AROUND the MLB Thread

Phillies Interested In Aaron Harang
By Charlie Wilmoth [December 31, 2014 at 1:35pm CST]



The Phillies have shown interest in free agent righty Aaron Harang, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com tweets. The 36-year-old Harang has also lately been connected to the Braves and Rockies after a surprising comeback season in Atlanta in which he threw 204 1/3 innings with a 3.57 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. Homer-happy Citizens Bank Park might not be the best place for Harang to continue that renaissance, however — his 37.8% fly ball rate in 2014 was his lowest since 2003, but he’s still a pronounced fly ball pitcher. Still, he could potentially provide the Phillies with a bit of stability in the back of their rotation.

In any case, Harang had to take a minor-league deal last offseason, but that won’t happen again this winter, despite his advanced age. MLBTR’s Zach Links predicted in October that Harang would receive a two-year, $14MM deal.

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• The Giants, Nationals, Angels, and Cubs are seriously pursuing Ben Zobrist with the Rays‘ asking price being at least one top prospect and a mid-level one.

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Vlad Guerreros kid is supposedly prepared to sign this year.

Gotta take a shot in case he's anything like his dad.

 

• MLB.com's Joe Frisaro now reports that there is indeed a market for Dan Haren, and the Marlins will do their best to work out a deal that benefits both parties. He adds that his ultimate expectation is that Haren will indeed be traded. Meanwhile, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, who reported earlier this morning that Haren had begun a throwing program to get ready for the 2015 season, hears that the Marlins are hopeful of having a resolution soon on Haren’s 2015 plans (Twitter link).

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doesn't help bonds or clemens case that they were jerks to the media
not saying that's fair -- in fact, it isn't -- but the voters are self-righteous and will hold a grudge
biggest problem with the HOF voting is that there's no true defined criteria
we've often heard the "best at their position during their era" line, but that apparently only applies in the minds of some
the voters should not only be given specifics on how to vote, but their votes should be public and reviewed by manfred & co

 

Tim Hudson's ankle injury should push Giants back into pitching market
By Mike Axisa | CBS Sports -- 2 hours ago


Tim Hudson had ankle surgery on Tuesday / USATSI

Veteran right-hander Tim Hudson underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle and will need eight weeks for recovery, the San Francisco Giants announced Tuesday.

The Giants have not yet announced when their pitchers and catchers will report to spring training, but either way the eight-week timetable means Hudson will be out until early March. He's going to miss the start of spring training and will be behind the other pitchers in camp, meaning the start of his regular season is in danger of being delayed as well.

This isn't good news for the defending World Series champion Giants, who were in need of pitching help even before Hudson's surgery. Their rotation depth chart without Hudson currently looks like this:

1. Madison Bumgarner (Stud)
2. Matt Cain (Coming off elbow and ankle surgey)
3. Jake Peavy (Healthy)
4. Tim Lincecum (74 ERA+ in 2014 and lost his rotation spot in August)
5. Yusmeiro Petit (Healthy, has been a revelation since arriving in San Francisco)

The only other starting pitchers on the team's 40-man roster are Chris Heston, who threw 5 1/3 innings during his MLB debut in September, and Joan Gregorio, who had a 4.37 ERA across two levels of Single-A ball in 2014. Rotation depth is clearly an issue.

The Giants were involved in the bidding for Jon Lester and they have been linked to James Shields this offseason, but I would be surprised if Hudson's surgery resulted in the club making a nine-figure investment in Shields or Max Scherzer. That would be quite the knee-jerk reaction. The Giants clearly have to do something, though.

More than likely, Hudson's injury will push the Giants back into the free agent market for lower cost pitchers. Former Giant Ryan Vogelsong is still unsigned, and I have to think his chances of returning to the team just improved. Chad Billinglsey, Scott Baker, Brandon Beachy, Paul Maholm, Roberto Hernandez and Chris Young are among the available free agent starters, though several of them (Billingsley, Beachy, Maholm) are coming off injuries themselves.

The good news is the Giants have time to find rotation help. They've proven they are adept at finding quality minor league free agents (Vogelsong, Petit, Gregor Blanco, etc.) and can build depth that way. I would bet they were planning to do that before Hudson got hurt. They still have a few weeks to improve the rotation, though Hudson's injury is a reminder of just how vulnerable the starting staff is in the first place.