Josh Hamilton in Trouble: Hot Stove 2/26

News

Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton relapsed into cocaine and possibly other drugs a few months back. Because he came forward and informed the MLB himself, commissioner Rob Manfred and other MLB executives will work together with Hamilton to decide his punishment, which will likely be in the realm of a half season suspension.

Infielder Mark Ellis has announced his retirement at the age of 37, wrapping up a 12 year career.

Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders tore a meniscus in his left knee and will likely be out until the All Star Break.

While never a superstar, or even really a star for that matter, Mark Ellis handled one of the more consistent bats and gloves in baseball over the last decade. Ellis was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota, and remains one of the greatest players ever to come out of the state. He played third base for the Florida Gators in the late 1990’s, and was then selected in the ninth round of the 1999 draft by the Royals. Before he could even reach Kansas City, he was shipped to Oakland as part of a three team trade that also included Johnny Damon, Angel Berroa, Roberto Hernandez, and other prospects in 2001. Ellis rocketed through the minors and by Opening Day 2002, he was a part of the famous Moneyball Oakland Athletics. In 98 games as a backup infielder, the 24-25 year old impressed the team by batting .272 with six home runs and 58 runs scored. He even homered and batted .368 in the ALDS that year. In 2003, Ellis earned the starting second base job, but did not quite live up to his 2002 season. In 154 games, he batted .248 with nine home runs and 78 runs scored, knocking 31 doubles. Ellis then missed the entire 2004 season with a shoulder injury sustained in spring training, and his career prospects weren’t looking great as he entered the 2005 season at 27 years old with just 252 games under his belt. However, he turned things around with a huge breakout season, batting .316 with 13 home runs, 52 RBI, and 76 runs scored in 122 games. In 2006, he hit just .249 over 124 games, but he added eleven home runs and scored 64 times. On the other side of the ball, he set a new second base record with his .997 fielding percentage. Ellis returned in 2007 with another big year, batting .276 with 19 home runs, 76 RBI, 84 runs scored, 33 doubles, and nine stolen bases in 150 games. On June 4th, he hit for the cycle. Injuries hurt his 2008 season, but he still batted .233 with 12 home runs, 55 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in 117 games. Oakland rewarded the slick fielder with a two year, $11 million deal, and he bounced back by batting .263 with ten home runs, 61 RBI, and ten stolen bases in 105 games. His power dropped in 2010, as he hit only five home runs in 124 games, but he became a hit machine as he finished with a .291 average and knocked 24 doubles. Oakland exercised its club option for the 2011 season, but Ellis got off to an extremely slow start, batting .217 with one home run in his first 62 games. The A’s flipped him to the Colorado Rockies at that point, where he found his stroke and batted .274 with six home runs over 70 games. In total, he batted .248 with seven home runs and 14 stolen bases in 132 games. He joined the Dodgers in 2012, and he put up a solid season by batting .258 with seven home runs and 62 runs scored in 110 games. His season was briefly interrupted by a leg injury in May, but it could have been much worse. He did not go to the hospital until the next day, and after surgery, the doctors said Ellis could have lost his leg had surgery been performed a mere six hours later. In 2013, the 35-36 year old Ellis had a solid season, batting .270 with six home runs and 48 RBI in 126 games. He signed on with the Cardinals for the 2014 season, but in 73 games as a backup, he hit just .180 with six extra base hits, all doubles. At the time of his retirement, he had accumulated 105 home runs, 550 RBI, a .262 average, and 82 stolen bases over 1435 games. His career .991 fielding percentage at second base, where he played 1364 of his 1435 games, the fifth highest of all time at that position.

Free Agent Signings

Brewers resigned Francisco Rodriguez (5-5, 3.04 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 44 SV, 2015 age: 33) to a two year, $13 million deal ($6.5 million per season).

Orioles signed Everth Cabrera (3 HR, 20 RBI, .232 AVG, 18 SB, 2015 age: 28) to a one year, $2.4 million deal.

Tigers resigned Joba Chamberlain (2-5, 3.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 2 SV, 2015 age: 29) to a one year, $1 million deal (plus up to $500,000 in incentives).

Blue Jays signed Johan Santana (missed 2014, 139-78 career, 3.20 ERA, 2015 age: 36) to a minor league deal.

Dodgers signed Chad Gaudin (missed 2014, 45-44 career, 4.44 ERA, 2015 age: 32) to a minor league deal.

Rangers signed Elliot Johnson (0 HR, 0 RBI, .105 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 31) to a minor league deal.

The Brewers handed out what will likely be the last multi-year deal of the offseason to Francisco Rodriguez, who will remain the Brewers closer for the next two year. This deal likely ends trade talks with the Phillies involving Jonathan Papelbon, and it will also force the Marlins to look elsewhere for back-end relief help. Phil Coke and Rafael Soriano look like options, especially after Joba Chamberlain resigned with the Tigers. K-Rod has been one of the best closers in baseball over the course of his career, and in 2008, he set a single season record with 62 saves as a member of the Angels. Last year, he showed a knack for keeping runners off base, allowing only 49 hits and 18 walks over 68 innings for an effective 0.99 WHIP, enabling him to save 44 games, his highest total since his 62 save 2008. Over his 13 year career, he is 46-41 with a 2.73 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and 348 saves over 799 appearances. His 348 saves are second only to Joe Nathan’s 376 among active relievers, and his 799 appearances are behind only LaTroy Hawkins (1000), Kyle Farnsworth (893), and Francisco Cordero (800).

Waiver Claims

A’s claimed Chad Smith (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 2015 age: 25) off waivers from the Tigers.

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Teams followed in this update: Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.
HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched. K’s: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage
Zack Silverman