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Sugar Land Skeeters To Sign Roger Clemens

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2:11pm: Agent Randy Hendricks told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that Clemens may only pitch in one game (Twitter link).  "It is a fun thing and let’s just see how he does Saturday night," Hendricks said. "That will determine if he pitches for them again."

12:27pm: The independent Sugar Land Skeeters have agreed to sign seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, Mark Berman of FOX 26 in Houston reports. The Skeeters are based out of the Houston area, where Clemens pitched at the MLB level from 2004-06. The 50-year-old Texas native last pitched in the Major Leagues five years ago with the 2007 Yankees. 

Clemens had a full workout today and reached 87 mph on the radar gun, Berman reports. Clemens will start Saturday's game, according to Berman. Earlier this summer, Clemens was acquitted on all charges that he obstructed justice and lied to Congress. Clemens was subject to a federal investigation after telling Congress he never used steroids or human growth hormone.

Former MLB All-Star Gary Gaetti manages the Skeeters, and former MLB players Scott Kazmir, Jason Lane and Tim Redding have appeared for the team this year.

This Date In Transactions History: Roger Clemens

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Of all the dramatic things Suzyn Waldman has ever seen, the comeback of Roger Clemens ranks pretty highly.  On this date in 2007, the Rocket appeared in George Steinbrenner's box at Yankee Stadium during the seventh-inning stretch as the Bombers faced the Mariners.  Clemens told the rabid crowd over the PA system, "Thank y'all. Well they came and got me out of Texas, and I can tell you its a privilege to be back. I'll be talkin' to y'all soon."

The return marked Clemens' fourth return from retirement, enough to make even the most indecisive boxer or professional wrestler roll his eyes.  Coaxing the hurler out of the Lone Star State wasn't cheap either as he inked a deal worth the pro-rated portion of $28,000,022 (the "22", of course, for his jersey number).  That worked out to $18.7MM in total, good for roughly $4.7MM per month and $1MM per start.  The contract also included a "family plan" clause that excused Clemens from traveling with the club for trips in which he was not scheduled to start.

It wasn't hard to understand why the Yankees would back up a Brink's truck for his services – the club was in desperate need of pitching and Clemens had posted a 2.40 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 across parts of the last three seasons in Houston.  The 44-year-old's final return from retirement wasn't quite as sharp.  Clemens made 17 starts and one relief appearance in the regular season and registered a 4.18 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.  The Rocket was then shut down for the final few weeks of the season as he was bothered with a left hamstring injury.

Clemens' first start in the postseason proved to be his final of the year and his career.  In Game 3 of the ALDS against the Indians, the right-hander aggravated that same hamstring in the third inning and was pulled by manager Joe Torre.  The severity of the injury led the Yankees to pull him from the playoff roster, leaving him ineligible until the World Series.  Unfortunately for Clemens & Co., the Yanks didn't make it beyond the ALDS as Cleveland wrapped up the series in four games.  Clemens' final go-round in the majors wouldn't net him a third championship ring, but it did add to his overall net worth.  According to Baseball Reference, the Rocket made nearly $151MM over the course of his 24-year big league career.

Smoltz To Take Clemens Approach?

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SUNDAY: Dave O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reminds Braves fans of the plan for Smoltz.  He will continue to rehab (sans progress reports for the media).  If Smoltz is willing and able to pitch, the Braves want him back.

SATURDAY: Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News talked to John Smoltz’s agent, Keith Grunewald.  Smoltz, of course, would love to finish his career in Atlanta.  The Braves figure to make an effort to re-sign him, but it’s not a lock.  Smoltz could be ready in May or June following shoulder surgery, and could sign late with a contender as Roger Clemens did a few years ago.  It’s not known whether he’ll start or relieve.

Odds and Ends: Schilling, Manny, Mateo

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Links for Thursday…

Olney’s Latest: Teixeira, Sabathia, Ramirez, Burnett

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Buster Olney has some fun-to-read analysis of last night’s game, as well as some solid rumors for our consumption:

  • The Yankees seem almost destined to sign Mark Teixeira this offseason, but while it’s been suggested that Teixeira is seeking upwards of 10 years, $200MM, the Yankees may be looking to offer half of that, or "a deal in the range of 6 years, $18-20MM a year." Good news for the Orioles who look to be the biggest competitor for the Yankees in pursuing both Teixeira and A.J. Burnett.
  • The Yankees are gearing up to offer CC Sabathia "an offer that may dwarf those of other clubs, by a factor of 30 or 40 percent." Olney feels that may be a necessary surcharge to convince Sabathia to pitch in the Big Apple.
  • An interesting note: a few months ago, the suggested numbers for a Manny Ramirez contract were 3 or 4 years and $45MM; however, Scott Boras is effectively "working to change the perception of what is an acceptable offer… trying to raise the bar in the minds of teams, so that in the end, somebody might give him 3 years, $60MM and feel like they’re getting a bargain." I’ll add that Manny has done a lot, if not more, to change this perception as well.
  • Make of this what you will but Derek Jeter, whether intentional or not, contributed toward restoring Roger Clemens’ image by standing beside him on the sidelines of the nationally televised Longhorns game yesterday. Olney notes, "I know a whole lot of image-conscious players who would not have done that." Clemens is still unsure whether he is officially retired or not.

