GM Initiation: Ned Colletti
Ned Colletti was hired as general manager of the Dodgers on November 16th, 2005. His first deal, struck about a month later with the Athletics' Billy Beane, was a huge success. Colletti shipped Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez to Oakland for young outfielder Andre Ethier, who had just been named MVP of the Double A Texas League.
Colletti kindly answered a few questions for MLBTR about his first trade.
MLB Trade Rumors: It was rumored that the Cubs, Yankees, and Blue Jays were also in on Bradley, with the Cubs even sending Dusty Baker to the player's home. Were any of the other possible trades close, or was Oakland always the frontrunner?
Ned Colletti: There were a couple of teams who showed a passing interest. But the calls lacked substance. Oakland had a sincere interest. The calls were of a far more serious nature.
MLBTR: At the time of the deal you called the situation with Bradley and the Dodgers "irreconcilable." Why did you feel that way?
Colletti: I had watched from a distance what had occurred so I had some read on the situation. When I went to the Dodgers I asked a few people who were in the midst of the situation. I asked them for facts and not opinions. I also talked to players, some who were friends with Milton. Finally, at the winter meetings in Dallas I met with one of his agents. He confirmed that giving Milton a fresh start would be best for everyone.
MLBTR: Before the '06 season Baseball America suggested Ethier might not have enough power to be a corner outfield regular. What did you see that made you feel differently?
Colletti: From the outset his swing path was excellent. A young player can develop power later. Once he started to pull the ball more and learned his body and his swing, we felt the home runs would follow. I watched much the same occur earlier in my career, most notably with Ryne Sandberg and the Cubs when then-manager Jim Frey encouraged Sandberg to use his power to pull. Ryno went from hitting 9-12 home runs to hitting 25-40 home runs shortly thereafter.
MLBTR: When your front office puts together a trade, about how many people are involved?
Colletti: It depends on the trade. Anyone who has knowledge of the players involved – both coming and going – are asked to voice their option. It can be amateur scouts, the scouting director, major league staff and an occasional major league player, player development staff and leaders and of course our professional scouts. No one makes these decisions solo or in a vacuum. The more information you can gather from the truest evaluators the better chance you have of making the right decision.
Thanks to Ned Colletti for contributing. Neal Huntington, Jon Daniels, and Josh Byrnes have also participated in the GM Initiation series.
Nationals Designate Willy Taveras For Assignment
The Nationals designated outfielder Willy Taveras for assignment, reports Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider. The move clears a spot for Mike Morse, who is returning from a calf injury.
Taveras, 28, logged only 36 plate appearances with the Nationals this year. He signed a minor league deal in February after being released by the Athletics. The A's remain on the hook for most of Taveras' $4MM salary. The speedster's last good season was a 97-game stint in '07 with the Rockies.
Zuckerman also notes that reliever Brian Bruney "appears to be on thin ice at this point." The 28-year-old righty was acquired to take on a late-inning role, but his fastball's been down almost two miles per hour and his control has been brutal.
Odds & Ends: Hillman, Cubs, DeRosa, Marquis
Links for Wednesday, as Stephen Strasburg continues to dominate in the minors…
- Royals manager Trey Hillman told MLB.com's Dick Kaegel that he's as frustrated as ever about his club's slow start.
- R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs is not completely convinced that Hank Blalock is the solution for the Rays, even as Pat Burrell's struggles continue. Blalock may exercise the opt-out clause in his contract in the coming week. ESPN.com's Buster Olney names the A's as a possible suitor for Blalock (Twitter link).
- An Associated Press article on ESPN.com notes that the deadline for signing players with remaining college eligibility has been pushed back a day to August 16th this year because August 15th falls on a weekend.
- RotoAuthority identifies Scott Olsen as a candidate to post a sub-4.00 ERA and respectable strikeout totals for your fantasy team going forward.
- MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says the Cubs aren't about to make a deal any time soon.
- If you have experience designing databases, MLBTR has a project for you. We’re interested in finding someone to design a searchable database for the site, so send an email to mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com if you are the right person for the job.
