Cafardo’s Latest: Stairs, Pierzynski, Inge, Berkman
Let's round up the highlights from Nick Cafardo's Sunday column for the Boston Globe….
- One AL executive tells Cafardo that he's never seen so many candidates interviewed for managerial openings: "It’s amazing to me that you wouldn’t know within, say, two or three candidates who you want. But I guess in some cases the GM’s job is also on the line if he picks the wrong guy."
- Matt Stairs would like to play for at least one more season. While he says he'd like to return to Boston, he concedes that he'd probably play "anywhere."
- An NL scout was positive about A.J. Pierzynski, suggesting that he'll be one of the most attractive catching options on the free agent market, behind Victor Martinez and John Buck. "With A.J., you know he’s not going to throw people out," said the scout. "But there’s nothing wrong with his receiving and he can still hit. I know the fire he has can rub people the wrong way, but I think that’s great for a team."
- Brandon Inge has a good chance of landing a starting role this winter, given the lack of free agent third base options after Adrian Beltre. However, Cafardo wonders if Inge could eventually become a Bill Hall-esque utility player, given his ability to play a few different positions.
- Possible bullpen targets for the Red Sox include Joaquin Benoit, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, and Brian Fuentes.
- A market appears to be developing for Lance Berkman. Teams like the Rockies, Orioles, Mets, Blue Jays, and Diamondbacks could have interest.
- Carlos Delgado underwent another hip procedure two and a half weeks ago, but is rehabbing the hip and feels like he'll be able to play in 2011.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Brian Fuentes
With 18 games remaining in the season, Brian Fuentes' 2011 vesting option is officially out of reach. The 35-year-old's contract included a $9MM option for next season that would vest if he finished 55 games, but an April back strain knocked him off pace early. Having finished only 35 games this year, the left-hander is heading toward free agency.
When Fuentes signed his last contract, he was coming off a career year. In 2008, he saved 30 games and recorded a 2.73 ERA to go along with 11.8 K/9, turning that performance into a two-year, $17.5MM deal with the Angels. Despite saving 72 games over the course of the contract, Fuentes likely won't be fielding the same sort of offers this winter. His ERA (3.67), BB/9 (4.0), and K/9 (8.3) over the last two years have all fallen off slightly since his final seasons in Colorado, and at 35, he's not getting any younger. Teams didn't hand out many multi-year guarantees to last year's crop of free agent relievers, and Fuentes is part of a free agent class that includes other left-handed options like Scott Downs, Pedro Feliciano, Hisanori Takahashi, and Will Ohman.
Fuentes has been used as a closer for the majority of the last few years, and he'll aim to be paid like one. However, with only a handful of teams expected to be in the market for a closer, and many feasible options available, clubs might view Fuentes as a setup man instead. Being able to call on the southpaw in any middle or late inning rather than waiting for the ninth would allow a team to better take advantage of his primary strength: retiring lefties. While Fuentes has always handled left-handed hitters better than righties, his splits are particularly disparate this year – right-handers have a .757 OPS against him, compared to just .350 for left-handers.
A multi-year contract and a chance to close figure to be at or near the top of Fuentes' wish list this winter, and it's possible that a team willing to overpay for saves will provide him both. If not, the lefty could end up inking a short-term deal, perhaps with an option year, to be the primary left-handed setup man for a contender.
Twins Send Van Mil To L.A.; Fuentes Trade Complete
The Twins will send right-hander Loek Van Mil to the Angels to complete the Brian Fuentes trade, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (on Twitter). The Twins designated Van Mil for assignment over the weekend, when they had to create roster space for Fuentes.
Van Mil, a native of the Netherlands, stands 7'1". The reliever spent most of the 2010 season at AA and posted an overall ERA of 6.15 in 26 appearances with 7.2 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9. Van Mil turns 26 this month, but he was still considered a "potential impact reliever" by Baseball America before the season. BA explained that Van Mil has a sound delivery that's hard to repeat and explained that he must throw more strikes to reach the majors.
