MLBTR Originals
Here's a look back at some of the analysis and reporting MLBTR's writing team delivered this week..
- We spoke to Nick Johnson's agent, Rex Gary, who told us that major league clubs are closely monitoring his client's progress.
- On Tuesday we rolled out our Draft Prospect Q&A series, in which we introduce you to the top athletes in the 2011 draft. First up: Sonny Gray.
- Sometimes contract extensions can go horribly wrong, as our own Mike Axisa writes. You too can review past contracts, both good and bad, using our Transactions Tracker.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith looked into his crystal ball to preview the 2011-2012 free agent class.
- Our Offseason In Review series rolled on with looks at the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, and Florida Marlins.
- This week we polled our readers on Chris Carpenter's future,
- Howard Megdal decided to play Jack Of All Trades with his first pack of baseball cards in 2011.
- I took a look at the Braves' pitching surplus and asked if they should shop their spare starters.
- This upcoming season marks a Make Or Break Year for Bobby Abreu and pitcher Edwin Jackson.
- Mike Axisa looked at Baseball America's top 100 prospects in baseball and identified the ones that were drafted using compensation picks. Mike also highlighted some keen waiver pickups.
- If you think about it, every year is a contract year, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith in a post at Fangraphs.
- There was tons of great stuff from around the web this week and it was all highlighted in the most recent edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
D’Backs GM On Free Agency, Trades, Pitching
Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers touched on a handful of roster issues today and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has the goods..
- The D'Backs probably won’t look outside of the organization for help this spring. Piecoro notes (via Twitter) that this is unlike how he’s operated in past years while serving as the GM of the Padres.
- Towers thinks that the club has solid depth and says that club scouts are spending more time watching other teams’ minor leaguers. So while the club could look to make a trade, it likely won't be one to build the club in the short term. "If anything, we might have some excess, some depth in certain areas. So other teams might hit us. I would imagine that our pro scouts are spending more time on the minor league fields," said Towers.
- The GM said that contract status won't play a role in deciding the makeup of the back end of the team's rotation, though contract situations such as a large guaranteed deal or a player out of options will likely factor into decisions in some way. Zach Duke, Armando Galarraga, Aaron Heilman and Barry Enright are the main contenders for the spots, writes Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Duke is guaranteed $4.5MM whether he makes the team or not while Galarraga's $2.3MM is only partially guaranteed if he's released prior to Opening Day. Heilman, meanwhile, is out-of-options and would likely be stowed away in the bullpen to be protected.
Pirates GM: Ryan Doumit Talks Have Quieted
Pirates GM Neal Huntington says that the trade talk surrounding Ryan Doumit has "kind of died" for now, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. This appears to be a recent development, as Huntington confessed just two weeks ago that the club could deal the catcher before Opening Day.
“Things kind of died, in terms of most conversations, once you get into February,” the GM said. “They (usually) pick back up again the first couple weeks of games. Right now is a very quiet period for most clubs.”
As our own Mark Polishuk recently explained, 2011 is a make or break year for Doumit. The Pirates hold options on the soon-to-be 30-year-old worth $7.25MM in 2012 and $8.25MM in 2013 but the club will almost certainly choose to pay a $500K buyout instead.
Huntington also indicated today that if the Pirates decide they can’t keep Rule 5 pick Josh Rodriguez on the roster, they will first try to work out a trade with the Indians in order to keep him.
Nationals Could Deal A Catcher
The Nationals are loaded with quality catchers and most likely will trade one of them for pitching, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. With Ivan Rodriguez, Jesus Flores, Wilson Ramos, and Derek Norris in the fold, Ladson writes that one of the backstops could be moved prior to Opening Day.
Now fully recovered from right shoulder surgery, the leading candidate to be traded could be Flores, who has been seen throwing the ball hard to second and third base. The injury cost the 26-year-old most of the 2010 season as he appeared in just 26 games.
The veteran Rodriguez will be the club's starting catcher to start the year while Ramos is being groomed as his heir apparent. Norris, 22, will probably start the season in the minors and is said to already possess a big league bat.
Yankees Keeping Eye On Liriano
The Yankees are keeping a close eye on Twins starter Francisco Liriano, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Meanwhile, the Twins are keeping tabs on Yankees prospects.
Earlier this month it was reported that the Twins were open to dealing the left-hander. The two sides briefly chatted about a multiyear deal but the talks went nowhere as Liriano was after a three-year, $39MM extension when the sides discussed a deal. While it appears that the talks did take place, the hurler did not believe that they were ever "serious."
Recently, Twins Assistant GM Rob Antony said that the rumors of the club being willing to move Liriano had no truth to them. The 27-year-old holds a great deal of value, however, and is due just $4.3MM in 2011.
Quick Hits: Rockies, Dodgers, McDonald, Clippard
Links for Thursday night..
- While I wondered if the Braves could be a match for the Cardinals as they look for pitching, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests that the Rockies could be a match. A major league source told Rosenthal that the Cards will first explore internal options before looking out-of-house.
