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Archives for May 2011

Gammons On A’s, Pirates, Royals, Rays

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Starting pitching is one of the most valuable assets in the game and, as Peter Gammons explains at MLB.com, small-market teams usually have to rely on the draft to obtain it. Here are Gammons’ latest notes from around the league…

  • A's GM Billy Beane says his current rotation, a group that’s more or less untouchable, could be as good as Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito were. Trevor Cahill has “become one of the best pitchers in the game,” according to Beane.
  • "Let's face it, no small-market team can afford to go into the market to get starting pitching,"  Beane told Gammons. "To survive and compete, you have to draft and develop pitching, or go out and get it before it's on the Major League radar screen."
  • Gammons reports that some expect the Pirates to take Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen with the first overall pick this June. Click here for MLBTR's Q&A with Hultzen.
  • Georgia Tech Lefty Jed Bradley will likely disappear within the first ten picks of the draft, and Connecticut righty Matt Barnes will likely be a top-15 selection.
  • The Royals are looking for a college starter who can arrive in the Major Leagues and make an impact in the rotation soon.
  • Royals GM Dayton Moore agrees that you need pitching to go along with premium position players. “They're not going to win if we don't find young, affordable pitching," Moore said.
  • The D’Backs, who hold two of the first seven picks this year (#3, #7), will take at least one arm early on and the Rays are also likely to take a number of pitchers with some of their many high picks.

Texas Notes: Figueroa, Inglett, Ryan

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The latest on the Astros, as they shuffle their roster, plus an update on Nolan Ryan's responsibilities…

  • The Astros announced that Nelson Figueroa and Joe Inglett cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A.  Inglett accepted his minor league assignment last week, according to MLB.com, while Figueroa accepted his assignment today, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
  • The Astros are scheduled to activate Jason Michaels from the 15-day DL before tonight's game in Houston.
  • MLB appointed team president Nolan Ryan as the 'control' person of Rangers, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Baseball’s owners approved the move, which makes Ryan accountable to MLB for operating the Rangers and following rules.

Padres Unlikely To Pursue Milton Bradley

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The Padres have what is arguably the worst offense in the game, hitting .230/.306/.337 with the third fewest runs (127) and most strikeouts (307) in baseball. And that's after yesterday's 13-run, 23-hit outburst. Despite the struggles, GM Jed Hoyer told Darren Smith of XX1090 Sports Radio that he "[doesn't] think it's likely" they'll pursue the recently designated for assignment Milton Bradley. Gaslamp Ball provides a link to the mp3 as well as a roundup of the entire interview.

Hoyer indicated that Bradley has supporters in the Padres' clubhouse, including manager Bud Black. The outfielder spent part of the 2007 season in San Diego, hitting .313/.414/.590 with 11 homers in 42 games before a knee injury ended his year. Over the last two seasons though, Bradley has hit just .209/.298/.351 in 393 plate appearances with the Mariners. Yesterday we heard that at least one executive believes his career is over, though several others think he'll get another chance.

Evaluating Arizona’s Remade Bullpen

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There’s no charitable way to describe the performance of the Arizona bullpen last year. The group combined to finish last in MLB in ERA (5.74), xFIP (4.69), HR/9 (1.3), WAR (-2.1) and WPA (-8.37) and in the bottom five teams in K/9 (6.8) BB/9 (4.6) and innings pitched (439). They were awful. So as soon as he became the Diamondbacks' GM, Kevin Towers vowed to make changes.

“The focus will probably be primarily on the bullpen this winter, as well as the bench,” Towers told reporters in September.

We’re nearly a quarter of the way through the season, and while it’s too early to make sweeping conclusions about Towers’ work, there’s a distinct sense that the ‘pen is much improved. So far, D’Backs relievers are 3rd in MLB in K/9 (8.7), 7th in BB/9 (3.3), 15th in ERA (3.26) and 4th in xFIP (3.45).

David Hernandez, acquired in the Mark Reynolds trade, has been an asset, though he still hasn't limited his walks. Towers' big offseason splash, J.J. Putz, has provided the D'Backs with a stable late-inning presence (while his former White Sox teammates have been anything but in Chicago). And Rule 5 pick Joe Paterson has yet to allow a run in 15 carefully-timed appearances as a lefty specialist and has struck out more than a batter per inning.

