Offseason Roster Thread 2016-17

[Governator]

Graterol is an average framer and does a good job holding baseunners. If he can get on base he'll be a solid back up at worst.

 

at best he's a very solid back up?

[G-Snarls]

Graterol is an average framer and does a good job holding baseunners. If he can get on base he'll be a solid back up at worst.

 

Almost no mlb experience

 

Still maybe a cheap good pickup

[Krylian]

Can you wipe your own butt?

 

Exactly. Why would they go after someone that can't throw to second

[Pendleton]

at best he's a very solid back up?

 

I'm basically just trying to say the bat is the variable, his defense and framing is solid.

[glory]

Holland wants an opt out after 1 year, so that probably rules him out for the Jays. I'd definitely prioritize him over a back up catcher or loogy, though.

[G-Snarls]

I'm basically just trying to say the bat is the variable, his defense and framing is solid.

 

Sounds like a decent backup C option then

 

For league minimum salary I presume?

[Krylian]

Holland wants an opt out after 1 year, so that probably rules him out for the Jays. I'd definitely prioritize him over a back up catcher or loogy, though.

 

Yes. Heaven forbid they accept one good year. They'd rather have none.

 

Give him his opt out (or a mutual option like Bautista). Let him earn his next contract.

[Pendleton]

Sounds like a decent backup C option then

 

For league minimum salary I presume?

 

Yep he's league min. Between Graterol/Jimenez/Ohlman we can have three catcher depth slots filled (MLB back up + two for Buffalo) for less than a lot of these crappy veteran backups would have cost.

[KingKat]

I'm basically just trying to say the bat is the variable, his defense and framing is solid.

 

Projections on these type of guys aren't very reliable but fwiw, Steamer projects him to be about the same A.J. Jimenez which is very not good.

[Pendleton]

Projections on these type of guys aren't very reliable but fwiw, Steamer projects him to be about the same A.J. Jimenez which is very not good.

 

Yeah I don't have any big expectations from whoever wins that ST battle, but in the very least, having multiple similar options means a better chance that someone is seeing the ball well when April rolls around.

[glory]

Yes. Heaven forbid they accept one good year. They'd rather have none.

 

Give him his opt out (or a mutual option like Bautista). Let him earn his next contract.

 

Read up on Shapiro's view on players options.

 

Holland's not signing a mutual option, especially when he likely has a bunch of suitors.

[Abomination]

I wonder if Peavy would be willing to work as a reliever?

[KingKat]

Yeah I don't have any big expectations from whoever wins that ST battle, but in the very least, having multiple similar options means a better chance that someone is seeing the ball well when April rolls around.

 

I'm more interested in evaluating their respective defensive skill and all around catcher play than riding the hot hand. They're both bad but whoever is better at run prevention has the better floor.

[Hipfan]

Yes. Heaven forbid they accept one good year. They'd rather have none.

 

Give him his opt out (or a mutual option like Bautista). Let him earn his next contract.

 

I think the issues isn't about having one good year, it's the position the opt-out leave the club in. If they sign Holland to a 2 year deal worth $8 Million for the 1st year (plus incentives, perhaps up to an extra $2 million), and a 2nd year worth $10 million, with a player opt-out, it could totally hamstring the organization. If Holland is great, he gets to walk and sign a better deal; if he's terrible, he has the insurance of an extra year at a high salary. There is no risk for him.

 

For the Jays, though, they are risking signing a player coming off a serious injury that could be a total waste of however many millions it takes to sign him (I'm guessing somewhere between $8-10 million). Signing Holland to a 2 year deal mitigates that risk (especially if it's a team option) because if he is great, you have him locked up for another year at a reasonable price. The player opt out negates that benefit to the team, so they are now taking on all the risk of Holland either getting injured again, or being ineffective, without much reward should he go back to being an elite reliever.

 

Now, I'd love for the Jays to sign Holland, perhaps even if the contract contains an opt-out, but I understand the reluctance of teams giving those types of deals out. It's basically an insurance policy for the players; if they suck, or get injured, they have a guaranteed salary, and if they perform to the expectations of the contract (or even better it), they can opt out and get a better deal. It's a no-win situation for the team.

[Brownie19]

I wonder if Peavy would be willing to work as a reliever?

 

I remember reading an article suggesting he was unlucky last year and some of his peripherals (spin rates maybe?) suggest better results. I suspect he wants to start and would improve any number of rotations around the league; however, I'd welcome him to the Jays if that were ever a fit.

[Bobthe4th]

 

Another name to add to the backup C mix.

 

We've designated Leonel Campos to make room on the 40 man.

[Bobthe4th]

Don't buy a Graterol jersey just yet:

 

"It’s been a hectic offseason for Graterol, who was designated for assignment by the Angels back on Nov. 22 and has changed teams on four occasions since. The Reds claimed Graterol off waivers when he was first designated, and he’s since gone to the Diamondbacks and then back to the Angels on waivers before today’s claim."

[Jonn]

Don't buy a Graterol jersey just yet:

 

"It’s been a hectic offseason for Graterol, who was designated for assignment by the Angels back on Nov. 22 and has changed teams on four occasions since. The Reds claimed Graterol off waivers when he was first designated, and he’s since gone to the Diamondbacks and then back to the Angels on waivers before today’s claim."

 

Can Graterol stick?

[HERPDERP]

Please consult your doctor if Graterol is right for you.

[intentional wok]

Please consult your doctor if Graterol is right for you.

 

The Carlos Mencia of the BJMB everyone.

[BTS]

I want to know how any of you nerds even know who this apparently s***** AAA backup catcher is.

