Renck On Rockies’ Pitching Targets
Jon Garland, Hiroki Kuroda and Jake Westbrook were three of the top names on Colorado's wish list of free agent starters, but all three signed elsewhere. Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter links) chimes in about some other arms that have caught the Rockies' interest.
- The Rockies could join the Cubs and at least four other teams in the Brandon Webb sweepstakes. Renck says Colorado "might check in on Webb later."
- There's no better than a "50-50" chance that Jeff Francis re-signs with the Rockies. Francis is looking for a "one-year deal, [with] guaranteed money," so it may just be a case of whether or not the Rockies want to outbid other interested teams.
- Tampa Bay is "in holding mode" with its pitchers right now, which may be preventing Colorado from making a serious bid for Matt Garza or James Shields.
- Some of Colorado's "secondary targets" include Jeremy Bonderman, Dave Bush, Aaron Harang and Kevin Millwood. Renck specifies that Bush and Harang would be offered minor league contracts, but if no veteran pitchers are signed, then Esmil Rogers and the newly-acquired Felipe Paulino "would both get a shot in the rotation."
Cubs Looking At Several Veteran Starters
The Cubs have five starters tentatively pencilled into their 2011 rotation, but given the number of question marks on that staff, it's understandable that the team is looking to add a veteran innings-eater to the fold. ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill reports that Chicago has "shown interest" in Jeremy Bonderman, Aaron Harang, Kevin Millwood and Javier Vazquez, and also cites a Chicago Sun-Times item connecting the team to Vicente Padilla. Churchill says the Cubs "kicked the tires on" Jon Garland before the right-hander signed with the Dodgers.
All five starters would make sense as low-cost additions; Vazquez has reportedly turned down a two-year, $20MM offer but it seems like he's more likely to end up in Florida or Washington than in Chicago. The Cubs are probably looking for a short-term deal, and Garland's $5MM pact with L.A. would likely be a good comparison point. That $5M salary (plus incentives and a 2012 vesting option) would likely be enough to land Millwood or Harang, and Bonderman would leap at that offer given his injury-riddled recent history.
Padilla is coming off the most solid season of the group and could command a bit more money or a second year, though he made only 16 starts in 2010 due to various nagging injuries. Churchill cites the Mets, Padres and Pirates as other teams that could use a starter that fits Padilla's profile.
Bonderman, Millwood and Vazquez all landed on Luke Adams' list of free agent pitchers that could benefit from a move to the NL, though pitching in a hitter-friendly park like Wrigley Field might not be what they had in mind. As we saw with the Garland signing, teams that play in pitcher's parks will have an advantage in finding extra arms for their rotation, especially when it comes to a pitchers like Bonderman or Harang who are trying to rebuild value.
Speaking of rebuilding value, there's also a chance that the Cubs could look at a higher-ceiling starter such as Brandon Webb. Fanhouse's Ed Price hears from a source that Chicago is "seriously considering" Webb. The former Cy Young Award winner has also drawn interest from several other teams, but the Cubs could be helped by the fact that Chicago is relatively close to Webb's home in Kentucky.
Reds Finalize Option Decisions As Expected
The Reds picked up Jonny Gomes' 2011 option and declined the options for Orlando Cabrera and Aaron Harang, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Gomes' option is for $1.75MM, Cabrera's buyout is for $1MM (instead of a $4MM salary) and Harang's buyout is for $2MM ($12.75MM salary). As expected, the Reds exercised their 2011 for Bronson Arroyo earlier today.
Harang is an unranked free agent, but Cabrera is a Type B, so the Reds could technically obtain a draft pick if he turns down arbitration to sign elsewhere. It seems unlikely that the Reds would offer arbitration, since they turned down Cabrera's option.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Aaron Harang
Aaron Harang may have made his last start as a member of the Reds today, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. The big righty had his outing cut short by a blister, and probably will not make the postseason roster. The Reds are certain to choose Harang's $2MM buyout over his $12.75MM club option for 2011. His best years were 2005-07, when the workhorse tossed 677.6 innings of 3.77 ball. Let's assess his situation.
