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Archives for August 2013

AL West Notes: Angels, Rangers, Matsuzaka

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The Angels' apparent dysfunction seems to stretch back years, judging from a report by Scott Miller of CBS Sports. Miller reports that, in 2011, owner Arte Moreno threatened to fire then-GM Tony Reagins if he couldn't trade for outfielder Vernon Wells within 24 hours, effectively backing Reagins into a corner. That might partially explain the remarkable, and disastrous, result, which had the Angels taking on $81MM of the $86MM remaining on Wells' contract, while also giving up Mike Napoli in the process. The Jays, meanwhile, traded Napoli to the Rangers for Frank Francisco and cash.

Miller reports that Moreno's motivation for the Wells ultimatum was that he was upset that Texas had acquired Adrian Beltre weeks earlier. As a result, not only did the Angels take on $81MM in salary, they also set in motion a chain of events in which their division rivals also ended up with Napoli, who was one of the best hitters in baseball that season. Here are more notes from the AL West.

  • The Rangers were interested in Daisuke Matsuzaka, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. Matsuzaka, who had previously been released by the Indians, recently signed with the Mets, with whom, Heyman notes, he could receive more playing time.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik still won't confirm recent reports that he has received an extension for 2014, MLB.com's Greg Johns tweets. Zduriencik does, however, say he's "raring to go" for 2014. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, meanwhile, tweets that there's "some debate" about whether team president Chuck Armstrong ever confirmed the extension.

Rockies Designate Edgmer Escalona For Assignment

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The Rockies tweet that they have designated pitcher Edgmer Escalona for assignment. In related moves, the team also activated Jhoulys Chacin from the bereavement list and promoted pitcher Rob Scahill.

Escalona threw 46 innings in relief for the Rockies this season, posting a 5.67 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. He has appeared in parts of four seasons with the Rockies. Escalona had a 1.54 ERA in mid-May, but his numbers suffered immensely thereafter, culminating when he gave up five runs in a blowout loss to the Braves on August 1.

Red Sox Notes: Crawford, Ramirez, Beckett, Ellsbury

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One year ago, the Red Sox shocked the baseball world when they hit the reset button with their massive blockbuster deal with the Dodgers.  Today, Boston finds themselves atop of the AL East, something that very few could have predicted after they shed roughly $270MM in payroll.  Alex Speier of WEEI.com has a fascinating article today on the trade that altered the direction of the club and the possible alternatives that could have also taken place.  Here's a look at some of the highlights..

  • One rumor prior to last year's non-waiver deadline had the Red Sox considering a swap of Carl Crawford and Hanley Ramirez with the Marlins.  However, such a deal never came close.  One source familiar with the talks said that Boston would done the deal straight up, but the problem was the difference in salary.  Such a move would have required the Marlins to break out the checkbook as there was $37MM+ owed to Ramirez through 2014 and a whopping $110.5MM owed to Crawford through 2017.
  • However, there were other proposed deals that had legs, particularly ones involving Josh Beckett.  According to multiple industry sources, the Rangers and Red Sox explored a number of possible deals including one that had a framework of Beckett and Jacoby Ellsbury going to Texas with the Red Sox getting left-hander Derek Holland.  However, Beckett told WEEI's Rob Bradford that the talks never gained enough traction for the team to discuss the possibility of him waiving his no-trade rights.
  • The Dodgers were among the clubs with interest in Beckett prior to the July 31st deadline and that was information that the Red Sox stored for later.
  • The club's previous free-spending ways handcuffed them from even considering a run at Yu Darvish after the 2011 season.  Of course, the blockbuster with L.A. gave them much more flexibility going forward.  GM Ben Cherington acknowledged that a trade deadline deal like the Jake Peavy trade this year simply wasn't possible given the payroll constraints that the team previously faced.
  • Boston considered using their prospects to help get out from under bad contracts, but they ultimately decided against that.  "We'd made the decision long term, we were just going to need to start holding on to [top prospects] and figuring out what they could do," said one team official. "Instead of picking the right guy, keep them all in the tub and let them decide for us. Back when we were good, that's what we did."  
  • Up until the Dodgers deal happened, Cherington says that he wasn't planning on making any significant moves in August.  There was some thought given to turning the Dodgers down and waiting until the offseason when they could revisit talks with L.A. and other clubs.  However, Boston didn't want to let the opportunity to start fresh pass them by. 

