Olney On Perez, Thornton, Inge, Mets
Most general managers prefer not to rush trades for bullpen help early in the season because relievers are so volatile, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Olney takes a look at some relievers off to hot starts in his latest Insider-only column. Here are some highlights:
- Blue Jays left-hander Luis Perez has impressed an AL executive after striking out 14 in 12 2/3 scoreless innings to start the season. "He could be a starting pitcher, but to me, he's as good a left-handed reliever as there is in the American League right now," the person said.
- Olney points out that left-hander Matt Thornton is pitching well and notes that the White Sox tried to trade him at last year’s trade deadline and again over the winter.
- MLB executives have told Olney that they aren’t interested in acquiring Brandon Inge because he doesn’t contribute at the plate anymore.
- Olney wonders when the Mets will be able to spend like a large market team and says manager Terry Collins “has done a terrific job” with the current roster.
Trade Candidate: Jake Peavy
After going 79-83 and finishing 16 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central last season, the White Sox focused their offseason on acquiring younger, cost-controlled players through trades. Sergio Santos and Carlos Quentin were dealt away this winter, prompting GM Kenny Williams to use the word "rebuilding" in December. Assuming their 10-7 start to this season isn't a deterrent, another player who could be on the move this summer is Jake Peavy.
Peavy, 31 next month, has been one of the very best pitchers in all of baseball in the early going this season. He threw a complete game shutout against the Athletics two days ago, lowering his season ERA to 1.88 in four starts. Peavy has struck out 26 and walked just four in 28 2/3 innings, allowing just one home run. This level of performance isn't surprising when you're talking about a former Cy Young Award winner, but it is surprising given the last three seasons of Peavy's career.
Injuries have limited the right-hander to no more than 18 starts in each of the last three seasons, and in fact Peavy was on the disabled list with an ankle injury when the White Sox acquired him from the Padres at the 2009 trade deadline. Last season he was sidelined by rotator cuff tendinitis and then a groin strain, though the most significant injury was a detached lat muscle in 2010. The injury was very unique and required surgery, though he's obviously recovered well.
The White Sox owe Peavy $17MM this season and are likely to pay him a $4MM buyout rather than exercise his $22MM club option for 2013. A sub-2.00 ERA probably isn't sustainable, but if Peavy shows that he can remain effective over the next two months, Williams could be in possession of the best available starting pitcher on the trade market at the deadline. Starting pitching is always in demand, and Peavy's limited no-trade clause – he can block trades to eight teams this year – figures to be nothing more than a minor obstacle.
Peavy's recent injury history and the fact that his new team will be unable to collect free agent draft pick compensation after the season (thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement) could limit the asking price, but division races have a way of making the market unpredictable. The injury-prone Erik Bedard fetched a top ten prospect (Trayvon Robinson) and a secondary piece (Chih-Hsien Chiang) at last year's deadline, and that deal could serve as a comparison for a potential Peavy package. If Peavy continues to pitch well into June and July, Williams could decide to cash him in as a trade chip rather than risk another injury or the possibility of him leaving as a free agent after the season.
Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
AL Central Notes: Royals, Tigers, Humber
Adam Dunn (.916 OPS) and Alex Rios (.934 OPS) are off to strong starts for the 10-6 White Sox. If Dunn and Rios keep this up, their team may be much more interesting than most pundits expected. Here are the latest links from the AL Central…
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star takes a long look at the Royals and points out that their abundance of minor league talent hasn't yet translated into a compelling on-field product. The Royals "deserve every bit of venom you can muster for a franchise that’s been a ubiquitous letdown for most of the last two decades," Mellinger writes. The team is in the midst of an 11-game losing streak and has started to pull back some of its "Our Time" marketing. “We’ve got to win games," GM Dayton Moore said. "Because we can’t lose our fans for the summer.”
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs suggests the Royals resemble a .500 team much more than it seems at first glance.
