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Make Or Break Year: How Are They Doing?

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Before the season, we identified 11 players who were entering "make or break" years. These guys had experienced ups and downs in their respective careers and were positioned to re-establish themselves as difference makers at the Major League level and set themselves up for nice paydays in the future. Now that we're into August, let's take a second to check in each player (all links go to MLBTR posts)…

  • Scott Baker, Twins — Baker, 30, had elbow surgery in April and will miss the entire season. Minnesota will likely decline his $9.25MM option for 2013 (no buyout).
  • Phil Hughes, Yankees — The 26-year-old right-hander owns a 4.10 ERA in 131 2/3 innings this year, including a 3.40 ERA since mid-May. He's a safe bet to be tendered a contract for 2014, his final year as a arbitration-eligible player.
  • Jair Jurrjens, Braves — Jurrjens, 26, pitched so poorly earlier in the season that he had to be sent to the minors. He's since resurfaced and owns 6.89 ERA in 48 1/3 innings, cementing his status as a non-tender candidate.
  • Adam Lind, Blue Jays — Lind has battled back problems and also been demoted to Triple-A this season, and he's hit .227/.298/.394 while with the big league team. The 29-year-old continues to disappoint since signing his four-year, $18MM extension prior to 2010.
  • Francisco Liriano, White Sox — It's been another up and down season for the 28-year-old southpaw, who owns a 5.03 ERA in 111 innings. The Twins traded Liriano to the ChiSox at the deadline.
  • James Loney, Dodgers — Loney, now 28, hasn't helped himself at all this season, hitting just .251/.301/.330 in 327 plate appearances. He might have to settle for a minor league contract this coming offseason.
  • Kendrys Morales, Angels — The 29-year-old is hitting .282/.327/.455 with 14 homers on the year, well below the level he established prior to his leg injury in 2010. Morales figures to be both a trade and non-tender candidate after the season.
  • Mike Pelfrey, Mets — Pelfrey pitched to a 2.29 ERA in three starts before needing Tommy John surgery. The Mets are expected to non-tender the 28-year-old after the season.
  • Geovany Soto, Rangers — The 29-year-old backstop has continued to deal with injuries in 2012 and is hitting just .201/.289/.356. Soto is an obvious non-tender candidate.
  • Kevin Youkilis, White Sox — Youkilis lost his starting job with the Red Sox and was traded to the White Sox, who are likely to decline his $13MM option after the season. The 33-year-old has dealt with nagging injuries and is hitting .238/.339/.427 overall.
  • Delmon Young, Tigers — Young, 26, has had a below-average season at the plate (.266/.298/.402) and has dealt with some off-field problems. He hasn't helped his free agent stock any.

Minor Moves: Tim Redding, Matt Young

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Let's keep track of the day's minor transactions right here…

Outrighted To Triple-A: Conrad, Kelly, Gwynn

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The latest outright assignments…

Quick Hits: Trout, Tigers, Marlins, Rockies

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The Cubs were scheduled to play the first ever night game at Wrigley Field on this date 24 years ago, but the game was rained out, so it wasn't until the next day that the Cubs officially welcomed night baseball to the North Side of Chicago. Here are today's links, as the Cubs visit the Padres in San Diego…

  • MLB executives discussed a possible Mike Trout extension with Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (link at ESPN.com). Trout could break records as an arbitration eligible player if he continues playing at an MVP level, so it might be surprisingly expensive for the Angels to lock the 21-year-old up.
  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland gives president and GM Dave Dombrowski a ‘gold star’ for his work acquiring Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante and Jeff Baker, Chris Iott of MLive.com reports. Leyland’s top priority was a pitcher, so getting Infante in the same trade as Sanchez was a bonus. “When it worked out that we got both of them at the same time, that was pretty good," the manager said.
  • The Marlins will be willing to spend this offseason, but they’ll do so carefully, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes. Team president David Samson says the Marlins aim to remain competitive, despite their disappointing 2012 season. “We’re not rebuilding, we’re retooling,” he said. For more of his comments on the team click here.
  • The Rockies have some interest in Yorvit Torrealba, who was recently placed on release waivers, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter). However, it’s not clear how he’d fit on the Rockies with both Ramon Hernandez and Wilin Rosario healthy.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Verlander, Tigers, Rockies

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Here's a look around baseball, starting with the 50-60 Marlins..

  • The strong belief around the Marlins is that this season will lead owner Jeffrey Loria to shake up his front office, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.   The moves could even include the replacement of Larry Beinfest, who run the baseball operations department for eleven years under Loria.  Knobler opines that this winter may not be as exciting in Miami, but it could be just as fascinating.
  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland isn't afraid to allow Justin Verlander to throw 130 pitches per game and believes that pitch counts became an issue in baseball thanks to agents, writes Chris Iott of MLive.com.  "It became a hot topic when agents and big contracts came into play, if you want to know the truth," Leyland said. "Tell it like it is, cut through all the (expletive), sort through all the (expletive): When the agents and the big contracts came into play, the pitch count came into play, in my opinion."
  • The Rockies' "Project 5,183", a system in which pitchers are limited to 75 pitches per game, is unconventional and doesn't seem to be helping the club's arms, writes Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports.  Tracy quibbled with Paul DePodesta & Co. as Dodgers manager over his stats-based roster tweaks but says that he is willing to help the club pilot test their idea this year as the Rockies aren't contending.

