Ryota Igarashi signing coming soon?

NPB tracker is conveying that the Orioles are getting more in depth on conversations with LHRP Ryota Igarashi, ex-teammate of Koji Uehara, signing on as a LOOGY [note: error was made in handedness of pitcher. Igarashi is a righthander]:

"An earlier Hochi report said that Igarashi’s camp negotiated with the Orioles on the 9th, who would pair him up in the bullpen with Koji Uehara. Hochi also named the Padres and Diamondbacks as interested."

MacPhail sounded non-committal as he always does:

"Righthanders, lefthanders, we're always looking to sign pitchers. Last year we signed Uehara. Our information on Japanese talent has improved. We would like to talk with them."

Here is an excerpt on a scouting report provided by the tracker:

"Igarashi is known one of the hardest throwers in Japan, and jointly holds the record for fastest pitch* by a Japanese pitcher in an NPB game with a 158 kmph (98.75mph) fastball. Igarashi hit 158 kmph in 2004, when the average speed of his pitches over the course of the season was 154.5 kmph (96.6mph), which is an NPB record he has to himself.

Although he doesn’t throw quite as hard as he used to, but still runs his heater into the upper 90’s, and augments it with a hard splitter that he throws at around 90mph. He’s also got a slider and a curve that he’ll mix in occasionally, but is primarily a fastball/splitter pitcher."

Other teams mentioned in connection with Igarashi in the Japanese papers are the Yankees, Mets, Pirates, and Giants. An embedded video after the jump that includes former Orioles Larry Bigbie who pulled in a 255/318/421 line last year.

Projected Win Total: Post Millwood-Ray Trade

This will be a recurring feature as long as the Orioles actually continue to sign and/or trade for players. I will be using the CHONE database and a WAR prediction scheme based on OBP, SLG, and plate appearance. Assuming the predictions are correct (which is a pretty big assumption with CHONE's r value around 0.7 . . . which is good but not oracle good), the final win total should be around 5 wins of the projected win total.

New Addition:
Kevin Millwood
Prediction . . . 180IP 112k 64bb 21hr 4.83 era

What does this mean for the team? Check after the jump.

Here is a run down of the squad
C Matt Wieters 344/447
C Chad Moeller 269/314
1B Micheal Aubrey 300/415
2B Brian Roberts 355/423
3B Ty Wigginton 321/444
SS Cesar Izturis 304/337
INF Robert Andino 296/362
INF Justin Turner 325/364
OF Nick Markakis 369/477
OF Adam Jones 338/472
OF Nolan Reimold 353/474
OF Feliz Pie 325/418
OF Luke Scott 335/469

SP Kevin Millwood - 4.83
SP Jeremy Guthrie - 4.60
SP Brad Bergesen - 4.72
SP Brian Matusz - 4.59
SP Chris Tillman - 5.00
SP Replacement Level ~100 IP - 5.81
CL Koji Uehara - 3.82
SU Jim Johnson - 3.94
RP David Hernandez - 4.73 (applied 10% improvement with shift to pen)
RP Cla Meredith - 4.22
RP Dennis Sarfate - 4.24
RP Matt Albers - 4.42
RP Kam Mickolio - 4.76
RP Replacement Level ~50 IP - 4.75

Batting Wins Above Average = 20.8
Pitching Wins Above Average = 10.2

Wins Above Average = 31.0

Predicted Wins = 74.5

AL East Playoff at 95 wins, wins to go: 20.5

Why was Steve Johnson not protected?

The Rule 5 draft was this morning and Steve Johnson was selected with the 15th pick by the San Francisco Giants. First, here are the results from the Major League portion:

