Yardbarker: Major League Baseball

Braves Top-10 Minor League Relief Pitchers (1-5)

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:00:29 -0500

CB touched on its yesterday, in that most successful relievers in the MLB were drafted as starters, but the Braves have been drafting relievers with that intention in mind recently and it has left them with some very interesting arms in the bullpen that could be ready to fill holes in just a year or two. 1. Craig Kimbrel B/T: R/R Born: 05/28/1988 Ht: 5'11" Wt: 205 Craig Kimbrel was another multiple attempt draftee of the Braves. They took him in the 33rd Rd in 2007 but fa...

Long-term contract talks with Josh Johnson hits roadblock

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:54:39 -0500

Long-term contract negotiations with Josh Johnson may have come to an end. "Josh obviously wanted to do something to stay long-term with the Marlins, but it doesn't look that way now,' his agent, Matt Sosnick, said today. Johnson, 25, is entering his second winter of arbitration but was hoping to sign a four-year contract worth at least $40 million. The Marlins were believed to be willing to go no longer than three years for about $22 million. When the sides cou...

Florida Marlins finalize the 40-man roster

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:51:13 -0500

The Marlins finalized the 40-man roster to get ready for the winter meetings and the Rule 5 draft. In anticipation of the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 10, the Marlins filled up their 40-man roster on Friday, adding right-handers Jose Ceda, Jay Buente, Brett Sinkbeil and Kris Harvey, as well as outfielder Scott Cousins. Friday was the deadline to protect players from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft by selecting their contracts. The move ensures none of those players run the risk of ...

It's Burke Badenhop's turn

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:39:24 -0500

David Pinto of Baseball Musings continues on with his Players A to Z, and it is Burke Badenhop's turn. Players A to Z, Burke Badenhop Mr. Pinto has some positive things to say about the Hopper, give it a look see. But in writing about Badenhop, Mr. Pinto reveals a couple of things about himself. 1) He has good taste in cartoons. 2) He doesn't hold a candle to GameFish when it comes to spelling words using Burke Badenhop's name. But then again, who does? ...

Rays' Offensive Leaderboard

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:00:17 -0500

Ponder this question, answer it, and then mentally rank the options in order from one to five. Leave full rankings in the comments section. And no Fangraphs-peeking allowed!No worries, the answer will be coming at 10 AM today. **For those that haven't heard of wRAA, imagine the question this way: who has provided the Rays with the most offensive value during their time with the Rays?** Poll Who do you believe is the Rays' all-time offensive leader (a...

PawSox Skipper Ron Johnson Heading To Boston

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:54:52 -0500

For the last five years, Ron Johnson has been giving the good news of a promotion to the Boston Red Sox. And now according to Joe McDonald of the the Providence Journal, the Pawtucket Red Sox manager is heading up I-95 to Boston to join Terry Francona’s coaching staff. While Johnson won’t take over for Brad Mills, [...]

Red Sox Claim Manuel Off Waivers From Mariners

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:38:19 -0500

Here is the press release from the Boston Red Sox concerning the waiver claim they made on Robert Manuel of the Seattle Mariners on Friday. BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox today claimed right-handed pitcher Robert Manuel off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. The club’s 40-man roster is now at 32. The announcement was made by [...]

The 2009-2010 Offseason, Theo Style, Part III: The Rotation

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:15:29 -0500

Last offseason, the Red Sox took some quite large risks in the rotation by shelling out moderate contracts to Brad Penny and John Smoltz, neither of which provided them with much value at all. The one nice thing about those deals was that they were only for one year, allowing the Red Sox to have some money freed up for the rotation this year. And with Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka, Buchholz, and Wakefield in the rotation, there’s certainly room for another starter. That’s especially ...

The 2009 'Pitties: Rookie of the Year

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:13 -0500

Why, yes - I have been waiting all year to use that picture, thank you for asking. Actually, I wanted to use one of that fan at Joe Robbie Stadium Pro Player Park Pro Player Stadium Dolphin Stadium Land Shark Stadium, who attended a May Marlins-Diamondbacks game in full Chewbacca get-up. I can think of about 29 other stadia in baseball where I'd rather wear a full-body fur suit. Before going on, however, congratulations to Ryan Roberts, who won the award for Unsung Hero of the Year,...

