experience at shortstop, third base, and the outfielder corners too. This year marked his third Triple A stint; his power slipped as he posted a .254/.348/.416 line in a half-season. Downs was still considered a prospect heading into the 2009 season, when Baseball America ranked him 24th on their Giants list and published praise from GM Brian Sabean.
Elias Rankings Update
After the season the Elias Sports Bureau will take all players over the 2009-10 period, divide them into five groups for each league, and rank them based on various statistics. Then each player will be labeled a Type A, B, or none. Those designations and the possible accompanying arbitration offers determine draft pick compensation (click here for a refresher).
Eddie Bajek has reverse-engineered the Elias rankings, and he's providing that information exclusively at MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a look at how the players rank for the period beginning with the 2009 season running through August 21st, 2010. The Google spreadsheet below has separate tabs for each position group. You can also go directly to the Google spreadsheet here. Our last set of Elias projections is here, in case you want to see what changed.
Will Johnny Damon Be Claimed?
Tigers left fielder and designated hitter Johnny Damon was placed on waivers on Thursday, so the window to make a claim closes Monday. Damon explained the situation to MLB.com's Jason Beck on Friday:
"I know they would probably like to keep me, but if this is a way they can possibly save a little bit of money this year and get a prospect, then that's something they have to do."
Damon's open attitude implies that he might not block a trade, even though he hopes to re-sign with the Tigers. Of his $8MM salary, about $1.8MM remains. Damon, 36, predictably saw his power slip with the switch from Yankee Stadium to Comerica Park. He's hitting .270/.355/.409 on the season and has logged only 268 innings in the outfield.
Damon hasn't been great, but we've seen varying returns in August moves. Jim Edmonds and Derrek Lee brought useful players back, while Cody Ross and Jose Guillen did not. Damon profiles as a Type B free agent, but I can't envision the Tigers offering arbitration. The Tigers could dump Damon's contract on a claiming club, or eat some money and try to get a useful player back.
Six American League contenders remain: the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Twins, White Sox, and Rangers. Lance Berkman's ankle injury frees up the Yankees' DH spot; would they bring Damon back given the offseason drama? The Rays and Red Sox could block the Yanks, and both clubs could use him. Damon back in the AL East would be an intriguing storyline. The Rangers, with Nelson Cruz out, could consider Damon. The White Sox might be content to use Mark Kotsay and Mark Teahen at DH, while the Twins don't look like a fit.
In the National League I think we can safely cross off the Giants as a Damon possibility, leaving the Braves, Phillies, Reds, Cardinals, and Padres as remaining contenders. Would the Braves want Damon in the left field picture? The Reds probably wouldn't add Damon after getting Edmonds. The Cardinals sent Ryan Ludwick to the Padres, though the Friars could still find room after losing Tony Gwynn. The Phillies don't seem to have a need for Damon.
The American League certainly seems a better fit for Damon. Hopefully we'll find out today whether any teams risked claims.
Phillies Giving Out Contract Years Like Candy
A swing through the Phillies page of Cot's Baseball Contracts illustrates an interesting approach by the team: they've freely given out extra contract years to many players when it did not appear necessary or prudent. The examples:
- Ryan Howard, already signed through 2011, was extended through 2016 in April of this year.
- Jamie Moyer, a Type A free agent after a fine 2008 season, was not offered arbitration but instead given a two-year deal.
- Cole Hamels, a Super Two player who was arbitration-eligible for the first time, signed a three-year, $20.5MM deal. He's pitched well, but did the Phillies save significant money in giving up the chance to go year-to-year? This was as player-friendly as pitcher extensions get.
- Placido Polanco, a Type A free agent, was not offered arbitration by the Tigers. I took this to mean the Tigers felt Polanco would have no trade value on a one-year deal, so why did the Phillies sign him for three?
- Joe Blanton, arbitration-eligible for 2010, signed a three-year deal in January buying out two free agent seasons at the market rate. Was this some kind of payroll manipulation, since $6MM of Blanton's $7MM salary this year came in the form of a signing bonus?
- Free agent reliever Danys Baez, coming off a middling season for the Orioles, got a two-year deal. Similar pitchers signed one-year deals.
- Free agent backup catcher Brian Schneider, coming off a terrible season, received two years.
- Bench player Ross Gload, coming off an unimpressive campaign, surprisingly received two years. He's hit well in 116 plate appearances, however.
- Bench player Greg Dobbs, arbitration-eligible for the first time, received a two-year deal. Why not go year-to-year with a guy like this?
- The Phillies exercised the 2011 club option for shortstop Jimmy Rollins a year early.
- The multiyear contracts don't end there, but it seems unfair to call the Phillies out for the rest. The remaining deals either saved the team decent money, or were of a length necessary to lock up the player as a free agent.
Reds Designate Micah Owings For Assignment
The Reds designated pitcher Micah Owings for assignment to make room for newly-signed draft pick Yasmani Grandal on the 40-man roster, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Owings was acquired from the Diamondbacks as the player to be named later in the Adam Dunn trade about two years ago. In his Reds career he posted a 5.35 ERA, 6.1 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, and 1.2 HR/9 in 153 innings. He's dealt with shoulder issues in recent years. Owings is known for his bat; he slugged four homers, five doubles, and a triple in 76 Reds plate appearances.
Phillies Designate Greg Dobbs For Assignment
The Phillies designated third baseman Greg Dobbs for assignment to make room for Chase Utley, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Dobbs, 32, hit just .191/.250/.319 in 153 plate appearances this year.
Dobbs had a nice run for the Phillies in 2007-08, hitting .284/.331/.467 in 598 plate appearances mostly against right-handed pitching. The Phillies gave Dobbs a two-year deal before the '09 season, when he first became arbitration-eligible. There is a general, worrisome trend of the Phillies giving players extra years or locking up arbitration-eligible players when it wasn't entirely necessary.