Non-Tendered Class of 2009 (Pitchers)

As dawn broke Saturday morning, almost 40 players found themselves non-tendered and freshly dunked into the free agent waters.  Some of the names were surprising (Matt Capps) and some were completely expected (John Buck).  Surprising or not, in the next two posts you will get a complete rundown of all the players who were non-tendered on Friday.  This is part 2 of 2 which covers the non-tendered pitchers.  For my write up of the non-tendered position players, part one of two was posted in the wee hours of the morning.

Enough with introductions.  Since this is part 2, lets get right into it.

• LHP:
  • Cotts, Neal (29) [Cubs] is currently recovering from his Tommy John surgery in July.  His 2009 season came to an end after just 11.0 innings of work.  Cotts finished the year with a 7.36 ERA, 2.09 WHIP, and 7.4 SO/9.  The injury and subsequent surgery makes his future murky.  His career 4.63 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and 8.3 SO/9 in 256.1 IP make him an average major league reliever.  Not surprisingly his career ERA+ is exactly 100, but he’s a lefty and his 2005 season (1.94 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 8.7 SO) which resulted in an ERA+ of 232 will land him squarely in someone’s bullpen next season.
  • Dumatrait, Phil (28) [Pirates] had a 6.92 ERA, 1.846 WHIP, and 4.8 SO/9 in 13.0 IP for Pittsburgh.  His minor league numbers; 4.50 ERA, 1.393 WHIP, and 4.8 SO/9 in 28.0 IP were equally uninspiring considering they came against inferior competition.  He now has 109.2 innings under his belt and the 7.06 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 5.6 SO/9 that are attached to those innings will lead him to nothing more than a minor league contract in 2010.
  • Olsen, Scott (25) [Nationals] re-signed with Washington on Saturday.  His deal is for 1-year at a bargain price of $1 million.  Olson struggled in 2009 with a 6.03 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, and 6.0 SO/9 in 62.2 IP before he had season ending shoulder surgery.  He’s just 25, is a lefty, and in 642.0 career innings, has a 4.77 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, and 6.7 SO/9.  Even if he doesn’t come back from the shoulder injury as the same pitcher, this was a good move by the Nationals.  If Olsen can bounce back they have a talented, 25-year old lefty on their hands and that is never a bad thing.
• RHP:
  • Arredondo, Jose (25) [Angels] will miss the entire 2010 season after he undergoes Tommy John surgery next month.  Still, this move is a bit of a surprise since he is regarded by some to be a future big league closer.  He broke out in 2008 with a 1.62 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 8.1 SO/9 in 61.0 innings pitched, but 2009 was a different story.  Last season he finished with a 6.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 9.4 SO/9 in 45.0 IP.  A forward thinking organization would sign him with an eye on 2011 and beyond.  The Royals are pretty much the opposite of forward thinking, so there is basically no chance they offer Arredondo a contract of any sort.
  • Bass, Brian (27) [Orioles] is your run of the mill, “almost” league average RH reliever who struggles with command.  He finished 2009 with a 4.90 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, and 5.6 SO/9 in 86.1 IP.  In 2008 he had an ERA+ of 88 and followed that up with a 2009 ERA+ of 92.  He hasn’t been good, but he hasn’t been completely awful.  Before you question that assessment, keep in mind that I spend a vast majority of my time during the season watching the Royals bullpen.  To me a career ERA+ of 90 looks pretty damn good.  That said, he was a 6th round pick of the Royals back in the 2000 draft and spent part of the 2008 season pitching for the Twins, so I’ve seen him enough to know that Kansas City should stay away.
  • Broadway, Lance (26) [Mets] spent 2009 pitching for the White Sox and the Mets.  In 30.2 IP he had a 5.87 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and 6.4 SO/9.  He hasn’t managed to turn in an impressive minor league season since he was in Double-A for the 2006 season.  Someone will give him a minor league contract to fill out their Triple-A roster, but if he pitches in the majors during the 2010 season, someone’s plans went up in smoke.