Clemens Quotes

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KRIV-TV in Houston talked to Roger Clemens recently.  Clemens seems caught in some kind of limbo between pitching and retiring:

"Right now I don’t have the desire to do so.  I’m enjoying what I’m doing, the number of things I’m doing around town, just enjoying that.  I don’t know if I will ever say no. I would have to know that I could perform at a high level and that my body would be able to hold up."

Not sure exactly what to make of that meandering quote – is the 46 year-old leaving the door open to playing again?  What will he not say no to?

Astros Will Not Rule Out Signing Clemens

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Drayton McLane, the chairman and chief executive of the Astros, spoke with Roger Clemens recently and said that Clemens has not ruled out a possible return to playing baseball.

"We have a personal services contract with him and it’s not activated until he tells us he’s ready to retire," said McLane, just after this week’s quarterly owners’ meetings drew to a conclusion. "Well, he hasn’t said that. I think if he was ready to retire, and that was clear, he would have already said that to us. But that has not happened."

McLane noted that the Astros would not rule out the possibility of resigning Clemens to pitch for the Astros, but emphasized that both the team and Clemens want to see all of his legal issues resolved before making a decision.

If the Astros are still within two games of the NL Central lead in July and Chris Sampson is still pitching to a 6.27 ERA, the name ’Roger Clemens’ might be an easier sell to the fanbase.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Odds And Ends: Clemens, Soria, Randolph, Mulder

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A couple of notes for this Thursday afternoon.

  • Bob Watson, GM of the U.S. Olympic baseball team, says Roger Clemens is not welcome. "We don’t need that type of distraction," said Watson.
  • Should the Royals give Joakim Soria a shot as a starter? I’m always inclined to say yes. If he fails in the rotation, just bump him back to the bullpen. Same logic goes for Joba Chamberlain.
  • In a minor trade, the Astros have sent 34-year-old lefty Stephen Randolph to the Phillies for a player to be named later. Randolph was 0-1 with a 1.23 ERA in AAA this year.
  • Rehabbing Cardinal Mark Mulder will be sidelined for the next week to 10 days with a rotator cuff strain.

Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.

Astros Talked To Clemens Last December

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It’s been refreshing to ignore Roger Clemens on this site.  But Ken Davidoff does have a piece of information today that fits within our realm.

Davidoff talked to Astros owner Drayton McLane and learned that the Astros had a conversation with Clemens in December (post-Mitchell Report) about the Rocket pitching in 2008.  One last half season with the Astros might’ve made sense at the right price, and it appeared at the time that Clemens wanted to play.   

However, Davidoff says the events since that time make another comeback unlikely.

Stark’s Latest: Patterson, Lohse, Lofton, Clemens

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Finally, new info regarding some of the remaining free agents.  Jayson Stark has the scoop.

  • Seems there’s a chance Corey Patterson takes a cheap deal to return to Baltimore.  He could be relegated to fourth outfielder duty in that case.  Stark says the Marlins have discussed Patterson internally, but aren’t sure if they could afford the Boras client.  Patterson would be a nice stopgap for Cameron Maybin, who’d be well-served with some time in Triple A.  Ken Rosenthal also mentioned the Florida possibility.
  • One of the most surprising free agents at this point is Kyle Lohse.  Stark shoots down the notion of Lohse signing with the Met or Phillies on a one-year deal.  Rosenthal tossed out the Cards and O’s as slight possibilities.  It’s tough to be impressed with Boras’ work with Patterson and Lohse this year.  Stark’s colleague Buster Olney even speaks of rumors that Lohse could ditch Boras. 
  • Kenny Lofton wants a Major League deal, and the offers so far have been minor league (including one from the Reds).  I don’t find this an unreasonable demand on Lofton’s part; he’s still a useful player.  He’s OK with starting the season late and coming in as a mercenary when a spot opens up.
  • Stark talked to a friend of Drayton McLane who believes the Astros’ owner could roll the dice on Roger Clemens at the right price.
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