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A’s Extend Brett Anderson

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The A's signed lefty Brett Anderson to a four-year contract extension, the team announced (via Twitter). The deal runs from 2010-2013 and includes club options for 2014 and 2015. The extension buys out Anderson's last two pre-arbitration seasons and his first two arbitration years. The options cover Anderson's final arb year and his first year of free agency. 

As the Associated Press reported (via ESPN.com), Anderson will earn $500K in 2010, $1MM in 2011, $3MM in 2012, and $5.5MM in 2013. The options are for $8MM in 2014 and $12MM in 2015, with a $1.5MM buyout for each year. Anderson will also receive a $1MM signing bonus, paid in four equal installments between now and November 2011. Overall, the deal will guarantee the left-hander $12.5MM and could be worth as much as $31MM over six years.

In comparison, Brandon Webb signed a $7.5MM extension covering the same four-year chunk of his career in 2004. The Anderson contract overwrites the 2010 deal worth $410K that the A's re-signed him to last month.

The 22-year-old lefty pitched to a 4.06 ERA in 175.1 innings last year with 7.7 K/9 and 2.3BB/9. He has pitched similarly well in his two starts this season. Baseball America ranked Anderson the seventh-best prospect in the game going into the 2009 season.

Top Trade Chips: AL West

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We've completed the National League, so now it's time to jump over to the so-called junior circuit…

  • Angels: They moved three pretty good young players to get Scott Kazmir last season, so they might prefer to hold onto the rest of their top prospects. Their best chip is someone you may not have heard of, out of options catcher Bobby Wilson. He's on the 25-man roster but has barely played as the third stringer, yet how many teams would love to have a 27-year old catcher with a very good defensive rep, a .290/.345/.425 batting line in 820 Triple-A plate appearances, and six years of team control left? Pretty much all of them. He'll never clear waivers if the Halos try to send him back to the minors.
  • Athletics: Oakland has plenty of young pitching, but Billy Beane likes to hang on to those kind of guys, and for good reason. With ten infielders on the 40-man roster, someone like Jake Fox or Eric Patterson could be moved, as could outfielders Travis Buck or Gabe Gross since Michael Taylor is coming fast. Plus there's always Ben Sheets.
  • Mariners: Jack Zduriencik surrendered a good amount of prospect depth this offseason by acquiring Cliff Lee, but no one will argue with that move. Dustin Ackley, the second overall pick in 2009, will make Jose Lopez expendable in short order, and they could choose to make one of two minor league outfielders – Michael Saunders or Greg Halman – available. Seattle's best trade chip might be their potential ability to absorb some money.
  • Rangers: Texas is absolutely loaded with young players, so they have plenty of pieces to offer. They can move Chris Davis because Justin Smoak is knocking on the door, or they could move Derek Holland because Martin Perez isn't too far away. They dangled Max Ramirez this winter, and outfielder David Murphy is about to get expensive through arbitration, so he could find himself on the block. Bottom line: the Rangers have the pieces to go out and get anything they need or want.

Fred Lewis Decision Coming Soon

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8:16pm: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) predicts that Lewis will still be with the Giants this weekend.  Schulman is hearing that there is little or no trade interest in the market for the outfielder.

8:24am: Giants outfielder Fred Lewis will be activated or traded by the weekend, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.  Lewis is in Triple A rehabbing a sore rib cage, but his assignment won't last past Thursday.  Lewis is out of options, so the Giants can't keep him in the minors.

Baggarly notes that the Giants' roster is stocked with six outfielders, implying that a trade is more likely than a call-up.  He says that while the Padres and Athletics have expressed past interest in Lewis, the Blue Jays may be "the most likely destination."  New GM Alex Anthopoulos is familiar with the Giants, already having claimed Brian Bocock and traded for Merkin Valdez in his six months on the job.  Bocock was claimed again by the Phillies.

Lewis, 29, has a .277/.355/.420 career line, with a walk rate over 10%.  He's played all three outfield positions in the Majors, but mostly left field.  Three years ago Baseball America called him "the best all-around athlete in the system," a player with star-level raw skills.  BA questioned his outfield routes, though Lewis' left field defense comes out strong in terms of UZR/150.  Baggarly noted that Lewis has been getting some recent starts in center, so perhaps that's not a lost cause.  Obviously Lewis' bat plays better there if he can hold his own defensively.

Odds & Ends: Beimel, Cust, Dukes, Santos

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Saturday links..

Jack Cust Clears Waivers

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SATURDAY, 11:05am: Cust has accepted his outright assignment to the minors according to the team. Smart move, I'm not sure he would have been able to find another $2.65MM on the free agent market.

12:19pm: Slusser counter–tweets that Cust's camp says a decision has not been made and it may take a few more days.  She explains in an article that Cust is likely to accept the assignment, as he won't receive his $2.65MM if he doesn't.

FRIDAY, 10:42am: Cust has accepted the assignment to Triple A, reports CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban.

THURSDAY, 10:25pm: Cust cleared waivers, tweets Slusser, but it's not yet known whether he'll accept an assignment to Triple A.

SATURDAY, 7:11pm: The Athletics have designated Jack Cust for assignment, according to Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Slusser mentions that if he clears waivers, he would consider a minor league assignment to remain with the team.

Oakland non-tendered Cust back in December, then re-signed him to a one year, $2.65MM deal in January. The 31-year-old has seen his performance decline each year since his 2007 breakout campaign, bottoming out at .240/.356/.417 with 25 homers last year. He's led the American League in strikeouts each of the last three seasons, though the power and on-base numbers have continued to decline, and he's never had any defensive value.

