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Padres Interested In Brad Hawpe

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Brad Hawpe will clear waivers tomorrow, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, and the Padres "have genuine interest."  Renck mentions the Rangers as another potential suitor.  The White Sox, Rays, and Phillies are other speculative matches.  MLBTR readers went with the White Sox by a thin margin in our Friday poll, though it was later revealed that they intend to claim Manny Ramirez.

Hawpe would have to play left field for the Padres, who have Ryan Ludwick manning the other outfield corner.  Will Venable, Chris Denorfia, and Scott Hairston have been handling left field lately.  Padres left fielders have just a .213/.306/.327 line on the season.

Astros Claim Matt Downs

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The Astros claimed infielder Matt Downs off waivers from the Giants, tweets Alyson Footer.  Downs has been assigned to the team's Triple A affiliate.  He was designated for assignment on Monday to clear a spot for Cody Ross.

Downs, 26, struggled in the bigs over 148 career plate appearances in 2009-10.  He played second base in the Majors, but has minor league experience at shortstop, third base, and the outfielder corners as well.  This year marked his third Triple A stint; his power slipped as he posted a .254/.348/.416 line in a half-season.  Downs was still considered a prospect heading into the 2009 season, when Baseball America ranked him 24th on their Giants list and published praise from GM Brian Sabean.

This Date In Transaction History: Wagner, Bautista

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A pair of interesting trades went down on August 25th in years past.  One year ago, the Red Sox acquired reliever Billy Wagner from the Mets for a pair of players to be named later (Chris Carter and Eddie Lora).  And two years ago today, the Blue Jays completed their earlier Jose Bautista trade by sending catcher Robinzon Diaz to the Pirates.

Last year Wagner was coming back from Tommy John surgery with the Mets; he'd tossed nine pro innings on the season before Boston made the deal.  The Red Sox picked up the remainder of Wagner's $10.5MM salary, so the Mets saved more than $2.2MM.  Wagner waived his no-trade clause, but only if the Red Sox agreed not to pick up his 2010 club option.  They did, however, offer arbitration to the Type A free agent.  The Sox drafted Kolbrin Vitek and Bryce Brentz with the #20 and 36 picks this year as compensation when Wagner signed with the Braves.  Wagner pitched well in 13.6 regular season innings for the Red Sox.  Beyond the cost savings with Wagner, the Mets have gotten some use out of Carter.

When the Jays acquired Bautista from the Pirates two years ago, it wasn't a deal of much consequence.  He wasn't particularly good that year, and was widely considered a non-tender candidate after the '08 and '09 seasons.  The Pirates seemingly were clearing third base for new acquisition Andy LaRoche.  This year, Bautista posted one of the most surprising 40 home run seasons in recent memory and could hit 50 by year's end.  There will be no non-tender rumors this winter.  Diaz seemed like a decent return for Bautista at the time, but the Pirates cut him loose in November of last year.  Former GM J.P. Ricciardi deserves credit; check out this passage from a CBC Sports article from September of 2008:

Following the Blue Jays' thrilling come-from-behind 8-7 win over Baltimore on Wednesday night, a fan phoned a Toronto sports radio station and criticized J.P. Ricciardi for dealing catching prospect Robinson Diaz to Pittsburgh.  The general manager, who was taking calls, defended the move, saying there were players in the team's minor-league system who had developed quicker than Diaz.  He also said infielder/outfielder Jose Bautista, the player Toronto received in the trade, would be a valuable part of the team in 2009 and 2010.

Arbitration Eligibles: Toronto Blue Jays

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A look at the Blue Jays players who will be arbitration-eligible after the season…

Litsch probably won't be cut loose, as his cost shouldn't be too high given the time missed with Tommy John and hip surgery.  Wise will be non-tendered.  McGowan is a candidate, with another shoulder surgery done in June.  Still, he could be retained for a salary similar to this year's $500K.  Encarnacion has technically never gone to arbitration, having signed a two-year deal with the Reds.  I imagine he'll be cut loose now.  Buchholz had Tommy John surgery in June of '09, spent most of the year rehabbing for the Rockies, and was claimed by the Jays in September.  The claim implies they'll at least consider tendering him a contract.  Tallet and Accardo are too expensive to retain through arbitration.

Lewis, Escobar, Morrow, Marcum, Janssen, Camp, and Bautista will certainly be tendered contracts.  Bautista should jump to the $6-8MM range, while everyone else should top a million bucks.  There will be some decent, but not spectacular paydays in this mix.

