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Cafardo On Morales, Pirates, Buehrle, Hanrahan

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In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that Jarrod Saltalamacchia is over his breakup with the Red Sox and now thriving in his new environment with the Marlins.  The catcher is not only hitting well, but overseeing one of the most talented young pitching staffs in baseball. “It’s been fun being back home and just being a part of this team and watching us grow together,” Saltalamacchia said. “I think last year the guys were saying here that we really weren’t a team and now it seems we’re coming together. We have each other’s back. We look out for each other. We win together and we lose together. We know what we have to do to get better as a team.”  More from today’s column..

  • Ike Davis’ play since his trade from the Mets (.205/.279/.333 in 43 plate appearances) has not deterred the Pirates from trying to acquire a first baseman. However, the Pirates still don’t believe Kendrys Morales is the answer, believing he wouldn’t hold up playing every day and that he should be a DH.
  • Scouts are already indicating the Blue Jays will be a major team to pay attention to at the trading deadline. If they start fading, scouts view Mark Buehrle as a top target of contending teams. There’s also Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion to consider, but Buehrle, given his ability to pitch in either league at a high level and to work quickly and effectively, will be valued.
  • It appears Joel Hanrahan, the newest member of the Tigers, will need about a month to get back into playing mode.  Both Hanrahan and GM Dave Dombrowski declined to give a timetable on Friday’s conference call.
  • Mark Mulder, 36, is out of his boot and continues to rehab his torn Achilles tendon.  He says he’d “absolutely” get back out on the field if he heals properly from his injury, but he also has a long way to go before he knows that he’ll get there.  Mulder signed with the Angels after a six-year layoff but saw his comeback bid cut short by the injury.

Quick Hits: Towers, Cron, Johnson, Tigers

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Kevin Towers of the Diamondbacks isn’t sure whether he’ll still have his job when his team turns its fortunes around, Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com writes. “When you spend $110 million and you’re 9-22 at the end of April, I wouldn’t be happy, either,” says Towers. “I’m also disappointed, but I still believe in the core group. I think they will get better. Will I be around to see it? I don’t know.” Towers also says the team’s poor start must have managing partner Ken Kendrick wondering if the Diamondbacks have the right GM and manager in place. Here’s more from around the big leagues.

  • The Angels have promoted first baseman C.J. Cron, who is in their lineup tonight as their DH, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook 2014 rated Cron the Angels’ second-best prospect. The 2011 first-round pick got off to a great start this season for Triple-A Salt Lake, hitting .319/.369/.602 in his first 122 plate appearances there.
  • The Braves feel like they’re getting a good deal in third baseman Chris Johnson’s recent three-year extension, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes. “He was looking for stability and we were looking to have a solid player at a tough position to man,” says GM Frank Wren. “When this contract is over, he’s 32. We all feel like that is when they’re in their prime. So it was another example of tying up a player long term, but not extending beyond their prime.” Johnson will earn $4.75MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility this season, and the $23MM deal buys out Johnson’s last two years of arbitration eligibility, plus one year of free agency, with a reasonable option for a second.
  • The Tigers aren’t yet sure what they’ll do to address their shortstop position, reports MLB.com’s Jason Beck. “We really haven’t approached those specific topics yet,” says GM Dave Dombrowski. Beck suggests that reinforces the perception that it’s unlikely the Tigers will sign free agent Stephen Drew before the draft in early June.

MLBTR Seeking Part-Time Writing Help

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We’re looking to add to the MLB Trade Rumors writing team. The position pays on an hourly basis. The criteria:

  • Exceptional knowledge of all 30 baseball teams, no discernible bias. Knowledge of hot stove concepts like arbitration, draft pick compensation for free agents and international/draft spending limitations.
  • Availability to regularly work a 5pm-12am CDT shift every Saturday is required. Sunday morning availability is a plus as well, and weeknight shifts may also become available.
  • A high school degree is required, and further education is preferred. Please include your highest completed level of education in your application.
  • Writing experience is necessary, and online writing experience is preferred.
  • Attention to detail and ability to follow the MLBTR style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news quickly and concisely.
  • Ability to use Twitter, Tweetdeck, and an RSS feed reader such as Feedly. In general, you must be able to multi-task.
  • If you’re interested, email mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and explain how you stand out in a couple of short paragraphs.  Please attach your resume to the email.  Hundreds will apply, so we cannot respond to most applications.