Tigers Acquire Jeff Baker From Cubs

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The Tigers announced that they have acquired Jeff Baker from the Cubs in exchange for two players to be named later.  The Cubs will receive the two PTBNLs either on or before October 31st.

Baker, 31, has a .269/.306/.448 slash line in 144 plate appearances on the year.  The veteran has seen time at first base, second base, and the corner outfield positions this season and also has experience at third.

As for the Cubs, they will presumably bolster their farm system with this trade as they look to 2013 and beyond.  Theo Epstein & Co. continued the youth movement today with the promotions of Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson.

Tigers Designate Don Kelly For Assignment

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The Tigers announced that they have designated utility player Don Kelly for assignment. The move creates 25-man roster space for Andy Dirks, who has been recalled from his rehab assignment and reinstated from the disabled list.

Kelly, 32, has appeared in 64 games for the Tigers this year, playing all three outfield positions plus first, second and third. He has a .175/.267/.243 batting line in 116 plate appearances in 2012, but has a career batting line of .231/.282/.345 in five seasons with the Pirates and Tigers. Dirks had been sidelined since May 31 with right achilles tendinitis.

Alfonso Soriano Not Getting Traded Today

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5:14pm: Tigers president and GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including MLB.com's Jason Beck, that the Tigers didn't discuss Soriano with the Cubs (Twitter link). "Not once. … We did speak with the Cubs, but we did not speak about Soriano," Dombrowski said.

2:24pm: Soriano will stay with the Cubs at least this week, tweets Nightengale.

2:14pm: The Cubs say Soriano is likely to stay put, though an August deal is possible, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

2:04pm: The Tigers and Cubs are hard at work on Soriano, tweets David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com, but he's not sure if they can make the money work.  Soriano is owed $42.3MM through 2014.

1:18pm: Manager Jim Leyland thinks the Tigers may be done on the trade front, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

10:57am: The Tigers have considered Alfonso Soriano, but don't think he's a great fit, Knobler reports (on Twitter).  They asked about Scott Hairston, but the Mets wanted one of the Tigers' top five prospects in return.

10:24am: The Tigers are seeking a middle-of-the-order hitter in the wake of discouraging news on Victor Martinez's recovery from knee surgery, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  Martinez is said to be 50-50 to return this year, so the Tigers are "looking hard" for another bat.

Braves Acquire Reed Johnson, Paul Maholm

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The Cubs have traded left-hander Paul Maholm, outfielder Reed Johnson and cash considerations to the Braves in a four-player trade that provides Atlanta with reinforcements for the season's final two months and bolsters Chicago's minor league system. The Cubs obtain right-handers Jaye Chapman and Arodys Vizcaino in the trade, which the teams have announced. 

Paul Maholm - Cubs (PW)

Maholm has a 3.74 ERA with 6.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 49.9% ground ball rate in 120 1/3 innings for the Cubs this year. The 30-year-old has never thrown particularly hard; his average fastball checks in at 87.6 mph this year, according to FanGraphs. He earns a $4.75MM salary in 2012 and his contract includes a $6.5MM club option for 2013. The Royals and Pirates appeared to have interest in Maholm earlier this month.

Johnson, 35, has a .307/.361/.452 batting line in 180 plate appearances this year. The right-handed hitter has played all three outfield positions for the Cubs and owns a career .313/.370/.469 line against left-handed pitching. He's signed to a one-year, $1.15MM contract and will hit free agency after the season. Four teams made offers for Johnson today, including the Pirates and Tigers, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.

Vizcaino, who entered the 2012 season ranked by Baseball America as the 40th-best prospect in MLB, had Tommy John surgery this spring. The 21-year-old posted a 3.06 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 97 innings for three Braves affiliates as he made his way through Atlanta's minor league system in 2011. The right-hander reached the Major Leagues last year, posting a 4.67 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 17 relief appearances.

Chapman, a 25-year-old right-hander, has a 3.52 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings of relief for Atlanta's Triple-A team so far in 2012. The Braves selected him in the 16th round of the 2005 draft.

Maholm joins a Braves rotation that includes Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Mike Minor, Ben Sheets and, as of tomorrow, Kris Medlen. The Braves nearly traded for Ryan Dempster this month, but the sides don't appear to have obtained the right-hander's permission. 

Geovany Soto has been traded to the Rangers in a separate move.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported that Johnson had been traded (on Twitter). Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported Maholm's role in the trade and first reported that the Braves were the other team involved (Twitter link). ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick first reported that the Cubs were getting two minor league pitchers, including Chapman. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Cubs were getting Vizcaino. Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

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