1. Washington (traded to NYY) Jamie Hoffman OF from LAD
Fast, gap power, good eye. Cabrera or Gardner being traded?
2. Pittsburgh John Raynor OF from FLA
Speed, decent defense, weak arm, high K rate, was FLA's 9th ranked prospect last year.
3. Baltimore (traded to TEX) Ben Snyder LHP from SFG
Decent power arm, struggled as a starter, found himself as a reliever last year.
4. Kansas City Edgar Osuna LHP from ATL
The Atlanta to Kansas City *talent* highway is still chugging along.
5. Cleveland Hector Ambriz RHP from ARZ
Has struggled as a starter, maybe the Indians find some life as a reliever.
6. Arizona Zach Kroenke LHP from NYY
Rumored to go first, gets selected for the second year in a row.
7. New York Mets (traded to LAD) Carlos Monasterios RHP from PHI
Has a solid sinker and nothing else.
8. Houston (traded to FLA) Jorge Jimenez from BOS
Decent eye and contact skills. No defense. Finishes Lindstrom trade.
9. Oakland Bobby Cassevah RHP from LAAA
70% ground ball rate. Walks 5/9.
10. Toronto Zechry Zinicola RHP from WAS
Decent fastball . . . poor secondary pitches.
11. Milwaukee Chuck Lofgren LHP from CLE
Never has lived up to potential. Maybe a switch to the bullpen will help.
12. Chicago White Sox Michael Parisi RHP from StL
Squint hard and see Jamie Moyer . . . Moyer is never a good comp.
13. Tampa Bay Armando Zerpa LHP from BOS
Trying to jump from A-ball.
14. Seattle Kanekoa Texeira RHP from NYY
Was traded last year in the Swisher deal with the ChiSox
15. San Franscisco Steve Johnson RHP from BAL
Extreme flyball pitcher with average pitches. Has succeeded at every level.
16. St. Louis Ben Jukick LHP from CIN
27, good breaking ball, not much else.
17. Philadelphia Ken Herndon RHP from LAAA
Not sure how he would fit in the Phillies bullpen. Good sinker.

I will be ignoring the minor league portions as they are really about filling out MiL rosters and nothing else.

After the jump, I will discuss why I think leaving Johnson off the 40 man roster makes sense.


Here is my basic thought process on why it made sense to leave Johnson off the 40 man roster. First, Johnson is a fringe prospect. Do not get me wrong, he has some worth, but he has several things working against him. His main value is in his pitchability. He *knows* how to pitch, but the concern is that more polished hitters will tee off him. His pitches are not special and he has a horrific fly ball rate. These strongly suggest a pitcher who will be crushed at the Major League level. After spending less than half a season in AA, he just is not ready. A weak, but fair, comparison would be Garrett Olson. When you rely that much on pitching to the zone, you have to be flawless. Most guys just are not successful doing it.

Second, it frees up a roster slot. Johnson is probably the Orioles 8th to 13th best pitching prospect and 10th to 20th best prospect overall. As mentioned before, he really has no place on a team's 25 man roster, but he does pose a strong argument to being at the backend of a team's 40 man roster. This put the Orioles in a unique position where they could leave Johnson unprotected (off the 40 man), giving them in essence a 41 man roster. This is pretty useful as it adds flexibility in signing free agents and trading players. If Johnson was protected and at a later point in time, we hit a roster crunch after guys like Tatum, Bass, or Hughes were discarded . . . then Johnson could have been in a position to be waived. In such a case, another team could make a claim and put him on their 40 man roster instead of the 25 man roster as the rule 5 designation dictates. It is a high leverage move.

So third? Why protect guys like Rhyne Hughes and Brian Bass? Well, they both have potential value as filler on the MLB roster in April, but they are also useful in that they can be easily waived. A 40 man roster is often composed of useful, wanted players as well as guys who are on the fringe. Guys whose role is to take a few at bats or innings until someone else is ready. Guys who can be waived without much thought and not raise much ire when they are placed on someone else's 40 man roster. Guys who can be DFA'd and go back to Norfolk. This kind of player often exists on the backend of a 40 manroster. Steve Johnson is not this kind of player. Johnson has potential future worth.

Best Case Scenario for the Orioles: Steve Johnson washes out with the Giants, passed through waivers, and is offered back to us for 25k.

Worst Case Scenario for the Orioles: Johnson sticks with the Giants or some other team and we lose our 8th to 13th best pitching prospect.

Kevin Millwood is an Oriole

After a couple days of hashing it out. The Rangers and Orioles have agreed on a trade involving Kevin Millwood, with only the medicals needing approval.

Texas Rangers receive:
Chris Ray RHRP 2 years of service left, arbitration eligible (0.85MM in 2009)
46g 43.1ip 8.1k/9 4.8bb/9 2.01whip 6.14tRA

Baltimore Orioles receive:
Kevin Millwood (1/12MM)
31g 198.2ip 5.6k/9 3.2bb/9 1.34wip 5.61tRA
3MM

Some analysis and projections after the jump.


Rangers perspective
The Rangers will save about 7-8MM by making this deal. They have arguably excess pitching and no longer needed a backend arm like Millwood. They also could use another middle relief arm who may uptick to a solid setup option if he regains his past ability. Some pitchers take two years after Tommy John surgery to back into the fold. The extra money for the Rangers also opens up the possibility for them to sign Jermaine Dye to a contract. They have been linked to him for about a month now. This might be the chip that gets their DH (hopefully DH) problems solved.

