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Odds & Ends: Cubs, Simmons, Crisp, Royals

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On a night when Brian Matusz stifled the AL West leaders, here are some news items…

The Athletics’ 2011 Rotation

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Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez, and Vin Mazzaro are all 27 or younger, and all five pitchers have ERAs under 4.00 this year. That doesn't tell the whole story, of course, but it shows that the A's have a formidable group of young arms. 

There's no reason to expect the A's to change course next year, as long as those five pitchers stay healthy. They should be effective again (xFIP, a fielding-independent stat that evaluates pitchers based on walk, strikeout and grounder rates, has all five starters at 4.33 or below, so they don't appear to be succeeding on luck) and they will all be affordable. Only Braden, who goes to arbitration for the first time, will earn more than $750K in 2011. 

Basically every team MLBTR has analyzed so far could pursue starting pitching this winter. The Brewers, Dodgers, D'Backs, Padres and Nationals all seem likely to consider free agent starters this offseason and even the Reds could actively pursue pitching. Last winter, the A's signed Justin Duchscherer and Ben Sheets to high-risk, high-reward deals, but don't expect GM Billy Beane to do the same this winter. The A's have enough starting pitching to get by without aggressive forays into the trade or free agent markets.

The A's have potential starters in the bullpen, on the DL and the minor leagues. Reliever Tyson Ross succeeded as a starter throughout his minor league career, so Oakland could stretch him back into a starting role. Before the season, Baseball America said Ross has "middle-of-the-rotation stuff, and possibly more." Boof Bonser, now in the 'pen, also has experience as a starter, but there's no guarantee that the A's offer Bonser arbitration, since his 2011 salary could be in the $1MM range.

Josh Outman, who started 12 games for the A's last year, will be an option if he recovers from the elbow issues that have sidelined him for most of the season.

If and when the A's encounter injuries, they can also call on minor leaguers for depth. Former first-rounder Clayton Mortensen has posted a 4.14 ERA and struck out 2.4 times as many batters as he has walked at Triple A this year and rotation-mate Travis Banwart has struck out more than a batter per inning. A couple pickups from the Mexican League, Bobby Cramer and Yadel Marti, provide depth and intrigue, if nothing else.

Ross, Outman, Mortensen et al. are not necessarily the sort of starters the A's would choose to rely on, but the A's don't have to rely on them. They have a quintet of effective young starters and can call on their organizational depth when they need it. Beane and the rest of the front office would presumably be open-minded about adding pitching this winter, but they can focus on the lineup or the bullpen, since the A's don't need to add starting pitching. 

Pirates Remain Favorites To Sign Heredia

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The Pirates are the “strong favorite” to sign Mexican pitching prospect Luis Heredia, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Pirates have been scouting the 16-year-old right-hander more aggressively than any other MLB club and have close ties to Veracruz, Heredia’s team. Not only do the Pirates have connections to Veracruz, which controls Heredia’s rights, Pittsburgh’s Mexican scouting suprevisor, Jesus Valdez, has known Heredia since the pitcher was five.

Veracruz cannot entertain formal offers until Thursday, but many teams other than the Pirates appear to have interest. The Yankees, Blue Jays, Rangers, A’s, Giants and Braves all scouted Heredia in Mexico last week, according to Kovacevic.

Draft Pick Signings

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Today's draft pick signing deadline passed at 11pm central time.  This post contains notable signings outside of the first round, with the latest up top.

Minor League Transactions: Marti, Anderson

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Yadel Marti generated some buzz a couple winters ago when he defected from Cuba. It took a while, but the righty signed with a major league organization. Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the details and other transactions from August 2nd-11th:

  • The Braves became the third team to release Josh Anderson this season. The Reds and Brewers also released Anderson, who has combined for a .448 OPS for those three organizations.
  • The Red Sox released infielder Tug Hulett.
  • The Dodgers released former big league pitcher Bobby Livingston. The lefty logged 56.1 innings for the 2007 Reds.
  • The A’s signed Yadel Marti from Veracruz of the Mexican League. The 31-year-old pitched for the same team as Luis Heredia, a top pitching prospect who’s drawing interest from the Pirates and Blue Jays, among other clubs.

The Athletics’ 2011 Offense

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The Athletics' pitching staff is second in the AL with a 3.65 ERA, but their offense ranks 11th with 4.08 runs scored per game.  It's time to find some bats!

A's assistant GM David Forst told ESPN's Jayson Stark on July 29th the team is considering "bringing back the same 25 guys next year."  That approach doesn't make sense regarding the offense.  Let's go around the diamond.

Kurt Suzuki is locked up through at least 2013.  He hits pretty well for a catcher.  If lineup changes are made, they'll happen elsewhere.

Daric Barton has been the regular first baseman, and he leads the American League with 68 walks.  His job appears safe, though he does not provide traditional first base power.  Forst told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle last week that Barton "really established himself at first base," one reason top prospect Chris Carter has been playing left field recently.

The A's retained second baseman Mark Ellis and center fielder Coco Crisp at the trade deadline.  Both players have club options for 2011 – $5.5MM net for Ellis, $5.25MM for Crisp.  Both are defensively-talented players with extensive injury histories.  They generally lack power, though Crisp is flashing some pop in a limited sample this year.

