Minor League Transactions: Henn, Dodgers, Mendoza
All of the minor league moves that took place between October 15-25 have been helpfully catalogued by Baseball America's Matt Eddy. Here are a few of the notable names involved…
- Left-hander Sean Henn re-signed with Toronto, a week after the Blue Jays granted him free agency. Henn spent his 2010 season pitching for the Jays' Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, posting a 4.73 ERA in 38 games (nine of them starts).
- The Dodgers re-signed a number of players with major league experience, such as J.D. Closser, Tim Corcoran and Travis Denker. Los Angeles also re-signed 11-year veteran Corey Smith, who has yet to get a cup of coffee in the bigs after being drafted 26th overall by Cleveland in the 2000 amateur draft.
- Luis Mendoza re-signed with Kansas City. The right-hander has an 8.43 ERA in 36 career major league appearances, 14 of which were starts, with the Rangers and Royals.
- Houston re-signed Brian Esposito and Wladimir Sutil, both of whom were recently removed from the club's 40-man roster. In addition, the Astros re-signed Oswaldo Navarro, who picked up 25 plate appearances for Houston last season.
Amateur Signing Bonuses: Astros
Next up in our series looking at each team's amateur spending, the Houston Astros…
- Ariel Ovando, $2.6-2.8MM (2010)
- Delino DeShields Jr., $2.15MM (2010)
- Chris Burke, $2.125MM (2001)
- Jason Castro, $2.07MM (2008)
- Max Sapp, $1.4MM (2006)
The Astros made a major splash on the Latin American market this summer by signing Ovando, a 16-year-old Dominican outfielder. The exact amount of the bonus isn't known, but it's easily enough to set the franchise record. Ovando's playing career will begin next season.
The son of the man once traded straight up for Pedro Martinez, DeShields was the eighth overall pick in this June's draft and signed for a bonus roughly $100K over slot. He started his career as an 18-year-old down in rookie ball, hitting .289/.337/.395 in just 83 plate appearances. Like Ovando, DeShields' career will begin in earnest next year.
Castro was a bit of a surprise with the tenth overall pick in 2008, but he has more than justified the selection by reaching the majors this June. He hit an unimpressive .205/.286/.287 in 217 plate appearances with the big league club, but that's not out of the ordinary for a 23-year-old rookie backstop. Castro is clearly Houston's catcher of the present and future.
Burke, the tenth overall pick in 2001, reached the big leagues in 2004 and spent the next three full seasons playing all over the field as a super-sub, getting over 350 plate appearances each year. A career .249/.319/.377 hitter with the Astros, Burke was shipped to the Diamondbacks in the Jose Valverde trade in December 2007.
Sapp, the 23rd overall pick in 2006, had his career derailed by a life-threatening battle with viral meningitis, chronic sinus disease, and seizures. He was released earlier this year after hitting .224/.310/.313 in 839 minor league plate appearances. Sapp hasn't played in a game since 2008.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Marlins, Yankees, Bagwell
A few links to check out as the Giants try to join the Rangers in the World Series…
- Over at RotoAuthority, Tim Dierkes lists some Pittsburgh Pirates that could help your fantasy team next season.
- Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com report that Joey Cora and Bob Melvin are among the final candidates for the Brewers managerial opening. Pat Listach was informed that he is no longer considered a candidate for the job according Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel.
- Elsewhere in Milwaukee coaching news, the team has confirmed that Dale Sveum will return as hitting coach on a two-year deal according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter). Sveum was a candidate for Pirates' manager job.
- The Marlins have no immediate plans to interview Yankees bench coach Tony Pena for their managerial opening now that New York has been eliminated from the postseason, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun-Sentinel.
- Meanwhile, Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com lists ten issues the Yanks must deal with this offseason, starting with Derek Jeter's contract situation.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Jeff Bagwell has informed the Astros that he will not be returning as hitting coach. Astros senior director of social media Alyson Footer says (via Twitter) that there are no hard feelings on either side.
- MetsBlog.com's Matthew Cerrone muses about the Mets acquiring a starting pitcher.
- In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney explains how the Rangers were able to take on payroll over the last year despite being bankrupt.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports that when the Mets interview GM candidates Sandy Alderson and Josh Byrnes for a second time this week, they will focus on what each would do in the immediate future, meaning the upcoming offseason.
- Meanwhile, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that because Josh Byrnes is still under contract with the Diamondbacks for the next five years, the Mets would only have to pay him a "reasonable amount" if they hire him as their new GM. That amount would then be deducted from what Arizona is paying him.
- In the wake of their ALCS loss to the Rangers, John Harper of The New York Daily News says that the failed Cliff Lee trade ultimately cost the Yankees.
- Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle thinks there's a case to be made for the Astros signing Lance Berkman this offseason.
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post thinks the Rockies should make a run at Javier Vazquez if the price is right (Twitter link).
