What’s Next For Jeff Suppan?
11:35am: MLB.com's Adam McCalvy tweets that Suppan is throwing a simulated game today, as he's been dealing with a stiff neck.
8:13am: The Brewers have three pitchers up for their fifth starter job: Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra, and Chris Narveson. Though all three are in line to throw today, manager Ken Macha was evasive when asked about Suppan's schedule (Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporting). Macha also supplied a vague answer when asked if a roster move should be expected today.
A month ago, Suppan made our list of five overpaid veterans who could be released. The Brewers would have to assume his remaining $14.5MM, which doesn't strike Haudricourt as likely. The Brewers may choose to keep Suppan, Parra, and Narveson, but since Parra and Narveson are out of options, Carlos Villanueva would have to be demoted.
A trade could clear the logjam, though Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote Saturday that the Brewers have not discussed Parra with other clubs.
Rotation Spending By Team
I've compiled 2010 starting rotation spending by team; details can be found in this spreadsheet. Buyouts (for example, the $2.5MM the Dodgers owe to Jason Schmidt) and players not in 2010 rotations (Kei Igawa) are not included in the figures below. If a team is paying part of the salary of another club's starter, like in the case of Roy Halladay, that payment is accounted for only on the receiving team. If you find any errors, please contact us.
- Yankees – $63,157,650
- Cubs – $50,775,000
- Red Sox – $42,263,500
- Mets – $38,087,500
- White Sox – $36,200,000
- Cardinals – $35,925,000
- Giants – $33,850,000
- Tigers – $32,670,000
- Phillies – $31,805,000
- Braves – $31,467,000
- Angels – $29,965,000
- Royals – $25,110,000
- Reds – $24,700,000
- Astros – $23,916,000
- Rockies – $23,500,000
- Diamondbacks – $22,008,925
- Dodgers – $21,679,000
- Mariners – $20,550,000
- Brewers – $18,565,000
- Indians – $17,115,500
- Padres – $15,355,000
- Rangers – $14,181,090
- Orioles – $13,668,125
- Athletics – $13,210,000
- Twins – $12,790,000
- Nationals – $10,224,000
- Pirates – $10,013,500
- Marlins – $9,645,000
- Rays – $9,473,333
- Blue Jays – $4,085,000
- Approximately $736MM will be spent on the 2010 salaries of the 150 projected members of Opening Day rotations. That's an average of $4.9MM per pitcher.
- On average, a team will spend $24.5MM on its rotation in 2010. The median figure is $22.8MM.
- The White Sox, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Rockies, and Giants don't have any projected starters earning less than $1MM.
- The Blue Jays will pay more to Halladay in 2010 than they will pay their entire rotation.
- Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the salary data.
Marlins Release Seth McClung
The Marlins released pitcher Seth McClung, according to the team. McClung allowed nine hits and nine earned runs in six spring appearances, and was unable to secure a bullpen job.
The Marlins signed the 29-year-old McClung to a minor league deal in February. He'd been non-tendered by the Brewers after posting a 4.94 ERA, 5.8 K/9, and 5.7 BB/9 in 62 innings. McClung's chief asset remains his fastball, which typically sits around 93.
Tim Wood and Rick VandenHurk are competing for the Marlins' last bullpen job. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro speculated yesterday that Leo Nunez, Brian Sanches, Jose Veras, Burke Badenhop, Renyel Pinto, and Dan Meyer would take the other spots.
Orioles Sign Joey Gathright
The Orioles signed outfielder Joey Gathright to a minor league deal, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. The Blue Jays released Gathright on Sunday after a poor spring.
Gathright, 29 in April, spent most of 2009 with Baltimore's Triple A club. He hit .329/.386/.376 there, swiping 24 bags in 80 games.
Odds & Ends: Gaudin, Stairs, Lowell, Darvish
Links for Monday…
- FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi spoke to one executive who thinks the lack of open 40-man roster spots is inhibiting trades. There are only 28 open spots across the league, and more than half of the teams are maxed out.
- Chad Gaudin said he considered "a couple" of other teams before deciding to rejoin the A's, reports MLB.com's Jane Lee.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock reminds us that the Padres will have to remove someone from their 40-man roster before Opening Day to make room for Matt Stairs.
- The Rangers have a scout on hand to watch Mike Lowell play third base tonight, tweets ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. This deal has to get done eventually, right?
- The Braves were concerned the Marlins would take Jason Heyward at #12 in the 2007 draft, writes Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
- Yu Darvish hinted for the first time that he might be willing to come to MLB, says Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Newman passes along a Sponichi report in which Darvish said, "Well, I’m planning on climbing the ladder, step by step," when asked about moving to MLB one day. Newman notes that Darvish isn't close to free agency, so the Nippon Ham Fighters would have to post him.
- SI's Jon Heyman writes that the Mariners and Jarrod Washburn "are believed to remain apart on the dollars for a new deal."
- Brian Cashman and Johnny Damon met in person for the first time since Damon left the Yankees, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons names six clubs that might be better than you think.
Helping Jermaine Dye Find Work
Why is Jermaine Dye still a free agent? Let's run through the reasons:
- He's 36 years old, leading some to speculate that a permanent decline set in last season. It's true that Dye was useless at the plate for the season's final two months, but we're talking about fewer than 200 plate appearances. Veteran hitters have bounced back from worse.
- He's an indisputably poor defender. In a February interiew with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Dye had yet to fully come to grips with this fact: "No doubt, I've probably slowed down a little bit (defensively), but not enough to not be getting (attractive) offers." Dye talked about his willingness to play first base or left field.
- He's been asking for too much money. Dye already turned down offers of $2MM and $3MM. Pride may be an issue. In the Rosenthal article Dye talked about how "it's not about money with me" but "there are still guys getting money that I feel I'm better than."