Lastly, in your application, please include the answer to this preliminary question: Which player(s) from the following list — A.J. Burnett, Scott Feldman, Matt Garza, Scott Kazmir, James Loney, Joe Nathan and Jarrod Saltalamacchia — did not meet the criteria to be eligible for a qualifying offer last October?

Quick Hits: Drew, Orioles, Samardzija, Rockies

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No one is crying for Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales, who turned down $14.1MM and remain unemployed, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post thinks its unfortunate that they have been subjected to the qualifying offer system.  In Sherman’s view, players already have too little control over their careers.  On top of that, accepting a one-year, $14.1MM deal isn’t as much of a slam dunk as it seems.  If a player doesn’t like where he is playing, or get along with his manager, or finds that the home ballpark is problematic to his game, he should have the opportunity to scope out the open market and look elsewhere without being hindered by the tag.  Here’s more from around baseball..

  • Will the Orioles go out-of-house for a first baseman?  Manager Buck Showalter doesn’t seem to think such a move is imminent.  “There are other people, but nobody yet that we like better than the options we have in-house, yet,” said the skipper, according to Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com (on Twitter).
  • Brewers pitcher Matt Garza offered up some advice for former teammate Jeff Samardzija, who is expected to be shopped by the Cubs this summer. “All I can tell him is keep pitching; pitch your way out of it,” said Garza, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Keep your eyes focused, your eyes straight ahead and just pitch. There’s nothing else you can do.”
  • The Dexter Fowler trade is reaping early rewards for the Rockies, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.  Many wondered how the Rockies would replace Fowler’s leadoff bat and outfield glove, but Jordan Lyles’ early pitching and Brandon Barnes’ high-energy have made Colorado look wise so far.  On top of that, the salary savings from moving Fowler to the Astros allowed the Rockies to sign Justin Morneau, who has also looked strong through the season’s opening month.
  • Months after he agreed to a four-year, $60MM deal, Curtis Granderson and the Mets finally started to find some magic together this week, writes Barry Federovitch of the Star-Ledger.

NL Notes: Johnson, Ishikawa, Garza

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Padres pitcher Josh Johnson had Tommy John surgery Thursday, MLB.com’s Corey Brock notes. The surgery marks the end of another lost year for Johnson, who the Padres signed to an $8MM deal over the offseason. Because Johnson will start fewer than seven games this year, the Padres will have a $4MM option on him for 2015. It’s not yet clear whether they’ll exercise it, however. “We still have a lot of hurdles to clear before we make a decision on that,” says assistant GM A.J. Hinch. Here are more notes from the National League.

  • After being designated for assignment by the Pirates, Travis Ishikawa became a free agent and signed with the Giants, who sent him to Triple-A Fresno. That’s an assignment with which Ishikawa is familiar, Bryant-Jon Anteola of the Fresno Bee reports. Ishikawa also played for Fresno in the 2008 and 2011 seasons. Ishikawa is, of course, aiming higher than Triple-A, however. “When I was looking around, the Giants made contact, and I noticed there wasn’t a lot of left-handed hitting on the bench up there,” he says. “Figured this was a good chance to get back up there and try to repeat what I was able to do before with the Giants.”
    Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/04/25/3896134/ishikawa-lands-back-with-grizzlies.html#storylink=cpy
  • Matt Garza, now with the Brewers, “[ran] out of hope” when he was with the Cubs, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. “You go through three years of constantly hoping (with the Cubs), you kind of run out of hope,” he says. “You come to a team like this [the Brewers] where every day we’re going to win. We’re not going out to hope to win. We’re going out with the attitude we’re going to win.” Garza, who signed a $50MM contract with Milwaukee in the offseason, defeated his former team on Friday.

Week In Review: 4/20/14 – 4/26/14

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Here’s a look back at this week at MLBTR.

Trades

Retired

Claimed

Designated for assignment

Outrighted

Released

Key Minor-League Signings

Hardest-Throwing 2015 Free Agents

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“Why do you guys care about velo such much, man?” Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon asked reporters last week.  Fastball velocity continues to hold great appeal to fans, reporters, and baseball executives, especially with so much data readily available.  Beyond the pure excitement of watching Yordano Ventura or Stephen Strasburg pitch, fastball velocity is often an indicator of success.  With that in mind, here’s a look at the currently velocity leaders among those eligible for free agency after this season.

