Quick Hits: Padres, Snider, Wheeler
Let's take a look at some tidbits from around the majors on this Thursday evening..
- Be wary when considering radar gun readings. Former Padres GM (now Diamondbacks GM) Kevin Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the club would tinker with the pitch speeds from time to time. Every time Brad Penny pitched for the Dodgers in San Diego, the club would dial down the radar gun to frustrate him.
- The Blue Jays caught some off guard by demoting promising outfielder Travis Snider earlier today. MLB.com's Todd Wills writes that the club sent him to Triple-A to make adjustments to his swing.
- Red Sox newcomer Dan Wheeler is still working to carve out a niche for himself in the bullpen, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. Last year with the Rays, Wheeler posted a 3.35 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.
Heyman On Dodgers, Indians, Crawford, Braves
Commissioner Bud Selig worries about the Mets, but grants them more leeway than the Dodgers because their owners have built up goodwill over the course of three decades, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, on the other hand, has been far from a model owner since buying the team, which led to MLB’s recent takeover of financial operations. Here’s the latest on the Dodgers, plus other notes from around the league:
- McCourt took out a $25MM loan in September as well as a recent $30MM loan from FOX, according to Heyman.
- Though McCourt signed paperwork guaranteeing that he wouldn’t sue MLB, he’s considering legal action. He didn't rule the possibility out earlier this evening.
- One competing GM says he's surprised by the Indians' hot start. He expected the Tribe to be horrible after seeing them this spring, but they are now 15-8, in first place.
- A Red Sox person says Carl Crawford’s slow start (.163/.209/.233 line so far) doesn’t necessarily have to do with playing for a new team or with a new $142MM contract. His .188 BABIP probably has a lot to do with it.
- The Braves are concerned about their offense, according to Heyman.
Red Sox Continue Eyeing Catching Help
The Red Sox continue to look out for possible catching help and the names on their potential wish list include Bengie Molina, Ivan Rodriguez and Chris Snyder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Peter Gammons said today on WEEI’s Mut & Merloni show that the Red Sox are prepared to continue with Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia even though they’ve considered other options.
“I know what they were trying to do. They looked around. They didn’t have money to spend,” Gammons said. “They couldn’t go get Bengie Molina. They weren’t going to spend the money at this point.”
Boston’s interest in Snyder would likely fade if Pittsburgh’s asking price is high and Rosenthal hears that the Pirates are pleased with the catcher’s game calling and receiving ability so far in 2011. He's hitting at a respectable .333/.387/.407 clip so far and Arizona is responsible for $3MM of the $6.5MM remaining on his contract. As a result, it doesn’t appear that the Pirates are intent on moving him.
Gammons noted that the Red Sox don’t feel they have the answer to their catching issues in the minor leagues. That means trade chatter will likely continue until their current catchers start hitting or they make a move.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Brewers, Sampson, Yankees
Some links for Sunday afternoon..
- The Dodgers have become an embarrassment to the sport of baseball, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- Brewers right fielder Corey Hart is set to return on Tuesday and the club will have to clear a roster spot, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, both Erick Almonte and the recently-promoted Brandon Boggs are out of options.
- Although Chris Sampson was somewhat shocked on April 1st when he learned that the Rockies would be releasing him, he was optimisitic that opportunities would likely fall into his lap toward the end of April, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. Sampson signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins yesterday.
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald sees Jarrod Saltalamacchia's coronation as the Red Sox's starting catcher as being indicative of the lack of catching depth in the majors.
- Cutter Dykstra isn't exactly expected to accomplish what his father did, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 21-year-old was recently shipped to the Nationals from the Brewers.
- The Yankees no longer have the largest payroll of any sports team on the planet as a pair of soccer teams have unseated them, according to Nick Harris of Sporting Intelligence.
Cafardo On Dodgers, Upton, Doumit, Red Sox
Do not expect Dodgers owner Frank McCourt to go quietly into the night, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The McCourt-Bud Selig saga could turn out to be one of the great sports legal battles of the 21st century. While he's been silent publicly, major league sources close to McCourt indicate he is flabbergasted by Selig’s actions, and that he has not been able to discuss the issues with the commissioner face-to-face. Here's more from Cafardo's Sunday column..
- A couple of major league evaluators say the Rays could explore moving B.J. Upton if they fall out of contention, or even if they’re in contention. They’d like to make a deal similar to the Matt Garza trade, in which they received good talent, including Sam Fuld.
- The Pirates received calls on catcher Ryan Doumit this winter but the talks eventually petered out. The Red Sox could be in the market for a backstop, but one talent evaluator says that Doumit isn't a great receiver and the club is better off sticking with Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Pittsburgh’s Chris Snyder, who is off to a hot start, could also be available.
- The Nationals are thought to be in the market for a center fielder and/or someone who can add give a boost to the Nats offense.
- The White Sox lead the majors with six blown saves, but one club exec stands by the team's decision to let Bobby Jenks go. Even though Jenks may do very well with Boston, it was the right decision, even if it doesn't look like it right now.