Orioles Perspective
The team has been mentioning how they are in need of a veteran arm that will stabilize the staff and prevent blowups from crushing their relief corps. Millwood kind of answers that, but not really. He is basically a more expensive version of Jeremy Guthrie. Both are backend arms who have benefit at times from luck. His success last season seems suspiciously linked to an unsustainable BABIP. Normalize that to his career line and it seems that he would be looking at a low to mid 5 era in 2010. Such work may indeed give the pen some rest, but it would most like result in the Orioles not offering arbitration. A good season would translate into a deal at the deadline or an arbitration offer declined and a B level compensation in return. The worst case scenario would be for him to remember how he pitched nearly a decade ago and the Orioles resign him to a three year deal. I guess we will see.

My prediction?
30g 172ip 5.7k/9 3.3bb/9 5.24tRA
Maybe 10-12.

Reviewing the 2008 Rule 5 draft

Typically everyone loses in the Rule 5 draft, but at least it does not cost much to play. Darren O'Day won it big for the Rangers even though he was never selected by them. The Padres also did well with selecting Everth Cabrera. He will likely be part of their infield for another five years.

After the jump . . . breaking down last year's Rule 5 draft.


1. Terrell Young RHP Selected by the Washington Nationals
Was returned to Cincinnati without appearing for the Nationals. He kept the ball on the ground and struck out about 7 per 9 as he split the season in HiA and AA. High walk rate and contact rate cause him to be devalued. He is once again available for selection in the Rule 5.
2. Reegie Corona Selected by the Seattle Mariners
Corona was selected as a potential backup infielder with a good eye, adequate contact rate, and potential gap power. He did not make it through camp. Back in the Yanks system, his bat performed very well at AA (287/397/397), but he struggled mightily at AAA. He is now on the 40 man roster.
3. Everth Cabrera Selected by the San Diego Padres
Cabrera spent the entire season (minus rehab appearances) for the Major League ballclub as a utility infielder. He was able to put up a solid line of 255/342/361, which was average to above average. There is talk about using an option on him this year and trying to get more out of his swing. Rockies seemed to have missed out here.
4. Donald Veal LHP Selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates
He struggled with control and mounting injuries. Being on the DL, the Pirates were able to hold onto him. He is protected this season as Pittsburgh tries to figure out the once promising reliever.
5. Lou Palmisano C Selected by the Baltimore Orioles
Palmisano was selected by the Orioles, traded to the Astros, and then released into the independant leagues as the Brewers did not care to have him back. He has good plate discipline, but it does not appear much else. As far as I can tell, he is a free agent.
6. Luis Perdomo RHP Selected by the San Francisco Giants
Perdomo was selected by the Giants and eventually traded to the Padres where he was slightly below average as a relief pitcher. He is protected on the Padres roster.
7. David Patton RHP Selected by the Cincinnati Reds
Selected by the Reds, dealt immediately to the Cubs, where he put up very poor numbers and was often on the disabled list. Lasting the season, he is now in the Cubs organization and on the 40 man roster.
8. Kyle Bloom LHP Selected by the Detroit Tigers
Bloom did not last camp with the Tigers and was returned to the Pirates where he had a lackluster season in AAA. He is once again available for the rule 5 draft.
9. Jose Lugo LHP Selected by the Kansas City Royals
Immediately traded to the Mariners, he did not make it out of camp. He provided uninspired relief primarily in AA in the Twins organization and is once again available in the draft.
10. Benjamin Copeland OF Selected by the Oakland A's
Copeland flashed speed, good defense, and on base skills in the low minors. He struggled with more polished secondary pitches and was offered back to the Giants, where he struggled in AAA. At 26, he is once again available for the taking.
11. James Skelton C Selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks
Skelton's offense fell apart, but the Diamondbacks liked him enough to send Detroit organizational filler in return. He will once again be available in the rule 5.

Flash Round (Players who appeared in MLB last year)
15. Darren O'Day RHP Selected by the New York Mets
After four games placed on waivers. He was picked up by the Rangers and held down the bullpen in the late innings with an ERA under 2. Best pick of last year.

