Tigers Send Fister to DC For a Trio

Doug Fister is a very quiet pitcher; he doesn't have a blazing fastball, nor is he an intimidating presence on the mound despite his 6'8" frame. What Fister is, is a competitor. One that will be joining his third Major League team. The Detroit Tigers sent Fister to the Washington Nationals for infielder Steve Lombardozzi, minor league left-hander Robbie Ray, and reliever Ian Krol.

At first glance, the deal doesn't make a whole lot of sense from the Tigers' perspective. GM Dave Dombrowski said the team is not cutting payroll, despite having unloaded Prince Fielder and the bulk of his contract two weeks ago. But with Justin Verlander guaranteed $160MM over the next six seasons, Anibal Sanchez set to make a minimum of $67.2MM through 2018, and Max Scherzer set to hit free agency in 2015, Fister became expendable. (The Tigers are trying to sign Scherzer to a new deal, which will undoubtedly be a hefty one after the right-hander won the 2013 AL Cy Young Award. He's under the Tigers control until 2015 and is in his second year of arbitration eligibility after he earned $6MM last season.)

Fister earned $4MM last year and should see an increase in this, his year first of arbitration eligibility.  If healthy, he should make 30 starts and give the Nats 180-200 innings pitched. Fister has pitched in two pitcher's ballparks in the Majors - Safeco Field and Comerica Park - and should find Nationals Park as a good fit as well. Though the stadium allowed the 13th highest amount of runs in the Majors last season, it ranked 26th in home runs allowed. Fister has allowed less than a home run per 9 innings in his career and will no longer have to face a DH, outside of interleague games.

Krol could be the key to the deal for Detroit. The 22-year old left-hander was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2009 amateur draft by the Oakland A's and ended up in the Nats organization as part of the deal that sent Mike Morse to Seattle.

He appeared in 32 games in relief for the Nationals this past season and averaged 7.2 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. (Krol had four minor league seasons in which he struck out more than 10 batters per 9 innings.) He's put up solid numbers despite the fact his fastball tops out at 90-mph. Control is his key according to scoutingbook.com.

"What he is good at is changing speeds, working both sides of the plate with great accuracy, and keeping hitters both off-balance and honest, thanks to the aforementioned touch ability and a plus curve that he can bounce or drop into the zone on demand."

Ray is a 22-year old starter who has averaged better than 9 K's/9 IP over four minor league seasons. The Nationals selected him in the 12th round of the 2010 amateur draft. Though 68 of his 70 appearances have been as a starter, he is projected long term as a reliever.

The 25-year old Lombardozzi can give the Tigers some bench depth with his ability to play second base and the outfield. Don't count on him to produce offensively, however.

Overall, this is a great deal for Washington and a wait and see for the Tigers.

Steinbrenner's Promise Fulfilled? Yankees Close to Bring Alfonso Soriano Back Home

A year or so after the Yankees dealt Alfonso Soriano to the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez, George Steinbrenner promised a disappointed female fan that one day he would bring Soriano back to the Yankees. Nine years later it appears that the late Steinbrenner's promise will be fulfilled by his sons and the front office.

George King of the NY Post was the first to report that the Yankees and Cubs were close to a deal that would send Soriano back to New York for a mid-level prospect. While the components of the deal could be worked out soon, Soriano would have to waive his no-trade clause for the deal to go through and that will not be an automatic.

After being a perennial contender to join the 40/40 club (Home runs and steals, not Jay-Z's place) in his younger days as a poor fielding second baseman, the now 37-year old outfielder is a mature leader in the Cubs’ clubhouse. He likes playing at Wrigley and turned down a deal to go to the San Francisco Giants last year. (Perhaps his last chance for a ring too.) He was recently commended by the Cubs management for his work ethic, which included doing extra work to continue to improve his defense in left field. Not many 37-year olds would do that. It was not always that way.

Soriano always worked hard, but his level of maturity needed to improve. He was caught too many times watching his would-be home run shots instead of running hard out of the box. His defense got worse and worse at second base. After two years and 44 errors playing for Texas, the Rangers sent Soriano to the Washington Nationals for Termel Sledge, Brad Wilkerson, and Armando Galarraga. Needless to say the deal was awful for Texas, even though Soriano only had one more year on his contract.

There was also the issue of making no contact in too many at-bats. One of the memories of the 2002 and 2003 playoffs (30 K's in 88 at-bats) was watching Soriano swing and miss at pitch after pitch well out of the strike zone. His strikeout to walk ratio was terrible during those two years as well. Except for two seasons (2006, 2012) since then, Soriano cut down on his strikeouts and improved on his walk total. He began to work the count more and put more balls in play. Oh, and that 2002 season may be remembered for his playoff failure, but Soriano led the AL that year in hits (209), runs (128) and stolen bases (41), and missed the 40/40 club by one home run.

The first year for Soriano in the outfield was the one year he played with the Nats. Defense aside Soriano could not have picked a much better year to lead into free agency. He joined the elusive 40/40 club with 46 home runs and 41 steals. He had a career high .911 OPS, earned the fifth of his seven All-Star selections, won his fourth Silver Slugger award, and finished sixth in the National League MVP voting.

It all paid off when he signed an 8-year, $136MM deal with the Cubs prior to the 2007 season. Though his skills have diminished since his first year in the Windy City- he never stole 20 or more bases again - Soriano still averaged 29 home runs and 98 RBI from 2011-2012. This year he has a .756 OPS (.785 with RISP) with 17 HR and 51 RBI in 92 games.

The money factor is a large when you take into account the $18MM Soriano is owed in 2014, the final year of his deal, and the remainder of the $18MM he's owed for the rest of this season. The Yankees want their 2014 salary to meet the $189MM luxury tax "line in the sand" and Soriano's contract could greatly impact it depending on how much salary the Cubs pay. The Yankees total salary next year might also be impacted by some apparent inside information the Yankees could have a hold of concerning Alex Rodriguez's pending suspension.

According to the Post's Joel Sherman (thank you to @TroyMags for texting me this info) any monies lost by A-Rod during a suspension would not count towards the luxury tax total. So Soriano's $18MM would then have much less of a dent in the Yankees 2014 plans.

While Soriano's acquisition might not have a big impact on where the Yankees finish this year, just ask yourself this. Would you rather watch Soriano hitting or Vernon Wells/Travis Hafner?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Morse Headed to Mariners in 3 Team Deal

I was hoping the Yankees could work out a deal for power hitting outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse, but the 6'5" slugger will call Seattle his new home in 2013.

The Mariners acquired Morse from the Washington Nationals in a deal that also involved the Oakland A's. Mariners catcher John Jaso will be headed to Oakland, while the A's sent A.J. Cole and Blake Treinen to the Nationals. A player to be named later will also be sent from the A's to the Nationals.

Morse was a light hitting utility infielder when he played for the Mariners from 2005-2008. Morse began to show some pop with his bat in his first year in Washington (2009) and followed it up with a break out season a year later when he hit 31 home runs and drove in 95 runs. Injuries limited Morse to 102 games in 2012, but he managed to hit 18 HR and knocked in 62.

Morse and Kendrys Morales, acquired earlier this off-season from the Angels, are expected to help bolster a Mariners lineup that was dead last in runs scored (619) last season. He became expendable in Washington when the Nationals re-signed first baseman Adam LaRoche.

Jaso split his time between catcher and DH last season and set career highs in home runs (10), RBI (50), and OPS (.850).

Cole was drafted by the Nationals in the fourth round of the 2010 amateur draft and dealt to Oakland as part of the package that brought 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez to DC prior to last season. He stood out at Double-A Burlington last year with a 2.07 ERA and struck out 102 in 95.2 innings before a promotion to Triple-A.  .

Treinen was selected by the A's in the 7th round of the 2011 draft and spent last season at high Class 'A' Stockton.

Edwin Jackson, Illusionist

I won't say something as dramatic as "I nearly drove off the road..." but I was stunned when I heard on ESPN radio or WFAN that Edwin Jackson was close to an agreement with the Chicago Cubs on a four year contract that would pay him $52MM. Even now I feel like shouting "WHAT?"

Jackson is the epitome of mediocrity; a guy who every now and then catches lightning in a bottle, but for the most part produces a middling performance. Despite that he has seen his yearly salary go from $2.2MM in 2009 to $4.6 a year later to $8.75 in 2011 to $11MM last season.

The $11MM was a one year deal he signed with the Washington Nationals based on his 2011 season that was slightly better than average. Jackson started the 2011 season with the Chicago White Sox, the fifth of seven teams he has played for in his 10 years in the Major Leagues. He had a 2.2 WAR with Chicago, but a WHIP over 1.4 an ERA of nearly 4, which would have been good in years past, but not in the "The Year of the Pitcher" season.

He was dealt to the Cardinals at the '11 trade deadline and finished with a 3.58 ERA in 12 starts and a relief appearance. His WAR was only 0.6 and has been the case throughout his career, Jackson struggled with his control. The right-hander's career strike out to walk ratio is just 1.95. (He's surpassed 3.0 just once in his career.)

Jackson has gotten better with age - he's still just 29 - but his past performance is not worth a four year deal or worth $13MM per season.

Yankees Continue to Bust Up the NL East

Ivan Nova was the latest and greatest for the Yankees pitching staff Sunday afternoon, limiting the Washington Nationals to a run over 7.2 innings for his 9th win of the year. It was also the Yankees' 9th straight win, all against the NL East.

The Yankees began the roll with a sweep of the Mets at home, then went on the road to Atlanta and our nation's capital to take six straight from the Braves and Nats. The team returns home Monday for three games with the Braves (why are they playing Atlanta twice?) and then after an off day on Thursday, face the Mets again at Citi Field in the other half of the "Battle for New York".

The Yankees pitching has been the key throughout the streak, which in addition to the nine straight, has produced 19 wins in 23 games.

I recently wrote about the staff's contributions for the Yahoo Contributor Network: - Yankees Rotation Spins Team to theTop: A Fan's Take. Andy Pettitte's return has been the impetus for the rotation's improvement, and in fact, Pettitte has been working with Phil Hughes and Nova since his time back.

Other recent YCN pieces I have written (yeah, I have been behind on My Pinstripes) are about A-Rod's tying Lou Gehrig for the career grand slam record and about the Yankees drafting of Ty Hensley in the first round. I hope you'll get a chance to check them out.

Injury Notes


David Robertson got reactivated this week and showed some rust his first time back. Rafael Soriano, albeit for one outing, has been outstanding in the closer role. And the Yankees will be strengthened with DRob back in his 8th inning spot.

Nick Swisher sat out Sunday's game as a precaution after taking a knee to the thigh on Saturday. Swisher was thrown out at the plate and catcher Jesus Flores impacted Swisher's leg as he applied the tag.

Brett Gardner says he'll be back this season and surgery is not necessary. While the latter may be true, the former doesn't sound so certain. While Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones have seen increased playing time, you can bet Brian Cashman will look for some younger help so the two oldsters don't wear down.

Baseball Digest: Washington Hopes For Nationals Holiday | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest: Washington Hopes For Nationals Holiday | Baseball Digest

If you are among the growing number of Washington Nationals fans, you have to be pleased with the direction the team is taking. Yes, they did overpay for free agent Jayson Werth (7 yrs, $126M), but they landed a marquis star to help bring along the youngsters.

And what a group of youngsters the Nationals have. Though he’ll sit out this season after last year’s Tommy John surgery, Stephen Strasburg is the number one pitching prospect in all of baseball. Teenage phenom Bryce Harper signed with the team after skipping out of high school early and playing JUCO ball. Drew Storen is another top pitching prospect that may be one of the dominant closers of the future. Catcher Derek Norris could have a big impact in the majors very soon. Speedy infielder Danny Espinosa has some of the best hands in baseball. The Nats also drafted and signed one of the most highly toutEd High school pitchers in the country, A.J. Cole, this past Summer.

