Luis Cruz Elects Free Agency
Infielder Luis Cruz has refused an outright assignment by the Brewers and elected free agency, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. McCalvy says word from Cruz's teammates is that he will sign with the Rangers.
Cruz, 27, hit .281/.309/.414 in 518 Triple-A plate appearances last year, spending most of his time at shortstop.
NL Central Notes: Pendleton, Rodriguez, Pujols, Silva
Let's take a look at what's happening around the NL Central on this fine Sunday afternoon…
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros tried to work out a trade for right-hander Lance Pendleton before the Rule 5 Draft pick was returned to the Yankees earlier today. The two sides just couldn't find a match.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Rule 5 pick Josh Rodriguez has made the team (Twitter link).
- Albert Pujols is at peace with his current contract situation and has no hard feelings toward the Cardinals after failing to work out an extension, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Pujols said he still hopes something can be worked out following the season.
- Strauss also tweets that the Cardinals aren't interested in the recently released Carlos Silva.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that Brewers infielder Luis Cruz cleared waivers and will be assigned to Triple-A.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart opines that the addition of Joe Inglett to the Astros means Jason Bourgeois will make the team and helps Tommy Manzella's chances to start at shortstop (Twitter link).
Brewers Acquire Nyjer Morgan
Nyjer Morgan said on Friday he didn't expect to be a National by Opening Day, and the team didn't waste much time validating that prediction. The Nationals have sent Morgan to the Brewers in exchange for Cutter Dykstra, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Brewers will also send $50K to the Nats in the deal, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Morgan, 30, was unlikely to crack the Nationals' roster, and told Ladson earlier this weekend, "Maybe I'm not a fit here anymore. It's time to move on." The Brewers, meanwhile, were keeping an eye on Morgan after trading Chris Dickerson to the Yankees on Friday. GM Doug Melvin had denied interest, saying the club was willing to enter the season with in-house options Brandon Boggs and Jeremy Reed, but suggested today that the Nats changed their asking price (Twitter link). Morgan will now take Boggs' spot on the roster, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter).
Dykstra, the son of former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra, was selected by the Brewers in the second round of the 2008 draft. The 21-year-old hit .312/.416/.411 in 353 plate appearances at Class A Wisconsin in 2010.
Teams Eyeing Nyjer Morgan
2:29pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he has no interest in Morgan (Twitter link). The Brewers will rely on their in-house outfielders.
1:15pm: Rosenthal hears that the Brewers passed on Morgan (Twitter link). They'll go with Brandon Boggs and Jeremy Reed as extra outfielders.
11:17am: The Brewers are one of the teams looking at Nyjer Morgan, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Milwaukee just traded Chris Dickerson away and could have interest in restoring outfield depth.
Scouts covering the Nationals told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that Morgan is very much available. However, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reported two weeks ago that the Nationals weren't considering releasing the outfielder.
Beyond The Boxscore suggested the Marlins would be a fit for Morgan, whose on and off-field antics include memorable run-ins with Chris Volstad and the Marlins' fans.
Brewers Acquire Sergio Mitre
The Brewers have acquired Sergio Mitre from the Yankees for Chris Dickerson. The move provides the Brewers with the pitching depth they coveted and opens up a spot in the Yankees bullpen, possibly for Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon.
The Brewers have been considering adding pitching since they learned that Zack Greinke will miss some time to recover from a cracked rib. Their need for depth became more pronounced when Mark Rogers (shoulder) and Manny Parra (back) also encountered health issues.
It's not clear whether the Brewers will use Mitre as a long man, as the Yankees did, or insert him into the rotation over internal starting candidates such as Marco Estrada. Mitre has started games in every one of his seven major league seasons, but has only been a full-time starter once, for the 2007 Marlins. Last year, the 30-year-old right-hander posted a 3.33 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 54 innings as a swingman. Mitre, a veteran of Tommy John surgery, missed 49 days with an oblique strain in 2010.
The Yankees appear set to open the season with a rotation of C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett, Ivan Nova and Colon or Garcia. If the Yankees, who just signed Kevin Millwood, insert Colon into the rotation, they could take Garcia up on his offer to become a long reliever and use him to replace Mitre.
The Brewers acquired Dickerson last summer in the trade that sent Jim Edmonds to Cincinnati. Dickerson hit .206/.250/.268 for the Brewers and Reds last year, but he showed more pop in 2009 when he posted a .743 OPS. The 28-year-old has played all three outfield positions in the majors and will provide the Yankees with some welcome depth.
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick first reported the move (on Twitter) and both teams have since confirmed it.
Brewers, Orioles Return Rule 5 Picks
The Brewers returned Pat Egan to the Orioles and re-obtained Adrian Rosario from the Orioles, the teams announced. Both Rule 5 selections cleared waivers before the Orioles assigned Egan to Triple-A and the Brewers assigned Rosario to Class-A Brevard County.
