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Free Agent Stock Watch: Ryan Madson

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Is it possible for a free agent to have much stock after he missed the entire season due to injury? It is when you've been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball for the last half-decade and are still just 32 years old.

Uspw_5547164The Reds invested a one-year, $8.5MM contract in Ryan Madson last winter only to watch him blow out his elbow and require Tommy John surgery near the end of Spring Training. They came into today with an 11-game lead in the NL Central thanks in part to Aroldis Chapman, who has emerged as one of the two or three most dominant closers in baseball in Madson's stead. The team survived the injury just fine.

Madson, however, faces an uncertain offseason. He pitched to a 2.89 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 329 2/3 innings from 2007-2011, including a 32-save campaign in his walk year last season. Agent Scott Boras spent the offseason trying to secure a multiyear pact – at one point it appeared that Madson would be returning to the Phillies before they signed Jonathan Papelbon – before taking the one-year deal from the Reds in late-January.

There isn't much precedent for relievers entering free agency coming off Tommy John surgery, but Manny Corpas did it a year ago. He ultimately took a minor league contract with the Rangers before hooking on with the Cubs this past winter. Given his pedigree, Madson should still be able to land a guaranteed contract this offseason, though it might be of the low-base salary plus incentives variety.

It's worth noting that there is an $11MM mutual option ($2.5MM buyout) in Madson's contract with the Reds. It seems likely that he would exercise his half of the option, but the Reds are unlikely to do the same given Chapman's emergence plus Sean Marshall's presence as the backup plan. Acquiring a pitcher of Madson's caliber on a low-base salary deal is very intriguing and something I'm sure multiple clubs will offer him after the season.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Dodgers Agree To Extend Ned Colletti

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The Dodgers and GM Ned Colletti have agreed to a contract extension, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The two sides have been discussing an extension lately and his current deal included mutual options beyond 2012. The new agreement is a multiyear deal, perhaps as many as three years according to Heyman.

Colletti has been at the Dodgers' helm since November 2005. The team has gone 586-530 under his watch, thrice winning the NL West and never winning fewer than 80 games in a season. They advanced to the NLCS in both 2008 and 2009. He survived the Frank McCourt ownership fallout, and the new Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson led ownership group showed no indications that they were considering a switch at GM.

Our Transaction Tracker shows all of Colletti's moves as Dodgers GM, the second of which is acquiring Andre Ethier from the Athletics. Other notable moves including hiring manager Joe Torre, acquiring Greg Maddux, signing Hiroki Kuroda, extending Matt Kemp, and acquiring Adrian Gonzalez. Clayton Kershaw was also drafted under Colletti's watch.

Colletti: Mattingly Will Return Next Season

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The Dodgers have won just seven of 19 games since their blockbuster trade with the Dodgers, and they're now one game out of a wildcard spot. Despite their second half slide, GM Ned Colletti told reporters (including Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles) that manager Don Mattingly will return next season.

"I think he's done a really good job of keeping it together and there's never an excuse," said Colletti. "He doesn't give any and he doesn't take any. I don't have any doubt that our efforts every day are there, and I think that's one of the main jobs of a manager, to make sure guys are into it … You know that if you get beat, it's not a happy room, it's not one people take lightly and are cavalier. It means something to everybody and that's a credit to him and his staff."

Mattingly is under contact through 2013, and in fact yesterday we heard that the Dodgers are likely to look into a contract extension for their skipper this winter. It's not uncommon for a new ownership group to make changes in the front office and/or coaching staff soon after taking over, but the Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson led group have been nothing but supportive of Mattingly since they took control of the team in April.

Quick Hits: Hamilton, Red Sox, Hanley, Managers

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Current big leaguers Mike Olt, Jurickson Profar, Adam Eaton, Tony Cingrani, Dan Straily, and Carter Capps were all named to Baseball America's Minor League All-Star Team today. Here's the latest from around the league on Friday night…

Free Agent Stock Watch: Marco Scutaro

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Few trade deadline acquisitions have had as much impact as Marco Scutaro, who has hit .341/.361/.447 in 44 games for the Giants after being acquired from the Rockies for prospect Charlie Culberson. He's continued to show off his trademark versatility by filling in at third base while Pablo Sandoval was hurt before taking over second full-time.

Uspw_6511012Scutaro, 36, owns a .293/.336/.388 overall batting line this season between Colorado and San Francisco. He hit .299/.358/.423 in 445 plate appearances for the Red Sox a year ago, before they exercised his $6MM option and traded him to the Rockies. Other than that versatility, Scutaro's calling card is his ability to make contact and get on-base. He's struck out in just 7.8% of his plate appearances this year, the second lowest mark in baseball. His career 8.7% walk rate is rock solid as well.