Paterson hasn’t cost Arizona more than $50K and a roster spot, but the other pieces in Arizona’s ‘pen were significantly more expensive in terms of cash and Major League talent. The D’Backs gave up their starting third baseman to acquire Hernandez and Kameron Mickolio (though they seemed more than ready to part with Reynolds and his strikeouts). Of the $20.5MM Towers spent on Major League free agents last winter, more than half – $12MM – went to relievers Putz and Aaron Heilman. 

As a result of Towers’ offseason moves, the bullpen has been more than passable. The team’s starters, however, are 28th in baseball with a 4.91 ERA and Arizona is 15-20. Though the D’Backs have not caught up to the Giants and Rockies overall, they do have a significantly better bullpen in 2011.

Click here for analysis of the Rays' and Padres' bullpens.

MLB, MLBPA Meeting Often, Making Progress

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MLB and the MLB Players Association are meeting often and making progress toward a new agreement, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Heyman notes that the sides' lead negotiators, Rob Manfred of MLB and union chief Michael Weiner, are on good terms. 

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on December 11th, 2011, but players and owners began negotiating toward a new agreement months ago. Commissioner Bud Selig has said he's hoping negotiations go "thoughtfully, carefully and quietly" and at this point, it appears that he may get his wish.

As always, economic issues figure to be at the forefront of the discussions. The luxury tax, revenue sharing, and rules regarding team debt will no doubt surface during negotiations. The draft could also be significantly different going forward.

Royals Notes: Hosmer, Francoeur, Duffy

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Not only did the Royals beat the Yankees in Yankee Stadium last night, they did so behind Eric Hosmer's first MLB home run. Here's the latest on the Royals, with a focus on Hosmer…

  • Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star argues that the Royals should attempt to sign Hosmer to a deal that guarantees him $25MM over six years and includes three club option years that could raise the value of the deal to $65MM over nine years.
  • My take: agent Scott Boras would presumably decline the offer, instead of allowing Kansas City to lock Hosmer's free agent years up for below market value. Plus, Hosmer could easily earn more than $25MM for his first three arbitration years if he becomes the player we expect him to be. Ryan Howard, Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols and Mark Teixeira all earned at least $27.9MM for their first three seasons of arbitration. Justin Morneau was inconsistent early in his career, but had still earned over $25MM through his first three arbitration years. Still, as Mellinger says, there’s no harm in asking.
  • As Ken Rosenthal points out at FOX Sports, fellow Royals Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur experienced similar hype to Hosmer and they haven't lived up to it. But Gordon and Francoeur like what they see from the rookie and what happened to them won't necessarily happen to Hosmer. Rosenthal's entire piece is worth a read.
  • Royals manager Ned Yost told Dick Kaegel of MLB.com that he wants to make sure prospects such as Danny Duffy and Mike Montgomery are "absolutely ready" before calling on them. At this point, Yost says "we're not quite there yet with these kids."

Pirates Notes: McCutchen, Heredia, Ascanio

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The Pirates have won just one of Paul Maholm's eight starts this year, but the left-hander and his 3.60 ERA aren't to blame. Pittsburgh has averaged 1.5 runs per game with Maholm on the hill, including last night's shutout at the hands of the Dodgers. Here's the latest on the Pirates…

  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com explains that he believes the Pirates should move now to lock Andrew McCutchen long term. Since McCutchen hasn't fully realized his potential, the Pirates could save on an extension and pay him Justin Upton money ($51.25MMM) instead of Carlos Gonzalez money ($80MM). Plus, it would be a positive for fans and other players, Bowden argues. The Pirates have discussed a long-term deal with their center fielder and hope to sign him for five years or more.
  • Tim Dierkes says he expects a six-year deal for McCutchen, who probably won't have to settle for less than $52MM.
  • Pirates prospect Luis Heredia is just 16 years old, but he looks closer to 20, according to Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News. The right-hander retired rehabbing catcher Carlos Ruiz in extended Spring Training, much to the delight of his mother.
  • John Grupp of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review chronicles Jose Ascanio's long path back to the Pirates roster. The right-hander, who was acquired as part of the 2009 Tom Gorzelanny trade, is back in Pittsburgh after a two-year absence.

