This Date In Transactions History: Alex Rios
Ever get the sense of deja vu? It's a feeling that Alex Rios probably experienced this week. On this date in 2009, the White Sox selected Alex Rios off of waivers from the Blue Jays. At the time, Rios was 28 and was owed $60MM more on his contract. For the rebuilding Toronto club, it was an opportunity to shed payroll with an eye on the future while the White Sox took a gamble to help bolster their club for the short and long-term.
At the time, Rios was hitting .264/.317/.427 with 14 homers in 479 plate appearances for the Blue Jays. While the Blue Jays weren't having a dismal season, their 54-57 mark at the time was good for fourth in the American League East and had them 14.5 games behind the first place Yankees. And while Rios' offensive production wasn't anything to sneeze at, it wasn't on a par with the .299/.352/.505 combined slash line that he turned in during his All-Star seasons in 2006 and 2007.
Meanwhile, the acquisition of Rios continued a rather expensive summer for White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf as it was just days after landing Jake Peavy at the deadline for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell, and Dexter Carter. Between the two, Chicago agreed to take on more than $100MM in future commitments. Strangely enough, the summer of 2013 saw both players jettisoned from Chicago.
This time around, it was the White Sox who found themselves as sellers and it only made sense for them to purge some of their more desirable veterans from their payroll. The August 2013 Rios deal seemed like a longshot to happen, but ultimately the outfielder was sent to Texas along with $1MM for a player to be named later. The Rangers hope that Rios can be the big bat that they need for their playoff push and the White Sox hope that they can use their new found flexibility to help build for the future.
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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: A-Rod, Kazmir, Santana, Kubel
On this date in 2008, Barry Bonds was honored by the Giants as part of their 50th anniversary celebration commemorating the club's move to San Francisco. The slugger, who isn't terribly beloved in some circles, got a raucous ovation from the crowd. One has to imagine that Alex Rodriguez is hoping for a similar reception tonight when he returns to Yankee Stadium. Here's this week's look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Pinstripe Pundits looks at how A-Rod's possible suspension affects the Bombers' budget.
- Halos Daily reflects on the Scott Kazmir trade that sent Sean Rodriguez, Matthew Sweeney and Alex Torres to the Rays.
- Kings Of Kauffman says the Royals better hold on to Ervin Santana.
- A's Farm turns in their midseason report card.
- Inside The Zona asks if Jason Kubel should be moved.
- I R Fast slows it down for a change.
- MLB Reports wants to see some changes happen for the 2016 CBA.
- Seattle Clubhouse introduces us to the new Danny Farquhar.
- Rising Apple discusses the rise of strikeouts and the sharp decline in walks.
- Rays Colored Glasses looks at Chris Archer's Rookie of the Year case.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Phillies Extend Chase Utley
Chase Utley is the face of the Phillies franchise, and that's no longer in jeopardy of changing at the end of this year. The Phillies have officially announced a two-year extension for Utley that contains three vesting options. The contract is reportedly worth $27MM and could be worth as much as $75MM over five years if all of the options vest and Utley stays healthy. 
Utley is guaranteed $15MM in 2014 and $10MM in 2015 and has a $2MM buyout on his first option. His 2015 salary will rise to $15MM if he spends no more than 15 days on the disabled list due to a specific knee condition. Each option is valued at $15MM and is triggered if Utley reaches 500 plate appearances in the previous season.
Should Utley fail to reach 500 plate appearances in any season from 2015-17, the following year's vesting option will become a club option worth between $5MM and $11MM. The specific value of those conditional club options would be based on the number of days he spent on the disabled list the previous season. The deal contains a full no-trade clause, though that is essentially a moot point because he will receive 10-and-5 rights later this month.
A fresh multi-year deal for the Phillies and the 34-year-old seemed unlikely just a few months ago as he suffered yet another setback with a strained oblique that kept him sidelined to start the season. He's bounced back, however, and has appeared in 84 of the club's 113 games.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said repeatedly in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline that he planned to hold on to all of the club's veterans, but that didn't stop the baseball world from speculating on potential deals for players, including Utley. The second baseman figured to bring in a decent return from clubs looking for a quality rental and the Royals were among the teams that were linked. Ultimately, Amaro kept his word and will now keep one of his club's cornerstones for the foreseeable future.
The Phillies and Utley's representation were first reported to be discussing something with an average annual value of about $13MM, modeled after Carlos Beltran's two-year pact with the Cardinals, late last month. While both play different positions, both have displayed significant value in the face of injuries.
In 342 plate appearances this season, Utley owns a .275/.336/.505 slash line with 15 homers. For his career, the second baseman has hit .287/.373/.500 across eleven seasons for the Phillies. A variety of knee problems and right thumb surgery in 2010 have caused Utley to average 100 games in the three seasons prior to 2013.
