6'4" 286 sounds like he likes to eat
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glad to see our cubbies got heywardComment -
Sounds like a good playing weight, ha.Comment -
286 prob all muscle
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Not with those two spare tires he's carrying. That guy will be 240 when MLB trainers get done with him.
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Anyone else remember "The Baby Bull" Greg Luzinski?
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I think the biggest player I ever saw was Walter Young who recently died at the young age of 35. He was listed as 6'4 325 but i'm sure he was up to 350 at times with the pirates in minor league ball.
cecil fielder had to be close to that near the end of his career too
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Scully might have L.A. street named for him
If the Los Angeles City Council has its way, Elysian Park Avenue will forever be known as Vin Scully Avenue.
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Definitely deserves as much recognition as possible.
He is the most informative announcer in the game.Comment -
Doyers resign Howie Kendrick. 2 years, $20 million.Comment -
FRIDAY: The Mets have announced the signing. Bastardo gets a $250K signing bonus and will then earn salaries of $5.25MM (2016) and $6.5MM (2017), Heyman tweets.
WEDNESDAY: The Mets and left-hander Antonio Bastardo are in agreement on a contract, reports Jon Heyman (Twitter link). It’s a two-year, $12MM contract, according to Baseball Essential’s Robert Murray (on Twitter). Bastardo is represented by the Legacy Agency.
Murray reported yesterday that things were picking up in the Bastardo market, though the three-year deal mentioned in that report ultimately wasn’t attained. The two-year pact represents a departure from the Mets’ previously reported plans, as the team was said earlier this month to be seeking relief help on a one-year deal. In that regard, the agreement between the two parties represents a compromise, as Bastardo was said to be seeking a three-year deal in the $18MM range (similar to the one Tony Sipp landed with Houston earlier this year).
Bastardo, 30, has turned in generally strong results across the past three seasons between the Phillies and Pirates, working to a 3.18 ERA with 10.5 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 30.8 percent ground-ball rate in 164 innings of work. He’s dominated left-handed opponents in that stretch, holding same-handed batters to a paltry .167/.273/.295 triple-slash. However, Bastardo is more than a specialist, as he’s also been plenty effective against right-handed batters, limiting such opponents to a .204/.310/.314 line. As such, he can be deployed as a setup man, regardless of matchup, alongside Addison Reed and Jenrry Mejia. That trio, of course, will help bridge the gap from the club’s excellent young rotation to breakout closer Jeurys Familia, who saved 43 games for the Mets in 2015.
With Bastardo in the fold, the Mets will now have a wealth of quality left-handed options for manager Terry Collins to utilize. The team re-signed Jerry Blevins this offseason, and he’ll look for better health after twice fracturing his forearm in a pair of fluky accidents in 2015. Sean Gilmartin, whom the Mets selected in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, enjoyed a brilliant season with New York, recording a 2.67 ERA in 57 1/3 innings in his Major League debut. And southpaw Josh Edgin, who missed the 2015 campaign in the wake of Tommy John surgery, will likely be ready to return to a big league mound at some point during the 2016 season as well.
The Mets deserve some praise for waiting out what was an exceptionally aggressive relief market in the earlygoing this offseason. Five relievers scored contracts of three or more years in the earlier phase of the offseason, and many — we at MLBTR included — believed Bastardo would find such a pact as well. However, while his average annual value is commensurate with many of the multi-year deals given to setup men this winter, the Mets’ patient approach allowed them to knock a year off the price in the end.
Bastardo drew interest from a number of teams, including the Orioles, Dodgers, Pirates, Blue Jays and Twins, per various reports this offseason. With his departure from the open market, teams could turn to one-year deal candidates such as Neal Cotts, Franklin Morales and Matt Thornton as they look to supplement their bullpens with left-handed relievers.Comment -
IMO this was a great signing for the Mets they really needed a good lefty in their bullpen. What do you Pirates guys think of him ?Comment -
The Dodgers have reached agreement on a two-year deal with second baseman Howie Kendrick, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Kendrick gets a $20MM guarantee over the two years, Jon Heyman tweets.
With the move, Los Angeles will sacrifice its chance to tack on an additional draft selection. Kendrick, 32, turned down a $15.8MM qualifying offer from the club earlier in the offseason. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained earlier today, the Dodgers stood to increase their draft pool had Kendrick headed elsewhere.
Instead, the club will add Kendrick right back into a crowded mix of position players. Presumably, he’ll see the bulk of the time at second, displacing an anticipated Enrique Hernandez/Chase Utley platoon. But Hernandez could also spell Corey Seager at short and Joc Pederson in center, while Utley can not only spend time at second but also might fill in for Justin Turner at third. Players such as Micah Johnson, Charlie Culberson, and Alex Guerrero could also feature in the infield mix.