  • Capps, Matt (26) [Pirates] is drawing a lot of attention since hitting the market.  In 2009 he had a 5.80 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and 7.6 SO/9 in 54.1 IP.  Despite the 2009 struggles, his 3.61 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 6.9 SO/9 in 272.1 career major league innings, 67 career saves, and relative youth make him an attractive target.  So much so, in fact, that up to 12 teams have already expressed interest in him.
  • Carrasco, D.J. (32) [White Sox] is coming off the best season of his 5-year major league career.  In 2009 he finished with a 3.76 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 6.0 SO/9 and 123 ERA+ in 93.1 IP.  He’s looking to sign with a team that will give him a chance to earn a spot at the back end of the rotation.  He spent 2003-2005 as a member of the Royals.  In 2005 they let him start 20 games and he finished the season with a 4.79 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 3.8 SO/9, and ERA+ of 92.  It was the worst ERA+ of his career and he’s been an average or above average pitcher outside of that season.  He could fit a team’s need as a spot starter, but his real value lies in the bullpen.
  • Casilla, Santiago (29) [Athletics] was decent in 2007 and 2008.  During those seasons his ERA+ was 96 and 105 respectively.  When the dust had settled on his 2009 he had a 5.96 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, 6.5 SO/9, and 73 ERA+ in 48.1 IP.  Most relievers are up and down so there is reason to hope for a bounceback from Casilla.  The problem is that his “up” wasn’t all that impressive to begin with.  He’s another minor league contract candidate.
  • Condrey, Clay (34) [Phillies] aside from coming off well in MLB Network’s series The Pen, Clay is a solid and largely consistent major league reliever.  From 2006 to 2009 his ERA+ has gone from 149, 91, 134, 141.  Last season he had a 3.00 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 5.4 SO/9 in 42.0 IP.  His WHIP was well below his career mark of 1.47 and batters hit just 0.233 off of him after hitting 0.300 and 0.302 in 2007 and 2008.  He’s not overpowering and he’s not flashy but he tends to get the job done.
  • DiFelice, Mark (33) [Brewers] toiled for eleven seasons in the minors before finally making his major debut in 2008 at the age of 31.  He sure looks like he belongs now.  After putting up an impressive 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 9.5 SO/9 in 19.0 IP during his first season, he proved it wasn’t a fluke in his first full season in 2009.  Last season’s 3.66 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 8.4 SO/9 in 51.2 IP is closer to what teams can expect, but they’ll have to wait until 2011 to get it.  DiFelice underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum and is likely to miss the entire 2010 season.  After fighting for eleven years to break through, there is no doubt in my mind he’ll be back.
  • MacDougal, Mike (32) [Nationals] opened the season with the White Sox, but managed to last just 4.1 innings thanks to a 12.46 ERA and 3.23 WHIP.  He landed in Washington and racked up 20 saves in 50.0 IP with a 3.60 ERA and 1.52 WHIP.  He was as much lucky as he was good, managing to put up those numbers despite a 1.00 SO/BB.  No need to look for that to improve significantly as his career 1.61 SO/BB comes over the course of nine major league seasons.  MacDougal was the 1st round pick of the Royals back in 1999 and he has had his moments over the years, but his best baseball is most likely behind him.  He’ll get a major league deal from someone, but for far less than the $2.65 he made in 2009.
  • McClung, Seth (28) [Brewers] had a 4.94 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 5.8 SO/9 in 62.0 IP during the 2009 season.  He just missed pulling a “MacDougal” and finished with a 1.03 SO/BB.  McClung has been all over the map in terms of effectiveness during his six seasons in the majors.  He has a career 5.46 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, and 6.6 SO/9 in 430.1 IP to go with a career ERA+ of 80.  After making $1.66 million in 2009, he’s likely bound for a minor league deal.
  • Miller, Adam (25) [Indians] was immediately re-signed by Cleveland to a minor league deal.  After missing the entire 2009 season due to a finger injury, he recently underwent another procedure this offseason.  His 2010 season is very much up in the air.  He was the Indians 1st round pick in the 2003 draft and was the organization’s #1 prospect from 2005-2008.  In addition to the finger issues, he has also had elbow problems since being drafted.  He’s immensely talented, he can’t stay healthy, and it’s a damn shame.
