Baseball Blogs Weigh In: A’s, Tanaka, Norris, Kluber
On this date in 1972 (as can be seen on Leo Panetta’s NationalPastime.com), salary arbitration was born, as the owners agreed to add the arbitration process to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, ending a 13-day strike in which 86 games were missed. The arbitration process has become an integral part of the MLB offseason, influencing many trades and roster decisions in addition to providing many players with their first opportunity at nine-figure paydays. Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere…
- A’s Farm spoke with Oakland talent evaluator Grady Fuson.
- Pinstripe Pundits isn’t sweating Masahiro Tanaka‘s velocity.
- Clutchlings compared the development of Tyler Beede and Daniel Norris.
- Rays Colored Glasses broke down Chris Archer‘s Opening Day.
- Wahoo’s On First is thrilled about the Corey Kluber deal.
- Royals Blue looked at Alex Gordon‘s contract situation.
- AZ Snake Pit reflected on the Trevor Cahill era in Arizona.
- Know Hitter isn’t counting the Tigers out even though are trendier picks in the Central.
- Reviewing The Brew wonders if the Brewers’ shortstop depth could help the Padres.
- Blue Jays Plus talked about Toronto pitchers utilizing the change up.
- World Series Dreaming presents Quantum Leap: the Kris Bryant chronicles.
- The Point Of Pittsburgh doesn’t understand the Josh Harrison deal.
- Camden Depot wasn’t wild about the Orioles’ recent trade.
Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Cafardo’s Latest: Lester, Giants, Ross, Tulo, Soriano
The Cubs aren’t concerned with Jon Lester‘s issues throwing to first base, writes the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo in his weekly Sunday Notes column. “I think it’s being a little overplayed right now, quite frankly,” said manager Joe Maddon to Cafardo. “…I’d much prefer he worries more about getting his fastball where he wants and his cutter where he wants and all the normal pitching things. … I don’t want to make this an issue, because it’s not for me at all.” Still, Cafardo notes, it is an issue that the Red Sox worked to correct for years with little success. The Cardinals exploited the issue in Lester’s first outing by swiping four bases against him, but as Cafardo notes, not every team will go that route. One AL scout told Cafardo: “I always included in my reports about the throwing, but our team chose not to do anything about it.”
Here’s more from Cafardo’s column…
- Newly minted Giants GM Bobby Evans tells Cafardo that he doesn’t envision his team pursuing another starting pitcher despite early injuries to Matt Cain and Jake Peavy. The Giants feel that Peavy, who avoided the DL and is slated to pitch today, is healthy. The team is also not anticipating that Cain’s elbow injury, which did require a trip to the 15-day DL, will be a major issue.
- Cody Ross was recently released by the D-Backs and signed with the A’s, and Cafardo looks back on Ross’ best season — his 2012 campaign with the Red Sox — and notes that Boston offered Ross a two-year deal to remain with the team. Ross, however, found a three-year, $26MM contract in Arizona. Injuries turned that deal into a bust for the Snakes, but Ross will hope to reestablish himself in green and gold.
- The Rockies will likely have plenty of suitors for Troy Tulowitzki this summer if they slide to the cellar of the NL West, but one AL GM tells Cafardo that it’s difficult to envision a trade: “There would be a lot of work to get that done. The money remaining on his salary [$110 million] and the player acquisition cost. Not as easy as it seems. The Rockies need to get a ton for him and I doubt they’ll pick up the money.”
- Earlier this week, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that the Tigers have been monitoring Rafael Soriano‘s workouts, and Cafardo hears the same, adding that it “wouldn’t be shocking” if Detroit pulled the trigger on a deal.
- Much like the Giants, the Twins have taken a hit to their rotation early in the year following Ervin Santana‘s suspension and Ricky Nolasco‘s injury, but after talking with their front office personnel, Cafardo gets the impression that they’ll give opportunities to young starters rather than pursue an established upgrade. Trevor May gets the first crack, but Cafardo lists Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios as other candidates.
