This Date In Transactions History: Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens went out in style in 2003. After announcing that he would be retiring earlier in the year, Clemens went out and earned both his 300th career win and 4,000th career strikeout. His farewell tour also included warm receptions from rival crowds, including the faithful at Fenway Park. Clemens even got to make his final start in the World Series, notch a strikeout in his final at-bat, and receive a standing ovation from the Marlins’ crowd as he walked off.
Everyone wants to leave on a high note, but that’s easier said than done. In 2004, Clemens inked a one-year deal to join up with the Astros. In 2005, Clemens once again toyed with the idea of retirement, but was coerced to return to Houston with a one-year, $18MM deal. After yet another World Series appearance, that was believed to be the end of the road for Clemens.
On this date in 2006, Clemens signed a deal to pitch for the Astros for the remainder of the season. The pact was technically a record-setting one-year, $22MM deal, but because it was a prorated contract, Clemens received a little over half of that. Even in his age 43 season, Clemens showed that he had plenty in the tank. In 19 starts, the veteran pitched to a 2.30 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9. Had he pitched that way starting in April, there’s little doubt that the right-hander would have earned his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance.
Of course, this wasn’t Clemens’ final comeback. In 2007, the Rocket showed up in George Steinbrenner’s box at Yankee Stadium to let everyone know that he’d be joining the Bombers. “Thank y’all,” Clemens said to the Bronx crowd. “Well they came and got me out of Texas, and I can tell you its a privilege to be back. I’ll be talkin’ to y’all soon.” Clemens would reemerge with the Sugar Land Skeeters in 2012, but the ’07 season would mark his last in Major League Baseball.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Krauss, Ishikawa
We’ll keep track of today’s outright assignments here..
- The Angels outrighted first baseman Marc Krauss to Triple-A Salt Lake after he cleared waivers, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Krauss, 27, appeared in eleven games for the Halos this season, batting .143/.211/.286 with a homer and two doubles. A former second-round pick, Krauss has been up and down with the Astros and Angels over the past two seasons, totaling a .603 OPS. He has a strong track record at Triple-A, however,where he’s batted .267/.376/.434 in parts of four seasons.
- Travis Ishikawa has cleared waivers and is back with the Giants‘ Triple-A affiliate, Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com tweets. Ishikawa, 31, was designated for assignment on May 25th. The first baseman has not appeared in the big leagues this season. He opened the year on the DL with a back injury and recently finished a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants avoided arbitration with Ishikawa this offseason by signing him to a $1.1MM deal, but there has yet to be a place for him on the 25-man roster. For his career, Ishikawa has a .259/.322/.397 line in parts of seven seasons.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:
- On this week’s installment of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast, host Jeff Todd was joined by David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to talk all things Braves, including the recent additions of Juan Uribe and Chris Withrow. MLBTR’s Steve Adams also joins the show to talk about the Cardinals‘ first base options in the wake of losing Matt Adams. A new episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast will be released every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
- If you haven’t already, we encourage you to sign up for the free MLBTR Newsletter. Every week, the newsletter delivers an exclusive article to your inbox with site owner Tim Dierkes weighing in on deals, rumors, and hot stove-related topics.
- Jeff looked at the Free Agent Stock of Howie Kendrick, who seems to be somewhat underappreciated. There’s not much in the way of direct comps for a player like Kendrick, but Jeff figures that he’s likely to top Omar Infante‘s pre-2014 deal with the Royals which saw him earn $30MM+ over four years. However, Kendrick’s market could be depressed if he gets hit with a qualifying offer by Los Angeles.
- Steve fielded your questions in this week’s edition of the MLBTR chat. Steve touched on topics including the Rockies’ pitching search and the Twins’ play so far this season.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Buchholz, Rays
Didi Gregorius inherited Derek Jeter’s position, but so far it appears that he has not inherited his defensive intuition, Billy Witz of the New York Times writes. Yankees manager Joe Girardi has said repeatedly that Gregorius is trying to do too much on the field, but Witz isn’t sure if instinctiveness is a trait that can be learned. Here’s more from the AL East..
- The Red Sox have a strong farm system despite a history of spotty selections in the draft, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes. Prior to this season, the Red Sox’s system was ranked No. 2 by MLB.com and Baseball America, fifth by ESPN, and sixth by Baseball Prospectus. That lofty status was achieved in spite of the fact that their most successful first-round pick since Clay Buchholz was Daniel Bard in 2006. There may not be a Bryce Harper or Mike Trout in the bunch, but there’s still plenty of talent there, Mastrodonato writes. Boston holds the No. 7 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
- Peter Gammons of Daily Gammons looked at some potential draft choices for the Red Sox. Unfortunately for Boston, this is a draft that does not have high profile college players and is regarded as a deep class rather than one loaded with future superstars at the top. Gammons notes that Boston has spent a lot of time on University of Arkansas center fielder Andrew Benintendi and he could be a consideration for them at No. 7.