- Mark DeRosa told MLB.com's Chris Haft that last year's wrist surgery was "a total failure." With numbness in a couple fingers and ligaments "flapping all over the place again," DeRosa might need another procedure. From Day 1, two years and $12MM was an aggressive commitment by the Giants.
- In a similar vein, Nationals free agent signing Jason Marquis will likely miss another eight to ten weeks with surgery to remove spurs and bone chips from his elbow, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports asked Ken Griffey Jr. about retirement, and Junior said, "I'll figure it out when I get to that point." The Mariners, meanwhile, have made a villain of Larry LaRue, the reporter who quoted a couple of unnamed players about a recent Griffey in-game clubhouse nap.
Rockies Release Tim Redding
The Rockies released pitcher Tim Redding from their Triple A club, reports Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies. The 32-year-old righty posted a 4.32 ERA, 7.6 K/9, and 1.8 BB/9 in 25 innings for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
The Rockies had signed Redding to a minor league deal in January after he'd been non-tendered by the Mets in December. Since Redding signed with the Rockies he's reportedly been monitored by the Phillies and Mariners.
Juan Cruz Having Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
Free agent reliever Juan Cruz is having season-ending shoulder surgery today, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney says Cruz has a cyst in his shoulder and should be ready for winter ball.
Cruz, 31, was released by the Royals on April 23rd. They're on the hook for his $3.25MM salary this season, plus a $500K buyout for his 2011 option. The injury explains why the Royals gave up on him after five appearances this year and he did not sign elsewhere after his release.
If The Mariners Become Sellers
The Mariners sit at 13-19, 4.5 games out in the AL West. With 130 games left on the schedule, there's plenty of time to find some offense and climb to the top of the division. But should the Mariners continue to struggle for the next month or two, which players might hit the trading block?
Cliff Lee's name jumps out as the most intriguing trade chip. The Mariners could offer two or three months of the ace lefty, plus two potential draft picks if he leaves. The trade return would have to clearly exceed the value of those two draft picks for the Mariners. Lee has been traded for uninspiring packages twice in the last ten months, but that doesn't mean the Mariners would give him away.
The Ms could peddle a former ace lefty as well, once Erik Bedard returns from shoulder surgery. He might be ready to go in June, as he's yet to embark on a minor league rehab assignment.
Relievers David Aardsma, Mark Lowe, and Brandon League are under team control through 2012. They'll probably be retained since they'll be needed next year, but perhaps a big offer could pry one loose. The Mariners might be willing to trade Jose Lopez, who switched from second to third base this year. Until the 20 home run power returns, there won't be much of a market.
Ian Snell has a $4.25MM salary this year, so he'll probably be non-tendered after his '11 option is declined. Snell is now in the bullpen, so the Mariners may try to move him regardless of the standings. First baseman Casey Kotchman is another non-tender candidate after the season, if he doesn't start hitting. He'd presumably be available for a contender to use as a bench bat. Mike Sweeney and Ryan Langerhans would be expendable as well.
2011 Contract Issues: New York Yankees
The Yankees face one contractual option after the season: designated hitter Nick Johnson has a $5.5MM mutual option with a $250K buyout. Johnson is currently on the DL with an inflamed tendon in his wrist. It seems unlikely that both sides will exercise the option.
If Johnson goes, the Yankees will be freeing up a total of $67.7MM for departing free agents. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Javier Vazquez lead the way. We'll also tack on another $2.2375 for Alex Rodriguez's salary decrease and money no longer paid to Chad Gaudin and Melky Cabrera. That's $70MM coming off the books.
Increases to players under contract total $8.5MM, with Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, and Robinson Cano getting raises. The Yankees also have Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes hitting arbitration for the first time. Boone Logan would be a second-timer, while Sergio Mitre fits into the fourth-time class. Even adding in the arbitration raises, the Yankees should have a good $55MM to work with without raising payroll.
