While everyone is focused on the playoffs and World Series, front offices are evaluting their 40-man protected rosters. Franchises are not allowed to sign anyone until the Monday after the World Series, but they are free to clear up roster spots, so players are waived our outrighted to the minors if the team still has rights to do so. If a player has enough service time, he may choose not to accept the demotion and therefore becomes a free agent.
Royals Claim Joel Peralta off Waivers From the Angels
The Royals realized that a reliever cut from Anaheim must be pretty good, so they claimed Joel Peralta. A quick look at his stats shows someone who struck out 30 in 35 innings with an ERA of 3.89. He has closer experience in the minors and that is better than anything the Royals have.
Looking at Peralta with a magnifying glass is not as pretty. Once a prospect, his lustre was lost when he added four years to his age during Age Gate. Although he gave up only 28 hits, 13 were for extra bases, including six home runs. He dominated right-handed hitters, with an OPS of 532. Left-handers feasted on him: eight extra base hits, more walks than strikeouts, and an OPS of 932 is a bit concerning.
Pitching for the Royals, Peralta probably has a job next year. If used correctly, facing only right-handers, he’ll have some value.
Terrence Long Elects for Free Agency
In one of my roto leagues, I was hurting in the outfield. I’d look for free agents every week. By default, free agents were sorted by at-bats, and Terrence Long always appeared first. I could see that according to the commissioner service, no active roster included Long. He does have some value, but not in roto terms. Long usually has a batting average around .275; he bats left-handed; he has some speed; he can play left and center. Basically, he’s a number four outfielder. His 2005 salary was $4.9 million.
Long will be picked up by some team and used as an extra outfielder. He’ll get about 250 at-bats with a handful of home runs and stolen bases. He could become a poor man’s Michael Tucker.
Dustan Mohr Goes His Own Way
Playing in the Viagra of stadiums, much was expected of Dustan Mohr. In Colorado, he was a monster, hitting 13 home runs in 143 at-bats. On the road he was terrible, hitting only .154. Needless to say, the Rockies didn’t pick up his option. He’ll be a spare outfielder somewhere next year.
Eric Munson Takes a Hike
Eric Munson has been an enigma since he was the fourth player drafted in 1999. He has serious power, but fails to make contact. He signed a minor league contract with the Twins this year, had a terrible spring, and was released. He then signed a minor league contract with the Devil Rays and hit very well in Triple-A. Munson was called up in late June, but got hurt two weeks later. Once his DL stint was over, the Rays optioned him back to Triple-A.
For the year, Munson had success in the minors, hitting .285 with 25 home runs in 382 at-bats. He has been working on becoming a viable emergency catcher and perhaps morphing into the next Todd Zeile. It is possible that he is a late bloomer, so watch him in the spring.
Victor Santos Takes Free Agency
Victor Santos started the year strong but did not receive any run support. By the All-Star break, he had a solid 3.50 ERA in 17 starts but a 2-9 record. Santos was pounded through July and August and finished the season in the bullpen with a 4.57 ERA and a 4-13 record. The Brewers have much better options ready to go in the minors. Santos will sign a minor league contract and try to make a team this spring.
Astros Outright Brandon Duckworth and Carlos Hernandez to Triple-A
The Astros cleared the cupboards of their failed pitching prospects. Duckworth was a major part of the Billy Wagner trade but never developed. He has the stuff for Major League success. After a mediocre stint in Triple-A (8-6 with a 4.62 ERA in 115 innings), Duckworth was called up in September and was pounded.
With all success modern medicine has made at rehabilitating injured pitchers, it is easy to believe that pitchers will always come back from surgery. Carlos Hernandez is an exception to the rule. He routinely pitched in the low 90s until he got hurt in the spring of 2003. Despite an aggressive rehabilitation program, the velocity is still not back. On a good day, Hernandez is throwing in the mid-80s, but on the bad days he has trouble keeping the ball in the mid-70s. Hernandez chose free agency over returning to Triple-A. He is only 25.
If you play in a league with a deep roster and have been holding on to these guys hoping for a return to success, now is the time to cut bait.
D’Angelo Jimenez Elects for Free Agency
It was a bad year for Jimenez. He showed up to camp out of shape and had a poor spring. He was dogged by the press asking when Ryan Freel would take over at second. He was waived when the Reds struggled, but no one picked him up, so he reported to Double-A Chattanooga just so he’d get his paycheck. In the minors, no one would pitch to him, so he ended up with 69 walks in 327 at-bats with a .401 OBP.
Jimenez will sign a minor league contract and try to find a job somewhere.
Rockies Claim Ojeda off Waivers
Miguel Ojeda was the backup catcher in San Diego behind Ramon Hernandez and rarely played. When Robert Fick proved to be an adequate backup catcher, the Padres optioned Ojeda to Triple-A. Ojeda was then traded to Seattle, where he was the third-string catcher. Seattle waived him, but the Rockies claimed him and he will compete for the backup catcher’s job in spring.
Ojeda has three things going for him in Colorado. First, he has some pop in his bat. He hit eight home runs in 156 at-bats in 2004. Second, he is cheap. Finally, J.D. Closser hasn’t exactly taken the job by storm.
Cards Purchase the Contract of Rick Ankiel
Once an explosive starter, Rick Ankiel has attempted to return to the major leagues, this time as an outfielder. The Cardinals added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. St. Louis can do that as its farm system is bare.
As a hitter in the minor leagues, Ankiel hit only .243 between Class-A and Double-A with a .295 OBP. Despite the low average and OBP, over half of his 33 hits were for extra bases. Stranger stories have come true in this game.
Athletics Rehire Ken Macha
It was a happy little story. Ken Macha and A’s GM Billy Beane cannot agree to the salary of a new contract. A’s owner Lew Wolff writes a hand-written letter to Macha thanking him for his years of service with the A’s. Macha calls Beane. Beane asks what he could do to help Macha get a new job. The conversation comes back to returning eventually to the A’s. Macha agrees to the salary Beane offered originally, but Beane agrees to make the last year of the three-year contract guaranteed.
From a fantasy perspective, the players like Macha so there should be very little change in Oakland in 2006.