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11:59AM: The Brewers have reached agreement on a two-year, $13MM deal with reliever Francisco Rodriguez. Milwaukee also holds a club option for the 2017 season over the Boras Corporation client.
While the annual breakdown is not yet fully reported, Rodriguez will earn just $3MM in 2015 and $6MM in 2016. The remainder will be deferred in some manner, though it is not clear how much is deferred salary and how much will go toward the option buyout. That will have important ramifications for the deal's incentives, but the bottom line is that Milwaukee will save on up-front costs.
At $13MM, Rodriguez will land just shy of the $14MM that MLBTR predicted before the start of the offseason, though the option structure had to be agreed upon to achieve that. The deal appears to slot in fairly sensibly among recent contracts for similar-quality relievers. Only the younger Luke Gregerson landed a three year deal (at a $6MM AAV), while Koji Uehara ($18MM — just before hitting the market), Sergio Romo ($15MM), and Pat Neshek ($12.5MM) all got significant guarantees on two-year pacts.
Rodriguez, 33, has spent most of the past four seasons in Milwaukee. All said, he owns a 3.11 ERA over his 193 2/3 frames with the Brewers. He has maintained double-digit strikeout-per-nine rates over the last two years in addition to an excellent K%-BB%. Though FIP has been down on Rodriguez's work in recent campaigns, other ERA estimators like xFIP and SIERA view him as a 3.00 or better performer.
One potential knock on Rodriguez — the many miles on his otherwise relatively young arm — has a positive side as well. Rodriguez has been exceptionally durable, putting up an average of 69 innings running all the way back to 2003. And he still delivers his fastball in the same general, low-90s range that he has found success with in the past.
In nailing down the closer role in Milwaukee and taking Rodriguez off of the market, the signing goes a long way to clarifying the remaining relief market. For one thing, it leaves Rafael Soriano as the undisputed best free agent still available. For another, it takes away the most obvious trade match for the Phillies and closer Jonathan Papelbon.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported the signing, length, and presence of an option (Twitter links). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the total guarantee on Twitter. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeted the annual breakdown.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
]]>Santana hasn't pitched in either the majors or minors since 2012, as he has been sidelined by both left shoulder capsule surgery (his second such procedure in three years) and, most recently, a torn Achilles tendon last June while on a minor league deal with the Orioles. Santana returned to make some appearances in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason and drew interest from multiple teams, including the Padres and Yankees, though his Venezuelan outings were limited by shoulder soreness.
Given his checkered injury history and the fact that Santana turns 36 in March, it's hard to see this as anything more than a depth signing for Toronto. It's worth noting, however, that the last time Santana was healthy (the first few months of the 2012 season), he still gave the Mets several quality starts, including a no-hitter.
The Jays' rotation depth was thinned by a few offseason trades, leaving rookie top prospect Daniel Norris as the projected fifth starter behind Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey, Marcus Stroman and Drew Hutchison. Aaron Sanchez and Marco Estrada are likely the two top backup options should Norris struggle, though since the Jays are aiming to have both pitchers in the bullpen, a veteran option like Santana could come in handy. The Jays have been looking for relief pitching depth as well, though according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi (Twitter link), Santana is being looked at by the team as a starter.
]]>Smith is a former 17th-round pick of the Tigers that made his big league debut in 2014, allowing seven runs on 15 hits and three walks with nine strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings. He has worked to a strong 2.68 ERA over his minor league career, averaging 8.8 strikeouts and 2.6 walks per nine innings pitched. After working as a starter for part of his first minor league season, he transitioned to the bullpen in 2013 and has posted solid numbers since, though he did struggle in 27 innings at the Triple-A level last year.
]]>Pena's strong 2014 campaign — he hit .255/.344/.486 with 32 home runs for the Orix Buffaloes — raised the possibility of a return to the big leagues, but that never materialized. The 33-year-old was only interested in signing with an MLB team if he could achieve a major league contract. While there was some interest, and plenty of minor league offers, Pena was ultimately never offered a 40-man spot going into camp.
A veteran of eight big league seasons, Pena swatted 84 long balls and slashed .250/.303/.445 in his 1,845 career plate appearances. Best known for his time with the Reds, Pena also saw action with four other teams. Ultimately, despite carrying above-average offensive numbers for much of his career, Pena's defensive limitations and relatively low on-base figures held him back in the majors.
But he hit his stride upon moving to Nippon Professional Baseball in 2012 with the Fukuoka Softbank Haws. The Dominican native slashed a productive .280/.339/.490 in his first Japanese campaign, establishing his presence as one of the league's premier power threats. After putting aside his injury-marred 2013 with his performance last year, Pena entered this year's market as one of the more appealing Japan-based international free agents.
Pena recently became a client of Matt Sosnick of Sosnick, Cobbe & Karon. He will now join with fellow former big leaguer Gaby Sanchez to form what the Eagles will hope is a potent middle-of-the-order, first base/DH pairing.
]]>Ellis spent his first nine seasons in the bigs with the Athletics, providing a steady presence at the keystone. He was at his most productive in Oakland, slashing .265/.331/.397 and leaning on excellent defense to put up approximately 25 wins above replacement (depending upon one's favored WAR measure) in that stretch.
After a mid-season trade to the Rockies in 2011, Ellis inked a two-year pact to join the Dodgers and then a one-year pact last year with the Cardinals. Though productive with Los Angeles (in spite of a sub-.700 OPS), Ellis stumbled last year in St. Louis, slashing just .180/.253/.213 in his 202 plate appearances.
With that dozen years of action in the books, Ellis says he is ready to spend more time with his family and enter a new career path. The highly-respected big leaguer should have no problem getting back in the game in another capacity if he so chooses, and A's GM Billy Beane already indicated that he hopes Ellis will do so for his longtime home club.
]]>As Heyman notes, the 33-year-old would seemingly technically qualify only as a first-time offender under the JDA (Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program) since his early-career suspensions occurred before he was on a major league roster. Were that the case, Hamilton would be handled under the first-time offender protocol. A treatment program would be established, with a 15 to 25 game ban standing by if Hamilton failed to comply with that program.
But as Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links), that will probably not be the case here. Hamilton's discipline will fall within the discretion of commissioner Rob Manfred, per the report, because his prior failed drug tests take him "outside [the] standard program." Having been re-admitted to MLB "via Bud Selig's discretion and terms" back in 2006, says Morosi, Hamilton is now subject to the discretion of Selig's successor.
The JDA does include provisions for players who have been suspended for one year after more than four violations of their individualized treatment program. It provides that the commissioner may impose discipline "consistent with the concept of progressive discipline," seemingly suggesting a more advanced punishment than those already levied. Of course, circumstances such as the time that has passed could presumably also factor in to the decisionmaking process, and it is not clear whether those provisions would hold sway in this case.
5:21pm: Angels slugger Josh Hamilton is in New York meeting with MLB officials regarding a possible disciplinary matter, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. While GM Jerry Dipoto confirmed that Hamilton was in New York for the meeting, he otherwise declined to provide any information on the nature of the issue.
It appears that Hamilton is not facing any accusations of PED use: a tweet from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports indicates that some other matter is at play. The executive that Rosenthal spoke with labeled the apparent transgression "worse" than PED use, though of course that is rather an ambiguous label and is open to a range of interpretation.
While it would be wrong to speculate as to the basis for the possible discipline at this point, DiGiovanna does write that Los Angeles is "bracing for possible penalties." Needless to say, any disciplinary action could have important ramifications for the Angels and Hamilton. The veteran is owed $23MM this year and $60MM over 2016-17 under the free agent deal he signed in December of 2012. Time missed due to suspension would not be compensated.
There is also the matter of potentially replacing Hamilton in the lineup. Though he is coming off of a rough 2014 season and was already set to miss the beginning of the year recovering from shoulder surgery, Hamilton possesses rare talent at the plate. The Halos do have some depth in place already in offseason addition Matt Joyce, who is expected to step in for Hamilton while he recovers from his procedure.
]]>8:17am: The Orioles on Wednesday announced that they've added some infield insurance by agreeing to a one-year, Major League deal with former Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera. The Scott Boras client will reportedly earn $2.4MM and has the opportunity to earn as much as $600K more via incentives.
