Luis Pena and Vinny Rottino DFA'd

To make room for Looper and Nick Green. I'd be surprised if somebody picks up Rottino; I'd be surprised if somebody doesn't pick up Pena.

Also, the Looper deal includes a $750,000 buyout that increases to $1MM if he makes 30 starts. Effectively, it's a $5.5MM/1 year contract with a mutual option for $5MM ($6MM minus the buyout) for 2010.

8 months ago Jeff Sackmann 7 comments 0 recs |

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Pena and Rottino

I don’t feel like either of these guys are a huge loss. Rottino was sent back to AAA to learn to be a full time catcher, but even if he comes back he’s about fourth (or worse) on the depth chart.

As for Pena…his strong 2007 makes one believe he can be dominant, but how many guys bounce back from a 6+ ERA and 2.+ WHIP in AAA to have decent big league careers?

He’s not the worst pitcher ever, just the worst good pitcher.

by KLSnow on Feb 12, 2009 6:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Rottino.. fine. Don’t care. Was never, ever going to factor in.

Pena… I’d rather have him than not have him, but I don’t see a strong case that can be made that he shouldn’t have been the guy. Oh well.

by HRF on Feb 12, 2009 6:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Pena

He’s been outrighted before, so even if he does clear waivers he could opt for free agency.

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Feb 12, 2009 7:05 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Rottino

What happens to him now (I’m just curious – I realize he’s never going to be a regular MLB player)?

He likely won’t get picked for anyone else’s 40 man, and isn’t going to catch in AAA with Salome there. Will he stick on the team as a bullpen catcher? Go back to the minors as a utility player?

I don’t know a ton about roster management, what is likely to happen with him now?

by Supertramp on Feb 12, 2009 7:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Someone mentioned, in a thread about the FanFest, Rottino saying he'd be with the team to open 2009

Either on the roster or as a bullpen catcher.

Even if that’s not the case, he could go back to AAA and be a super-utility man again. He can reasonably play first, third, left and right field and catch…that’s probably enough to get 3-4 starts a week in Nashville, which will probably be light on outfielders.

He’s not the worst pitcher ever, just the worst good pitcher.

by KLSnow on Feb 12, 2009 8:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Forgive my ignorance

What would be the point of becoming the bullpen catcher rather than a AAA utility man? I’d imagine bullpen catcher pays better than the minors (in the sense that it pays anything at all…), but aren’t you pretty much giving up your playing career?

by ecocd on Feb 12, 2009 11:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe he already did the math...

… when they sent him down to learn how to be a starting catcher at the age of 27 when they already had Salome, Lucroy and then drafted Lawrie.

I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Feb 13, 2009 5:56 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

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