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Giants Notes: Mejia, Belt, Sabean

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The latest on the Giants as they take on the rival Dodgers for the last time this spring…

  • The Giants agreed to sign Dominican left-hander Adalberto Mejia for $350K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 6'3" pitcher has a loose arm and can reach 92 with his fastball. 
  • As Badler points out, the Giants are spending more aggressively on the international market than they did in 2010; they signed Dominican right-hander Simon Mercedes earlier this month.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests that Giants prospect Brandon Belt is too good to be denied a major league job.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he is prepared to open the season with Belt on the roster if he believes that will make the team better. "I think we're all more open-minded now because he's played a lot, and because of that, has faced front-line pitching," Sabean said.

Quick Hits: Peavy, Kontos, Rowand, Reyes

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Some links to round out this Monday evening..

Quick Hits: Rangers, Bumgarner, Crawford, Stanton

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Links for Friday, as teams continue trimming their rosters down…

  • Chuck Greenberg will no longer be part of the Rangers organization, but he leaves with $20-25MM in profit, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter)
  • The Giants renewed Madison Bumgarner's contract for 2011, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). That means the sides did not agree to terms on a deal, but it doesn't change the timetable for Bumgarner's arbitration or free agency.
  • As Alex Speier of WEEI.com explains, the only two outfielders ever to sign free agent contracts with an average annual value of $20MM have opposite styles of play. The Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez for his power, and they signed Carl Crawford for his overall offensive output, baserunning and defense.
  • Marlins outfielder Mike Stanton has a creative approach to addressing weaknesses in his swing, as Yahoo's Steve Henson explains.
  • Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post offers up a must-read profile of Nationals phenom Bryce Harper.

Two Ways Of Building An Elite Rotation

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The Giants wouldn't have won last year's World Series without their formidable rotation, but manager Bruce Bochy said last month that Philadelphia – the team San Francisco defeated in the 2010 NLCS – has "the best staff in baseball." Whether you believe the best starting staff in the game belongs to the Phillies, the Giants or someone else, this much is certain: the last two NL Championship teams have built their rotations in noticeably different ways.

Giants GM Brian Sabean has relied primarily on the draft to build his rotation. He spent big ($126MM over seven years) on Barry Zito, but the rest of the team’s rotation is homegrown. About six months before Sabean signed Zito, he drafted Tim Lincecum tenth overall in the 2006 draft. The next year, the Giants made Madison Bumgarner their first round selection (tenth overall). Lincecum, Bumgarner and Zito join two other Giants draftees, Matt Cain (first round, 2002) and Jonathan Sanchez (27th round, 2004) in Bochy's rotation.

Bochy's counterpart, Charlie Manuel, will trot out an equally impressive rotation in 2011, but his starters arrived in Philadelphia because of GM Ruben Amaro Jr.'s knack for acquiring big-name starters in trades. Pat Gillick traded for Joe Blanton in 2008, before Amaro took over the Phillies and the new GM has picked up where his predecessor left off, acquiring Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt in a series of blockbusters.

The Phillies had to bid for Lee on the open market to lure him back to Philadelphia, but the initial swap was crucial for the Phillies, who signed Lee for less than the Yankees or Rangers were offering. Amaro isn't all about trades, though – Cole Hamels fills out the team's rotation and Kyle Kendrick, another Philadelphia draft pick, provides the club with depth. 

I am not suggesting that the Phillies are all about trading or that the Giants are all about drafting. The Phillies used nine of their first 12 draft picks on pitchers last year, so they clearly see the value in drafting arms, even if they often seem to trade them away before long (they have dealt J.A. Happ, Gavin Floyd, Kyle Drabek and others for more established pitchers in recent years). Similarly, the Giants would no doubt consider acquiring starting pitching through trades or free agency. But for one year at least, baseball's two most impressive rotations have wildly different origins.

Who Could Be Released This Month?

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With certain contracts, there comes a time when a team would prefer to pay the player to go away and free up a roster spot.  For example, two years ago the Tigers ate $14MM in releasing Gary Sheffield and the Phillies assumed $8MM to let Geoff Jenkins go.  Here's a look at some big money players who I think stand a chance of being cut this month.

