Rockies Seek Pitching; Kuroda, Saunders Unlikely
The Rockies continue to seek pitching help according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter), but they're unlikely to land either Joe Saunders or Hiroki Kuroda unless their asking prices come way down. Troy Renck of The Denver Post adds (on Twitter) that they did call the Athletics about Gio Gonzalez before he was traded to the Nationals, but they were unwilling to surrender four top prospects for the left-hander.
Colorado acquired Kevin Slowey from the Twins and Tyler Chatwood from the Angels earlier this offseason, who figure to compete with Jhoulys Chacin, Alex White, Drew Pomeranz, and Esmil Rogers for rotation spots in Spring Training. Jorge De La Rosa will return from Tommy John surgery at midseason, and Juan Nicasio has recently started throwing bullpen sessions after a batted ball fractured his C-1 vertebrae in August. After spending big on Michael Cuddyer, the Rockies figure to have some spending limitations going forward.
Pitching Links: Edwin, Marlins, Saunders, Felix
Here's the latest on the arms race from around the majors…
- Edwin Jackson and John Danks have comparable numbers over the last three years, which is why Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog thinks Scott Boras will use Danks' recent extension with the White Sox as a model for Jackson in free agency. "Now I know hearing five years and $65M+ for Jackson is a little wacky, just because he [doesn't] come off as the type of pitcher deserving of that kind of commitment…but I refuse to bet against Boras," Axisa writes.
- "Anytime you hear a pitcher's name, you can safely say the Marlins are in," a National League source tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Matt Garza, Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez and Joe Saunders are all mentioned as possibilities for the Fish, though if the Marlins didn't have the minor league talent to acquire Gio Gonzalez and Mat Latos, it's hard to see them being able to deal for Garza. Rodriguez is a possibility since I'd guess Houston's larger concern is getting his salary off the books rather than obtaining a large haul of prospects.
- Speaking of Saunders, he talked to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic about the negotiations between he and the Diamondbacks. Arizona offered Saunders a two-year, $12MM deal and Saunders' camp countered with a three-year, $27MM deal. The D'Backs never made a counter, and though Saunders said he then offered to take a two-year contract worth around $16MM, the club non-tendered him and moved on. I've got to side with the D'Backs in this case — with the rest of their rotation so cost-controlled, if you're going to splurge on a starter, you can spend your money on a better pitcher than Saunders (perhaps Hiroki Kuroda).
- The Mariners not only shouldn't trade Felix Hernandez, argues Shannon Drayer of ESPN 710 Seattle, but if the team absolutely feels the need to swap a starter, they should deal Michael Pineda instead. Dreyer calls Pineda "replaceable…There is a very good chance that by the end of next season Danny Hultzen could be Michael Pineda on the hill in regards to development, path, and what he brings to the rotation."
- Kevin Goldstein of ESPN (Insider subscription required) presented 10 Major League scouts and executives with a field of Matt Garza, Zack Greinke, Ian Kennedy, Ricky Nolasco and Justin Verlander and asked the question, "Based on talent alone, would you take Yu Darvish ahead of this pitcher?" Aside from the Verlander comparison, Rangers fans will heartily enjoy the other answers.
Marlins Interested In Joe Saunders
The Marlins are considering free agent southpaw Joe Saunders, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter). If signed, Saunders would join Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez, leaving Chris Volstad as either rotation depth or perhaps a trade candidate.
Saunders was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks two weeks ago and since then has been connected to a number of teams, including the Red Sox, Rockies, Reds and Tigers. Saunders posted a 3.69 ERA in 33 starts for Arizona last year, though his advanced metrics (a 4.71 SIERA and a 4.38 xFIP) and low strikeout totals (4.6 K/9) indicate that Saunders received some good fortune in 2011.
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (via Twitter) is less optimistic about a Saunders/Marlins pairing, saying the club "may eventually seek" Saunders but with Buehrle already in the fold, Miami "is not ideally looking to have two soft tossing lefties in their rotation." Saunders, however, threw 212 innings last year and when combined with Buehrle (205 1/3 IP), Nolasco (206), Sanchez (196 1/3), he would add even more durability to a rotation whose ace (Johnson) is still a question mark after missing much of last year with a shoulder injury.