The Pros
- Even as he started to slip in recent years, Harang's peripherals remained respectable. He's prone to hits and homers, but at least he gets strikeouts and limits walks typically.
- He's highly likely to sign a one-year deal.
- Harang will not cost a draft pick to sign. In fact, he's below a Type B.
The Cons
- He's always been a flyball pitcher. He's also so hittable that many of his frequent home runs allowed will come with runners on base.
- This year Harang's strikeout rate was his lowest since '03, while his walk rate was his highest since '04.
- Harang hasn't reached 200 innings since '07, as he's dealt with forearm and back injuries as well as an appendectomy.
The Verdict
Harang needs a big ballpark, and could join the long list of free agents hoping to rebuild value in San Diego. He could be looking at a base salary in the $3-4MM range for 2011.
Rockies Have Considered Trading For A Starter
The Rockies have considered trading for a starting pitcher to help them reach the playoffs, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). No acquisition would be eligible to play in the postseason, so any starter the Rockies add will be cheering on the sidelines with Octavio Dotel if the team reaches the playoffs.
The third place Rockies trail the Giants by 1.5 games in the jam-packed NL West, so every win matters immensely. Since Jason Hammel is dealing with a dead arm, the Rockies could use some pitching to complement the offensive fireworks of Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki. Aaron Harang and Dave Bush are not fits for Colorado, according to Olney, who suggests Jake Westbrook could be a fit.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Mets, Harang,
Here are some links to check out on a very muggy Monday night in New York..
- So far, it appears that the Cardinals are getting more than their money's worth when it comes to Matt Holliday, says Jack Moore of Fangraphs.
- Arizona will begin their GM search in earnest on Tuesday when they interview Dodgers' scouting director Logan White, writes Jack Magruder of FoxSportsArizona.com.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News wants to see the Mets hire Kevin Towers as GM and Lee Mazzilli as manager.
- A reader asked John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter) why the club didn't designate Aaron Harang for assignment instead of Enerio Del Rosario. Fay believes that it has to do with when the Reds want to pay the starter his buyout of $2MM.
- Toronto manager Cito Gaston isn't having second thoughts about retiring at season's end, writes Pete Kerzel for MLB.com.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com that picking up reliever Chris Leroux was a moderate risk worth taking.
The Reds’ 2011 Rotation
The Reds have an abundance of major league starters under team control in 2011. Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and Travis Wood are not yet arbitration-eligible and Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter. All except Wood, a 2005 second-rounder, ranked among Baseball America's top 100 prospects before they became prominent major leaguers. That's an entire rotation's worth of former top prospects and they're all still cheap.
Of course it takes more than five starters to get through a season. The Rays, who relied on their own quintet for the first four months of the year, are finding that out now that Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann have sore shoulders. Tampa Bay has more pitching depth than most teams, so they can call on Jeremy Hellickson and Andy Sonnanstine. Like the 2010 Rays, next year's Reds should have rotation depth.
They will be able to stretch out Micah Owings or call on one of three minor leaguers. Aroldis Chapman, who is now pitching out of the bullpen, has the potential to be a frontline starter, according to Baseball America. The left-hander has a 3.90 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 at Triple A this year and has allowed less than one hit per inning pitched, though his command clearly needs work.
A pair of 26-year-old starters are pitching well at Triple A. Right-hander Sam LeCure has a 3.15 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 for Louisville and left-hander Matt Maloney has a 3.36 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. Those two starters won't make more than the MLB minimum in 2011 and even Owings (headed to arbitration for the first time) and Chapman ($1MM salary) are affordable.
That kind of depth means Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo don't have obvious roles on next year's club. Both veterans have $2MM buyouts for expensive 2011 options, and at this point, it's extremely hard to imagine the Reds picking up both options. The Reds are probably not going to pay $23.75MM to bring Arroyo and Harang back when they have so many affordable and potentially effective arms around.