Tankersley, Others Hit Free Agency
Taylor Tankersley and a number of others with big league experience recently hit free agency, as Baseball America's Matt Eddy reports. Joining the left-hander on the open market are Bobby Scales (Cubs), Justin Lehr (Reds), Paul Phillips (Rockies), Juan Rincon (Rockies), Hector Luna (Marlins), Anderson Hernandez (Astros), Adam Stern (Brewers), Denny Bautista (Giants), Brandon Medders (Giants), Willie Eyre (Rangers) and Sean Henn (Blue Jays).
Tankersley, the Marlins' first round pick in the 2004 draft, succeeded early in his career, but has since struggled. Still just 27, Tankersley brings a career 8.8 K/9 to the free agent market and could become a lefty specialist. He missed all of 2009 with a stress fracture in his elbow, but it wouldn't be surprising to see a team like the Diamondbacks take a flier on the former prospect.
Bautista, who turns 28 this weekend, is another interesting arm. He posted a 3.74 ERA with the Giants this year and struck out (11.8 K/9) and walked (7.2 BB/9) tons of batters in 33.2 innings. The right-hander has always walked lots of hitters, but his mid-90s fastball and ability to induce strikeouts may tempt teams looking to buy low on live arms.
Astros Notes: Crawford, Offseason Needs, Payroll
The Rangers might be in the heat of the ALCS, but let's not forget about the Lone Star State's other pro baseball team. Here are a few pieces of Astros news from the team's senior director of digital media, Alyson Footer…
- While Carl Crawford is a Houston native and a childhood friend of Astros outfielder Michael Bourn, Footer says the odds are "slim to none" of the Astros pursuing the free agent this winter. Crawford would absorb a quarter of Houston's payroll, and would cost the rebuilding team a draft pick (though not its 11th-overall first-round pick, which is protected).
- The team may consider changes at second base and shortstop. Jeff Keppinger is a safe bet to start at second next year, but neither Tommy Manzella or Angel Sanchez are settled at short. Footer says the Astros will be looking for a utility infielder.
- Other needs are a fifth starter and a left-handed hitting platoon partner for Jason Michaels in left field.
- Footer says the payroll will be "somewhat lower than the $93 million it was when the season started, and higher than the $50-some million it was when the season ended." According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Houston has a bit more than $41MM committed to next year's payroll, but that's not counting arbitration raises for Bourn, Hunter Pence or Wandy Rodriguez, among others. Given that Houston finally seems to be committed to a youth movement, it's hard to see next year's payroll topping $80MM at the most.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Alderson, Choo, Lowrie
As the ALCS gets underway, let's look at some news from around the majors…
- Jason A. Churchill of ESPN.com (Insider subscription needed) proposes that if the Phillies can unload some big contracts, they could make a run at signing Cliff Lee this winter. Adding Lee to the current Roy Halladay/Roy Oswalt/Cole Hamels mix would create one of the all-time great rotations in baseball history, but this seems like a major longshot. If the Phils can really move Joe Blanton or Raul Ibanez like they can in Churchill's scenario, one would think they'd spend that freed-up money on more pressing needs than pitching.
- Writing for MLB.com, former Dodgers general manager Fred Claire strongly endorses Sandy Alderson for the vacant Mets GM job. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith profiled Alderson earlier today.
- Yoon Chul, the reporter who wrote that Shin-Soo Choo wanted a "transfer" to a winning team, has apologized to the Indians for "editing problems" that altered the meaning of the Cleveland outfielder's words according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Another Korean journalist, Jeeho Yoo, told the Tribe that Choo said "he wants to stay with one club for a long time and Cleveland would be his first choice."
- Jed Lowrie's strong second half has made him a candidate to either take over the starting shortstop's job from Marco Scutaro or to become trade bait for a club looking for a young infielder, writes Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.
- Some conflicted early reaction to Seattle's pending hire of Eric Wedge: CBSSports.com's Scott Miller thinks "the Mariners could not have made a more uninspiring hire," while 710ESPN Seattle's Shannon Drayer gets great reviews of Wedge from former players and Indians broadcaster Tom Hamilton.
- Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com looks back at the Rangers' 2007 trade of Mark Teixeira and how it was the starting point for the club's current success. Texas acquired Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Beau Jones from Atlanta for the slugging first baseman — safe to say the Rangers won that deal.
- Speaking of Teixeira, he cited teammate C.C. Sabathia as "arguably…the best free agent signing in Yankees history." The story from Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger cites Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Teixeira himself and others as candidates for that title, plus Yankees GM Brian Cashman posits that Orlando Hernandez might've been the best signing from a pure dollars-to-performance standpoint.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes that the Astros can take some lessons from how the Rangers rebuild their franchise, and that the Astros have finally belatedly gotten started on their own youth movement.
- Austin Kearns tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he "would love to stay" in New York next season.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Astros, Hermida, Rockies
As Cliff Lee prepares to face the Yankees in the ALCS, he's trying not to think about his impending free agency, according to T.R. Sullivan and Bill Ladson. Still, Lee hinted to the MLB.com writers that winning the World Series with the Rangers this year would make it that much harder to leave Texas. Here are a few other links from around the league, as we count down the final 24 hours until the ALCS gets underway….
