Talk is the M's may simply try to slide Rivero through waivers later this off-season. I believe he gets us to 35 on the 40-Man. There is still room to move.
I suspect the M's saw a RHB, utility guy dangling in front of them and they bit. Worse things could happen. I did the math, as well Doc. He shore ain't no MLB SS. But I can't complain about a free player who doesn't doom our roster structure.
That said, it may indicate a Marte availability. We aren't getting anything very sexy for Marte, however. Bundled with a bunch of other young guns (bats, mind you) then Marte might be worth something. So then Romero in Tacoma is insurance come cheap.
Last night I tried to slice and dice this as a meaningful move but hurt my head doing so. I just don't think it is.
A point that has not been made out here is that we are probably already locked in on one "free agent" salary for next year: That being the contract we will give Seager. Well, the one we better give him. Create your own figures, but he's "FA" #1 for us.
If that is the case, then two "big" signings probably aren't going to happen. I suppose we could sit on Seager's contract for two years, which allows us to sign somebody large for those two, but it doesn't really make sense. Get Seager for 6 or 7 now and smile lots.
Back to Rivero: Spaghetti is all he is, most likely.
BTW: I'm afraid that the M's end up signing Rios for $13M or some such figure. He doesn't walk, he doesn't hit for power but he does hit lefties for average pretty well. For a bunch of millions thats is more doesn'ts than I would like.
We have better places to spend our cash. Pass.....
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Q. What are those 3 a.m. commenters on ESPN saying, if they think a poker player is "representing" a hand?
A. You're playing Hold 'Em, and the first three cards on the "flop" have two diamonds... a guy pushes into the pot. He's "representing" an Ace of Diamonds, or two diamonds, in the hole ... here comes the fourth up card, it's a diamond. The guy pushes in a big stack! He's "representing" the flush whether he has it or not.
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Q. You think that a big fat hairy 40-man slot, given to a guy who is the definition of No Prospect represents ... what? To the other 29 teams?
A. Well, the M's have two demonstrably good 6-year shortstops starting already. And $3M going to the Willie Bloomquist Emergency Fund. And Ketel Marte being rushed to AAA last year - whereupon he immediately delivered a cross-face elbow to the bridge of its nose.
The 40-man roster issues ... those slots aren't real easy to come by in Seattle. Now you're giving a slot to a 3B/SS to a guy whose career minor league line is .699 OPS+ ?
Let's charitably say that the M's are "representing" a trade of Miller or Taylor. Perhaps this lights a fire under the Dodgers' keisters, and all y'all get a good close-up look at Scott Van Slyke. And, trust me, that'll be for the full ride, 550 AB's, baby. s' your funeral.
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Q. Well, Rivero can't be all bad. He was just traded for Franklin Morales. By Boston.
A. Ya, when Rivero was 25 and the Red Sox had some authentic 3B issues. The Mariners' 3B problems seem relatively contained. Even if Van Slyke were to trip and fall on Seager, then after the funeral "The Mariners' Very Soul" is currently backing up at third.
Hey, wait! Rivero's a natural 3B .... of course. So the M's are representing a Seager-Kershaw deal. Or :: speak it in hushed tones :: Seager for Aroldis Chapman. Now, show down your hole cards like that and Dr. D is all too willing to forgive and forget.
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Q. What does BaseballHQ say about Rivero?
A. He isn't in their minors book, obviously. They can only cover the top 1,500 or so bushers who project to ML FRINGE.
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Q. Can Rivero play a big league shortstop?
A. Ax the scouts. How should Dr. D know? He didn't know who Ketel Marte was until Friday.
The last two years, Rivero's minors range factors were way below average at SS, way above average at 3B. (Short innings.) He's got a rifle arm, by all accounts. :: shrug ::
All kidding aside, the M's are indeed "representing" that they want no part of Ketel Marte any time soon. Caissa (the patron goddess of chess) knows that the Mariners could never tolerate a 60 OPS+ from a 21-year-old; that kind of parasitical base drain is left for 27-year-olds to manifest. Rivero, at age 27 or whatever, is ready to blast away at full guns -- .230 with outfield-grass power.
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Q. C'mon. There's nothing wrong with depth.
A. No, but why do you both spend $3M on an Org Spear Carrier for SS and grab a career minor leaguer SS to push out Jesus Montero / Humberto Quintero / Yoervis Medina / Ty Kelly (gasp!) whoever? When you had three young SS's and Willie to start with?
Dr. D is fully confident that somebody will be able to explain this whole maneuver to him, in terms other than "We need an MLB(TM) stoploss out there if Willie's knee is gimp." ... in the meantime, one good thing: Rivero is #1 in major league history in OPS, minimum six AB's (yes, he is). A 1900 OPS in Fenway is 900 in Safeco, minimum.
