Tag: Jeremy Guthrie

Jeremy Guthrie to Marlins: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The Miami Marlins have reportedly signed veteran pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, who will report to Triple-A before joining the major league club. 

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported the news.

Guthrie, 37, last pitched for the Kansas City Royals in 2015. He previously signed minor league contracts with the Texas Rangers in spring training and the San Diego Padres in April.

The Padres released Guthrie on June 3. He had compiled a 3-6 record with a 6.60 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 11 starts in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Those numbers fell in line with his miserable 2015 in Kansas City, which saw him go 8-8 with a 5.95 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. The Royals sent him to the bullpen late in the season, and he did not pitch in their World Series run.

Guthrie had been an MLB regular for the last nine years, working as a starter with the Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies in addition to Kansas City. He began his career with the Cleveland Indians. The righty has a career 91-108 record and said reaching 100 wins was a career goal.

“That would be a huge accomplishment for me to have been able to win 100 games in the major leagues,” he said in April, per Carter Williams of the Deseret News. “So it’s certainly something that pushes me, I think. It would be a huge motivating factor to get back up there and try to pitch well and help a team win nine more games like that.”

The likelihood of Guthrie making the major league roster depends on how he performs in the minors. Miami starters Wei-Yin Chen (4-2, 5.00 ERA) and Justin Nicolino (2-4, 5.17 ERA) have struggled for most of the season; although the Marlins sit ninth in ERA overall, Jose Fernandez (2.28 ERA) accounts for a lot of that.

Guthrie is unlikely to anchor the rotation with Fernandez, but he could be the difference of one or two wins on the back end if he can return to form. The Marlins (41-35) are third in the National League East and have a real chance at a postseason berth if they can shore up their shortcomings over the next month. Guthrie represents an end-of-the-rotation flier they hope can help on the cheap.

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Jeremy Guthrie to Padres: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The San Diego Padres are reportedly “in agreement” on a minor league deal with veteran starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com on Friday.  

Guthrie was released from his minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on Thursday, per John Blake, the team’s executive vice president of communications.

Guthrie is coming off a season with the Kansas City Royals in which he posted career worsts in ERA (5.95) and WHIP (1.551) since becoming a full-time starter in 2007. He also allowed an American League-high 29 home runs at a whopping 14.1 percent home run rate with a minus-1.8 bWAR.

The team left him off the playoff roster in the fall less than a year after he started Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. The Royals declined to pick up his $10 million mutual option to keep him in 2016 and bought him out for $3.2 million.

His departure was expected, given the high value of his contract and his underperformance. 

Guthrie signed with the Rangers in late February as an insurance starter who would compete for the fifth and final rotation spot with Chi Chi Gonzalez and Nick Martinez. Cole Hamels, Martin Perez and Colby Lewis are slated at the top, respectively, with ace Yu Darvish expected to rejoin the team midseason. 

The Padres are a better fit for Guthrie, given their lack of starting pitching depth beyond Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner.

Guthrie’s days as a top-of-the-rotation hurler are probably over, but he could vie for big league time toward the back end of the rotation in San Diego.

 

All advanced stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.

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Jeremy Guthrie to Rangers: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Right-handed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie has agreed to a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, pending a physical, per TR Sullivan of MLB.com.

The 36-year-old spent the past four seasons with the Kansas City Royals, although he was not on the postseason roster when the team made its World Series run in 2015.

Although his 91-108 record does not impress, he has been a workhorse over his career, surpassing 200 innings five times. He won a career-high 15 games in 2013 but was just 8-8 with a 70 ERA+ and a 1.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio last year, per Baseball-Reference.com.

Guthrie thanked Kansas City for his time with the team in an Instagram post:

The 12-year veteran won’t provide much more than depth at the back end of the rotation, but Baseball-Reference projects that he’ll win one more game than last season while posting a 4.83 ERA.

Texas can use all of the help it can get on the mound, as the team finished 23rd in MLB with a 4.24 ERA and 24th in the big leagues with a .262 batting average against last season.

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Jeremy Guthrie Allows 11 Earned Runs in 1-Plus Innings Pitched vs. Yankees

Jeremy Guthrie probably wishes he didn’t have to work on Memorial Day like most other Americans. 

The Kansas City Royals starting pitcher was absolutely rocked Monday against the New York Yankees, giving up an unbelievable 11 runs while recording just three outs. That put him in the history books for all of the wrong reasons, according to MLB Stat of the Day on Twitter:

It also put his performance among some of the worst pitching displays of all time, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:

Yes, Guthrie would probably have much preferred to be grilling and enjoying a beer Monday. Instead, he gave up a two-run homer to Chase Headley, a three-run shot to Brian McCann and another three-run homer to Brett Gardner in the first inning alone. Stephen Drew followed up with yet another three-run bomb in the second inning, which led to Guthrie’s early departure.

