Minor Moves: Stange, White
Keeping track of the day’s minor moves…
- The Padres signed right-hander Daniel Stange to a minor league contract, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. Stange, 26, has a 4.34 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in seven minor league seasons. He has MLB experience with the 2010 Diamondbacks.
- The Angels signed right-hander Sean White to a minor league contract, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. The 31-year-old pitched in 105 games for the Mariners from 2007-10, posting a 4.16 ERA with 4.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.
Quick Hits: Draft, Sizemore, Royals, CBA, Greinke
Some links from around MLB…
- ESPN's Keith Law posted a list of the top 100 prospects in this year's amateur draft. High school outfielder Byron Buxton and high school shortstop Carlos Correa top the list.
- "I love this game and I don't see myself calling it quits anytime soon," said Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter link). Sizemore is currently on the DL with a back issue, the latest problem in a long line of injuries in recent years.
- Royals owner David Glass says he hasn't spoken to anyone about selling his team despite rumors to the contrary, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. "I've not talked to anyone, nor has any of my family talked to anyone," he said.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America explains how teams and player representatives are working to side-step the international spending restrictions imposed under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. MLB is aware of the loopholes and would object more strongly to some than others.
- Recent extensions talks haven’t taken place for Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels or Tim Lincecum, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Greinke and Hamels are eligible for free agency this offseason, while Lincecum is under team control through 2013.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that Edinson Volquez of the Padres looks like a trade candidate (Twitter link). However, six of the right-hander’s seven starts have been at Petco Park, a generally forgiving environment for pitchers.\
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Padres Sign Kip Wells, Anthony Reyes
The Padres have signed right-handers Kip Wells and Anthony Reyes to minor league contracts, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter links). The moves will replenish the club's Triple-A depth following injuries to Tim Stauffer, Dustin Moseley, and Cory Luebke.
Wells, 35, signed with the White Sox last month but was released just ten days later. The Burton Rocks LTD client hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2009 and owns 4.71 ERA in over 1,300 innings. Reports from earlier this spring indicate that his fastball is still running as high as 93 mph.
Reyes, 30, did not play at all last season. He's pitched to a 5.12 ERA in 293 1/3 career innings, but like Wells he hasn't been in the show since 2009. Reyes is perhaps best known for his eight-inning, two-run performance in Game One of the 2006 World Series for the Cardinals.
2013 Contract Issues: San Diego Padres
Each year, MLBTR looks ahead to the contract issues facing the 30 MLB teams. We’ll lead off with the Padres this year:
Eligible For Free Agency (3)
- Mark Kotsay – Kotsay signed a $1.25MM contract with the Padres this past offseason and has eight hits and a homer in a limited role so far in 2012. He'll turn 37 this December, but the Padres figure to have interest in retaining him on a minor league deal if he continues hitting.
- Jeff Suppan - One start into the season it's too early to say whether the right-hander will have a role on next year's team. Perhaps another minor league deal will work for both sides.
- Jeremy Hermida - Like Kotsay, Hermida's an extra outfielder who won't necessarily have a place on the 2013 Padres. At 28, he's the younger of the two.
Contract Options (3)
- Huston Street: $9MM mutual option which the club can decline for $500K. Dan Mennella recently discussed the Padres' choices, reminding us that a midsummer trade is possible.
- Jason Bartlett: $5.5MM club option with a $1.5MM buyout. Though the option can vest during the season, Bartlett doesn't appear to figure in to the Padres' long-term plans.
- Orlando Hudson: $8MM club option with a $2MM buyout. Again, it seems unlikely that the Padres will commit a significant part of their payroll to an aging middle infielder whose offensive production has dropped off.
Arbitration Eligible (13)
- First time: Kyle Blanks, Everth Cabrera
- Second time: Clayton Richard, Luke Gregerson, Will Venable, John Baker, Joe Thatcher
- Third time: Chase Headley, Tim Stauffer, Edinson Volquez, Dustin Moseley, Chris Denorfia, Micah Owings
Headley leads a large Padres arbitration class that could theoretically cost $30MM in 2013. It's unlikely that they'll all be tendered contracts, however, and Moseley and Owings might already be considered non-tender candidates. Padres director of baseball operations Josh Stein will still have enough arb cases on his hands to keep busy next winter.
