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Archives for January 2011

Rockies To Sign Claudio Vargas

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The Rockies have agreed to terms with Claudio Vargas on a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The right-hander will compete for a job in the Rockies' pen.

Vargas posted a 7.32 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 17 relief appearances for the Brewers last year before they released him. The Dodgers picked Vargas up in June, only to release him two months later. The 32-year-old has played for five teams in his eight-year MLB career, all of them in the National League.

The Rockies, who added Sean White yesterday, have room for competition in their 'pen. Matt Lindstrom, Matt Belisle, Rafael Betancourt and Huston Street are likely guaranteed spots, but there's still room on the roster for three other relievers.

Padres Could Add Reliever, Catcher, Bat

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GM Jed Hoyer told MLB.com's Corey Brock that the Padres may still add a reliever, a backup catcher and a left-handed hitter (Twitter links). Hoyer said last night that his team has a payroll in the mid-$40MM range and some money to work with.

The Padres have traded away Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica, so the team's bullpen – a major strength in 2010 – is not as deep as it was a year ago. Early in the offseason, Hoyer told MLBTR that he would likely do his "damage" later on in the winter and it appears that the time has come to add a bullpen piece.

The Padres lost backstop Yorvit Torrealba to the Rangers and will rely on Nick Hundley to catch regularly. Former Mariners Rob Johnson and Guillermo Quiroz are possibilities to back Hundley up, or the team could add another catcher. 

Bengie Molina and Gregg Zaun are the most recognizable free agents remaining, but teams like the Angels and Yankees have considerable depth behind the plate and are potential trading partners (though that's entirely speculative).

Yankees Pursuing Justin Duchscherer

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The Yankees are 'stepping up' their pursuit of Justin Duchscherer, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. It's not clear whether the Yankees are interested in the right-hander as a starter or as a reliever.

Duchscherer, who dealt with depression issues in Oakland, also missed time because of serious injuries. He underwent right elbow surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2009 season and started just five games in 2010, missing time after a left hip operation.

The Pirates, A's and Red Sox have also been linked to Duchscherer this offseason, though Boston has made substantial additions to its staff since expressing interest and may no longer be a fit.

A two-time All-Star, the 33-year-old has a 3.13 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 454 2/3 career innings. The Yankees have also expressed interest in Jeff Francis and Jeremy Bonderman as they look to solidify a pitching staff that may not include Andy Pettitte.

The Rangers & Jim Thome

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Thome

The Rangers may have missed out on their top offseason target, but they signed Adrian Beltre and they aren't done yet. Texas is pursuing Jim Thome, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.

Any team looking to add thump against right-handed pitching is likely salivating over the .294/.430/.617 line Thome has posted against right-handers in his 20-year career. Last year was better than usual, as the slugger hit 25 homers and hit .302/.455/.698 against righties. But as productive as Thome is at the plate, he wouldn't fit effortlessly in the Rangers' lineup because he's left-handed and doesn't play defense.

Michael Young has a history of handling lefties better than Thome, but he probably wouldn't be available to spell Thome against southpaws. Mitch Moreland and Chris Davis both hit from the left side and struggle against southpaws, which makes Young a likely candidate to play first base against left-handers regardless of which first baseman wins the everyday job.

If Young plays first base against lefties, the Rangers would likely rely on Thome to DH, though he is nothing special against southpaws (career .763 OPS). Outfielders David Murphy, Julio Borbon and Engel Beltre all bat from the left side, so the Rangers wouldn't gain a platoon advantage if they were to DH Josh Hamilton against southpaws and replace him in the field.

A right-handed DH like Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, Troy Glaus, Marcus Thames or Andruw Jones would allow the Rangers to DH Hamilton against some right-handers while a lefty-hitting outfielder like Borbon or Murphy played the field. The Rangers could DH Hamilton against righties even if they sign Thome, but not without depriving Thome of the chance to demolish right-handed pitching.

This is not to say that Thome isn't a fit in the Lone Star State. He is coming off a remarkably productive season and if he can repeat his 2010 performance, lineup shuffling would be secondary for the Rangers. Plus, the offseason isn't over. The team could sign Thome and adjust its lineup accordingly by making a secondary move or two.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Bonderman, Reds, Thome

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The Giants signed Aubrey Huff on this date in 2010. The first baseman hit .290/.385/.506 and the Giants won the World Series. Here are some links and news items to look through while we await the bargain signing of the 2010-11 offseason…

Kris Benson Retires

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Fifteen years after being the first overall pick in the 1996 draft, Kris Benson is calling it a career. The right-hander told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he has decided to formally retire.

"I’m done," said the 36-year-old right-hander. "I decided pretty much after this past season that I wasn’t going to pursue anything. I’ve been putting way too much into it and not getting enough out of it, as far as the rehab, working out, training, and then not getting the type of results I expect from myself."

"I wanted to make this decision now, rather than go into another season on another minor-league deal. I didn’t want to go through the head games of, ‘Am I going to make the team?’ I don’t mind the pressure. I just don’t want to fall into another situation like I had the last couple years, where I busted my tail getting back and then got hurt again shortly after I made the team."

Benson pitched for five different teams in his 12-year career, most recently for the Diamondbacks. He made just three starts for Arizona in 2010, throwing 14 innings with a 5.14 ERA. Benson spent the majority of his career with the Pirates, where he posted a 4.26 ERA in 782 innings across parts of six seasons. He retires with a 70-75 record and a 4.42 ERA in 1,243 2/3 innings.