Big Ol' Fashioned Three Team Trade

The Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, and New York Yankees entered into a three team trade today. Here are the components:

Given Up:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Max Sherzer RHSP 5 years of service left
Daniel Schlereth LHRP 5 years of service left
Detroit Tigers
Curtis Granderson CF 3/23.75MM (1yr opt 13MM; 2M bo)
Edwin Jackson RHSP 2 years of service left
New York Yankees
Ian Kennedy 6 years of service left
Phil Coke 5 years of service left
Austin Jackson 6 years of service left

Received:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Edwin Jackson
Ian Kennedy
Detroit Tigers
Max Sherzer
Daniel Schlereth
Phil Coke
Ian Kennedy
New York Yankees
Curtis Granderson

Immediate thought . . . short term winner: maybe the Yankees . . . long term winner: Tigers

Analysis after the jump.

Arizona Diamondbacks
I am honestly not very sure what the Diamondbacks are going for here. The assumption is that they are looking to fill out a rotation that was going to hold Haren, Sherzer, and a fingers crossed Webb. The rest of their options at the moment are pretty unflattering. Maybe the idea is that with a healthy Webb and one more starter, things could be different. Scherzer is a great young talent with some injury concern issues. In his first full season he struck out over 9 per inning and racked up a 111era+. In comparison, Ian Kennedy was injured and Edwin Jackson remembered he was Edwin Jackson in the second half of last season. Schlereth is a big time back end bullpen arm, but the Diamondbacks do not seem to have a need for that at this very moment. Really, I can only see the bet here being that the Diamondbacks are praying Webb is back, Kennedy becomes a solid 3/4, Jackson delivers 3/4, and Drew/Young remember how to hit again. It is a steep bet on a low probability roll.

Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are in some money worries right now and found some saved money in dealing Granderson and Jackson, who will be earning a steep raise in arbitration. Granderson still gives good value, but is one of those players who has a couple downward trends on him that may mean nothing or may mean something bad. Last year was particularly interesting as it seems his platoon split was taken advantage of more and he began pulling and popping up pitches. His homerun rate remained the same, but that also translates into more popups being caught. He is on a solid deal, but it is not beyond the real of possibility that his average defense does not degrade to the point that he becomes a left fielder with a center fielder's bat. Austin Jackson gives him a solid average option in centerfield. He probably will not be worth more than Granderson until about 3 years into his tenure with the Tigers, but it holds more long term value for them with him out there.

Edwin Jackson looks like your typical half a season star who will fade away. Somehow, the Tigers turned him into a player who is right now going to produce as much as Jackson (Max Sherzer) and will probably surpass him as early as next year. Somehow, the Tigers also recieved two solid cheap arms in their bullpen in Phil Coke and Schelreth. Overall, I think the Tigers are better today than they were yesterday. Sherzer and Jackson are equal with Scherzer having greater breakout potential. Granderson is probably equivalent to Jackson, Coke, and Schlereth . . . maybe not, but probably not far off. The only thing that can swing it wildly away from the Tigers is if Granderson finds himself much better off away from Tiger Stadium.

New York Yankees
I think it was fine for them. A very average trade in the whole scheme of things. What confuses me is given the pieces available in the market, why? The big lingering piece out there this winter is Halladay. If the Yankees could sign Granderson quality in center for the same price as Granderson, why not do that and keep your prospects in hope you can win the Jays over in adding these guys to Montero and trying to get the deal done? None of the guys the Yanks lost will hurt them much in the long term. Only Jackson seemed to have a slot available to him, but it just sort of cries as a missed opportunity. It feels Ed Wade-ian.

Orioles Talking to Mark Pieper . . .

In Roch's blog, he mentioned that Andy MacPhail was going to talk to Mark Pieper about Erik Bedard and his other clients. Roch was not aware of who Pieper represented, so who does he represent?

After the jump.

The is Pieper's list of current free agents:
Adam LaRoche 1B Atlanta Braves
Kiko Calero RHRP Florida Marlins
Miguel Tejada SS/3B Houston Astros
Vladimir Guerrero OF/DH Los Angelos Angels of Anaheim
Jim Thome DH Los Angelos Dodgers
Pedro Martinez RHSP Philadelphia Phillies
Khalil Greene INF St. Louis Cardinals
Bengie Molina C San Francisco Giants

Leverage an potential opportunity . . .

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Braves are in need of right handed power, but may be hamstrung by their budget. It has been expressed for over a month that either Derek Lowe or Javier Vasquez would be moved with that power bat coming in as a return. Rafael Soriano complicates things even further. The Braves have just signed Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito, using the money that was allotted last year to Soriano and Mike Gonzalez.

