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Minor League Transactions: Orvella, Hennessey, Sisco

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As always, Matt Eddy's minor league transactions post at Baseball America contains a few interesting names.

  • The Angels signed reliever Chad Orvella.  The 29-year-old spent '09 with the Royals' Double A club and the Rays' Triple A team.  Once considered the Rays' closer of the future, Orvella had shoulder surgery in May of '08.
  • The Twins signed pitcher Brad Hennessey.  Hennessey soaked up 360.6 big league innings for the Giants in his career, but the former first-rounder sat out the '09 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Giants signed lefty Andy Sisco.  The towering 27-year-old southpaw missed the last two seasons due to April '08 Tommy John surgery.  The Giants also inked Pablo Sandoval's older brother Michael out of the Atlantic League.

2011 Vesting Options

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Vesting options are always fun for hot stove junkies to follow during the season.  Last year we had Kevin Millwood's $12 Million Out and the Tigers allowing Magglio Ordonez's pricey option to vest.  2011 vesting options to watch this year:

  • Brian Fuentes, Angels: $9MM option vests with 55 games finished.  Fuentes has finished 55+ three times in his career, last year included.  Fernando Rodney will be lurking.
  • Billy Wagner, Braves: $6.5MM option vests with 50 games finished.
  • Trever Miller, Cardinals: $2MM option vests with 45 games, but reverts to a club option with a left arm or shoulder injury.
  • Matt Cain, Giants: $6.25MM option vests with 182.3 innings or 27 starts.  The Giants will exercise this even if it doesn't vest, as the alternative will be going to arbitration with Cain and potentially paying him more.
  • Kerry Wood, Indians: $11MM option vests with 55 games finished.  A trade into a non-closing job could affect Wood's bank account.  That's three closers whose GF totals we'll be monitoring. 
  • Alex Cora, Mets: $2MM option vests with 80 starts.
  • Darren Oliver, Rangers: $3.25MM option vests with 59 appearances.
  • Ramon Hernandez, Reds: $3.25MM option vests with 120 games played.
  • Magglio Ordonez, Tigers: $15MM option vests with 135 starts or 540 plate appearances.
  • Note that a game finished is given to the last non-starting pitcher of record.  Also, thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

Viciedo Switches Agents, Positions

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White Sox director of player development Buddy Bell recently told reporters he envisions the first few years of Cuban prospect Dayan Viciedo's career panning out like those of another former defector fresh off of a breakout season, Angels first baseman Kendry Morales. Viciedo may be taking the comparison to heart, as not only has he been taking grounders at first during spring training, he has also changed agents from Jaime Torres to Scott Boras, writes ESPN's Jorge Arangure, Jr.

If Viciedo switched permanently from third to first, he would immediately become the team's top prospect at the position just as Paul Konerko enters the final season of his five-year, $60MM post-World Series contract. The question is whether the move is more than just a preseason experiment. Arangure passes along an unenthusiastic quote from the player through his translator: "My position is third base. But I'll play wherever they tell me." Viciedo seemed more upbeat when he spoke in Spanish with the Nuevo Herald's Luis Rangel:

"Although I haven't played much in that position, I'd feel fine if the change eventually materialized. I don't think I'll have problems. If they ultimately ask me to play as a starter, I'll do it."

Viciedo has yet to see Triple A action for the White Sox, and his .280/.317/.391 line at Double A Birmingham last season wasn't first base heir-apparent material. A .313/.350/.464 second half looked more promising, though still well below the power numbers Morales showed at all levels of the Angels system. And though Viciedo's defense at third base didn't garner rave reviews, trainer Jesus Gallo tells Aragure that his off-season work was geared specifically toward slimming down the bulky prospect and making him lighter on his feet in preparation of a move to first.

While Viciedo isn't the first Cuban player this offseason to jettison the agent who worked with him from defection through signing, his choice of Boras may ultimately send a more powerful message to other prospects than, say, Aroldis Chapman's switch to Hendricks Sports Management or Morales' move from Hendricks to Boras. Viciedo, according to some Cuban baseball experts, wasn't viewed on the island as a top-level talent like Chapman, and the $10MM contract he signed in 2008 caused many other Cuban players to seriously ponder their potential value for the first time.