That guarantee makes Cabrera the largest investment of the offseason for the O's. He comes in just ahead of those given to the team's two other major league signings this offseason: Delmon Young ($2.25MM) and Wesley Wright ($1.7MM).
Cabrera, 28, was non-tendered by the Padres earlier in the offseason. He is coming off of an undeniably rough stretch in his personal and professional life. A 50-game PED suspension cut short an otherwise promising 2013 campaign, and Cabrera is still facing possible jail time relating to a charge for resisting arrest. And when he was on the field last year, Cabrera largely disappointed, hitting a meager .232/.272/.300 in his 391 plate appearances and seeing his stolen base tally drop to 18.
Of course, those issues come with undeniable upside. Over the 2012-13 campaigns, the switch-hitter slashed .264/.339/.352 and swiped 84 bags in an even hundred attempts. With solid defense at short thrown into the mix, Cabrera has played at a 3+ WAR clip for the better part of a MLB season.
As MLBTR's Steve Adams recently noted, one attractive aspect of Cabrera is the fact that he comes with team control for another year. That effectively amounts to a club option, with the value to be determined through the arbitration process. Speaking of options, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com notes on Twitter, Cabrera can be optioned for one more season. That is another nice bit of flexibility, especially for an Orioles club that makes heavy use of the shuttle between the bigs and Triple-A.
Given that Baltimore has committed to J.J. Hardy for three more years, Cabrera would figure to provide competition at second base and another utility option. While Jonathan Schoop handled himself well at the position defensively, he struggled mightily at the plate. The two could be deployed in some kind of platoon capacity, of course, though Schoop bats from the right side and Cabrera has traditionally fared better against left-handed pitching. Baltimore also has used the left-handed-hitting Ryan Flaherty quite a bit over the past two years, but could find himself battling with Schoop for a roster spot.
Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun first reported that the deal was close (Twitter links). He also tweeted the financial guarantee. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that the deal had been finalized and that it included incentives, via Twitter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
]]>Hassan, who turns 27 in April, has already bounced from the Red Sox to the A's to the Orioles this winter and may yet find himself with a fourth organization if he doesn't make it through outright waivers (which he's already failed to do twice, albeit much earlier in the offseason).
The former 20th-round pick made his big league debut in 2014 with the Sox, collecting a hit and a walk in nine plate appearances. In a much larger sample of work with Triple-A Pawtucket in 2014, Hassan hit a solid .287/.378/.426 with eight homers and 31 doubles. That triple-slash line is fairly representative of what one can expect from Hassan based on his entire body of work as a minor leaguer; he's a career .287/.393/.430 hitter who has only posted a double-digit home run total once (13 at Double-A in 2011) but has never recorded a single-season OBP lower than .375. Hassan has walked in 13.7 percent of his career plate appearances in the minors as opposed to an 18.1 percent strikeout rate.
From a defensive standpoint, Hassan is limited to the outfield corners, though he's appeared in 28 games at first base over the past two seasons. In that time, the right-handed hitter has batted .328/.424/.525 with six homers in 236 plate appearances against lefties.
]]>FEBRUARY 4th: The Cardinals have reached a minor league pact with righty Carlos Villanueva, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on Twitter. Villanueva will receive an invitation to big league camp.
The 31-year-old swingman spent the past two seasons with the Cubs, working to a cumulative 4.27 ERA over 206 1/3 innings (including twenty starts) with 7.6 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9. Though he was hit hard when working from the rotation last year, Villanueva held opposing hitters to a .226/.284/.364 slash in 237 plate appearances when pitching from the bullpen.
Villanueva looks to be a solid depth addition to a Cardinals staff that has plenty of talent, but also some important questions. It seems unlikely that he will crack the rotation out of camp, but could have a reasonable claim to a long-man/spot-starter role.
]]>The Mariners had claimed Olmos off waivers from the Marlins earlier this offseason. The left-hander made his big league debut with the Fish in 2013, allowing four earned runs (nine total) in five innings on seven hits and a pair of walks. He fared much better between Double-A and Triple-A in 77 2/3 combined innings in 2014, working to a 4.06 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. Olmos held lefties to a .256/.330/.289 batting line between the Majors and Minors last season.
A former third round pick, Olmos has four times ranked among the Marlins' top 30 prospects, per Baseball America. He's ranged from Nos. 15 through 24, most recently coming in at No. 23 last offseason. BA noted that a move to the bullpen had his velocity up in the mid-90s, and he features a slider that is an average pitch at times and a changeup that can be a "true third offering." Their scouting reports notes that he could become a situational lefty, though he's gotten much better against righties since yielding a .942 OPS to them in 2011. Presumably, Olmos will compete with fellow lefty Alex Claudio for a spot in the Rangers' bullpen.
]]>7:33am: Chamberlain will receive a $1MM base salary plus incentives, tweets Rosenthal.
6:50am: The Tigers have reached an agreement on a one-year, Major League deal with reliever Joba Chamberlain, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Chamberlain, a client of Excel Sports Management's Jim Murray, was spotted in Tigers Spring Training camp this morning, notes Rosenthal.
Chamberlain, 29, posted a 3.57 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.43 HR/9, and 53.2% groundball rate in 63 innings for the Tigers last year. The Dodgers also had late interest in him this offseason. As MLBTR's Steve Adams noted earlier this month, Chamberlain makes for a solid buy on a one-year deal, perhaps more so than remaining free agent relievers Francisco Rodriguez and Rafael Soriano. Chamberlain did experience a second-half dropoff, at a time he was also helping his ailing mother.
Chamberlain rejoins a Tigers bullpen that hasn't seen much turnover since the end of last season. The Tigers did add lefty Tom Gorzelanny in January, and they've got Bruce Rondon on the mend from March 2014 Tommy John surgery. They'll have a full season of Joakim Soria, and closer Joe Nathan remains under contract as well. However, for the most part, the Tigers will deploy a very similar mix to the grouping that cost them in the 2014 American League Championship Series. Receiving better production from that group will be vital for the Tigers in an improved AL Central that saw the White Sox, in particular, make an aggressive push toward contention this winter.
On the whole, Detroit relievers posted an unsightly 4.29 ERA and a 4.09 FIP, both of which ranked 27th among 30 big league clubs. They'll hope that the return of Rondon and a full season of Soria can help to right the ship in the bullpen.
]]>The 25-year-old Smith had his Major League debut with the Tigers in 2014, yielding seven runs on 15 hits and three walks with nine strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings of work. A 17th-round pick of the Tigers back in 2011, Smith has a career 2.68 ERA in the minor leagues with 8.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. After working as a starter for part of his first minor league season, he transitioned to the bullpen in 2013 and has posted solid numbers since, though he did struggle in 27 innings at the Triple-A level last year.
]]>1:07pm: The Rangers announced today that they have exercised their 2016 option on Adrian Beltre in advance, meaning that he will be guaranteed $16MM. The Rangers had the ability to void the option if Beltre didn't reach 600 plate appearances in 2015, but GM Jon Daniels said over the weekend that he was considering removing the clause and locking in Beltre's salary, as he didn't want the clause to become a storyline.
Beltre, 36 in April, is coming off another typically excellent season, having batted .324/.388/.492 with 19 home runs and excellent defense at third base. He had been slated to enter the final guaranteed year of a five-year, $80MM contract signed in the 2010-11 offseason, but he's now guaranteed to earn the full $96MM maximum that was available to him on the contract.
While one could argue that there's risk involved with locking in that salary ahead of time, it's unlikely that Beltre would suddenly deteriorate to the point at which a $16MM salary in 2016 would look like a substantial overpay. His defense alone gives him a considerably higher floor than most players, and he's been very durable over the past three seasons, averaging 155 games per year.
]]>8:59am: The Dodgers announced today that they have signed right-hander Dustin McGowan to a one-year, Major League contract. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, fellow righty Brandon Beachy, whom the team signed last week, was placed on the 60-day disabled list. (Beachy is recovering from Tommy John surgery.) The move was expected following news yesterday that McGowan showed up at the Dodgers' Spring Training camp.
McGowan, who turns 33 in March, has spent his entire career to this point in the Blue Jays organization. The ACES client was selected 33rd overall by Toronto back in 2000 but has seen much of a promising career slowed by injuries. McGowan had Tommy John surgery back in 2004, but it's been his right shoulder that has truly plagued him, as he's undergone three separate surgeries on his throwing shoulder.