With both Travis Buck and Jake Fox making the team, there was just no room for Cust and his limited skill set. Any team that were to claim him off waivers would assume the full $2.65MM on his deal, but would still have another year of team control.

Discussion: Kurt Suzuki Extension

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A month ago, CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban wrote that prelimary talks on an extension for Athletics catcher Kurt Suzuki are underway.  However, Susan Slusser and John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle heard differently from the catcher's agent.  Suzuki, 26, is eligible for arbitration for the first time after the season.  Let's look at possible comparables for an extension.  (Arb means arbitration, FA means free agent year).

  • Yadier Molina, Cardinals: Four-year, $15.5MM deal covers arb 1-3 and FA 1, with a club option on FA 2.  Received $9.25MM for three arb years.  Signed in January of '08.
  • Chris Snyder, Diamondbacks.  Three-year, $14.25MM deal covers arb 2-3 and FA 1, with a club option on FA 2.  Though deal did not cover all three arb years, Snyder received $9.6MM for them.  Signed in December of '08.
  • Ryan Doumit, Pirates.  Three-year, $11.5MM deal covers arb 1-3 with club options on FA 1-2.  Receives $10.7MM for three arb years.  Signed in December of '08.
  • Carlos Ruiz, Phillies.  Three-year, $8.85MM deal covers arb 1-3 with a club option on FA 1.  Received $8.35MM for three arb years.  Signed in Janunary of '10.
  • Kelly Shoppach, Rays.  Two-year, $5.55MM deal covers arb 2-3 with a club option on FA 1.  Will receive $7.2MM for three arb years, though arb 1 wasn't covered in the deal.  Signed in January of '10.
  • Chris Iannetta, Rockies.  Three-year, $8.35MM deal covers arb 1-3 with a club option on FA 1.  Will receive $7.85MM for three arb years.
  • Doumit, Ruiz, and Iannetta are the best comparables, in that they signed before their first arbitration seasons and relatively recently.  But unlike these three, Suzuki will have about 500 games under his belt when he reaches arbitration.  Even though they're all being compared as 3+ service time players, Suzuki will have a full season's worth of games (and the accompanying counting stats) more than the others.
  • Although Doumit was overpaid, Suzuki has a strong case to top his arbitration year salaries.  Suzuki's first free agent year could be in the $6-8MM range, whether it's guaranteed or a club option.  If Suzuki allows for a club option, he should seek a deal worth at least $12MM.  The option would be convenient for the A's, as top catching prospect Max Stassi may be ready by 2014.  From Suzuki's point of view, he'd get a buyout if the option is declined and reach free agency as a 30-year-old.

Athletics Claim Jai Miller Off Waivers

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The Athletics claimed outfielder Jai Miller off waivers from the Marlins and optioned him to Triple A, according to the team's Twitter feed.  Miller had been designated for assignment five days ago, as the Marlins cleared spots for Mike Lamb and Jose Veras.

Miller, 25, hit .289/.360/.510 in his second Triple A stint for the Marlins last year, playing right and center field.  Back in their '08 Handbook, Baseball America said his doubters wonder if "Miller isn't merely the next Reggie Abercrombie, a tools-laden player whose skills never fully transferred to the diamond."  Two years later, they wrote that "some in the organization still see him as a late bloomer with Mike Cameron characteristics."

2011 Contract Issues: Oakland Athletics

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Let's start with a look at the Athletics' 2011 options:

  • Eric Chavez has a $12.5MM club option with a $3MM buyout.  This appears highly unlikely to be exercised.
  • Mark Ellis has a $6MM club option with a $500K buyout.  Ellis missed a large chunk of last year with a calf strain and hasn't played a full season since '07.  Should he stay relatively healthy and maintain his top-notch defense, WAR might suggest Ellis will be worth the $5.5MM net price in 2011.  Still, the A's would have to weigh their many second base alternatives as well as Ellis' market value.
  • Coco Crisp has a $5.75MM club option with a $500K buyout.  The club option is the silver lining on a pretty risky signing. 

After 2010, the A's will be free of their $4MM obligation to Willy Taveras.  Veteran starters Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer will be eligible for free agency.

The Athletics' first-year arbitration players will include Kurt Suzuki, Ryan Sweeney, Dallas Braden, Craig Breslow, and Travis Buck.  A long-term deal for Suzuki may be in order.  The A's will also have Kevin Kouzmanoff, Rajai Davis, and Joey Devine due raises as second-year arbitration players.  Gabe Gross and Chad Gaudin are two more arbitration-eligible players, though they stand a chance of being non-tendered.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the information.

Billy Beane Talks To Athletics Nation

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General manager Billy Beane spoke to Tyler Bleszinski of Athletics Nation about a week ago.  Check out the interview here and here.  A few hot stove-related highlights:

  • Beane was told the A's were the runners-up in the Aroldis Chapman bidding.  He said "I think we got slightly outbid" by the Reds' six-year, $30.25MM offer to the Cuban lefty.
  • Center fielder Coco Crisp, signed to a one-year, $5.5MM deal, was considered "good value relative to the cost."  Beane admitted that the A's probably will not be able to afford to re-sign Crisp if he has a healthy season.  While there was trade interest in Rajai Davis, Beane is looking for continuity.
  • Beane was frank in saying that he expects to "follow the cycle" of the last 10-15 years if the team does not get a new venue.  That implies trading Ben Sheets and/or other veterans in July if the team falls out of contention, but conversely making acquisitions if the A's are still in the hunt.
  • Brad Pitt met with Beane in preparation for the actor's role in the Moneyball movie.  Beane described Pitt as "very down-to-earth."

Odds & Ends: Rule 5, Jones, Hechevarria, Brewers

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Links for Easter Sunday…

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