Angels Designate Billy Buckner For Assignment

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The Angels have designated Billy Buckner for assignment, the club announced.  Buckner has now been DFA'd three times since the start of the 2013 season.  In a related move, Cory Rasmus has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake.

Buckner, who turns 30 next week, made two starts and five relief appearances for the Angels this season, posting a 4.67 ERA with 3.6 K/9 and BB/9.  He spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A, where he posted a 4.60 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 16 starts.  

You can keep up with the status of Buckner and other players in DFA limbo using our brand new DFA Tracker.

Rays Acquire David DeJesus

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2:51pm: The Nats will choose a PTBNL from a list with fewer than five names, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).

12:11pm: David DeJesus' stay in Washington was brief, to say the least. After acquiring him from the Cubs on Monday, the Nationals  and Rays have both announced that DeJesus has been traded to Tampa Bay in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. 

DeJesusDeJesus went 0-for-3 with a walk in his brief tenure with the Nationals.

DeJesus was placed on waivers immediately following his acquisition by the Nationals, who many speculated may never have been keen on acquiring him in the first place. Yesterday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reported that he'd been claimed off waivers by the Rays.

In 322 plate appearances this season, the 33-year-old DeJesus is batting .247/.327/.397. Nearly all of his damage has come against right-handed pitching, as evidenced by his .264/.346/.438 batting line against opposite-handed pitching. Ultimate Zone Rating has graded his center field defense as a positive this season (The Fielding Bible has not), which is a rarity, considering his -0.6 career UZR/150 in center. Both metrics suggest that he's a plus corner defender.

DeJesus is in the final season of a two-year, $10MM contract that he signed with the Cubs prior to the 2012 campaign, though the Rays will hold a $6.5MM club option on him with a $1.5MM buyout. Essentially, they'll make a $5MM decision on DeJesus this offseason. In terms of 2013 salary, he is owed roughly $883K, bringing Tampa Bay's total commitment to him to $2.383MM. From the Nationals' point of view, it's an odd sequence of events, though it'd be worth it if the player they acquire from the Rays is superior (in their opinion) to the player they will ultimately send to the Cubs.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported that the two sides had agreed to a trade to send DeJesus to the Rays (on Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Braves Acquire Freddy Garcia

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The Orioles announced that they have traded Freddy Garcia to the Braves in exchange for cash considerations.  The veteran will report to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to a press release from the Braves.

Garcia, 36, was optioned from the majors to the club's Triple-A affiliate back in late June.  After giving the idea some thought, Garcia opted to stay in the Baltimore organization rather than try his luck elsewhere.

In total, the right-hander posted a 5.77 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in ten starts and one relief appearances for Baltimore this year.  Across 13 starts at Triple-A Norfolk, Garcia had a much stronger 2.84 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9.  

Today's move comes on the heels of word that Brandon Beachy will be visiting Dr. James Andrews on Monday.

Rays Designate Jason Bourgeois For Assignment

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The Rays have designated Jason Bourgeois for assignment, accoridng to Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune (on Twitter).  The move will create roster space for the newly-acquired David DeJesus.

The outfielder was signed to a minor league deal in January by Tampa Bay.  Bourgeois, 31, saw just nine games of big league actions in 2013 and spent most of the season with the club's Triple-A affiliate.  At Triple-A Durham, Bourgeois hit .291/.336/.371 with two homers in 363 plate appearances.

You can keep track of all DFA'd players and their current status with MLBTR's brand new DFA Tracker.

Cubs Acquire Neil Ramirez To Complete Garza Deal

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The Rangers announced that they have sent right-handed pitcher Neil Ramirez to the Cubs, completing the July 22nd trade that sent Matt Garza to Chicago.  

The Garza deal called for a player to be named later to be sent to Chicago, but with one interesting wrinkle.  Theo Epstein & Co. had the choice of either acquiring Ramirez or two other hurlers from an agreed upon list of names.  After giving it some thought, the Cubs opted for the former.

Ramirez, 24, was ranked as the 23rd best prospect in the Rangers' system heading into this season by Baseball America, but the publication had him as high as No. 5 at one point thanks to his strong 2011 minor league season.  In 2012, his stock fell a bit as he dealt with shoulder fatigue and was demoted to Double-A to finish out the season.  Ramirez was a starter during his time in the Texas system, but BA writes that the club saw his big league future in the bullpen as he had a tendency to overthink things when in the rotation.