Cubs Protect 5 from Rule 5 Draft

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:27:42 -0500

The Cubs added pitchers John Gaub, Blake Paker and Rafael Dolis along with catcher Welington Castillo and OF James Adduci to their 40-man roster. All five were eligible to be selected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft and the deadline was today to add them. Arizona Phil has been keeping track of this on the right sidebar of course. He had Matt Camp on his short list of players he thought the Cubs would protect - rather than Adduci - but he got the other four.

Besides Camp, I would guess that Steve Clevenger, Alessandro Maestri, Thomas Diamond, J.R.Mathes or Greg Rheinhard might draw a little interest.

Astros sign minor league FA Jose Valdez

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:56:53 -0500

Brian McTaggart reports via Twitter that the Astros have signed a minor league free agent coming out of the Yankees system. Jose Valdez (27, RHP) pitched 19.1 innings at their AAA club this year, the proud owner of a 4.19 ERA, 18 strikeouts, and 10 walks. In past seasons, he's struck out around one batter per inning, but walked more than one batter every two innings last season at AA. His control was much better at lower levels, however. He doesn't have a lot of...

Cubs Rumor Round-Up: Halladay, Bradley

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:46:17 -0500

- Muskat blogged that the Blue Jays contacted the Cubs about Roy Halladay.

...there's a catch. He's owed $15.75 million in 2010, and the Blue Jays want some of the Cubs' top prospects. No. 1, the team can't take on Halladay's salary. The Blue Jays apparently have a wish list and Milton Bradley is not on it. A player like highly regarded shortstop Starlin Castro most likely is, and the Cubs don't want to part with him, especially since they might only have Halladay for one year.

A good time to show your committment to winning Ricketts family - we're all counting on you.

- Phil Rogers tried to sell a 3-way trade of Luis Castillo to the Cubs, Kevin Millwood to the Mets and Milton Bradley to the Rangers. It seemed to be quickly shot down though by the Cubs and Rangers.

- Carlos Marmol claimed the Cubs were pursuing Pedro Martinez, but the Cubs shot down that as well.

- John Grabow's deal is official, 2/7.5M although not sure if it's evenly split. A report from Bruce Levine said it would go up by a million in the second year, so that makes it $3.25M in 2010 and $4.25M in 2011. Also should note that Grabow's been dealing with bone chips as well for the last three years, I'm sure that won't bite the Cubs in the ass.

- Last day to enter the TCR Free Agent Frenzy contest, I'll shut it down sometime this weekend.

Laynce Nix a free agent, Daryl Thompson outrighted off 40-man roster

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:11 -0500

Laynce Nix a free agent, Daryl Thompson outrighted off 40-man roster Mark Sheldon tweets it. I think we all expected Nix to get nixed with so many better, cheaper options, and Thompson shouldn't be a surprise either. Dude's been riddled with injuries. Remember his debut at Yankee Stadium though? That was awesome. MLBTraderumors also says Craig Tatum was claimed off waivers by the Orioles. Plenty of roster clean-up going on with deadline to set the 40-man fast approaching. ...

Money isn’t only matter standing in Figgins’ way

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:58:49 -0500

Insiders think Chone Figgins will command upwards of five-years, $50 million in free agency. Some believe he’s best suited to remain with the Angels, but one could argue that the Phillies need him most. Today, David Murphy continued his free agent primer with a look at third base, noting that among Major League third basemen, Pedro Feliz ranked 18th in on base percentage (.308) and 18th in OPS (.694). He also noted, as others have, too, that the Phillies’ 7-hole...

Tom Glavine Talks on Sirius XM Radio

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:28:18 -0500

More photos » by Paul Abell - AP It seems like some of the bitterness of the Braves' decision to cut Tom Glavine (evident in this picture from June 5th of this year) has finally left the future Hall of Fame pitcher. Browse more photos » I was sent this transcript by the media guy over at Sirius XM Radio's MLB Home Plate show. I thought it had some good quotes from Tom Glavine... he usually has good...