- The Tigers announced that they have transferred right-hander Al Alburquerque to the 60-day DL. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Detroit.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com points out that Philip Humber, author of the 21st perfect game in MLB history, is in many ways every general manager's dream. The White Sox didn't have to pay for the right-hander's signing bonus or wait for him to recover from Tommy John surgery, but they’ve developed him into a valuable MLB starter. White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper told Verducci that he and Humber kept things relatively simple. "What we tried to do was tap into his best asset: his stuff," Cooper said.
- Cameron explained Humber’s evolution as a pitcher at FanGraphs yesterday. The 29-year-old has been using his slider effectively and his fastball velocity is up.
Rosenthal On Halladay, Royals, Wandy
Roy Halladay is pitching differently this year, according to pitch f/x data and team officials who spoke to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Though Halladay remains effective, he’s relying on different weapons than the ones he used in the past. Here are Rosenthal’s latest rumors:
- The Royals have lost ten consecutive games, but GM Dayton Moore says it’s not always bad to scuffle. “I’m not shocked that we’re struggling out of the gate,” Moore told Rosenthal. “Although you expect good things to happen, we’re very young.” Rosenthal cites a scout who was “decidedly unimpressed” by the Royals’ play this weekend.
- Rosenthal suggests the Padres might be inclined to trade Carlos Quentin if he hits well once he returns from knee surgery in May. Rosenthal wonders if the Padres might look to sign Quentin to a two-year deal in the $18-20MM range if he has a decent season.
- Many teams are intimidated by Wandy Rodriguez’s contract, Rosenthal reports. The left-hander earns $10MM in 2012 and $13MM in 2013. The Astros hold a $13MM club option for 2014, but it becomes a player option if they trade him.
- Some executives were surprised the Reds committed $72.5MM to Brandon Phillips when some of their best prospects (Billy Hamilton and Didi Gregorius) are middle infielders.
- Adam Dunn looks more comfortable at the plate this year, one scout says.
Quick Hits: Rays, Inge, Red Sox, Indians
On this day in 1997, the Yankees traded Ruben Rivera, Rafael Medina, and $3MM to the Padres for players to be named later, Homer Bush, and minor leaguer Gordon Amerson. A little more than a month later, the Padres later sent Hideki Irabu to the Yankees as one of the PTBNLs to complete the deal. Here's a look at today's links..
- It looks like the Rays will need to go out and find help behind the plate, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Even though Tampa Bay appears to be in browsing mode at the moment, big name catchers such as A.J. Pierzynski, Geovany Soto, and Kurt Suzuki could all be available. Lower tier possibilities include Miguel Olivo, Chris Snyder, George Kottaras, and Bobby Wilson.
- As Brandon Inge continues to take more and more criticism, Terry Foster of The Detroit News thinks that it's time for the Tigers to let him go. Inge is making $5.5MM this season and can be bought out of his $6MM option in 2013 for $500K.
- The only former Rangers teammate that pitcher Vicente Padilla has had a real problem with is new teammate Marlon Byrd, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (Twitter links). The pitcher, now with the Red Sox, was released by Texas in 2009 for behavior that was seen as a distraction to the clubhouse.
- The Indians need to do a better job of building through the draft, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
Cafardo On Peavy, White Sox, Twins, Liriano, Rays
The Red Sox are struggling early on in the season, but no one in the American League East seems to be off to a hot start, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. However, as one American League GM said, "I will never comment on any team or even my own based on April. You just don’t get a fair assessment. You may get a snapshot of what you may be short on, or what you may have overevaluated. But even then, you have to be careful about making hasty decisions in April because there’s a long way to go." Here's more from Cafardo..
- White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy is back on some teams’ radars as a midseason acquisition after a strong start to the year. Scouts have been impressed with Peavy’s overall stuff and the fact that he is notching strikeouts and throwing 92-93 m.p.h. Peavy, 30, earns $17MM this season and the White Sox would likely have to take on a portion of what’s remaining if he’s dealt. However, he has a partial no-trade to eight teams and the White Sox may not part with him if they're still relevant in July.
- The Twins had some bites on Francisco Liriano this winter but didn’t pull the trigger. Because Minnesota probably won’t re-sign him, they're hoping to land a prospect or two for him at the trade deadline. He'll have to pitch better for that to happen, however.