Of course, a large chunk of that $55MM or so will be allocated toward new contracts for Jeter, Rivera, and possibly Pettitte. If all three re-sign near their 2010 salaries, it'll eat up most of the free money. In that case a payroll increase would be necessary to get into the mix on other big-name free agents.
Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the information.
Odds & Ends: Anderson, Penny, Mariners, Zito
Links for Tuesday, as J.J. Hardy hits the disabled list…
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he's sticking with Garret Anderson despite the former slugger's struggles as a pinch hitter and occasional outfielder this year.
- As Danny Knobler of CBS Sports points out, Barry Zito is making that $126MM contract look a little more tolerable to Giants fans these days.
- The White Sox named Jerry Krause their director of international scouting. The former Chicago Bulls GM had been overseeing the team's scouting in the Dominican Republic.
- If you have experience designing databases, MLBTR has a project for you. We’re interested in finding someone to design a searchable database for the site, so send an email to mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com if you are the right person for the job.
- The Mets released Shawn Riggans, who had been in the minors, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter).
- Check out Tim's appearance on 590 KFNS in St. Louis right here.
- The Reds released outfielder Josh Anderson from their Triple A club, reports Michael Grant of the Courier-Journal.
- Brad Penny told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he'd like to re-sign with the Cardinals, but if he doesn't he appreciates the opportunity they've given him. Penny ranks eighth in the NL with a 1.99 ERA, a figure he'll look to improve upon against the Astros tonight. The Cardinals also have Adam Wainwright and Jaime Garcia in the NL's top ten.
- The Mariners were choosing between Brandon Morrow and Daniel Bard for the fifth overall pick in the '06 draft, learned WEEI's Alex Speier.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan looks at ten popular phenoms making waves this year.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News solves the mystery of the new delivery Barry Zito busted out in his first Giants bullpen session a few years ago.
- Chuck Hixson of PhillyBaseballNews.com looks at a few closers who might be available should the Phillies start looking.
Who Could Use Adam LaRoche?
When we spoke to executives in March, Adam LaRoche's name came up as one of the best free agent signings of the offseason. Power is typically expensive on the free agent market, but the Diamondbacks signed LaRoche in January to a one-year, $6MM deal with a mutual option for 2011. LaRoche had reportedly turned down a better proposal from the Giants, but the first baseman qualified that offer by explaining "It was two years with three- or four-year options."
LaRoche is off to a .255/.367/.480 start for Arizona in his first 120 plate appearances. He answered a long-time criticism by hitting well in the season's first month, though he'd done that in '09 too. LaRoche has also mashed left-handed pitching in a tiny 32 plate appearance sample; that deficiency may also have been overstated.
On April 22nd, ESPN's Jayson Stark named LaRoche as a potential midseason trade candidate. Stark suggested LaRoche's mutual option could be a complication, as it increases by $2MM if he's traded. I don't think that will be a concern, though, as mutual options are rarely exercised by both sides.
Which contenders could use a boost at first base? The Rangers might consider a rental, depending on how Justin Smoak performs over the next few months. The Mariners could find LaRoche to be an upgrade over Casey Kotchman, which would be interesting since the two were traded for each other last year. The Marlins could take LaRoche for a few months, as they did with Nick Johnson last year. LaRoche may join Brandon Webb, Chris Snyder, and Chad Qualls on the trade market if the D'Backs become sellers later this year.
White Sox Sign Alan Embree
The White Sox signed lefty Alan Embree to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple A Charlotte, tweets MLB.com's Scott Merkin. Embree was designated for assignment by the Red Sox earlier this month, and elected free agency after he cleared waivers. Embree has been in the White Sox organization before, tossing 34 innings for them in '01 back when Kenny Williams was basically a rookie GM.
Embree, 40, tossed 7.3 innings for Boston's Triple A club this year. In 2009, he posted a 5.84 ERA in 24.6 innings for the Rockies before a July line drive from Martin Prado fractured his tibia. Chicago's pen currently has Matt Thornton and Randy Williams coming from the left side. It's only a seven-inning sample, but Williams has struggled against left-handed hitters this year.