The Closer Carousel

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Last offseason, relievers Matt Capps, Octavio Dotel, Mike Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, Fernando Rodney, Rafael Soriano, Jose Valverde, and Billy Wagner were guaranteed a total of $61MM.  There are quality relievers in that bunch, but their salaries were inflated by their past experience as closers.  Let's take a look at the players and teams likely to be involved in the offseason closer carousel this time around.

Free agents who have picked up at least five saves this year: Soriano, Gregg (club option), Mariano Rivera, Brian Fuentes, Dotel, Jon Rauch, Chad Qualls, Kerry Wood, Trevor Hoffman, and Aaron Heilman.  Frank Francisco, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Jose Contreras, J.J. Putz, and Takashi Saito have recent experience in the ninth inning.  Bobby Jenks, George Sherrill, and J.P. Howell could reach free agency as non-tenders.  Heath Bell, Jonathan Papelbon, and David Aardsma are among the potential trade candidates.  That's 22 relievers who'd probably like to close, and you could name a few more with a shot.  Which clubs will be in the market for a closer?

  • Orioles: They'll probably see what Gonzalez, Alfredo Simon, and David Hernandez can do next year rather than overpay for saves again.  So far Buck Showalter hasn't committed to a lone closer. 
  • Red Sox: If they move Papelbon, I could see them bringing in a veteran reliever at a lesser price to compete for the closing job.
  • Yankees: The expectation is that they'll re-sign Rivera.
  • Rays: The best members of their bullpen are free agents, so they'll probably be adding relievers of some sort.
  • Blue Jays: Picking up Gregg's $4.5MM club option will be a consideration.
  • White Sox: A bullpen in flux.  Jenks could join Putz in the free agent ranks.  Matt Thornton should be back, but he's dealing with forearm soreness right now.
  • Angels: Rodney has the experience, though Kevin Jepsen might be a better choice if the Halos stay internal.
  • Rangers: Neftali Feliz isn't going anywhere, though GM Jon Daniels hasn't ruled out a move back to the rotation.
  • Braves: Billy Wagner is retiring, so they could go with Jonny Venters if a veteran isn't acquired to provide competition.
  • Diamondbacks: They've expressly stated they'll be in the market for a closer this winter.
  • The Indians, Tigers, Royals, Twins, Athletics, Mariners, Marlins, Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Cubs, Reds, Astros, Brewers, Pirates, Cardinals, Rockies, Dodgers, Padres, and Giants appear to have their closer choices in-house for next year, though things will change between now and April.

What’s Next For Jorge De La Rosa?

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In March, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd explained the double-edged sword of Jorge de la Rosa's 2010 performance, talking to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post:

"I'm not that concerned that we wouldn't have a shot to keep him at the end of the year. Now, if he goes out and wins 17 or 18 games, that's going to be somewhat problematic. But I hope he does, because that means we're going to be in pretty good shape."

O'Dowd did not face that good kind of problem in 2010, as De La Rosa missed ten weeks with a torn tendon in his finger.  The lefty still hopes to re-sign with the Rockies, as he told Jim Armstrong and Troy E. Renck:

"I would love to come back. I really like it here.  But I don't know if it makes sense for them to bring me back."

From the Rockies' point of view, it's still difficult to know what to expect from De La Rosa moving forward.  Since returning from the DL on July 9th, he's got a 4.82 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, and eight home runs allowed in 52.3 innings.  His groundball rate remains high, so his home run rate should come down. 

In March Armstrong said the Rockies offered three years and about $11MM to cover the 2010-12 seasons.  Now he and Renck say De La Rosa actually rejected a two-year offer in the $9MM range, with a club option for '12.  The pitcher earned over 60% of that amount in 2010 alone, so his agent at TWC Sports was right to advise turning down the Rockies' offer.

David Price, Francisco Liriano, and C.C. Sabathia – those are the only other lefty starters who have a harder average fastball than De La Rosa this year (70 inning minimum).  De La Rosa doesn't turn 30 until April, and he'll rival polar opposite Ted Lilly as the best free agent southpaw available after Cliff Lee.  De La Rosa could find upwards of a three-year, $24MM offer, but it's always scary to sign a guy walking a batter every other inning.