Hypothetically Speaking: The Prince Fielder Contract Extension

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:15:00 -0500

Can the Brewers keep Prince Fielder long term? Well, according to this tweet from Jon Heyman, the Brewers are going to give it a go.#brewers plan to try to lock up prince fielder this winter. dont put it past milwaukee (1 of 9 teams to draw 3 mil fans)But the question remains: can this extension actually happen? With the Brewers payroll remaining around $80 million and Fielder likely to command $15-$20 million annually, the prospects of a contract extension seem bleak, at best.But in the name...

Could Eric Gagne Bring Baseball Back to Montreal? (Probably Not.)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:25:41 -0500

When we last saw Eric Gagne, he was not in high esteem. But that was just Eric Gagne the baseball player. As Walkoff Walk notes, he might be trying on a different cap before too long. At a charity event in Quebec City, Gagne was asked if he would lead an investment team to help Montreal get a professional baseball team. His response, translated from his native French-Canadian tongue: "I know baseball but I'm not a businessman and there are other things involved that I don'...

Why (And How) The Cubs Should Trade For Curtis Granderson

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:39:01 -0500

by Duane Burleson - AP In addition to a good bat, Curtis Granderson would give the Cubs plus defense in CF. View full size photo » I'm not sure I really have to convince anyone here of the premise of the headline of this article; numerous people have already posted here about how useful Curtis Granderson would be in the Cubs' outfield, and several traditional media articles in both Chicago and Detroit have di...

Marlins make an offer to Ross Gload

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:38:09 -0500

The Marlins looked it over and wondered if they could get Ross Gload for Wes Helms money. The Marlins have extended an offer to Ross Gload, their top left-handed hitter off the bench last season when he led the majors in pinch hits. The offer is thought to be similar to the one received last year by Wes Helms, who agreed to a two-year deal for $1.9 million. Gload said toward he end of the season that he would prefer to remain...

Arizona Fall League: Jose Tabata Goes 6-for-7, Posey Drives in 4

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:30:11 -0500

by Chris Carlson - AP 2 months ago: San Francisco Giants' Buster Posey gets his first major league hit against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) View full size photo » The Arizona Fall League regular season came to a close on Thursday. Highlighting the day was the Pirates outfield prospect Jose Tabata going 6...

Blogging the Offseason: Toronto Blue Jays

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:10:00 -0500

Blogging the Offseason is a 30 team series in which I ask a blogging representative from each MLB team a series of ten questions about their desires and thoughts surrounding the offseason. Check out all of them here.

Today's team NL is the Atlanta Braves and our guest is Stoeten from the Jays Blog, Drunk Jays Fans.

1. The obvious question on everybody's mind surrounding the Jays is what do they do with Halladay. Will they trade him? Will they extend him? Will they wait til the all start break? Thoughts?
They’ve been saying all the right things—that they love him so much that they’re not even sure they can bring themselves to trade him, and that they’re comfortable letting him walk at the end of the year and taking the draft picks—mostly because they saw what happened during the summer when the previous GM said all the wrong things, but make no mistake, behind the scenes, they’re working on dealing him, and I’d wager that it’s going to happen sooner than later. I don’t think he’s a Jay when the season starts, and at this point.
2. The Jays freed up money when they straight up just let the White Sox take Alex Rios. Were you happy with the move? Where do you think they utilize the cash they saved?
I loved the move. Rios is an incredibly talented guy and may still make the Jays look like fools for it, but given that they’re already saddled with Vernon Wells’ untradeable contract, they’d have been in an incredibly tough spot in terms of payroll flexibility if Rios continued to go the same route. It hurt to deal him at his lowest value and to get nothing but salary relief back for him, but unlike a lot of fans, I do have faith that ownership will reinvest that money back into the team down the line. Legend has it Rogers’ CEO Nadir Mohamed asked Paul Beeston this year if he needed an infusion of cash, and Beeston said no, preferring to cash in that offer when the organization is at a point where it makes sense to take them to the next level and seems less like simply throwing money at a problem.

