12/1/11

Hot Stove: - Jonathan Broxton, Kelly Shoppach, Ramon Santiago, Chris Iannetta, Ramon Hernandez


I was hoping the Mets would land Jonathan Broxton as a low-cost reclamation project for the back end of the bullpen, but the beefy right-hander would hardly be the first man to be lured in by Francoeur’s charming set of intangibles. One could only imagine the scene in those Georgia backwoods, Francoeur smiling maniacally with a rifle in one hand, a fresh kill in the other and a glimmer in his eye, convincing Broxton that this time he really has turned the corner and that if win-loss record was so important, well… you know. http://www.tedquarters.net/2011/11/29/oh-well-if-thats-the-case

Shoppach has pretty dramatic platoon splits (career .909 OPS vs. LHed pitching in over 450 PAs) and he'd only be facing LHed pitching here.  Thing is, how much can you pay your platoon catcher who may not get 200 PAs?  He made $3M in 2011 so he's probably not ready to cave for $1.5M this early but I doubt anyone sees him as more than a platoon guy.  He's prob waiting on one of the richer teams to come calling hoping to get close to what he made last yr  http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=228&f=1380&t=8347161

Tigers re-signed INF Ramon Santiago to a two-year contract. Terms of the contract aren't yet known. It's somewhat of a surprise to see him return, as the Tigers view him as a strictly as a utility player and many expected that he would seek a starting job elsewhere. However, those offers apparently didn't come. The 32-year-old batted .260/.311/.384 with a .695 OPS this season and should continue to see semi-regular playing time around the Tigers' infield. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/345944/baseball-headlines?r=1

The Angels, in an effort to inject on-base percentage into the lineup and boost their offense behind the plate, acquired veteran catcher Chris Iannetta from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitcher Tyler Chatwood, the team announced Wednesday.  In 112 games last season, in most of which he batted eighth, Iannetta hit .238 with a .370 on-base percentage, 14 home runs and 55 runs batted in. The 28-year-old struck out 89 times but drew 70 walks, and he would be a considerable offensive upgrade over Angels catcher Jeff Mathis, who hit .174 with a .225 on-base percentage, three homers and 22 RBIs last season. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/11/angels-acquire-rockies-catcher-chris-iannetta-for-tyler-chatwood.html

The Rockies' new two-year deal with catcher Ramon Hernandez is worth a total of $6.4 million. Hernandez only has to pass a physical before the agreement can be finalized. He posted a decent .283/.342/.451 slash line this year for the Reds and should remain a productive offensive player for the next two seasons out in Colorado. The Rockies traded catcher Chris Iannetta to the Angels in a corresponding move. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/345960/baseball-headlines?r=1

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