- As May draws to a close, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times decided to look back at how new Rays baseball operations president Matt Silverman fared this offseason. Topkin starts off by checking in on Ben Zobrist, who was traded as he was entering his final year before free agency. Zobrist is expected to fill a role similar to the one he played in Tampa Bay now that he has returned from the DL, but the Rays felt that it was more important to get a package that helped them in the present and future. Topkin also looks back at the trade of Jeremy Hellickson to the Diamondbacks and notes that he wasn’t worth $4.275MM given the Rays’ starting pitching depth. If either infielder Andrew Velasquez or outfielder Justin Williams – the prospects received for Hellickson – make the majors, then it’s probably a bonus for Tampa Bay.
Red Sox Re-Sign Jeff Bianchi
The Red Sox have re-signed infielder Jeff Bianchi, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Just yesterday, Bianchi rejected an outright assignment from Boston after clearing waivers.
Bianchi’s cup of coffee in the big time with Boston will last at least a little big longer this year. He’s performed well at Triple-A, amassing a .302/.373/.340 slash line in 61 plate appearances. From 2012 through 2014, Bianchi saw time in a combined 162 games for the Brewers. In that span he posted a below average batting line of .216/.251/.283.
To make room on the roster, left-hander Robbie Ross has been optioned to the minors.
Indians Designate Jerry Sands For Assignment
The Indians announced (via Twitter) that they have designated Jerry Sands for assignment. In a related move, Carlos Santana has been reinstated from the paternity list.
Today’s move marks the second time this year that Sands has been DFA’d by Cleveland. Sands’ first assignment came roughly one month ago when Sands was bumped in favor of right-hander Ryan Webb. Sands wound up getting outrighted and accepting his assignment rather than going elsewhere.
Sands has not received much opportunity at the big league level since a solid run at age 23 with the Dodgers when he slashed .253/.338/.389 in 227 plate appearance. This year, he hit quite well in a limited sample size of 27 big league PAs while also performing well at Triple-A. In 91 plate appearances for Columbus, Sans hit .257/.385/.473 with four homers.
As MLBTR’s DFA Tracker shows, Jerry Sands now joins Thomas Field, Grady Sizemore, Marc Krauss, Sergio Santos, Eric Stults, Alejandro de Aza, and Radhames Liz in DFA limbo.
Giants To Sign Kevin Frandsen To Minor League Deal
The Giants are set to sign Kevin Frandsen to a minor league deal, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a return to the start for the well-traveled veteran who was drafted by the Giants in 2004.
Frandsen, who recently just turned 33, spent 2014 with the Nationals and hit .259/.299/.309 across 105 games. After the season, the Nats avoided arbitration with him by agreeing to a one-year, $1MM deal that includes up to $300K worth of incentives. However, Washington wound up letting him go on April 1st, leading him to a minor league pact with the D’Backs. Frandsen’s stint in Arizona only lasted one month after posting a a .309/.352/.333 slash line over 89 plate appearances for Triple-A Reno. and he’ll now try to stick with another NL West club.
The veteran will look to replicate his play with the Phillies in 2012 when he slashed .338/.383/.451 in 210 plate appearances. He also offers versatility in the field with experience at first base, second base, third base, and left field.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Cruz, Rays, Red Sox
On this date in 1980, Gary Carter hit the second inside-the-park home run of his career, as Leo Panetta of NationalPastime.com writes. Carter would later belt a homer out of the ballpark as well, but that still wasn’t enough to lead the Expos to victory as they lost to the Cardinals, 8-6. Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Camden Depot says the Orioles were right not to re-sign Nelson Cruz.
- Rays Colored Glasses says Travis Ishikawa should be a trade target for the Rays.
- Grading On The Curve discusses Tim Beckham‘s roller coaster.
- Wahoo’s On First looked at Jason Kipnis‘ hot streak.
- RSN Stats took a look back through Boston history.
- A’s Farm spoke with A’s Director of Player Personnel Billy Owens.
- Lasorda’s Lair says it’s time to move Jimmy Rollins down in the order.
- The Point Of Pittsburgh takes a guess at who the Bucs will take in the draft.
- Rumbunter broke down Gerrit Cole‘s domination of the Mets.
- Reviewing The Brew discussed Jonathan Broxton‘s disappointing year.
