Astros Claim Wade LeBlanc
The Astros claimed lefty Wade LeBlanc off waivers from the Marlins, tweets MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. He'll join the Astros in Kansas City tomorrow, at which point a corresponding active roster move will be made. The Astros already have an open spot on their 40-man roster. LeBlanc had been designated for assignment by the Marlins on Monday to open a roster spot for Edgar Olmos.
LeBlanc, 28, posted a 5.18 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.11 HR/9, and 39.3% groundball rate in 48 2/3 innings this year, including seven starts. The southpaw was drafted by the Padres in the second round in 2006 out of the University of Alabama. That round also produced notable big leaguers Trevor Cahill, Justin Masterson, Jon Jay, Brett Anderson, Chris Tillman, and Jeff Locke. The Padres traded LeBlanc to the Marlins in November 2011 for catcher John Baker.
Optimism toward LeBlanc may have reached its peak before the '08 season, when Baseball America ranked him fourth among Padres prospects (right after Mat Latos). At that point, BA marked LeBlanc as a "future No. 3 starter" with an excellent changeup but an unimpressive fastball. This year, among those with 40 innings pitched, LeBlanc's average fastball velocity of 86.0 miles per hour is the fifth-lowest in all of baseball.
Marlins To Designate Wade LeBlanc For Assignment
The Marlins will designate left-hander Wade LeBlanc for assignment tomorrow and will recall left-hander Edgar Olmos from Double-A Jacksonville, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. In a separate tweet, Frisaro reports Casey Kotchman will be activated from the 60-day disabled list tomorrow, so LeBlanc's assignment will keep the Marlins roster at 39 because Olmos is currently on the 40-man.
LeBlanc, today's winning pitcher as the Marlins swept the Mets, has appeared in 13 games (seven starts) for the Marlins this year and has compiled a 5.18 ERA with rates of 5.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 11.7 H/9 in 48 2/3 innings. For his career, the 28-year-old has a 4.49 ERA, 6.1 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9.
Olmos, the Marlins' third-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft, has pitched parts of the last two seasons in Double-A and has been very effective with a line of 1.00 ERA, 6.6 K/9, and 5.2 BB/9 in 28 games (45 innings). This year, the 23-year-old has posted similarly solid numbers: 1.27 ERA, 6.4 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9 in 19 games covering 28 1/3 innings.
Marlins, Padres Swap John Baker For Wade LeBlanc
The Marlins have traded catcher John Baker to the Padres for left-hander Wade LeBlanc, according to a press release from the Padres.
Baker, 31 in January, was mentioned as a non-tender candidate by Tim Dierkes last week. Our projections have the backstop earning $800K as a first time arbitration-eligible player in 2012. Baker had just two singles and two walks in 16 plate appearances this past season after recovering from Tommy John surgery, but the lefty swinger hit .273/.358/.406 with 14 homers in 744 plate appearances from 2008-2010. He's thrown out just 34 of 175 attempted base stealers as a big leaguer (19.4%).
The 27-year-old LeBlanc has made 52 starts (and two relief appearances) for the Padres over the last four seasons, pitching to a 4.54 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. He's an extreme fly ball pitcher, getting a ground ball just 34.7% of the time in his career. That works well in Petco Park, but it remains to be seen how the Marlins' new stadium will play. He owns a 4.64 ERA in 376 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level.
Nick Hundley has battled injuries over the last three seasons, so Baker gives San Diego some depth behind the plate as well as a potential platoon partner. The Marlins were looking to add a lefty pitcher to their staff, reportedly inquiring on Gio Gonzalez, but LeBlanc also fits the bill. MLB.com's Corey Brock confirms that LeBlanc has minor league options remaining (Twitter link).
Extension Candidates: Sophomore Starters
Wade Davis signed a multiyear extension with the Rays last week, though he's just one season into his MLB career. The deal is not without risk for Davis, since he could pitch like Ubaldo Jimenez and become a bargain for Tampa Bay, or for the Rays since Davis could get hurt, depriving them of a pitcher they need.