The right-hander has spent all of 2013 with the Rangers' Double-A affiliate, posting a 3.84 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 21 starts.  He'll stay at the Double-A level as he will report to the Cubs' affiliate in Tennessee, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).

Rays Claim David DeJesus Off Revocable Waivers

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FRIDAY: The two sides are nearing resolution on the claim with just minutes remaining until the deadline, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).

THURSDAY, 11:37am: Rogers tweets that the Rays are the team that has claimed DeJesus.

11:22am: The Braves are not the team that claimed DeJesus, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago (Twitter link).

10:58am: An unknown team has claimed David DeJesus on revocable waivers from the Nationals, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal notes that the deadline to work out a deal is tomorrow at 1pm ET, which would indicate that DeJesus was claimed yesterday afternoon (Twitter links). He also points out that the Nationals could, of course, simply let the claiming team have DeJesus and assume the remaining $2.5MM he's owed (between his 2013 salary and his $1.5MM option buyout).

The Nationals acquired DeJesus on Monday and immediately placed him on revocable waivers. It seemed an odd move, though Rosenthal reported at the time that the Nationals may not have been that interested in acquiring DeJesus when they made their claim. This is my own speculation, but the Nats could have acquired DeJesus for a player to be named later simply to move him to a team with worse waiver priority in hopes of receiving a superior player to the PTBNL they sent to Chicago.

In 320 plate appearances this season, DeJesus is batting .248/.328/.399. Nearly all of his damage has come against right-handed pitching, as evidenced by his .266/.347/.440 batting line against opposite-handed pitching. Ultimate Zone Rating has graded his center field defense as a positive this season (The Fielding Bible has not), which is a rarity, considering his -0.6 career UZR/150 in center. Both metrics suggest that he's a plus corner defender.

Athletics Acquire Kurt Suzuki

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Kurt Suzuki is headed back to Oakland.  After just over a calendar year in Washington, the Nats and A's have officially announced a trade that will send Suzuki back to Oakland in exchange for Class-A right-hander Dakota Bacus.  Oakland will reportedly assume about $675K of Suzuki's remaining $1.34MM salary as well.  The Athletics' catching depth is currently compromised, with John Jaso on the DL for a concussion and Derek Norris suffering a broken toe suffered on Tuesday. 

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It's likely that Suzuki, a favorite of manager Bob Melvin, will platoon with current A's backstop Stephen Vogt.  A 29-year-old Hawaii native, Suzuki was originally drafted out of Cal State-Fullerton by the A's in the second round in 2004, a few picks after Hunter Pence and Dustin Pedroia.  The Red Sox, in fact, wrestled between picking Pedroia or Suzuki in that draft, wrote WEEI's Alex Speier a few years ago.

Instead, Suzuki debuted with the A's in 2007 and managed to hit 15 home runs in 2009.  The following season, he signed a four-year, $16.25MM extension with Oakland, which still marks the largest contract for a catcher with between three and four years of big league service (though it has since been topped by Buster Posey and Carlos Santana, who had less than three years).  Suzuki talked about the extension in-depth with B.J. Rains for MLBTR in Spring Training this year.  The contract has an $8.5MM club option for 2014 that becomes guaranteed with 113 starts this year, but Oakland does not have enough games remaining for that to become possible.  So, it will remain a club option, which is likely to be declined.  

Suzuki is surely feeling déjà vu with this trade, having been dealt to a contender on Aug. 3 last year when the Nats acquired him for minor league catcher David Freitas.  Suzuki had a nice run offensively for the Nationals last year, but he's dropped off in 2013, hitting just .222/.283/.310 with three homers.  Now, he's returned to the organization that drafted him, tweeting that he's "pumped to be back and ready to go make a run at this."

Bacus, 22, was selected by the A's in the ninth round of the 2012 draft. In 121 1/3 innings for Beloit this season, he's posted a 3.56 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. At the time of the draft, Baseball America noted (subscription required) that Bacus — Indiana State's ace — led his team to a Missouri Valley Conference championship. He sits 90-92 mph with his fastball and features a slider and change-up, though his lack of swinging strikes makes him profile as a No. 4 starter.

Amanda Comak of the Washington Times was the first to report that Suzuki was headed to the A's, and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Nationals would receive Bacus and roughly $675K of salary relief.

Steve Adams contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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