- The Dodgers are still “all ears” about potential Andre Ethier trades and are willing to eat some of the $56MM on the three years remaining on his contract, but there have been no bites to this point.
Phillies Designate Cesar Jimenez For Assignment
The Phillies announced that they’ve designated left-hander Cesar Jimenez for assignment and selected the contract of right-hander Sean O’Sullivan, who will start today’s game against the Nationals.
The 30-year-old Jimenez pitched just two-third of an inning in the early stages of the 2015 season but has been up and down with the Phillies in each of the past two seasons. Jimenez has worked to a very strong 2.67 ERA in 33 2/3 innings dating back to 2013, though his ratios of 5.3 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 and 4.27 FIP tell a less favorable story than his bottom-line results. Jimenez has been more effective against lefties than righties, but he hasn’t exactly dominated same-handed hitters; lefties have batted .238/.310/.357 against him in 143 big league plate appearances.
Jimenez was the only lefty in the bullpen behind setup man Jake Diekman, and the loss of Mario Hollands to Tommy John surgery removed another option for Philadelphia. They’ll likely hope that Jimenez can clear waivers and remain in the organization — an outcome that has already happened twice in the past calendar year.
Indians Release Brewer, Purchase Marcum’s Contract
The Indians announced a series of roster moves this morning, including the release of right-hander Charles Brewer, who had occupied a slot on the team’s 40-man roster. Cleveland has placed Yan Gomes on the 15-day disabled list with a knee sprain, optioned lefty Kyle Crockett to Triple-A, recalled right-hander Austin Adams and selected the contract of former Blue Jays/Brewers starter Shaun Marcum.
Cleveland picked up Brewer, 27, from the Diamondbacks this offseason. He didn’t appear in the Majors last year, but he did pitch six innings for the 2013 D-Backs, yielding a pair of runs with five strikeouts against two walks. In 169 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level (in the very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League), Brewer has a 5.29 ERA with 6.9K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.
As for Marcum, the right-hander will be taking the mound in the Majors for the first time since 2013 when he debuts for the Indians. Marcum was very good from 2010-12 with the Jays and Brewers, working to a 3.62 ERA (113 ERA+) with 7.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 520 innings of work. A nerve injury in his neck and thoracic outlet syndrome have hindered Marcum over the past two years, however. He spent the 2014 season rehabbing with the Indians in their Minor League system but only totaled 17 2/3 innings.
Quick Hits: Cubs, Kimbrel, Bryant, Pirates
Teams have quickly accepted the importance of the mental side of the game, reports the Associated Press in the New York Times. For example, the Cubs view mental skills coach Josh Lifrak as an equal to their hitting and pitching coaches. The article describes part of the process used by the Cubs, Nationals, and Red Sox, although all teams have probably adopted some form of mental skills development.
Here’s more from around the league.
- Padres senior advisor Trevor Hoffman was thrilled by the team’s recent trade for Craig Kimbrel, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Kimbrel follows Hoffman (the all-time NL leader in saves) in a line of strong Padres closers. “We’ve been pretty fortunate to have a guy at the backend, even before I got here and continuing with Huston (Street) and Joaquin (Benoit),” says Hoffman. “The street cred [Kimbrel has] built in the game over the last four, five years really separates him from the rest of the group as one of the top-echelon closers in the game.”
- The Cubs‘ decision to send Kris Bryant to the minors to start the season led to controversy, but now that he’s there, the team has him working on playing outfield, Gordon Wittenmyer writes for Baseball America (subscription-only). While many assume that Bryant will be activated as soon as next week, the Cubs may legitimately be concerned about finding him a defensive home.
- If the Pirates have money to spend at the trade deadline this year, they could target an ace pitcher, writes Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The payroll is cheap thanks to a number of young players and team friendly extensions. That could make Cole Hamels a potential fit. He, like Andrew McCutchen, has four years remaining on his contract. My thought: it’s at least conceivable that the Phillies would take on a large portion of his contract for the right prospects. To be clear, this is not to say that the Pirates have inquired about Hamels, only that a fit might exist.
