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Matt Lindstrom

Orioles Acquire Joe Saunders For Matt Lindstrom

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1:12pm: The player to be named later the Diamondbacks will receive won't be named until after the season and will not be a targeted prospect but a lower-level minor leaguer, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.

11:09am: The Orioles have acquired Joe Saunders and cash from the Diamondbacks in exchange for reliever Matt Lindstrom and a player to be named later.  Saunders cleared trade waivers earlier in the week, making him eligible to be dealt to any club. 

Late last night, we learned that Arizona found a trade partner for the 31-year-old and the O's were said to be the club with the most steady interest in him.  Saunders will be owed roughly $1.5MM, the prorated portion of his $6MM salary, between now and the end of the year. 

The veteran has a 4.22 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 21 starts for the Diamondbacks this year.  For his career, Saunders owns a 4.17 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in eight big league seasons for the Angels and Diamondbacks.

Lindstrom, 32, has a 2.72 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 34 appearances this year.  The right-hander is earning $3.6MM in 2012 (roughly $748K remaining) with a $4MM club option for next season.  Lindstrom's option can be bought out for just $200K.  The deal marks the fifth time that Lindstrom has been traded in the last six years.

The O's also announced that Jake Arrieta has been called up from Triple-A.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) first reported that the Orioles acquired Saunders.  Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter) added details.

Cafardo On Broxton, Phillies, Span, Orioles, White Sox

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that Mariano Rivera is arguably the most important player in the American League East.  The Yankees will look to in-house solutions in the back of their bullpen for now, but other teams in need of relievers will start combing the market for answers.  The Cubs would obviously part with Carlos Marmol.  The Pirates could move Joel Hanrahan, but the price would be steep. The White Sox might trade left-hander Matt Thornton and the Astros could be willing to deal Brett Myers. 

Teams are looking to see whether the Mets would deal Bobby Parnell and whether the Royals move Jonathan Broxton.  Kansas City, however, would need to receive his permission since he was signed as a free agent and otherwise couldn’t be moved until after June 15th.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Phillies people insist that they are not on the lookout for a third baseman/left fielder with Placido Polanco struggling.  "We’re just trying to hold our heads above water until we get our guys back," a Phillies official told Cafardo.
  • Twins center fielder Denard Span remains on the Nationals' radar, but with closer Drew Storen sidelined, a deal is on hold for a while.
  • According to an Orioles source, they have received calls on Kevin Gregg and Matt Lindstrom.  The O's would love to move part of Gregg's $5.8MM deal for 2012.  Lindstrom, meanwhile, will earn $3.6MM with a $4MM option for 2013.
  • The Astros will hang on to Wandy Rodriguez until late July when they can get the best possible deal for him.
  • Even though White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski is reaching the end of his contract and is 35, don’t be surprised if the club talks about keeping him for another year or two.  Many in Chicago feel the mantle will be passed to Tyler Flowers, but Jerry Reinsdorf is very loyal to his veteran players.
  • First baseman Derrek Lee is definitely on the Brewers’ radar with Mat Gamel out for the season.  They’re thinking about moving Corey Hart from right field to first, but there may be outside options.  The Red Sox’s Lars Anderson and the Orioles’ Mark Reynolds could be two names to consider.
  • The Red Sox expect to have Andrew Bailey, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, Kevin Youkilis, and Daisuke Matsuzaka back at some point this summer.  General Manager Ben Cherington believes, "that would be better than anything we could do in a trade deadline deal."

Rockies To Acquire Guthrie For Hammel, Lindstrom

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"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Baltimore anymore," tweeted righty Jeremy Guthrie this morning after learning he'd been traded from the Orioles to the Rockies.  The clubs reached an agreement that sends Guthrie to Colorado for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun first reported the near-deal, which has now been officially announced. 

Guthrie's arbitration hearing against the Orioles was scheduled for this morning with a $7.25MM-$10.25MM spread, but his agent Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Sports tweeted today he reached an agreement on a one-year deal that fits "within the Rockies' payroll structure" and is "a showing of good faith."  Connolly says Guthrie settled with the Rockies at $8.2MM, which is $550K below the midpoint.  With the Orioles, a hearing had "seemed possible and even likely," tweeted Van Wagenen.

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Guthrie, 32, had been a regular in Baltimore's rotation since being claimed off waivers from the Indians five years ago.  Last year he posted a 4.33 ERA, 5.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, and 39.6% groundball rate in 208 innings for the Orioles.  His skills suggest a 200-inning, 4.50 ERA guy in the AL East.  Guthrie (pictured) will be a useful addition for a Rockies rotation long on options but short on stability, assuming his proclivity to surrender home runs doesn't worsen in Coors Field.  Guthrie will be eligible for free agency after the season, and I would not expect draft pick compensation.