Relievers

  1. Kyle Farnsworth – 94.2
  2. Andrew Miller – 94.2
  3. David Robertson – 94.2
  4. Chris Perez – 93.8
  5. Joba Chamberlain – 93.8
  6. Matt Albers – 93.8 (club option)
  7. Carlos Marmol – 93.6
  8. Jim Johnson – 93.4
  9. Matt Lindstrom – 93.2
  10. Brian Wilson – 92.6 (player option)

Starters

  1. Brandon Morrow – 93.5 (club option)
  2. Felipe Paulino – 93.0 (club option)
  3. Johnny Cueto – 92.9 (club option)
  4. Ervin Santana – 92.4
  5. Dustin McGowan – 92.3 (club option)
  6. Jason Hammel – 92.1
  7. Jorge de la Rosa – 92.1
  8. Josh Beckett – 91.9
  9. James Shields – 91.8
  10. Francisco Liriano – 91.8

Note that the game’s hardest throwers are generally not available in free agency, as they’re also among the younger pitchers.  Farnsworth, 38, is the hardest-throwing free agent but ranks 43rd overall among all pitchers.

Top Young Position Players Without Extensions

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Last year, 56 position players with less than six years of Major League service time were worth at least 2.5 wins above replacement.  Of those, 21 have contract extensions that bought out or gave a club option on at least one free agent year.  That comes to 37.5%.  As popular as extensions are for above-average young position players, 62.5% of our sample has not delayed free agency.  Let’s take a closer look.

Of the 35 players who do not have an extension, eight are represented by the Boras Corporation, including Chris Davis, Bryce Harper, Desmond Jennings, Eric Hosmer, and Pedro Alvarez.  Boras tends to encourage his players to go year-to-year and reach free agency as early as possible.  What about the other 27 players?

  • Josh Donaldson, Athletics:  Certainly players can and do sign long-term deals after just one elite season, which is what Donaldson has under his belt.  Last year was also Donaldson’s first full season as a regular, which at age 27 makes him a late bloomer in this group.  One other factor is that he changed agencies within the last few months.  Donaldson is off to a torrid start in 2014, increasing his price tag if he decides to do a deal after the season.
  • Manny Machado, Orioles.  2014 was also Machado’s first full season as a regular, at age 20.  He suffered a torn knee ligament in September that required major surgery (his minor league rehab assignment began tonight), so it made sense to wait on exploring a deal.
  • Ian Desmond, Nationals.  During the offseason, the Nationals proposed a multiyear deal to Desmond believed to be worth around $90MM, reported Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Instead, a two-year deal was reached that did not affect Desmond’s path toward free agency.  One of Desmond’s agents, Doug Rogalski, told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that talks with the Nationals have been amicable.  Elvis Andrus’ eight-year, $120MM deal a year ago will be a factor in discussions.
  • Colby Rasmus, Blue Jays.  Rasmus posted a 4.8 win season in 2013, but had been worth only 1.6 wins in the previous two seasons.  He’s had a couple of agency changes along the way, and is now months from becoming a free agent at age 28.
  • Gerardo Parra, Diamondbacks.  Parra generates much of his value defensively, and has a pair of Gold Gloves to prove it.  Defensive-minded players have started to see the dollars more, but offense still earns the big bucks in arbitration and free agency.
  • Jason Castro, Astros.  The Astros have acknowledged some level of discussion involving a Castro extension, but it hasn’t happened yet.  There’s no indication as to how large of a gap the two sides face.
  • Brandon Belt, Giants.  Belt posted a very strong 2013, but he’s scorching in 2014 with seven home runs in 92 plate appearances.  In February, Belt described talks with the Giants as “preliminary.”  The price has probably gone up since then.
  • A.J. Pollock, Diamondbacks.  Pollock owed much of his value last year to defense, and with one year of service under his belt there’s no reason to rush to lock him up.
  • Jed Lowrie, Athletics.  2013 was Lowrie’s first full, healthy season, and now he’s in his contract year.  The 30-year-old will be well-compensated if he posts another healthy campaign, more so if his stellar 2014 walk rate holds up to some degree.
  • Chase Headley, Padres.  Headley is also in his contract year.  He had an MVP-caliber 2012 season, and while 2013 was good, it was a more defense-minded campaign.  Headley has had extension talks with the Padres for years, but he appears headed to free agency.
  • Kyle Seager, Mariners.  Seager has posted two strong seasons for the Mariners, but it’s possible a gap in perceived value exists due to his pronounced home/road splits.
  • Craig Gentry, Athletics.  Gentry has generated a lot of value defensively and has been something short of a regular, so he remains year-to-year.
  • Jason Heyward, Braves.  Like Desmond, Heyward signed a two-year deal that did not delay free agency.  He was elite by WAR in 2012, but a top-five MVP finish always seem possible for the 24-year-old, and he hasn’t gotten there yet.
  • Jean Segura, Brewers.  Segura’s breakout 2013 season led to extension talks, but agent Joe Klein told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, “With a guy this young, it’s hard to figure out what the right numbers would be.”
  • Todd Frazier, Reds.  Frazier has posted a pair of solid seasons, but the Reds aren’t jumping to extend him after a .234/.314/.407 offensive line in 2013.
  • Welington Castillo, Cubs.  As a player with one good year, the Cubs can afford to wait to see if Castillo is their catcher of the future.
  • Mark Trumbo, Diamondbacks.  Trumbo may be year-to-year on account of being a one-dimensional player, though consistent power typically gets paid.
  • There are 10 more players who were worth 2.0-2.5 wins in 2013 and have not signed extensions.  Some, like Juan Lagares and Gregor Blanco, haven’t established themselves as regulars.  Players like Leonys Martin, Brian Dozier, Josh Reddick, and Chris Johnson haven’t had extended success.  Others are good but not spectacular, like second basemen Neil Walker and Daniel Murphy.