The end result of all the injuries is that McGowan has totaled just 482 1/3 innings of Major League action, but he's shown flashes of potential throughout his career. He has a lifetime 4.57 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 45.9 percent ground-ball rate. He's been used both as a starter and reliever, though more of his work has come out of the bullpen in recent years.
It's not clear whether or not this signing is tied to the injury of Kenley Jansen, although reports indicated that the Dodgers may look to add another relief arm — but likely a middle reliever as opposed to a closer — in the wake of Jansen's foot surgery. (He'll be sidelined eight to 12 weeks.) McGowan, along with Beachy and Brett Anderson, is the third talented but injury-prone pitcher that the Dodgers have signed to a big league deal this winter.
]]>Because Boston had already exceeded its international bonus pool — the Sox signed right-handers Chris Acosta and Anderson Espinoza for a combined $3.3MM on July 2 despite having a $188MM signing pool — the team will pay a full 100 percent tax on Moncada's bonus, bringing the total cost for his services to $63MM.
8:10am: The Red Sox and Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada have reached agreement on a signing bonus in the range of $30MM, reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). Of course, by signing Moncada to a bonus in the $30MM range, the Red Sox will also be paying a luxury tax worth roughly that same amount, making this in total an approximately $60MM expenditure for Boston. On top of that, the Red Sox will now be restricted from signing any international amateur for more than $300K in the 2015-16 and the 2016-17 international signing periods.
Moncada, a 19-year-old switch-hitting infielder, is the most sought-after international prospect in recent history. Said to be a true five-tool talent, scouts have likened his upside to that of Robinson Cano and Chase Utley (in his prime). Prospect specialists at Baseball America, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus and Fangraphs have all suggested that Moncada would rank in the top five to 15 prospects in Major League Baseball upon signing, which will make him Boston's new No. 1 prospect. Unlike recent Cuban signings such as Jose Abreu and Rusney Castillo, however, Moncada will likely require at least one season in the minors — possibly two.
Over the past several months, the Red Sox have been one of the primary teams connected to Moncada, although many believed the Yankees and Dodgers to be in a better position to land him, as the Red Sox don't have a clear long-term need in the infield with Dustin Pedroia at second base and Pablo Sandoval entering the first of a five-year, $95MM contract. (Sandoval, of course, could move over to first base in a few years.) Xander Bogaerts figures to be the long-term answer at shortstop, though the expectation among scouts is that Moncada will end up at second, third or possibly in center field (where Castillo is currently slotted).
As Sanchez wrote last week, the overage tax must be paid to the league in full by July 15, whereas the bonus can be paid out in installments over the course of the next three years. It's not known at this time whether or not the Red Sox made the best offer, but agent David Hastings did say recently that size of the bonus would not be the sole determining factor in choosing a team. Moncada also had private workouts for the Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, Brewers, Rays, D-Backs, Tigers, Giants, Rangers and Cubs (though the last two would have been ineligible to sign him until July 2, as they had incurred maximum penalties in the 2013-14 international signing period, thereby restricting them in the 2014-15 period).
With this agreement, Moncada has absolutely shattered the previous record signing bonus for an international amateur. That distinction was held briefly by infielder Roberto Baldoquin, following his $8MM bonus from the Angels earlier this winter, and then held even more briefly by right-hander Yoan Lopez, who received an $8.27MM bonus from the D-Backs. The size of Moncada's bonus will likely come up in discussing the next collective bargaining agreement, as it figures to be a major talking point among proponents of an international draft.
]]>"I'm under contract. I have a contract," said Cherington at a press conference today to discuss manager John Farrell's new deal. "We understand that contracts for people in uniform are important and need to be discussed. … I have a contract. I'm in good shape. There's no issue. Glad to be working with [principal owner John Henry] and the rest of the group."
Since Cherington became general manager, the Red Sox have had two losing seasons out of three, but Cherington's moves to remake the team following an ugly 2012 season helped the Red Sox to a 2013 World Series win and Cherington to a Sporting News Executive of the Year award. This offseason, his big acquisitions have included Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Rick Porcello, Justin Masterson and Wade Miley, and he signed Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo late last season.
]]>In 2014, the 32-year-old Dickerson hit .309/.407/.479 in a terrific half-season with the Pirates' Triple-A Indianapolis affiliate before heading in a minor trade to Cleveland, where he hit .224/.309/.327 in 112 plate appearances. The veteran has a career .257/.335/.395 line in parts of seven seasons, providing teams with a reasonable left-handed bench option who can play all three outfield spots. The Blue Jays are a bit thin in their outfield, so Dickerson could compete for a bench job.
]]>Wilhelmsen, 31, is coming off a strong year in which he posted a 2.27 ERA in 79 1/3 innings. His peripherals (8.2 K/9, 4.1 BB/9) and track record suggest he isn't likely to sustain an ERA that strong, but he has a terrific mid-90s fastball, and he'll continue to pitch in a pitcher-friendly ballpark.
Wilhelmsen might have made more through the arbitration system this winter had he continued as the Mariners' closer — he saved 53 games in 2012 and 2013 combined, but only one in 2014 after the team signed Fernando Rodney. Wilhelmsen has two more years of arbitration eligibility, and is currently eligible for free agency following the 2017 season.
]]>Beachy missed the entire 2014 season after having his second Tommy John surgery and will likely spend the first part of the 2015 season on the disabled list. As Rosenthal notes, though, Beachy gives the Dodgers an extra starting pitching option for 2016 after a 2015-16 offseason in which Brett Anderson and perhaps Zack Greinke (who has an opt-out) could depart via free agency. Once Beachy is healthy, he'll join Anderson and Brandon McCarthy as newcomers to the Dodgers' group of rotation candidates.
Should Beachy return to form, he could end up being very helpful — the 28-year-old has a career 3.23 ERA with an excellent 9.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in parts of four seasons with the Braves, giving him upside that's rare in a pitcher signed to a one-year deal. Finding a pitcher with Beachy's talent is especially tricky at this point in the offseason — the free agent starting pitching market is now largely bare, with Kevin Correia, Randy Wolf and Chris Young as the only significant free agents remaining. It's not yet clear, however, how well Beachy will pitch after having surgery for the second time in three years.
Atlanta non-tendered Beachy earlier this offseason. He still only has four years and 14 days of service time, so as MLBTR's Steve Adams noted earlier this month, he would have had two years of team control remaining regardless of the terms of his new deal. The Dodgers' club option for 2016 means they won't have to take him through the arbitration process for his last year before he becomes eligible for free agency.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the deal (via Twitter). CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweeted that Beachy would receive $2.75MM guaranteed. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweeted the terms of the Dodgers' 2016 option.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
]]>Farrell replaced Bobby Valentine following the 2012 season and led the Red Sox to a World Series win the following season, winning the Sporting News AL Manager of the Year award and finishing second in BBWAA AL Manager of the Year voting. Last season, the Red Sox fell to last place, and Farrell now owns a 168-156 record in two years with the team. Farrell also led the Blue Jays to a 154-170 record as their manager during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
]]>De Aza made $4.25MM last season, so his $5MM 2015 salary will represent only a relatively modest raise. He had been in the midst of a disappointing season with the White Sox before arriving in Baltimore after an August trade. A strong stretch run with the Orioles helped save his season, but he still experienced overall declines (some of them admittedly slight) in most offensive categories, hitting .252/.314/.386 with just eight home runs for the season.
Via MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker, the Orioles have now either settled or completed the arbitration process with all 11 of their arb-eligible players. They will pay a total of about $57.5MM to those players, including Chris Davis at $12MM, Bud Norris at $8.8MM and Matt Wieters at $8.3MM.
]]>"We are happy to pick up Matt's option for the 2016 season," says Nats General Manager Mike Rizzo. "It shows the great confidence we have in Matt to continue to lead this team on the field."
Williams replaced Davey Johnson for the 2014 season, and in his first year as manager, he led the team to a 96-66 record as the Nats easily won the NL East. In the process, Williams won the BBWAA NL Manager of the Year award and the Sporting News NL Manager of the Year award.
]]>Brault, 22, was floated as a possible name to change hands at the time of the deal, and will indeed be on the move. The southpaw has worked primarily as a starter, reaching the High-A level at the tail end of 2014. He spent most of the year in the Sally League, compiling a 3.05 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9.
Prospect watchers generally saw Brault as something like the twentieth-best prospect in the O's system. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs explains that the southpaw will need to find consistent arm speed to reach the bigs as a back-of-the-rotation starter
]]>FEB. 17: Burton will earn $2MM if he is in the big leagues, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. The deal also comes with $750K in available incentives.
FEB. 16: The Yankees announced that they have signed right-hander Jared Burton to a minor league contract and invited the former Twins/Reds setup man to Major League Spring Training. Burton is a client of Pro Agents, Inc.'s Dave Pepe.
Burton, who turns 34 in June, latched on with the Twins on a minor league deal following a shoulder injury that cut his Reds career short. (The presence of former Reds GM Wayne Krvisky in the Twins' front office likely played a role in that move.) With Minnesota, Burton revived his career, working to an excellent 2.18 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent ground-ball rate in 62 innings in 2012. That strong performance netted him a two-year, $5.5MM extension with the Twins.
Minnesota paid a $200K buyout on Burton's $3.6MM option for the 2015 season after Burton took a notable step backward this past season. Burton's K/9 rate dipped to 6.5, and his BB/9 rate ticked up to 3.5 all while his ground-ball rate (38.5 percent) and fastball velocity deteriorated (92.9 mph in 2012; 91.5 in 2014). However, Burton still possesses an effective split-finger changeup (which he's termed a "splangeup" in the past) that has been his best pitch in recent years. If he can rediscover some of his fastball effectiveness and/or some of his control, he could re-emerge as a useful bullpen arm for the second time in his career.
Burton's been a durable arm for Minnesota since returning from injury, averaging 64 innings and 68 total appearances over his three-year stint there. Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, David Carpenter and Justin Wilson are all locks for the New York 'pen, and they'll likely be joined by Esmil Rogers and Adam Warren. Burton will compete with pitchers such as Chasen Shreve, Andrew Bailey and Jose De Paula for a slot in manager Joe Girardi's relief corps.
]]>Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reported yesterday that the Mariners were interested in a minor league deal with the Legacy Agency client and viewed him as a potential left-handed relief option. As I noted at the time, Saunders has been quietly excellent against lefties over the past two seasons, even if his overall numbers are undeniably troublesome. Though Saunders pitched to a 5.26 ERA over 183 innings with the 2013 Mariners and a 6.70 ERA in 43 innings for the Rangers and Orioles last year, he's held opposing left-handed hitters to a paltry .230/.270/.308 batting line in that time.
The Mariners have a definite hole in the bullpen with the departure of Joe Beimel, who worked to a 2.20 ERA in 45 innings (56 appearances) as a lefty specialist last year. GM Jack Zduriencik recently told reporters that he spoke to Beimel's camp and the two sides simply weren't able to come to an agreement. That's hardly surprising, given the fact that Dutton tweeted last night that Beimel is looking for a multi-year deal coming off his solid season.
In his 10-year big league career, Saunders has worked almost exclusively as a starter. However, he's also held lefties to a .241/.288/.329 batting line. If he does make the Mariners' bullpen and enjoy a solid season as a left-handed relief option, he could enjoy a career renaissance similar to that of Oliver Perez, who, interestingly enough, also established himself as a reliever in Seattle.
As Johns notes, Saunders could be competing with Lucas Luetge, Mike Kickham, Rule 5 pick David Rollins and non-roster invitee Rafael Perez for a spot as a second lefty in the bullpen. Charlie Furbush will be the team's top left-handed option once again in 2015.
]]>Minor, who turned 27 this past December, was plagued by shoulder issues in an injury-shortened 2014 campaign. The left-hander worked to a 4.77 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 40.6 percent ground-ball rate in 145 1/3 innings with Atlanta last year. Those numbers were a far cry from the very strong 3.21 ERA he posted in 204 1/3 innings in a much healthier 2013 campaign.
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was among the reporters to discuss the arbitration hearing with Minor today (video link). Minor said the hearing process took roughly four hours, and he holds no hard feelings toward the Braves organization, understanding that the process was merely business. In fact, he spoke with Braves officials who were representing the team upon completion of the hearing. "They all say 'good luck — hope you have a great year,' so it's nothing personal," Minor said. The lefty added that his shoulder feels 100 percent and he's slated for a bullpen session the second day. Minor discussed feeling behind and feeling weak as he entered Spring Training last season, noting how strong he feels in comparison this year.
Minor will receive a nice $1.75MM bump from his $3.85MM salary in his second trip through the arbitration process. A Super Two player, Minor will be eligible for arbitration twice more before hitting the open market upon completion of the 2017 campaign. That timeline has him slated to hit free agency heading into his age-30 season, which should set him up for a nice payday if he can rediscover his 2013 form now that his shoulder woes appear to be in the past.
]]>FEB. 19: The Royals have signed left-hander Franklin Morales to a minor league contract, the team announced on its official Twitter site. Morales is represented by the Boras Corporation.
Morales posted a 5.37 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 1.54 K/BB rate over 142 1/3 innings with the Rockies last season. Ostensibly the team's emergency starter, Morales ended up making 22 starts (out of 37 overall appearances) thanks to all of the injuries in Colorado's rotation. This unexpected amount of action was surely a big reason for Morales' inflated numbers, especially the additional exposure to right-handed hitters — righty bats had a .923 OPS against Morales last season, while left-handed hitters managed only a .699 OPS.
Given his large career splits (.624 OPS vs LHB, .844 OPS vs. RHB), Morales could be a valuable bullpen weapon if he's limited to facing mostly lefty bats. If he makes the Royals' roster, pitching at Kauffman Stadium could also be a boon for Morales after spending his entire career at hitter-friendly Coors Field and Fenway Park. Morales has only a 40% ground ball rate over his career and his HR/FB rate ballooned to a career-high 15.9% last season.
While the Royals' bullpen is arguably the best in the game overall, their relief corps is short on left-handed options other than Tim Collins. Top prospect Brandon Finnegan worked out of the bullpen during Kansas City's playoff run last year, though the club would obviously prefer to keep him as a starter for the sake of his long-term development. Of the other southpaw relievers in camp (including Brian Flynn and Joe Paterson), Morales has the most experience and he could even take the odd start if the Royals were in a pinch. K.C. had also recently shown interest in veteran relievers Phil Coke and Alfredo Aceves.
]]>Trumbo, 29, will receive a sizable $2.1MM raise despite missing roughly half the 2014 season. (Conversely, the team's $5.3MM figure called for a raise of just $500K.) Though his first season with the D-Backs was shortened, he did post solid power numbers, hitting 14 homers and driving in 61 runs in just 88 games (362 plate appearances). While he rated as a sub-replacement-level player due to a .293 OBP and some particularly unsightly grades from defensive metrics, arbitration places greater emphasis on baseball card numbers like homers and RBIs than more modern statistics.
This marks Trumbo's second trip through the arbitration process, and he'll look to stay on the field for the entirety of the 2015 season and continue to post strong power numbers in hopes of an even more substantial raise next winter. He's arbitration eligible one more time before becoming a free agent following the 2016 season. Arizona originally acquired Trumbo in a three-team trade that sent left-hander Tyler Skaggs to the Angels and center fielder Adam Eaton to the White Sox.
]]>The 28-year-old Alvarez wins his hearing in spite of a down season in 2014 that saw his homer total from the previous year halved — from 36 to 18. Alvarez also saw his already questionable defense at third base decline, making an astounding 24 throwing errors in 823 innings at the hot corner. That led to him losing the reins on the everyday job at third base to breakout infielder Josh Harrison. Alvarez will be tasked with shifting to first base on a full-time basis beginning in 2015.
Overall, Alvarez will be receiving a modest $1.5MM raise from last season's $4.25MM salary. Restored power would go a long ways toward earning him one more significant pay increase in arbitration next offseason as he heads into a contract year; Alvarez will be free-agent eligible following the 2016 campaign.
For the Pirates — a noted "file and trial" arbitration team — this was the third arb hearing they've had this winter, as can be seen in MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker. The team won a hearing against Neil Walker (who had filed at $9MM against Pittsburgh's $8MM) and also lost a hearing to Vance Worley ($2.45MM versus $2MM).
]]>Hosmer will earn $5.65MM for 2015 and will take home a $8.25MM salary next season, per another Flanagan tweet. A Super Two last year, Hosmer had filed at $6.7MM while Kansas City countered at $4.6MM. That created a $5.65MM midpoint — an exact match for his upcoming salary — that fell above Hosmer's $5.2MM projection from MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz.
Though he is entrenched with the Royals, Hosmer still has yet to put together back-to-back productive seasons. In 2013, he slashed .302/.353/.448 with 17 home runs and 11 steals over 680 plate appearances, good for a 3+ win campaign. But he barely cracked the replacement barrier in his 547 trips to the dish in 2014. He rebounded well from a mid-season hand fracture, and was generally much better in the second half, but still ended the year with a .270.318/.398 mark with nine long balls and four stolen bags.
Obviously, the budget-conscious Royals remain believers. While a two-year pact offers some cost certainty and, potentially, some savings, it also takes away the possibility of a non-tender. And the team will be left exposed to the value of Hosmer's raise if an injury occurs that would have limited his earning power.
]]>Colorado may have been able to sway the panel by pointing out Rosario's defensive shortcomings and relatively poor 2014, because it drove the price down a fair sight shy of the $3.6MM that MLBTR/Matt Swartz had projected. Rosario has consistently received rather poor defensive marks (see, e.g., Baseball Prospectus, Fangraphs), and pitch framing metrics have not been kind (Baseball Prospectus; Stat Corner). That put an even less promising spin on Rosario's below-average .267/.305/.435 slash, which was good only for a park-adjusted 86 wRC+.
Of course that kind of offensive production is still not bad at all for a catcher. And Rosario, who battled injuries last year, has shown the ability to do much more. Still just 25, Rosario slashed .282/.314/.507 and hit 49 total home runs over just 892 plate appearances from 2012-13.
In addition to saving half a million dollars against the alternative scenario in the binary arbitration decision, Colorado gets the added benefit of holding down Rosario's earnings for the following two years of eligibility. The slugger will need to earn his playing time this year, though he may be afforded additional turns at bat by slotting in at first base or even the corner outfield.
]]>It is worth noting that, because he did not finish the 2014 season on a 40-man roster, Chen does not qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent. The negotiated opt-out clause, then, replaces the protections he would otherwise have received.
MONDAY: The Indians have agreed to a minor league pact with veteran southpaw Bruce Chen, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. Chen can earn a $1MM salary if he makes the club, and can also achieve up to $1MM in incentives.
Chen, 37, has worked to a 4.58 lifetime ERA over parts of sixteen MLB seasons. The swingman earned a $3.25MM free agent guarantee with the Royals after putting up good results in 2013, but was released in September after posting a rough 7.45 ERA in his 48 1/3 frames last year.
Cleveland marks the 11th MLB club that Chen has suited up for. The Indians rotation looks to be a tough nut to crack, and the team does have a variety of left-handed pen options in tow already, but Chen's salary possibilities suggest that he likely drew interest elsewhere and picked Cleveland for a reason.
As with fellow veteran lefty Barry Zito, who also struck a deal tonight, Chen has experienced a significant decrease in fastball velocity in recent years despite an already-low starting point. In 2014, his average heater dipped under 86 mph for the first time in his career, though Chen still managed to set down 6.7 batters per nine by strikeout.
]]>4:19pm: The Angels announced today that they have signed right-handed reliever Matt Lindstrom to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The 35-year-old Lindstrom is represented by Greg Genske of the Legacy Agency.
Lindstrom opened the 2014 season as the White Sox closer and recorded six saves with a 3.32 ERA through his first 19 appearances, but he suffered a subluxed tendon in his ankle while fielding a grounder, causing him to spend nearly three full months on the disabled list. Upon returning, he struggled to a 7.20 ERA in 16 appearances, yielding 12 runs in 15 innings of work.
From 2011-13, Lindstrom enjoyed a quite productive run with the Rockies, Orioles, D-Backs and White Sox, pitching to a combined 2.95 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 51.4 percent ground-ball rate. Lindstrom's ground-ball tendencies have trended upward over his career, and as he's gotten older, he's relied increasingly on a power sinker to maintain his effectiveness. Lindstrom averages roughly 95 mph on the pitch, though his velocity last season was more in the 93 mph range.
]]>Nix spent time with three different clubs in 2014 but struggled across the board, batting .120/.169/.157 in 91 plate appearances between the Phillies, Pirates and Royals. Earlier in his career, the former No. 44 overall pick (Rockies, 2001) showed 15-homer/15-steal potential, but he's never been able to consistently produce at the Major League level.
Nix, who has experience at all four infield positions, will provide depth to an Orioles infield that projects to use Manny Machado at third base, J.J. Hardy at shortstop, Jonathan Schoop at second base and a combination of Chris Davis and Steve Pearce at first base. Ryan Flaherty is currently slated to be the backup infielder, and the club also has Jimmy Paredes on the 40-man roster, so Nix seems likely to end up at Triple-A to serve as depth at this juncture. He's a career .280/.344/.443 hitter at that level.
]]>3:05pm: The Marlins have agreed to a minor league deal with outfielder Reed Johnson, the club announced. The contract includes an invitation to major league camp.
Now 38, Johnson struggled last year with the Fish, putting up a career-worst .614 OPS (on the back of a .235/.266/.348 slash) over 201 plate appearances. Limited mostly to the corner outfield, that left Johnson as a well-below-replacement-level player.
It looks to be an uphill climb for Johnson this year, as Miami features a trio of talented young options in the outfield and already inked Ichiro Suzuki for the fourth outfielder role. But Johnson will certainly provide a nice veteran presence and depth in camp, if nothing more, and was an average or better hitter as recently as 2011-12.
]]>Now 36, Zito established himself with Oakland beginning in 2000. He would never again regain the effectiveness of his first four campaigns there (768 innings of 3.12 ERA ball), though the southpaw would go on to toss another 662 1/3 frames with a cumulative 4.05 ERA over the following three seasons with the A's.
Of course, Zito famously jumped across the bay to the Giants thereafter, signing a seven-year, $126MM free agent deal. After generally outpacing his peripherals in Oakland, they caught up to him in San Francisco. He threw plenty of innings with the Giants, racking up 1,139 1/3 over seven campaigns, but allowed 4.62 earned runs per nine over the life of that ill-fated deal — a near-perfect match for his 4.61 FIP.
Zito sat out last season after a rough final contract year. Always a soft-tosser, Zito saw his fastball velocity dip to its lowest-ever point (about 83 mph) in 2013. Presumably, the A's saw enough to give him a fair shot at earning a roster spot out of camp, though obviously he has plenty to prove before that comes to fruition.
]]>The Giambino was sure to also thank fans that supported him throughout the ups and downs of his career (he reportedly admitted to a grand jury in 2003 that he did use performance enhancing drugs): "I want to thank the fans for being a part of this incredible journey. I especially want to thank the fans that gave me a second chance to let me show you the human being you see today."
Giambi's legacy will be somewhat tainted by that admission, but the numbers he put up over parts of 20 Major League seasons are impressive no matter how you slice them. In 8,908 career plate appearances, Giambi batted .277/.399/.516 with 440 home runs and 1,441 RBIs. Prior to today's announcement, Giambi was also the active Major League leader in career walks, with 1,366, and he was worth about 50 wins above replacement per both Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. He appeared on five All-Star teams, won two Silver Sluggers and had a pair of Top 5 MVP finishes — including a second-place finish in 2001 — in addition to his 2000 MVP honors.
Giambi was able to play through his age-43 season due in large part to not only accepting, but rather embracing a reduced role with the Rockies and Indians. The slugger was used primarily as a pinch-hitter in Denver and in Cleveland, but he relished the opportunity to mentor younger players and share his wisdom with the game's next generation. That attitude and the manner in which he was accepted by his younger teammates has led many to believe that Giambi may one day be a big league manager. In fact, he was at one point in consideration to manage the Rockies prior to signing with Cleveland in the 2012-13 offseason, and Terry Francona has referred to Giambi as a "manager-in-waiting."