Injuries hampered Benson throughout his career. He missed the 2001 season due to Tommy John surgery, and then missed the 2007 and 2008 seasons after having surgery to repair a damaged rotator cuff. All told, Benson hit the disabled list no fewer than eight times in his career, almost all with arm related ailments. Baseball-Reference.com says he earned more than $36MM in his career, the majority of which came from the three-year, $22.5MM contract he signed with the Mets before the 2005 season.

Potential Suitors For Scott Podsednik

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The Reds signed Fred Lewis to a one-year deal earlier today, presumably taking them out of the running for Scott Podsednik. The market for the outfielder has been anything but robust after he declined his half of a $2MM mutual option back in November, but let's see if we can find a potential fit for Podsednik with pitchers and catcher due to report in a little less than a month…

  • Angels: The Angels showed interest in Scott Pods back in December, but we haven't heard of any dialogue since. Anaheim could use a speedy, lefty hitting leadoff type hitter, something they hoped to secure with Carl Crawford. 
  • Braves: Atlanta can certainly use a fourth outfielder, but Eric Hinske, Nate McLouth, and Jason Heyward all swing it from the same side as Podsednik. It's not a great fit.
  • Dodgers: We know the Dodgers have interest in bringing Podsednik back and they still haven't solved their left field problem since he opted out. Could they get him for less guaranteed money than his original option?
  • Mariners: The M's figure to give Michael Saunders a chance to sink or swim with regular playing time in left.
  • Marlins: The Fish are counting on Chris Coghlan to transition from left field to center after the trade of Cameron Maybin, a position that he has played exactly zero innings at, majors or minors. Podsednik could give them a cheap fill-in at the position, allowing Coghlan move back to the infield. 
  • Mets: Carlos Beltran's knees are still a bit of a question mark, though they need a reserve outfielder anyway. 

Podsednik has hit .300/.347/.397 with back-to-back 30+ steal seasons in the last two years, a nice rebound from five consecutive seasons with no better than a .700 OPS. His defense isn't what you'd expect from a speedy player, with negative UZR scores at all three outfield spots in recent years. Still a useful player with an albeit limited skill set, Podsednik doesn't have a ton of suitors and could end up settling for a platoon/bench job.

Royals Prioritizing Rotation Depth

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It'll be impossible for the Royals to replace Zack Greinke's production, but the team still needs someone to soak up all those innings he leaves behind. Unsurprisingly, GM Dayton Moore told MLB.com's Dick Kaegel that rotation help is "the only area that we're focusing on," and that adding a starter(s) is his top priority before Spring Training begins.

Kansas City has lost not only Greinke this offseason, but also Bryan Bullington and Brian Bannister to Japan. Bruce Chen, who pitched to a 4.17 ERA in 140 1/3 innings last year, remains a free agent as well, though Moore left the door open to re-signing him. "We're still open-minded with that. He performed very well with us last year and he showed us what he had, and we've got a comfort level there," said the GM.

So far the only starting pitching help the team has imported this offseason is Zach Miner (on a minor league deal) and Vin Mazzaro (from the David DeJesus trade), though Moore said he doesn't expect the former to be ready until about June. He's open to improving his starting staff via trade however, and he has the game's best farm system to use as ammo. 

On the free agent front, the Royals have been linked to Carl Pavano and Jeff Francis in recent weeks. Pavano looks to be heading back to the Twins, but Francis remains in play. Brad Penny could also be coming off the board. An interesting solution could be to convert Joakim Soria to a starter, something that close to 2,000 MLBTR readers would support, but so far the team has shown no inclination of making such a move.

Rockies Sign Sean White

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The Rockies have signed Sean White to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. He was outrighted by the Mariners earlier this offseason and became a free agent soon thereafter.

The 29-year-old right-handed reliever posted a 5.24 ERA with just 3.9 K/9 in 34 1/3 innings for Seattle in 2010. White made up for the low strikeout rate with an equally low walk rate (2.9 BB/9) and a decent ground ball rate (44.6%). His big league career consists of 134 innings, all with the Mariners, and a 4.16 ERA with 4.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and 48.4% ground balls. 

The Rockies can control White for at least three more years as an arbitration-eligible player if they choose.

Indians Notes: Stopgaps, Rotation, Choo

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It has not been a fun winter in Cleveland, and it's not just because of the Cavaliers. The Indians have signed just one player to a big league contract (Austin Kearns), doing the rest of their work on the minor league side. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about the team's plight in a feature article today, which contained some news about the club's present state and what's to come…

  • "We've been in a similar situation before, and we've demonstrated the ability to overcome those challenges and put together a championship-caliber team," said new GM Chris Antonetti, referring to the team's rebuilding nature. "We feel equally strong about our talent base now and throughout our farm system. The challenge is to have patience and let those guys play."
  • The Tribe has passed on overpaying third base stopgap players like Jorge Cantu and Pedro Feliz, instead opting to sit tight with their in-house options until top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall is ready.
  • Antonetti won't rule out the possibility of adding another starting pitcher to a rotation that currently features Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco, and Mitch Talbot. Former Indian Bartolo Colon is a possibility.
  • "It's something we remain interested in pursuing," said Antonetti, answering a question about a possible extension for Shin-Soo Choo. "Whether or not there's common ground at this point, we'll have to see." Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Choo as an extension candidate at the end of the 2010 season.
  • Unsurprisingly, the team has little payroll flexibility and will continue to shop in the bargain bin.

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