Wily Mo Pena Released
According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, the Nationals released Wily Mo Pena today. Pena refused his assignment to the minors after opposing teams chose not to claim him off waivers. Now that the Nationals are on the hook for his $2MM salary, he might be able to find a job somewhere.
Pena, 27, came to the Nationals in August of 2007 from Boston for Chris Carter. He had a nice initial stint with Washington, and signed a contract in December of that year. But 2008 was a lost year due to shoulder problems.
Offseason In Review: New York Yankees
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Yankees. Here's what we wrote about them on October 13th.
Additions: Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Nick Swisher, Damaso Marte (re-signed), Jason Johnson, Sergio Mitre, Brett Tomko, Kevin Cash, Angel Berroa, Todd Linden, John Rodriguez. Midseason: Xavier Nady.
Subtractions: Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano, Bobby Abreu, Kyle Farnsworth, Darrell Rasner, Sidney Ponson, Wilson Betemit, Ivan Rodriguez, Chad Moeller. Midseason: Morgan Ensberg, LaTroy Hawkins, Ross Ohlendorf
Back in October I wrote, "If the Yankees somehow sign Sabathia, Teixeira, and another starter, they'll be looking fantastic for 2009." Well, they did that and then some. Let's see what the spending spree will get them.
Last year's offense was unimpressive – 7th in the AL with 4.87 runs per game. The new lineup, even with A-Rod projected to miss a quarter of the season and play at less than 100%, projects at 5.41 runs per game using CHONE and the lineup analysis tool. That level of offense would've ranked second in the AL last year. And that projection doesn't include Swisher, who projects to outhit Nady.
Last year's rotation posted a 4.58 ERA in 898.3 innings, with only Pettitte and Mussina making more than 20 starts. They won't be giving starts to guys like Rasner and Ponson in 2009. This year's group: Sabathia, Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes, projects at a 3.90 ERA in 862 innings. And Wang figures to top the projected 133 innings.
The '08 bullpen had a 3.79 ERA in 543.3 innings. This year's group has more Marte, Bruney, and Coke and no Farnsworth, Hawkins, Ohlendorf, or Chamberlain. CHONE says it will shake out to a cumulative 3.71 ERA for the '09 pen. At the least, the bullpen shouldn't be worse.
The Yankees were the second-to-worst defensive team in the AL last year according to The Fielding Bible II. They could gain 40 runs on defense by employing Teixeira and Nady over Giambi and Abreu.
All of these offseason in review pieces have skewed toward the optimistic side. I guess I am just a glass-half-full kind of guy. If you agree with what I wrote above and peg the Yanks for 870 runs scored and 640 allowed, that's a 105 win team. That's extreme, but it would not surprise me to see this team win 100 games.
Bottom line: In a dream offseason for Yankees fans, Brian Cashman improved the offense, rotation, and first base defense drastically by signing three top free agents and more.
Mets Moves: Valentin, Armas, Spivey, Nieve
4:01pm: Hubbuch says the Mets put Nieve on waivers and will keep Rule 5 reliever Darren O'Day. Nieve, who is out of options, was claimed from the Astros recently.
12:20pm: According to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, the Mets released veterans Jose Valentin, Tony Armas Jr., and Junior Spivey today. Valentin could return to the organization as a coach eventually.
Astros Acquire Jeff Keppinger
According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Astros acquired out of options infielder Jeff Keppinger from the Reds for a player to be named later. Looks like Keppinger will be Houston's third base addition. MLB.com's Alyson Footer says he'll complement Geoff Blum at the hot corner and also play the middle infield positions. Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News says the minor leaguer the Reds will receive must be chosen by May 1st.
Keppinger, 29 in April, hit .266/.310/.346 in 502 plate appearances last year while playing all around the infield (mostly shortstop).
Cubs Trying To Sort Out Bullpen Arms
According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, Cubs GM Jim Hendry is working the phones in an attempt to sort out his bullpen situation. Chad Gaudin, Angel Guzman, David Patton, and Jeff Samardzija are vying for two spots. Samardzija can be sent to Triple A, but Patton is a Rule 5 pick and the other two are out of options. Something has to give; a trade of Guzman or Gaudin seems likely. Gaudin may be less desirable given his $2MM salary, but Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post figures he'll land on the Rockies' radar. Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald weighs in here.
Rosenthal Predictions
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports published a bunch of predictions for 2009. The column is a good conversation-starter. Rosenthal sees Jake Peavy and Roy Halladay being traded this year. He also expects the Nationals to draft and sign Stephen Strasburg. Consider this thread the place to preserve your 2009 predictions for posterity.