Coming into the winter, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes had predicted that Kendrick could land $50MM over four years. Clearly, he stands to fall well shy of that after his market failed to develop as anticipated. It’s not difficult to see that market developments played a huge role, along with the qualifying offer.
The older Ben Zobrist hit on a $56MM guarantee, besting his own projection. He didn’t carry draft compensation requirements since he was traded in mid-season. Meanwhile, the younger but also QO-bound Daniel Murphy came closer to his expectations with a three-year, $37.5MM pact. But Kendrick was left without an obvious place as the board began to clear. As Steve Adams and I discussed just yesterday on the MLBTR podcast, even the best apparent landing spots all had complications. Indeed, he’ll ultimately take home a guarantee that barely tops that reached by the less-accomplished Asdrubal Cabrera.
At the end of the day, the acquisition cost was much lower than Los Angeles paid the last time they added Kendrick. The Dodgers sent young lefty Andrew Heaney last year for Kendrick (and his $9.5MM salary). And as the qualifying offer shows, the team was willing to pay him over three-quarters of the total value of his new contract for just one season.
As things shook out, it looks like a nice get for the depth-focused Dodgers. While Kendrick dealt with some injuries late last year, and is certainly not the youngest open market option, he’s been a steadily excellent performer for quite some time. Since taking over full-time duties at second with the Angels back in 2010, Kendrick has carried a sturdy .289/.332/.418 batting line. And he’s rarely varied too far from that production level, making him one of the more reliably above-average hitters in the league.
It’s been a while since Kendrick put up his career best of 18 long balls, but he’s a reasonable bet to approach or exceed double digits in that area. And the same holds in the stolen base department, though he’s more of an average overall baserunner than a plus in that area. It’s tough to judge the defensive component for the respected veteran. Kendrick undoubtedly slipped last year, with roundly negative overall glovework in the eyes of both UZR and DRS. But he’s generally been at least an average defender over his career, and even if his loss of range proves permanent, he is still reliable on more easily-made plays.Comment -
I was very happy when the Buccos got Bastardo.
I was hoping he'd perform very well out of the pen and compliment the already solidified bullpen.
He had a decent 2015 here in Pittsburgh, but I don't feel he's worth the contract he received from the Mets...
2009 23 PHI NL 2 3 .400 6.46 6 5 0 0 0 0 23.2 26 18 17 4 9 0 19 2 0 0 106 66 5.08 1.479 9.9 1.5 3.4 7.2 2.11 2010 24 PHI NL 2 0 1.000 4.34 25 0 2 0 0 0 18.2 19 9 9 1 9 0 26 2 0 0 86 96 2.76 1.500 9.2 0.5 4.3 12.5 2.89 2011 25 PHI NL 6 1 .857 2.64 64 0 15 0 0 8 58.0 28 17 17 6 26 0 70 0 0 4 225 146 3.30 0.931 4.3 0.9 4.0 10.9 2.69 2012 26 PHI NL 2 5 .286 4.33 65 0 10 0 0 1 52.0 40 26 25 7 26 3 81 2 0 5 224 94 3.34 1.269 6.9 1.2 4.5 14.0 3.12 2013 27 PHI NL 3 2 .600 2.32 48 0 15 0 0 2 42.2 33 12 11 2 21 1 47 1 0 4 179 163 3.00 1.266 7.0 0.4 4.4 9.9 2.24 2014 28 PHI NL 5 7 .417 3.94 67 0 17 0 0 0 64.0 43 31 28 4 34 4 81 2 0 5 271 95 3.10 1.203 6.0 0.6 4.8 11.4 2.38 2015 29 PIT NL 4 1 .800 2.98 66 0 18 0 0 1 57.1 39 19 19 4 26 2 64 3 0 8 239 129 3.33 1.134 6.1 0.6 4.1 10.0 2.46 7 Yrs 24 19 .558 3.58 341 5 77 0 0 12 316.1 228 132 126 28 151 10 388 12 0 26 1330 109 3.33 1.198 6.5 0.8 4.3 11.0 2.57 162 Game Avg. 5 4 .558 3.58 67 1 15 0 0 2 62 45 26 25 6 30 2 76 2 0 5 261 109 3.33 1.198 6.5 0.8 4.3 11.0 2.57 Comment -
This isn't newsworthy, but more so amusing. What a great accident.
Phil Miller of the Star Tribune reports that Twins reliever J.R. Graham has accidentally dropped 30 pounds over the offseason.