Quick Hits: Rays, Valentin, Hamilton
The Rays tied a franchise record by using 21 players against the Marlins in a 10-inning, 10-9 loss on Friday, writes MLB.com’s Bill Chastain. That included two players making their big-league debut, outfielder Mikie Mahtook and righty Matt Andriese, as Chastain notes. Mahtook, a first-round pick in 2011, is perhaps the more likely of the two to make a long-term impact. He hit .292/.362/.458 for Triple-A Durham last season. “I think everything happened so fast yesterday, you don’t realize what was going on,” says Mahtook. “So in the moment, I wouldn’t even say I was super nervous. I was just kind of going with it.”
- Phillies prospect Jesmuel Valentin has been arrested and suspended indefinitely for his role in a domestic violence incident, writes Jim Salisbury of of CSNPhilly. GM Ruben Amaro said the team was “getting the young man some help, but we take this very seriously as does the Commissioner’s office.” Valentin, the son of former major leaguer Jose Valentin, was acquired by the Phillies last August as part of the return for Roberto Hernandez.
- Angels pitcher and union player rep C.J. Wilson commented on the ongoing Josh Hamilton saga, per Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times (two tweets). Wilson said, “it doesn’t seem like any bridges are being built. It’s a fairly contentious situation.” Wilson added, “Josh went through the whole process. It should be about him rehabbing and playing baseball again.” Per Pedro Moura of the Orange Country Register (also Twitter), Wilson also suggested that performance is driving owner Arte Moreno’s plans to take action against Hamilton. In case you missed the latest kerfuffle involving Hamilton, here’s a detailed summary from MLBTR’s Jeff Todd.
Minor Moves: Florimon, Peguero, Adrianza, Tracy
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- Reds pitcher Raisel Iglesias will make his major league debut tomorrow, writes Jason Haddix for MLB.com. He’ll be opposed by Cardinals hurler Carlos Martinez. The Reds committed to a seven-year, $27MM contract with Iglesias during the 2014 season.
- The Orioles selected the contract of knuckleballer Eddie Gamboa, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Wesley Wright was added to the disabled list in a corresponding move. Gamboa, 30, had yet to reach the majors although he figures to bounce back and forth this year. He’ll serve as depth in case Kevin Gausman is needed in long relief in the next couple games.
- Pirates utility man Pedro Florimon has cleared waivers, tweets Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He has been outrighted to Triple-A. Per Brink (also Twitter), since Florimon has been outrighted before, he can decline and become a free agent. Brink is told no decision has been made.
- The Rangers have announced that they’ve selected the contract of corner outfielder Carlos Peguero and recalled pitcher Jon Edwards. They’ve also moved Derek Holland (shoulder) to the 60-day disabled list and Ryan Rua (ankle) to the 15-day disabled list. Peguero is in the Rangers’ lineup tonight. The 28-year-old Peguero has played briefly, and not particularly impressively, for the Mariners and Royals in parts of four big-league seasons, but he’s demonstrated serious power in the minors (with 30 homers for Triple-A Omaha last year) and in Spring Training.
- The Giants have outrighted infielder Ehire Adrianza to Triple-A Sacramento, MLB.com’s Chris Haft tweets. The team designated Adrianza for assignment last week. Adrianza, 25, hit .237/.279/.299 in 106 plate appearances while playing mostly shortstop and second base for the Giants last season.
- The Yankees have announced that they’ve promoted lefty Matt Tracy. To clear space for Tracy on the 25- and 40-man rosters, the Yankees optioned lefty Chasen Shreve to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and moved Ivan Nova to the 60-day disabled list. Tracy will need to be added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster. Tracy’s stay on the roster could turn out to be short, however — the Yankees can use some quick bullpen reinforcements after their 19-inning game against the Red Sox last night, and Tracy would presumably join the team for that purpose. The 26-year-old posted a 3.76 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 150 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year.
- Two players remain in DFA limbo, via MLBTR’s DFA Tracker: lefty Sam Freeman (Rangers) and outfielder Carlos Quentin (Braves).
Jenrry Mejia Receives 80-Game Suspension
6:30pm: The suspension will save the Mets $1.2MM per Mike Puma of the New York Post (tweet).