We at MLBTR wish Giambi and his family happiness and the best of luck in his post-playing days.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
]]>Aardsma, formerly the closer for the Mariners (he saved 69 games in Seattle from 2009-10), spent the 2014 season with the Cardinals, working to an excellent 1.46 ERA with 38 strikeouts against 18 walks in 37 minor league innings. As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently noted, Aardsma has re-worked his mechanics and seen improved velocity as a result. Last week, I tweeted that Aardsma's velocity reached 92 mph in his final bullpen session, which was attended by 18 scouts.
A groin injury ultimately ended Aardsma's 2014 campaign and halted his chances of making an impact with the Cardinals' bullpen, but 33-year-old does bring some upside to L.A. if healthy. Over his past 161 2/3 innings in the Majors, Aardsma has a 3.28 ERA with 166 strikeouts against 79 walks. He'll look to force his way into a mix of arms that includes closer Kenley Jansen as well as setup men J.P. Howell, Brandon League and Joel Peralta. Other candidates for the Dodger 'pen include Paco Rodriguez, Carlos Frias, Pedro Baez, Juan Nicasio and Chris Hatcher.
]]>The well-traveled Wright has pitched for 10 different teams over his 19-year career, and this is his second stint in Texas, having previously pitched for the Rangers from 2007-08. The team was known to be looking for bullpen depth options, though they'd recently been linked to left-handed options like Joe Thatcher and Phil Coke.
Wright threw 70 1/3 innings for the Dodgers last season, all but two of them (coming in a spot start) out of the bullpen. Wright posted a 4.35 ERA, 6.91 K/9 and a 2.0 K/BB rate for the Dodgers, turning in reverse-splits numbers by limiting left-handed batters to a .620 OPS while allowing a .737 OPS against right-handed hitters. The ground-ball specialist posted a 56.3% grounder rate last year, right in line with his 55.9% career mark. Though Wright is entering his age-40 season, he is still very durable, having averaged 71 innings per season from 2008-14.
]]>FEB. 13: The Braves and outfielder Eric Young Jr. have agreed to a minor league deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman. The fleet-footed Young will compete with Zoilo Almonte for a role as Jonny Gomes' platoon partner in left field, Bowman notes. Young is represented by MVP Sports Group.
Young, 30 in May, offers blistering speed but struggled with the bat in 2014, hitting .229/.299/.311 in 316 plate appearances. Despite the low on-base percentage and limited at-bats, however, Young still managed to swipe 30 bases, and he stole 46 bags the year prior in 598 PAs. Over the life of his career, Young has batted .252/.320/.332 with 138 steals in 171 attempts (81 percent).
Left field has been Young's primary position over the past two seasons, and it's also his best position, per both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating. Last year, DRS valued him at +5 runs, while UZR pegged him at 8.8 in 577 innings. UZR has generally graded Young's left field work better than DRS, pegging him at eight runs per 150 games, but DRS has given him a positive mark for three consecutive seasons. Young also has some experience at second base, and given Atlanta's unstable situation at the keystone, it's possible that he'll see some time there as well over the course of the 2015 campaign.
The Mets non-tendered Young this December rather than pay him a projected $2.3MM salary (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz), and he was one of a handful of free agents with arbitration eligiblity remaining that I identified last week. Because he has just four years, 123 days of big league service, Young can be controlled next winter via arbitration if he performs well. He is eligible for free agency following the 2016 campaign.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Featured Stories
New titles at the Putnam County Library
Abel, James, "White Plague"
Allen, Sarah, "First Frost"
Governor's Highway Safety Program recognizes county individuals
On Thursday, Feb. 19, several Putnam County individuals were recognized for their service by the Governor's Highway Safety Program.
Winfield woman wins Greenbrier getaway in state photo contest
Wild, Wonderful West Virginia has announced the seven grand prize winners of its "You Remind Me of West Virginia" photo contest, including a Winfield school teacher who received a Greenbrier County getaway for her submission.
Lenten 'Fryday' fish dinners being served at St. Anthony
St. Anthony Catholic Church's annual Lenten "Fryday" fish dinners will be prepared again for six consecutive weeks, including this Friday evening.
Former Rock Lake Pool lifeguard donates vintage clock from swimming pool's heyday
It's been said that a broken clock is right twice a day.
AARP leaders discuss 2015 legislative agenda
AARP West Virginia state leaders have detailed the organization's legislative agenda for the 2015 West Virginia Legislature, with a focus on legislative action in the areas of caregiving, retirement security and financial security.
Skull Candy Salon opens on Teays Valley Road in Hurricane
Two friends left previous career paths and have embarked in a new direction doing what they love.
Area volunteer caregivers group garners national excellence award
On Jan. 26 in Georgetown, Texas, the National Volunteer Caregiving Network announced winners and honorable mention recipients of the 2015 Excellence Awards and a Kanawha Valley entry was one of the top two standouts.
Cookie bake-off set for Feb. 14
Kanawha Valley Senior Services, in conjunction with Capitol Market, will host an intergenerational charity cookie bake-off on Valentine's Day, with event proceeds benefiting Kanawha Valley senior citizens.
Kanawha Kordsmen delivering singing Valentines
This year, surprise your special person with a Singing Valentine.
Farmer's Table: Dill Pickle Soup
Recipes for Dill Pickle Soup have intrigued me for years. I finally got around to making this thick, creamy soup last week.
Board of Education places state science standards on public comment
The West Virginia Board of Education voted on Jan. 14 to place a version of the West Virginia Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives for Science (Policy 2520.3C) which is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standardson comment for 30...
Ben and Minnie join History Alive! program
A noted author and a retired Catholic priest have joined the West Virginia Humanities Council's stable of History Alive! actors, who portray persons of note in American history.
Crème Fraîche: French-Style Cultured Cream
Developed in France, crème fraiche is a creamier version of sour cream.
Affordable Cremations of West Virginia opens in South Charleston
With more than 30 years of experience as a licensed funeral director and cremation specialist, Michael Luikart understands the many decisions that families must make when a loved one dies.
Memorial service for Four Chaplains Thursday in Winfield
The James E. Marshall American Legion Post #187 will sponsor a Four Chaplains Memorial Service at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5 at Winfield Presbyterian Church in Winfield.
Eleanor Presbyterian welcomes new pastor
At the start of 2015, Pastor John Yeager began a new career that brought him back to Putnam County after nearly 40 years: his ministry at Eleanor Presbyterian Church.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church annual Mardi Gras celebration slated
"Sparkle" and "dazzle" are two words that aptly describe the upcoming seventh annual Mardi Gras Celebration at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in St. Albans.
Give Kids A Smile Day to provide free dental care for youths
The Capital City Give Kids A Smile Day is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6, at 1203 Jefferson Road in South Charleston.
Farmers Market Association launches vendor training program
Budding farmers market vendors throughout the Kanawha Valley have an upcoming, virtually all-encompassing opportunity to make their growing and selling businesses flourish.
Almost Havana smokin'
With regulations banning smoking at bars and restaurants throughout the Charleston/Huntington area, cigar aficionados have had very little options when it comes to gathering and socializing in a public setting.
Pear Gingerbread Roll
Pears have been beloved since the time of Ancient Rome. They are delicious when ripe.
Editor's Desk: Outlook season a busy, exciting time at the newspaper
After the first of the year, we roll up our sleeves here at Charleston Newspapers and start planning and working on our annual Outlook sections.
McGrew Orthopedic relocates from West Side to Cross Lanes
Randy McGrew of McGrew Orthopedic has transplanted his longtime practice from Charleston's West Side to Goff Mountain Road in Cross Lanes.
Annual 'Ice Bowl' disc golf tournament to raise funds for Manna Meal
Organizers of the annual Ice Bowl disc golf tournament wouldn't mind a little winter weather during the event, which takes place Feb. 7 at Shawnee Park in Dunbar.
Planet Fitness opens health club in Cross Lanes
Gyms can be intimidating places, filled with muscular guys and women with Barbie doll figures and the confidence to match.
WVU college hosting engineering essay contest
High school students across the state of West Virginia will have the opportunity to explore the role engineering plays in their day-to-day lives as well as their future, as part of an essay contest being held at West Virginia University.
Calligraphers Guild teaches 'art of beautiful writing'
In an age when computers and keyboards are supplanting pens and paper, there remains a group dedicated to preserving the art of beautiful writing.
Farmer's Table: Turkey Black Bean Enchiladas
The history of enchiladas can be traced to pre-Colombian times when the Mayans created the tortilla. People in the Valley of Mexico lake region rolled corn tortillas around small fish.
County 4-H Special Lambs Project seeks participants
The Putnam County 4-H Special Lambs project is seeking participants for 2015.
Hurricane High Key Club sponsoring 'Blade Buddies' for special needs students
Competitive ice skater and Hurricane High School junior Caroline Leadmon is using the sport she loves to give back to the community.
Area school show choirs to compete in 2015 Poca MusicFest
The shows -- and showmanship -- will go on for the 16th edition of the Poca High School Music Fest Show Choir Competition, beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, at PHS.
Noted organist to accompany silent movie, 'The Cameraman,' at Forrest Burdette church
As part of Forrest Burdette Memorial United Methodist Church's 100th anniversary, noted organist John Schwandt will accompany the classic silent film, "The Cameraman," starring Buster Keaton, on Friday, Feb. 6.
The Greenhouse of Teays Valley to host mystery dinner theater Jan. 23-24
The interactive theatre troupe, Murder and Merriment, is returning to The Greenhouse of Teays Valley Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24 to present a dinner-theater production of "2015 Megacon."
Habitat for Humanity sponsoring Taste of 2015
Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam Counties is excited to bring one of West Virginia's top-rated restaurants to Charleston for a special event, The Taste of 2015.
C&O Motors, I-77 salesmen among those honored by GM at W.Va. auto show
GM saluted numerous area dealership sales team members as top sales people in their area during the 2015 West Virginia International Auto Show last weekend at the Charleston Civic Center.
HHS and Treasury Department announce changes to tax returns
In preparation for the 2015 tax filing season, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Treasury Department are putting in place resources to provide tax filers with the information and resources they need to get their questions...
Christian's Sports Beat: New 'Field of Dreams' coming true in Charleston
After 10 seasons and over 1,000 games, the baseball field at Appalachian Power Park, the home of the West Virginia Power, has been replaced this off-season. The face-lift will allow the minor league baseball team to have one of the newest fields in...
'Too Many Cooks'
"Too Many Cooks" is the fifth Nero Wolfe detective novel written by American mystery writer Rex Stout. The story takes place at the Kanawha Spa, which the reader soon recognizes as The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West...
2015 W.Va. International Auto Show rolls into Charleston this weekend
The 2015 West Virginia International Auto Show will fill the Charleston Civic Center with hundreds of new model vehicles Friday, Jan. 16 through Sunday, Jan. 18.
Nazarene pastor proffers new year encouragement to Rotarians
The start of a new year is a good time to examine our expectations, Bethany Carr told Putnam Rotarians at the club's weekly meeting in Hurricane on Jan. 6.
Teays Valley author to autograph copies of latest book
Do you want to reclaim a childlike joy in 2015? Author Laura Boggess, of Teays Valley, will be signing copies of her new release, "Playdates with God: Having a Childlike Faith in a Grown-up World," at two area bookstores this month.
Capito nominates two county students to military academies
Two Putnam County residents were among 15 state high school students Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) nominated recently to the four U.S. military service academies.
Enhancements to West Virginia Veterans Home announced
The West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance and the Huntington VA Medical Center have announced enhancements to the West Virginia Veterans Home's transitional unit, a collaborative housing initiative known as Project 214.
Teays Valley Newcomers & Neighbors offers social outlet
Start the New Year on a happy note with the Teays Valley Newcomers and Neighbors Club, an organization that provides a social outlet to new and established residents.
Cookie bake-off set for Feb. 14
Kanawha Valley Senior Services, in conjunction with Capitol Market, will host an intergenerational charity cookie bake-off on Valentine's Day, with event proceeds benefiting Kanawha Valley senior citizens.
Bananas Foster French Toast
Bananas Foster is a dessert made with bananas and a buttery brown sugar, cinnamon, boozy sauce that is ignited before serving. The dish is said to have originated at the legendary Brennan's restaurant in New Orleans.
Arts & Thoughts a teaching resource for painting, pottery
Studying the arts opens "footsteps" to many other subjects, says Homaira Ahmed, owner of the Arts & Thoughts Studio in Teays Valley.
Scott Depot woman wins holiday truck from Tudor's Biscuit World
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text: Cathay Pacific flies high Source: CNNAdded on 10:20 PM ET, Wed August 14, 2013Just WatchedCathay Pacific flies high replayMore Videos ...CNN's Pauline Chiou speaks with Cathay Pacific CEO John Slosar about the airline's recent progress in cutting costs. Stories worth watching (12)Cathay Pacific flies high Humans ruining Darwin's paradiseA better way to GIF?Ben Carson apologizes for comments on gay peopleTeenager steals, crashes school busSee this bionic breakthroughObamacare exchanges challenged in Supreme CourtThousand-pound woman loses over 800 pounds Audio recording of 'Jihadi John' surfacesWhy shouldn't ISIS be fair game for jokes?About 500 hibernating snakes foundWhy Taylor Swift took viral bikini photo'The Walking Dead' town up for saleMore from businessU.S. billionaire discovers WWII shipwreckGreece's struggling economyFilming 'Game of Thrones' where winter never comesPowered by Livefyre


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Comment: Re:A lawyer's perspective (Score 1) 183
As a coder in illinois who's currently trying to implement/ implemented a PACER like system for 70 of the 102 counties. Cost is really not a problem. Who pays the cost is, and most attorneys at this time are not big fans of tech. We're starting to get some success in the state, but it's slow coming. We have better luck with out of county Attorneys than local ones, since they can't just walk across the street to file something. In the last 5 years, a large number of our courts have started scanning everything, and in the last year or so, we've had a good amount of success at getting them to put all of the documents online. Currently it's only the attorneys of record who can see those documents though due to IL supreme court rules.
Your calendar thing cracks me up though, we implemented and ical feed for all of our courts 10+ years ago. This is per attorney or judge, or police officer btw.
Of the 70 counties where this is available, we have 1 user of it..... out of 74692 attorneys. I keep hoping that the younger generation of attorneys, and their secretaries) coming into office in the last few years will have higher technical expectations than the old farts who are leaving, but only time will tell.
I guess my point is that the tech is there, the courts have put it into place and paid for it, but the attorneys just don't have the desire to use it, much less share the cost.


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When our man Lieberman drove the 2010 Jaguar XF Supercharged earlier this year, he came to the conclusion that of all the models in the XF range, the mid-grade Supercharged with its 470-horsepower V8 was the one to have, if you're buying. After all, at a relatively modest $68,000, it's a sexy sleeper with enough high-powered thrills to keep you happy while still being everyday-drivable and easily tamed. We wholeheartedly agree with our dear Jonny in this conclusion, and if we had never experienced this top-rung XFR, we'd be perfectly thrilled with our purchase.
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Gartner PPM & IT Governance Summit
June 1-3, 2015 | Grapevine, TX (Dallas area)
Comments |
Completely agree with Sanjay. There was a situation in my organization where they were downsizing in US and moving work offshore. The mandate was that the only ones to survive in US would be project managers and business analysts. So everyone donned a PMs hat whether they were qualified for it or not. Poor estimations and risk management was the result. As tech leads one does manage a lot of estimations and communications but many aren't very good at project management as they don't know the entire theory. Also in India PMs are perceived as being 'better' as the more people you are managing, the better you are doing in life :)
A good project manager is one who is able to get the work done by using the right expertise available. He himself may not have to possess all the technical skills. Technical skilled people, who lack resource management skills may not be successful project managers. But somehow the general perception is that a project manager is superior to functional managers or technically skilled people. This I think is probably because of the compensation levels which make us perceive this way. |
I agree as well. If a great technical lead is 'promoted' to project manager and she/he fails, it is a double loss for her/his company: a good technical lead is lost, and a poor project manager is added. So IMHO personal ambitions and talents should be the only arguments for these kinds of career moves. |
I agree.
