- Maybe Felix Hernandez is about to sign a huge contract. Ryan Divish at the TNT has a nice summary blog post up today with the latest grumblings about some sort of elbow problem that might be a reason King Felix and the M's haven't agreed to a 7-year, $175 million deal that was reported a few days ago. My guess (pure speculation) is that they found some sort of normal wear-and-tear that would be expected of a workhorse like King Felix, and perhaps also explains his gradual dip in velocity over the last few seasons. The Mariners want Felix, and Felix wants to stay with the Mariners. Maybe the deal includes some sort of injury clauses, but my prediction is that it gets done. I'm so sure of it I still named my fantasy baseball league after King Felix this season.
- Maybe Joe Saunders is about to sign a modest contract. I feel like there has been speculation about Saunders for the better part of a month now. The speculation strengthened the last few days to reports that a deal is in place, pending a physical. Saunders will essentially replace Jason Vargas, and on paper there is a very good chance that his impersonation is a dead ringer. I also love the idea of Saunders crushing his former team, the Angels, but we will have to see if that happens.
- Kelly Shoppach officially signed a deal, and the Mariners DFAd Shawn Kelley to make room for him. I am not in love with this move, but it is rather minor so it is hard to have much emotion about at all. Shoppach is the backup catcher, Kelley was a middle reliever. I feel like the Mariners could find similar backup catchers by offering minor league deals with invites to spring training, thus saving Kelley or someone else for another month. Seems a bit to me like the Mariners spent more than they needed to get Shoppach, and gave up more than they needed to at this point.
- Jon Garland was given a minor league contract with invite to spring training. Welcome this year's Kevin Millwood to camp! Garland isn't quite as much of a grizzled veteran, but he pitches to contact and got lost in the off-season shuffle because he did not pitch at all last season. I think Garland is better than fellow revival project Jeremy Bonderman, which makes him in my view closer to a dark horse than a long shot to grab the fifth spot in the M's starting rotation.
Showing posts with label Kelly Shoppach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kelly Shoppach. Show all posts
Mariners Attempting to Make Newsworthy News
Other real-world responsibilities pulled me away from baseball most of the past week and a half. Looks I didn't miss much until the past few days. The Mariners have been reportedly busy without much to officially show yet. Frankly, that doubles as a description of their whole offseason. In case you need an update going into spring training (starts Tuesday!), here you go:
That Cereal Better Be Delicious and Filling
In case you missed it in all the hype surrounding Coco Crisp going to Boston, Coco Crisp was actually traded to Boston on Friday. In the deal, Cleveland traded away MLB's best cereal along with backup catcher Josh Bard and reliever David Riske for third baseman Andy Marte, catcher Kelly Shoppach, reliever Guillermo Mota, a player to be named later, and cash. In a related move, the Indians also dealt Arthur Rhodes to the Phillies for outfielder Jason Michaels.With all the hype surrounding the deal, I was leaning towards not posting anything about it. However, Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro finally came out and spoke publicly about the deal, and was extremely defensive because most Indian fans are livid over it. I agree, the deal is lop-sided - but in the Indians favor. Let's break down the deal from Cleveland's perspective into each of the major pieces:
Kelly Shoppach replaces Josh Bard: Josh Bard was a solid reserve catcher, but Shoppach is one of the better catching prospects in the game. Kelly is ready for the major leagues and was impressive in AAA last year, where he hit for power and average and also threw out a higher percentage of runners than anyone else in the International League. Kelly Shoppach will compete with Einar Diaz for backup catching duties, but Shoppach is clearly the better of the two and should allow Victor Martinez to play some first base or DH much more often than last year.
Guillermo Mota replaces Arthur Rhodes: Mota's stock has fallen after a sub-par 2005, but he was one of the game's better relievers 2002-2004 with a career year in 2003. Furthermore, the drop is most likely due to arm troubles that have had an off-season to heal. Still, the Indians almost nixed the deal because of his health concerns, forcing Boston to add the "player to be named later" and more cash. At 32, it is unreasonable to expect Mota to revert back to his 2003 form, but the odds are he will bounce back and be a quality setup man. Considering Rhodes is in the twilight of his career, Mota should be just as good, if not better.
Jason Michaels replaces Coco Crisp: Easily the most controversial part of the deal, Michaels is much better than many give him credit for. Over the last two years, Jason Michaels has hit 14 home runs, driven in 71, and accumulated a .289 batting average in 588 at-bats. Not spectacular number, but solid. However, he is being asked to replace Coco Crisp, not Babe Ruth and last year Crisp batted .300 with 16 home runs and 69 RBIs in 594 at-bats. Based on these numbers, Michaels should fill in nicely for Coco Crisp. However, digging a little further into the numbers, Michaels has a significantly higher on-base percentage and a better strikeout-to-walk ratio. So, it is very reasonable to assume that Jason Michaels can replace Coco Crisp, or even be a slight improvement.
The leftover parts - David Riske for Andy Marte, a player to be named later, and cash: The Indians did not get a replacement for Riske in the deal, but he was essentially a middle reliever last year and should not be too difficult to replace. On the other hand, Andy Marte is one of the finest prospects in baseball and maybe the best third base prospect in the game today. Based on his minor league career, Marte looks like a perennial threat to bat .300 with 30 home runs, 100 RBIs, and gold glove defense once he fully develops. Even better, Marte will be ready for the big leagues very soon, probably before 2006 is over. Who would not part with David Riske for a prospect like that? Then, on top of that, the Indians will likely get another prospect as the player to be named later, and they even got some cash.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Indians got the best of the Coco Crisp swap. In the short term, the Indians should break even at the very least, but even by next year they will be the clear winners. Don't worry Indians fans; the franchise is in very good hands with Mark Shapiro. He is one of the best general managers in baseball and he proved it once again with this excellent move.