Arbitration Eligibles: Tampa Bay Rays

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A look at the Rays players who will be arbitration-eligible after the season…

Johnson could be non-tendered, if the Rays prefer to try to bring him back on a minor league deal.  He signed a Major League deal in January, but passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment in March.  The Rays may be forced to endure a bullpen makeover for 2011, but non-tendering Cormier still makes sense.  Howell is also a candidate to be cut, if the Rays evaluate him in December and don't feel he'll be ready for Spring Training.  On the other hand, they could retain Howell with little or no raise. 

Navarro, currently toiling at Triple A, figures to be non-tendered.  There's a good chance Aybar is let go as well, as the Rays may not find him worth his $2.2MM club option or the amount he'd get through arbitration.

Those cuts could leave Sonnanstine, Garza, Upton, and Bartlett as the players tendered contracts.  The Rays may have the pitching depth to trade Sonnanstine and/or Garza, but the asking price for the latter should be considerable.  Garza will still be affordable, perhaps at a salary around $6MM.

With Reid Brignac as an option, the Rays could be one of few teams shopping a shortstop in Bartlett.  If tendered a contract, Bartlett will make more than $4MM next year despite an unimpressive 2010 season.  It's possible the Rays try to extract some value in a deal before the December 12th non-tender deadline.  Upton, while not the star hitter we once expected, is worth keeping around.  With Carl Crawford expected to leave, the Rays probably can't spare Upton.

Trever Miller’s 2011 Option Vests

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By entering the Cardinals-Giants game Saturday night, lefty reliever Trever Miller reached 45 appearances on the season.  The appearance was nothing special, as Miller threw four pitches to Aubrey Huff and allowed a single.  But the outing was signficant for Miller, as it caused his $2MM option for 2011 to vest.

According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Miller's option will revert back to the club's choice if he spends time on the DL with a left arm or shoulder injury.  He hasn't pitched well this year, but only needs about one more month of good health.

Meanwhile, the Rangers' Darren Oliver needs seven more appearances for his $3.25MM option to vest for next year.

Heyman On Minaya, White Sox, D’Backs

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The 63-62 Mets likely need a “big finish” for GM Omar Minaya to return in the same role next year, people familiar with the team tell Jon Heyman of SI.com. Minaya’s contract guarantees him about $1MM in 2011 and the same amount in 2012, but the Mets would still consider firing or reassigning Minaya. Here are the details on the Mets, plus the rest of Heyman’s rumors:

  • Disappointing and expensive Minaya additions like Jason Bay and Francisco Rodriguez aren’t doing their GM any favors. Mets execs haven’t been impressed with all of Minaya’s major signings.
  • Heyman lists Kevin Towers, Pat Gillick and in-house candidates John Ricco and Wayne Krivsky as potential replacements for Minaya.
  • A person connected to the White Sox says the team offered the Dodgers two proposals for Manny Ramirez at the end of July, but received no counter-offers. Ken Rosenthal reported today that the White Sox will claim Manny if he reaches them on waivers.
  • Heyman says it would be “a surprise if Kirk Gibson isn't retained” as D’Backs manager next year. Interim GM Jerry Dipoto also has a “decent chance” of keeping his job.

Odds & Ends: Hawpe, Kuroda, Angels, Antonetti

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Some more links for Tuesday night, including the latest waiver wire news…

  • Brad Hawpe is one step closer to signing with another team now that he has cleared waivers, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
  • The Dodgers put Hiroki Kuroda on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Kuroda hits free agency after the season, but the Dodgers don't necessarily want to move him. A rival executive guaranteed Rosenthal that the Yankees will be "all over" Kuroda if he reaches them on waivers.
  • Rosenthal reports that the Angels placed Brian Fuentes, Juan Rivera, Mike Napoli and Bobby Abreu on waivers (Twitter link). The Angels are presumably curious about the interest their players draw, even if they don't intend on making a trade.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters including Paul M. Banks of TheSportsBank that he has to "speak in generalities” about waiver claims. Rosenthal reported earlier today that the White Sox will claim Manny Ramirez if he reaches them on waivers.
  • Indians assistant GM Chris Antonetti is taking on more responsibility as he prepares to replace current GM Mark Shapiro after the season, as MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince explains.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck that the Tigers and Red Sox never agreed on a deal involving Johnny Damon (Twitter link). Damon, who has the final say, said today that he intends to stay in Detroit, even though the Red Sox claimed him on waivers.
  • Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he expects the club to agree to an extension with manager Dusty Baker (Twitter link). The Reds offered Baker a deal last week.

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