Egan, 26, posted a 3.44 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 83 2/3 innings of relief for the Orioles' top affiliates last year. In four seasons in Baltimore's system, the right-hander has a 3.24 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9.
Rosario, 21, has yet to pitch above Class-A. He posted a 3.50 ERA with 11.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 46 1/3 innings of relief in the Brewers' system last year. Baseball America ranked him 30th among top Orioles prospects this offseason, praising his low-90s fastball and "plus change-up that falls off the table." The Dominican right-hander could become a big league setup man, according to BA.
So Far, So Good For Lester, Gallardo, Romero
If a team signs a pitcher to an extension and he becomes an Opening Day starter, the club has an indication that the deal is going well. It’s too early on in the extensions for Jon Lester, Yovani Gallardo and Ricky Romero to call them successes or failures, because none of the extensions expire before 2013. But all three starters will pitch this Opening Day, a sign that the deals are going well for the teams so far.
The three extensions, signed within 18 months of one another between March, 2009 and August, 2010, are all for five years with a club option for a sixth year and are all valued within the narrow $30-30.1MM range.
The pitchers signed similar extensions because they were on statistically similar career paths before finalizing the deals. And fortunately for the Red Sox, Brewers and Blue Jays, the pitchers have performed just as well – maybe even better – since accepting their clubs’ multi-million dollar offers.
Lester, the first to sign, has been one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game since 2009 (WAR says Cliff Lee is the only lefty who pitched better in ’09-’10). In 411 1/3 innings (64 starts) since signing, Lester has posted a 3.33 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.
Gallardo, the lone right-hander in the group, signed last April, a year after the Red Sox locked Lester up. Since the ink dried on his deal with Milwaukee, Gallardo (pictured) has logged 178 innings (30 starts) and posted a 3.84 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.
Romero broke out last year, posting a 3.73 ERA in 210 innings. That prompted the Blue Jays to lock him up in August, so he has made just nine starts since signing his deal. The 26-year-old posted respectable numbers over the final month and a half of the season: a 4.26 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.
The trio has stayed healthy and effective so far, but with three to five years remaining on the deals, there’s ample time for the extensions to backfire. All three teams were willing to take that risk when they offered tens of millions to the promising pitchers and, at least so far, the investments have paid off.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Fielder, Braves, Mauer, Astros, Albers
Links for Wednesday as the MLBPA announces that the jerseys for three rookies – Jason Heyward, Stephen Strasburg and Buster Posey – were among the top 20 sellers in 2010…
- Prince Fielder tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that he has "eliminated" distractions about his upcoming free agency, since he realizes it's just baseball and nothing he needs to get nervous about.
- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he would like to add a right-handed hitting backup to complement Eric Hinske, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). Back in December, I considered some options that fit that description.
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wonders what might have happened if the Twins hadn’t signed Joe Mauer to a $184MM extension last spring and MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes helps identify some teams that would have been bidding on Mauer as a free agent.
- When the Astros front office constructs its Opening Day roster, options are a factor, GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. For a complete list of out of options players, click here.
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald suggests we should "check back often" on Matt Albers (Twitter link). Earlier tonight, the Red Sox shot down a report suggesting that the right-hander is Japan-bound.
Twins Willing To Trade Kevin Slowey For Relief
Now that they have decided on Scott Baker as their No. 5 starter, the Twins are willing to trade Kevin Slowey for a late-inning reliever, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
However, the Twins don’t have many promising trade possibilities, since two of the teams looking for a starter, the Brewers and Mariners, don’t have relievers to spare. The Cardinals, Dodgers, Blue Jays and White Sox seem inclined to replace injured starters with pitchers already in their respective organizations, according to FOX Sports.
Meanwhile, Pirates and Diamondbacks officials say they aren’t actively looking to trade for starting pitchers. As Morosi and Rosenthal point out, the Twins are able to consider moving a quality starter like Slowey because they have promising minor league starter Kyle Gibson.
Slowey didn't seem like a fit for the Blue Jays earlier in the spring, partly because Toronto already had a number of legitimate rotation options. Now that Brandon Morrow will start the season on the DL, the Jays could use the starting depth, but injuries to their relievers limit the likelihood that they can part with a late-inning arm.
Here's a list of other potentially available starters.
Brewers Acquire Brett Carroll
The Brewers acquired outfielder Brett Carroll from the Royals for cash considerations, the team announced. The Royals signed the 28-year-old as a free agent in November after the Marlins granted him free agency.
In parts of four seasons with Florida, Carroll has a .205/.284/.325 line in 319 plate appearances. Carroll, who broke camp with the Marlins in 2008 and '09, hit his first MLB homer off of Randy Johnson. The right-handed hitter was hitless in 15 at bats this spring before the Royals assigned him to minor league camp.
Though Carroll has struggled against MLB pitching in his short career, he has a more respectable .255/.323/.463 line in seven minor league seasons. The 2004 draft pick has played all three outfield positions in the majors and the minors.
Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star first tweeted news of the deal last night.