- Commissioner Bud Selig has rejected a proposal under which FOX would have loaned about $200MM to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, three people familiar with the talks told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.
- Ex-Giant Juan Uribe is happy to be aboard with the Dodgers, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Former Dodgers pitcher James McDonald is excited to turn over a new leaf with the Pirates, writes Evan Drellich of MLB.com. McDonald was shipped to Pittsburgh along with Andrew Lambo for Octavio Dotel last season.
- Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard says that he will continue to be represented by agent Casey Close, who is leaving CAA Sports, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Brewers right-handers Justin James and Shaun Marcum were drafted by Toronto in the same year but took very different paths to wind up in Milwaukee, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. James claimed off waivers by the Brewers from the A's this offseason.
Discussion: Should The Braves Shop Their Starters?
Earlier today, the Cardinals confirmed that Adam Wainwright will undergo Tommy John surgery, shelving him for all of 2011. Without last year's Cy Young runner-up, St. Louis will certainly be in the market for a pitching upgrade. They're not the only team that could use a rotation boost, however. The Yankees and Nationals would like to shore up their respective starting fives, as would the Indians, though they likely can't afford a hefty contract.
Despite the need for pitching around the league, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez doesn't expect the club to move any of its starters. Earlier today, Buster Olney noted that the Yankees have not inquired on veteran Tim Hudson but is sure that the club would love to have him. Fellow vet Derek Lowe could also hold some value, but the righty is owed $30MM across the next two seasons.
The rotation is rounded out with Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens with Mike Minor, Rodrigo Lopez, Brandon Beachy as fifth-spot candidates, leaving the Braves with plenty of depth. Obviously, if Atlanta were to part with a hurler, they would opt to trade away Kenshin Kawakami, though finding a taker for his $6.67MM salary might be easier said than done. The club has dangled the 35-year-old for quite some time but might have to instead settle for selling him to a Japanese team, which would pick up half of his contract.
If you were in GM Frank Wren's position, would you sacrifice some of your pitching depth to upgrade elsewhere or would you prefer to hang on to your starters as insurance?
Ryan Braun Content With Contract
Early on in the 2008 season, the Brewers and Ryan Braun reached agreement on an eight-year, $45MM extension. In the past three years, the 27-year-old has more than lived up to his end of the pact, hitting .303/.363/.535. While some Brewers fans might worry that the outfielder will become unhappy with his contract that seems to favor the club, Braun has put those worries to rest, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
"I get it, but it's a non-issue," the three-time All-Star said. "I pay attention to what goes on around the game, obviously, but I'm happy for all of those guys. I agreed to a deal three years ago that goes five [more] years, and I'm excited and honored to be here."
One of "those guys" was Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who agreed to an extension that will provide him with just under $158MM through 2020. It's hard not to draw comparisons between the two as they were separated by just two picks in the 2005 Draft – Braun went to Milwaukee at No. 5 and Tulowitzki to the Rockies at No. 7. Despite the disparity in contracts, Braun insists that he's not jealous of the star shortstop's paycheck.
As McCalvy points out, Braun's deal is still the richest guaranteed deal in Brewers history. It could be surpassed by Rickie Weeks' five-year, $50MM extension, but that deal can be voided in the final year if he is not a regular in 2013 and 2014.
Quick Hits: Athletics, Cabrera, Jeter, Braves, Janssen
Let's take a look at some links for Monday night..
- Jane Lee of MLB.com writes that Athletics manager Bob Geren believes that his club has improved by leaps and bounds this winter.
- Recent addition Orlando Cabrera might not hold the Indians' starting second-base job for long, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
- Yankees captain Derek Jeter is not going to be happy about the comments made by Hank Steinbrenner earlier today, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that Braves GM Frank Wren is now under contract for the same period as manager Fredi Gonzalez, whom he hired to replace Bobby Cox. Earlier today the two sides agreed to a two-year contract extension.
- There may not be a spot in the Blue Jays' bullpen for pitcher Casey Janssen but the veteran says he's not looking for a way out of Toronto, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.
- New to San Diego, Jorge Cantu says that he's ready to produce even though he'll be asked to move around the diamond, writes MLB.com's Tom Singer. The Padres offically inked Cantu to a one-year deal worth $850K towards the end of January.
- Speaking of brand new members of the Pads, Kevin Frandsen is delighted to be back in the National League, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.
Astros To Sign Alberto Arias
The Houston Astros have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed reliever Alberto Arias, tweets Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. The 27-year-old will earn just under $440K.
The hurler missed the entire 2010 season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder surgery, but GM Ed Wade and manager Brad Mills intend to give him every opportunity to earn an Opening Day roster spot in the bullpen, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. Making the squad could prove to be more difficult than once thought as Goff writes that Arias told the team that he felt discomfort in his throwing shoulder yesterday.
Arias made 42 appearances for the Astros in 2009, posting an ERA of 3.35 with 7.7 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.