Transactions: Free Agent Filings

by Ryan on Nov 2, 2008 9:34 PM EST in Transactions Comment 43 comments

RHP Brendan Donnelly, RHP Juan Rincon, and RHP Scott Elarton filed for Free Agency

Not exactly cornerstone contributors, but let's talk about them.

Brendan Donnelly is the most interesting of the three. The Indians signed him knowing that he'd be rehabbing most of the season, and have only a slight chance of getting anything out of him before the end of the season; even after a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery is physically able to throw competitively, it usually takes at least a couple months to get back to his former prowess. And while Donnelly doesn't enough service time to file for free agency, the contract he signed stipulated that the Indians would have to essentially release him so that he'd be a free agent along with all the other players with 6+ years of service time.

Whichever team signs him will be getting Donnelly at full health; whether that translates into getting a good reliever is unknown, but I think it would have been a very easy decision to keep Donnelly around had the clause not been in his contract. But with him out on the open market, there's really no reason for the Indians to favor him over any of the other relievers available. Maybe Donnelly would favor the Indians if he had a good experience with the staff, but given that this is his first (and likely last) chance as a viable reliever on the open market, those distinctions probably won't come into play.

I'm a lot less interested in Juan Rincon, who although healthy, has been a train wreck for the past two seasons. Like Donnelly, this is Rincon's first shot at free agency, but while Donnelly can point to his elbow surgery for a reason why he struggled in Boston last season, Rincon can only point to his past success. Juan wants to come back to Cleveland, but I don't see the Indians wanting Rincon back, at least on a major-league deal.

Scott Elarton missed the final three months of the season due to a "non-baseball medical condition," so I don't even want to comment on his baseball future, other than to hope that some time in the future he's ready to play again.

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Terry Pluto’s Sunday column speculates that the Indians will bring in a couple of veteran relievers to bolster the younger guys they have (he thinks Meloan and Rundles, along with Stevens, have a shot at making the team next year at some point). He mentions Howry as an example of the kind of guy they’ll try to acquire. I would think Donnelly might fit that mold too, although he didn’t show a heck of a lot while here and I think I recall him making some irritated comments early on, which might indicate he wasn’t all that happy here. I absolutely agree about Rincon. Been there, done that.

by peter m on Nov 3, 2008 9:16 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Sipp should be in the mix for next year, also. Those three guys, Meloan, Stevens, and Sipp have all in the not too distant past put up pretty fantastic numbers in the minors. There is always the Tom Mastny clause, but I don’t think it is unreasonable to think that one or two of them will enter the circle of trust by the 2nd half of next season.

by APV on Nov 3, 2008 9:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They should go:

Raffy L
Raffy R
MeLoan
Rundles
Sipp
Lewis

The Close: Mastny

F results. Play the numbers.

by afh4 on Nov 3, 2008 11:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Count me off the Mastny for Closer bandwagon

by Roger Dorn on Nov 3, 2008 11:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think it’s perfectly clear that Mastny had some kind of personality conflict with Luis Isaac, rendering him completely ineffective.

by Jay on Nov 3, 2008 12:21 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

I don’t know Jay, there was a game he started against Texas where Isaac was probably less involved than normal, and Mastny was completely useless

by Roger Dorn on Nov 3, 2008 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I just hope they don’t cut Mastny. He’s given this organization 4 years of incredible service. They can’t possibly just cut him.

And if they do it over the phone? Oh, hold me back.

by afh4 on Nov 3, 2008 12:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

haha

Travis Hafner is overrated. Clarity is underrated. David Dellucci is David Dellucci.

by westbrook on Nov 3, 2008 9:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

“Play the numbers.”
Ok, what numbers are we including and excluding this week?

by elsandito on Nov 3, 2008 11:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

All the Mastny AAA numbers.

