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Odds & Ends: Martinez, Rangers, Strasburg, Zambrano

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Links for Wednesday…

Orioles Claim Pedro Viola

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The Orioles claimed lefty Pedro Viola off waivers from the Reds today, according to a team press release.  Viola was assigned to Triple A, and Felix Pie was transferred to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster.

Viola, 26, posted a 5.47 ERA, 10.4 K/9, and 6.0 BB/9 in 49.3 Triple A relief innings last year, allowing seven home runs.  In their 2010 Handbook, Baseball America praised Viola for a 92-94 mph fastball.  However, they describe his changeup and slider as fringy and note his inconsistent command.  Viola will be a project for Tides pitching coach Mike Griffin.

State Of The Trade: Volquez For Hamilton

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It is a useful exercise to take a look back at trades that were made, to help evaluate exactly how they are going for both teams. With the news of Edinson Volquez receiving a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, now seems like a good time to evaluate the deal that sent Volquez and Danny Herrera from Texas to Cincinnati in exchange for Josh Hamilton.

As Tim pointed out earlier this afternoon, the suspension itself does very little to impact Volquez's value to the Reds. His 50-game suspension begins tomorrow, with Volquez on the DL. He had Tommy John Surgery on August 3, 2009, so even the most optimistic projections wouldn't have had him back before the 50 games is up.

As to who is ahead in this deal, it is hard to say. Both Hamilton and Volquez have had one fantastic season with their post-trade teams. Hamilton posted a .304/.371/.530 line with Texas in 2008 during his age-27 season. Volquez, during that same season, put up a 17-6, 3.21 ERA line in his age-24 season.

By Baseball Prospectus' Wins Above Replacement Player, Volquez was worth 5.3 WARP in 2008, Hamilton checking in at 5.5. As per Fangraphs.com's WAR, Volquez was slightly ahead, 4.3 to 4.1. Both had injury-marred 2009 seasons, and have posted roughly equivalent value for their two teams so far.

Moving forward, Hamilton is off to a rough start in 2010, at .222/.333/.390 through his first 48 plate appearances. Volquez, of course, won't be able to help Cincinnati until later this season if at all.

With his litany of injuries, it is hard to count on Hamilton to recapture his 2007 form. Volquez is coming back from Tommy John surgery, a fairly common occurrence. Volquez is also significantly younger; Hamilton turns 29 on May 21, Volquez turns just 27 on July 3.  However, projecting pitchers is almost always harder than projecting hitters.

This challenge trade seems too close to call right now, but Volquez seems likelier to regain elite player status. More money, however, is due to Hamilton. He earns $3.25MM in 2010, as he was arbitration-eligible this past offseason, while Volquez makes just $445K (and the Reds won't need to pay him for the next 50 games, or roughly a third of that salary).

In the meantime? Danny Herrera keeps on keeping on, following a 3.06 ERA in 61 2/3 innings in 2009 with a strong start in 2010. Just 25, Herrera may be the difference-maker in this deal after all.

Edinson Volquez Gets 50-Game PED Suspension

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Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez has been suspended 50 games for using PEDs, reports SI's Jon Heyman.  Volquez is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery; he had the procedure on August 3rd of last year.  Even with the 50 games off, Volquez will be able to serve the suspension while on the DL – it begins tomorrow.  His service time will not be affected, and he'll still be arbitration-eligible after the season.

Volquez released a statement on the matter, saying he received medication in the Dominican Republic prescribed to help with fertility.

Largest Contracts In Team History

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We've already looked at the largest contracts by service time and position, so let's now dig up the largest contracts ever given out by each of the 30 teams. These are in terms of guaranteed money only, but some could end up being even larger because of incentives and option years.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Strasburg, Collusion, Cain

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On this day ten years ago, Indians' starter Chuck Finley struck out Tom Evans, Royce Clayton, Chad Curtis, and Rafael Palmeiro in the same inning after Curtis reached base on a passed ball. There have been 50 instances in baseball history where a pitcher struck out four men in one inning, but Finley did it three times, the only guy to do it more than once. Scot Shields is the last pitcher to strike out four in one frame, doing it less than a week after Scott Baker accomplished the same feat in June of 2008.