  • Moseley, Dustin (27) [Angels] made three April starts for the Angels in 2009 and finished with a 4.30 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 4.9 SO/9 in 14.2 IP.  He then found himself on the DL thanks to elbow and hip problems.  For his career he has a 5.41 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and 5.3 SO/9 in 168.0 IP.  He’s yet another candidate for a minor league contract this winter.
  • Quezada, Jackson (23) [Padres] missed all of 2009.  He spent the 2008 season pitching in A ball and put up a 2.12 ERA to go along with a 0.96 WHIP and 11.2 SO/9 in 63.2 IP.  On the heels of that season, he was added to the Padres 40-man.  He’s coming off an injury and is a ways away from the majors, so it seems likely that the Padres will bring him back on a minor league deal.
  • Redding, Tim (31) [Mets] made $2.2 million in 2009 and in return gave the Mets a 5.10 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 5.7 SO/9 in 120.0 IP.  His career numbers ; 4.95 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and 6.0 SO/9 in 822.1 IP are very similar.  Like so many others on this list, he’s likely bound for a minor league deal.  If someone does give him a major league contract, they’re missing out on several more cost effective options.
  • Reyes, Anthony (28) [Indians], like Miller, was immediately re-signed by Cleveland to a minor league deal.  In 2006 he was ranked the #1 prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.  In 2009 he struggled to whiff more batters than he walked.  He lost that battle 22-23.
  • Segovia, Zach (26) [Nationals] has only 15.1 major league innings to his credit.  In that small sample he has a 8.22 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, and 3.5 SO/9.  In addition to his 10.1 ML innings, he also spent time in Double-A and Triple-A during the 2009 season.  In 72.1 minor league IP he had a 3.24 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 8.2 SO/9.  He’s a bit of an unknown compared to most of the other names on this list, but he does appear ready to make the jump to the majors.  Someone will sign him to a minor league deal and stash him in Triple-A, but if he performs well he could get his first extended shot in the majors.
  • Veras, Jose (29) [Indians] split the 2009 season pitching for the Yankees and Indians.  He finished with a 5.19 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 7.2 SO/9 in 50.1 IP but he was better after joining Cleveland’s pen.  Veras has a career 99 ERA+ after 4 seasons and 128.1 innings of work.  He figures to land a major league deal with someone, but a minor league contract isn’t out of the question either.
  • Wang, Chien-Ming (29) [Yankees] has caught the eye of pitching guru Dave Duncan and could be Duncan’s latest reclamation project.  Wang will have no trouble finding a job and will surely have a number of teams interested in his services even if he isn’t ready to go on opening day.  I’d like to think the Royals are among those interested, but even if they were I don’t know if Bob McClure could get Wang back on track.  Chien-Ming’s agent has indicated that his client may not sign until spring.
  • Worrell, Mark (26) [Padres] missed the 2009 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but is expected to be ready for spring training .  He has a 7.94 ERA, 2.12 WHIP and 6.4 SO/9 in only 5.2 major league innings, but he does have a very impressive minor league resume.  In five seasons on the farm he has a 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 10.6 SO/9 in 280.1 IP.  He spent 2007 and 2008 pitching very well for the Cardinals Triple-A  affiliate before being shipped to San Diego in the Khalil Greene trade.  The Padres figure to try and sign him to a minor league deal, but with his minor league resume it is feasible that another organization will make him a better offer and steal him away.

I’ve just dedicated parts of the last two days to craft two posts, and 3,500 words dedicated to recently non-tendered and released players.  I don’t know what that means, but I’m sure it says something about me.  Safe to say I’m not going to spend too much time pondering it.  Be back tomorrow with another post, possibly on Philip Humber.

(Wally Fish is Kings of Kauffman’s lead blogger.  Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)