The Braves would love to rid themselves of the Lowe contract. Three more years and 45MM are left on that contract and Lowe did not look good this past season. His strikeouts were down and teams were getting more solid contact on him. Javier Vasquez has only one year and 11.5MM on his contract. He is also coming off a very solid year. He appears to be not only the one the Braves would like to keep, but also the one that would have more worth in a trade. Finally, Soriano looks to earn about 7MM in arbitration due to his role as a reliever last season.

More into possible deals after the jump.

What deals could happen?

1. Javier Vasquez to the New York Yankees for Nick Swisher
This one makes too much sense. The Yankees are in the market for a mid-tier starting pitcher and can get him for a player who is likely to have a slight down turn. The Braves on the other hand are able to acquire a switch hitting power hitter who can play the outfield corners or man first base.

2. Derek Lowe and Rafael Soriano to the Red Sox for Mike Lowell and Stolmy Pimentel
BoSox figure Lowell is a sunk cost already, so they are more or less paying Lowe for 3 years and 30MM. Not great, but Soriano gives them another solid arm in the pen. The BoSox have the financial wherewithal to swallow a bad deal.

3. Derek Lowe to the White Sox for Alex Rios + 5MM and Rafael Soriano to the Orioles for Luke Scott.
Braves benefit slightly by getting Rios as some of his cost is pushed back a couple years. He is also right handed and exhibited gap power two years ago. Luke Scott will also be cheaper than Soriano and provided a good complement to Matt Diaz in left field. The Orioles, looking to shore up their bullpen, could use Soriano as a closer . . . potentially signing him for two years in lieu of arbitration.

4. Javier Vasquez to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ryan Ludwick
Ludwick could provide a right handed bat that has shown power in the past. He struggled last year, so that might be reason enough for the Cardinals to feel OK with dealing him. Most likely, St. Louis will be unable to resign Holliday, so if you cannot score runs . . . might as well do your best to prevent them from being scored.

5. Javier Vasquez to the Milwaukee Brewers for Corey Hart
Hart feels like an early 00s Brave. Gap power and some athleticism. The Brewers are in dire need of starting pitching and have some power coming up in the form of Mat Gamel. Would help divert some cost.

6. Javier Vasquez and Rafael Soriano to the Orioles for Luke Scott, David Hernandez, Ty Wigginton, and Kam Mickolio
The Orioles get the starting pitcher and closer they want. The Braves get a platoon partner for Matt Diaz in Luke Scott. They receive David Hernandez who can be a low leverage middle reliever and spot starter. Ty Wigginton has shown he is capable of being a right handed power bat and can kind of play first and third base. Finally, Kam Mickolio is a young, cheap player with a live arm.

Derek Lowe's contract is so toxic that it would require an equally bad one in return. Teams that can take on a bad deal, like the Orioles, will probably not want to have to carry one for three years. It would require serious monetary considerations (which defeats the purpose for the Braves) or a severe loss of legitimate prospects (which also is probably not acceptable to them as well).

Rule 5 . . . blah

The rule 5 draft used to be mildly interesting. Unfortunately with the last issue of the collective bargaining agreement, the Rule 5 was made somewhat unimportant. With an extra year tacked onto team control before players are forced for 40 man roster consideration, prospects are basically ready for the upper minors and far more projectable than with a year less of information on them.

For those who may be confused by the Rule 5 draft and who is available, here is a short primer:

A. Who is available?
It would be nice to have a simple list of players available for the Rule 5, but I can find no immediate source and it would be tedious to do this. Also, pretty worthless as most value prospects have been protected by this point. In lieu of that, I will present the rules.

1. If a player is signed to his first professional contract at the age of 18 or younger, then he is available to be drafted on the fifth year of the draft. In other words, he is protected for four Rule 5 drafts. An example would be the Orioles Steve Johnson. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 2005 and signed at the age of 17. He was protected from the Rule 5 in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. His fifth draft is this year's and he would have had to have been protected on the 40 man roster if the Orioles had wanted to ensure his place in the organization next year.
2. If a player is signed to his first professional contract at the age of 19 or later, he is protected through three drafts. In other words, one less year than if he had signed under the terms in part 1.
3. If a player has exceeded this time frame, he is once again available. For instance, Chad Moeller was signed to a MiL deal by the Orioles this past week. He is not on the 40 man and has long been protected from the Rule 5. He can be selected.