[Terminator]

I want to know how any of you nerds even know who this apparently s***** AAA backup catcher is.

 

Never heard of him until today.

[Santoki]

I want to know how any of you nerds even know who this apparently s***** AAA backup catcher is.

 

I just assume people quickly look up his history and then post as if they knew it all along.

[Laika]

GRATEROL NOTES

 

>>>>>Catcher: Juan Graterol

 

There can be feel-good stories on the All Out-of-Position Team, particularly since all of the MLB catchers this year were actually catchers. I’m sure Juan Graterol is a lovely guy, but he's not really a major league-caliber catcher. And yet ...

 

Way back in September of 2005—still the Allard Baird era—the Royals signed Graterol as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela. Before long, it was clear that he was pretty much a non-prospect. He spent six years in the lowest levels of the minors, at one point almost splitting what limited time he had between first base and catcher.

 

By the end of 2011 he'd yet to play more than a couple months above Low-A despite being 22 and had just finished a dismal season in which he hit .195/.255/.235 in 58 games. There would have been no shame in throwing in the towel. Graterol decided to persevere, and he was rewarded with a .301/.338/.393 season at High-A in 2012.

 

It was still a long way to the majors, though. Graterol hit minor-league free agency after 2014, and at age 25 he only had seven Triple-A games to his name. He joined the Yankees and became their organizational catcher, spending time in Charleston, Tampa, and Scranton. He was on the move again at the end of 2015, but so was a higher-up who liked Graterol.

 

Former Yankees executive Billy Eppler became the Angels’ general manager in October of 2015, and a few months later he invited Graterol to spring training. The team decided to stash him at Triple-A Salt Lake City, one step away from the majors. And after 11 years toiling in the minors, he caught a break.

 

Geovany Soto was placed on the DL with inflammation in his knee. He tried to come back a few times during the season to no avail. So that bumped Graterol up the depth chart and actually gave him a brief cameo with the Angels in July, though he did not appear in any games. With Soto still unavailable in September, Graterol was recalled to be the third catcher. It said more about the state of the Angels in 2016 that Graterol was a major leaguer, but it was true nonetheless:

 

"I even surprised myself," Graterol said. "I really made it. Wow. This is unbelievable."

 

Graterol’s first career at-bat was on September 2, 2016, about 11 years to the day that he signed with the Royals. He doubled off Arquimedes Caminero.

 

>>>>> ANAHEIM – Geovany Soto’s injury was Juan Graterol’s opportunity.

 

The Angels placed Soto on the disabled list on Monday with inflammation in his left knee, a condition that cropped up just a day earlier.

 

In order to take his roster spot, the Angels recalled Graterol, a 27-year-old Venezuelan who had spent 11 years in the minors without playing a game in the majors.

 

Graterol, who got the news of his promotion on Monday afternoon while with the Triple-A team in Iowa, did not even make it to Angel Stadium until the second inning on Monday night.

 

After watching his first game as a member of a big league roster, he stood in the clubhouse still in a daze.

 

"I just feel great, amazing," Graterol said. "I feel in shock."

 

Graterol was hitting .292 with a .331 on-base percentage at Salt Lake City. Manager Mike Scioscia wouldn’t commit to how much playing time Graterol would get, but presumably Jett Bandy will get most of the starts.

 

Still, Graterol's wife and daughter will be traveling from Salt Lake City to see Tuesday's game, hoping to watch him finally play in the majors.

 

"I hope I can play," he said. "If not, I'll just wait for my moment."

 

Graterol, who originally signed with the Kansas City Royals as a 16-year-old, spent most of his career in that organization. He eventually moved on to the New York Yankees, where Angels GM Billy Eppler was the assistant GM. Eppler brought him to the Angels this winter.

 

Graterol said, throughout it all, he never doubted he'd one day get the call he finally got on Monday.

 

"I just wanted to keep doing my job," he said. "Whatever happened, someday I would have the opportunity."

 

The Angels recalled Graterol instead of Carlos Perez, who has been in the majors most of the past two seasons, becaue they want Perez to continue to play every day at Triple-A to get his swing right.

 

“He’s starting to get comfortable in the batter’s box and we want him to keep doing that,” Scioscia said. “We want him to keep moving that along and then we can re-evaluate.”

 

Perez had five hits, including two homers, in his first 17 at-bats at Salt Lake City.

 

As for Soto, Scioscia said he probably hurt his left knee compensating for his right knee, which he had surgically repaired two months ago. The Angels are expecting he can return as soon as he’s eligible, July 31.

 

This injury probably reduces the chances Soto will be traded, but it is still possible.

[Brownie19]

Nice story - glad he got a cup of coffee and doubled in his first ML at bat after all those years in the minors (baseball should promote those type of feel good stories more).

 

This guy should end his career with 4 hits. Let's move on.

[GD]

What about Justin Wilson as a lefty trade target? 3.10 xFIP vs lefties, but also a 3.32 vs righties.

[Abomination]

What about Justin Wilson as a lefty trade target? 3.10 xFIP vs lefties, but also a 3.32 vs righties.

 

I'm not sure what the motivation would be for Detroit. He isn't cost prohibitive, and he may be more valuable at the deadline.

 

I have to think organizations are gonna start using mid to late round picks searching for relievers, rather than wildcards.

[RealAccountant]

Wilner is giving the impression that only minor league and long shot additions from this point on

[G-Snarls]

[jaysblue]

Wilner is giving the impression that only minor league and long shot additions from this point on

 

Wilner is a f***ing idiot.