2013 Payroll Obligation
The Padres have a 2013 payroll commitment of just $11.475MM, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. GM Josh Byrnes figures to have some payroll flexibility once arbitration raises are accounted for even if the team's payroll remains relatively low.
Closer Options For 2013
Last offseason's Hot Stove was notable for the hefty contracts signed by the likes of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, but the abundance of closers in free agency was an interesting secondary arc. A few stoppers signed for big bucks, and if there were any takeaway, it was that many teams have not necessarily adopted a frugal philosophy with respect to bullpen spending.
The upcoming offseason's class of free-agent closers is pretty interesting, too, and several of its potential members have options for 2013. Here's a list of those pitchers and a very preliminary look at whether their options figure to be picked up:
- Matt Capps (2013 age: 29), $6MM club option with a $250K buyout: Capps' signing this offseason was maligned after he pitched poorly in 2011, but the Twins' bullpen was pretty barren, so it may have been a devil-you-know situation. He's pitching roughly the same so far this year, but the guess here is that if they were willing to bring him back after last year, they'll be willing to do so again. He could be a trade candidate, but I'm not sure there will be takers.
- Ryan Madson (32), $11MM mutual option with a $2.5MM buyout: The Reds will be on the hook for at least $2.5MM, so will they want to gamble an extra $8.5MM on a guy coming off Tommy John surgery? With Aroldis Chapman and Sean Marshall in the back of the Reds' bullpen, I think they'll pass.
- J.J. Putz (36), $6.5MM club option with a $1.5MM buyout: Putz is getting on in years, and his health is always a concern (including a DL stint during his brilliant 2011), but the right-hander is really good when he's on the mound. If he can get through this year relatively unscathed in terms of injury, which is no sure thing, I think the Diamondbacks will roll the dice, seeing as the penalty for snake eyes is relatively low.
- Joakim Soria (29), $8MM club option with a $750K buyout: Similar to the Reds and Madson, the Royals will have a tough decision to make with Soria coming off (a second) Tommy John surgery. They've been very reluctant to part with him via trade previously, so I'm thinking they'll pick up the option just to save face and see what he can yield — either in terms of on-field contributions or perhaps a trade later in the season if he comes back healthy.
- Huston Street (29), $9MM mutual option with a $500K buyout if club declines: The Padres will likely look to trade Street before this year's deadline, so his recent injury development must make them a little nervous. He has plenty of time to get healthy before the deadline, though, and I'd expect the Friars to move hard to flip him. If they can't, they could always pick up the option and then look to trade him again next summer.
- Grant Balfour (35), $4.5MM club option with a $350K buyout: The A's will be shopping Balfour hard before the deadline, as he'll draw plenty of interest, as MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently noted. Wherever he is, his option will look pretty attractive, with his durability and effectiveness probably trumping any concerns over his age.
- Rafael Soriano (33), $14MM player option or a $1.5MM buyout: Soriano is very likely to exercise this option, meaning the Yankees will almost certainly be paying this hefty tab in 2013. The temptation may be there for Soriano to decline and rake in another two- or three-year deal elsewhere on the market, but he can get one of those after 2013, assuming for health.
Minors Moves: Montanez, Van Mil, Layne
Today's minor moves..
- The Phillies have released outfielder Luis Montanez from their Triple-A affiliate, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). Montanez, 30, signed a minor league deal with the club in December after appearing in 36 games for the Cubs in 2011. The outfielder has struggled in 17 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, hitting just .136/.264/.159 in 53 plate appearances.
- The Indians have acquired minor league reliever Loek Van Mil from the Angels for future considerations, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (via Twitter). Van Mil, best known for his 7-foot-1 stature, also played previously in the Twins organization, by whom he was originally signed.
- The Padres have acquired minor league left-hander Tom Layne from the Diamondbacks and assigned him to Triple-A Tucson, according to MiLB.com's transactions page. Arizona drafted the 27-year-old left-hander in 2007, but he has not appeared in the Majors to date.
Quick Hits: Angels, Marlins, Bell, Padres
A look around the league as the Rays look to extend their winning streak to seven games as they take on the A’s at home..
- A 10-17 start isn’t what Angels owner Arte Moreno had in mind when he committed $317.5MM to Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this winter, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. As for Pujols’ slow start, DiGiovanna argues that one month and 26 games is more than a small sample size.
