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Free Agent Stock Watch: Ryan Madson

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A total of 17 relief pitchers signed multiyear deals last offseason and while there’s no guarantee that owners will spend just as freely this year, it won’t be surprising if they do. So with a number of closing jobs opening up around baseball, Ryan Madson’s job prospects are promising.

The 31-year-old right-hander has been consistently effective since returning to the bullpen in 2007, so agent Scott Boras will be able to point interested teams to an array of impressive stats. There’s Madson’s 2.63 ERA (supported by his 2.59 SIERA and 3.06 xFIP), his 94.1 mph fastball and his 31 saves. His peripheral stats are also strong – 0.33 HR/9, 9.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 50.7% ground ball rate – and he can handle hitters on both sides of the plate.

There's a line of thinking that opposes major commitments to relievers given the volatility of their stats from year to year and their limited ability to shape the outcome of a game or season (in relation to starting pitchers or position players). The era of four and five year deals for top closers may be over, but Boras can point to Madson's consistency in an attempt to obtain multiyear offers. The 6'6" Californian has kept his ERA at 3.26 or below, pitched at least 53 innings and struck out at least 6.9 batters per nine innings every season since 2007. 

Like Jonathan Papelbon, who will probably be the top free agent reliever of the year, Madson projects as a Type A free agent. Given the Phillies’ need for relief help and Madson’s current salary of $4.5MM, an offer of arbitration seems likely. Assuming Madson declines, he’ll cost teams other than the Phillies a top pick in next year’s draft, which will reduce some clubs’ interest.

A pair of MLB executives recently predicted to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that Madson will sign a deal like the one Jose Valverde obtained two winters ago: $14MM over two years plus an option (Valverde was a Type A free agent at the time). Madson seems destined for a multiyear deal and a three-year contract seems likely to me. Setup men such as Joaquin Benoit, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier and Scott Downs found three-year deals last winter and Boras obtained $35MM over three years for Rafael Soriano. It's hard to imagine Madson signing for that much money, but some general managers and owners will probably be willing to guarantee Madson a third year for the promise of bullpen stability.

Stark On Tigers, Shapiro, Buehrle, Oswalt, Rays

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Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that the current version of the Tigers is significantly different than the team that started the season with a 12-17 mark. Rival executives agree that the Tigers, winners of ten straight, wouldn’t be fun to face in a playoff series at this point. Here’s Stark’s latest: 

  • People close to Indians president Mark Shapiro tell Stark that the longtime GM would be “intrigued” by the Cubs’ GM job. Shapiro’s associates say he’s happy in Cleveland, but suggest he’d listen if Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts came calling. Shapiro declined comment and there’s no indication that the Cubs have spoken to him.
  • A friend of Mark Buehrle's doesn’t believe the left-hander would retire after the season, when he is set to hit free agency. Buehrle would have been open to pitching for the Cardinals, but they have a full rotation set up for 2012, assuming they exercise Adam Wainwright’s options.
  • White Sox officials have been saying they need to cut payroll, according to Stark. Like the Cardinals, they have five starters under team control for 2012 even without Buehrle.
  • The Phillies aren’t likely to exercise Roy Oswalt’s $16MM option, but other than that the right-hander’s future remains unclear. He is another pitcher who has expressed interest in St. Louis, but it’s not a likely fit given the Cardinals’ depth. Oswalt doesn’t want to pitch in the American League or for a non-contender, according to Stark. 
  • The Marlins won’t be able to obtain manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox unless they’re willing to part with a “big-time player.”
  • It appears that the Rays are open to the idea of bringing Johnny Damon back for another season.
  • Aaron Rowand wants to play in 2012, though he isn’t likely to return this season. He’ll be looking for the opportunity to pick up regular at bats next year, according to Stark.

Stark On Madson, Astros, Beane, Nationals

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MLB is building momentum toward two 15-team leagues with three five-team divisions per league, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. It doesn't appear that the players’ association will agree to expand the postseason unless owners agree to more balanced schedules and divisions, Stark reports. Here are the rest of his rumors…

  • It appears that the Tigers and Rays will pick up their options for Jose Valverde and Kyle Farnsworth, respectively, this offseason.
  • Two MLB executives predicted to Stark that Ryan Madson will sign a deal like the one Valverde obtained two winters ago: $14MM over two years plus an option.
  • Multiple teams have expressed concerns about Francisco Rodriguez’s off-field “baggage,” though K-Rod stands out as one of the best free agent relievers of the winter.
  • Stark hears that MLB has been slow to approve incoming Astros owner Jim Crane in order to apply leverage on Crane so that he’ll agree to move the Astros to the American League. Earlier today, Bob Nightengale of USA Today had a report that conflicts with Stark’s article.
  • Friends of Billy Beane say the A’s GM has legitimate interest in the Cubs GM job, though he has an ownership stake and lots of freedom in Oakland.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo will interview managerial candidates this offseason before deciding whether Davey Johnson will return as manager in 2012.
  • First base doesn’t appear to be a priority for Washington, but Rizzo says "you never want to say never” when it comes to possible offseason moves.

