Jeremy Sowers Clears Waivers
1:38pm: Sowers cleared waivers and will head to Triple A, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
9:53am: Indians pitcher Jeremy Sowers has been placed on outright waivers, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the lefty is likely headed to the minors if unclaimed.
Sowers, 27 in May, posted a 5.25 ERA, 3.7 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9 in 123.3 innings for the Tribe last year. He was better in the minors, but it was his fourth Triple A stint (excluding one start made in '05).
Sowers was drafted 20th overall by Reds GM Jim Bowden in '01, but did not sign. He was known to be a very difficult sign prior to the draft, and already had a commitment to Vanderbilt. Three years later the Indians drafted the brainy southpaw 6th overall. His polish got him to Cleveland in '06, but he was never able to strike out big league hitters and his groundball rate dropped since that rookie season.
Choo Negotiations At Standstill
Negotiations to lock up right fielder Shin-Soo Choo don't seem to be going anywhere, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. The South Korean will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season. Choo earned a shade over $420K last season, and his contract was renewed with a "minimal raise" for 2010.
Ideally, the Indians would like to sign the 27-year-old to a five-year deal with a team option for a sixth. However, neither Choo nor his agent Scott Boras have shown interest in such a pact. You may recall that Choo hired Scott Boras as his representative in late February, roughly two weeks after Felipe Lopez cut ties with the super-agent.
Castrovince points out that during Mark Shapiro's tenure, the Tribe has a habit of locking up their core players prior to arbitration. The most prominent example, he writes, was the six-year, $23.45MM deal given to Grady Sizemore in 2006.
Meanwhile, Castrovince also writes that Asdrubal Cabrera – who is also arbitration-eligible at season's end – also fits the mold of a player that the Indians would look to lock up. At present, it's unclear whether the Tribe has made such an attempt.
Odds & Ends: Gaudin, Mets, Cain, Parra
Links for Sunday evening..
- A's assistant GM David Forst told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that the team did not sign Chad Gaudin as a result of Michael Wuertz's injury. Forst says that the team has been looking to add bullpen depth all spring, which was their reason for acquiring Edwar Ramirez and Jason Jennings.
- The Mets will likely wait until the last possible moment to outright pitcher Pat Misch with the hope of stowing him in Triple-A, writes Marty Noble of MLB.com.
- Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes that it will be interesting to see where the Giants' rotation stands in 2012. San Francisco will have roughly $35MM committed to Matt Cain and Barry ZIto for that season with Tim Lincecum once again eligible for arbitration.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner (via Twitter) wants Seattle to land Manny Parra, though he can't imagine the Brewers parting with him. This morning, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that Parra could be an available option for the M's.
- Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos released Joey Gathright because he didn't think it was fair to send him to the minors, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
- The Indians are expected to make their remaining roster decisions by Thursday, tweets Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. The Tribe is looking to nail down their final starter, two bullpen spots, and utility players.
Stark’s Latest: Trade Block, Mets, Phillies, Tigers
ESPN's Jayson Stark has a new blog post up with some trade rumor nuggets for us. It's behind the Insider wall (if you don't have a subscription yet, what are you waiting for?), so I can't give away too much…
- Stark lists 16 players currently on the trade block. Among the names we haven't seen mentioned recently: Willie Harris, Andy Marte, Tim Stauffer, Omir Santos, and Brad Thomas.
- The Mets are looking to move one of their extra catchers, either Santos or Chris Coste, and are looking to add "major league-ready triple-A pitching depth." Aren't we all…
- The Phillies are looking to add all sorts of pitching depth, and have interest in the recently released Chad Gaudin.
- Scott Sizemore's rocky spring has the Tigers looking for a second base upgrade.
- Kansas City is shopping Brayan Pena in their perpetual search for starting pitching.
- The Braves have told other clubs that David Ross is available, "possibly in a catcher-for-catcher swap for a younger backup-catcher type."