MASTNY FOR THE CLOSE.

by afh4 on Nov 3, 2008 11:38 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah. But, I think Pluto’s right that we’ll see at least a couple of veteran guys brought in to “stabilize” the pen. They’ve done that consistently, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Whether the veteran guys stick is another story, but I’d bet they start the season with Raffy L & R, Lewis, Masa, a couple of other veterans, and one younger guy (I’d bet on Rundles, because he’s lefty and they seemed more interested in using him when he got called up).

by peter m on Nov 3, 2008 11:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Bottom line, outside of a handful of consistent top relievers, any one reliever in any one season is at best a coinflip to be effective. That apparently applies equally to age-23 flame-throwers and crafty 36-year-olds equally.

by Jay on Nov 3, 2008 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Equally

Burn on, big river, burn on...

by Turkmenbashi on Nov 3, 2008 4:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Do we have a reliever equivalent of a KMTD?

If so, we should sign a few guys to those type of deals.

by Toxicadam on Nov 3, 2008 11:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Howry?

by Voltaire on Nov 3, 2008 11:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, we should sign Bob Howry to a Bob Howry type of deal.

by Toxicadam on Nov 3, 2008 11:52 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

I hope you mean the Howry-Indians, not Howry-Cubs deal!

by peter m on Nov 3, 2008 12:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Scott Sauerbeck for the win.

Don't be stupid. PUT IN MELOAN.

by gte619n on Nov 3, 2008 1:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ok, if we’re gonna skewer this, we have to standardize.

KMTD (deal) or KMTS (signing)?

Burn on, big river, burn on...

by Turkmenbashi on Nov 3, 2008 4:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i prefer KMTD, because I can think of it then as Kevin Millwood The Destroyer

by APV on Nov 3, 2008 5:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Here’s the top Google Images result for KMTD, which means … actually, i don’t know what it means.

by FredOx on Nov 4, 2008 10:35 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Kanine Muzzles Taste Delicious?

by Logodaedalus on Nov 5, 2008 1:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

deal

Anti-Ben Fran before it was cool.

by Gradyforpresident on Nov 3, 2008 5:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Signing.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Nov 3, 2008 10:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

screw you

Anti-Ben Fran before it was cool.

by Gradyforpresident on Nov 4, 2008 12:10 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Remember the common enemy: Martin Van Buren.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Nov 4, 2008 12:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

saved yourself

Anti-Ben Fran before it was cool.

by Gradyforpresident on Nov 4, 2008 1:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

But it’s still Signing.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Nov 4, 2008 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

blasphemy

Anti-Ben Fran before it was cool.

by Gradyforpresident on Nov 4, 2008 1:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I sense a lot of tension in these posts.

by NickFantana on Nov 5, 2008 11:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps you should sign “KMTD” to a one-year trial deal, with the hope that its appeal exceeds expectations.

by Logodaedalus on Nov 5, 2008 1:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Here’s why it should be Signing:

(1) K, Mt and S are the chemical abbreviations for Potassium, Meitnerium and Sulphur. There is no “D”, so we could stop there, but we won’t.

(2) Adding the atomic numbers for these three elements gives you 144.

(3) 144 is one gross.

(4) The day before acquiring Gabe Gross from Milwaukee, Tampa Bay was 9-11 and in last place. Afterward, the Rays went 7-1 (sweeping the Red Sox) and climbed to first, ergo…

(5) KMTS = World Series and KMTD=nothing.

by FredOx on Nov 6, 2008 9:51 AM EST up reply actions 5 recs

That sounds logical.

The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay

by Buckeye Brad on Nov 6, 2008 11:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i actually don’t know which one i like better

Anti-Ben Fran before it was cool.

by Gradyforpresident on Nov 6, 2008 1:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I feel like someone is trying to trick me.

by Jay on Nov 6, 2008 5:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I was not aware that Unnilennium had received an actual name. Apparently this happened in 1997, which tells you how long it’s been since I’ve paid much attention to chemistry.

by Logodaedalus on Nov 7, 2008 4:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs