Trades, Free Agents and Arbitration
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It’s Wednesday night, about 12:15 AM and I’m finally getting the chance to do some housecleaning on this blog.
There have been a number of transactions; nothing major or earth-shattering, but yet newsworthy.
Firstly, the Phillies and rightfielder Jason Werth avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.7 million deal early in January.
MLB’s Ken Mandel recalls Werth’s 2007 stats and explains baseball’s arbitration mechanism;
Werth, 27, can also earn more through performance incentives. The right-handed hitter batted .298 with eight homers and a career-high 49 RBIs in 94 games in his first season with the Phillies. Werth also had nine outfield assists.
A player with between three and six years of Major League service is eligible for salary arbitration, while a certain percentage of players with between two and three years of service are classified as a “super two” and are also eligible. [Ryan] Howard falls into the latter category.
The teams and players will exchange salary figures after Jan. 15. Like most teams, the Phillies prefer to settle cases without what is typically an unpleasant, sometimes divisive hearing.
The Phils haven’t had an arbitration hearing since 2001.
The Washington Nationals and their closer Chad Cordero beat the arbitration clock with a 1 year, $6.2 million deal reported on January 11.
Cordero, a 5 year veteran with career stats of 128 saves, 287 strikeouts vs 114 walks in 316 1/3 innings and 2.79 ERA with a 20-14 record made nowhere near what the other Cordero made via free agency. Francisco Cordero, also a closer, inked a 4 year, $46 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds via free agency.
Francisco Cordero, a 9 year veteran has career stats; 177 saves, 528 strikeouts and 231 walks in 506 innings and a 3.29 ERA with a 26-27 mark. Francisco was 0-4 with 44 saves and a 2.98 ERA in 2007 while Chad was 3-3 with 37 saves and a 3.36 ERA last season.
Veteran centerfielder Mike Cameron passed his physical and finalized a 1 year, $7 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Cameron, a gold-glover in the field, has been mediocre with the stick sporting a lifetime .252 average over his 13 season career. In 1,560 career games, he’s struck-out 1,500 times.
Further, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy informs that;
Cameron must serve a 25-game suspension to start the season for testing positive for a banned stimulant, and when he returns the Brewers will insert him into the center field slot previously occupied by Bill Hall, who will start the season back on the infield at third base. Hall will be ousting National League Rookie of the Year third baseman Ryan Braun, who will move to left field to replace departed free agent Geoff Jenkins [signed by the Phillies].
Finally, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays pulled the trigger Tuesday on a swap of third baseman.
Scott Rolen, who started his career in Philadelphia and was thought by the Phils to be Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt’s defensive re-incarnation, has seen his career go up and down in St. Louis after standout 2003 and 2004 seasons. Rolen was hampered in large part due to large part to a left shoulder injury that has required three operations. In 2006 he had a fine season hitting 22 HRs with 95 RBIs and a .296 batting average in 142 games for the Cards who went on to defeat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. Rolen starred in the series for the Cards going 8 for 19 with 3 doubles, a homer and 5 RBIs. He and Cards manager Tony La Russa have clashed repeatedly over the past 2 seasons.
Rolen heads to the Blue Jays in exchange for 10 year veteran third baseman Tony Glaus who has hit for power but who saw his stats plummet in 2007 due to a left foot injury which required surgery.
AP Sports Writer R.B. Fallstrom translates the deal in money terms and gives background on Rolen’s recent seasons with the Cardinals;
Rolen has three years and $36 million to go on an eight-year, $90 million deal signed in 2003, while Glaus is due $12 million this year with an $11.5 million player option for 2009.
La Russa often said he’d never seen a better defensive third baseman, but Rolen’s offense has declined since a collision with Dodgers first baseman Hee-Seop Choi in May 2005.
The last three years, Rolen has missed 176 games. Most Cardinals wanted La Russa back for a 13th season, and Rolen was one of the lone dissenters.
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