Fangraphs On Indians, Dodgers, Darvish
The gang over at Fangraphs continued their rankings of each team's organizational structure, and also provided an update on arguably the most intriguing prospect in Japan…
- The Indians are 13th in Fangraphs' rankings. Dave Cameron says "despite the backlash against the Indians front office for the lack of results, this is still one of the best run organizations in the game." Cameron's prediction of big things in the future for the Tribe is backed up by Bryan Smith's rundown of Cleveland's minor league system, focusing on GM Mark Shapiro's recent shrewd deals for prospects.
- While the Dodgers are just a rung below in the #14 spot, Cameron is not impressed with the franchise thanks to the ongoing divorce and ownership dispute between Frank and Jamie McCourt. Cameron describes the McCourts "as people you don’t want owning your team." Marc Hulet's look at L.A.'s future prospects is similarly downbeat, though Hulet notes that many of the Dodgers' most recent blue-chip prospects are currently delivering at the major league level.
- Patrick Newman breaks down the incredible numbers of Yu Darvish and calls him the "real deal," noting that Darvish has had three seasons better than Daisuke Matsuzaka's best efforts in NPB. While Darvish may be capable of pitching in the majors, however, Newman says that "Darvish has been outspoken about not wanting to make the leap to MLB." Newman mentions rumors that the half-Iranian Darvish may not want to play in the United States due to a possible backlash over his ethnicity, though Newman has never seen Darvish ever specifically comment on this issue.
Indians Notes: Dye, Bixler, Mauer
MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince opened up his reader mailbag to answer a number of questions about the Tribe and other AL Central topics…
- Jermaine Dye's right-handed bat "would have been a better fit in this lineup" than Russell Branyan, Castrovince notes, but Cleveland needed a first baseman and Dye is a defensive liability in the outfield.
- The trade for, and subsequent DFA of, Brian Bixler is described as "wasted energy" by Castrovince. However, he notes that Jesus Brito (who the Tribe dealt to Pittsburgh for Bixler) is "a little old" to still be in the low minors, in spite of his strong numbers last season.
- Castrovince discusses Joe Mauer's contract extension and says that it "was a special circumstance" given Mauer's Minnesota roots and the fact that the Twins could afford the deal thanks to their new ballpark. He also warns that the deal might not look so good when Target Field stops being a major revenue stream, such as what happened to the Indians after the novelty of Progressive Field (then Jacobs Field) wore off.
- Along those same lines, Castrovince notes that the Tribe didn't have the benefit of a new ballpark to generate revenue when they attempted to re-sign C.C. Sabathia to a long-term deal before the 2008 season.
- Castrovince reports the Tribe didn't re-sign LHP Juan Lara, as they have the last two springs to minor-league deals. The team did allow Lara to train at their Dominican Republic facilities over the winter. Lara hasn't pitched in the majors since 2007 due to a car accident suffered in November of that year, but he returned to appear in 15 games for Cleveland's Arizona Rookie League team in 2009.
Olney On Carmona, Trades, Heath Bell
A few notes from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required)…
- Is it hasty to consider the Indians sellers for 2010? Olney writes of rave reviews for Fausto Carmona, who he believes could transform the team's pennant hopes. An above-average offense, good years from Jake Westbrook and Justin Masterson…you never know.
- Olney hears there's "only a trickle of trade talk going on." One GM believes that's because there's not much money available and there are still a few decent free agents out there.
- Olney spoke to execs who believe the Padres will wait to trade Heath Bell, to drive up the price and give the team a shot at winning early. Something to consider about Bell: MLBTR reader Jeff Hainey recently reminded me that while Bell is under team control for two years, his 2011 salary could potentially approach $10MM. That second year of control wouldn't be terribly appealing to the Twins, who will be paying Joe Nathan $11.25MM.
Odds & Ends: Helton, Gaudin, Hensley, Papelbon
Links for Monday…
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post has the details of Todd Helton's new contract extension. He can void the deal if two of three general partners sell their controlling interest in the team, and it contains $13.1MM in deferred money at three percent interest.
- The Yankees could look to move Chad Gaudin soon, according to Rosenthal (via Twitter). In another tweet, he mentions that Clay Hensley can opt out of his contract with the Marlins if he's not on the roster by April 1st.
