Padres, Denorfia Agree To Extension
The Padres have agreed to a contract extension with outfielder Chris Denorfia that will keep him in San Diego through 2014, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter). The Pro Star Management client will earn $2MM in 2013 and $2.25 in '14, Brock tweets.
“We are excited to extend Chris to a two-year contract through 2014,” said General Manager Josh Byrnes. “He has proven to be a valuable and versatile player for us over the last three seasons, and his style of play is infectious.”
Denorfia's deal will cover his final year of arbitration eligibility as well as his first free agent season. The 32-year-old has a .279/.340/.419 slash line across three seasons with the Padres. Denorfia has experience at all three outfield positions but has primarily played the corners since 2011.
This season, Denorfia is earning $1.165MM after avoiding arbitration with the Padres in December. Byrnes reportedly received a good amount of trade interest in the outfielder prior to this year's deadline but opted to hold on to him.
Padres DFA Ohlendorf, Rodriguez
The Padres announced that they have designated pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and catcher Eddy Rodriguez for assignment. The moves will allow the club to recall right-hander Brad Boxberger and infielder/outfielder Andy Parrino from Triple-A.
San Diego signed Ohlendorf to a major league deal in early June. The 30-year-old made nine starts and four relief appearances for the Padres this year, posting a 7.77 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 24 walks across 48.2 innings. Ohlendorf was then optioned to Triple-A Tucson on August 18th.
Rodriguez, 26, appeared in two big league games for the Padres in early August. The catcher split time between Advanced-A and Triple-A and hit .217/.264/.373 with 14 homers in 101 games.
The Red Sox inked Ohlendorf to a minor league deal back in February but he chose to opt out of the deal on June 2nd. In his 13 combined 2012 Triple-A starts, Ohlendorf posted a 4.52 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
West Notes: Profar, Giants, Padres, Dodgers, Victorino
Here's a look at the latest out of baseball's two West divisions…
- In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about the Rangers calling up top prospect Jurickson Profar. He says the 19-year-old shortstop gives them flexibility going forward, allowing them to possibly market Elvis Andrus in a trade.
- Even though the August waiver trade deadline came and went, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy won't rule out a trade or acquisition in the coming days, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. Baggarly adds that General Manager Brian Sabean continues to explore the market for players that can help down the stretch.
- The Padres are set to name cross-checker Billy Gasparino as their new scouting director, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Law, who worked with Gasparino in the Blue Jays organization, likes the move for San Diego.
- The Dodgers logjam in next year's outfield is a good problem to have, but still a problem nonetheless, writes Eric Seidman of Fangraphs. Recently, Shane Victorino said that he would like to return to Los Angeles in 2013 but scoffed at the notion of signing up for a bench slot. The Dodgers will likely need someone like a Victorino to act as an insurance policy for Carl Crawford or keep the seat warm for Yasiel Puig. Convincing someone of Victorino's caliber to sign up for a non-everyday role, however, will be challenging.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
NL West Notes: Dodgers, Billingsley, Rockies, Padres
Earlier today we learned that Shane Victorino would like to re-sign with the Dodgers after this season, but the veteran has no interest in returning as a bench player. While Victorino seemed likely to be retained by the Dodgers when they traded for him, the club’s acquisition of Carl Crawford might alter their plans. Here’s more out of the National League West..
- Dodgers president Stan Kasten told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that he fears that Chad Billingsley‘s elbow injury could sideline him for the remainder of the season. Kasten went on to say that the fear did not stem from “medical evidence”, which implies that it may just be a hunch at this juncture.
- Meanwhile, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com that the talent pool that has cleared waivers or remains on waivers is “very thin right now.” Colletti wouldn’t completely rule out the idea of an acquisition taking place tonight or tomorrow but said that nothing is brewing at present.
- The Rockies will continue to use a four-man rotation in 2013, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The club has experimented with using four starters on a limited pitch count with three “piggyback” relievers this season and will tweak the model to use four relievers next year. The plan was met with skepticism this season but the Rockies have been pitching better since making the switch.
- The Padres could contend for a Wild Card spot next season with some badly-needed upgrades to their rotation, writes Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs. Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that Padres execs are encouraged by the team’s recent play and are adjusting their plans in order to win in the short-term. The report also suggested that San Diego could target an established starter like Hiroki Kuroda.
- Renck (via Twitter) doesn’t expect the Rockies to be in on Joe Mauer, in large part because they already have Wilin Rosario behind the plate and Mauer would lose value if moved elsewhere.
Padres May Keep Headley, Pursue Starters
Padres executives are encouraged by the team’s improved play and will consider adjusting their offseason plans, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Padres are leaning against trading Chase Headley this winter, Rosenthal reports. GM Josh Byrnes considered trade offers for Headley leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, but there’s no urgency to deal the third baseman, who’s under team control through 2014.
