NL West Links: Quentin, Weiss, Upton, Giants
Everyone knows Jackie Robinson's story but few remember the name of John Wright, the second African-American player to sign with the Dodgers just weeks after Robinson signed his contract. Baseball America's Ryan Whirty details the brief career of Wright, a right-hander who struggled in the minors in 1946 and was back pitching in the Negro Leagues by 1947.
Here's the latest from the NL West…
- Major League Baseball has announced the suspensions of Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin for eight games and Dodgers utilityman Jerry Hairston for one game for their parts in Thursday's brawl between the two teams. Both men are appealing their suspensions, so both could be able to play when the Padres and Dodgers begin a three-game series on Monday, though Yahoo's Jeff Passan (Twitter link) feels MLB and the MLBPA will arrange for Quentin to miss Monday's game.
- Zack Greinke, meanwhile, will be out of action for around eight weeks following surgery to fix his broken collarbone. MLBTR's Steve Adams looked at the implications of Greinke's injury earlier today.
- Rockies owner Dick Monfort talks to Mark Kiszla over the Denver Post about manager Walt Weiss' unusual one-year contract with the club. Monfort admits the short-term deal was an "oversight" since he values loyalty in employees and usually operates on handshake agreements, and also said that the Rockies management team hired Weiss without first establishing his salary.
- Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports 620 Radio's Doug & Wolf that he felt the Justin Upton trade has worked out for both the D'Backs and Braves. "I would agree that ‘would he have had the same success here that he's had [in Atlanta] to start off the season, maybe not' sometimes players need a change of scenery for it to happen," Hall said. "I mean this was just two different teams that had two different needs and it worked out well for both, not to mention we still have four prospects that we're going to be dealing with in the next few years."
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic doesn't agree with Hall's belief that Upton needed a fresh start. "But even if [Upton] did need a new environment, what happened to the environment here? What does that say about the environment you’re creating if a 25-year-old with his kind of ability can’t succeed in it anymore?" Piecoro asks.
- While breaking down Tim Lincecum's struggles, Grantland's Jonah Keri noted that the success of the Giants' starting rotation has obscured the team's lack of pitching depth. The Giants may need to explore a trade for a new starter later this season if Lincecum can't turn things around. I tabbed 2013 as a Make Or Break Season for Lincecum since he'll need to regain his old form in order to fetch a nice free agent contract this winter.
- In other NL West news from earlier today, I compiled a set of Padres notes while Steve Adams reviewed the Giants' offseason moves.
Padres Designate Cody Ransom For Assignment
The Padres have designated infielder Cody Ransom for assignment, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports (Twitter link). In a corresponding move, the Padres have purchased the contract of right-hander Thad Weber from Triple-A.
Ransom, 37, posted a .220/.312/.411 line and a career-best 11 homers over 282 PA with the Diamondbacks and Brewers in 2012. This was by far the most playing time Ransom had ever received in a season, as the veteran chalked up just 383 plate appearances from 2001-2011. Ransom signed a minor league deal with San Diego in December and was 0-for-11 in limited action with the Padres this season.
Padres Notes: Quentin, Byrnes, Maybin, Roster
The brawl between the Padres and Dodgers last night left Zack Greinke sidelined for several weeks with a broken collarbone and put Carlos Quentin squarely in the media spotlight for charging the mound. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman and FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi both feel Major League Baseball should hand Quentin a significant penalty — Heyman suggests a 15-game suspension while Morosi opines that Quentin should be out for at least a month for seeking "vigilante justice" against Greinke. It may be a while before Quentin misses any action given that the outfielder is likely to appeal any suspension leveled against him by the league.
As the Padres kick off a series against the Rockies at Petco Park tonight, here are some more items out of sunny San Diego…
- Padres GM Josh Byrnes seems to have won the favor of the club's new ownership group, Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. New owners are often apt to bring in their own general managers though in the Padres' case, firing Byrnes would be costly given that he is under contract through the 2017 season.
- In his weekly chat with fans, Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes that Byrnes will likely "blow up the roster" (in the words of one fan) should the Padres fail to match last year's 76-86 record.
