Odds & Ends: Brazoban, White Sox, Baker
More links for Monday, as Jose Bautista becomes the first major leaguer to hit 40 home runs this season…
- The Mets signed former big league reliever Yhency Brazoban out of the Mexican League, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 30-year-old right-hander enjoyed some success out of the Dodgers' 'pen in 2004-05, but hasn't pitched in the majors since 2008.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune breaks down the choices the White Sox face this offseason. A.J. Pierzynski and Paul Konerko are among the White Sox who will hit free agency after the season.
- Dusty Baker told the AP (on ESPN) that he hasn't decided whether to accept the one-year extension the Reds offered last week.
Joey Votto’s 2011 Salary
The Reds may or may not offer Joey Votto an extension this winter, but he's setting himself up for a massive raise, even if Cincinnati doesn't offer a long-term deal. Votto leads the National League in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage and is second in RBI and third in home runs. He's just three homers and three RBI away from leading the league in every triple crown category and has a 1.023 OPS since the All-Star break, so he's showing no signs of slowing down.
The Reds have enjoyed three-plus seasons of dirt-cheap production from their first baseman, but that's about to change. Votto goes to arbitration for the first time this winter and he's comparable to a group of first basemen that earned significant raises in their first seasons of arbitration.
To determine how much Votto can expect to earn in 2011, let's compare his numbers to the ones some current first basemen had entering their first seasons of arbitration. Here are the stats Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Morneau, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Mark Teixeira had leading up to their first arbitration seasons, plus the salaries they ultimately agreed to.
Please note that Fielder, Teixeira, and Pujols signed multi-year deals that included their first seasons of arbitration. 'Age' shows the player's age at the time of the signing, not his current age.
Votto’s rate stats are comparable to Cabrera’s, but Votto has played significantly fewer games than Cabrera had. Fellow-Canadian Justin Morneau had similar homer and RBI totals to the ones Votto has now, but worse rate stats.
Howard and Morneau, both super twos, parlayed MVP seasons into substantial raises, but Morneau settled for a modest $4.5MM salary, whereas Howard signed for a record-setting $10MM. Votto, an MVP candidate this season, could ask for something in between. It would not be unreasonable for him to seek a $7MM salary through arbitration this offseason if he keeps hitting like this.
Odds & Ends: Heilman, Overbay, Delgado, Reds
As Nationals fans cross their fingers about Stephen Strasburg, here's some news from around the majors…
- Aaron Heilman is looking forward to his first taste of free agency, reports MLB.com's Andrew Pentis. Heilman said that he and his agent hadn't had any talks yet with the Diamondbacks about a new contract.
- Lyle Overbay thinks he has a chance of returning to the Blue Jays next season, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Given the Overbay trade rumors we've been hearing all year, this would certainly be a surprise, especially since the Jays have given Adam Lind a few starts at first recently.
- Carlos Delgado has been placed on the seven-day disabled list by the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, reports Sportsnet New York's Ben Wagner (via Twitter). Delgado is experiencing soreness in his back and left hip, not his twice-operated on right hip. The slugger signed a minor league contract with Boston on August 7.
- Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News thinks the Reds should "make signing Bronson Arroyo a priority," implies that 2010 is Ramon Hernandez's last year in Cincinnati and gives some other opinions in a fan mailbag.
- Was Khalil Greene the biggest loss for the Rangers this season? Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News thinks so, given the team's ongoing depth problems.
- Ricky Nolasco's contract extension talks with the Marlins may be on hold. Josh Friedman and Craig Mish of The Ticket 790AM radio report (via Twitter) that the Florida right-hander may miss the rest of the season with a partially-torn meniscus.
- Dontrelle Willis has been promoted to Triple-A Fresno, and Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News tweets that Willis is a candidate to join the Giants when the rosters expand on September 1.
- LaTroy Hawkins will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. It's unknown if the scope will reveal more severe damage, but Hawkins says he plans on pitching in 2011. Since signing a two-year, $7.5MM contract with Milwaukee last December, the injury-plagued Hawkins has made just 18 appearances for the Brewers, posting an 8.44 ERA.
Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Dobbs, Paulino, Hawpe
Links for Saturday, as Ubaldo Jimenez prepares for his third attempt at his 18th win….
- Alex Speier of WEEI spoke to Red Sox draftees Anthony Ranaudo and Brandon Workman about their down to the wire negotiations.
- Greg Dobbs has cleared waivers and accepted a minor league assignment, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Phillies designated Dobbs for assignment earlier this week.
- After sending Conor Jackson back to the disabled list, the Athletics could use another bat, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal notes that the market for right-handed hitters is fairly thin.
- Despite being suspended 50 games for a drug policy violation, Ronny Paulino could be back with the Marlins next year, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- As Jim Tracy tells Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, Brad Hawpe's DFA doesn't mean the 31-year-old will never be a Rockie again.