Here's a list of pitchers who could sign deals like the four-year, $12.6MM contract Tampa Bay completed with Davis. Like the Rays righty, these pitchers are on track to hit arbitration after 2012 and free agency after 2015 unless otherwise noted (age in parentheses):
- Mat Latos, Padres (23) – Latos was flat-out phenomenal last year and would be positioned to ask for more than Davis obtained with his record deal. The skill is there, so if the Padres believe in his health (he's now on the DL) and maturity, Latos would be an extension candidate.
- Wade LeBlanc, Padres (26) – LeBlanc, now in the minor leagues, is older than Latos and without the same front-of-the-rotation potential. His numbers, though comparable to the ones Davis has, don't scream 'lock me up,' so a deal seems unlikely.
- Jhoulys Chacin, Rockies (23) – The Rockies were aggressive with extensions this offseason, locking up Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, and others. Chacin, who struck out a batter per inning in 2010, wouldn't cost nearly as much as his more experienced teammates.
- Mike Leake, Reds (23) – If one organization was as extension happy as the Rockies this offseason it was the Reds. Leake struggled down the stretch last year and just barely made Cincinnati's rotation. They'll likely let the 2009 first rounder prove himself before committing eight figures to him.
- Jon Niese, Mets (24) – Niese has comparable numbers to Davis, with slightly more strikeouts per inning (7.4 K/9) and a higher ERA (4.33).
- Brian Matusz, Orioles (24) – Matusz compares to Davis statistically, but he could establish himself as a front-of-the-rotation starter with a breakout 2011 season, so he may be reluctant to lock himself in to pre-set salaries.
- Mitch Talbot, Indians (27) - Talbot has poor walk (4.3 BB/9) and strikeout (5.0 K/9) numbers so far in his career, so he doesn't seem like a likely extension candidate. The Indians did extend Fausto Carmona, who doesn't get many strikeouts, but they may prefer to let Talbot prove himself further before committing to him.
- Brett Cecil, Blue Jays (24) and Madison Bumgarner, Giants (21) both impressed in 2010. They're possible super two players, which means they may go to arbitration four times, once more than the starters above. If either Cecil or Bumgarner signed an extension, it wouldn't be completely parallel to the Davis deal.
It's possible that none of these pitchers will sign extensions, since long-term contracts for starters with fewer than two years of service time are uncommon. Some players don't mind going year to year in anticipation of big arbitration paydays and many teams prefer not to commit eight-figure deals to relatively unproven pitchers.
But some small market clubs, like the Athletics, Indians and Rays, have successfully completed a number of multiyear contracts for emerging pitchers. Teams looking to spend now and save later could take note and approach their best sophomore arms about long-term deals.
Yankees Consider Left-Handed Pitchers
The Yankees, who heard this week that Andy Pettitte will retire, have considered exploring trades for other left-handers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Joe Saunders, Scott Kazmir, Wade LeBlanc, Clayton Richard and Gio Gonzalez are among the possible targets some Yankees people have "kicked around."
The Yankees will, in all likelihood, wait and hope for better things from A.J. Burnett instead of pursuing another arm, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The Yankees could pursue Joe Blanton via trade or make a play for free agent Kevin Millwood, but the club seems likely to let Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, Sergio Mitre and Ivan Nova battle for rotation spots. With prospects Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances and Manuel Banuelos on the radar, the Bronx Bombers aren't desperate for pitching, even without Pettitte.
Yankees fans may be frustrated that the front office did not sign Cliff Lee or retain Pettitte, but their club is still strong. As one American League East executive tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post, “People would love to have their problems. On paper they are still about as good as you want to see."
Padres Fail To Acquire Luke Scott
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:07pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Padres and Astros were unable to reach an agreement on Scott.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 9:15pm: Talks are ongoing. Chase Headley and Matt Antonelli won’t be involved, but names like Nick Hundley, Will Venable, Josh Geer, and Wade LeBlanc have been mentioned.
FROM 12-4-07 at 2:39pm:
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Padres are nearing a deal to acquire Luke Scott from the Astros. No word on the return yet. I’m curious – Scott seemed like a solid bargain acquisition and it’s no surprise Kevin Towers got him.