Odds & Ends: Angels, Edmonds, Chapman
More links for Monday, as Ryan Zimmerman does some damage to the Sun Life Stadiu(m) scoreboard…
- Angels GM Tony Reagins told MLB.com's Lyle Spencer that "just about every" Angel has been placed on waivers this month. Naturally, that doesn't mean the team has interest in making more trades.
- Jeremy Bonderman told MLB.com’s Jason Beck that he would like to return to the Tigers in 2011. The Tigers have room for him, as this piece explains.
- Jim Edmonds told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he's likely to retire after the season. The center fielder, who is now on the DL with a strained oblique, may return to the Reds late in the season.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the Reds will call up top pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman tomorrow so that the lefty will be eligible for the team's postseason roster.
- Orlando Hernandez decided not to finish his AA season when he heard that the Nationals didn’t intend to call him up, according to Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters that he didn't claim Brian Fuentes because his team doesn't need another left-handed reliever at this point.
Odds & Ends: Twins, K-Rod, Marlins, Soriano
Sunday links, as Charlie Morton hopes to avoid becoming the Pirates' fifth pitcher this season with double-digit losses….
- Jon Paul Morosi tweets that he spoke with a source who believes that the Twins are done trading, following their acquisition of Brian Fuentes from the Angels, but notes that it's hard to be 100% certain. Morosi suggested they could be a fit for Troy Glaus earlier today.
- While trading Francisco Rodriguez would be good for the Mets, it won't be easy, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman stops short of labeling K-Rod an "untradeable player," but says he's pretty close.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only link) praises the Twins' acquisition of Brian Fuentes and suggests the government ought to formally investigate whether the Marlins lied to taxpayers about their finances.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com details Rafael Soriano's unlikely path to Tampa last winter, noting how crucial the closer has been to the Rays' success.
- In his weekly Baseball Notes piece, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe discusses Manny Ramirez, Dusty Baker, and the Indians, among other topics.
Twins Acquire Brian Fuentes
The Twins have acquired Brian Fuentes from the Angels according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com (via Twitter). LaVelle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune tweets that the Angels will receive a player to be named later in the deal.
Fuentes, 35, has a 3.52 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 38.1 innings this season. There's approximately $1.89MM left on his contract this season, and he's unlikely to reach the 55 games finished that will trigger his $9MM vesting option for next season (he's at 33 GF right now). He's saved 23 games in 27 opportunities.
Manager Ron Gardenhire said that Matt Capps will retain closer duties, pushing Fuentes to set-up work according to another Neal tweet. The former Rockie has held lefthanded batters to a .132/.209/.158 batting line against with 15 strikeouts in 44 at-bats, so he'll also be a valuable weapon against lefties.
Odds & Ends: Hawpe, Kuroda, Angels, Antonetti
Some more links for Tuesday night, including the latest waiver wire news…
- Brad Hawpe is one step closer to signing with another team now that he has cleared waivers, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
- The Dodgers put Hiroki Kuroda on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Kuroda hits free agency after the season, but the Dodgers don't necessarily want to move him. A rival executive guaranteed Rosenthal that the Yankees will be "all over" Kuroda if he reaches them on waivers.
- Rosenthal reports that the Angels placed Brian Fuentes, Juan Rivera, Mike Napoli and Bobby Abreu on waivers (Twitter link). The Angels are presumably curious about the interest their players draw, even if they don't intend on making a trade.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters including Paul M. Banks of TheSportsBank that he has to "speak in generalities” about waiver claims. Rosenthal reported earlier today that the White Sox will claim Manny Ramirez if he reaches them on waivers.
- Indians assistant GM Chris Antonetti is taking on more responsibility as he prepares to replace current GM Mark Shapiro after the season, as MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince explains.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck that the Tigers and Red Sox never agreed on a deal involving Johnny Damon (Twitter link). Damon, who has the final say, said today that he intends to stay in Detroit, even though the Red Sox claimed him on waivers.
- Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he expects the club to agree to an extension with manager Dusty Baker (Twitter link). The Reds offered Baker a deal last week.
Odds & Ends: Ankiel, Ohman, Tigers, Mets, Rangers
Links for Sunday, as a handful of players suit up for new teams….
- Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth are happy to be playing meaningful games with the Braves, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
- Will Ohman had a hunch that he would be moved before the deadline, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- The Tigers have yet to make a blockbuster deadline deal under GM Dave Dombrowski, writes Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter) thinks it's very likely that the Mets will sign their first round selection, pitcher Matt Harvey. However, Callis doesn't feel that the pitcher is worth going over slot for.
- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could be putting himself in position to buy the Rangers, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
- Cristian Guzman initially vetoed a deal to the Rangers, but changed his mind, according to Anthony Andro of the Dallas Morning News. MASN's Ben Goessling notes that the Nationals will pay for the rest of Guzman's salary this year (approximately $2.78MM), but will also receive $1.1MM from the Rangers.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney looks back on the deadline deals in his latest Insider-only blog, writing that "what in the world was Washington thinking?" was a question frequently asked by frustrated rival executives.
- The Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin says that the price of bullpen help was too steep for the Red Sox, who made "competitive offers" on Scott Downs, Brandon League, and Brian Fuentes.
- Daniel Paulling of the Kansas City Star reports that Gil Meche won't have season-ending surgery after all, since doctors told the right-hander it would have kept him out of action in 2011 as well.
- The Brewers were never close to making any trades, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Angels Could Become Sellers
Though they've acquired Dan Haren and Alberto Callaspo this month and reached an agreement for Derrek Lee eight days ago, the Angels may become sellers in the wake of Joel Pineiro's rib-cage strain yesterday. The injury will knock the righty out for six to eight weeks, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, and GM Tony Reagins is now open to trading veterans for prospects.
DiGiovanna speculates that Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Hideki Matsui, and Maicer Izturis might interest contenders. Abreu, Fuentes, and Matsui would be tough to move, and could be August trade candidates. Abreu is signed at $9MM for next year and may have another $9MM salary vest for 2012. The 36-year-old is hitting just .253/.347/.416. Fuentes' strikeout rate is back up, but he's been homer-prone and has over $3MM left on his contract. Matsui's market is limited by his DH profile, though he has tallied 122 innings in left field this year. He's been streaky this year, with his best work coming in April and June.
Despite an offensive downturn this year, Izturis should generate interest given his ability to play all around the infield. He's signed through 2012.
2011 Vestings Options Update
The season started with nine vesting options to watch, but we're down to just five a little beyond the season's halfway point…
- Trever Miller, Cardinals. The southpaw's $2MM option vests with 45 appearances. He's appeared in 31 of the team's 85 games, so he's on pace for 59. He should get there easily.
- Alex Cora, Mets. Cora's $2MM option vests with 80 games (not necessarily starts), and he's already appeared in 48. He's on pace for 91 games. Luis Castillo's foot and Ruben Tejada's emergence could stand in Cora's way.
- Darren Oliver, Rangers. His $3.25MM option will lock in with 59 appearances. He's already appeared in 37 games, so he should get there without a problem.
- Ramon Hernandez, Reds. Hernandez must play in 120 games for his $3.25MM option to vest. He's appeared in just 57 of Cincinnati's first 86 contests, putting him on pace for 107 games.
- Magglio Ordonez, Tigers. Ordonez's $15MM option vests with 135 starts or 540 plate appearances. He's on pace for 141 and 615, respectively, so it'll take a lengthy stint on the disabled list to knock him off track.
The vesting options for Kerry Wood, Brian Fuentes, Billy Wagner, and Matt Cain have already been addressed.