Remaining Free Agent Innings Eaters
Finding an innings eater is not as easy as you’d think. Seven MLB teams didn’t have a single pitcher throw 200 innings in 2011 and none of those seven clubs made the playoffs. Only five teams — the Angels, Phillies, Brewers, Giants and Diamondbacks — had three pitchers log 200 innings. Those five clubs averaged 93 wins and accounted for all three division titles in the National League.
Now that it’s late December, many of the most durable free agent pitchers are no longer available. As a result, free agents Joe Saunders, Hiroki Kuroda and Edwin Jackson* are well positioned at this point in the offseason. They’re three of the 40 pitchers who logged 200 innings this past season and it’s no surprise that they’re each drawing interest, especially while the asking prices for trade candidates such as Gio Gonzalez remain high.
Not only does an innings eater contribute when he’s on the mound, he lightens the workload for others on the staff by pitching deep into games. For example, the Orioles’ bullpen was average at best in 2011 and if we measure the group in terms of strikeout rate (7.33 K/9) or ERA (4.18), it's easy to conclude that Buck Showalter was working with one of the worst bullpens in MLB. But Baltimore needed an MLB-leading 565 2/3 innings from the bullpen, and it’s not hard to imagine that the group’s performance would have been better with a few more days off over the course of the season. At the very least, Showalter would have called on middle relievers less often. Then the results would have been better even if the talent level remained unchanged.
Saunders, Kuroda and Jackson aren’t necessarily top-of-the-rotation starters and each has his flaws. But innings eaters are difficult to come by, so the three remaining free agents who reached the 200 inning plateau last year figure to continue drawing significant interest until they sign.
*Jackson pitched 199 2/3 regular season innings plus 17 2/3 in the playoffs. Should Javier Vazquez (192 2/3 innings) decide to play, teams will have interest in him, too.
Cherington On Madson, Saunders, Melancon, Darvish
Red Sox GM Ben Cherington appeared on MLB Network Radio's "Inside Pitch" with Jim Bowden this afternoon to speak about the club's offseason plans. Alex Speier of WEEI.com has a partial transcript of the interview and here are some highlights…
- Cherington said the Red Sox are looking for rotation depth. The team is satisfied with Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz at the top of the rotation so the Sox "don’t feel like we’re backed into a place where we need to break the door in for a top-of-the-rotation starter," Cherington said. "If we can do that and it makes sense for us, then we’ll certainly do that. We’re always looking for ways to do that. But…we’re in good position there and can kind of let the market come to us a little bit."
- To this end, Cherington said "the timing wasn’t right" for the team to bid on Yu Darvish.
- Cherington said he had been in contact with Ryan Madson and Joe Saunders' representatives "as well as several other free agent options."
- The newly-acquired Mark Melancon projects as Boston's closer, at least for now. “As I told Mark on the phone when I talked to him, we believe he can close….If the season opened tomorrow, that’s what he’d be doing,” Cherington said. This, of course, could easily change should the Red Sox sign Madson or trade for Andrew Bailey.
- The Red Sox have interviewed Brad Arnsberg and Neil Allen about the vacant pitching coach job and also talked to "several" other candidates.
Tigers Interested In Joe Saunders
The Tigers are interested in free agent left-hander Joe Saunders, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Reds and Red Sox also have some interest in Saunders, who was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks earlier in the week.
Saunders, 30, posted a 3.69 ERA with 4.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 44.5% ground ball rate in 212 innings this past season. He has averaged 200 innings per season since 2008 without striking out more than five batters per nine innings in any of the past four seasons. The former 12th overall pick had an average fastball velocity of 89.6 mph in 2011.
The Tigers’ projected rotation features Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello at this point. Adding Saunders would provide the team with a left-handed presence capable of contributing 200 innings at the back of the rotation.