Utley is represented by the Wasserman Media Group, the same agency that previously ironed out a seven-year, $85MM deal for the second baseman.
Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia first reported that an agreement had been reached (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the contract would contain multiple vesting options and provided the financial breakdown after Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the deal was worth $27MM (Twitter link).
Steve Adams contriubted to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Phillies Claim Casper Wells Off Waivers
The Phillies announced that they have claimed Casper Wells off of waivers from the White Sox.
To call Wells a well-traveled outfielder this season would be putting it lightly, as the Phillies will be the fifth organization he has been with this season. Wells went to Spring Training with the Mariners before being designated for assignment and claimed by the Blue Jays. His next stop was Oakland before ultimately landing in Chicago for the majority of the season.
In 38 games with the White Sox, the 28-year-old hit just .167/.225/.182 — a far cry from the .246/.317/.435 batting line that he carried into the 2013 campaign. Wells is capable of playing all three outfield positions and is a career .249/.330/.450 hitter against left-handed pitching. He was selected by the Tigers in the 14th round of the 2005 draft and remained with that organization until being included in the 2011 Doug Fister trade with the Mariners.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Blue Jays’ Mark DeRosa Claimed Off Waivers
THURSDAY: Rosenthal tweeted late last night that the Blue Jays aren't planning to trade DeRosa, whom they hold a $750K option on for the 2014 season.
WEDNESDAY: Blue Jays veteran Mark DeRosa has been claimed off of waivers, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The claiming team is not yet known, however. Toronto has until tomorrow to work out a trade, let him go, or pull him back off of waivers.
DeRosa, 38, is enjoying his best offensive season in years, hitting .231/.317/.448 with seven homers in 164 plate appearances. The utility man could be of value to a contender and only makes about $230K for the rest of the season, the prorated portion of his modest $750K salary. DeRosa is a CSE client, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.
Quick Hits: Utley, Beltran, Weiner, PEDs
Batting practice has long been a fixture in baseball, but in a piece for WEEI.com, Gabe Kapler suggests shaking things up by adopting the Japanese way. In Japan, B.P. involves a left-handed hitter and a right-handed hitter going pitch-for-pitch, which, Kapler explains, results in a more worthwhile experience for all involved. Kapler also highlights some aspects of NPB that he was less wild about, including his time with the Yomiuri Giants where he was handed a stuffed animal at home plate to give away to a fan after notching a homer. Here's more from around baseball..
- Chase Utley is basically the second base version of Carlos Beltran, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs (on Twitter) opines. While both players aren't what they used to be and have dealt with injuries, they're still easily worth ~$13MM per year. Utley agreed to a two-year deal worth $25-30MM earlier tonight with multiple vesting options, a deal that reportedly started with Beltran as a comparable.
- MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner placed much of the blame for the recent Biogenesis scandal on Juan Carlos Nunez, an aide who steered several players towards the Florida clinic, writes Steve Eder of the New York Times. Weiner went on to deflect criticism from the ACES agency, which has been heavily linked to the suspensions. “From our perspective, there is no evidence Sam and Seth have been involved in anything directly,” Weiner said. “Nobody said: ‘Sam and Seth [Levinson] set me up. Sam and Seth knew what was going on.’”
- One consequence of PEDs is that it can make it more difficult for MLB execs to evaluate talent, GM Jon Daniels explained to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required) looks at six Cuban players with major league potential.
Dodgers Outright John Baker To Triple-A
We'll keep track of tonight's minor moves here..
- The Dodgers announced that they have outrighted catcher John Baker from the 40-man roster, leaving the current count at 39. The 32-year-old was claimed off of waivers from the Padres back in mid-June and has hit just .183/.278/.247 in 108 Triple-A plate appearances in the Dodgers organization. For his big league career, Baker owns a .258/.342/.364 slash line across parts of six seasons.
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Mariners Release Jason Bay
AUGUST 6th: The Mariners announced they have released Bay. Bay joins the list of current free agents, which can be found here.
JULY 29th: The Mariners announced that they have designated Jason Bay for assignment. In a related move, outfielder Mike Morse was activated from his rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Tacoma and activated from the 15-day disabled list.
Bay, 34, appeared in 68 games with Seattle this season, slashing .204/.298/.393 with eleven home runs. The veteran was signed by Seattle to a non-guaranteed deal back in December. Seattle now has ten days to trade, release, or outright the contract of Bay to the minors.
The Mariners took a low-risk gamble on Bay this offseason in the hopes he could be a useful bench bat following three injury-plagued seasons with the Mets. For his career, Bay owns a .266/.360/.481 slash line across eleven seasons with the Pirates, Red Sox, Mets, and Mariners.