3. Shawn Marcum and Dustin McGowan were solid contributors in 08 but injured in 09, will they be in the rotation on opening day? Whom else will make up the 5-man?
Marcum was on pace to be back this August, if they needed him, so he should be fine, and as long as he’s the same guy as he was before the injury, he’ll be a very solid, very underrated pitcher in the American League, and the anchor of the rotation—unless they get someone even better back for Halladay. McGowan is the wildcard. For a lot of the summer we were hearing that he wasn’t progressing well, and the team wouldn’t even say for sure that they thought he’d ever pitch again. Lately we’ve been hearing much more encouraging reports, but still, nobody knows what to expect. It’s been a long road for him—he lost a year to Tommy John in the minors and spent six other seasons down there before finally putting it together. Then, almost as soon as he figured it out, he tore his labrum. If he’s the same guy he was in 2007 he’ll have fantastic, front-of-the-rotation stuff, with inconsistent command that ideally he’ll improve over time. But it’s impossible to believe he’ll still be that guy—especially right away. The rest of the rotation is a bit of a crapshoot, but I’d guess Romero, Rzepczynski, someone who comes back for Halladay, and if McGowan isn’t ready, Brett Cecil.

4. Where the hell did Aaron Hill's 36 home runs come from? If anything you have to like the fact that Ricciardi locked him up for the long term. Is there anything else J.P. did in his tenure that you think will help the Jays build in the future?
I think there’s a lot of good that JP did, and I actually backed his moves a lot longer than most. The Jays had a couple years where they had some of the best pitching and defense in baseball—if not the best-- and couldn't find a way to score enough runs. But there's value to that, and the pitching depth is still quite good. Lind, Hill and Snider are his players, and even at the bitter end, he did well in the Scott Rolen trade, I think. Of course, there was a lot that went wrong, and having only two above average position players and one strong prospect to your credit, after eight years, is pretty incredibly awful. But still, there is a lot that JP did that can be built on. As for Hill, he’s always been a good contact hitter—I’d like to see him walk a bit more—and someone who we thought could hit a lot of doubles. Honestly, my theory is that, while he was out with a post-concussion syndrome in 2008, he was able to work out and bulk up a bit more than he would have had the opportunity to during the grind of a baseball season, meaning that balls that would have been doubles in previous years were now going yard. I have absolutely nothing scientific to back that up, though.

5. Marco Scutaro was a revelation in 2009. Will the Jays keep him or will he get a sizeable contract elsewhere?
Scutaro is a Type-A free agent, so he’ll net the Jays a sandwich round pick plus a high pick from the team who signs him when he goes elsewhere. Given their commitment to getting better in the long term, I’m very certain he’s going to be playing elsewhere. The only scenario in which I see him coming back would be something similar to what happened to Orlando Cabrera last year. Scutaro’s 34, he’s never played as well as he did in his free agent year, and he’s going to be looking for a lot of money and more than a two-year deal, I imagine. It may be that, given the money, the term, and the red flags, teams won’t be willing to give up a high compensation pick to sign him. That would give the Jays a chance to take him back at a discount, but I’d say that’s fairly unlikely.

6. Mr. Barajas is a free agent this offseason. The Jays catcher on opening day will be whom?
I think there’s a decent chance it’s actually him. Either that, or somebody who is not currently in the organization. If they can find someone young and cheap as a stopgap until either prospect JP Arencibia is ready or they find a more permanent solution, they’ll do it, but otherwise they’ll go year-to-year with guys like Barajas. They can probably do just as well for less money, but the staff is comfortable with Barajas and he likes it here, so if they can’t get younger, it makes sense to have him back.

7. You've gassed your owner and have convinced him to spend like the Yankees, which three free agents do you sign?
I'm not thrilled with any of the free agents available this year, considering how much they're likely to make. Frankly, I save my money until next year when, barring extensions, I believe Halladay, Mauer and Beckett will hit the market.

8. Which Jay prospect are you most looking forward to in 2010?
Travis Snider. And I hope to hell our ridiculous, old school manager actually gives him an opportunity to play every day—which, sadly, is not a given. Ugh.

9. I'm giving you the option to cut players without any salary repercussions, which Jays do you part way with?
Without question, Vernon Wells. Just about everybody else could be moved for something younger, and that’s what I think the Jays need to start doing—stockpiling young players. And even if they can’t get anything of value for a Brian Tallet, his contract isn’t killing the team, Wells’ is.

