AROUND the MLB Thread

good thing ned's no longer in charge
an ex-giant... he'd offer him 3 years/$48MM

Giants Release Marco Scutaro
By Jeff Todd [January 28, 2015 at 7:14pm CST]



JANUARY 28: Scutaro has been released, according to the MLB.com transactions page.

JANUARY 21: The Giants have designated infielder Marco Scutaro for assignment, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter links). His roster spot will go to the recently-signed Nori Aoki.

San Francisco expects to retain Scutaro once he clears outright waivers, which seems a virtual certainty given his injury status and the $6MM left on his deal. Per Schulman, the team still hopes that the 39-year-old veteran will be able to return from his back issues (which included surgery in December).

When Scutaro went in for fusion surgery last month, it was reported that it would take four to six months before his future on the diamond can even be assessed. Needless to say, the odds of a return at this point appear to be low.

The 13-year big league veteran signed for three years and $20MM as a free agent after originally joining the team in the middle of 2012 and playing a major role in a World Series victory. He has only made 560 plate appearances under that contract due to injury, though he was as productive as hoped for when on the field in 2013.​

 

manny and duncan kinda did
took me a while to dig up the article...

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Dodger pitchers need to send Phillies some unforgettable messages
by Bill Plaschke | Los Angeles Times -- October 12, 2008

The fifth pitch, Russell Martin was knocked down by a Brett Myers fastball.

The eighth pitch, Manny Ramirez was tilted backward by another Myers fastball.

The ninth pitch, Ramirez was greeted with a Myers fastball that sailed three feet behind his head, braids included.

Nine pitches, three messages, and the Philadelphia Phillies couldn't have been more clear if they had painted it across Joe Torre's brow.

We don't fear you. We won't bend for you. What are you going to do about it?

After nearly four hours Friday, with their hitters waiting and their coaches wondering, Dodgers pitchers meekly submitted an answer.

Nothing.

They would do nothing about the missiles that nearly decapitated their veteran leader and their young cornerstone.

They would do nothing about a night's worth of inside hardballs that made some unsettled Dodgers hitters look as if they were trying to stand in a canoe.

While the Dodgers rarely seemed comfortable in the batters box, the Phillies could have hauled a La-Z-Boy up there -- three hits by a pitcher, two runs scored by a weakling catcher, nine guys up in one inning, 10 guys the next, nobody moving, everybody swinging.

With an 8-5 victory, the Phillies not only owned Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, they also owned home plate, they owned the Dodgers' heads, and they soon could own their season.

Only one way to buy it back.

Beginning today in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, somebody in that cheery, fraternity mixer of a home clubhouse needs to get mad.

Somebody needs to pitch inside. Somebody needs to get tight.It could be chilly, it could be windy, but somebody needs to make a Phillies hitter sweat.

This is not about headhunting, it's about win hunting.

This is not only about earning the respect of the Phillies hitters, it's about earning respect in your own room.

While Dodgers hitters won't talk openly about it, they were not pleased that Chad Billingsley did not throw inside Friday, and are quietly hoping that Hiroki Kuroda is listening to their vibe.

They've seen enough Phillies fastballs sailing under their noses. They want somebody else to squirm.

"They kept pitching us hard and inside all night," Matt Kemp said Friday night, shaking his head.

Asked whether Dodgers pitchers should retaliate, he sighed and said, "It is what it is. But if we played the game like they played the last two games, we'd be all right."

There is some thought that most Dodgers pitchers are too inexperienced to understand the mental value of working both sides of the plate.

Then again, maybe they're just not good enough at it yet.

"I tried, I really tried," Billingsley said. "But every time I went inside, I just couldn't get it far enough in there. It was my fault."

How important was that Myers pitch behind Ramirez' head?

When Ramirez was asked about it, he actually complimented the nutty, gritty Phillies pitcher.

"I want to have a guy like that on my team," he said.

Hint, hint.

How angry should Dodgers pitchers have been about that pitch?

Mariano Duncan spent several moments screaming at Myers from the coaching box, and wishes he had more company.

"He was going to get somebody hurt, it was absolutely ridiculous, you've got to do something about that stuff," said Duncan, who has two World Series rings. "Teammates have to protect each other. Coaches can't do it. It has to be teammates."

Hint, hint.

Martin agreed that something has to change, but he wouldn't say what.

"We're going to have to make some adjustments, that's for sure," he said.

This isn't the first time this has happened. In early August, Ramirez was hit in the head in the first inning by Matt Cain in San Francisco.

Once again, Billingsley was the Dodgers pitcher. Once again, there was no sort of retaliation. Once again, the Dodgers lost.

"You don't want to hurt someone, but you do have to send a message," Duncan said.

Torre learned much about pitching from his former St. Louis Cardinals teammate, Bob Gibson, who was renowned for keeping hitters honest inside.

"Yes, I would like to see our guys work both sides of the plate," Torre said.

But he said he is clear about how that directive is framed.

"I don't want to send the message that we have to knock guys down," he said. "This is just about the art of pitching."

Enough of the Still Life.

Time for a little Impressionism.

​

 

Blue Jays, Ronald Belisario Agree To Minor League Deal
By Jeff Todd [January 29, 2015 at 1:25pm CST]



The Blue Jays added some depth to their bullpen mix today, agreeing to a minor league contract with right-hander Ronald Belisario. Toronto has long been said to be looking at bullpen upgrades, with reports last night suggesting that the team was looking hard at the free agent market. Though Belisario’s spot isn’t guaranteed, the McNamara Sports Group client will compete for a job in Spring Training and will reportedly earn $1.7MM if he makes the team.

Belisario, 32, was designated for assignment back in November by the White Sox to make way for the claim of Onelki Garcia. He was one of several players to slot in at closer last year in Chicago, but failed to grab hold of the job. Belisario was ultimately charged with an unsightly 5.56 ERA on the year.

Though the bottom-line results weren’t pretty, Belisario’s peripherals are decidedly better. With 6.4 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, and a stellar 59.3% groundball rate, Belisario drew marks from ERA estimators in the low-to-mid three range. His ballooned run tallies may well have been the result of a very low 57.7% strand rate and a somewhat bloated .339 BABIP.

Belisario had been projected by MLBTR/Matt Swartz to earn $3.9MM in arbitration before losing his roster spot in advance of the non-tender deadline. Toronto saw former closer Casey Janssen lured away with a total $5MM guarantee, though the club is said to have about that much in remaining payroll space.

Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported, on Twitter, that the Jays were making a strong push for Belisario. ESPN’s Jim Bowden reported the agreement and terms (Twitter links).