The Padres could also attempt to sign at least one free agent starter during the offseason, Rosenthal writes. If possible, they would like to add an impact starter and Hiroki Kuroda is one possible target. Padres general manager Josh Byrnes has tried to sign Kuroda twice, according to Rosenthal. He pursued him as the GM of the Diamondbacks and again as the GM of the Padres.
The Seidler/O’Malley families and Ron Fowler officially completed the purchase of the Padres for $800MM yesterday. San Diego has the best record in the NL West since June 10th at 41-30.
NL West Notes: Padres, D’Backs, Dodgers, Oswalt
The Padres announced that the ownership group led by the Seidler/O’Malley families and Ron Fowler completed the purchase of the team for $800MM. Fowler is the team’s control person and the ownership group includes two sons and two nephews of Peter O’Malley, the Dodgers’ longtime owner. Tom Garfinkel will stay on as the Padres' president and CEO and Josh Byrnes will remain the team’s executive VP and general manager.
Here are today’s NL West links…
- The Padres' new owners offered more platitudes than specifics when addressing the media today, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The owners didn't say where the team's payroll will sit.
- The Dodgers continue spending aggressively, but it doesn’t seem to bother the Diamondbacks’ top officials. Managing general partner Ken Kendrick told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he has “no problem competing with these folks." Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall said "there is so much more to building a championship team than just exorbitant salaries."
- The Diamondbacks will be able to contend with the Dodgers if their young core of starting pitchers can stay healthy and perform, Piecoro writes. If pitchers such as Tyler Skaggs, Wade Miley and Trevor Bauer can continue to pitch effectively as pre-arbitration eligible players, Arizona can spend elsewhere. Relying on young starting pitching isn’t foolproof, but it’s been done before, as Piecoro explains.
- One Dodgers person didn’t seem enthused about the possibility of trading for Roy Oswalt, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Oswalt has cleared waivers and the Rangers will consider trading him. The Dodgers inquired on Oswalt, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
Cleared Waivers: Jeremy Hermida, Luis Hernandez
Here's an update on two players who were recently removed from their team's 40-man roster…
- Outfielder Jeremy Hermida cleared waivers and has become a free agent, reports MLB.com's Chelsea Janes (on Twitter). The Padres designated the 28-year-old for assignment last week after he hit .250/.333/.375 in 27 plate appearances.
- Infielder Luis Hernandez has cleared waivers been outrighted to Triple-A, reports Jeff Wilson of The Fort-Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). The 28-year-old was designated for assignment by the Rangers yesterday after hitting .262/.302/.372 for the club's Triple-A affiliate.
Padres Release Jason Bartlett
THURSDAY: The Padres announced that Bartlett cleared unconditional release waivers and is now a free agent.
MONDAY: The Padres have requested unconditional release waivers for Jason Bartlett, the team announced via press release.
The Padres acquired Bartlett from the Rays back in December of 2010 in exchange for Cole Figueroa, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos and Brandon Gomes. Later that offseason, the team avoided arbitration with the shortstop by agreeing to a two-year contract worth a guaranteed $11MM with a vesting option for 2013. The $5.5MM option for 2013 will not vest, as Bartlett's 98 plate appearances this season fall well short of the required 432. He'll instead be paid a $1.5MM buyout.
The 32-year-old batted just .133/.240/.193 in those 98 plate appearances, and overall batted only .231/.299/.292 in 168 games as a Padre. He has been on the disabled list since May 17 with a right knee strain. Following the trade of Ernesto Frieri for Alexi Amarista earlier this season, it became apparent that Bartlett no longer factored into the team's plans.
Bartlett was originally drafted by the Padres in the 13th round of the 2001 draft but made his big league debut with the Twins after being swapped for Brian Buchanan. Prior to being re-acquired by the Padres, Bartlett was a career .281/.345/.385 hitter in 2,801 career plate appearances.
Padres Designate Neil Wagner For Assignment
The Padres announced that they designated right-hander Neil Wagner for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for Thad Weber, who was claimed off of waivers from the Tigers today. The Padres placed right-hander Jason Marquis on the 15-day disabled list and recalled right-hander Brad Boxberger in related moves.
The Padres claimed Wagner off of waivers from the Athletics at the end May, but haven't promoted him to the MLB level. The 28-year-old has a 5.28 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 58 innings of relief pitching for the Pacific Coast League affiliates of the A's and Padres this year.
Padres Claim Thad Weber
The Padres claimed right-hander Thad Weber from Detroit, according to Brian Britten of the Tigers (on Twitter). The Tigers reinstated Al Alburquerque from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Toledo in a related move.
Weber, 27, made his MLB debut this year, appearing in two games for the Tigers in April. The 2008 16th round selection has spent the majority of the 2012 season at Toledo, where he was a 4.30 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 128 2/3 innings, mostly as a starter.