NL East Front Office Notes: LaMar, Phillies, Marlins

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The Phillies announced that assistant GM of player development and scouting Chuck LaMar has resigned. LaMar, the Devil Rays' first GM, joined the Phillies in 2007 and became assistant GM in 2008. Here's the latest on the Phillies and other front office notes from their division…

  • Chipper Jones told Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com that the acquisitions of Hunter Pence and Cliff Lee should make Ruben Amaro Jr. of the Phillies an executive of the year candidate. "When he swings moves like those, he throws a gut punch at everyone in the division," Jones said.
  • As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports predicted, the Marlins shook up their front office. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com notes that the Marlins reassigned Jim Fleming, who is now a special assistant to president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest. The Marlins also made former scouting director Stan Meek the VP of scouting and hired Marty Scott as VP of player development.

Padres Claim Andrew Carpenter

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The Padres claimed right-hander Andrew Carpenter off of waivers from the Phillies, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Philadelphia's 40-man roster now includes 39 players.

Carpenter, 26, made six relief appearances for the Phillies this year, but he has spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he has a 1.79 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 60 1/3 innings. Carpenter has a 36.5% ground ball rate in limited MLB action over the course of four years, so it's not surprising that the Padres are intrigued by what he can do in Petco Park, especially given his strong minor league stats.

Padres GM Jed Hoyer has been aggressive in terms of waiver claims this week. San Diego claimed Jeff Fulchino from Houston yesterday and claimed Jeremy Hermida from Cincinnati Wednesday.

Phillies Acquire John Bowker

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WEDNESDAY: The Phillies announced the trade.  They are sending a player to be named later or cash considerations to the Pirates for Bowker, and Jose Contreras goes to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster.

TUESDAY: The Phillies acquired outfielder John Bowker from the Pirates, reports Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly.  Bowker is expected to join the Phillies for Wednesday's game in Cincinnati.  Salisbury says reliever Michael Schwimer was sent to Triple-A to create a spot on the active roster, though the Phillies will still need to open a 40-man spot.

Bowker, a 28-year-old left-handed hitter, has spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he's hit .308/.351/.487 in 445 plate appearances while playing the outfield corners and first base.  The Pirates acquired Bowker from the Giants at last year's trade deadline in the Javier Lopez deal, designated him for assignment in April of this year, and outrighted him to Triple-A a few days later.

Bowker, a third-round pick in 2004, is one of eight players in Giants history to homer in his big league debut.  He played college ball at Long Beach State, where he was a teammate of Troy Tulowitzki and Jason Vargas.

Quick Hits: Moyer, Beckett, Weaver

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Four years ago today, the Dodgers claimed Esteban Loaiza off waivers from the Athletics, taking on over $8MM and getting very little from the pitcher in return.  I'm sure Billy Beane and Ned Colletti still chuckle about the transaction.  Today's links:

  • Jamie Moyer, 49 in November, will continue his rehab from Tommy John surgery at the Phillies' Spring Training home in Clearwater, Florida.  MLB.com's Todd Zolecki explains that Moyer remains a free agent, but his former team honored his request to use their facilities and expertise.  We all look forward to seeing Moyer's 81 mile per hour heater in the Majors once again, perhaps next year.
  • Josh Beckett is a family man now, the Red Sox righty explained to WEEI's Rob Bradford.  Beckett anticipates a series of one-year deals once his current contract expires after the 2014 season, and plans to disappear without fanfare when it's time to retire.
  • Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times has contract details for Jered Weaver's new deal with the Angels.  The contract has a full no-trade clause, a $1MM signing bonus, and salaries of $14MM for 2012, $16MM each for '13 and '14, $18MM for '15, and $20MM for '16.
  • Baseball America's Jim Callis looks at the 2005 draft for each of the 30 teams, ranking the Red Sox first and the Cubs last.

Rockies Notes: Giambi, Cuddyer, Young, Rotation

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Troy Renck of the Denver Post took some time to answer questions from his followers on Twitter just now. Renck touches on a lot of offseason topics for the Rox, so let's take a look (all links to Renck's Twitter):

A Look At Notable Moves Of August 2010

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August transactions don't boast the same excitement as their July counterparts, but they can still have ramifications for contenders and non-contenders alike. Teams readying for the postseason will often fine-tune their rosters by adding a specialty piece — a LOOGY or power bat off the bench, for example — and ones looking ahead to next year will look to shed payroll.

