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Archives for August 2012

Indians Claim Fabio Martinez

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The Indians announced that they have claimed right-hander Fabio Martinez off of waivers from the Angels. The Indians optioned Martinez to Class A Carolina, where they plan to convert him to a reliever. 

Martinez had been pitching at Class A Inland Empire this season, his sixth as a professional. The 22-year-old posted a 10.72 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 12.7 BB/9 in 22 2/3 innings, all as a starter. He has a 3.90 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 6.2 BB/9 in his minor league career. Martinez has two options remaining after this year, according to the Indians.

Non-Tender Candidate: Chris Volstad

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Chris Volstad’s most recent start provided a reminder of two things: that Volstad can pitch effectively against MLB offenses, and that it’s been a long time since he did so with much regularity. The 6’8” right-hander faced a Dodgers lineup including Shane Victorino, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramirez over the weekend and limited Los Angeles to two runs on six hits in seven innings. Yet Saturday's start was Volstad's first seven-inning outing of the season, and the first game in which he allowed fewer than three earned runs.

It’s been a disappointing season for Volstad to this point, and he will be a non-tender candidate this coming offseason. When the Cubs acquired Volstad from Miami for Carlos Zambrano, he seemed capable of providing value at the back of Chicago's rotation by making his starts, limiting walks and inducing ground balls. He had averaged 29 starts per season in the three years preceding the trade while posting a 4.88 ERA, accumulating twice as many strikeouts as walks, and generating more than his share of ground balls.

However, the results have been disappointing so far in 2012. Volstad opened the season in Dale Sveum's rotation, then got demoted after posting a 7.46 ERA through eight starts. He joined the rotation at Triple-A Iowa, posting an unremarkable 5.17 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 12 starts in the Pacific Coast League. The Cubs recalled him from Iowa last week, so he has the chance to prove he belongs at the MLB level — now and in 2013.

Volstad earns $2.66MM this year and he’ll get a raise through the arbitration process if the Cubs tender him a contract next winter. He has pitched enough innings at the MLB level this year that he projects to obtain a $3.1MM salary in 2013, according to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Yes, he’s on track for a $450K raise despite a career-high 7.22 ERA, a diminished strikeout rate and an unsightly 0-8 record. The Cubs must decide between now and the middle of December whether another season of Volstad is worth $3MM-plus.

Though his stat line isn’t pretty, bad luck may be a contributing factor to Volstad’s season — to an extent. Opponents are hitting .319 on balls in play against Volstad, a career high. It's an indication that he isn't getting much help from luck or Chicago’s defenders. No MLB pitcher has a lower strand rate than Volstad, who allows nearly half of baserunners to score (min. 50 IP). Though he's probably due for some regression, it's not uncommon for pitchers who have trouble generating swings and misses to allow a relatively high percentage of baserunners to score. And if any MLB pitcher has trouble inducing swings and misses, it’s Volstad. He generates the lowest percentage of swinging strikes among the 192 MLB pitchers with at least 50 innings in 2012 (4.6%, tied with Bartolo Colon and Henderson Alvarez). In other words, it’d be overly optimistic to say Volstad's numbers are simply a product of bad luck. 

Volstad’s in the rotation for now, which means he has the chance to string together some more strong starts before the season ends. But if he fails to impress, the Cubs may choose to non-tender Volstad this winter and look elsewhere to strengthen the back of their rotation.

Dodgers Designate Tony Gwynn Jr. For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced that they designated outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. for assignment. Los Angeles recalled outfielder/first baseman Jerry Sands from Triple-A in a related move.

Gwynn, 29, hit .232/.276/.293 in 277 plate appearances this season while missing some time with a shoulder contusion. He saw lots of action in center field while Matt Kemp was on the DL and is considered to be a strong defender in all three outfield spots by the various advanced metrics. Gwynn is in the first year of a two-year, $2MM contract.

Blue Jays Designate Jesse Chavez For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have designated right-hander Jesse Chavez for assignment, according to the team's website. Toronto recalled Chavez from Triple-A Las Vegas over the weekend and he pitched one scoreless inning in the Blue Jays' 3-1 win over the Athletics on Saturday.