Earlier this week Scutaro made it clear that he would like to return to the Giants next season, so much so that he would be open to re-signing during the exclusive negotiating period after the World Series. The upcoming free agent class is light on quality middle infielders though, so his services will definitely be in high demand especially when you factor in his strong second half performance for a contender.

Scutaro originally signed a two-year $12.5MM contract with the Red Sox prior to the 2010 season (plus the option), and I don't think it's completely out of the question that he signs a similar multiyear deal this winter despite being three years older. The middle infield market offers few viable alternatives, and his versatility means he won't be locked into one position. The Giants are shedding Freddy Sanchez's $6MM salary after the season, money that could be easily reinvested in the team's current second baseman.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Theo Epstein Talks Rebuilding, Sveum

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The Cubs have the second worst record in baseball at 57-87 and were officially eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein spoke to Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago about a number of topics, including what the future holds for his team as they rebuild.

"I think obviously we really care about our fans and we want them to have a great experience, but we're trying to be transparent about it," he said. "We have a plan and we have a vision and it won't happen overnight, but given the way of things I think this is the best way to go."

"There might be some tough things we have to tell (fans) along the way, and there might be another trading deadline in our future where we trade away 40 percent of a really good rotation," Epstein added. "Again, our goal from the beginning was that we were going to do what we need to do to put ourselves in position to be a contending team year in and year out. So that means no shortcuts and taking a long approach."

Epstein went on to praise manager Dale Sveum, acknowledging that he is being evaluated more on his ability to help their young players develop than the club's win-loss record. 

As our Transaction Tracker shows, the Cubs have traded away Sean Marshall, Carlos Zambrano, Marlon Byrd, Geovany Soto, Reed Johnson, Paul Maholm, and Ryan Dempster since the Epstein and Jed Hoyer regime took over last offseason. Matt Garza likely would have been dealt as well had he not suffered an arm injury. He and players like Alfonso Soriano, David DeJesus, Bryan LaHair, and Carlos Marmol could be next to go as the team continues its rebuilding effort.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pirates, Wright, Yankees

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Jose Reyes stole his 50th base of the season on this date in 2008, becoming the first New York area player to steal 50+ bags in four consecutive seasons. That includes the Mets and Yankees as well as the Dodgers and Giants of yesteryear. Here is the latest from the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Quick Hits: Perez, Indians, Phillies

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Some links as Saturday turns into Sunday…

Eric Hacker Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Eric Hacker has rejected his outright assignment to pursue opportunities in Japan or Korea, reports Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The Giants designated him for assignment earlier this week and then outrighted him to Triple-A today.

Hacker, 29, allowed six runs in 9 2/3 innings with San Francisco earlier this season. He spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Fresno, posting a 4.01 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 25 starts and one relief appearance. Hacker has a 4.76 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in five Triple-A campaigns.

Poll: The Stephen Strasburg Shutdown

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Uspw_6522090Innings limits and pitch counts are a relatively new phenomenon in baseball, as clubs go to great lengths to protect both their top young arms as well as their investments. No workload limitation in history has garnered as much national attention as Stephen Strasburg’s, the 24-year-old former first overall draft pick, first-time All-Star in 2012, and Tommy John surgery survivor.

Nationals manager Davey Johnson announced this morning that last night’s five-run, three-inning outing against the Marlins would be Strasburg’s final start of the season, one fewer than originally announced. The skipper cited excessive media attention and other distractions that he felt were hurting the team overall, so he decided to pull the plug at 159 1/3 innings and 28 starts. Strasburg’s performance during those 28 starts was Cy Young caliber, a 3.16 ERA with a league-best 11.1 K/9.

Of course, what makes the shutdown so intriguing is that the Nationals are in contention. They own baseball’s best record at 86-53 following this afternoon’s walk-off win, and are almost guaranteed to make the franchise’s first postseason appearance since moving to the nation’s capital from Montreal in 2005. A World Series contender voluntarily shutting down their best pitcher is certainly a controversial move worthy of debate.

That said, the Nationals are built for the long-haul. They’ll still go into the postseason with a front three of Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, and Edwin Jackson, which is as good as any rotation in the game. Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen, and other core players are all on the right side of 30 as well. The Nats are as good a bet as any team to remain competitive going forward. Shutting Strasburg down could cost them a shot at the World Series this year, but it may greatly increase their chances of winning multiple titles in the future.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

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