- The Astros removed three players from their 40-man roster, outrighting Brian Esposito, Anderson Hernandez, and Wladimir Sutil to Triple-A, according to a team release.
- Jeremy Hermida appreciates that the Athletics allowed him to reach free agency early in the offseason, says Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post asked Lance Berkman about the possibility of coming to Colorado for next season, and Berkman said he might be interested (Twitter links). Of course, the 34-year-old will be looking for an everyday role, and Todd Helton is still very much in the first base picture for the Rockies.
- In a separate tweet, Renck adds that even with Jarrod Saltalamacchia under contract, the Red Sox could still inquire on Chris Iannetta this winter.
- Fangraphs' Jack Moore argues that Paul Janish's play at shortstop should prompt the Reds to turn down Orlando Cabrera's 2011 option. Yesterday, over 80% of you opined that Cincinnati wouldn't exercise Cabrera's option.
- The Triple-A Portland Beavers will be sold to a group led by Padres owner Jeff Moorad, as J. Harry Jones of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. If everything proceeds as planned, the club will play in Tucson in 2011 and then move permanently to Escondido in 2012, according to Jones and Josh Leventhal of Baseball America.
Minor League Transactions: Free Agents, Herges, Ramirez
Matt Eddy of Baseball America brings us minor league transactions for October 3rd to 9th, the first full week of the offseason for most clubs. Here are a few notes of interest from the latest series of minor league moves across the league:
- Many familiar names have been granted free agency, including Ian Snell, Cla Meredith, Micah Owings, Fernando Nieve, Dan Meyer, Ryan Garko, Mike Jacobs, and Jason Bergmann.
- The Royals released reliever Matt Herges. Herges didn't reach the majors this season, but had a solid year in 2009, recording a 3.38 ERA in 30 games between Cleveland and Colorado.
- Yordany Ramirez, a long-time minor league outfielder, was re-signed by the Astros. After struggling as a hitter in three Triple-A seasons, the 26-year-old is being converted to pitching.
Odds & Ends: Nakajima, Butler, Managers
On this date six years ago, the Dodgers released a 20-year-old righty named Joakim Soria, who was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Soria was later signed by the Padres out of the Mexican League and then snagged by the Royals in the 2006 Rule 5 draft. He's now one of the game's best closers. On to today's links…
- The Astros signed Dominican righty Luis Abad for a low six figures bonus, tweets SI's Melissa Segura. Back in May, Blake Bentley ranked the new Dominican prospects for MLBTR, placing Abad in a tenth-place tie and calling him "one of the most projectable pitchers you'll see."
- I took a look at Neil Walker's fantasy baseball prospects for 2011 over at RotoAuthority.
- The Mariners are interested in Japanese middle infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima, says U.S.S. Mariner's Dave Cameron. Nakajima may be posted by the Seibu Lions and could be a bargain this winter. Patrick Newman of FanGraphs has more on Nakajima.
- Royals first baseman Billy Butler changed agents, going from Doug Rogalski to Greg Genske of Legacy Sports, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Rogalski has to feel burned, as Butler is heading to arbitration for the first time this winter.
- Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts interviewed Eric Wedge for the team's managerial opening yesterday, reports ESPN's Bruce Levine. Larry Stone of the Seattle Times reports that the Mariners interviewed Bobby Valentine yesterday and have Lloyd McClendon on the docket this week.
- Billy Wagner talked to MLB.com's Mark Bowman about his retirement.
Arbitration Eligibles: Houston Astros
The Astros are next in our arbitration eligibles series…
- First time: Gustavo Chacin, Nelson Figueroa, Felipe Paulino
- Second time: Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, Matt Lindstrom, Jeff Keppinger
- Third time: Wandy Rodriguez, Tim Byrdak, Humberto Quintero
Pence, Rodriguez, and Bourn are the biggest names from the Astros' sizeable arbitration class. Pence has a good case for a $3MM raise, which would put him at $6.5MM for 2011. The Astros will continue to enjoy the savings from beating Rodriguez in arbitration last year, but they'll still owe him $7MM or more next year. We learned in August that Wandy seeks an extension, and we suggested at the time that three years and $24MM could work. Bourn could get a couple million more on the strength of his run and steal totals; he figures to stay.
Lindstrom had a rough finish, losing the closing job to Brandon Lyon as he dealt with a back injury. His raise could be limited to about $1MM. Paulino remains interesting enough to tender a contract, and Keppinger should also be retained.
Figueroa, 37 in May, has not yet gone through the arbitration process. Perhaps his 67 Astros innings this year were strong enough to merit a tender, or maybe the plan is to non-tender and then re-sign him. At any rate, interest is mutual between Figueroa and GM Ed Wade. Byrdak is a tough call. He battled hamstring and back injuries this year and already makes $1.6MM, but did handle lefties well.
Chacin tossed 38.3 innings for the Astros, his first big league work since '07. He'll probably be non-tendered. The non-tender decision on Quintero will depend on the Astros' perception of his defense and intangibles, since he's not much with the bat. He made only $750K this year and would receive a small raise.