Solutions:
- Embrace a designated hitter/fourth outfielder/pinch-hitter role. Dye's former teammate Jim Thome gracefully accepted a reduced role and salary after a season comparable to Dye's.
- Dye needs swallow his pride, drop his price, and take a minor league deal. It's not fair, but he probably wouldn't need to spend a ton of time in the minors. Two of his former employers, the White Sox and Royals, could use a good backup plan at DH.
On August 1st, Dye was hitting .281/.357/.533 with 23 home runs in 389 plate appearances. He had an $11.5MM salary and a starting right field job. Eight months later Dye is reportedly considering retirement; that would be a shame.
Brandon Moss Designated For Assignment
The Pirates designated Brandon Moss for assignment to make room for waiver claim Hayden Penn, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
Moss, 26, hit .236/.304/.364 in 424 plate appearances for the Pirates last year, playing both outfield corners. Moss is out of options, so he'll have to clear waivers if he's to be sent to the minors. He joined the Pirates at the '08 trade deadline along with Craig Hansen, Bryan Morris, and Andy LaRoche, with the Pirates giving up Jason Bay.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington recently admitted to WEEI's Alex Speier that in hindsight, there was a better deal on the table for Bay. Moss and Hansen have not panned out, and as Speier says, "the value of the deal for Pittsburgh will be determined largely by what happens with LaRoche and Morris."
Nationals Claim Chris Coste
12:53pm: The Nationals claimed Coste, reports Brian Costa of the Newark Star-Ledger.
7:53am: The Mets placed catcher Chris Coste on waivers, reports Adam Rubin (via MetsBlog). Coste signed a big league deal worth $650K back in December. Rubin says Coste is likely to accept an assignment to Triple A if he clears waivers.
Coste, 37, hit .224/.301/.317 in 230 plate appearances for the Phillies and Astros last year, catching 352 innings. Coste went 3 for 14 with a walk this spring.
On Saturday, ESPN's Jayson Stark said the Mets were hoping to move an excess catcher like Coste or Omir Santos for Triple A pitching depth. The Mets have Rod Barajas, Henry Blanco, Santos, Josh Thole, and Shawn Riggans on the depth chart.
Pirates Claim Hayden Penn
The Pirates claimed pitcher Hayden Penn off waivers from the Marlins, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Penn is out of options, and the Marlins weren't able to get him through.
Penn, 25, posted a 4.11 ERA, 8.0 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 in 70 Triple A innings last year. The Marlins acquired him a year ago from the Orioles for Robert Andino. Penn was a highly-regarded prospect four years ago, as Baseball America said he had "three plus pitches that he throws for strikes." Nice pickup by Neal Huntington.
Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Dodgers
Next in our Offseason In Review series, the Dodgers.
Major League Signings
- Vicente Padilla, SP: one year, $5.025MM.
- Jamey Carroll, IF: two years, $3.85MM.
- Brad Ausmus, C: one year, $1MM. Includes $1MM club option with a $150K buyout.
- Ronnie Belliard, IF: one year, $825K.
- Reed Johnson, OF: one year, $800K.
- Total spend: $11.5MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Justin Miller, Ramon Ortiz, Russ Ortiz, Josh Towers, Jeff Weaver, Nick Green, Argenis Reyes, Alfredo Amezaga, Garret Anderson, Brian Barton, Luis Ayala
Extensions
- Andre Ethier, RF: two years, $15.25MM.
- Jonathan Broxton, RP: two years, $11MM.
- Matt Kemp, CF: two years, $10.95MM.
Trades and Claims
- Claimed Rule 5 P Armando Zerpa from Red Sox; returned 3/15/10
- Acquired Rule 5 P Carlos Monasterios from Mets for cash
- Acquired P John Ely and P Jon Link from White Sox for OF Juan Pierre and $10.5MM
Notable Losses
- Orlando Hudson, Juan Pierre, Mark Loretta, Juan Castro, Jim Thome, Mitch Jones, Randy Wolf, Guillermo Mota, Jon Garland, Eric Milton, Jason Schmidt, Will Ohman
Summary
GM Ned Colletti chose to let key free agents Wolf, Garland, and Hudson leave, replacing them with cheaper options. Let's take a look at the team's biggest moves.
Wolf earned $8MM in 2009 and pitched like an ace for the Dodgers. He'd signed one-year deals three years in a row and was a near-lock to turn down an arbitration offer from the Dodgers. Colletti reportedly feared a $15MM reward for Wolf, but said, "Our decision was made strictly from a baseball perspective." The misstep cost the Dodgers a pair of draft picks. Hudson was also a Type A free agent, but the choice not to offer him arbitration was defensible. The Dodgers have more than enough options to replace him.
So, Colletti missed out on the #36 and #65 picks in the 2010 draft. The Dodgers will survive. Colletti's first big move of the offseason was to shave $3MM off the '10 payroll and $5MM off for '11 by unloading Pierre on the White Sox. Colletti went on to allocate $11.5MM to free agents, most of which will be paid in '10.
With a million bucks in innings incentives dangling, I think Padilla will have a decent year. Brett Myers and Jon Garland, who signed for similar dollars, don't seem any better or worse. Carroll's two-year deal was unnecessary. The 36-year-old is a useful player, but if you're pinching pennies there are better ways to spend $3.85MM. Saving the money for midseason acquisitions would've been a better move.
Colletti deserves praise for adding 2011 cost certainty with the Ethier, Broxton, and Kemp deals. He chose the right players and didn't overpay.
The Dodgers' offense appears respectable, with no clear area for upgrade. Getting sufficient innings out of the Billingsley-Kershaw-Padilla-Kuroda front four is a concern, though few teams are satisfied with their rotation depth. Colletti may need to make a deal this summer.