Rumors for St. Louis Cardinals
Waiver claims: Reds claim Simon, Rockies claim Ottavino
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The Cincinnati Reds have claimed right handed pitcher Alfredo Simon according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Simon, 30, was 4-9 with a 4.90 ERA, 1.2 HR/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 6.5 SO/9 in 115.2 innings with the Orioles in 2011.
The Colorado Rockies have claimed right handed pitcher Adam Ottavino according to the Rockies official Twitter account. The 26-years old last pitched in the Majors in 2010 with the Cardinals. In 2011 he was 7-8 with a 4.85 ERA, 0.9 HR/9, 4.5 BB/9 and 7.7 SO/9 in 141.0 innings with the Cardinals’ Triple-A team.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
The Reds would like to keep Votto and Phillips long term, but can they? (Part II)
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Yesterday we talked about the Reds’ intentions of keeping both Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto, and explained how much we believe Phillips should make in a long-term deal. Now its time to evaluate Votto. Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com, believes that Prince Fielder’s nine-year, $214 million deal with the Tigers and Albert Pujols‘ 10-year, $254 million with the Angels will be used as benchmark in Votto’s contract talks.
In 2011, Votto hit .309/.416/.531 with 29 HR’s and 103 RBI’s. His FRAA was 14.2 and his VORP 53.2 for a 7.2 WARP, the highest number in his career. He is a career 179.4 VORP, 31.6 FRAA and 21.9 WARP in five Major League seasons and is only 28 years old.
Pujols, 32, had his worst offensive season last year since he reached the Major in 2001. In fact, it was the first time in his career that his BA was below .300 (.299) and the second time in his career that his OBP was below .400 (.366). His FRAA in 2011 was 13.5, his VORP 43.4 and his WARP 6.1, all still pretty good numbers. His career VORP is 787.7, his FRAA 121.7 and his WARP 91.2, outstanding numbers for Pujols.
Fielder on the other hand hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 HR’s and 120 RBI’s in 2011. His VORP was 51.0, his FRAA -0.8 and his WARP 5.3, the highest number in his career. His career VORP is 215.4, his FRAA -22.5 and his WARP 19.7, also good numbers. He is 27 years old.
Of the three, Pujols has been the greatest, but is also the oldest, and is coming off one of the worst season in his career (still a very solid sesason for anyone else). Votto was more valuable than Fielder in 2010 and 2011. Fielder was only superior than Votto in 2009 when he had a 4.5 WARP and Votto 4.3. Also, Votto is clearly a better defensive player than Fielder, although Pujols has been better than Votto except for the 2011 season, when Pujols had a 13.5 FRAA and Votto 14.2.
Votto’s age will play a significant role in the contract negotiations. He is already one year older than Fielder, and will be about Pujols’ age when he hits the market. I don’t think he can pull a Pujols’ style deal, after all, in his worst season, Pujols had a 6.1 WARP and in his best season Votto had a 7.2 WARP. I think Votto’s next contract could be closer to Fielder’s deal with the Tigers.
Now, nine years for Votto when he turns 30 sounds as crazy as giving Pujols ten years at age 31, but when you’re talking about Pujols you’re talking about probably the best player in the game right now. I don’t think the Reds are going to commit that many years with Votto, and if he wants that kind of contract he will probably have to look elsewhere, say the Los Angeles Dodgers? I think Votto should probably get a seven-year, $175 million deal, or an eight-year $184 million. With this I’m not saying that Fielder is a better player than Votto, but I believe that both Fielder and Pujols were overpaid by the Tigers and Angels respectively.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
PRO Rumors Customer Survey
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Hi all,
With baseball season coming up, we’d like to poll our readers regarding our current features and see if you have suggestions regarding future features. We have a really short survey and we’re hoping that you can take less than 5 minutes to help us out. Thanks!
Allan
Right hander Jon Hunton is looking for new representation
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Jon Hunton who was the closer of the year in Venezuela,reached out to PRO Rumors earlier this week and explained that he is looking for new representation. Hunton, 29, had a strong 2011 season both in the summer and the winter leagues respectively.