- Jim Bowden shows off his post-trade fist pump in his latest GM's Corner video for FOX Sports. Bowden asked a slew of GMs about their processes for making deals; Frank Wren estimated that less than ten percent of discussions lead to trades.
- In considering Jonathan Papelbon's future, WEEI's Alex Speier demonstrates just how risky large multiyear deals for relievers have been.
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says the Blue Jays "will not settle for fringe prospects in return" for relievers Scott Downs and Jason Frasor, and they could use them to continue the rebuilding effort.
- Rosenthal adds that Gary Sheffield is talking to a NL club, though it's not clear which one.
- Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com notes that both Jamey Wright and Austin Kearns have out clauses in their contracts, but a club official said the provisions will not impact the makeup of the team. A source added that there are "no trades on the horizon" for Cleveland.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Brewers, Willis, Guardado
Links for Sunday….
- The Cardinals are considering Adam Ottavino, their 2006 first-round pick, as an option for the bullpen, writes Derrick Goold. The 24-year-old has improved his delivery and hurled 8.1 innings so far this spring, allowing just one run with five strikeouts, though he also has five walks to go along with them.
- The Brewers will have some decisions to make this week on players such as Jim Edmonds, Matt Treanor, and Scott Schoeneweis, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Each signed a minor league deal with an out clause. McCalvy opines that "it would be a surprise" if Edmonds didn't factor into the Crew's 2010 Major League plans.
- Lynn Henning of the Detroit News thinks that the Tigers will release Dontrelle Willis in the near future.
- Eddie Guardado hasn't officially announced his retirement, but he tells Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas "I think I'm done." Durrett reports that, even if Guardado doesn't pitch again, the lefty would like to stay in baseball in some capacity.
- The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo has a few interesting notes in his latest column. He names Jake Westbrook as an intriguing trade-deadline pitching option, and says that Mark Mulder could still work toward a comeback this season.
- The Rangers may try to trade for a utility infielder, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't think it's a foregone conclusion that Adrian Gonzalez will be playing in Fenway Park by August.
- Heath Bell, another Padre who has been the subject of trade rumors, is staying in San Diego for the time being, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The Bell-to-Minnesota rumors have been swirling lately, following the news of Joe Nathan's season-ending injury.
- For the latest updates on Bell, and the rest of the closing situations around baseball, be sure to follow our @closernews account on Twitter.
Odds & Ends: Alvarez, Strasburg, Church, Rays
Links for Saturday…
- Pirates' GM Neal Huntington said that Pedro Alvarez will remain in the minors so he can get more at-bats against lefthanded pitchers, though Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentions that it could have to do with pushing his service time clock back.
- ESPN's Keith Law broke down Stephen Strasburg's demotion to the minors, and says that "what he does need to improve is only going to improve in the big leagues."
- Ryan Church spoke to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo about his opportunity with the Pirates, saying that "It's either reestablish yourself and be one of the main guys or just be a fourth outfielder from here on out."
- Rays Executive VP Andrew Friedman says the club will explore internal and external options to replace J.P. Howell, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Tampa Bay hopes to have the lefty back by May.
- Most players never shed the dreaded "4A" label, but the Pirates' Garrett Jones did, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
- Tom Tango will be a big part of the Blue Jays' front office, writes Robert Cribb of The Toronto Star.
- Indians closer Kerry Wood could miss up to two months with a strained back muscle. Brady Gardiner of SIRIUS XM tweets that this is a blessing for the Tribe as Wood's option for 2011 likely will not vest. The 32-year-old would make $11MM in '11 with 55 games finished in 2010.
- Dodgers manager Joe Torre has confidence in Ronnie Belliard's ability to play first base, writes Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com. This will likely leave first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz on the outside looking in as he jostles with Garrett Anderson for the club's left-handed pinch hitting spot. However, Belliard still must weigh in at 209 pounds or less at some point during Spring Training to guarantee his deal.
- At the age of 47, Jamie Moyer has no interest in retiring, writes Jayson Stark of ESPN. Moyer is entering the final season of a two-year, $13MM deal.