Bowden Talks To Epstein, Zduriencik, Reagins, Wren

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Jim Bowden's weekly GM's Corner video pieces for FOX Sports make for good viewing.  This week he talked to Theo Epstein, Jack Zduriencik, Tony Reagins, and Frank Wren.  A few hot stove highlights:

  • Epstein admitted that new third baseman Adrian Beltre would "have to have a big year" to achieve Type A status after the season, but finds at least Type B likely.  Epstein noted that there's the possibility of signing Beltre long-term if he proves to be a good fit.
  • Zduriencik told Bowden he was aggressive in pursuing Chone Figgins, and got the deal done within 48 hours.  Also, Zduriencik mentioned that the Brewers were one pick away from taking Casey Kotchman in the first round in 2001; they instead took Mike Jones at #12 overall.  I wonder if the Brewers still would've drafted Prince Fielder in '02 if they had Kotchman.
  • Reagins is "not really concerned" about having a limited number of lefties in the bullpen, after the Halos lost Darren Oliver to the Rangers this offseason.
  • Wren believes the Braves have "improved quite a bit" offensively, and talked up Nate McLouth, Martin Prado, Jason Heyward, Melky Cabrera, and Troy Glaus.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Utley, Matsui, Yankees, Lee

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On this date 44-years ago, Marvin Miller was elected as the first full-time president of the Major League Baseball Players' Association by the player representatives. Miller, who was previously the assistant to the president of United Steelworkers, negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement with the owners in 1968. Within his first ten years on the job, Miller was able to get salary arbitration included in the CBA and helped eliminate the reserve clause, ushering in the age of free agency. He is the reason the MLBPA is as powerful as it is today, but Miller has yet to be enshrined in Cooperstown. 

Here's a looking at what's being written around the web…

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

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels

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Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Angels.

Major League Signings

  • Bobby Abreu, RF: two years, $19MM.  Includes $9MM option for 2012 with a $1MM buyout; can vest based on plate appearances.
  • Joel Pineiro, SP: two years, $16MM.
  • Fernando Rodney, RP: two years, $11MM.
  • Hideki Matsui, DH: one year, $6MM.
  • Total spend: $52MM.

Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

My first reaction after reviewing the Angels' offseason is that this wasn't a great way to spend $52MM.  GM Tony Reagins appears to have overpaid several of his free agent signings.

Like many November deals in recent years, the Abreu contract looked OK at the time and worse as the offseason developed.  There's a very good chance his 2012 option vests and this becomes a three-year, $27MM deal for a questionable defender who turns 36 in March.  CHONE projects a .273/.368/.415 line, not unlike what Johnny Damon should do for one year and $8MM.  Matsui's deal looks a little high, but not excessive.

Rodney was brought in to assume an eighth inning role, and was paid on the strength of his 37 saves rather than his skills.  At least he can help prevent Brian Fuentes' $9MM option for 2011 from vesting, as that requires 55 games finished.

I liked the Pineiro move; Reagins did not panic when Lackey left.  Pineiro is unlikely to match Lackey, but it's still a positive signing.  Reagins also gets a thumbs-up for locking up Maicer Izturis for three years and getting something mildly useful back for Matthews.

Even without Lackey, the Angels have a good shot at improving upon last year's 4.44 rotation ERA.  Ervin Santana and Scott Kazmir are somewhat unpredictable, but have ace potential.  The Angels had the second-best offense in the AL last year, and CHONE predicts a dropoff to more of a middle of the pack performance.  At this point there is no clear AL West favorite, but the Halos remain a respectable contender despite a few questionable free agent contracts.