  • Oliver Perez, Mets: one year, $12MM.  A team insider told ESPN's Adam Rubin three days ago that Perez is highly likely to be released.  Today Perez allowed three runs in the first inning of a split-squad game and followed that with a couple of scoreless frames.
  • Luis Castillo, Mets: one year, $6MM.  Rubin wrote that Castillo "appears destined for the same fate" as Perez, despite the team's unsettled second base situation.
  • Carlos Silva, Cubs: one year, $13.5MM.  The Cubs are only on the hook for $8MM to Silva this year, as they're receiving $5.5MM from Seattle.  The Cubs' last two rotation spots are too early to call, but if Silva continues to pitch poorly in his next few outings and isn't amenable to long relief, the Cubs might have to let him go.
  • Armando Galarraga, Diamondbacks: one year, $2.3MM.  The D'Backs would only be on the hook for roughly $380K if they release Galarraga by the 15th, whereas Zach Duke's salary is guaranteed.  If Aaron Heilman or Barry Enright makes the rotation, Galarraga or Duke would have to slide to the bullpen or be released.
  • Barry Zito, Giants: three years, $64.5MM.  Most teams would be thrilled with a low 4.00s ERA from their fifth starter, so the idea of releasing Zito was strange from the start.
  • Aaron Rowand, Giants: two years, $24MM.  The Giants have a crowded outfield, and cutting Rowand makes sense.  They've also got Nate Schierholtz, who is out of options.
  • Milton Bradley, Mariners: one year, $12MM.  Bradley's legal issues aside, Spring Training seems to be going well enough for him.  He's even playing center field today.  This one is hard to call right now.
  • Danys Baez, Phillies: one year, $2.75MM.  Baez had a rough first year for the Phillies, but he can probably squeeze his way onto the Opening Day roster.
  • Ryan Doumit, Pirates: one year, $5.6MM.  Doumit isn't generating much trade interest, but releasing him would be a last resort and probably won't be necessary prior to Opening Day.

Quick Hits: Choice, Royals, Feliz, Posey, Lawrie

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If you're a fan of top prospects and rookies, then this Quick Hits post is for you. Here are today's links…

  • Oakland's 2010 first rounder, Michael Choice, is wowing scouts in Arizona, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Peter Gammons of MLB Network hears from a trusted scout that Choice has the bat speed, strength and athleticism to become a "monster" (Twitter link). Baseball America ranked the 21-year-old third among Oakland's prospects heading into the season.
  • One GM says the Royals are so deep in talent that they can still be in it in 2013 if a couple of their top prospects miss, according to Gammons (on Twitter).
  • Neftali Feliz has said he's most comfortable closing games, but Rangers GM Jon Daniels says he'll continue stretching the 2010 AL Rookie of the Year out to see if he can make it as a starter, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram (on Twitter).
  • The Giants and last year's NL Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, agreed to a one-year deal, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  He tweets that the deal is worth $575K.  That's about $150K more than the Giants had to give him.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos tells Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi that Brett Lawrie has looked “very good.” The Blue Jays, who acquired Lawrie for Shaun Marcum over the winter, like the infielder’s work ethic, tools and drive.

Olney On Zito, Brown, Jeter, Reyes

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As ESPN.com's Buster Olney points out, the Giants would have to have a legitimate alternative in place before dumping Barry Zito and the $64.5MM remaining on his salary. If Jeff Suppan earns a rotation spot or someone else pitches unexpectedly well, the Giants could consider releasing Zito, but until then they can use the durable left-hander. Here's more on the Giants and other notes from Olney:

  • Olney says now is the time for the Giants to dump Zito if they're ever going to do it. The Giants are coming off of a World Series title, so Olney argues that they're working from a position of credibility. They aren't likely to cut Zito, however.
  • As Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes, manager Bruce Bochy says Zito is the team's fourth starter and GM Brian Sabean says the team isn't frustrated with him.
  • One talent evaluator says "the athleticism has been taken out" of Domonic Brown's swing.
  • Derek Jeter's relationship with the Yankees will be defined by the team's perception of what's required to win, writes Olney. The team will likely be willing to put Jeter at the bottom of the order or switch him to another position if his performance declines. 
  • It's for that reason that Jose Reyes could become a solution for the Yankees when he hits free agency after the season.