- Cafardo was surprised to see BoSox chariman Tom Werner issue a statement that he wasn’t interested in pursuing ownership of the Dodgers. Werner has Los Angeles roots and was once the owner of the Padres. The chairman himself pointed out that his business and personal relationships with John Henry are too good to walk away from.
East Notes: Wright, Salty, Bixler, A-Rod
Rainfall on the East Coast has already postponed a couple games on Friday night, but here's some items of note to hold you over …
- Mets third baseman David Wright's days in New York may be winding down, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets, who may be in full-on rebuild mode as soon as midseason, could opt to trade Wright because he is signed to team-favorable terms through 2013 and would therefore yield a better haul in a trade than Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran or Francisco Rodriguez, writes Rubin. That the Mets could entertain this is indicative of how far they've fallen the past couple years; it once seemed likely Wright would spend his entire career in Queens.
- Red Sox catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek have struggled so far this season, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com, but with underwhelming and unready in-house options and limited trade or free-agent targets out there, a move is not imminent. Bengie Molina, 36, is still unsigned, but as Speier points out, would he be much of an improvement?
- The Nationals have purchased the contract of infielder Brian Bixler from Triple-A Syracuse, tweets Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com. A corresponding move on the 40-man roster was to be announced. Bixler, a second-round pick of the Pirates in 2004 out of Eastern Michigan, last appeared in the bigs in 2009. In 166 career plate appearances, he has a .178/.238/.237 line.
- Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has hired Steve Loy of Gaylord Sports Management to handle his marketing. As our Agency Tracker shows, A-Rod has not officially announced an agent since parting ways with Scott Boras, and he may not need one for a while considering he's signed through age 42. For a complete list of Scott Boras clients, click here.
East Notes: Rays, Molina, Mets, Wright
The legend of Jed Lowrie grew a little more today thanks to another homerun, so let's check in on his team plus a few others in the two Eastern divisions…
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says that while the Rays will look for a bat to replace Manny Ramirez, they won't have his full $2MM salary at their disposal. Felipe Lopez ($1MM) and Casey Kotchman ($750K) are two recent call-ups cutting into the team's budget.
- Within the same article, Heyman says that Bengie Molina could be an option for the Red Sox, who will reportedly address their catching situation within two weeks. Bengie recently said he's retired "for now."
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post says that it's probably for the best that the Mets have the worst record in the NL at 5-12 because "cleaning house is what will help speed the process toward the Mets' next good team and away from this unacceptable lot."
- In a second article, Sherman muses about a possible David Wright trade, but not as a pure salary dump. "[The] Mets have to be open to the possibility that a team in contention … would be willing to pay $1.25 for $1 worth of talent."
Gammons Talks Red Sox Catcher, Lowrie
Peter Gammons of MLB Network and NESN joined WEEI's Mut & Merloni show today to discuss Red Sox issues; here's the transcript. Highlights:
- Gammons feels that Boston's starting catcher situation is "an issue that in the next two weeks is going to be addressed," with Jarrod Saltalamacchia struggling both on defense and offense. Gammons suggests Tim Federowicz is "the best catch-and-throw guy in the organization," and would be the first person called up if the Sox try an internal solution. Gammons does not see anybody good the Red Sox could acquire right now.
- Gammons thinks Jed Lowrie is "right in the middle as far as everyday shortstops in the major leagues." Today in the Boston Herald, Padres assistant GM Jason McLeod talked to John Tomase about what he saw when he drafted Lowrie in 2005. I can see Marco Scutaro being dealt if Lowrie continues to excel for the next few months.
- Rich Hill is Boston's best option among situational lefties, but Gammons says the team wants to "give Rich a full month to get his feet on the ground, get used to this delivery and get his confidence restored before they bring him up." Hill was re-signed by the Red Sox to a minor league deal in mid-December, as GM Theo Epstein elected not to spend money on left-handed relief.
Red Sox Notes: Gonzalez, Ramirez, Scutaro
The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays today, so they have now won three consecutive games for the first time all season. Here's the latest on the Red Sox:
- Cork Gaines of Business Insider notes that the Red Sox saved $4.6MM by waiting until last week to extend Adrian Gonzalez. Because of the luxury tax, it would have been expensive for Boston to announce Gonzalez's extension much earlier.
- The Red Sox have only signed only player for more money than the $154MM they committed to Gonzalez: Manny Ramirez signed for $160MM as a free agent in 2000. Earlier today, Jim Callis of Baseball America dug up some old scouting reports on Ramirez, whose bat stood out, even as a high schooler.
- Manny went 13th overall to the Indians in the 1991 draft, which I took a closer look at last week.
- Marco Scutaro told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he doesn't mind sitting more while the red-hot Jed Lowrie plays regularly. Lowrie and Jose Iglesias could push Scutaro out of Boston within the next year, but the Red Sox are likely glad to have him on the roster at this point.
- Be sure to check out Tim Dierkes' review of Boston's offseason.
Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are next in our Offseason In Review series.
Major League Signings
- Carl Crawford, LF: seven years, $142MM.
- David Ortiz, DH: one year, $12.5MM. Club option exercised.