As part of the Grand Prairie AirHogs (The American Association of Independent Professional Basebal) Hunton was named “Reliever of the Year” in 2011 (link here). Hunton went 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA, 25 saves, 47 SO, 0.4 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 8.3 SO/9 in 51.0 innings.
During the winter, Hunton was named “Closer for the Year” again (link here), but this time in Venezuela as part of the Caribes de Anzoategui. He was 2-4 with 3.16 ERA, 18 saves, 0.3 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 7.0 SO/9 in 31.1 games. Then he was selected as a replacement for Tiburones de la Guaira in the Final and was Francisco Rodriguez’s setup man. He also represented Venezuela in the Caribbean Series .
While Hunton was in Venezuela he left a great impression among the other teams, players and the media. He was one of the first foreign players to report and stayed until the last game of the Caribbean Series, his commitment with the Caribes organization and the rest of the league was undeniable.
I had the opportunity to watch Hunton pitch in Venezuela at least a dozen times this winter. The first thing you notice about him is his height, Hunton is 6′9” with a fluid delivery. He’s not a flame thrower, but he will keep hitters off balance with his slider, which has nice movement. Also, his 3/4 delivery makes all of his pitches move. I believe he is a great athlete in good physical condition (he used to play basketball in College), he is also a strong competitor and he definitely showed that in Venezuela.
Most of you don’t have an idea of how hard it is to pitch in winter ball. Fans are harsh with their players and they will let you know when you’re not doing your job right. You have to face strong competitors, not only young Minor Leaguers, but also Major Leaguers as well. There’s also a lot of competitiveness here but Hunton cruised throughout the season without a sweat. This league has chewed up and spit out countless top MLB prospects, but Hunton wasn’t one of them.
Hunton was drafted five times during the June Amateur Draft, the last one in 2004 by the Chicago Cubs in the eleventh round. During his eight years as a professional player Hunton is a career 34-27 with 3.18 ERA, 0.5 HR/9, 4.0 BB/9 and 8.9 SO/9 in 453.1 innings. In 2010, he was 6-6 with a 3.57 ERA, 0.7 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 5.7 SO/9 in 63.0 innings for the A’s Triple-A team.
last offseason we had a Q & A with Hunton. Make sure to check that out if you haven’t.
Having the right representation can sometimes be the key to getting that tryout or invite to Spring Training that can open the door to a big league career. If you wish to contact Hunton you can write or follow him on Twitter (@Big_Jon_Hunton).
Image by Edixon Gamez of LiderEnDeportes.com.
Roy Oswalt willing to play anywhere
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Free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt recently told teams around the league that he was going to sit out the start of the season. At the time, it appeared he was only looking at the Cardinals and Rangers as potential destinations due to the close proximity to his Mississippi home.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com notes that Oswalt’s agent is now telling teams that he is willing to go anywhere, but still prefers a contender where he has a chance to make the playoffs.
Oswalt could join a team as soon as June when his kids get out of school making destinations such as the Red Sox and others that are not as close to his home a possibility.
At last check, the Red Sox, Tigers, Reds and Cardinals had all expressed some type of interest in the Type-A free agent.
In 2011, Oswalt went 9-10 while posting a 3.69 era in 139 innings with the Phillies. He did average a career low with 6.0 strike outs per 9 innings and is coming off a series of injuries. Oswalt earned $16mm last season and made $1,777,777.78 for every win or $172,043,01 for every strikeout.
Image taken by Matthew Straubmuller and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Napoli expects to test free agency
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The Texas Rangers attempted to negotiate a long-term deal with catcher/DH Mike Napoli but were unsuccessful. Negotiations have since been squashed as the season approaches. Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes that Napoli expects to hit free agency which could be very costly for the Rangers to retain Napoli if he has another season like he did in 2011.
Napoli is coming off a career year where he hit .320 with 30 home runs and 75 RBIs which earned him a salary of $9.4mm for the upcoming 2012 season.
What could also help Napoli and his camp negotiate a long term deal is the fact that Yadier Molina signed a five-year $75mm deal with the Cardinals earlier this week.
Image taken by Evan Whorman and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Yadier Molina and Cardinals agree to contract
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In a Tweet by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, he reports that Yadier Molina and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to extension terms. The deal is believed to be $75 million over five-years. The contract is expected to be finalized soon.