NL West Notes: Zito, Byrnes, Kershaw, Roberts

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There's a lot going on in Giants camp and their division rivals are making headlines, too. Here's the latest…

  • Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote today that Barry Zito is "walking a thin line" within the organization and that there's "exasperation" with Zito. Jenkins reported that Zito doesn't have a guaranteed rotation spot and wrote that Zito would not be wearing a Giants uniform by 2013, the last guaranteed year on his contract.
  • As Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports, Zito was stunned by the report. Giants manager Bruce Bochy told the left-hander that the Chronicle report was the first he'd heard of the team's frustration. Zito walked five of the 13 hitters he faced in his spring debut.
  • Ever gone on vacation only to keep checking out what's going on around MLB? I certainly have and, as MLB.com's Corey Brock explains in this must-read piece, so has Padres executive Josh Byrnes.
  • The Dodgers agreed to terms with Clayton Kershaw on a one-year, $500K deal, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. That's more than usual for a pre-arbitration eligible player, but the 22-year-old has a 3.17 ERA and 9.3 K/9 in 483 innings of work, so he's not your average pre-arb player.
  • D'Backs GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that he has been most impressed with utility player Ryan Roberts this spring (Twitter link).

Cody Ross Hopes For Long-Term Deal With Giants

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Cody Ross and his agent approached the Giants on the very first day of Spring Training to discuss a contract extension, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.  Ross is eager to sign a multiyear deal with the club, even if it means possibly passing up a free agent contract elsewhere next winter.

"I've let them know that's what I want," Ross said. "Free agency would be cool to experience, but I know what this team is about and where it's going. We have a great thing here, and I want to stay."

It's not surprising that Ross would want to remain in San Francisco, both for the long-term stability and due to his performance since joining the team.  The Marlins let Ross go to the Giants on a waiver claim in August, and Ross posted an .819 OPS in 82 plate appearances down the stretch.  The outfielder then exploded in the postseason, hitting .294/.390/.686 with five home runs and capturing the NLCS MVP award as the Giants went on to win the World Series.

Ross obviously has no regrets with how things turned out last summer, though he admitted to being upset over being let go by Florida.

"It's almost like a slap in the face," Ross said. "I was willing to sign an extension there even though it's not the greatest place to play. They were building a nucleus for when their new stadium opened. I was comfortable there and liked it. You pour your heart and soul out for an organization for 4 1/2 years, and all of a sudden they're like, 'See ya.' "

Ross, arbitration-eligible for the last time this winter, signed a one-year, $6.3MM deal for 2011 and will be a free agent next winter.  As Baggarly points out, San Francisco's outfield depth and Ross' average career numbers (a .788 OPS in seven Major League seasons) will likely mean that the club will wait for the offseason to discuss a possible extension, though Giants VP Bobby Evans told Ross' agent that they will continue negotiations later in the spring. 

It wouldn't be the first time the Giants have given a multiyear deal to a veteran, but given the club's spotty-at-best track record with these contracts, it's best for the champs to wait to see how Ross performs in 2011 before locking him up.  Baggarly notes that San Francisco's claim for Ross was made primarily to prevent him from going to the Padres, so it's not like the Giants acquired Ross with the intent on making him a long-term answer in right field.  (In a separate item, Baggarly notes that San Diego actually didn't put in a claim of their own for Ross.)

Quick Hits: Rowand, Cabrera, Simon, Loans

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Here are some items of note for Friday night, including an interesting question posed by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com on the Mets' and Dodgers' messy financial situations:

  • Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand will be under a lot of scrutiny this spring, writes Chris Haft of MLB.com, as he looks to be the odd man out in San Francisco's crowded outfield. It won't be easy to flip him though, Haft notes, because two years and $24MM remain on his contract, and he's coming off a down year in 2010. If the Giants do move Rowand, according to Haft, their trade partner will probably ask them to eat some salary or take on a similar financial commitment in return.
  • Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera made his on-field debut at Spring Training on Friday, writes Jason Beck of MLB.com. His arrival, of course, was delayed by last week's arrest for allegedly driving under the influence and resisting arrest. Cabrera is facing the proverbial two-strike count with respect to his off-field travails, writes Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports: If Cabrera slips up again, he will likely face serious repercussions from Major League Baseball.
  • Orioles right-hander Alfredo Simon is no longer facing a civil suit after he was a suspect in a fatal shooting in his native Dominican Republic on New Year's Eve, but, per a Santo Domingo prosecutor, an investigation is ongoing and Simon has been denied bail, according to the Baltimore Sun. Prosecutors have till April 9 to file formal charges that could lead to a trial.
  • The Mets' $25MM loan from MLB may be the most damning indication of their financial woes, says Rosenthal in an audio clip. Rosenthal also finds it curious that MLB loaned the cash to the Mets but denied the Dodgers' request to borrow $200MM from FOX, as was reported by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. "It's a simple question of fairness," says Rosenthal.
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