- If the Rays pitching is clicking as expected, Wade Davis will be trade bait at some point this season. So far though, in his current role as long man, scouts love what they see.
A longtime National League scout who has been keeping an eye on the Rays this season says that the club could use another bullpen piece. - There has been some questioning of Blue Jays manager John Farrell’s pitching moves at times, according to a major league source.
- Cafardo asked Pedro Martinez whether he could pitch right now and he responded, "Not right now. I would need about 20 days."
- Cafardo is surprised that Ivan Rodriguez is retiring and one National League GM said that the veteran, "is probably better defensively right now than 75 percent of the catchers in the league."
Rosenthal On Oswalt, Cardinals, White Sox, Rays
Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- Teams are again reaching out to Roy Oswalt, including the Red Sox and Cardinals. The Red Sox's needs are obvious and the Cardinals' needs can grow depending on whether Chris Carpenter returns and if they decide to move Lance Lynn back to the bullpen. Oswalt, according to a source, is throwing bullpen sessions every other day.
- The White Sox might look at the trade deadline differently than they have in the past. The extra wild card could dissuade them from moving veterans but the new CBA could make them more inclined to trade potential free agents such as A.J. Pierzynski. It's extremely doubtful that they would extend the qualifying offer to the catcher in order to receive draft pick compensation as it could cost them $12MM. The Rays and Dodgers could both be potential landing spots for the veteran.
- The Rays spent the entire winter trying to upgrade their catching situation and it remains a work in progress. However, Tampa Bay was able to win 91 games without major production from the position last year and the club believes that they are better all-around than in 2011.
Minor Moves: Fossum, Johnson, Wells, Buschmann
We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here…
- The Orioles released left-hander Casey Fossum and catcher Josh Johnson, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. Both players were at Baltimore's extended Spring Training camp on minor league contracts.
- The White Sox have parted ways with Kip Wells, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The White Sox had signed the right-hander to a minor league deal ten days ago.
- The Rays acquired right-hander Matt Buschmann from the Nationals for cash and assigned their new acquisition to Double-A, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 28-year-old posted a 6.16 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 134 1/3 innings with the Padres' top affiliates last year. Buschmann has started 116 minor league games in six pro seasons.
Rosenthal On White Sox, Mets, Reds
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports had his doubts about rookie managers Robin Ventura and Mike Matheny heading into the season, but both appear to be doing well so far. Here are more of Rosenthal’s notes from around the league…
- An unnamed rival executive says former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was an “inefficiency” who prevented his team from reaching its full potential in Chicago.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams likes that his team has pitched well and played solid fundamental baseball, Rosenthal reports. Williams prefers not to comment on Guillen, who managed the White Sox from 2004-11.
- GM Sandy Alderson suggests the Mets’ 6-3 start is an indication that the Mets’ cautious optimism was warranted earlier this spring. “We’re hoping with what happened over the first 10 days or so, people will begin to see the potential of this team differently,” Alderson said.
- Rival executives aren’t sure how the Reds will manage their payroll now that Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto have lucrative long-term extensions.
Central Notes: White Sox, Twins, Carroll, Brewers
Things are looking good on the South Side of Chicago as the White Sox find themselves on a three-game winning streak. They'll look to make it four straight tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Tigers at home. More on the White Sox and other items out of the Central divisions..
- White Sox GM Ken Williams termed the club's quiet hot stove season as "boring," writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com. "At the same time we were confident in our young players," the GM said. "We were still feeling around that veteran deal, something that could bring it all together. It was just different. Not as active. My phone bill was lower."
- Some were skeptical this offseason when the Twins gave 38-year-old Jamey Carroll a two-year deal to be their everyday shortstop. Rob Neyer of SBNation looked at other players who went from utility roles to starting jobs so late in their career and was unable to find a true comparable. Carroll's contract guarantees him $6.75MM with a third year vesting option worth $2MM if he gets to 400 plate appearances in 2013.
- The Brewers reinstated right-hander Mark Rogers from the restricted list, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Milwaukee will assign the 26-year-old to Triple-A.