May 7, 2013

Transaction Analysis

Halladay Sees a Doc

by R.J. Anderson

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IN THIS ISSUE

American League Baltimore Orioles Toronto Blue Jays

National League Atlanta Braves New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies San Diego Padres

BALTIMORE ORIOLES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Purchased the contract of RHP Freddy Garcia from Triple-A Norfolk. [5/4]

Designated RHP Zach Clark for assignment. [5/4]

Sweaty Freddy's return tested the might of Oriole Magic. He carried a no-hitter deeper into a game than someone with his stuff should. Luckily the Angels got a hit and all remained right in the universe. Garcia, of course, latched on with Baltimore in the spring after San Diego released him. He's at the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency stage of his career. Sure enough, the O's broke the glass once they deemed Jake Arrieta and Zach Britton unworthy of big-league jobs. Look for Garcia to take his turn in the rotation until the O's find a better option. And if he sticks all season then it's time to page Strange and Norrell. 

TORONTO BLUE JAYS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Recalled LHP Ricky Romero from High-A Dunedin. [5/3]

Designated RHP Justin Germano for assignment. [5/3]

It's uncommon to see a player promoted to the majors from High-A, but then little about Romero's past season-plus has been common. The Jays left their beleaguered southpaw in Florida to work through his issues. Whatever Romero worked on failed to translate into his first start. It's only one game, of course. You just can't shake the feeling that he'll be headed back to Dunedin in due time. Speaking of the minors, Germano keeps finding big-league work for two reasons: 1) his arm works and 2) he'll go to Triple-A without a fight. This latest stint lasted all of two innings. Don't feel bad for Germano, though, as he'll make more money as a result. 

ATLANTA BRAVES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Activated C-L Brian McCann from the 15-day disabled list. [5/6]

Optioned SS-R Tyler Pastornicky to Triple-A Gwinnett. [5/6]

The free-agent-to-be returns after missing a month due to shoulder surgery. The truth is the Braves did not miss McCann, not as much as they thought they might. Atlanta's backstop combination of Evan Gattis and Gerald Laird combined to hit .277/.333/.529 in his absence. Sustainability matters should prevent anyone from saying that pair is better then McCann—who PECOTA has pegged for a .264/.342/.458 line—but it will raise questions. Questions like: Would Atlanta trade McCann? As well as: What do the Braves do next season with Gattis, Laird (under contract through next season), and top prospect Christian Bethancourt? The Braves have an enviable amount of catching depth. Let's see how they play it.

NEW YORK METS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Optioned LF-R Collin Cowgill to Triple-A Las Vegas. [5/3]

Purchased the contract of RF-R Andrew Brown from Triple-A Las Vegas. [5/3]

Here's a demotion that must sting. Cowgill spent the past two seasons toiling in the Pacific Coast League. An offseason trade to the Mets gave him a fresh start and a golden opportunity to established a foothold on a big-league job. Things started well: Cowgill was the Mets' Opening Day center fielder and went 2-for-5 with a home run at the plate. But then the roof fell in as he batted .130/.149/.196 over his last 47 plate appearances. Now Cowgill returns to the PCL where he'll wait for another chance. He's an older player with modest upside. That means there's no telling when—or if—he'll get a shot at making it the majors again.

While Cowgill mulls what-if scenarios, Brown will enjoy his time in the majors. He's played in the bigs with the Cardinals and Rockies over the past two seasons. The Mets will probably play him against left-handed pitching, and his experience at all four corner positions could come in handy. He swings and misses a lot and he's unlikely to stick for long. 

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Placed RHP Roy Halladay on the 15-day disabled list. [5/6]

Recalled LHP Joe Savery from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. [5/6]

Halladay pitched about as poorly on Sunday as one can pitch against the Marlins. He complained about shoulder soreness after the start and heads to the DL as a result. Uncharacteristic amounts of walks, home runs, and short outings have plagued Halladay throughout the year. There's no getting around it: his days as a top-of-the-rotation anchor are all but over. What the Phillies and Halladay will spend the rest of the year figuring out is if he's a no. 3 or 4, or something less. Either way, it seems unlikely that the Phillies will exercise their $20 million club option for next season. 

SAN DIEGO PADRES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Placed LHP Clayton Richard on the 15-day disabled list. [5/5]

Activated RHP Tyson Ross from the 15-day disabled list. [5/5]

Richard heads to the disabled list with an intestinal virus. He'd been fighting the bug for weeks but a rough start versus Arizona prompted the move to give him rest. The timing is good for San Diego. They were able to activate Ross without needing another move. Ross won't be joining the rotation, however, as the Padres have multiple off-days forthcoming. Instead he'll slide into the bullpen while Bud Black oversees a four-man rotation. Ross winding up in the bullpen felt like an inevitability due to his poor control, though it remains to be seen if he'll stay there for the rest of the season. 

R.J. Anderson is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @r_j_anderson
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