- Baseball Hot Corner likes the way that Aaron Sanchez is mixing it up.
- Reviewing The Brew wonders if the Giants could be a match for Aramis Ramirez.
- From Duke 2 Joc sees trade matches between the Dodgers and Reds.
- Astros County looked at starting pitchers of the past in Houston.
- Outside Pitch says the Cubs are ready to create a dynasty.
- The First Out At Third defends Mike Fiers.
- Blue Jays Plus credited Toronto for its base running.
Kevin Correia Declares Free Agency From Giants
Pitcher Kevin Correia has declared free agency from the Giants in advance of his June 1st opt-out date, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Correia was well pitching for Triple-A Sacramento, but there was simply no room for him on the big league roster.
In 37 2/3 innings this season, Correia posted a 3.58 ERA with 6.0 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9. Even though that performance comes from a limited sample size of six starts, it’s not hard to imagine Correia fielding interest from teams in need of pitching this summer.
Correia originally signed a minor league pact with the Mariners on March 9th of this year, but he was granted his release on March 30th when he was to be demoted from big league camp. Less than two weeks later, the Giants picked him up on a minor league deal that included two opt out dates, one on June 1st and another on July 1st. After pushing the eject button prior to the first date, Correia will now be in search of his third team in 2015.
Correia split the 2014 season between the Twins and Dodgers, struggling to one of the least effective seasons of his big league career. The All Bases Covered Sports Management client served as a durable source of innings for Minnesota in the first season of a two-year, $10MM contract in 2013, but last year he slumped to a 5.44 ERA, averaging just 4.6 strikeouts per nine innings against a solid average of 2.3 walks per nine. His previously above-average ground-ball rate dipped below the league average as well, checking in at 43.2 percent. Still, both FIP and xFIP feel that Correia’s ERA could’ve been a bit lower, pegging him at 4.67,
The veteran was a fourth-round pick of the Giants in 2002 and spent parts of the 2003-08 seasons with the Giants, working to a combined 4.59 ERA in 398 innings between the rotation and bullpen.
On Saturday, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reported that Correia was likely to be released by the Giants this weekend.
Quick Hits: Greene, Jones, Drew, Rodriguez, Davis
Tigers starter Shane Greene was never a highly touted prospect or big bonus guy, writes Eno Sarris of ESPN (Insider required). However, Greene’s path to the majors is an interesting story of perseverance. Greene’s father arranged a showcase for Yankee scout Jeff Deardorff. After a strong sandlot performance, the scout invited him to Tampa to throw to hitters. A week later, he was drafted by the Yankees in the 15th round. That’s the story from a high level, but it’s the details that make it interesting. The article is definitely worth a read if you have Insider access.
Here’s more from around the league to round out your Saturday evening:
- The Yankees acquired first baseman Garrett Jones over the winter to serve as depth for oft-injured sluggers like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. However, the aging stars have remained healthy so playing time has been scarce for Jones. With the Cardinals in need of a platoon bat to share time with Mark Reynolds, there is some pressure to trade Jones. However, Sherman wonders if the Yankees lineup could survive a Teixeira injury. Would Rodriguez also land on the disabled list if he was forced onto the field? Could Jose Pirela or Stephen Drew cover third if Chase Headley shifts to first. These are questions that GM Brian Cashman must answer before dealing Jones.
- The Yankees have stuck with Drew despite an abysmal performance, writes Chad Jennings of LoHud. He has hit just .158/.226/.303. He continues to start despite the presence of prospect Jose Pirela on the active roster and Rob Refsnyder at Triple-A. Jennings offers five theories as to why Drew continues to play. In my opinion, they just want to get a full evaluation of Drew before deciding on Plan B.
- The Red Sox haven’t developed a reliable pitching prospect since they called up Clay Buchholz in 2007, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Bostonians hope that Eduardo Rodriguez is the first example in a reversal of that trend. Rodriguez dominated in his debut. He threw seven-and-two-thirds innings with seven strikeouts, two walks, three hits, and no runs. The club will temporarily use a six-man rotation to give Rodriguez a second audition. It’s not hard to imagine him taking the place of Wade Miley, Rick Porcello, or Joe Kelly if they continue to struggle.
- Brewers outfielder Khris Davis has torn the meniscus in his right-knee, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. He’ll undergo surgery on Tuesday. Davis is hitting .252/.339/.449 in 168 plate appearances. While no timetable has been announced, past meniscus surgeries have required six to eight weeks of recovery – sometimes more if there are other complicating factors. The Milwaukee lineup has been plagued by various injuries this season, only Adam Lind has been available every day.