Roster Moves
The M’s made six additions and one subtraction from their 40 man roster today. To protect them from the rule 5 draft, the M’s added pitchers Bobby Livingston, Cesar Jimenez, Emiliano Fruto, Renee Cortez, shortstop Oswaldo Navarro, and outfielder T.J. Bohn.
To clear a spot, Ramon Santiago was released. He will now pick it up and throw it for some other team.
The Cortez selection is the only one I’m surprised by. They like him more than I do, I guess.
The glaring omission here is Asdrubal Cabrera, who I believe, based on his time in the Venezuelan Summer Leagues, is eligible to be selected in the upcoming rule 5 draft. And, if I’m right about that (I’m checking), then I’m almost certain he will be. Other players omitted who could be selected include Jeff Heavero, Sean Green, Luis Valbuena, Edgar Guaramato, and Nathanal Mateo.
Edit: Okay, it appears that Cabrera is not eligible. He was signed to a 2003 contract as a 16-year-old on August 26, 2002. Since he was signed before he turned 18, the team receives a fourth year of protection before being required to add him to the fourty man. Had he signed a 2002 contract, he would be eligible. But apparently he’s not. So good news there.
Comments
32 Responses to “Roster Moves”
I would hate to lose Heaverlo, who had a stunning turnaround about two months in the ’05 season. But he probably needs a fresh start somewhere else, like Justin Leone. Dave got me interested in Green, though he’d probably be nothing more than generic Jeff-Harris-like filler on a major league roster, and Mateo intrigues me though he didn’t show well after we picked him up from the Padres.
Dave, presumably you’re scoruing other organizations’ 40-man moves as we speak … any intriguing names you see out there so far?
Don’t the M’s have to have slots open on the 40-man to draft?
NM, I guess you didn’t really imply we should draft them either.
You can still clear spots from now until the rule 5 draft by DFA’ing a player off the roster. They’re obviously going to have do some purging when they sign free agents, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a few of these guys didn’t last more than a month. Cortez, in particular, strikes me as waiver bait.
Let us know what you find out about Cabrera. Asdrubal is someone I’d select in the Rule 5 draft were I running some teams.
In my own moment-of-silence type reflection:
I watched Santiago make some great plays in Tacoma. His bat was weak, but hopefully he will be a 9th hitter for some other baseball fan’s AAA team.
Why would they select Navarro over Cabrera?
Thank God for that. If Cabrera weren’t purchased and he was eligible, I would be prepared to riot the streets.
My Annual Contribution to the Rule 5 Thread:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/columnists/askbarule5.html
BTW, the failure to protect Cabrera appears to be a mistake. As Schwarz’s article shows, the FOs do indeed make them.
Re: # 9 – It seems that there was no mistake, that Cabrera did not need protecting. (Thought it was payback for their protecting someone–some years ago–that didn’t need protection. IIRC, it was Chris Covert who revealed that blunder.)
Does this mean we will see Livingston or Bohn in Seattle next year? I think I’ve seen Bohn on one of the authors’ projected 2006 rosters. And I know there’s been talk here about Livingston as another one of our Moyer clones. I have Livingston penciled as “spring training surprise” myself. (I always include one of those on my wintertime rosters since there always seems to be at least one coming out of spring training.)
Re the “Moyer clone” label: For every soft-tossing lefty that makes it, several more don’t. Livingston projects to be a pretty marginal major-leaguer at this point. He needs to make gains not only in control, but he needs to learn a lot more about how to pitch. And some just can’t master that discipline (Matt Thornton, for one).
forty 😉
So if for example the M’s announce, this coming week, Jojima is signed, how soon do they have to clear a spot for him? Immediately? Also when other trades (I hear the name Wilkerson) are made I suppose those become immediate but what about FAs? How soon does a spot have to be cleared for them? I’d like to see a USS M ranking of the roster (most to least important). Then we can compare how the flys fall to the ranking. It’d be fun — like watching a shooting gallery and every time one guy at the bottom falls off we take a swipe of beer or something and sing “40 baseball players on the roster” (to the tune of “99 bottles of beer on the wall”):*)
Anybody else out there not placed on a team’s 40-man roster that we may want to grab, Luis Ugueto style? Okay, that one didn’t really work out, but you could tell that kid was a raw player, but none the less a great athelete with a ton of potential.
Had to check Future Forty and notice that Cabrera is rated as one of the higher rated prospects. Even the local writers have at times referred to him as a talent on which to remember. Therefore it hopefully is a temporary over sight as Mariners do not have that many desirable prospects in the minors. Perhaps he is part of a trade to be made? Other wise this appears to make no sense.
Please disregard #17
Any others besides the new additions such as Cortez who are likely to hit waivers as we make space for free agents? I’m mildly surprised that Baek is still on the 40-man.
Yea, what is up with Beak? and Kida? Is Kida still on it?
Kida doesn’t appear on the 40-man roster on the mlb.com site, which hasn’t yet been updated with these moves either. I believe Kida was outrighted when he was sent back down.
Hey Corco, no Huber. How much was it you were betting again?
j/k
I try not to spam too much, but I did my own expanded take on it over on my blog.
Minor disclaimer: I mostly agree with Dave’s list of who might be picked off our system, but felt like there were a few others that could use a quick blurb at the end.
Dave, what are your thoughts on Brandon Sing? He’s a little old, but his numbers look great. The K-rate is a little high, but not awful, and he’s been a walk machine the past 2 years (better than 1 per 5 ABs).
He seems like a solid major-league bench bat in this year’s Rule 5. I also hear he’s got a pretty extreme reverse platoon split, where he’s almost useless against lefties, and kills righties. Thoughts? Can he play defense? Would he make sense on the MS bench next year?
Regarding Valbuena, I believe that the same rule applies to him as to Cabrera. He likley signed at 16, and should have one more year because he was under 18. Not 100% sure about this, though.
re: 25
That’s possible. He only has three years of playing time under his belt, 2003 and 2004 in Venezuela and last year in Everett, but the thing with players down there in the summer leagues is that if they sign during the regular season, they don’t always debut with the team that same year. So Valbuena’s clear, if he signed in 2003, but I don’t know when he signed because I don’t have a media guide handy.
Unless I’m way off here, the M’s shouldn’t have to clear spots — guys like Wilson, Moyer, Hansen, Nelson and Hasegawa have filed for free agency and aren’t on the 40-man. Even with adding these six players (and dropping Santiago), I count 37 players on the 40-man roster.
Unless, of course, the 60-day DL is now out the window.
It is. The M’s 40 man is full at the moment.
Indeed. Just noticed.
Re: VALBUENA (# 25 and # 26) – I do have a media guide handy–on the premises anyway. Valbuena was born Nov. 30, 1985, and signed with the Ms Aug. 29, 2002 (p. 325). So he (like Asdrubal Cabrera) is protected.
BTW, Dave, would GABE KAPLER fit into our plans?
How about Michael Restovich?
How soon will Kapler be ready to play? He tore his Achillies two months ago while rounding 2nd base (on a homer he didn’t even hit). I’ve always like him as a 4th OF, but this will probably cut down on his range.