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Q. I know somebody who cannot be serious. Panning such a small decision.
A. I'm not above a little sublimation, you know. Must still be bitter about the AB's and IP that didn't go to Saunders and Paxton and Taijuan and John Buck and those guys. All too easy to visualize somebody deciding that Rivero has better plate coverage than Brad Miller, I guess.
Rivero doesn't cost you anything. Except one of your own players. We've been chattering all the day long about buying insurance when the cost is considerable and the risk is nebulous.... I know, that was uncalled for. But then, so's the website. Doesn't stop you.
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Q. Is there going to be anything worthwhile this morning?
A. Hmmmmm.... scraping the mayo jar, we notice that Mike Morse is pegged (by Fangraphs denizens) to be signable at 1 year, $7M. He just finished up a 130 OPS+ season, 482 PA's. If Kendrys Morales and Billy Butler are in the discussion, why not him?
In a neutral park, I'd probably roto-bet on Morse next year ahead of Cuddyer, much less Butler and Kendrys. (The Giants just passed on the Qualifying Offer to Morse.)
The Fangraphs crowd sez 1 year, $5M for Chris Young. Sign me up. Def. They've got Hammel at 3/$27M.
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Q. This is SSI. We know there's a good dollop of Pollyanna Pie in here somewhere.
A. Well, the Surprise Saguaros scored 19 runs on Monday, although Kivlehan went hitless. D.J. Peterson is ripping along at .164 with a .273 SLG.
Bah humbug,
Dr D :- )
Comments
No one wanted him in trade last year. Dude's got a lot of question marks. He might get 13 mil for TWO years...but not over just one. :) I think he gets about 1/8
My guess is if the Ms offered 2/~$10M + incentives to Rios, given he's now the longest-serving MLer who hasn't been in the postseason and the Ms look to have a decent chance, that he'd go for it. If the Ms have already signed VMart and, say, either Miller or Zach Duke, he might jump to sign even at that level. He had a really large contract to set him up for life; the word now is he wants to win. And for the Ms, two years is the perfect bridge to what's coming.
Side comment: Zach Duke's #1 comparable for his age per b-ref is Jamie Moyer. Like Butler's comparables, maybe it's an omen. Rios' #1 comparable by score is Andy Van Slyke!
Andy Van Slyke as a comp gives me pause, since his career tanked hardcore when he hit 30. :)
But I agree that Rios will either want 2/10 or 1/8 if it's a winner and way more if it's a loser. I think he can be had at a fair price.
His comparable by age is Amos Otis, who had two more good years before he went south. I'm pretty comfortable that Rios could put up 2 more years of .750 OPS in not-full-time duty, as did Otis. And that would suit the M's needs quite spiffily!
And I put this in the shouts, but: On Rivero: My thought is that right before the 40-man rosters have to be submitted, when everybody around the league is pretty set, the Ms will put him on waivers to put him in Tacoma. If he is then lost to Rule 5 or waivers, no biggie. But if they can keep him, he becomes the IF equivalent of Endy Chavez - the replacement-level guaranteed stop-loss if WillieB isn't ready, or something ill happens to an IFer. That makes a lot of sense.
I think you and Z mighta been a couple steps ahead of me there Bat ...
'course the original post was 90% tongue in cheek to start with. As opposed to the usual 50%.
I'm a broken record, but re-signing Chris Young would be way smarter, in my mind, than a lottery ticket on a Brett Anderson or other injury comebacker. Young knows *exactly* what the situation is, and that he might have to skip starts and do long relief to allow Paxton, Walker, and Elias to get their deserved starts, even if JackZ has the Tacoma shuttle working.
If he's still willing to sign for ~20 starts, most of them at Safeco, on a $5M + incentives contract, that just seems the best and right thing to do - and Paxton and Walker will benefit from his wisdom and steadiness. And since he knows going in that he's being used as innings management, he won't be a problem when he gets a start or two skipped.
Only last year it was an outfielder, picked up on waivers and then dropped off the 40-man at rule 5 time. I imagine it gives them flexibility.
Read it quick, while it's still true! KId's on fire at Cardenales de Lara, the M's local "farm club". Hope it's all natural- not "on the juice", to "goose" his HR nos. (six, already!)
Hey- I think the M's picked up a scouting report on our latest signing from the Cardenales de Lara, and concluded that it's worth taking a flier on his power. We're looking for RH bats that hit HRs, right?! Nobody has hit more HRs in the VWL this year than our man Carlos! (Check it out...) http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=l_bat&sid=l135&lid=135