- A few Reds who spoke to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon are hoping Dusty Baker will accept the team's extension offer.
- Recently-acquired Joe Saunders is excited about the future in Arizona, according to Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Reds, Helton, Darvish, Harper
Friday Night Links..
- Despite a published report to the contrary, Phillies scouting director Marti Wolever is not headed to the Mets, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon spoke to a few members of the Reds who would like to see Dusty Baker sign an extension with the club.
- Brandon Inge and Johnny Damon are both okay with having been put on waivers, writes Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press.
- Reds manager Dusty Baker dismissed questions about him possibly becoming the Dodgers manager if Joe Torre retires, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Mark Kizla of The Denver Post urges Todd Helton to call it quits.
- The Padres don't have much interest in outfielder Cody Ross, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.
- The Pirates will send Luis Heredia to their affiliate in Bradenton not to pitch, but to familiarize himself with the program, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (via Twitter) passes along a report from Japanese outlet Sponichi that the Yankees sent Damon Oppenheimer and scout Billy Eppler to watch Yu Darvish.
- Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (via Twitter) wonders aloud if the Brewers might make a deal in order to free a roster spot for the returning Carlos Gomez.
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo says that Bryce Harper won't be playing in any games for their Gulf Coast League affiliate this season, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com.
Odds & Ends: Chapman, Lee, Inge, Thome
Links for Wednesday night….
- The Reds will wait until September 1st to promote Aroldis Chapman, but he'll still be eligible for the playoffs, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. In a separate blog post, Fay explains Chapman's postseason eligibility.
- Scott Miller of CBS Sports, Fangraphs' Jack Moore, ESPN's Keith Law (Insider-only) and ESPN.com's Rob Neyer share their thoughts on today's Derrek Lee trade.
- Ian Casselberry at MLive.com argues that the Tigers ought to trade Brandon Inge.
- Unsurprisingly, Ozzie Guillen had a response for those who criticized the White Sox for parting ways with Jim Thome. Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune has the story.
- Scrambling for a source of saves for the last month and a half of your fantasy league? Follow @closernews on Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest injuries, blown saves, and everything else closer-related.
Reds Offer Extension To Dusty Baker
The Reds have made Dusty Baker an offer to continue managing past this season, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Baker, currently in the third and final year of a contract worth about $10.5MM, says he just got the extension offer from Cincinnati a few days ago and is "still evaluating it."
When Baker reportedly asked the Reds about a contract extension near the start of the season, they had evidently not yet made a decision about his future. However, with the team outperforming expectations this year (68-51, in first place by 2.5 games), Baker has silenced many of his doubters.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently suggested that, given all the clubs who will be searching for a new manager this winter, Baker would have his share of suitors if he decided to leave Cincinnati.
Odds & Ends: Owings, Yankees, Counsell, Livingston
Some more links for Tuesday as two of the game's best second basemen – Chase Utley and Dustin Pedroia – return to action…
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Barry Bloom that Micah Owings requested that the Reds try to trade him to another MLB organization. The Reds, who designated Owings for assignment today, will try to trade Owings.
- Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal projects Boston’s 2014 roster.
- The Yankees agreed to sign Dominican shortstop Christopher Tamarez for $650K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. BA has video of the wiry 16-year-old.
- Craig Counsell told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he would not object to being traded to a contender. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes analyzed the market for Counsell, who cleared waivers yesterday.
- The Rays signed former big league pitcher Bobby Livingston, according to the International League's transactions page. The Dodgers recently released the left-hander.
- Teams are calling the Cubs about Derrek Lee and others, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. Lee, who can veto any deal, turned down a trade to the Angels last month.
Reds Designate Micah Owings For Assignment
The Reds designated pitcher Micah Owings for assignment to make room for newly-signed draft pick Yasmani Grandal on the 40-man roster, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Owings was acquired from the Diamondbacks as the player to be named later in the Adam Dunn trade about two years ago. In his Reds career he posted a 5.35 ERA, 6.1 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, and 1.2 HR/9 in 153 innings. He's dealt with shoulder issues in recent years. Owings is known for his bat; he slugged four homers, five doubles, and a triple in 76 Reds plate appearances.
Reds To Sign Yasmani Grandal
The Reds will sign first-round catcher Yasmani Grandal to a major league deal worth $2.99MM, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. Jon Heyman of SI.com also hears that Grandal will sign for $2.9MM (Twitter link). The University of Miami product becomes the first 2010 draftee to sign a major league deal and will receive a 40-man roster spot.
Grandal, still just 21, played on the 2009 USA Baseball national team. The Red Sox drafted him in the 27th round of the 2007 draft, but he did not sign.