Guthrie has certainly had an up-and-down season even before Monday’s debacle. As Lee Judge of the Kansas City Star noted, he went 1-2 with an ERA of 6.52 over his first five starts before reversing course, going 3-0 with an ERA of 1.96 in his three starts leading up to Monday. 

As Judge noted, Guthrie has struggled at times with the difference in velocity between his fastball and changeup. When he’s struggled, he’s tended to throw those pitches at about the same speed, allowing hitters to adjust to that velocity. 

Whatever the case was Monday, the Yankees certainly had no issue identifying Guthrie’s pitches and teeing off on them. Guthrie and the Royals will simply be hoping he can put this brutal start behind him and regain the form he was showing in the three starts prior to Monday’s shellacking.   

 

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Kansas City Royals: Jeremy Guthrie Is the Key to a Successful 2013 Season

The struggles are well-documented, and the forecast has been rather bleak for the Kansas City Royals recently. With only four winning seasons since 1990, this franchise has been mired in one of the longest funks in professional sports history.

While the profuse stagnation has stained this city with a stout stench, the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to grow less dim as the Royals endured one of their most pointed, and talked about, offseasons in recent memory.

Ownership and management made it a focal point to improve the team’s most glaring deficiency: starting pitching. Though some of the moves drew ire, no one can point to a lack of effort in the Royals’ attempt to field a more competitive ball club in 2013.

Their offense is comprised largely of homegrown talent with much promise, but their starting rotation required a complete overhaul in order for the Royals to climb back to respectability. To do so, money had to be spent and top prospects needed to be used as trade bait.

The most notable move this offseason was obtaining James Shields and Wade Davis from the Tampa Bay Rays.

By sending off minor league player of the year, Wil Myers, pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Mike Montgomery and infielder Patrick Leonard, the Royals set out to prove they mean business and have full intent on escaping their extended stretch of futility.

While the Myers-Shields trade will be the hottest topic around Kansas City as the season progresses, the bigger move for the Royals was re-signing Jeremy Guthrie—who was acquired last summer in a trade that sent Jonathan Sanchez to the Colorado Rockies.

With the Rockies, Guthrie was not very effective—compiling a 6.35 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP, while striking out just 45 and walking 31 batters in 15 starts.

With the Royals, however, he managed to cut his ERA to 3.16 and his WHIP to 1.13 in 14 starts. Guthrie also upped his strikeout total to 56 while reducing his walks allowed to just 19.

Kansas City rewarded Guthrie’s performance by inking him to a three year deal worth $25 million. He will more than likely settle in as the team’s No. 2 starter behind Shields.

While his career numbers are not what one would consider worthy of that status, Guthrie will provide the Royals with a consistent option near the top of their rotation—spots formerly held by Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar, who are merely fighting for relevancy at this point in their careers.

Top to bottom, Kansas City will need solid contribution from everyone for this team to compete this season. Guthrie’s role will serve as the bridge within a pitching staff that looks to be much improved over previous years.

Shields is expected to be the workhorse the Royals acquired him to be. Guthrie’s performance, however, will set the stage for Davis, Ervin Santana (acquired via trade with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) and whoever is tabbed as the team’s No. 5 starter.

If Guthrie pitches well, it will provide a pressure-less environment for the rest of the staff to just go out and pitch. If Guthrie falters, the Royals might find themselves reverting back to their old ways—squandering all the goodwill built up from the offseason.

 

Follow Jeremy on Twitter.

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Royals Sign Jeremy Guthrie but Starting Rotation Still Needs Work

The Kansas City Royals made news on a relatively slow Tuesday morning in Major League Baseball by signing starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie to a three-year, $25-million contract. The contract is structured so the right-hander will make $5 million in 2013, $11 million in 2014 and $9 million in 2015.

Guthrie was acquired by the Royals last summer in a deal with the Colorado Rockies that sent left-handed starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez back to the National League—a move that turned out just fine for Kansas City.

Sanchez had worn out his welcome during his stint with the Royals and Guthrie compiled a 5-3 record with a 3.16 ERA in 14 starts after the deal. How that success translates over an entire season—or three seasons—in Kansas City remains to be seen.

Joining Guthrie at the top of the team’s starting rotation is Ervin Santana, who was brought over from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a trade earlier in the offseason. While neither projects to put up ace-type numbers, they are expected to anchor a staff that will also feature some combination of Bruce Chen, Luke Hochevar, Jake Odorizzi, Luis Mendoza, Will Smith and newly acquired Chris Volstad.

When Danny Duffy and Felipe Pauline are able to return from Tommy John Surgery, they stand to be in the picture as well.

If the Royals plan on turning the corner, though, the additions of Guthrie and Santana will need to serve as a means to an end rather than moves that polish off a finished product.