The Nationals have been very active this winter as well looking into every free agent available and talking with a number of other teams about trades. The latest rumors had them communicating with the Cleveland Indians as to the availability of pitcher Fausto Carmona and outfielder Grady Sizemore. In additon to signing Werth the team also acquired steady left-hander Tom Gorzelanny from the Cubs, dealt Josh Willingham for hard throwing prospect Henry Rodriguez and outfielder Corey Brown, signed 1st baseman Adam LaRoche, outfielder Rick Ankiel and utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. The team also brought back former two time 19-game winner Chien-Ming Wang in the hopes he can return to his pre-shoulder surgery form.

With the powerhouse Phillies well ahead of everyone in the NL East, the Nationals aren’t expected to win a division title any time soon, but they have the talent to compete much quicker than anyone expected.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Mike Napoli didn’t stay with the Toronto Blue Jays for very long. Acquired as part of a deal that sent Vernon Wells to the Los Angeles Angels, Napoli was dealt today to the Texas Rangers for reliever Frank Francisco. With the Blue Jays wanting rookie J.P. Arencibia to see a lot of playing time, I can understand why the team would not want a minus defender like Napoli as his backup. However dealing him for an average reliever, something Toronto seemingly likes to accumulate, doesn’t make a lot of sense. With Yorvit Torrealba starting in Texas and Matt Treanor as his back up, the power hitting Napoli should see time at DH, which means Vladimiar Guerrero won’t be returning to Texas.

ESPN contributor Amanda Rykoff tweeted from a WFAN/Mike Francesa-Brian Cashman breakfast interview that Cashman said he could see Derek Jeter playing centerfield in the future ( ala Robin Yount). Jeter had earlier mentioned that positional change was never discussed during the negotations of his new contract.

Teams continue to add depth in their minor league systems; two of the latest additions- the Rangers signed catcher Robinson Diaz and the Yankees added former Rangers’ pitcher Warren Madrigal.

The Cubs signed pitcher Todd Wellmeyer after he was non-tendered by the Giants.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark spoke with several baseball execs who are confident that the Cards will be able to re-sign Albert Pujols.

Detroit News beat writer Tom Gage reported that the Tigers are willing to bring back Jeremy Bonderman with a minor league deal.

BD Hot Stove Breaking News: Nationals Land Jayson Werth | Baseball Digest

The baseball world got a surprise this afternoon- The Nationals have signed Jayson Werth to a 7 year deal.

BD Hot Stove Breaking News: Nationals Land Jayson Werth | Baseball Digest

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots

Last night's brawl between Washington and Florida.

Twins Lock Up Capps

The Minnesota Twins have made a move to strengthen their bullpen, but time will tell if it's a good move. The Twins have acquired Washington Nationals' closer Matt Capps for highly touted catching prospect Wilson Ramos.

Capps, 3-3 with 25 saves and a 2.80 ERA, will set up another former Nats' reliever Jon Rauch. But the price is high. Ramos was rated this past winter by Baseball America as the number 2 prospect in the Twins' organization. It's an awful lot to give up for a set up guy.

Meanwhile, Aaron Gleeman has just tweeted that the Twins are also sending Joe Testa, a left-hander out of Wagner College, to the Nats as well.

UPDATE 11:11 AM 7/30 - Word came last night that the Twins will use Capps as closer and move Rauch to the set up role. AL only fantasy league owners are scrambling!

Bye Bye Bruney

Brian Bruney was supposed to be the Yankees to go guy in the late innings this past season. Things started out well, but than injuries and poor pitching led to a mop up role and a seat on the bench for all but one game in the post-season.

Bruney will have a fresh start next season with the Washington Nationals. The Yankees have dealt the right-hander to the NL East cellar dweller for a player to be named later.

The only shock is that it wasn't to the Pirates.

Nats 'Larkin' Back to Better Days

We're not going to into the details of the troubles that Elijah Dukes has run into his life. It would take too much time and too much bandwidth. Dukes was dealt to the Nats on December 3 after the Rays could no longer put up with his shenanigans. Now the Nats are taking a proactive approach to giving Dukes an attitude adjustment.