After the jump, players of some interest.

Here is a short list of some players of interest:

C Koby Clemens, Houston
There really are no truly desirable options here. Clemens presents the best situation for upside as he has power and does project as a potentially adequate defensive catcher. The problem is that he is in no way ready to handle catching duties in the Majors and his bat is wholly untested with only 17 at bats above HiA ball. He is no longer in Houston's plans, so perhaps the play would be to draft him and hope to work a deal out. Not much use.

1B Danny Dorn, Cincinnati
He is a first baseman by default as he has no true defensive position. Ideally, he would be a DH, but it is incredibly rare to find any team willing to set a rookie bat at DH. He has been able to hit the ball deep at every rung in the minors, but he stands no chance against left handed pitchers. Ideally, he would find himself hidden on the bench pulling backup duty and situational starts against right handed pitchers. Not a great talent, but certainly someone who stands a chance at being a late bloomer.

2B Ryan Mount, Anaheim
Mount has had difficulty remaining healthy during his career. This has not helped him establish himself in the Angels system as others have leap frogged him in the organizational depth chart. It might provide some incentive for a team selecting him in that injuries might force him to the DL and make him somewhat easier to hold onto. That probably is never a good reason to select anyone in the Rule 5. He profiles as a below average defensive second baseman with good power potential and the flexibility to play third base on occasion. The flexibility may make it easier for a team to keep him on the 25 man roster.

3B Johnny Whittleman, Texas
Whittleman was originally seen as a someone who could stick at third base and develop into a high average, high OBP player with above average power. What has happened in that his defense has not made great gains and he really cannot be expected to play at a MLB level there. His contact skills have also not evolved where people thought they would be. His power is about where everyone thought it would wind up with him average a homerun to every 10 hits he collects. His plate patience is off the charts good. His numbers really give the appearance of Jack Cust when Cust was suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. A simple surgery may not make Whittleman into a MLer this year. Another year in the minors and he may develop some more. He needs another season or two and it probably won't help much.

SS Blake Davis, Baltimore
He has always been viewed as an offense first shortstop. He has shown average contact skills and gap power with a decent eye. His defense has been tolerable. At Norfolk last year, he felt apart with a 542 ops in about 200 plate appearance. Every positive aspect of his game was not present and, after some internal issues, he was sent home for the year. Not exactly the kind of player to put your hopes into as a Rule 5 guy.

OF John Shelby, Chicago
If an outfielder will be selected, it will probably be someone who would be capable of playing multiple positions including center. Shelby is the player who bests fits that criteria. Until this past season, he has typically shown a good contact rate and poor plate discipline. That reversed this past season with good plate discipline and a poor contact rate. Through this, he still hits the ball hard. He has some speed and could fill in at second or third in a pinch. He might be plucked.

P Craig Baker, Colorado
Baker will be 25 next year and has never pitched in AA. That said he had one of the best slider in the California League this past season. He profiles as a late blooming back end rotation arm. He keeps the ball on the ground, does not give up hits, strikes out 10+/9 and kept walks to 3/9 this past season. He looks like a solid pickup for an extra arm in the pen. The jump from HiA will probably be daunting, but is probably possible.

P Yohan Pino, Cleveland
Pino was included in the Pavano trade last summer. He put up great numbers in AAA last season as a starter, but is a fly ball pitcher. He has a high K rate and a low walk rate, so that should be helpful in a middle relief role and perhaps an occasional start. Even though he has performed well, questions still remain. He throws only in the high 80s and is right handed. He gets by with a solid mix of good curveballs and good sliders. It just is not a profile many people give many opportunities.

P Steve Johnson, Baltimore
Johnson has performed well wherever he has thrown. He has done this with polish and pitchability. He has not down this with any impressive pitches. Add his average offerings to an extreme flyball rate and you have some questions about what Johnson could do at the Major League level. Still, he has always found a way to pitch effectively at every level he has pitched at, so maybe someone goes old school and values guts, grit, and determination. I think he would be difficult to swallow in the pen for an entire season.

P Bobby Cassevah, Anaheim
Cassevah does not strike out many. He walks about as many as he strikes outs. Basically, he walks and ks about 4 to 5 men every 9 innings. What is impressive about him is that he induces groundballs 70% of the time. He was able to do that at AA. That is impressive. In 270 MiL innings, he has only given up 6 home runs. That should be enough to make someone try to hide him for a full season. With such an extreme groundball rate and such a low homerun rate, he probably would have a lot of rope.