Padres ‘Pen Continues To Thrive After Winter Trades

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Bullpens don’t get much better than the one the Padres had last year. Led by Heath Bell, Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson, Padres relievers combined for over 500 innings of 2.81 ERA ball, averaging more than one strikeout per inning while allowing the fewest walks per frame of any MLB bullpen. But the Padres had weaknesses elsewhere and teams were interested in San Diego’s relievers, so GM Jed Hoyer faced a decision last offseason. 

Luebke

“We traded a bunch of quality arms, but that was our area of depth,” Hoyer told MLBTR. “We were quite weak up the middle a year ago.”

So the Padres parted with five of their relievers in the deals that brought Cameron Maybin and Jason Bartlett to San Diego. Gone are Edward Mujica, Ryan Webb, Cesar Ramos and Adam Russell, four pitchers who combined for 152 2/3 MLB innings last year, and Brandon Gomes, who struck out 93 batters in 72 1/2 Double-A innings and is now in the majors with the Rays.

The results – at least to this point – have Padres relievers among the league leaders in a number of categories. They’re first in MLB with a 2.10 ERA, second with 124 innings and 3.0 BB/9 and fourth with a 3.34 xFIP. (However, the relievers’ home run per fly ball rate is just 4.0% and opponents are hitting only .265 on balls in play, so luck appears to have been on the Padres’ side so far). 

Bell, Adams and Gregerson are back, which gives manager Bud Black three premium options to call on. Southpaw Cory Luebke, who made all of four appearances in 2010, leads San Diego relievers with 19 2/3 innings this year (9.6 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 3.66 ERA, 47% ground ball rate). Developing relievers like Luebke (pictured) and finding others on waivers or in free agency has helped the Padres replace Webb, Mujica and others.

“Our biggest challenge has been trying to replenish the depth we lost by trading so many arms,” Hoyer said. “That is something that we continue to do and will be an ongoing issue.” 

So far, the Padres signed Chad Qualls (5.1 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 2.33 ERA, 61% ground ball rate), claimed Pat Neshek and Samuel Deduno and promoted Luebke, Ernesto Frieri and Evan Scribner into more prominent roles. 

A lot is going wrong for the Padres, who have slipped to the bottom of their division and are last in the National League in scoring. But their offseason trades are paying off, as they strengthened his team at two premium positions without weakening their bullpen.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI. Click here for analysis of the Rays' remade 'pen.

Quick Hits: Figueroa, Molina, Angels

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Links for Wednesday, on a night we'll remember for Eric Hosmer's first MLB home run…

  • The Mets signed Luis Figueroa to a minor league deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Figueroa hit .319/.354/.429 at Triple-A last year, but has just 16 MLB plate appearances to his name. The Brewers signed the infielder late last month and appear to have released him since.
  • Peter Gammons said on WEEI’s Mut & Merloni show that he doesn’t think the Red Sox are actively pursuing Bengie Molina, even though they contacted him about a month ago, when they were more concerned about their catchers.
  • Just because offense is down doesn't mean Angels aces Dan Haren and Jered Weaver are assuming they're going to put together standout seasons, as Yahoo's Tim Brown explains. 

Kendrys Morales Out For Season

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Kendrys Morales will undergo a second ankle surgery and is out for the season, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports (on Twitter). Morales' rehab had stalled, so he went to Colorado for a second opinion this week, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. The first baseman has not played or run at full speed since last May 29th, when he broke his left ankle in a walk-off celebration.

Catcher Bobby Wilson has five games of MLB experience at first and Howie Kendrick, who is now playing left field for the Angels, has played 69 games at first. The bulk of the playing time will presumably continue to go to Mark Trumbo, the powerful rookie who has a .270/.311/.486 line with 6 homers through 119 plate appearances this year.

Morales, 27, earns $2.975MM through arbitration this year and is under team control through 2013. He hit .306/.355/.569 with 34 homers in 2009, finishing 5th in the AL MVP voting.

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