GM Jim Bowden has brought in his former shortstop Barry Larkin to mentor Dukes prior to spring training. Ironically, Larkin had never heard of Dukes prior to Bowden's quest for help. Now Larkin is working with Dukes on every aspect of the game, both on and off the field.

"It's a matter of showing this guy some love. That makes for a very healthy environment to compete and do well regardless of what your personal issues are or may have been," Larkin said. "He smiles when he is here. I think he really enjoys it. I want him to be ready for Spring Training and be in shape. This guy is a physical monster -- strong, fast, quick and all that kind of stuff. He is a stud."

Larkin feels Dukes, who is still just 23, has the potential to be a 30-30 (HRs-SB) player.

"Physically, he is strong enough to hit 30 to 40 home runs. He's probably fast enough to steal 30 to 40 bases. Physically, this dude is gifted," Larkin said. "I think it will be important that he feels like part of [the team] early as it is with any young player that has been traded."

Mentoring is nothing new to Larkin who worked with several of his younger Reds' teammates while in Cincinnati. Larkin's professionalism throughout his career is just one of the reasons he could be a future manager.

Source

Nats 'Larkin' Back to Better Days

We're not going to into the details of the troubles that Elijah Dukes has run into his life. It would take too much time and too much bandwidth. Dukes was dealt to the Nats on December 3 after the Rays could no longer put up with his shenanigans. Now the Nats are taking a proactive approach to giving Dukes an attitude adjustment.

GM Jim Bowden has brought in his former shortstop Barry Larkin to mentor Dukes prior to spring training. Ironically, Larkin had never heard of Dukes prior to Bowden's quest for help. Now Larkin is working with Dukes on every aspect of the game, both on and off the field.

"It's a matter of showing this guy some love. That makes for a very healthy environment to compete and do well regardless of what your personal issues are or may have been," Larkin said. "He smiles when he is here. I think he really enjoys it. I want him to be ready for Spring Training and be in shape. This guy is a physical monster -- strong, fast, quick and all that kind of stuff. He is a stud."

Larkin feels Dukes, who is still just 23, has the potential to be a 30-30 (HRs-SB) player.

"Physically, he is strong enough to hit 30 to 40 home runs. He's probably fast enough to steal 30 to 40 bases. Physically, this dude is gifted," Larkin said. "I think it will be important that he feels like part of [the team] early as it is with any young player that has been traded."

Mentoring is nothing new to Larkin who worked with several of his younger Reds' teammates while in Cincinnati. Larkin's professionalism throughout his career is just one of the reasons he could be a future manager.

Source

Yankee Clippard Goes National

The Yankees dealt pitcher Tyler Clippard to the Washington Nationals last night for reliever Jonathan Albaladejo. Clippard did a great job for the Yankees last season when they were hit with a rash of injuries. Eventually major league hitting caught up to him, but we'll never forget that Sunday night win over the Mets to salvage 1 of the 3 games at Shea.

Albaladejo is a 25-year old, 6-5, 250 pound native of Puerto Rico. He appeared in 14 games for the Nats last year, posting a 1.88 ERA while striking out 12 in 14 2-3 innings. Maybe more importantly, he only walked 2 batters. In 36 games split between Double-A and Triple-A, the right-hander 56 in 60 2-3 innings and limited hitters to a .200 average.

Yankee Clippard Goes National

The Yankees dealt pitcher Tyler Clippard to the Washington Nationals last night for reliever Jonathan Albaladejo. Clippard did a great job for the Yankees last season when they were hit with a rash of injuries. Eventually major league hitting caught up to him, but we'll never forget that Sunday night win over the Mets to salvage 1 of the 3 games at Shea.

Albaladejo is a 25-year old, 6-5, 250 pound native of Puerto Rico. He appeared in 14 games for the Nats last year, posting a 1.88 ERA while striking out 12 in 14 2-3 innings. Maybe more importantly, he only walked 2 batters. In 36 games split between Double-A and Triple-A, the right-hander 56 in 60 2-3 innings and limited hitters to a .200 average.