- Also from Center, Cameron Maybin has "no trade value" given his struggles at the plate and the roughly $22.8MM owed to him through the 2016 season. Maybin signed the five-year, $25MM extension prior to the 2012 campaign but hit just .243/.306/.349 last season and has just two hits in 27 AB to begin this season.
- From earlier today on MLBTR, the Padres signed first baseman Brandon Allen to a minor league contract.
MLBTR's Steve Adams also contributed to this post
Minor Moves: Burroughs, Henn, Allen, Gonzalez
We'll keep track of Friday's minor moves right here…
- Infielder Sean Burroughs has signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Burroughs last appeared in the Majors with the Twins in 2012 but was designated for assignment after just 18 plate appearances. The former top prospect returned to baseball in 2011.
- Within that same tweet, Eddy notes that the Mets have signed left-hander Sean Henn to a minor league deal. The 31-year-old Henn's last big league action was split between the Twins and Orioles in 2009. He has a 7.56 ERA in 81 career innings with more walks (64) than strikeouts (62).
- Still from Eddy's jam-packed tweet, the Padres have inked first baseman Brandon Allen to a minor league contract. The 27-year-old has a career .203/.290/.375 Major League batting line in 389 plate appearances.
- The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Edgar Gonzalez has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo in order to make room for Casper Wells on the 40-man roster. Toronto claimed the 30-year-old Gonzalez off waivers just five days ago.
- Suspended right-hander Mark Hamburger has signed with the independent league St. Paul Saints, writes Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (at the bottom of the article). The 26-year-old tested positive for an undisclosed drug last season. He has appeared in eight Major League innings for the Rangers with a 4.50 ERA and was once traded for Eddie Guardado.
The Implications Of Zack Greinke’s Injury
When the Dodgers spent $147MM on Zack Greinke this offseason, they were expecting 33 starts per season of an ace-caliber pitcher. Instead, Greinke will now find himself on the shelf for a significant portion of time following a brawl in the Dodgers-Padres game that broke out after he hit Carlos Quentin in the shoulder with a pitch.
Two things are clear here. The move has serious financial and roster implications for the Dodgers, and Quentin is a lock to be suspended. What does that mean, specifically, for the involved parties? It depends on how long Greinke is out for, first of all, which has yet to be announced. ESPN's Jayson Stark notes that recent history shows this type of injury has a recovery time of anywhere from one to three months (All Twitter links). Marlins catcher Jeff Mathis broke his collarbone in late February and is hoping to return in early May. Clint Barmes broke his collarbone in 2005 and was on the shelf for three months. The only pitcher Stark could find who suffered the injury was Chris Bosio, who missed a month.
Greinke is earning $17MM in the 2013 season, which is 182 calendar days long. Assuming a timetable of 30 to 90 days (roughly one to three months), the Dodgers figure to be out somewhere between $2.8MM and $8.4MM of this year's investment in Greinke. That's a sizeable chunk of salary, although they could have an insurance policy on the contract that will cover a portion of the injury.
This also means that the Dodgers' former surplus of starting pitching has likely been sorted out for the time being. With Aaron Harang now in Seattle, the Dodgers can place one of Ted Lilly or Chris Capuano in the rotation, with the other serving as a long reliever. It seems likely that it will be Lilly who is placed in the rotation; MLB.com's Ken Gurnick recently noted that he's been building up arm strength to throw 90+ pitches again and the Dodgers are concerned about how frequent warm-ups would affect his "delicate shoulder." Capuano, meanwhile, has already been in the 'pen for the early portion of the season. Both hurlers figure to be firmly off the trade market now.
As far as Quentin goes, the left fielder signed a three-year, $27MM extension with the Padres last year and is slated to make $9.5MM this season. In other words, Quentin is paid just over $52,000 per day during the season. So multiply that number by the amount of days in his eventual unpaid suspension, and it becomes a costly confrontation for him on a personal level as well.
Matt Kemp and Jerry Hairston Jr. also played roles in the altercation. Kemp was particularly vocal during the fray and eventually pursued Quentin after the game, leading to a confrontation that is chronicled here by Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Hairston charged toward the Padres' dugout after the field had been cleared, later explaining to reporters that an undisclosed Padres player was mocking Greinke's injury. It's unclear at this time if there will be any punishment handed out for Kemp and Hairston, but presumably they're in line for fines as opposed to suspensions.