- Bobby Jenks, RP: two years, $12MM.
- Dan Wheeler, RP: one year, $3MM. Includes $3MM+ vesting/club option for 2012
- Jason Varitek, C: one year, $2MM.
- Hideki Okajima, RP: one year, $1.75MM.
- Matt Albers, RP: one year, $875K. Arbitration eligible after 2011 season.
- Alfredo Aceves, SP: one year, $650K. Arbitration eligible after 2011 season.
- Total spend: $174.775MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Andrew Miller, Randy Williams, Dennys Reyes, Brandon Duckworth, Nate Spears, Rich Hill, Tony Pena, Paul Hoover, Matt Fox
Extensions
- Clay Buchholz, SP: four years, $29.945MM. Includes $13MM club option for 2016 with a $245K buyout and $13.5MM club option for 2017 with a $500K buyout.
- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B: seven years, $154MM.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired SS Brent Dlugach from Tigers for RP Pedro Perez
- Acquired P Andrew Miller from Marlins for RP Dustin Richardson. Miller was later non-tendered and re-signed to a minor league deal.
- Acquired 1B Adrian Gonzalez from Padres for SP Casey Kelly, 1B Anthony Rizzo, CF Reymond Fuentes, and OF/2B Eric Patterson
- Acquired 2B Tony Thomas from Cubs for P Robert Coello
- Acquired cash considerations from Indians for OF Bubba Bell
- Acquired C Mike McKenry from Rockies for RP Daniel Turpen
Notable Losses
- Adrian Beltre, Victor Martinez, Bill Hall, Mike Lowell, Pedro Perez, Dustin Richardson, Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Reymond Fuentes, Eric Patterson, Robert Coello, Bubba Bell, Daniel Turpen
Summary
This offseason the Red Sox lost a couple of key contributors in Beltre and Martinez, compensating by committing to Crawford and Gonzalez through 2017 and '18, respectively. Otherwise, GM Theo Epstein retained Ortiz, tinkered with the bullpen, and locked up Buchholz to a flexible contract.
Beltre and Martinez were huge losses for the Red Sox, who did not seem aggressive about retaining either player. The team was able to maintain great corner infield offense, while improved left field production should make up for a downgrade at catcher. The draft pick results: the Sox lost #24 to sign Crawford, but gained #19, 26, 36, and 40 for Beltre and Martinez. The Red Sox once again demonstrated that it's better to sign someone else's Type A and let yours leave rather than re-sign your own.
The Red Sox flexed their financial muscle with the Crawford signing, agreeing to a contract in the range of what most people expected for the left fielder. His first 58 plate appearances of 2011 notwithstanding, Crawford adds offensive value with his bat and a little more with his basestealing. Still, Corey Hart and Nick Swisher offer similar offensive production, and they wouldn't have gotten seven-year deals or $20MM salaries as free agents. Instead, the Crawford signing appears to be the biggest investment in defense we've ever seen.
Only a few teams could afford to pay Crawford over $100MM, but the battle to obtain Gonzalez was a level playing field. The superstar first baseman earns just $6.3MM this year, about a quarter of his market value. Acquiring him for the 2011 season meant luxury tax savings and no draft pick cost. Gonzalez instead cost three significant young players. Kelly is a consensus top 50 prospect, and Rizzo fits into the top 75. Fuentes is also highly regarded.
Even dealing with the GM who knows Boston's farm system best, Jed Hoyer, Epstein made a good win-now move in acquiring Gonzalez. A trade like this makes more sense for the Red Sox than waiting for the prospects to develop. Another benefit: Gonzalez was willing to sign a below-market contract and didn't require the 2011 salary to be overwritten.
The Buchholz extension was of a different type; the Red Sox guaranteed him almost $30MM in the name of three free agent years and possible arbitration savings. This has been an effective strategy for Boston, but as it gains in popularity the prices rise and the deals become less team-friendly. Though Buchholz's 2.33 ERA earned him a sixth-place Cy Young finish last year, Baseball Prospectus' SIERA put him at 4.29. The top-notch ERA estimator placed Kevin Slowey and Luke Hochevar in the same ballpark, so Buchholz isn't an ace yet. Like Jon Lester after '08, the Sox need Buchholz to take another step forward to make this contract a big win.
Epstein's bullpen tinkering brought in Jenks, Wheeler, Okajima, Albers, Aceves, plus several lefties on minor league deals. The Red Sox could have purchased a more established southpaw, looking at the free agent market.
I agree with the decision to exercise Ortiz's option, even if $12.5MM seems steep compared to certain DH signings. Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn required at least that much, plus four-year commitments, to essentially serve as DHs. The trio is a cut above players like Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui, and Jack Cust.
Waiting until the Gonzalez extension became official allows me to talk about Boston's slow start; they're 5-10 at the time of this writing. This is a concern. If you pegged them as a 95 win team back in March and consider the first 15 games a fluke, they're projected now to win 91 games. Unless the team balances their start by reeling off a winning streak, I think they'll be aggressive in seeking trade deadline upgrades.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.