10. Final Question, you've got a crystal ball, the Jays will make the playoffs in ______.
2012.

Beerleaguer for breakfast: Feliz fits Orioles’ needs

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:49:26 -0500

As of midnight, teams are square to negotiate with free agents. Third baseman Pedro Feliz, considered a fallback for the Phillies, has drawn early interest from Baltimore. Feliz, along with Adrian Beltre, heads Baltimore’s short list to replace Melvin Mora at third, according to the Baltimore Sun. While Beltre would likely require a longer, more lucrative deal, the Orioles view Feliz as a stopgap measure until prospect Josh Bell is ready, according to the Sun. Meanwhile, the Phillies are hunting...

DeAngelo Hall's Birthday party. Hosted by Ryan Zimmerman.

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:32:25 -0500

(Photo via Absolute Addiction dot com. H/T to http://twitter.com/ckstevenson. Wow. You really can't make this stuff up.) Seriously? No joke? Ryan Zimmerman is hosting DeAngelo Hall's Birthday party tonight, but we can't figure out why. Our anonymous, unnamed sources tell us Ryan Zimmerman will also be doing magic tricks and making balloon animals for party-goers. (Quite a year for Zim: Gold Glove. Silver Slugger. B...

No Frenzy ... Just Trades for the Cubs

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:30:00 -0500

Tim Lincecum picked up his second consecutive NL Cy Young award on Thursday. The BBWAA awards will take a break on Friday and pickup next week with the announcements of the NL and AL MVPs. One note on the NL Cy Young award, Keith Law and Will Carroll might steer clear of St. Louis for a few months. Let the free agent frenzy begin ... just not on the North Side of Chicago. The majority of changes the Cubs are looking to make this winter will reportedly come via the trade route and not openi...

Smoking Gun: Red Sox Owner Was Blatant Racist

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:01:09 -0500

In case you don’t know, the Boston Red Sox was the last MLB team to sign a black player - 14 long years after Jackie Robinson inked a deal with the Dodgers. Because of that, there’s been plenty of speculation as to why it took the Bosox so long to integrate. Longtime baseball writer and editor [...]

Vernon Wells Contract is Remarkably Bad

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:01:00 -0500

I think we all have heard that Vernon Wells has a bloated contract and that he is incredibly un-tradeable. This morning I decided to take a look at just how bad the remainder of Vernon Wells contract is, and well its really really really bad.

Vernon Wells signed a 7 year 126 million dollar extension in December 2006. That sounds bad doesn't it? Eighteen Million a year for Vernon Wells, ugh. But it's actually way worse than just Eighteen Million. See the Blue Jays backloaded basically the entire deal except for a signing bonus. In 2008 Wells made just .5$ million plus 1/3 of his 25.5$ million dollar signing bonus. In 2009 he made 1.5$ million plus 1/3 of the signing bonus. Therefore if you do a quick calculation through 2/7 of his contract he has been paid just 18.5 of the 126 million dollar deal. In 10 each of the next five years he will make more than 20 million dollars. UGH.

Just a reminder, Vernon Wells hit .260 last year and only hit 15 home runs. Wow that's a bad contract.

H/t Cot's Contracts

MLB Trade Rumors: Roy Halladay to the Dodgers for Chad Billingsley??

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:15:20 -0500

More photos » by Fred Thornhill - AP about 1 month ago: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Roy Halladay throws against the Seattle Mariners during first-inning AL baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Fred Thornhill) Browse more photos » The Dodgers were rumored to be in on the Roy Halladay trade talks last July, but ended up bolstering their bullpen in...

Hypothetically Speaking: The Felix Hernandez Contract Extension

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:10:00 -0500

After Felix Hernandez finished second in the CY Young voting to Zack Greinke, Larry Stone writes about what the future holds for King Felix in Seattle:"At some point between now and opening day 2010 — precisely when this will happen is a state secret, guarded zealously by both sides — general manager Jack Zduriencik and Hernandez's agent, Alan Nero, will engage in serious talks about a contract extension. To review: Hernandez is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season, giving ...