Astros Decline Option For Chris Snyder
The Astros declined their 2013 option for Chris Snyder, GM Jeff Luhnow confirmed to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (Twitter link). Snyder obtains a $500K buyout instead of a $4MM salary. The LSW Baseball client is now a free agent.
Snyder, 31, appeared in 76 games for the Astros this past season. He posted a .176/.295/.308 batting line in 258 plate appearances, adding seven home runs.
Astros Designate Matt Downs For Assignment
The Astros designated infielder Matt Downs for assignment, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. The Astros originally acquired Downs when they claimed him off of waivers from the Giants in 2010.
Downs played in 91 games for the Astros this past season, appearing at all four infield positions and at both corner outfield positions. He posted a .202/.253/.371 batting line in 191 plate appearances, down from the .276/.347/.518 line he posted in his first full season with the Astros. The 28-year-old bats from the right side and has shown slightly more power against left-handed pitching in his four-year MLB career.
Astros Will Seek DH, Pitching In Free Agency
The Astros will find themselves in a new division and new league come 2013, and this will be the first full offseason for new general manager Jeff Luhnow. Needless to say, the organization is in a transitional period, but as MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports, Luhnow has a plan.
The Astros aren't going to be players for any of the game's top free agents, but Luhnow would like to add a designated hitter — potentially one who could see some time at the corner infield spots — and will also seek pitching help. Lucas Harrell, Jordan Lyles and Bud Norris are all looked at as locks for the 2013 rotation in Luhnow's eyes. He'd like to add a pitcher who can slot into the rotation above that trio, or at the very least in the middle of the group.
The team is in search of a backup catcher, as it's likely to decline the $4MM club option in Chris Snyder's contract. A veteran arm to join Wilton Lopez in the late innings will also be targeted.
Luhnow shied away from giving a concrete number for the team's offseason budget, but with less than $10MM in guaranteed 2013 contracts currently on the books, it's likely that Luhnow will have some spending money at his disposal. The team entered last season with a $61MM payroll.
It's a lengthy shopping list, but that's to be expected for a last place team with some money to spend. A look at the 2013 free agent market suggests that names like Luke Scott, Ty Wigginton and Jeff Keppinger could be reasonable targets for the Astros on offense (all my speculation). Each is actually a former Astro who could provide some offense and handle at least one of the corner infield position.
Keep in mind that in addition to that list, there are a number of non-tender candidates that the Astros could pursue. Someone like Mark Reynolds might appeal to Luhnow if the Orioles elect not to give him a raise via arbitration.
NL Central Notes: Astros, Cardinals, Braun, Cubs
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow's vision to rebuild the franchise is a club that grows and develops its players but can spend when it needs to thanks to increased revenue from a new local cable partnership with Comcast, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.
- There will be competition for at least one spot in the Cardinals' starting rotation, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold. Goold theorizes that competition will pit incumbent Lance Lynn against Joe Kelly, Trevor Rosenthal, and Shelby Miller.
- In a separate piece, Goold named the seven best starting pitching prospects in the Cardinals' system that have yet to exhaust their rookie eligibility, including the aforementioned Rosenthal and Miller.
- Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch lists five reasons for optimism and five reasons for concern for the 2013 Cardinals.
- After speaking with members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the distinct impression that Ryan Braun will be penalized in the voting for NL MVP because of his failed drug test last year and subsequent successful appeal. Haudricourt also believes the failed drug test played a role in Buster Posey being named the NL winner of the Hank Aaron Award instead of Braun.
- The Cubs have hired Derek Johnson to become their new minor league pitching coordinator, tweets Baseball America's Aaron Fitt. Johnson was Associate Head Coach/pitching coach at Vanderbilt where he tutored six pitchers who were drafted in the first round including David Price and Sonny Gray.
Cafardo On Dodgers, Hamilton, Brewers, Otani
For most of his eight-year tenure with the Dodgers, General Manager Ned Colletti had to mindful of the budget and the bottom line. Now, Colletti has the financial freedom to make bold moves, such as the trade with the Red Sox which brought Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto, and Carl Crawford aboard. Colletti has no doubt that Crawford is ready to regain his old form. "He’s still a dynamic player," Colletti said. "A couple of years ago, he was one of the most sought-after free agents in the game for good reason. People in Tampa saw it a lot. People in the AL East saw it a lot — a combination of abilities not many players have. In this league, the ability to hit and steal, doubles and triples — this is a tough park for home runs sometimes — his ability to create things offensively with speed and ability to hit." Here's more from today's column..
- There’s mounting evidence that the Brewers could be one of the teams that emerges in the market for Josh Hamilton. Milwaukee is at least looking into the possibility, though their top priorities are still finding a starting pitcher and revamping their bullpen.
- The Cubs appear to be players for 18-year-old pitcher Shohei Otani, but Theo Epstein recently expressed trepidation about plunging back into the Japanese market. Otani was recently taken with the first-overall pick in the NPB draft and the Nippon Ham Fighters have until March to try and sign him. A major league club can still sign him at any time, but it would likely irritate Japanese baseball officials.
- Bobby Valentine declined to say whether he'd like to be considered for the managerial openings with the Rockies, Marlins, and Blue Jays. The manager also clarified some of his recent remarks on the Red Sox and noted that his line about leaving a note for incoming manager John Farrell was merely an old-time baseball joke.
- After removing himself from the interview process with the Astros and declining to meet with the Marlins, it's possible that Brad Ausmus only had his eye on the Red Sox job. However, teams will still try to lure the former catcher who quickly found himself in high demand.
- Terry Francona did speak with the Marlins earlier this year, but he wanted to be with the Indians all along.