Rubin tweets that Mejia will not be eligible for the postseason roster if the Mets qualify for the playoffs.
6:20pm: Mejia is the fourth pitcher in the last 15 days to test positive for Stanozolol, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. In addition to Santana, Mariners pitcher David Rollins and Braves pitcher Arodys Vizcaino are serving suspensions after failing a drug test. Three of the four players are Dominican, which might provide a clue as to how or where the drug is being disseminated. Like Mejia, Santana also claimed that he had no knowledge of how the drug entered his system.
As a reminder, days on the disabled list count towards the suspension, so Mejia will simply be out longer than expected, tweets Matt Ehalt of The Record. Per Ehalt, Mejia will not appeal the suspension. He is eligible to return on July 7 against the Giants (Twitter).
Andy Martino of the New York Daily News adds (on Twitter) that the Mets won’t pursue an external option like Rafael Soriano. They’re satisfied with their current depth.
4:37pm: Mets closer Jenrry Mejia has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol, MLB has announced. Stanozolol is the same performance-enhancing drug Ervin Santana was suspended earlier this month for using.
“We were disappointed when informed of Jenrry’s suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” say the Mets in a statement. “We fully support MLB’s policy toward eliminating performance enhancing substances from the sport. As per the Joint Drug Program, we will have no further comment on this suspension.”
“I know the rules are the rules and I will accept my punishment,” says Mejia, seemingly suggesting he will not appeal the suspension. “[B]ut I can honestly say I have no idea how a banned substance ended up in my system. … I’m sorry to the Mets organization, my teammates and the fans, as well as my family.”
Mejia had not pitched in 2015 due to elbow inflammation. An MRI showed no structural damage, so he likely would have returned at some point fairly soon if not for the suspension. Mejia racked up 28 saves in 2014 while carrying a relatively heavy workload for a closer, pitching 93 2/3 innings with a 3.65 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. Jeurys Familia will likely get most save opportunities in his absence. Mejia was set to make $2.595MM in his first arbitration year in 2015, but now the Mets will only have to pay him about half that amount.
Hiroshima Carp Sign Outfielder Nate Schierholtz
The Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s NPB have signed outfielder Nate Schierholtz to a one-year, $1.16MM contract, reports the Japan Times. Schierholtz is expected to join the team as soon as April 21. He opted out of his minor league contract with the Rangers on March 28.
Schierholtz struggled to a .195/.243/.309 line in 383 plate appearances last season. However, he turned in a useful 2013 campaign with the Cubs that included 21 home runs and a .251/.301/.470 slash. The left-handed hitter is also a career .253/.302/.419 hitter against right-handed pitchers.
Quick Hits: Guillen, Diamondbacks, Nava
White Sox executive Kenny Williams says baseball needs personalities like that of former manager Ozzie Guillen, Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago writes. “I think it misses personality and characters and a guy who has had as much success as he has and has much baseball knowledge as he has and has a desire to be in uniform and should be in uniform somewhere,” says Williams. “Hopefully he gets another chance to show it.” Williams and Guillen had their differences when Guillen was with the White Sox, of course. The White Sox allowed Guillen to depart for Miami, where his tenure as manager of the Marlins was brief and unfortunate. He hasn’t managed since, although he’s expressed interest in returning. He now is an analyst for ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Here are more quick notes from around the Majors.
- Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart sees pitching as the key to improving the franchise’s fortune, the New York Times writes. “Everything depends on pitching,” says Stewart. “So as quickly as our young pitchers can mature is going to determine whether we contend or don’t. I know we’re going to hit and catch the ball. Those things are givens.” The Diamondbacks’ emergence will thus depend on young pitchers like Jeremy Hellickson, Rubby De La Rosa, and Archie Bradley, who makes his big-league debut today.
- The Red Sox received inquiries about outfielder Daniel Nava this spring, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets. The team declined to trade Nava despite a surplus in their outfield, however, feeling that Nava was more valuable in a Red Sox uniform than on the trade market.