NL West Notes: Kershaw, Padres, Rockies
Earlier today, Tim Dierkes took a look at the Rockies' offseason as one of the final entries in MLBTR's Offseason In Review series. Here's a look around the rest of the division…
- One baseball official tells Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that talks between Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers have already surpassed the $200MM mark. Kershaw has "everything going for him" in the negotiations, writes Heyman.
- Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that formerly promising Padres Chris Young, Jason Bay and Kevin Kouzmanoff are now simply fighting to save their Major League careers.
- Within that same piece, Jenkins notes that Josh Rutledge is the 13th different Opening Day second baseman for the Rockies in 13 seasons. Not since Mike Lansing in 1999-2000 have the Rox had a second baseman open two straight seasons with the club.
- In his most recent Minor League report, Baseball America's Matt Eddy notes that the Rockies have signed GM Dan O'Dowd's son, Chris O'Dowd. The younger O'Dowd was released by the Padres in March after being a 23rd-round selection in the 2012 Draft.
Offseason In Review: San Diego Padres
The Padres are banking on their younger players taking a leap forward in 2013 to help propel them into the playoff chase.
Major League Signings
- Jason Marquis, SP: one year, $3MM.
- Total Spend: $3MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
Trades and Claims
- Acquired P Chris Rearick from Rays for IF Vince Belnome.
- Acquired P Wilfredo Boscan from Rangers for P Cory Burns.
- Acquired P Tyson Ross and IF A.J. Kirby-Jones from Athletics for IF Andy Parrino and P Andrew Werner.
- Acquired P Brandon Kloess from White Sox for OF Blake Tekotte.
- Claimed P Fautino de los Santos off waivers from Brewers.
Notable Losses
- Andy Parrino, Vince Belnome, Cory Burns, Josh Spence, Andrew Werner, Nate Freiman.
Needs Addressed
The Padres' biggest need was pitching, but they didn't make any major shakeups in that department during the offseason. In fact, they inked just one Major League free agent all winter and it was one of their own – Jason Marquis. The veteran was signed to a one-year, $3MM deal in early December after turning in a 4.04 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 across 15 starts for San Diego. While those are decent numbers, we can't totally forget about his dismal 8.47 ERA with 3.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in seven starts for the Twins that led to his May release. General Manager Josh Byrnes hopes that he got to see the real version of Marquis in 2012 and that the right-hander's history of success in the National League continues in 2013.
The club's other addition to the starting five was Tyson Ross, who came over from the A's in a November trade. The right-hander has shown promise but he'll have to put his control issues behind him to stick in a major league rotation. Ross made 13 starts and five relief appearances for Oakland last season, posting a 6.50 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. He didn't get to finish the season in the A's rotation, but after a strong spring he'll be slotted in as the No. 5 starter for the Padres.
Questions Remaining
There are a good deal of question marks surrounding the Padres after the club essentially opted to stand pat after a 76-86 campaign. The Padres don't necessarily have to reassemble the 1998 Braves rotation to keep the runs down in the spacious confines of Petco Park, but the Padres didn't make significant upgrades to a staff that didn't perform in 2012. Clayton Richard turned in a 3.99 ERA but his strikeout numbers are trending downward and he had a career low of 4.4 K/9 last season. Richard did manage to keep the walks down (career best 1.7 BB/9) but the same can't be said for Edinson Volquez, who had 5.2 BB/9. The No. 3 starter in the rotation is Eric Stults, who did well in 14 starts for the Friars last year, but the 33-year-old has never turned in more than 99 innings of big league work in a season.
The Padres' offense was actually solid when they got away from their pitcher-friendly home park, but they're behind the 8-ball to start the year with several players out of action. Yasmani Grandal, who hit .297/.394/.469 in his 60 game debut season, will be out for 50 games after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. As much as they'll miss Grandal in the lineup, they'll miss Chase Headley even more as he recovers from a broken thumb over the next 4-6 weeks. His understudy, Logan Forsythe, is still dealing with a foot injury, forcing rookie Jedd Gyorko over to third with Alexi Amarista filling in at second. Plus, Carlos Quentin generally misses some time due to injury. The Padres are definitely a banged up team, but the fences at Petco have been moved in and that should help power numbers across the board. 
