Cody Ross’ Trade Value
The Marlins gave Cody Ross away for nothing but salary relief this week, forfeiting the chance to trade him this winter. Let’s see what we can infer about Ross’ trade value from the Marlins' decision.
It doesn't seem like the Marlins believe Ross had trade value going into his final season of arbitration. If Florida had determined that teams valued Ross more than the estimated $5.5MM he would make through arbitration in 2011, they could have held onto him. They would have had to pay him $1MM or so between now and the end of the year, but could have flipped him for prospects this winter. Instead, the Giants pay the remainder of Ross’ 2010 salary and the Marlins save themselves $1MM.
Anyone who followed last week’s signing deadline knows that some highly touted draftees sign for $1MM or so. In theory, the Marlins could invest their savings in the draft or international free agency, but at this point, they don't have anything to show for Ross.
It’s noteworthy that the Marlins didn’t feel confident in their ability to peddle Ross for a more concrete return. They handed the 29-year-old and his .265/.316/.405 batting line over to the Giants despite his ability to play right and center (UZR suggests Ross is an competent defender) and a track record of success.
WAR, which measures a player’s contributions on defense and at the plate, suggests that Ross has been a league-average player in three of the past four seasons. In the other season, 2008, he posted 3.7 WAR, which is considerably above average. Clearly, the Marlins don’t think MLB teams perceive Ross to be anything special. Otherwise, they would have held on and traded him for more this winter.
Uggla Seeking Five Years, $55-60 Million
Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla is seeking a five-year extension in the $55-60MM range, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. As Rosenthal notes, such a deal would cover his last arbitration year as well as four free agent seasons.
Back on August 7th, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald suggested the Marlins were willing to do a three-year deal in the $30MM range. Uggla, who switched from Beverly Hills Sports Council to Gaylord Sports Management this summer, said in July that a Marlins extension "would make me a very happy man." He'll certainly have to drop his demands if he's to remain with the Fish beyond the 2011 season.
In Uggla's defense, there's no perfect comparable for a second baseman who will have over 150 home runs over his first five seasons and signs one year away from free agency. If Uggla's agent thinks his client is in the discussion with Robinson Cano and Chase Utley, those players will get $14-15MM per free agent year. Brandon Phillips, Aaron Hill, and Ian Kinsler will make less, but all five had less service time than the five years Uggla will and signed contracts covering different portions of their careers.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Ross, Lee, White Sox, Dodgers
Sunday night linkage..
- The Nats still expect to see Yunesky Maya pitch for them before the end of the year, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- The Pirates opened up their books to the media and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the goods.
- Florida held on to Cody Ross until August because they had hoped to reassert themselves in the playoff chase, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- It doesn't sound as though Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter) likes the Mets chances of landing Cliff Lee this offseason.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that Ken Williams isn't on the road with the White Sox but he doesn't know if the GM is going after someone on the waiver wire.
- Dodgers skipper Joe Torre thinks that late season callups can create an unfair advantage, writes MLB.com's Evan Drellich.
Cody Ross Awarded To Giants
SUNDAY, 3:13pm: Ross was awarded to the Giants, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Ross will join recently-acquired outfielders Pat Burrell and Jose Guillen in what's become a very crowded outfield scenario in San Francisco. In addition to that trio, the Giants also have Aaron Rowand, Andres Torres, and Nate Schierholtz.
Ross will be arbitration-eligible for the final time following this season, should the Giants choose to tender him a contract. The outfielder earned $4.45MM for 2010 and therefore San Francisco will owe the slugger a shade over $1MM for the remainder of the season.
It's likely that the Giants put the claim on Ross in order to block division rival San Diego. The Padres are in need help in center field and possibly could have used Ross as he started 70 games at the position in 2010.
FRIDAY, 2:23pm: The Giants claimed Ross, sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. That's unconfirmed, but the Braves and Phillies did not win the claim. The Marlins, who aren't sure whether the claiming team actually wants to strike a deal or just wants to prevent a rival from making one, have until Monday to agree on a trade or pull Ross off of waivers.
1:47pm: An unknown National League team claimed Cody Ross on waivers today, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Stark reports that the Marlins are expected to explore a deal with the claiming team.
The Phillies and Giants, two teams thought to be potential suitors for Brad Hawpe, could have interest in Ross as well. The Padres just lost Tony Gwynn Jr. to the disabled list, so they would presumably have interest in Ross. The 29-year-old is under team control for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player, so even a non-contender could have claimed him.
Jon Jay has been playing well in St. Louis, and Randy Winn has been serviceable, so the Cardinals don't appear like a natural fit for Ross. The same goes for the Rockies, Dodgers, Reds and Braves.