Quick Hits: Marlins, Brewers, Maddux, Iwakuma
News from around the majors as we head into the very last weekend of the 2012 season…
- Former Diamondbacks star Luis Gonzalez is believed to be on the Marlins' short list of managerial candidates, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Gonzalez is currently a special assistant with the D'Backs and he spent his final season with Miami in 2008.
- Candidates for the Marlins job are being interviewed separately by front office personnel and by owner Jeffrey Loria, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Loria and his staff will convene after the World Series and then make a decision.
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his team will be focused on upgrading the bullpen and adding an experienced starter this winter, though the latter won't be at a large price. “We’re just not adding any veteran. It has to be the right move for us. I know Doug [Melvin] and his staff would like to add another veteran starter. I don’t know how or where that’s going to come from," said Attanasio. “We’ve got a lot of good young pitchers coming up from the minor leagues, so we may find our answers there.”
- Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux hasn't yet been contacted about any managerial openings, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Maddux was interviewed for the Cubs job last winter turned down an interview with the Red Sox.
- The Mariners "will make a strong push" to re-sign Hisashi Iwakuma, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns, who also notes that Iwakuma expressed in returning to Seattle earlier this year. Iwakuma signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the M's last winter and performed well in his first season in North America, posting a 3.16 ERA and a 7.3 K/9 rate in 30 games (16 of them starts). Those numbers included significant home-road splits, so it's no surprise that Iwakuma would want to continue pitching at Safeco Field.
- Tim Bogar turned down an offer to be the Astros' bench coach due to a contract clause that would've prohibited Bogar from interviewing for managerial jobs, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Bogar has been connected to manager jobs over the last few years, including the Astros job itself that eventually went to Bo Porter. Bogar served as the Red Sox bench coach last season, though he won't be returning to Boston, as Torey Lovullo will serve as bench coach under new manager John Farrell.
Minor Moves: Lin, Del Rosario, Thompson, Cubs
Here are some of the minor transactions from around the league…
- The Astros have claimed outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin off waivers from the Red Sox, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter link). Lin made his Major League debut this season, appearing in nine games for Boston before being designated for assignment last week.
- In a corresponding move, the Astros announced that right-hander Enerio Del Rosario has been designated for assignment. Del Rosario posted a 9.00 ERA in 19 relief innings for Houston last season.
- Outfielder Rich Thompson has elected free agency, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Thompson was outrighted to Triple-A by the Rays earlier this week. The 33-year-old appeared in 23 games for the Rays last season, his first taste of Major League action with a six-game stint with the Royals in 2004.
- The Cubs outrighted Joe Mather, Blake Parker and Justin Germano to Triple-A Iowa, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Manny Corpas was also among Chicago's outright assignments today and the reliever has already chosen to become a free agent.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions, including the news that the Orioles have officially released Dontrelle Willis, who intended to retire back in July.
NL Central Notes: Hamilton, Reds, Brewers, Astros
Here's a look at the latest out of the NL Central..
- There are several reasons why the Reds won't look to orchestrate a reunion with Josh Hamilton this winter, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. For starters, it has been projected that the outfielder can net upwards of $20MM to possibly $30MM annually in his next contract. Fay classifies $20MM as a pipe dream for the Reds while $30MM would be downright impossible.
- The Brewers outrighted infielder Hector Gomez to Triple-A, tweets Media Relations Director Mike Vassallo. The 24-year-old, who was ranked as a top 100 prospect in 2008 by Baseball America, has yet to advance beyond Double-A.
- The Astros announced that they have added hitting coach John Mallee and Dave Trembley to their staff for 2013. The club will retain pitching coach Doug Brocail and third base coach Dave Clark while adding two more to the staff in the coming weeks.
NL Central Notes: Ludwick, Sanchez, Astros
As the Cardinals continue to battle the Giants in the NLCS, here's the latest from the NL Central…
- The Reds probably won't be able to afford Ryan Ludwick if he insists on "market value" for veteran corner outfielders, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. That's probably true if Ludwick looks for the deals that Josh Willingham, Jason Kubel or Michael Cuddyer (Fay's comparables) received last winter, but Willingham and Cuddyer were the oldest of the trio, going into their age-33 seasons. Ludwick turns 35 in July, so a three-year deal seems far-fetched to me.
- The Brewers announced they have purchased the contract of right-hander Jesus Sanchez and added him to their 40-man roster. The 25-year-old Sanchez posted a combined 1.63 ERA in 52 relief appearances at the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season, plus a 2.91 K/BB ratio and 64 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings.
- The Astros won't have their coaching staff finalized for a week or two, GM Jeff Luhnow told reporters, including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Only one or two members of the current Astros' staff is under consideration to return under new manager Bo Porter. Bench coach Joe Pettini will not be back, reports McTaggart (Twitter link).
Quick Hits: Hunter, Leyland, Otani, Astros
The Angels have offered Torii Hunter a one-year contract at a heavy pay cut from his previous $18MM salary, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported today. Hunter, who’s eligible for free agency this offseason, seeks at least a two-year deal. The Angels are interested in bringing him back, so there’s a potential fit here if the sides can agree on the value and length of the contract. Here are today’s links…
- Longtime MLB manager Tony La Russa says Jim Leyland of the Tigers seems "as passionate now as he was the first day he managed,”Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. Leyland, 67, doesn't have a contract for the 2013 season.
- Shohei Otani throws a slider and a curve to go along with his explosive fastball, Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker writes. The 18-year-old right-hander is one of the top high school pitching prospects to emerge from Japan in years. The Red Sox, Dodgers and Rangers all have some interest in Otani.
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said special assistant Matt Galante was offered the chance to return but will explore other options, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).