Hammel, 29, posted a 4.76 ERA, 5.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 1.11 HR/9, and 43.9% groundball rate in 170 1/3 innings last year.  Acquired from the Rays three years ago, Hammel has given the Rockies 170+ innings in each season since the trade.  Prior to 2011, Hammel's skills suggested a pitcher capable of a sub-4.00 ERA.  In 2011, however, he was demoted to the Rockies' bullpen in August.  He'll earn $4.75MM in 2012 and will be arbitration eligible for 2013.

Lindstrom, 31, posted a 3.00 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.50 HR/9, and 47.3% groundball rate in 54 innings last year for the Rockies.  His strikeout rates have always seemed low for someone averaging a 96 mile-per-hour fastball.  Lindstrom, who was acquired in December 2010 from the Astros, is owed $3.6MM for 2012 and has a $4MM club option for '13.  Interestingly, Guthrie and Lindstrom both put their baseball careers on hold for two-year Mormon missions in their lives.    

With the trade, Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has subtracted his rotation's one sure thing in favor of Hammel, who was demoted from the Rockies' rotation last summer.  He did acquire two pitchers for the price of one, as well as potential 2013 control for each.  Noted Duquette on today's conference call, "We didn't have any offers of young prospects for Jeremy."  Duquette has hooked up with Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd for trades twice before, when the former was at the helm of the Red Sox.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Rockies Close To Acquiring Jeremy Guthrie

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The Rockies and Orioles are nearing an agreement that would send starter Jeremy Guthrie to Colorado, most likely for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Connolly believes a third piece for the Orioles was discussed, but the sides settled on Hammel and Lindstrom.  Guthrie's arbitration hearing was scheduled for this morning, but is believed to have been postponed.  With a $3MM gap, the righty's arbitration case has a sizeable spread.

Guthrie, 32, has been a regular in Baltimore's rotation since being claimed off waivers from the Indians five years ago.  Last year he posted a 4.33 ERA, 5.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, and 39.6% groundball rate in 208 innings for the Orioles.  His skills suggest a 200-inning, 4.50 ERA guy in the AL East.  Guthrie will be a useful addition for a Rockies rotation long on options but short on stability, assuming his proclivity to surrender home runs doesn't worsen.  Guthrie will be eligible for free agency after the season.

Hammel, 29, posted a 4.76 ERA, 5.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 1.11 HR/9, and 43.9% groundball rate in 170 1/3 innings last year.  Acquired from the Rays three years ago, Hammel has given the Rockies 170+ innings in each of his seasons.  Prior to 2011, Hammel's skills suggested a pitcher capable of a sub-4.00 ERA.  In 2011, however, he was moved to the Rockies' bullpen in August.  He'll earn $4.75MM in 2012 and will be arbitration eligible for 2013.

Lindstrom, 31, posted a 3.00 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.50 HR/9, and 47.3% groundball rate in 54 innings last year for the Rockies.  His strikeout rates have always seemed low for someone averaging a 96 mile-per-hour fastball.  Lindstrom, who was acquired in December 2010 from the Astros, is owed $3.6MM for 2012 and has a $4MM club option for '13.    

With the trade, Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has subtracted his rotation's one sure thing in favor of Hammel, who was demoted from the Rockies' rotation last summer.  He did acquire two pitchers for the price of one, as well as potential 2013 control for each.

This post was first published the morning of February 6th.

Checking In On Colorado’s Offseason Extensions

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The Rockies were one of the most aggressive teams in baseball in terms of extensions last offseason. They locked six of their players up on multiyear deals, including two contracts worth $80MM or more.

It’s still too early to say with much authority that the deals failed or succeeded, but Troy Tulowitzki’s contract doesn’t expire until 2020 at the earliest and that’s a long wait, so let's check in on the deals now. The early verdict? Nearly five months into the season, the Rockies’ new deals are going well, largely because their biggest investments are looking good. That in itself doesn't justify the moves, but it's certainly better than the alternative.

Tulowitzki (ten years, $157.75MM), Carlos Gonzalez (seven years, $80MM), Matt Lindstrom (two years, $6.6MM), Jason Hammel (two years, $7.75MM), Rafael Betancourt (two years, $8.02MM) and Matt Belisle (two years, $6.125MM) all signed long-term last winter. Conventional wisdom says multiyear deals for relievers and megadeals for players already under long-term control aren’t the most prudent ways of spending money, especially for a mid-market team. Nevertheless, the Rockies went ahead with the moves and they’re going well so far this year.