Chipper Jones Agrees To Extension With Braves
12:09pm: The AP has contract details. It's a three-year, $42MM extension. Click the link for the incentive and option details. Given Jones' offensive abilities I consider this a good deal for Atlanta.
TUESDAY, 8:30am: Bowman says Jones and the Braves have agreed to "a three-year extension worth over $40MM that includes an option for 2013." There's a news conference this afternoon. With Chipper signing, that's one less big bat on the 2010 free agent market.
MONDAY: According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Chipper Jones is close to an extension with the Braves that could keep him in Atlanta through 2013. An announcement is possible Tuesday. Bowman says it's believed Jones came in seeking a three-year extension covering 2010-12 with an option for '13. He'll turn 37 in April.
It'll be interesting to see the money on this one. FanGraphs valued Jones at $29.4MM in '07 and $34MM in '08.
Odds & Ends: Colletti, Youkilis, Turnbow
Links for Tuesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Rays info from Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times: they're trying to figure out a way to keep Jason Isringhausen, and they've released pitcher Chuck Tiffany (part of the Danys Baez trade in '06).
- In talking to Ramona Shelburne of the L.A. Daily News, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti explained his success reading the market this offseason. He also said, "I believe there will be some players available on July 31st that normally would never be available."
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday reminds us of past trade discussions involving Kevin Youkilis, before he was highly regarded.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis notes that the Cubs released "three of their top picks from the last six drafts this spring: outfielder Ryan Harvey, the sixth overall pick in 2003; righthander Grant Johnson, a second-rounder in 2004; and lefty Mark Pawelek, the 20th overall choice in 2005."
- According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, Rangers reliever Derrick Turnbow's opt-out date is Thursday. He's talking to his agent about whether he should head to Triple A Oklahoma.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says lefty reliever Juan Lara signed a minor league deal with the Indians – "just 16 months after a car accident nearly took his life."
Garland Hopes To Stay With Arizona
On January 29th, the Diamondbacks signed starter Jon Garland to a one-year deal with a mutual option. Garland will earn $6.25MM in '09 and the team is not permitted to offer Garland arbitration after the season if he's a Type A free agent. There's a mutual option for $10MM for 2010. It's a $2.5MM buyout if the club declines and a $1MM buyout if Garland declines.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic recently talked to Garland, who doesn't want to worry about the option:
"I'd love for the team to get off to a good start. I feel I'm fitting in pretty good with the team. I hope they see that. And maybe midway through the season we could tack on a year or two and maybe get something done. I truly hope I never see that option come into play."
Garland was surprised he wasn't able to land a bigger deal, even coming off a 4.90 ERA. His thoughts on that:
"I'm not going to say my true feelings about some of the stuff that went on, because I definitely feel there were some things going on. But it definitely wasn't the funnest year to be a free agent, I can tell you that."
Is he hinting at collusion? At any rate, Garland blamed his off 2008 on too many bad pitches, switching back and forth between catchers, and trying to do too much in a contract year. Garland is in a contract year again and has to work with both Chris Snyder and Miguel Montero, so hopefully he can limit the bad pitches.
Rosenthal On Matthews, Thomas, Hammel, Niemann
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column…
- The Angels attempted to sell the Reds on Gary Matthews Jr., but it was a one-sided discussion. The Reds have no desire to trade Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang for Matthews. Angels GM Tony Reagins told Rosenthal, "We haven't had much discussions with respect to trades and trade possibilities." UPDATE: Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay he hasn't talked to the Angels since the Winter Meetings.
- Free agent DH Frank Thomas is still waiting for an offer. He intends to delay a decision about retirement until at least the All-Star break. My thought – his situation just got a bit tougher with Gary Sheffield becoming available.
- Rosenthal says the Rays could keep both Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann and cut Lance Cormier, if trade offers for the first two aren't acceptable. Rosenthal adds the Rangers, Nationals, and Indians to the already known suitors (Padres, Pirates, and Rockies). He names the Brewers as "yet another possibility." Rosenthal says the Angels attempted to acquire Niemann a year ago but learned from Reagins that they're not actively looking for pitching.
- The Phillies ate Adam Eaton's contract, but team president David Montgomery is unwilling to do the same to make Geoff Jenkins go away.
- Rosenthal says the offers received for Rockies infielder Jeff Baker "have not been enticing." They may elect to keep him.