Nats Add Bullpen Arm: Hot Stove 1/28

News

Longtime Red Sox pitcher Bill Monbouquette passed away at 78 years old. Over his eleven year career from 1958-1968, Monbouquette went 114-112 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP, making All Star teams in 1960, 1962, and 1963. His best season was 1963, when he went 20-10 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP for the Red Sox.

White Sox designated Dayan Viciedo (21 HR, 58 RBI, .231 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 26) for assignment.

Free Agent Signings

Nationals signed Casey Janssen (3-3, 3.94 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 25 SV, 2015 age: 33) to a one year, $5 million deal.

Braves signed Dian Toscano (0 HR, 16 RBI, .356 AVG, 2 SB in Cuba, 2015 age: 25) to a four year, $6 million deal.

White Sox signed Gordon Beckham (9 HR, 44 RBI,.226 AVG, 3 SB, 2015 age: 28) to a one year, $2 million deal.

Rangers signed Juan Oviedo (3-3, 3.69 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 1 SV, 2015 age: 33) to a minor league deal.

Padres signed Ramiro Pena (3 HR, 9 RBI, .245 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 29-30) to a minor league deal.

Mariners resigned Franklin Gutierrez (missed 2014, 67 career HR, .256 AVG, 2015 age: 32) to a minor league deal.

Red Sox signed Humberto Quintero (0 HR, 1 RBI, .000 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 35-36) to a minor league deal.

First off, I want to brag a little bit and say that I endorsed the signing of Casey Janssen specifically after the Tyler Clippard trade. This does not surprise me one bit, and I think it was an excellent signing, as well as a bargain. With Clippard gone, the Nats needed an affordable set-up man, and Janssen fits that bill with his pinpoint control and devastating curveball. The UCLA product has a solid track record from the back end of the Blue Jays bullpen, and from 2011-2013, he was one of the best back-end relievers in baseball. In 2012, he went 1-1 with a 2.54 ERA, 22 saves, and an incredible 0.86 WHIP over 62 appearances. He repeated in 2013, going 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA, 34 saves, and a 0.99 WHIP over 56 appearances. In 2014, he got off to an incredible start in which he was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA, 14 saves, and a 0.86 WHIP over 23 first half appearances. Then, over the All Star Break, Janssen contracted food poisoning, and subsequently lost ten pounds from his 6’4”, 205 pound frame. He was not the same after the break, going 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA, 11 saves, and a 1.48 WHIP over 27 second half appearances. However, I think their is absolutely no reason to worry. He showed improvement as the second half wore on; over his first six appearances back, he had a 10.13 ERA. Over his next 14, it dropped to 7.71. Then, over his final seven, he was back to his old self, putting up a 1.35 ERA and a 0.45 WHIP. Overall, Janssen was 3-3 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP over his roller coaster season, saving 25 games in 50 appearances. For his career, the righty is 29-24 with a 3.52 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and 90 saves in 389 games (22 starts). Janssen is fourth on the Blue Jays all time saves list with 90, behind only Tom Henke (217), Duane Ward (121), and Billy Koch (100).

Trades

Red Sox traded Anthony Ranaudo (4-3, 4.81 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 2015 age: 25) to the Rangers for Robbie Ross (3-6, 6.20 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 2015 age: 25-26).

Pirates traded Travis Snider (13 HR, 38 RBI, .264 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 27) to the Orioles for minor leaguer Stephen Tarpley (3-5, 3.66 ERA, 1.40 WHIP at Low Class A, 2015 age: 22) and a player to be named later.

This Ranaudo-Ross trade is interesting and a bit puzzling to me. Ranaudo is a fly ball pitcher, which means he will fit, well, very poorly into the Ballpark at Arlington, where fly balls can carry on hot Texas nights. Likewise, the pitcher they dealt, Ross, is a ground ball pitcher who fits very well in Texas. Likewise, Fenway Park can punish fly ball pitchers depending on where the ball is hit. I think the trade off was based off the fact that Ross, the ground ball pitcher, does not have as high an upside as Ranaudo, the fly ball pitcher. Anthony Ranaudo established himself as one of the top minor league starters in 2013 and 2014, going 25-9 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over the two seasons at AA Portland and AAA Pawtucket. The former LSU Tiger held his own in seven major league starts in 2014, going 4-3 with a 4.81 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Ranaudo will compete with Ross Detwiler, Nick Tepesch, Nick Martinez, and Ross Ohlendorf for a spot in the back end of a crowded rotation headed by Yu Darvish, Yovani Gallardo, Derek Holland, and Colby Lewis.

Robbie Ross has yet to replicate his big rookie season, but at just 25, the Kentucky native can still establish consistency. The left hander spent the first two years of his career as a reliever, but he struggled when the Rangers put him in the rotation to start the 2014 season. When he was put back in the bullpen, his struggles continued, so he will be looking to hit the reset button for 2015. As of now, it is unclear as to whether he will be a starter or a reliever. His best season was 2012, when he went 6-0 with a 2.22 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP over 58 appearances. Last year, he was 3-6 with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP over 27 games (12 starts).

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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