On Monday, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said that both sides are “very optimistic” and the terms are “all but finalized” and several unconfirmed reports (via FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal) indicated that the deal is in the range of $70 million or $75 million.
Image by shgmom56 under the Creative Commons License.
Yadier Molina and Cardinals close on 5-year extension
Posted by: | CommentsCatcher Yadier Molina and the St. Louis Cardinals are closing in on a five-year contract extension. Several unconfirmed reports (via FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal) indicate that the deal is in the range of $70 million or $75 million.
Earlier today, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said that both sides are “very optimistic” and the terms are “all but finalized”.
Image by shgmom56 under the Creative Commons License.
Roy Oswalt to sit out start of season
Posted by: | CommentsRoy Oswalt who was being pursued by the Cardinals, Rangers and Red Sox among other teams, has informed them that he is going to sit out the beginning of the season, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports.
Crasnick notes that Oswalt will continue to workout and stay in shape with the goal of becoming the new Roger Clemens and signing with a contender midseason.
Oswalt’s agent, Bob Garber, released this statement Thursday afternoon.
“After much thought and careful consideration, Roy has decided to continue to evaluate his options,” Garber said in the statement. “He is in great health and will continue to stay in shape, while throwing regularly off the mound. Roy has every intention of pitching for a contending club at some point this season.”
Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch caught up with Lance Berkman today, a long time teammate of Oswalt’s, said that the money situations was not right for Oswalt to sign right now. “I think he feels like that he can get the same money in half a season as he could in a full season and he’s probably right.”
In 2011, Oswalt went 9-10 while posting a 3.69 era in 139 innings with the Phillies. He did average a career low with 6.0 strike outs per 9 innings and is coming off a series of injuries. Oswalt earned $16mm last season and made $1,777,777.78 for every win or $172,043,01 for every strikeout.
Image taken by Matthew Straubmuller and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Amnesty Clause in MLB-NL Central
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Next stop on our amnesty tour around baseball is the NL Central.
NL CENTRAL
Cubs- When you try to trade a player and no one will take him unless you pay almost all of his salary, then the amnesty clause may be the best bet for you. This is the situation the Cubs are in with Alfonso Soriano as they owe him $54mm over the next three seasons. In five seasons with the Cubs, Soriano has hit .266 while averaging 26 home runs and 73 RBIs.
Reds- The Reds had been rumored to have interest in Roy Oswalt but didn’t have the funds to sign him. So this is where having the amnesty clause would benefit them. They could amnesty Scott Rolen and his $6.5mm and turn around and used that money to sign Oswalt. Rolen has not played in more than 150 games since 2003 and was limited to 65 games last season.
Astros- The Astros who are set to move over to the AL West next year, operated under a $76mm budget last season. That was good enough for last place, a mere 40 games back (56-106). They are obviously playing for the future and have tried to trade some of their veterans including Carlos Lee. They have not been able to trade Lee because of his no trade protection and Lee’s booming cattle business near Houston. Lee is set to make $18.5mm this coming season. Using the amnesty clause on Lee would also open up first base and allow the Astros to get a look at Jonathan Singleton.
Cardinals- The Cardinals like the Reds also have shown interest in free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt but also don’t have the funds that it would take it sign him. With Kyle Lohse and his $11.875m salary, the Cardinals could use the amnesty clause to free up money to sign Oswalt. Lohse did perform well last season posting a 3.39 era, but in 2010 he posted a 6.55 era. Freeing up that amount of money could potentially allow the Cards to sign Oswalt to a multi-year deal.
Pirates- Since I used the amnesty clause on A.J. Burnett for the Yankees and Clint Barmes and his two-year $10.5mm deal is off limits since he just signed, I turned my attention to Kevin Correia and the $3mm left on his deal. Correia went 12-11 last season while posting a 4.79 era. The concerning stat was that he posted a 4.5 k/9 his lowest in his career.
Brewers- The Brewers were unable to sign Prince Fielder this past offseason because of financial reasons. If you take Randy Wolf and his $9.5mm that he is owed in ‘12 Fielder could be a Brewer again. In his two seasons with Milwaukee, Wolf has 26-22 while posting a 3.93 era while earning $18.75mm.
Image taken by Scott Abelman and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
