Reds Ink Cueto, Ramon Ramirez
According to the Associated Press, via Yahoo! Sports, the Reds have inked pre-arbitration pitchers Johnny Cueto and Ramon Ramirez to one-year deals.
The contracts are likely in the $450K-$550K range. Cueto, 23, went 9-14 with a 4.81 ERA in 31 starts last season. The 26-year-old Ramirez spent most of ’08 in the minors. He went 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA in four starts and a relief appearance for the Reds.
Crisp-Ramirez Trade Reactions
The Red Sox traded center fielder Coco Crisp to the Royals for reliever Ramon Ramirez today; tip of the cap to Brian McRae for the scoop. Let’s round up the reactions and consequences.
- MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel says Royals GM Dayton Moore will now attempt to rebuild his bullpen, perhaps by trading an outfielder or first baseman. Kaegel says "word from Chicago downplays the Cubs’ reputed interest" in Mark Teahen.
- MLB.com’s Ian Browne says Red Sox GM Theo Epstein will bring in a fourth outfielder to replace Crisp. Browne suggests free agents Gabe Kapler or Rocco Baldelli.
- Ken Davidoff says the Sox now have the flexibility to move Justin Masterson into the rotation, reducing the leverage of the agents for Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett.
- Craig Brown of Royals Authority expects the Royals to trade Teahen now.
- Dave Cameron gives the slight edge to the Royals in the trade.
- According to ESPN’s Peter Gammons, the Reds were also part of the "surprisingly small market for Crisp."
- Matt Porter of the Boston Globe profiles Ramirez.
- ESPN’s Keith Law says both teams may be disappointed, and 2008 may have been Ramirez’s career year.
Coco Crisp Traded To Royals
11:09am: The deal is official, according to a Royals press release.
10:23am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman confirms the deal.
10:02am: Red Sox exec Ben Cherington was on XM’s MLB Home Plate radio station recently. He says "the report is premature."
9:43am: MLB.com’s Jim Molony received a "no comment" from the Red Sox on McRae’s report. Royals exec Mike Arbuckle said Crisp is still under Red Sox control, while Kansas City Star writer Joe Posnanski says there’s something to the rumor.
8:48am: According to Brian McRae reporting for Sports Radio 810 in Kansas City, the Royals acquired Coco Crisp from the Red Sox for reliever Ramon Ramirez. I emailed McRae to confirm, and he said, "It’s a done deal." The Royals get speed and a capable center fielder, while the Red Sox receive a quality late-game reliever.
Crisp, 29, hit .283/.344/.407 in 409 plate appearances this year. His center field defense saved 26 bases over the average last year, but was two below this year (he did battle groin, hamstring, knee, and foot issues). Crisp will earn $5.75MM in ’09 and has an $8MM club option with a $500K buyout for ’10.
The Red Sox trim payroll here, as Ramirez is not yet arbitration-eligible. He will not reach free agency until after the 2012 season, so the Red Sox impressively acquired four years of his services. The 27 year-old posted a 2.64 ERA in 71.2 innings this year while whiffing 70. The Royals might have to add a reliever to compensate for his absence, though they’re now at their payroll limit. They’re also a bit heavy on outfielders at this point.
Royals Acquire Jacobs For Nunez
THURSDAY: It’s official: the Royals have acquired Jacobs for Nunez, according to Dutton. It now seems that the Royals have a surplus of 1B/DH types.
WEDNESDAY, 10:38pm: Joe Frisaro of MLB.com says the deal would be Jacobs for Nunez, and it could be announced this week. Nunez, 25, posted a 2.98 ERA in 48.1 innings. His strikeout rate was weak, but he managed to keep the ball in the yard despite flyball tendencies. He threw quite hard, averaging 94.4 mph on his heater. He missed some time with a strained lat.
Rany Jazayerli considers the Royals acquiring Jacobs a terrible idea, and worries that it could lead to a Billy Butler trade.
8:31pm: Dutton says this evening that the Royals are moving closer to a deal for Jacobs. The Marlins apparently rejected a trade for Rosa, and current discussions involve a ready-now reliever. Dutton believes it could be Leo Nunez or Ramon Ramirez.
9:02am: According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, first baseman Mike Jacobs remains a possible acquisition for the Royals. Jacobs, 28, hit .247/.299/.514 in 519 plate appearances this year. He struggled mightily against lefties this year and in ’06, but handled them in ’07. Trade talks with the Marlins stalled over the health of pitching prospect Carlos Rosa. The Mariners, Blue Jays, and Giants are also in on Jacobs.
It’s surprising to see the Royals apparently willing to give up a prospect for a first baseman – they have a couple of palatable (and cheaper) options in Kila Ka’aihue and Ryan Shealy. Ka’aihue’s minor league equivalent says he could hit .243/.390/.442 in the bigs.
Dutton was the original author of Sunday’s Mark Teahen/Indians rumor, and he wrote today that sources from both clubs gave it to him. Royals GM Dayton Moore says "somebody lied" along the way.
Rockies Likely To Get de la Rosa
According to Tracy Ringolsby, the Rockies are likely to receive pitcher Jorge de la Rosa from the Royals as the player to be named later in the Ramon Ramirez deal. The Rox will have him start at Triple A now that he’s cleared waivers and accepted his minor league assignment. He went unclaimed partially because of his $1.025MM salary.
De la Rosa, a southpaw, turns 27 in a few days. He hit the DL in August with an elbow strain. He was also affected by a bruised thumb. His fastball averaged 92.3 mph in ’07, not bad for a lefty.
Rockies Want De La Rosa As PTBNL
Last Wednesday, the Royals acquired Ramon Ramirez from the Rockies for a player to be named later. Well, later appears to be now as the Rockies have expressed interest in Jorge De La Rosa assuming he clears waivers and accepts the assignment. For more clarity, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star breaks down why it wasn’t just a straight trade of Ramirez for De La Rosa:
"Any club claiming De La Rosa on waivers would be on the hook for his $1.025 million salary. He can choose to become a free agent if he clears waivers but would forfeit his salary if he does so. If De La Rosa clears waivers and accepts the assignment, he can be traded as a minor-league player. A player to be determined later can’t be a player on a club’s 40-man roster."
De La Rosa started strong this spring but ended with an 8.03 ERA. After posting optimistic k/9 rates of 8.9 and 9.2 in ’05 and ’06 respectively, De La Rosa has struggled in his move from Milwaukee to the Royals. He throws hard and may find more success in the NL with some more work in minors.
By Nat Boyle
Royals Acquire Ramon Ramirez
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies traded reliever Ramon Ramirez to the Royals for a player to be named later. In an accompanying move, the Royals designated Jorge de la Rosa for assignment.
The 26 year-old righty reliever has posted some big-time strikeout rates at various stops. He’s a former outfielder who has bounced around in the Yankees, Reds, and Rockies organizations. He even did a stint in Japan. In 2005, Baseball America described Ramirez’s power repertoire as a 92-94 mph heater, a hard curveball, and a splitter.