Ross has a strong 4.9 UZR/150 in just over 1,000 innings in the outfield this year, but his offense hasn't been as good as his defense. His .261/.312/.390 line doesn't compare to the numbers he posted in 2007-09. About $1.1MM remains on Ross's $4.45MM salary.
Odds & Ends: Heilman, Overbay, Delgado, Reds
As Nationals fans cross their fingers about Stephen Strasburg, here's some news from around the majors…
- Aaron Heilman is looking forward to his first taste of free agency, reports MLB.com's Andrew Pentis. Heilman said that he and his agent hadn't had any talks yet with the Diamondbacks about a new contract.
- Lyle Overbay thinks he has a chance of returning to the Blue Jays next season, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Given the Overbay trade rumors we've been hearing all year, this would certainly be a surprise, especially since the Jays have given Adam Lind a few starts at first recently.
- Carlos Delgado has been placed on the seven-day disabled list by the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, reports Sportsnet New York's Ben Wagner (via Twitter). Delgado is experiencing soreness in his back and left hip, not his twice-operated on right hip. The slugger signed a minor league contract with Boston on August 7.
- Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News thinks the Reds should "make signing Bronson Arroyo a priority," implies that 2010 is Ramon Hernandez's last year in Cincinnati and gives some other opinions in a fan mailbag.
- Was Khalil Greene the biggest loss for the Rangers this season? Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News thinks so, given the team's ongoing depth problems.
- Ricky Nolasco's contract extension talks with the Marlins may be on hold. Josh Friedman and Craig Mish of The Ticket 790AM radio report (via Twitter) that the Florida right-hander may miss the rest of the season with a partially-torn meniscus.
- Dontrelle Willis has been promoted to Triple-A Fresno, and Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News tweets that Willis is a candidate to join the Giants when the rosters expand on September 1.
- LaTroy Hawkins will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. It's unknown if the scope will reveal more severe damage, but Hawkins says he plans on pitching in 2011. Since signing a two-year, $7.5MM contract with Milwaukee last December, the injury-plagued Hawkins has made just 18 appearances for the Brewers, posting an 8.44 ERA.
Rosenthal On Uggla, Cubs, D’Backs, Ramirez
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has some hot stove items to share in his latest Full Count video…
- Contract negotiations between Dan Uggla and the Marlins are "not off to a great start." Rosenthal reports that the Marlins are offering a three-year contract but Uggla wants a five-year pact. We heard last week that the Marlins were offering a three-year, $30MM deal, but Rosenthal guesses that Uggla is looking for something in the range of $55-60MM over the desired five years.
- The Cubs' "number-one need" in the offseason is a left-handed power bat at either first base or right field, with Tyler Colvin available to play the other position.
- Starting pitching is also a need for the Cubs, as Rosenthal says the team wants to bring in at least one new starter "regardless of what they do with Carlos Zambrano." One option could be to bring back a recently-traded ace — Rosenthal says Chicago "still has a lot of interest in Ted Lilly."
- Arizona president and CEO Derrick Hall says "it would be crazy" to not interview other manager and general manager candidates despite the fact that he's happy with the work done by interim manager Kirk Gibson and interim GM Jerry Dipoto. Hall says he will start a GM search at the beginning of September, with Dipoto "at the top of [the] list." Rosenthal expects Kevin Towers, Dodgers assistant GM Logan White and Yankees vice-president Damon Oppenheimer to all draw interest from the Diamondbacks, though New York would have to grant Arizona permission to talk to Oppenheimer.
- Now that Manny Ramirez is off the disabled list, Rosenthal provided an update to his news from last week about the possibility of Ramirez on the waiver wire. The Dodgers will wait to put Ramirez on waivers since teams will want to make sure that he is both healthy and hitting well. Rosenthal repeats that the White Sox are the club "most likely" to put in a claim for Ramirez, since the Sox "don't like Brad Hawpe all that much" and they doubt that Detroit would trade them Johnny Damon.
Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Dobbs, Paulino, Hawpe
Links for Saturday, as Ubaldo Jimenez prepares for his third attempt at his 18th win….
- Alex Speier of WEEI spoke to Red Sox draftees Anthony Ranaudo and Brandon Workman about their down to the wire negotiations.
- Greg Dobbs has cleared waivers and accepted a minor league assignment, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Phillies designated Dobbs for assignment earlier this week.
- After sending Conor Jackson back to the disabled list, the Athletics could use another bat, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal notes that the market for right-handed hitters is fairly thin.
