Offseason In Review: San Francisco Giants
Last but not least, the Giants conclude our Offseason In Review series.
Major League Signings
- Mark DeRosa, IF/OF: two years, $12MM.
- Freddy Sanchez, 2B: two years, $12MM.
- Bengie Molina, C: one year, $4.5MM.
- Juan Uribe, IF: one year, $3.25MM.
- Aubrey Huff, 1B: one year, $3MM.
- Total spend: $34.75MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
Extensions
- Matt Cain, SP: three years, $27.25MM.
- Tim Lincecum, SP: two years, $23MM.
- Brian Wilson, RP: two years, $15MM.
- Jeremy Affeldt, RP: two years, $9.5MM. Includes $5MM club option for 2012 with a $500K buyout.
Trades and Claims
- Claimed Rule 5 P Steven Johnson from Orioles; returned 3/16/10
- Acquired cash considerations from Blue Jays for P Merkin Valdez
- Acquired a player to be named later or cash from Red Sox for IF Kevin Frandsen
Notable Losses
- Randy Winn, Rich Aurilia, Randy Johnson, Bob Howry, Justin Miller, Brad Penny, Brian Bocock, Merkin Valdez, Noah Lowry
Summary
Giants GM Brian Sabean signed five position players to free agent contracts and extended four of his own pitchers. Let's evaluate.
Sabean spent $34.75MM to secure DeRosa, Sanchez, Molina, Uribe, and Huff. These five players combined for an offensive line of .266/.313/.431 in 2009. Sabean has crafted a lineup with only one dangerous hitter in Pablo Sandoval; CHONE projections indicate that the Giants will again have one of the four worst offenses in the league. The Uribe signing was defensible. Molina wasn't terribly overpriced, though a combination of Buster Posey and a cheaper veteran would've offered more upside. DeRosa, Sanchez, and Huff will need to stay healthy and exceed their '09 production to justify the signings.
Pitching should again be a strong suit. Wellemeyer and Mota were decent minor league pickups. Sabean did well to secure Lincecum through 2011 and avoid an arbitration hearing. The Cain extension saved the Giants a little money in the short term, guaranteed his 2011 salary, and bought out one free agent year, potentially a win for both sides. Sabean exchanged risk for cost certainty on Wilson, and can retain Affeldt for an extra year or two. All four extensions made sense, and the Giants have a clearer picture of their payroll for the next few years.
As much as I like the Giants' pitching, I don't think it will be enough to carry them past the Rockies and Dodgers to the playoffs. The Giants haven't scored 700 runs in a season since Barry Bonds, Ray Durham, and Moises Alou led the way in '06. Sabean's offseason tinkering doesn't convince me they'll reach that modest level in 2010.
Brewers Release Mike Burns
The Brewers released righty Mike Burns, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Burns, 31, posted a 5.75 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 3.0 BB/9 in 51.6 innings last year, allowing ten home runs. The journeyman had a shoulder problem at season's end, says Haudricourt.
2010 AL Rookie Of The Year Predictions
Not many people predicted A's reliever Andrew Bailey to win the 2009 AL ROY award. Instead, the preseason favorites were Matt Wieters and David Price. I'll take Brian Matusz this year, but here's a list of candidates to consider:
Brian Matusz, Neftali Feliz, Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson, Austin Jackson, Desmond Jennings, Carlos Santana, Justin Smoak, Brett Wallace, Michael Saunders, Aaron Crow, Reid Brignac, Tyler Flowers, Dan Hudson, Jake Arrieta, Jesus Montero, Michael Taylor, Lonnie Chisenhall, Chris Carter, Kyle Drabek, Zach Stewart, Josh Bell, Michael Brantley, Scott Sizemore, Alex Avila, Hector Rondon, Fernando Perez, Danny Valencia, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson
Who are we missing? And what's your prediction for AL ROY? We'll do the NL tomorrow.
Blalock Not Interested In Minors
Hank Blalock's minor league deal with the Rays allows him to opt out tomorrow if he's not on the Rays' 25-man roster. According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays have "until after Friday’s exhibition to put him on the roster."
Topkin spoke to Blalock, who suggested he'd leave baseball before playing in the minors:
"I don't have any plans on playing minor-league baseball this year. At this time in my life, if there's no major-league opportunities for me then I'll find something else to do."
Topkin explains that the Rays are currently choosing between Blalock and Reid Brignac, with Brignac offering more positional flexibility. When Matt Joyce recovers from an elbow strain, the roster picture will get even muddier. Employing two DHs in Blalock and Pat Burrell wouldn't make things easy for manager Joe Maddon. Burrell could be released at some point, though that's just speculation on my part.
Mets Claim Manny Acosta
The Mets claimed reliever Manny Acosta off waivers from the Braves, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Acosta, 29 in May, posted a 4.34 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and 4.6 BB/9 in 37.3 innings for the Braves last year. He was better in his 27.3 minor league innings, but walked too many there as well.
Acosta throws a mid-90s fastball and racked up groundballs in his better years. He even served as the Braves' closer in early '08 when Rafael Soriano went down. Hamstring and shoulder injuries cut that season short, however. The Mets snagged a quality arm from their division rivals, but now they must help his stuff translate to results.
Odds & Ends: Padron, Washburn, Moeller, Chapman
Links for Tuesday…
- I joined Jeff & Jeff on KNFS 590 St. Louis today; click here to listen to audio.
- Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald tweets that the Red Sox signed 22-year-old Cuban outfielder Jorge Padron to a minor league deal with a $350K bonus. Cuban Ball Players has a bit on Padron here.
- SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Royals will join the Mariners in the Jarrod Washburn bidding. Heyman first made the Royals-Washburn connection on January 11th, but nothing much came of it.
- Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times spoke to Orlando Cabrera, Tony Reagins, and Walt Jocketty about the decline in multiyear free agent contracts.
- Rays first baseman Dan Johnson cleared waivers and accepted a Triple A assignment, tweets Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun feels that Orioles catcher Chad Moeller is unlikely to accept a minor league assignment now that the team has chosen Craig Tatum to back up Matt Wieters.
- Aroldis Chapman is expected to begin the season in the minors, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs praises the Rockies for their player development, but questions their offseason tweaking. For more on that topic, check out our Rockies offseason in review.
- Rich Hill, recently reassigned to Triple A, can elect free agency around June if he's not in the Majors according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Red Sox Make Four-Year Offer To Beckett
3:55pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe weighs in, agreeing with Olney's optimism for a deal but saying Beckett's agent currently seeks a five-year extension in excess of John Lackey's $82.5MM. WEEI's Rob Bradford talked to Beckett, who is mostly staying out of the negotiations between the team and agent Michael Moye.
11:10am: Josh Beckett has a four-year offer on the table from the Red Sox, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney writes of "optimism a deal will be completed in the next week or two."
Olney envisions a total package in the $65-70MM range. His colleague Gordon Edes wrote on Saturday that "concerns about Beckett's right shoulder have dissuaded the Red Sox from going to a fifth year."
Beckett projects as one of the best available free agent starters after the 2010 season, and with a strong season he could conceivably get a sixth guaranteed year on the open market. Cliff Lee, Javier Vazquez, and Brandon Webb will also be eligible for free agency after the season if they're not signed to extesions.
Offseason In Review: San Diego Padres
The Padres are next in our Offseason In Review series.
Major League Signings
- Jon Garland, SP: one year, $5.3MM. Includes $6.75MM mutual option for 2011 with a $300-600K buyout.
- Jerry Hairston Jr., IF/OF: one year, $2.125MM.
- Yorvit Torrealba, C: one year, $1.25MM. Includes $3.5MM mutual option for 2011 with a $500K buyout.
- Total spend: $8.675MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
Trades and Claims
- Claimed P Radhames Liz off waivers from Orioles
- Acquired OF Scott Hairston and OF Aaron Cunningham from Athletics for 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff and 2B Eric Sogard
Notable Losses
- Kevin Kouzmanoff, Eric Sogard, Brian Giles, Luis Rodriguez, Henry Blanco, Edgar Gonzalez, Eliezer Alfonzo, Chris Burke, Drew Macias, Josh Banks, Shawn Hill, Mike Ekstrom, Eulogio de la Cruz
Summary
Jed Hoyer's tenure as Padres GM kicked off quietly, with a November 25th waiver claim of pitcher Radhames Liz. Hoyer went on to spend $8.675MM for three free agents and make one big trade. Let's take a look.
Hoyer added free agents Garland, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Torrealba on reasonably-priced one-year deals. The affordable trio should have a small amount of trade value, in contrast to overpaid veterans like Jason Marquis, Ivan Rodriguez, and Kevin Millwood. We've seen varying approaches by rebuilding clubs this winter – the Nationals and Orioles spent about $30MM, the Padres, Blue Jays, and Pirates spent $8-10MM, and the Indians spent less than $3MM.
The Scott Hairston acquisition was a lateral move, as the Padres and A's were looking to fill different needs. Kouzmanoff has one more year of team control than Hairston, a possible point in Oakland's favor assuming these players aren't eventually non-tendered. It's difficult to predict the outcome of the Sogard-Cunningham portion of the deal.
Hoyer has the Adrian Gonzalez situation on the horizon, but in the short-term he's likely to see how the team performs for the season's first three months. The Padres project to have a terrible offense, possibly the worst in the NL. Their pitching may be better than you realize, with a slew of guys capable of ERAs in the low 4.00s and Mat Latos bringing #1 starter stuff. To contend in 2010, the Padres would need breakout years from Chase Headley and Kyle Blanks and quality bats added to the offense in midseason trades.
Cubs Release Kevin Millar
The Cubs released first baseman Kevin Millar, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The Cubs will go with Chad Tracy for a corner infield bench role instead. Tracy made more sense, given his ability to back up Aramis Ramirez at third base.
Millar, 38, hit .223/.311/.363 in 283 plate appearances for the Blue Jays last year, playing 386.6 innings at first base. In an article Sunday, ESPN's Jim Reeves said Millar is on the Rangers' watch list. However, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes today that the Rangers are not interested.
Marlins Acquire Nate Robertson
The Marlins acquired lefty Nate Robertson and cash considerations from the Tigers for minor league reliever Jay Voss, according to a Tigers press release. The Tigers are paying $9.6MM of the $10MM owed to Robertson, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Robertson originally came up through the Marlins' system, and was traded to the Tigers in the Mark Redman deal in January of '03. The 32-year-old posted a 5.44 ERA, 6.3 K/9, and 5.1 BB/9 in 49.6 innings last year. He started the '09 season in the Tigers' bullpen and hit the DL in May with a back strain. In June, he had surgery to remove four masses in his elbow. He rejoined the rotation in September, but strained his groin shortly thereafter. Robertson had November surgery to repair that tear. With a fresh start in Florida, perhaps Robertson can chew up 175 innings with an ERA around 4.50. The trade opens the Tigers' fifth starter spot for Dontrelle Willis.
Voss, also a southpaw, turns 23 in April. He spent '09 as a reliever, posting a 2.72 ERA, 8.3 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 at High A and Double A. Baseball America ranked Voss 23rd among Marlins prospects, seemingly projecting a future as a lefty specialist.