It would be hard to argue that Tulowitzki isn’t the best shortstop in the game. Gonzalez has boosted his walk rate, lowered his strikeout rate and, thanks to a recent hot streak that has included seven home runs in 12 days, raised his season line to .289/.360/.523. Betancourt, Belisle and Lindstrom (now on the DL) have each pitched at least 43 2/3 innings with at least 6.2 K/9, no more than 2.3 BB/9 and an ERA of 3.41 or below. Even Hammel, who just lost his rotation spot to Alex White, provided Colorado with three months’ worth of solid starts before faltering in July and August.

The extensions look good so far, despite the Rockies’ disappointing 63-68 record. At this point, that’s all Colorado could hope for. But every player they locked up could have been on the team this year even if GM Dan O’Dowd hadn’t inked them to long-term deals, so the final verdict on the 2010-11 offseason deals will have to wait for another decade or so.

Rockies Rumors: Jimenez, Wigginton

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The Rockies are 11 games back in the NL West, so it's time to consider selling various pieces.  The latest:

Players To Avoid Arbitration: Monday

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Teams and players exchange arbitration figures tomorrow if they haven't already come to terms for 2011. That means plenty of players will likely avoid arbitration today. We'll keep track of them all right here and with our Arbitration Tracker; the latest updates are at the top of this post:

Rockies, Lindstrom Agree To Two-Year Deal

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The Rockies agreed to a two-year deal with Matt Lindstrom, avoiding arbitration, according to the team (on Twitter). The $6.6MM deal includes a club option for a third year, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). Lindstrom will earn $2.8MM in 2011 and $3.6MM in 2012 with a club option for $4MM in 2013, according to Renck.

Lindstrom was arbitration eligible for the second time after earning $1.63MM in 2010. This extension covers his two remaining seasons as an arbitraiton eligible player and the option covers his first season of free agency.

The Rockies acquired the right-hander from the Astros this winter after he posted a 4.39 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings. Along with Lindstrom, Matt Belisle (who also avoided arbitration with the Rockies), Huston Street and Rafael Betancourt provide manager Jim Tracy with a number of proven late-inning options.

Ian Stewart, Felipe Paulino and Jason Hammel are the team's remaining unsigned arbitration eligible players, as MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows.

Odds & Ends: Diamondbacks, Lindstrom, Lee, Ramirez

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Merry Christmas everyone!  Let's see what tidbits of information Santa has for us under the tree..

Rockies Acquire Matt Lindstrom

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The Rockies have acquired Matt Lindstrom from the Astros in exchange for minor league pitchers Jonnathan Aristil and Wes Musick, according to a Houston team press release. 

Lindstrom, 31 in February, posted a 4.39 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 23 saves in his first season as an Astro. He logged 53 1/3 innings and posted a 48.9 % ground ball rate.  This marks the second consecutive offseason (third time overall) that Lindstrom has been traded; the Mets sent him to the Marlins in 2006 and the Marlins sent him to the Astros just over a year ago. 

Lindstrom earned $1.625MM in 2010 and will make over $2MM through arbitration next year. He's under team control through 2012.  The right-hander joins Huston Street, Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt at the back of the Rockies' 'pen. This addition could limit the Rockies' interest in David Aardsma, Jon Rauch, Chad Qualls, Todd Coffey and Matt Guerrier.

Aristil, 24, was an infielder when he signed a free agent contract with Colorado in 2003.  Since converting to pitching in 2006, the right-hander has posted a 4.47 ERA in 113 appearances, 53 of them starts and just 12 of which came above the Single-A level.

Musick, 23, is a left-hander whom the Astros originally drafted in the 46th round of the 2005 draft, but Musick chose to attend the University of Houston instead.  Picked by the Rockies in the ninth round of the 2009 draft, Musick has posted impressive numbers in his first two pro seasons — a 3.78 ERA, 8.5 K/9 rate, a 2.1 BB/9 rate and an even 4.00 K/BB ratio in 30 games (28 of them starts).

MLB.com's Thomas Harding was the first to report that Lindstrom was on his way to Colorado, while ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported earlier this afternoon that the Astros were nearing a deal for the reliever.  Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle was the first to report Musick's inclusion in the deal, while Astros director of social media Alyson Footer tweeted the news about Aristil.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk contributed to this post

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