With an exciting crop of positional players in place—and with Minor League Player of the Year Wil Myers on his way—the time is now for Kansas City to return to prominence.

Royals’ owner David Glass stated back in September that he would spend money to improve the team’s starting pitching. While this is a step in the right direction, it is imperative that the checkbook stays open for more big moves. 

 

 Follow Jeremy on Twitter @KCPopFlyBoy

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Fantasy Baseball: 5 Widely-Available Starting Pitchers Worth a Look

I took a look at starting pitchers available in at least half of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues. Most guys in that range are either hurt or unproven, but there are some viable options in case the back end of your rotation is still shaky. Here are five guys I would consider.

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Gems: American League April 10 Weekend

This weekly column will focus on guys who are out there to be had for nothing in most leagues that can help your team even if only as a short term fill in. So if you’re like me and have Evan Longoria, Jason Bay, Brian Matusz and Chase Utley sitting on your DL, these are some names you might have to call to the rescue!

 

Jeremy Guthrie: SP Baltimore Orioles (40 percent owned in Yahoo, 29 percent in ESPN leagues)

Current Stat Line: 1 W/6 K/ 0.00 ERA

While clearly we can not expect his next few starts to go as well or better than his first, Guthrie is a solid starter backed by an improved offense in Baltimore. He may not make Sunday’s start due to a bout with Pneumonia, but beyond that, he should be ready to go. We can expect wins in the teens, an ERA under 4 and 125+ strike outs.

 

Coco Crisp: OF Oakland A’s (42 percent Yahoo, 62 percent ESPN)

Current Stat Line: .280 Avg/5 R/0 HR/1 RBI/3 SB

Coco has gone overlooked, especially in a lot of Yahoo leagues, but if we look at his recent seasons this is a guy who can definitely help your team when healthy. Last year in 75 games he had 32 stolen bases, 51 runs scored and a surprising 8 home runs. I wouldn’t count on the pop, but if you need runs and steals, Crisp can get them in bunches. Assuming no injuries, look for a .280 Avg, 45+ steals and 100 runs scored.

 

Jordan Walden: Closer LA Angels (65 percent Yahoo, 59 percent ESPN)

Current Stat Line: 1 S/7 K/0.00 ERA

Well, the Fernando Rodney experiment in LA is over—all hail the new closer Jordan Walden. Jordan is more heavily owned in both leagues than guys I would normally talk about here, but his upside is undeniable. He’s a young fireballer out of the K-Rod mold and has already converted on his first opportunity. Walden has the potential to be a top-tier closer this season. I’m looking for 35 saves with an ERA under three and about 1.5 K’s per inning.

 

Brennan Boesch: OF Detroit Tigers (20 percent Yahoo, 18 percent ESPN)

Current Stat Line: .421 Avg/7 R/1 HR/5 RBI/0 SB

Boesch is looking much more disciplined at the plate right now and appears to look more like the hot player from the first half of last season at this point. With Rayburn slow out of the gate, Boesch has an opportunity to lock up LF all to himself. I would stay conservative with projections until playing time is solidified, .270 Avg, 20 home runs, 50 runs, 70 RBI and five steals.

 

Brian is a Senior Writer for 4thandHome.com where this, and other work, can be found. Additionally, he is co-host of the 4th and Home Radio show on Blog Talk Radio.

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Health of Justin Duchscherer and Pitching Staff Key to Orioles Success

After nearly a decade and a half of losing seasons, will this finally be the year that the Baltimore Orioles rise from the depths of the AL East to finally top .500?

I will go out on a limb here, as I always do with my baseball predictions, and say that it is not all that far-fetched.

Is it likely that they win the AL East? Not in the slightest bit, but hey, never say never.

I can tell you one thing that is for sure though—if the Orioles play to their potential this season, they will add even more buzz to what is already arguably the toughest division in baseball.

For years now, the Orioles have had a relatively solid lineup, which behind a decent pitching squad, could have made a run for a few playoff spots.  

As all baseball fans know, that is exactly what the team has lacked—decent, reliable pitching.

The O’s approached the issue not with huge blockbuster deals, but rather simple improvements to what has been a lackluster pitching staff.

To me, the biggest question with this year’s pitching will be reliability.

For the most part, the O’s have a youthful pitching squad which combined with past injuries, can potentially be an equation for disaster.

One of their biggest pitching acquisitions this offseason was injury-prone Justin Duchscherer.

Now I have always been a fan of Duchscherer since he first stepped onto the mound in Oakland, but his last few years have been less than impressive as he has suffered injury after injury after injury.

He claims that he currently feels the best that he has in years, mentally and physically, but who is to say which Duchscherer will show up at Camden Yards—the two-time all-star or the injury-prone mess. 

Other than Duchscherer, Jake Arrieta is another starter whose health presents us with a rather large question mark, since he had a bone spur in his elbow last season and decided to let it heal naturally on its own rather than have surgery to have it removed.