Diamondbacks Continue Eyeing Kuroda, Not Saunders
THURSDAY: The D'Backs have moved on from Saunders, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
WEDNESDAY: The Diamondbacks continue eyeing Joe Saunders and Hiroki Kuroda as they look to fill out their starting rotation. They want to re-sign the left-handed Saunders, but are wary of his asking price, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. They also maintain interest in the right-handed Kuroda, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The team currently has four starters in its projected 2012 rotation: Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Trevor Cahill and Josh Collmenter. Though Saunders has his strengths, he had a projected salary of $8.7MM as an arbitration eligible player, so Arizona GM Kevin Towers non-tendered him. Kuroda has drawn lots of interest this offseason after posting a 3.07 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 for the Dodgers in 2011. Los Angeles has filled out its rotation and no longer appears to be a possible destination for the 36-year-old.
Red Sox Notes: Varitek, Oswalt, Saunders
The Red Sox sent Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland to Houston for Mark Melancon today before agreeing to terms with Nick Punto on a two-year deal. One thing they did not do was bid on Yu Darvish. Here’s the latest from Boston (and for more on the Red Sox, click here):
- Jason Varitek may still be in the picture for the Red Sox, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). It still seems hard to envision a deal between Varitek and the Red Sox, who have catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Kelly Shoppach, Ryan Lavarnway and Luis Exposito.
- The Red Sox maintain interest in Roy Oswalt, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Joe Saunders is Boston's next target, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).
Reds Info: Pitching, Saunders, Theriot, Cuddyer
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer talked to Reds GM Walt Jocketty; here's the latest.
- Jocketty says his pursuit of starting pitching has been "very frustrating" and he's not close on anything. The Reds have been linked in rumors to Gio Gonzalez and Jair Jurrjens in recent weeks.
- The Reds have made some progress on an extension for Brandon Phillips.
- Jocketty has contacted the agents for recently non-tendered players Joe Saunders and Ryan Theriot, and the Reds also have some interest in Michael Cuddyer depending on his asking price. They won't be submitting a bid on Yu Darvish.
Quick Hits: Varitek, A’s, Braves, Cordero, Lee, Pujols
Some links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…
- The Red Sox have not yet made catcher and captain Jason Varitek a contract offer, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Boston added Kelly Shoppach to Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway on Tuesday, a move that likely spelled the end of Varitek's time with the Sox.
- There are clubs with interest in trading for both Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey and others with interest in both Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado, but Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Athletics and Braves are likely to deal their players separately to maximize the return. Rosenthal and Morosi note that the Braves and Orioles have discussed a deal that included both Jurrjens and Prado.
- Interest in free agent closer Francisco Cordero has slowed down, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). His market could hinge on how clubs fill their other roster holes.
- The Pirates still have interest in first baseman Derrek Lee even after trading for Casey McGehee, reports CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Bringing Lee back at first base would allow them to use McGehee at the hot corner with Pedro Alvarez.
- Heyman hears that the Angels put a deadline on their ten-year, $254MM offer to Albert Pujols (Twitter link). The deal did seem to come together very quickly Wednesday night into Thursday morning last week.
- The Rockies do have some money to spend according to Heyman (on Twitter). In addition to Carlos Beltran and Michael Cuddyer, they also have interest in Hiroki Kuroda, Joe Saunders, and various trade targets.
- Morosi says (on Twitter) that Andruw Jones could also be an option for the Rockies if Beltran and Cuddyer sign elsewhere.
- The Cardinals' interest in pitching upgrades is "understated," reports Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). Both Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook remain on the trade block.
- The Yokohama Bay Stars have released right-hander Hiroki Sanada so that he may pursue a deal in MLB according to a report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. No teams bid on Sanada when he was posted last week.
- The Astros and Rays are possibilities for Ivan Rodriguez, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Though the Mets have discussed Rodriguez, they’re leaning toward relying on Mike Nickeas as their backup to starter Josh Thole.
- MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner says the Joint Drug Agreement should provide Ryan Braun with privacy and fair proceedings. “I urge all to reserve judgment on this matter until the JDA's process has played itself out," Weiner said in a statement.