Boras is a big reason many of the game’s best young position players don’t give up free agent years.  The other reasons are varied, with late bloomers, players affected by injury, inconsistent performers, and players who have short track records.  While it may not fit the narrative of baseball’s growing extension trend, one overarching theme may be that most of the game’s best young position players still prefer to avoid leaving money on the table to acquire long-term security.

Data from FanGraphs was used for this post.  If you’d like to explore this topic further, check out MLBTR’s Extension Tracker.  Please note:  Yasiel Puig was omitted due to the special circumstances with his seven-year contract. 

Daily Fantasy Baseball Contest: Win Share Of $100K Payout

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One-day leagues are one of the most exciting ways to play fantasy baseball.  For any given day of the MLB schedule, you can create a fantasy team and win huge cash prizes.  If you have $22 and love Major League Baseball, draft a one-day fantasy baseball team at DraftStreet.com for the games this Friday.  You could win a share of $100,000 with a massive first place prize of $20,000.

750 players will win cash on Friday and you can be one of them.  Simply pick one player from each of eight tiers.  Score the most fantasy points and find out if you win after the end of Friday’s final game.

How to enter this $100K DraftStreet Pick’em contest:

  1. Sign up at DraftStreet.com.
  2. Enter the MLB Pick’em Big Score for $22.
  3. Save your MLB team by 6:55pm eastern time, Friday, April 25th.

Finish in the top 750 and you’ll double your money.  First place wins $20,000!  If this is your first time depositing at DraftStreet you will receive a 100% deposit bonus, up to $200 free.  Here are my picks:

draftstreet

Friday April 25th MLB Eligible Schedule:

Royals @ Orioles – 7:05pm ET
Angels @ Yankees – 7:05pm ET
Padres @ Nationals – 7:05pm ET
Red Sox @ Blue Jays – 7:07pm ET
Marlins @ Mets – 7:10pm ET
Reds @ Braves – 7:35pm ET
Rays @ White Sox – 8:10pm ET
Cubs @ Brewers – 8:10pm ET
Tigers @ Twins – 8:10pm ET
Athletics @ Astros – 8:10pm ET
Pirates @ Cardinals – 8:15pm ET
Phillies @ Diamondbacks – 9:40pm ET
Rangers @ Mariners – 10:10pm ET
Rockies @ Dodgers – 10:10pm ET
Indians @ Giants – 10:15pm ET

Draft your team now!

MLBTR Is Back

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MLB Trade Rumors is back!  It’s been a trying several days for our website, as our blogging platform was subject to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.  We tried in vain all day yesterday to get MLBTR back online.  Ultimately, we were able to simply move up a planned change in blogging platforms by one day.  So, MLBTR is now operational on WordPress, hosted by WP Engine.  We appreciate your patience.

DDoS attacks involve sending huge amounts of traffic to websites or groups of websites in hopes of crashing them.  It’s not an issue of hacking, as nothing was broken into, but our blogging platform was flooded and knocked offline.  It’s a serious attack though, and doesn’t have a quick fix.  In this case, the goal of crashing our former blogging platform, TypePad, was apparently to extort money from them.  This post from Sarah Perez of TechCrunch has further details.  TypePad has been working round-the-clock to restore their websites.

Launching on WordPress one day early means we still have a few minor issues on the site, mainly a gap in our archive from March 13th through April 20th.  We’ve filled in all of Monday, April 21st with new posts, however, and will be writing new ones today as usual.

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