Chavez, 28, has an 8.44 ERA with 11.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings with the Blue Jays this year. He has spent most of the season starting games at Triple-A, where he has a 3.72 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 77 1/3 innings. The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks made the Blue Jays an offer for Chavez earlier this year, but Toronto declined.

Commenting Policy

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Non-Tender Candidate: Geovany Soto

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The Rangers wanted Geovany Soto enough to trade minor league pitcher Jake Brigham for him. Do they like him enough to earmark $4MM-plus and a roster spot for him in 2013? Soto doesn’t have any guarantee that his Rangers career will last more than a few months.

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Soto has emerged as a 2012 non-tender candidate, since his offense has diminished to uncomfortably low levels. He’s on track for career-lows in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage this year, and after 206 total plate appearances he has a batting line of .201/.286/.348.

Those offensive numbers would be disappointing for just about any player, but they’re especially troubling for a former Rookie of the Year known for his bat. Soto was an above-average offensive player in 2008 and 2010, and his offense remained passable in 2009 and 2011. His batting average on balls in play is presently 74 points below his career average, an indication that bad luck has contributed to his poor season. Soto’s still just 29 years old and he has a history of hitting left-handed pitching (career .904 OPS vs. southpaws), so there’s some reason for optimism going forward.

Soto does an average job at limiting the running game. He has prevented 27% of stolen base attempts both this year (league average is 26%) and for his career. The Fielding Bible Volume III suggested before the season that Soto was a capable but unremarkable defensive catcher.

Soto now earns $4.3MM and is on track to go to arbitration for the third and final time this offseason. The Wasserman Media Group client projects to earn $4.6MM in 2013, according to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. If the Rangers view Soto as a platoon or backup catcher, they probably won’t be inclined to pay him starter money. And if they are willing to spend $4.5MM on a catcher, they’ll have plenty of choices other than Soto (only one free agent catcher obtained more than $4MM in guaranteed money last offseason).

Soto provides the Rangers with insurance in case Mike Napoli leaves as a free agent after the season. If Napoli signs with another team before the mid-December deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players, Texas might be more inclined to retain Soto and hope for a return to his career norms in 2013. 

It’s possible for players to restore their value and avoid non-tenders with a strong showing down the stretch. Delmon Young seemed likely to be non-tendered a year ago this time, but he hit eight home runs in 40 regular season games with the Tigers before adding five more homers in the postseason. If Soto shows flashes of being the same hitter he was in 2008 and 2010, the Rangers may determine he’s worth retaining for 2013. If not, expect him to hit free agency in December as a 2012 non-tender.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Diamondbacks Release Lyle Overbay

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The Diamondbacks released first baseman Lyle Overbay, the team announced on its website. Arizona had designated Overbay for assignment last week, and he drew some interest from the Reds and Orioles.

Overbay, who's signed to a one-year, $1MM contract, has a .271/.354/.439 batting line in 12 MLB seasons. He can now be signed for a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary.

The 35-year-old posted a .292/.367/.448 batting line in 110 plate appearances with Arizona this year. Manager Kirk Gibson made sure to limit Overbay's exposure to left-handed pitching (95 plate appearances vs. RHP, 15 plate appearances vs. LHP), using him as a part-time complement to Paul Goldschmidt.

Minor Moves: Jake Fox, Scott Patterson

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Today's minor moves..

  • The Phillies have signed catcher/outfielder Jake Fox to a minor league contract, according to Ryan Dunleavy of NJ Press Media (via Twitter). Fox, 30, will report to the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate after posting strong numbers for the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League.
  • The Mets announced that they have signed right-hander Scott Patterson to a Triple-A deal.  The 33-year-old was previously with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate and last appeared in the majors in 2008 with the Padres.

Poll: Player Most Likely To Be Traded In August

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The non-waiver trade deadline saw countless teams wheel and deal with hopes that acquiring the right piece or two would be enough to make a legitimate run during the playoffs this October. There's still an opportunity for a contender to make a move as teams have until the August 31 waiver trade deadline to make up for a just-missed transaction from last week. While some of the players passed through waivers over the course of August are capable of contributing to a winning team, many come with a bloated contract and statistics unworthy of those dollars. 

Which player do you see as the most likely to change uniforms via trade this month?

Week In Review: 7/29/12 – 8/4/12

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With the trade deadline but a distant memory, let's catch up on the week that was here at MLBTR…

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