All Graham has done is stop eating pizza and drinking alcohol while starting to eat breakfast. The healthier choices have dropped his weight from around 200 pounds all the way down to 170. The hard-throwing right-hander posted a disappointing 4.95 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 63 2/3 innings in his rookie campaign in 2015. He'll compete for a spot in the Twins bullpen this spring.Comment -
how do u accidently drop 30 lbs lolComment -
I heard on the radio that the Cubs Anthony Rizzo dropped like 25 lbs this off season as wellComment -
well never thought Rizzo was overweightComment -
The Diamondbacks have acquired shortstop Jean Segura and reliever Tyler Wagner from the Brewers in exchange for starting pitcher Chase Anderson, second baseman Aaron Hill, and prospect Isan Diaz, tweets Keith Law of ESPN. The Brewers will also receive $5.5MM to partially cover the $12MM owed to Hill, hears Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (tweet). The Diamondbacks and Brewers have confirmed the deal.
Segura, soon-to-be 26, was an oft-rumored trade candidate for the rebuilding Brewers. He broke out in 2013 as a 23-year-old with a 3.5 WAR season. He hit a solid .294/.329/.423 with 12 home runs, 44 stolen bases, and league average defense. However, he slumped steeply in the second half of that season, foreshadowing his struggles over the next two campaigns. Since his first full season, Segura has offered replacement level production in 1,141 plate appearances.
In Arizona, Segura will join the defensively-minded Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings. Ahmed is coming off a solid 1.7 WAR season, but his .226/.275/.359 leaves a lot to be desired at the plate. Owings spent most of 2015 at second base where he was expected to return this year. The addition of Segura not only gives the club more depth up the middle, it will give them the opportunity to mix and match offensive and defensive skill sets as needed.
Interestingly, the Angels once included Segura in a package for Zack Greinke (h/t Bill Shaiken of the LA Times). He’ll now have an opportunity to play alongside the ace. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (tweet), Segura will start for the DBacks – probably at second base. However, GM Dave Stewart told reporters including Nick Piecoro of Arizona Central Sports (tweet) that Segura would compete for the shortstop job. Segura has three more seasons of club control. He avoided arbitration with Milwaukee earlier this offseason, signing for $2.6MM. He’s a future non-tender candidate if he does not rebound this season.
The trade creates an opportunity for the Brewers to fully evaluate Jonathan Villar before top prospect Orlando Arcia is ready to join the club. GM David Stearns confirmed that Arcia will begin the year in Triple-A. Villar, who the Brewers acquired from the Astros earlier in the offseason for Cy Sneed, has played in parts of three major league seasons. He’s offered replacement level production to date, but he features an intriguing combination of power and speed for a middle infielder.
Wagner, 25, is a starting pitcher prospect. The righty averaged roughly 90 mph with his fastball in a three start debut last season. In the minors, he was said to top out at 95 mph with his sinker. He has a solid command and control profile but lacks big swing-and-miss stuff. The DBacks have plenty of pitching depth so Wagner will likely report to Triple-A or revert to the bullpen – he was a college closer.
On the Brewers end of the haul, Anderson is the jewel of the trade. The 28-year-old is a reliable changeup specialist. In 267 career innings, he has a 4.18 ERA (4.17 FIP) with 7.28 K/9 and 2.70 BB/9. His stuff performed slightly better in 2014 than 2015 as evidenced by superior strikeout and swinging strike rates. As a slightly homer prone fly ball pitcher, he’s not a great fit for power happy Miller Park (the same was true at Chase Field). Anderson comes with five seasons of club control and will be a member of the rotation.
Hill, the veteran of the trade, has declined steadily since a peak season in 2012. Injuries and playing time battles held him to 353 plate appearances last season. He hit just .230/.295/.345. Entering his age 34 season, he’s owed $12MM in the final year of his contract. Per Haudricourt (tweet), Stearns envisions an active role for Hill mentoring the club’s many young middle infielders. He’s an obvious fit as a platoon mate for Scooter Gennett who rarely plays against left-handed pitching.
The Brewers also acquired a high quality prospect in the form of Diaz. Baseball America rated Diaz the ninth best prospect in the Arizona system. 20 in May, Diaz is coming off a strong season in rookie ball in which he was dubbed the MVP of the Pioneer League. He hit .360/.436/.640 with 13 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 312 plate appearances. The former second round pick will remain at shortstop for the time being, although his future home may be farther down the defensive spectrum.Comment -
Vin Scully spills beans on final season
The announcer intends to finish his 67th season with the Dodgers with the season-ending three-game series at San Francisco. Staying in California in '16
The Dodgers' final three games are scheduled for Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at AT&T Park.
Scully said he would be willing to call games on the radio if the Dodgers advance to the postseason, but reluctantly.
"When you get to the playoffs, you are allowed to do radio. We can't do any television, and I always feel funny when we do have the playoffs because Rick [Monday] and Charley [Steiner] do such a great job all year on radio and I feel that it's unfair that I go in and do six of the nine innings," Scully said.
"But maybe, because it is the last year, I would go in and do the playoffs. But I don't think I would do the World Series. I think folks would say thank you and goodbye."Comment
guy looks heavier than El Guapo was.