- Despite being suspended 50 games for a drug policy violation, Ronny Paulino could be back with the Marlins next year, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- As Jim Tracy tells Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, Brad Hawpe's DFA doesn't mean the 31-year-old will never be a Rockie again.
- A few Reds who spoke to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon are hoping Dusty Baker will accept the team's extension offer.
- Recently-acquired Joe Saunders is excited about the future in Arizona, according to Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
Marlins Extend Wes Helms
The Marlins have signed Wes Helms to a one-year, $1MM contract for 2011, tweets Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Helms had been in the final year of a two-year, $1.9MM deal, but now appears poised to remain a Marlin through next season.
The 34-year-old has served as a part-time third baseman for Florida this year, hitting .226/.301/.362 in 296 plate appearances. Those numbers are roughly in line with what Helms has done for the duration of his three-year stint in Florida (.248/.306/.357). Despite his uninspiring slash line, Helms' presence on the bench is valued highly by the Marlins. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro noted prior to the trade deadline that even if the team traded Helms, they may have tried to re-sign him in the winter, since they envision him as a future coach in their organization.
The Marlins’ 2011 Rotation
When the Marlins locked up Josh Johnson by signing him to a four-year, $39MM contract, it was a rare display of long-term spending by Florida ownership. After all, besides Wes Helms, who is finishing up an inexpensive two-year deal, the only other Marlin signed to a multi-year contract is Hanley Ramirez, who inked a deal to remain with the club through 2014.
In Johnson, the Marlins knew they had a young arm capable of anchoring their staff, and the big right-hander has proven them right so far this year, recording a 2.27 ERA over 158.2 IP. If the Marlins aren't playoff contenders toward the end of his contract, the 26-year-old ace could eventually become tradeable. But he's going nowhere anytime soon; barring an injury, he'll get the ball on Opening Day in 2011.
Behind Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez, and Chris Volstad figure to have spots in the 2011 rotation virtually locked up. Volstad has underperformed in 2010 (4.91 ERA), but as a former first-round pick and a player under team control through 2014, the right-hander should have a reasonably long leash at the back of the rotation. Meanwhile, Nolasco and Sanchez have pitched admirably this season, and will both be arbitration-eligible for two more years before hitting free agency after the 2012 campaign.
Nolasco, however, is a trickier case than Sanchez for the cost-conscious Marlins. The 27-year-old, as a Super Two player, will be eligible for arbitration four times rather than the usual three, meaning he'll be more expensive for the Marlins to retain. Even this season, Nolasco is earning $3.8MM while Sanchez makes just $1.25MM. With Nolasco set to receive two more raises through arbitration, he could become a trade chip for Florida in either 2011 or 2012.
Nolasco will almost definitely be around to start 2011 though (the team hopes to explore an extension) which leaves only an empty fifth spot in the Marlins' rotation. Florida has shown a willingness to take fliers on one-year contracts for bullpen arms in recent years, but they've rarely relied on the free agent market for starters. As such, we can probably expect the club to fill their rotation with an in-house option.
Currently, Sean West and Alex Sanabia appear to be the favorites to compete for the Marlins' fifth starter job. The 24-year-old West has posted impressive numbers for Triple-A New Orleans this year, including a 3.12 ERA in 11 starts. However, in 22 career major league starts, the 6'8" southpaw has been mediocre (5.03 ERA). Sanabia, 21, has dominated Double-A and Triple-A opponents this year, with a 1.92 ERA and just 1.7 BB/9 in 16 starts, and has also spent a little time with the big league club. Like Volstad, these two should get a longer look from the Marlins, in hopes that their minor league successes translate to the majors. West, in particular, could be valuable to Florida as the lone left-hander in a righty-heavy rotation.
If the Marlins require more depth, they have a few other possibilities in the minors, including a pair of 24-year-olds, Elih Villanueva and Tom Koehler. The two right-handers have combined to pitch over 300 Double-A innings between them this year, with a 2.15 ERA for Villaneuva and 2.88 for Koehler. Other familiar names in Florida's minor league system include Brian Lawrence, Tom Mastny, and Andrew Miller, though if they're still with Florida in 2011, none of them are likely to be more than potential injury replacements.
Overall, the Marlins' rotation is in decent shape. Johnson is one of the best starters in baseball, and the team has affordable second and third starters in Nolasco and Sanchez. If Volstad, West, and Sanabia prove they can build on the potential they've occasionally displayed, the Marlins should field a 2011 rotation that will be tough on opponents from front to back.
Marlins Sign Christian Yelich
The Marlins signed first-rounder Christian Yelich for $1.7MM, according to Baseball America (on Twitter).