Ellis figures to be paired up with shortstop Cliff Pennington again next year.  Pennington is not playing badly, and it's not as if shortstops are in abundance.  Still, bring him back and you've locked up yet another lineup spot with a slugging percentage of .400 or less.

Non-tendering third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff must be considered.  Can the A's really give him a raise on this year's $3.1MM salary despite a .266/.299/.400 batting line?  It'd be tough to pursue free agent Adrian Beltre again now that he'll be coming off a great season, but there has to be a way to get offensive production at third base.  Perhaps the Cubs and Diamondbacks will entertain offers on Aramis Ramirez and Mark Reynolds this winter.

Jack Cust has been a bright spot at designated hitter.  It'd be wise to bring him back for around $3MM again, though the A's have jerked him around a bit the last few years.  It shouldn't be that difficult to find a free agent DH type who can slug .450 or better.

The A's have tons of outfield corner options, most of them lacking pop aside from Carter.  Will the A's go with Ryan Sweeney and Rajai Davis again, given the lack of power from other lineup spots?  The A's were surprise suitors for Matt Holliday a couple of years ago.  If they don't want to pursue big names this winter maybe they can get creative and put together a Cody Ross–Jim Edmonds platoon or something of that nature.  The A's haven't put together a lineup with multiple 20 home run bats since 2007.  Even a middling offense might put them in the playoffs in 2011.

Odds & Ends: Hermida, Ransom, Chris Carter

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12 years ago on this date, the Rangers sent Darren Oliver, Fernando Tatis, and Mark Little to the Cardinals for Royce Clayton and Todd Stottlemyre.  Tatis was amazing in '99, while Oliver was solid as a starting pitcher.  Clayton was pretty good for the Rangers, and Stottlemyre left as a free agent after the '98 season.  For their loss, the Rangers got a supplemental draft pick in '99 and took a kid named Colby Lewis.  Here in 2010, Lewis and Oliver are both Rangers again and make an excellent combo.  Links for Monday…

Eric Chavez Again Considering Retirement

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Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez is pondering retirement, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Chavez, who is trying to recover from two bulging disks in his neck, told the newspaper in an e-mail that he is considering calling it quits.

"I've pondered retirement," the 32-year-old said. "I'd lie if I said I didn't. The truth of the matter is that I don't know what I'm going to do."

Chavez has undergone two back surgeries and three shoulder surgeries in an effort to rejoin the A's.  His most recent setback occurred in May when he suffered a neck injury, one that he was determined to bounce back from.

The six-time Gold Glove third baseman was relegated to designated hitter this season where he hit .234/.276/.333 with one homer in 33 games.  According to Baseball-Reference, Chavez has earned more than $75MM in his career, thanks in large part to the six-year, $66MM extension he signed with Oakland in March of 2004.

Athletics Claim Jeff Larish

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The Athletics claimed minor league corner infielder Jeff Larish off waivers from the Tigers, reports MLB.com's Jason Beck.  He'd been designated for assignment on Friday to clear a spot for Jeff Frazier.  To make room for Larish on the 40-man roster, the A's designated infielder Adam Heether for assignment.

Larish, 28 in October, hit .275/.373/.497 at Triple A this year, his third stint at the level.  He was coming off September wrist surgery.  He's played both infield corner positions in his minor league career, as the Tigers moved him to third base once he became blocked by Miguel Cabrera at first.  Before the 2009 season, Baseball America ranked Larish fifth among Tigers prospects (just ahead of the recently-traded Wilkin Ramirez).  BA called Larish a "polarizing player among scouts," praising his raw power but questioning his batting stance, ability to cover the outside part of the plate, and problems hitting breaking pitches.

Waiver Trade Candidates: AL West

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The current AL West picture: the Rangers hold a wide lead, the Angels and Athletics are on the fringe of contention, and the Mariners are out of it.  Waiver trade candidates:

The Rangers could consider moving Rich Harden, though the righty came off the DL on Saturday and had a fine start.  Even with Derek Holland lurking in Triple A, though, I think it makes sense to maintain the depth.  Scott Feldman, recently shifted to the bullpen, could clear waivers.

Angels veterans Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Hideki Matsui, Fernando Rodney, Scot Shields, and Juan Rivera could all clear waivers, in my estimation.  The relievers could generate interest, though.

Athletics assistant GM David Forst recently told ESPN's Jayson Stark they're seriously considering "bringing back the same 25 guys next year."  Forst may not have meant that literally, but it doesn't appear they'll dump contracts.

As for the Mariners, Milton Bradley figures to clear waivers if he returns from the DL this month.  Chone Figgins might clear too, but if he's claimed the Ms have to at least consider bailing on his contract.  Jack Wilson might get through, with $5MM owed next year.  Same goes for Casey Kotchman, a non-tender candidate after the season.  Jose Lopez isn't too expensive, so he might be claimed.  I imagine Russell Branyan would be claimed as well.  Various lightly-paid Mariners veterans could be moved in minor deals: Jamey Wright, Mike Sweeney, Josh Bard, and Ryan Langerhans come to mind.

For our primer on the waiver trade rules, click here.

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