Cutnpaste: - Barret Loux, Expansion, Jordany Valdespin, J.J. Putz, and Aderlin Rodriguez



Stuart Villanueva

 Barret Loux:11-19-10 from: - ESPN  - Right-hander Barret Loux, selected by Arizona with the sixth overall pick in the draft, has agreed to a contract with the Texas Rangers. Loux became a free agent on Sept. 1 as part of an agreement approved by commissioner Bud Selig, instead of having to re-enter the draft next summer. The Diamondbacks didn't sign Loux due to concerns the team had about the pitcher's health. With the signing of Loux, the AL champion Rangers have five of the first 49 picks of June's draft under contract.

Expansion:

An expanded Major League Baseball playoff system seems inevitable, with a new format in place as soon as the 2012 season. It is expected that one wild card team would be added in both the American and National Leagues, boosting the current overall playoff roster from eight teams to 10. There would be three division winners, as there are now, but two wild card teams in each league instead of one. The wild cards in each league would likely meet in a first round mini-series. The winners would advance. leaving eight teams to compete for the World Series championship in a format that would probably remain as it now is. The primary issue that owners and the players union will have to address is whether each wild card playoff would be decided by a single game, or in best-of-three series. - sportyupdates.  



Michael G. Baron

 Jordany Valdespin:

Infielder Jordany Valdespin finished seventh in the AFL in batting average at .355, although his season ended after a Nov. 8 appearance because of a forearm strain. Similarly, right-hander Brad Holt (2-1, 2.92 ERA, 12.1 IP, 10 H, 9 BB, 13 K) had his season cut short after pitching one inning on Nov. 3). -  ESPN

J.J. Putz:

For such a poor free-agent pool, there are a fair number of good relievers needing contracts for next year. Behind the likes of Soriano, Benoit, Balfour, Wood and Rauch, Putz could easily be forgotten about. That would be a mistake, however.

Since he finished 13th in MVP voting in 2007, Putz has come nowhere near that season’s 6-1, 1.38 mark. His one year (2009) in New York was terrible. He posted a career-worst 5.22 ERA and he was limited to just 29.1 innings. Last year the White Sox took a gamble, giving him a one-year deal for $3 million. Putz responded with the third-best ERA and WHIP of his career. - bleacherreport.   



Allan Greene

 Aderlin Rodriguez

Opening Day Age: 19 - Estimated Peak WAR: 4.5 - Notes: Just 18, Rodriguez produced a solid triple-slash line of .312/.352/.556 in 250 at-bats in rookie ball. He even received a late-season 30-at-bat trial in low-A ball. He showed very good power potential and posted a .244 ISO rate; he shows enough raw pop to hit balls out of the park even when he doesn’t put a great swing on the pitch. Currently, he’s surviving on pure, and raw, athletic ability. There are a lot of areas of his game where he needs to make improvements – which is not surprising, given his age. Rodriguez would make even more contact if he did a better job of following the pitch into the catcher’s glove; he often pulls his head off of the pitch. He also shows a long, loopy swing at times and needs to keep the head of the bat through the strike zone for a longer period of time. Rodriguez also needs to improve against off-speed pitches as he gets out on his front foot and lunges at the ball. Defensively, a slow first step inhibits his range at the hot corner and he doesn’t show a ton of effort in this aspect of his game. There are some similarities to a young Edwin Encarnacion, although the Mets prospect has much more patience at the plate. If Rodriguez continues to develop, the organization could have something special here. – fangraphs