California Notes: Headley, Angels, Weaver

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Someone alert Dr. Dre and the Beach Boys, since here's a rundown of news from the Golden State…

  • The Padres are so high on Chase Headley that MLB.com's Corey Brock says the team once turned down a deal with Pittsburgh that would've brought Nate McLouth and Xavier Nady to San Diego.
  • MLB.com's Lyle Spencer reports that the Angels will pay their five regular infielders a total of $8.05MM in 2010 — or, almost $1MM less than Chone Figgins by himself will make in Seattle.
  • Tony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles talks to Jeff Weaver, whose minor league contract with the Dodgers allows him to opt out and become a free agent if he doesn't make the club out of spring training.  Weaver said the escape clause allows him to stay out of the minors: "I am here to make this team. If it doesn't work out…then I don't really want to do the Triple-A thing again."
  • As part of a reader mailbag, Jackson said it's unlikely that Jamie McCourt's claim of half-ownership of the Dodgers will hold up in court.  But if it does, then Jackson predicts Frank McCourt "probably will be forced to sell, whether it's to Jamie and the group she allegedly has lined up to buy the club or to someone else."  One would think that if this divorce halves McCourt's fortune as many predict it will, he may have to sell the team regardless of the result of his ex-wife's claim.
  • Scout X (who may or may not be ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski) previews the 2010 season.  One of the more interesting tidbits in the piece is that Scout X would take Matt Cain over Tim Lincecum if he had to choose between the two Giants aces because "Cain pitches with such ease." 

Cafardo’s Latest: Lowell, Mahay, Matsui, Selig

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In his new column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo takes a look at the Tampa Bay Rays, and their desire to recapture their 2008 success. Within the piece, Cafardo also offers up some hot stove nuggets….

  • The Red Sox are serious about keeping Mike Lowell's bat around, but if they do decide to move him, the Twins "could be a major suitor." They've had interest in Lowell in the past, which would likely be renewed if the Sox paid most of the $12MM he's owed.
  • Ron Mahay turned down a minor league contract offer from the Red Sox. It sounds like he's looking for a deal that would guarantee him a spot on a major league roster.
  • The Angels intend to give free agent addition Hideki Matsui a shot in the outfield, despite his knee problems. Yankee officials still don't believe that he'll be physically able to play in the field.
  • Cafardo writes that Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino and Orioles president Andy MacPhail are two names at the top of the list of candidates to replace Bud Selig as baseball's commissioner after 2012.

Odds & Ends: Jeter, Marlins, Fielder, Aurilia, Boras

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If you're in the Northeast, here are some links to check out while you take a break from shoveling…

Gary Sheffield’s Next Team

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Gary Sheffield still wants to play. Actually, he wants to play a lot. Ten days ago, a source told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that Sheffield was still looking for an everyday job. But ask Jermaine Dye how easy it is for aging sluggers to find jobs these days. Dye is five years younger than Sheffield and hit 17 more homers last year, but he hasn't seen an offer he likes. It is not surprising to see the 41-year-old Sheffield unsigned at this point in the offseason.

His defense is far from passable (-12.7 UZR last year in 500 innings), but he adds value with his bat. Sheffield, who is just 311 hits away from 3000, posted a .276/.372/.451 line in New York last year.

The Mets have not contacted Sheffield, but the slugger told the New York Post earlier in the month that he had "things on the table" from other clubs. Let's take a look at how Sheffield would fit on some MLB rosters, starting in the American League, where he can DH:
  • The Blue Jays have Jose Bautista and Randy Ruiz competing for at bats in the outfield and at DH, so the competition is not overwhelming. There's very little chance the rebuilding Jays could turn Sheffield into something valuable at the deadline (that applies to any club).
  • The Rays already have one positionless player. Pat Burrell joins Matt Joyce, Fernando Perez, Gabe Kapler, Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and Dan Johnson in pursuit of limited roster spots, so Sheffield doesn't appear to be a fit in Tampa.  
  • Like the Rays, the Red Sox, Indians, Royals, Angels, Rangers and A's have little need for an extra DH.
  • The Marlins don't have much outfield depth after Chris Coghlan, Cameron Maybin and Cody Ross. 
  • The Cardinals and Astros have limited outfield depth, too.
  • The Nationals have been adding veterans all offseason long, but they have enough outfielders already. 

There doesn't appear to be an everyday job out there for Sheffield. At this point, it appears likely that he'll have to retire, wait for someone to get injured, or accept a minor league deal and a limited role.

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