Let's take a look at what's being written around the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Miles Released; Balentien Outrighted

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John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets the results of Aaron Miles and Wladimir Balentien being designated for assignment by the Reds.  Both players cleared waivers.  Miles was released, while Balentien was outrighted to Triple A.

Miles joins the free agent ranks; he'll likely be signed for $400K with the Reds paying the remaining $2.3MM on his contract.  The 33-year-old infielder hit .185/.224/.242 in 170 plate appearances for the Cubs last year, battling shoulder and elbow injuries.  He was acquired twice during the offseason - by the A's to help facilitate their acquisition of Jake Fox, and by the Reds as a way of dumping the inferior contract of Willy Taveras.

Balentien, a 25-year-old outfielder, hit .234/.305/.385 in 295 plate appearances for the Mariners and Reds last year.  He's flashed big power at various minor league stops and was a well-regarded prospect as recently as 2008.

Discussion: Aaron Harang

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After Aroldis Chapman's strong debut for Triple-A Louisville, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer was asked (via Twitter) if a repeat of that could force the Reds to trade Aaron Harang.  Fay, of course, said it was too early for GM Walt Jocketty to take such action.  However, the Reds could look to move the veteran pitcher if Chapman makes his way to the big leagues and impresses there as well.

The 31-year-old Harang is set to earn $12.5MM this season with a club option of $12.75MM for 2011 that can be bought out for a modest $2MM.  In 2009, he posted a 4.21 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 – numbers that are consistent with his career average.  The xFIP metric was even kinder to the righty, as he notched a 3.96 – a marked improvement over his 4.39 the year prior.

If the Reds find themselves in a position where they can move Harang, what teams could you see inquiring on him?

Top Trade Chips: NL Central

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Let's continue our series looking at each team's top trade chips with the NL Central…

  • Astros: Teams can ask for Hunter Pence, but it's just not happening. 26-year-old catcher J.R. Towles and his five years of team control could be shopped with top prospect Jason Castro coming up behind him. If Houston falls way out of it, Roy Oswalt could be made available, but it would be a massive PR hit. He's owed $31MM through 2011 with a $16MM option ($2MM buyout) for 2012, and would have to approve any trade. Dealing him would signify the start of a full rebuilding effort. 
  • Brewers: Yovani Gallardo was never going to be moved in the first place, but his new contract extension all but guarantees it. Manny Parra seems to have fallen out of favor, but a lefty who can dial it up to the mid-90's will always have value on the trade market. He still has three years of arbitration eligibility ahead of him. 
  • Cardinals: The Cards dealt away most of their top prospects for Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa last year, so there's not much left to move. Triple-A catcher Bryan Anderson and Double-A outfielder Daryl Jones could be used in a trade since the big league team is pretty well set at those positions. Jones is more highly regarded of the two. Colby Rasmus is untouchable, obviously.
  • Cubs: Josh Vitters, the third overall pick in 2007, watched his name pop up in trade rumors involving Jake Peavy last year. If Chicago is willing to eat some of the $26.5MM left on his contract, there would be interest in Kosuke Fukudome.
  • Pirates: Neal Huntington has completely turned over the team's roster since taking over in September 2007, dealing away every notable veteran player. He did, however, build up a nice inventory of veteran relievers this offseason. Octavio Dotel, D.J. Carrasco, Brendan Donnelly, and Javier Lopez could all be used as trade fodder this summer.
  • Reds: Cincinnati is clearly a team on the rise, but one young player they could make available is the blocked Yonder Alonso. The power hitting first baseman masquerading as a left fielder in Double-A has all six years of team control left, and is the best trade chip in the division.
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