- The Marlins were well aware of Heath Bell‘s declining numbers when they gave him a three-year, $27MM deal but have been caught off-guard by his command issues, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America weighs in on the trade the Padres’ acquisition infielder Alexi Amarista in the Ernesto Frieri trade with the Angels. Amarista, Eddy writes, doesn’t have the tools to last as a regular on a good team but can carve out a career as a reserve and see time at multiple positions.
Bartlett, Hudson Not In Padres’ Long-Term Plans
The Padres' trade of reliever Ernesto Frieri to the Angels for two minor leaguers, including middle infielder Alexi Amarista, could signal major changes to come in the club's middle infield. Second baseman Orlando Hudson and shortstop Jason Bartlett are not a part of the club's long-term plans, team sources told Dan Hayes of the North County Times. Hayes adds that both could be released before the season is through.
Bartlett, 32, has a $5.5MM option for 2013 that vests with 432 plate appearances but San Diego could cut him loose before he reaches that point. Bartlett currently has made 71 PA in 22 games this season and has surpassed 432 PAs in each of the last five seasons.
Like Bartlett, Hudson is set to earn $5.5MM in 2012. The 34-year-old, off to a slow start this season, has an $8MM option for next season with a $2MM buyout. Hudson inked a two-year deal with the Padres in December 2010 and hit .246/.329/.352 for San Diego last year.
Angels Acquire Ernesto Frieri From Padres
The Angels were known to be looking for bullpen help and they have addressed that need in the form of Ernesto Frieri. The Angels acquired the right-handed reliever from the Padres in exchange for right-hander Donn Roach and infielder Alexi Amarista. The Padres first announced the move on their official Twitter feed.
Frieri has been one of the game's more underrated relievers during his four Major League seasons. Frieri has a 2.33 ERA, a 2.45 K/BB ratio, an 11.4 K/9 rate and 0.6 HR/9 over 105 career appearances, with 137 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings. As Padres broadcaster Andy Masur points out (Twitter link), Frieri had been the longest-tenured player in the San Diego organization, originally signing with the team in January 2003 at age 17. Frieri turns 27 in July and has virtually identical home/away splits for his career, indicating he isn't a creation of Petco Park's pitcher-friendly dimensions. Frieri is represented by Matt Colleran and is under team control through 2016.
Though the Angels' closing situation is currently in flux with Scott Downs stepping in for Jordan Walden, it's probably unlikely that Frieri would immediately be thrust into the closing mix or even necessarily a setup role in Los Angeles. Frieri pitched in relatively few high-leverage situations in San Diego, though the Padres' deep bullpens of recent years didn't necessarily require Frieri to be used in a larger role.
In Amarista and Roach, the Padres pick up two young players ranked by MLB.com as the 12th and 16th-best prospects, respectively, in the Angels' system. Amarista has a .313/.370/.441 career slash line in six minor league seasons, including a .776 OPS at the Triple-A level. The 23-year-old second baseman helps fill the Padres' big organizational need for middle infielders, though Amarista also has experience at third, shortstop and the corner outfield positions. Amarista was probably expendable in Anaheim given the long-term deals recently given to Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick, not to mention highly-touted prospect Jean Segura, who MLB.com ranked as the Angels' second-best prospect (behind only Mike Trout).
Roach, 22, was taken by the Angels in the third round of the 2010 amateur draft. The right-hander's numbers have gotten progressively better over his three minor league seasons, and Roach has a 2.16 ERA and a 9.67 K/BB ratio in six starts at high A-ball in 2012.
This is the first trade between Angels GM Jerry Dipoto and Padres GM Josh Byrnes. Dipoto worked under Byrnes in Arizona and took over as the Diamondbacks' interim GM when Byrnes was fired as the Snakes' general manager in July 2010.
Minor Moves: Larish, Brown, Bay
The latest minor moves from around MLB…
- The Red Sox signed first baseman Jeff Larish, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. Larish, 29, has a .224/.308/.380 line in 276 MLB plate appearances with the Tigers and A's to go along with 112 minor league home runs.
- The Brewers signed outfielder Jordan Brown, Eddy tweets. Brown, 28, appeared in the Major Leagues with the 2010 Indians. He has a .305/.364/.467 line in parts of eight minor league seasons.
- The Padres signed free agent right-hander Ronald Bay yesterday, according to the transactions page at MLB.com. Bay, 28, has nine seasons of minor league experience with the Cubs, Indians, Rangers and Angels organizations. He has a 4.00 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 1139 total innings, mostly as a starter.