Headley is the Padres' premier bat, but will he finish the season in San Diego? The third baseman has long been coveted by rival teams and if things aren't clicking as the deadline approaches, it stands to reason that Byrnes will give serious thought to the phone calls that he receives, despite his offseason assertions. The 28-year-old will earn $8.575MM in 2013 and will remain under team control through next season, but it doesn't appear that the Padres have made serious headway with their star player on a contract extension.
Deal of Note
It's hard to say that the Padres had a deal of note this offseason with the Ross acquisition rating as their biggest move. While San Diego flirted with doing something significant at times over the last few months, nothing wound up surfacing. The Padres wanted to lock up Headley for the long-term, but that remains unfinished and doesn't appear to be imminent. They explored adding another starter at a time when Kyle Lohse was still on the market, but they didn't follow through on that either. Byrnes reportedly had interest in plucking Justin Upton from the Diamondbacks, but he was hardly alone there. The Padres' inactivity either speaks to the confidence that they have in their young club or their financial constraints. Or maybe it's a little from column A and a little from column B.
Overview
The Padres have been bitten hard by the injury bug to open the 2013 season and they could find themselves in a bit of a hole on the other side of April. They'll have to vie with the Dodgers and Giants for traction in the NL West and it's tough to see them making the postseason unless everything goes right. That means their offense getting/staying healthy, repeat pitching performances from the likes of Marquis and Stults, more power from Yonder Alonso at first, and a better all-around defensive effort. None of those things are out of the question, but right now, it appears that the odds are against them.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Quick Hits: Santiago, Padres, White Sox
Here are some notes on a few possible trade situations shaping up around baseball:
- The Tigers are shopping middle infielder Ramon Santiago, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The 33-year-old Santiago has spent 9 of his 11 big league seasons in Detroit, but his performance fell off last year when he hit just .206/.283/.272 in 259 plate appearances for the Tigers.
- In light of today's news that Padres third baseman Logan Forsythe suffered a setback in his attempt to recover from a foot injury, the club once again finds itself wondering who will man the hot corner for the start of the season after already losing Chase Headley. As reported by Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribune, manager Bud Black acknowledged that a DL stint was likely for Forsythe. GM Josh Byrnes says that it is unlikely that the team will look outside the organization for a replacement, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com. Center suggests that, instead, rookie Jedd Gyorko will move over to third, with Alexi Amarista filling in at second.
- Meanwhile, the White Sox also have some injury concerns that they do not expect to address via trade, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. However, GM Rick Hahn says that the team is "looking around outside for other upgrades." Chicago manager Robin Ventura also announced that righty Dylan Axelrod will be the team's fifth starter to begin the year, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, in conjunction with the news that John Danks will begin the year on the DL.
Padres Release Freddy Garcia
The Padres have released right-hander Freddy Garcia, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter link). Garcia had inked a minor league deal with the Friars earlier this offseason.
The 36-year-old Garcia pitched to a 5.20 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 107 1/3 innings for the Yankees last season. However, from 2010-11 he was able to post a 4.15 ERA over the course of 303 2/3 innings for the White Sox and Yankees — a pair of very hitter-friendly environments.
Garcia drew interest from the Marlins, Rockies, Twins and Reds at various points throughout the offseason before signing his minor league commitment with the Padres.
Rockies Interested In Jon Garland
The Rockies have inquired about starting pitcher Jon Garland, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Mariners officially released Garland on Saturday.
Jhoulys Chacin, Jeff Francis, Jorge De La Rosa and Juan Nicasio appear to be set in the Rockies' rotation, and Drew Pomeranz will likely join them if the Rockies don't acquire anyone from outside the organization. Chacin and De La Rosa have both recently missed spring training starts with what appear to be minor injuries.
Garland missed all of the 2012 season and much of the 2011 season with shoulder problems. He pitched 12 innings for the Mariners this spring, posting a 2.25 ERA while striking out four batters and walking five.
Jon Morosi of FOX Sports writes that Garland will also likely draw interest from the Padres and Rangers. Both teams appear to be in the market for starting pitching.