There's still a few days left before September arrives, and prominent players such as the Rays' B.J. Upton was claimed as recently as Friday. But in the meanwhile, here's a look back at some of the bigger names who were on the move — whether by trade or waiver claim — in August 2010, and the subsequent fallout (for the complete list, check out MLBTR's Transaction Tracker):

  • Mike Sweeney, acquired by the Phillies from the Mariners on Aug. 4: Seattle sent the right-handed-hitting veteran and what remained of his $650K salary to Philly, where he hit .231/.310/.385 down the regular season's stretch and went 1-for-1 in his lone postseason at-bat. The M's later received cash from the Phils for Sweeney, who signed a one-day contract with the Royals in March and retired.
  • Jim Edmonds, acquired by the Reds from the Brewers on Aug. 9: Cincinnati added Edmonds for its postseason push, sending Chris Dickerson back to Milwaukee in exchange. Edmonds didn't do much, hitting .207/.281/.586 in the regular season before being left off the Reds' postseason roster due to an Achilles injury. He retired this spring after signing a minor league deal with the Cards, while Dickerson was traded in March to the Yankees for Sergio Mitre.
  • Mike Fontenot, acquired by the Giants from the Cubs on Aug. 11: The Lads scooped up Fontenot for infield depth during their run to the World Series in exchange for minor league outfielder Evan Crawford. Fontenot remains in San Francisco is under team control for through 2013, though he could be a non-tender candidate this offseason, as he was last.
  • Derrek Lee, acquired by the Braves from the Cubs on Aug. 18: Lee joined Atlanta after his long tenure in Chicago, the Cubs acquiring three prospects in return. Lee was one of the better acquisitions of this period, posting a fine .287/.384/.465 line for the Braves to help them reach the postseason, though he went just 2-for-16 in their NLDS loss to the Giants. He signed with the Orioles before this season.
  • Pedro Feliz, acquired by the Cardinals from the Astros on Aug. 19: St. Louis sent David Carpenter and cash to Houston in exchange for Feliz, who was added to help out at the hot corner when David Freese was injured. Feliz's already declining bat didn't improve for the Redbirds, who missed the postseason. Feliz signed a minor league deal with the Padres this month, while Carpenter is currently in the Astros' bullpen.
  • Cody Ross, acquired by the Giants from the Marlins on waiver claim on Aug. 22: The Giants added an eventual World Series hero in acquiring Ross from the Marlins, who had little interest in retaining Ross, as he was becoming expensive with his final year of arbitration-eligibility looming.
  • Brian Fuentes, acquired by the Twins from the Angels on Aug. 27: Minnesota added Fuentes to bolster its bullpen, and the lefty threw 9 2/3 shutout innings in the regular season and 2 2/3 shutout innings in the postseason before signing with the Athletics this offseason. The Angels acquired Loek Van Mil from the Twins as a player to be named.
  • Manny Ramirez, acquired by the White Sox on a waiver claim from the Dodgers on Aug. 29: This was arguably the most notable move of the August post-deadline period, but it didn't amount to much for either teams or the player. The White Sox missed the postseason, the cash-strapped Dodgers got some salary relief, and Manny hit a quiet .261/.420/.319 before signing with the Rays this offseason (and eventually retiring). 
  • Manny Delcarmen, acquired by the Rockies from the Red Sox on Aug. 31: The Rox, still in contention for the wild card, needed bullpen depth, so they sent Chris Balcom-Miller to Boston for Delcarmen. The righty didn't pan out in Colorado, posting a 6.48 ERA in 8 1/3 innings for a team that missed the playoffs before being non-tendered this offseason. He's kicked around since then.
  • Jeff Francoeur, acquired by the Rangers from the Mets on Aug. 31: Texas sent Joaquin Arias to the Mets for Frenchy, who played well in his brief time in Texas, hitting .340/.357/.491 down the stretch and seeing playing time during the postseason. Arias was waived by the Mets, while Francoeur signed the Royals this offseason and recently inked a two-year extension.

Kubel Claimed By Indians, Not White Sox

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FRIDAY, 7:31pm: The Indians were awarded the claim on Kubel, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.com (via Twitter).  However, the 48 hour window for the two sides to work out a deal has passed.

3:44pm: The White Sox did not actually claim Kubel, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).

THURSDAY: The Indians were awarded the claim on Thome, while the White Sox were awarded the claim on Kubel, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports. Thome has a full-no trade clause and would prefer to play for the Phillies, according to Rosenthal. It's unlikely that the Twins will move Kubel, Rosenthal reports. The sides have discussed a possible extension.

WEDNESDAY: The Twins' Jim Thome and Jason Kubel have been claimed on waivers , tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  The teams involved now have 48 hours to make a deal.

We learned earlier that the White Sox were one of the teams to place a claim on Thome.  Olney has spoken to executives who expected the White Sox, Indians, Rangers, or Yankees to win a claim on Kubel.

If multiple teams make a claim on one player, the team with the worst record in the same league is awarded the claim.

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