It's easy to over-estimate pitching depth; injuries and unexpected performances can change plans. Arroyo, who has pitched well this year, would not re-structure his contract, but the Reds could decline his option and try to bring him back for less. The same goes for Harang, who has some value even though he has been hittable this year.
Harang's $12.75MM option isn't worth picking up and Arroyo's $11MM option is no bargain, either. It would be a major surprise to see the Reds bring both pitchers back, but they could re-sign one for depth. For now, that's the last thing the Reds are concerned about. Both pitchers will be part of the club's late-season push for its first playoff berth in 15 years.
Stark On Padres, Manny, Wandy, Harang
The Rangers appear to be headed toward stability, but they added $4.6MM in payroll before the trade deadline and, as ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports, that left some rival executives unhappy. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:
- The Padres had asked the Cardinals about Ryan Ludwick more than once leading up to the trade deadline.
- GM Jed Hoyer had also inquired on Jake Westbrook and even Roy Oswalt.
- When the White Sox called the Dodgers to ask about Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers ended the conversation quickly. That didn't stop the Rays and two other American League teams from calling the Dodgers, however. We should note that GM Ned Colletti told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that he only fielded one call about Manny (Twitter link).
- Not one team pursued Jose Guillen seriously before the deadline. The Royals designated the outfielder for assignment today, so we'll see in the next ten days if any teams have mild interest.
- Joe Beimel drew lots of interest last weekend, but the Rockies never seriously shopped him.
- A number of teams tried to acquire Wandy Rodriguez, including the Twins, Reds, Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays.
- The Reds tried to determine interest in Aaron Harang, so they could attempt to move him in August if he returns from the DL and proves that the back spasms that sidelined him are no longer an issue.
Odds & Ends: Fukudome, Kemp, Lowell, Harang
Links for Friday, as the Rangers keep streaking…
- A few Cubs people told Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald that they're not trying to move Kosuke Fukudome as aggressively as it seems. The Cubs would still like to trade him, though.
- In a piece for the New York Times, Baseball-Reference creator Sean Forman says the Padres may be one above-average bat away from sustaining their surprisingly good start.
- Should the Dodgers trade Matt Kemp? Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports answers that question with a definite 'yes.'
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports that Mike Lowell's hip issues, which have landed him on the disabled list, prevented the completion of the deal that would have sent Lowell to Texas over the winter. Lowell tells Speier he knows his DL stint will hurt his trade value.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer wonders if the Reds could trade Aaron Harang.
- The Padres need to add a bat, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Check out my appearance on Bloomberg Sports' Ballpark Figures series right here.
- Joe Torre told Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that he would have room for Robinson Cano on his all-time Yankees team (Twitter link). Torre also managed All-Star second basemen Chuck Knoblauch and Alfonso Soriano in the Bronx.
- Kevin Kernan of the New York Post says it's the Mets' turn to make a big mid-summer acquisition. Kernan would like to see the Mets bring Cliff Lee back to the NL East.
- A person close to Lee told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that the lefty would not mind playing in New York.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post strongly endorses Bobby Valentine and Buck Showalter as managers. Sherman writes that the two skippers "are both fantastic at running a game" and would fit well in Florida and Baltimore, respectively.
Discussion: Aaron Harang
After Aroldis Chapman's strong debut for Triple-A Louisville, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer was asked (via Twitter) if a repeat of that could force the Reds to trade Aaron Harang. Fay, of course, said it was too early for GM Walt Jocketty to take such action. However, the Reds could look to move the veteran pitcher if Chapman makes his way to the big leagues and impresses there as well.
The 31-year-old Harang is set to earn $12.5MM this season with a club option of $12.75MM for 2011 that can be bought out for a modest $2MM. In 2009, he posted a 4.21 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 – numbers that are consistent with his career average. The xFIP metric was even kinder to the righty, as he notched a 3.96 – a marked improvement over his 4.39 the year prior.
If the Reds find themselves in a position where they can move Harang, what teams could you see inquiring on him?