Only time will tell whether or not he made the right decision in choosing that path of rehabilitation.

As for the remainder of the starting rotation, health is not as big of a concern as is the age of some of its players, such as second-year pitchers Brian Matusz and Brad Bergesen who both struggled a bit coming out of the gate in 2010.

Both of them did bounce back from their poor starts after the All-Star break, but similar to Duchscherer’s situation, who knows which version of these two will show up this season—the first half disappointments or second half surprises.

However, when we look at the bullpen, the issue of injuries pops right back up again, and in dramatic fashion.

With the exception of the newly acquired Kevin Gregg and Jeremy Accardo, every other relief pitcher in the pen dealt with some sort of injury last season.

Michael Gonzalez, Koji Uehara, Jim Johnson and Jason Berken all had some type of shoulder or elbow injury.

Gonzalez suffered a left shoulder sprain, Johnson was bothered by lingering right elbow problems for most of the season, Uehara had elbow and hamstring issues and Berken suffered a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.  

Uehara came back strong to end the season on a high note, but who is to say that he will not be plagued with the same issues this season?

Okay now onto a lighter, more positive note.

These negatives can just as easily turn out to be positives for the O’s.  

Uehara, despite his injuries, impressed many as he only let up 14 earned runs, five home runs and five walks in 44 innings.

Johnson also did fairly well last season when his elbow was not acting up and will only improve as he gets more years of experience under his belt.

The addition of Gregg will also bolster the bullpen.

Although a bit wild at times, Gregg is coming off a career season with 37 saves and will hopefully look to build off of this and use it as motivation in his battle with Uehara for the closer role.

And let’s not look past the potential that the O’s starting rotation has.

Guthrie was solid last season and if Duchscherer is as healthy as he says he is and gives the baseball world another great year like 2005, I think that they would be a great one-two punch.

Yes, Matusz and Bergesen are young, but if they continue pitching at the level they were on at the end of last season, I only see good things to come from the two of them.  

If this pitching staff can manage to avoid major injuries and regressions and help the O’s keep games within reach so the offense does not have to continually struggle, I think they have a pretty good chance of finally making it over .500 again.  

Let me just reiterate here that I am not saying the Orioles are going all the way this year, I am just saying that they are headed down the right path and that their fans would be crazy to not be excited for the first time in a long time.

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Baltimore Orioles 2011 Preview: How Good Can They Be?

Since the hiring of manager Buck Showalter in late July, the Orioles had an incredible end to the season. Finishing at 34-23 under Showalter, the Orioles had a better last two months than the Yankees, who finished a mediocre 29-30 in the same time frame.

Showalter made an immediate impact for a team that was thought to be lost. Can last year’s late success translate into a possible postseason run in 2011? 

The O’s made a splash early this offseason by acquiring Mark Reynolds for next to nothing. They also signed Derrek Lee to a no-risk one-year deal. The Orioles front office has taken advantage of a hitters ballpark this offseason. They now have a very deep lineup, adding Reynolds and Lee to what they already had with Adam Jones, Luke Scott and Nick Markakis.

Orioles Projected Lineup

1. Brian Roberts 2B
2. Adam Jones CF
3. Derrek Lee 1B
4. Mark Reynolds 3B
5. Nick Markakis RF
6. Luke Scott DH
7. Matt Wieters C
8. J.J. Hardy SS
9. Felix Pie LF

If you look at this lineup, one through seven it is arguably the best in the division. If it is not the best it is definitely the deepest, compared to the Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays. The only team that is comparable the Red Sox.

In my opinion, Baltimore has about seven solid hitters compared to about five or six on the Sox. The Orioles lineup is definitely deeper; however, the Red Sox have two legitimate stars in Crawford and Gonzo, while the O’s have two good hitters and no real stars.

While the Orioles have one of the better lineups in the league, their pitching rotation is among the worst in the league. When you see Jeremy Guthrie listed as the ace of the rotation, you should be concerned. They do have some young arms that have potential, but they are not ready to make a positive impact this season.

Orioles Projected Rotation

1. Jeremy Guthrie
2. Brian Matusz
3. Jake Arrieta
4. Justin Duchscherer
5. Chris Tillman

The Orioles have four very good pitchers in the bullpen, three with closing experience. Mike Gonzalez was the closer to start last season, but saw limited action after going down to an injury. Gonzalez, along with Jim Johnson, will likely set up for recently acquired closer Kevin Gregg. Alfredo Simon was 17 of 21 in saves last year replacing Gonzalez. If Kevin Gregg is unable to close, look for Simon to be replacement.

Right now the Orioles look like a fourth place team, unless the Blue Jays go cold. But right now the Rays don’t have enough talent to pass the O’s. Don’t expect anything better from them this year, but if Derrek Lee works out and the pitching develops the Orioles have real potential for years to come. 

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