Business is so different today. Business leaders should be more critical in resourcing for the right leaders in managing projects. Getting a certified PM is one thing. Ensuring the right leader or person with the right aptitude is important, if not more important.
Totally agree too. IT workers are usually left-brained persons ...and managing requests more right brain skills. Right brain is about images, emotions, political skills, the kind of stuff IT persons are not exposed to and do not seek to. Would they see or feel it if it bit them, I wonder ;-) Furthermore, CIOs and clients also have their type. Matching genres require some effort. Promoting to project manager is more than filling a hole, you need to test the candidates and there are lots of tools available for that, Briggs-Meyer, NLP meta-programs. Why not take a day or two at investing on a set of tests and put candidates through it to make sure the choice will be appropriate for all players. Project managers, managers and clients, and team members too will all benefit from it, otherwise, I see only losers in this ... and projects will suffer from it an enterprise's productivity will go down the drain. Who wants that ? |
I also completely agree with Sanjay ... Too often, we see people who are fabulous in a technical field promoted into project or other management roles - and they're just not cut out for that type of role - they end up miserable and failing. Just because someone exceeds expectations in their current role, does not mean that they should be placed in a leadership position. I think corporations should do more in developing alternate career paths - it still seems that the standard career path and the expectation for a career trajectory is: Technical specialist --> Technical Lead --> Project Manager --> Program Manager. Shouldn't there be other options available for those that are neither interested nor appropriate to be placed in leadership roles? Not everyone wants to grow in that linear fashion, but most do want to grow and continue to challenge themselves. |
Well said Roshini.
Sanjay, Good observation, and now I have to put 3 Idiots on my "to be watched" movie list. I hope most companies recognize what you wrote about so concisely. Even more, it's important that the discipline of PM be recognized AS a career path and not a collection of different jobs that are unrelated. You'd be amazed at how this aspect of PM career path development is underused. So even after solving the problem you identify, there is another 'valence level' to overcome - one of truly developing the PMs who *really should be* PMs. There's another aspect entirely as well, and that is the sustainability/green part of PM...but that's another subject (actually covered on our site htttp://earthpm.com) entirely... Thanks again for your post. Rich Thanks for your post. |
One thing happening across the board is that "technical knowledge" has been devalued across the board by implying that is equal across continents. Knowledge is increasingly mistaken as "having data" available. So, those in possession of a manual explaining how to play a violin, feel that this actually equals knowing how to play a violin.
Like manufacturing, technical expertise appears to be have fallen into the "non-core activities" basket, and has been pushed behind "management" and "project management" whilst the "soft-skills" mantra covers up the fact that those in charge of making decisions are increasingly detached from the reality that those decisions bring about.
This appears to fulfill the prophecy that, one day, all work will be carried out by one person, as everybody else will have off shored and subcontracted theirs.
Unfortunately, hands on experience doing actual "technical" work informs people's ability to manage projects. This may go unnoticed as long as there is plenty of people with that kind of expertise around, and "managers" of one kind or another are in short supply. The problem is that one day, there may be more managers that actual stuff to be managed, and less knowledge about how stuff is actually built that it is strictly necessary to conduct business with reasonable quality.
If organizations are to survive in a complex world, they may want to remember this and retain some "obsolete" technical knowledge before is too late.
Conversely, some technical project managers should be allowed to follow paths into managing/leading technical teams. And, project management leadership should not put on blinders and believe that no technical skills are required to manage complex, technical projects. It is in the interest of those of us that manage highly technical, complex projects to gain a fundamental understanding of networking, systems management, systems administration, application design and various infrastructure systems to be more effective in managing scope, risk, schedule and staffing for these projects. |
I believe regular project management is an excellent starting point to move horizontally and vertically inside companies as a career change, according to interests and skills. Maybe also a move to a supplier or client. Project mgmt has good opportunities for maintaining a solid contact network and insight throughout the company. Stakeholder management can be seen in this light :) Before moving careers, it is good to know one's personal strength: E.g. "organizer", "leader", "communicator" or "analyst" type - take a personality test and see which one is strongest. Suggestions: Leader: department head in technology, operations or procurement; Organizer: program manager; Analyst: marketing research and strategy development, business analyst. Just a comment on the programmer promoted to PM: it is best if they pass via the Technical Project mgr role first, or the technical architect role before that. |
I totally agree with Sanjay. What is unfortunate is that when a passionate technical resource is handed off as project manager it often leads to low productivity across the entire team. When the project manager does not know how to our does not care to focus on non-technical areas such as resource management and scheduling it is the team members that will suffer.
The problem described by Sanjay is by no means a recent phenomenon: Find the 1969 book "The Peter Principle" by Dr. Laurence J. Peter in which he describes the dilemma of promoting one beyond that person's level of competency. Wikipedia also has a good write-up on the the Peter principle. As PMs we need to be smart enough about ourselves and other project stakeholders to recognize the presence of the Peter Principle and to deal with its affects on our projects.
I agree with you Sanjay that there should be multiple careers paths for an individual in an organisation. A technical person should not be forced to become a PM or resource manager. The one reason it happens now is due to monetary reasons. Without promotion to managerial role salary does not increase. Salary and role should be de-linked. A very competent technical person with 10-15 yrs exp should get high salary and should not feel the need to shift to PM role.
Interestingly enough, project management tends to be a very common 'destination' for those that would like to veer away from the typical career path. The 'barriers to entry' into this field are low to non-existent. As a result, it is hard to identify a good project manager by entry-criteria characteristics. We created Business Value Alignment® to help differentiate the serious committed PM's from the rest of the crowd. Join our LinkedIn group if you'd like a voice in creating the next generation of PM leadership competencies. Thanks, Sai Founder, Business Value Alignment® www.businessvaluealignment.com |
My IT company has two career tracks. One leads to management the other stays technical. This allows us to continue to let the technicians excel to become experts, while those choosing project management can strengthen other skills.
Good one, Sanjay.
Usually an organization offers different paths at the start of career (Developer, QA, DBA, etc) and there is a significant training period for them. As everybody commented here, after few years, all these paths converge into management (be it project or technical).
When a technical lead is made the project manager, it is generally assumed that he/she shall manage the project based on his/her experience. The person is expected to perform or learn while on the job. No formal training in project management is given to this person, which is a contrast when compared to the amount of training given at the career start.
Re: your other point on a technical resource continuing in technical line, the scope for growth (both in terms of money and moving up organization hierarchy) is very limited.
An organization and resource should together invest to chalk out the career path of the former and back it up with training. This could be to enable either the role change (cross functional) or role enhancement (technical lead to technical manager to technical architect to solutions delivery head). This would be of mutual benefit, as it increases productivity for both.
In the organization where I work there is a clear path defined for the individuals who would like to pursue technical or project management career path. Therefore an individual who wishes to take up a career in the project management side he/she will have to undergo various trainings in house and on the job. These types of trainings help the individual in sharpening their managerial skills thereby minimizing the failures. I believe every organization should have these types of trainings to be conducted in house or external and produce good managers.
Sanjay, I totally agree with you. This is what we classically call the Halo effect. Some more thoughts which I would like to add is that many companies especially in India see to promote people by giving a big weightage to their total number of experience or the total number of years they worked in that company . Though I agree all these factors are good for an employee profile,still Management is a different Ball game. Many youngsters though might not be having a large number of years to quote as Industrial experience have excellent management skills. Whatever books we read,what ever training we gain still there should be some basic skill within an Individual for Management and some people gain it in a very young age. It's high time for many of the companies have to cherish a culture where they have their employees career path well defined and aligned in the right track which would benefit the Organization as well as the employee |
During the recession, many businesses decided to merge project management into other functional groups such as product management or engineering teams. Most of the members under this new mandate started playing dual roles - one they are experts at and the other they have no clue about. Net result of this balancing act: Project delays, bad estimations, low productivity & lack of time to learn. I agree with Suhin Rasheed about how companies in India base promotions mainly on years of experience. It makes me wonder how can one get through the starting point in case of such a career change if he has the interest & skills but not the specified years of experience. |
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A house for your homeless 2.5" SATA drive
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Software Updates
more updates- Apple Remote Desktop updated with Yosemite support
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- Logic Pro X update brings AirDrop support, new effects, tools, and more
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