On Meche being optioned —
I heard two things, and I asked (as did David, and probably Jason) people who know this stuff and people in front offices. I got two answers —
[editing this next couple of paragraphs as I get more info]
First, that there was no way he had options left — once you have three years as a pro (Meche: 1996-1998, in the minors) you have to be put on the 40 man roster (he was). Then each player has three option years, where they can be sent up and down as much as the team cares to. 1999, 2000 he split time. Even if you don’t count 2002 (and why wouldn’t you? I’m not sure, but ignore it for now), you’ll remember the Mariners sent him down to Tacoma last year (though he never played down there) as part of their roster shenanigans — but that doesn’t count, because apparantly there’s a sub-sub-rule that says optional assignments don’t count against option years if they’re of a duration shorter then 20 days. That leaves an open question about what happened with his DL time and 2002 — I’m assuming at this point that by keeping him on the 40m and nominally in either the majors or minors, they’d have preserved his option years.
So that’s only two years where they moved him up and down. So to be sent down, Meche would have to clear waivers — and that may well have happened and we just don’t know that yet, though it seems unlikely that no one would claim him.
There was a second opinion that Meche had options left, though I couldn’t get a good explanation of why (see above), but that he would have to be designated for assignment to be sent down. I think Dave understood the explanation for this, but I didn’t.
If you told me that they’d screwed up and someone had protested and claimed him, I wouldn’t be surprised, but I can’t imagine they didn’t clear it with MLB first.
The problem is that we don’t know. Baseball’s transaction rules are byzantine and they keep them secret for reasons unknown (would it be so bad if David and I could look them over and argue this out like everything else?) and the rules, right now, might include one that says “Gil Meche has an extra option year” that we just don’t know about.
More details as we figure them out.
Teams have incorrect option information all the time. Every spring, a team or four that believed a player was out of options is informed that they do, indeed, have one left. Why Meche still has one is a giant mystery, but no complaints here.
For what its worth, I still think Meche is best served in the bullpen long term. I’d like to see him get some work in relief while he’s in Tacoma. Of course, at this point, we really have to wonder about the long term future he’s going to have in this organization. He’s already been through arbitration, and his salaries are going to stay north of $2 million until he hits free agency. There’s a decent chance he could be non-tendered after the year.
By bringing up Bocachica, they’ve essentially swapped him for McCracken. They got Bocachica on a minor league contract, and paid $2 million for McCracken. Think anyone in the front office might learn the value of replacement level talent from this?
Regardless, these are just small shots across the bow. The big overhaul is still coming.
Meche optioned to Tacoma, Hiram Bocachica up.
If this is true, I seriously have no idea how this can be true.
Hey, something we haven’t covered but it’s come up in a couple of emails: the Mariners designated Q McC for assignment. This doesn’t mean he’s cut, but he’s as good as cut. What happens is that the team opens up a roster spot, and they and the player get some time to work out what they’re going to do.
What this may mean is that they’re trying to work out a trade (but to who?), or that they want to send him to the minors and he has to pass through waivers (and another team could claim him and his salary)(but who would?) and then would send him down to the minors.
Here’s the question, though — what has Q McC done, or not done, that demands they cut him?
He’s hit badly, as we expected, but he’s only played in 19 games, and only has 20 at-bats. Wasn’t one of the reasons they picked him up the team’s belief that given more regular playing time, he’d prosper? If that’s the case, why haven’t they done so and tested that theory?
Was he so bad defensively when they played him for those 34 innings that they couldn’t stand to see him? Didn’t they know that he wasn’t a stellar glove man going into this?
Sure, I’d cut QMcC, but I wouldn’t have ever traded for him.
Trying to get into the M’s mind — why discard him now? To carry both Bloomquist and Cabrera on the roster? So Cabrera becomes McLemore and Bloomquist becomes… Bloomquist?
I don’t get it. It doesn’t make sense even within the wacky world of M’s thinking.
Derek
So, I’m finally settling back in a bit after a good weekend trip to D.C. Thanks to all the really cool readers who joined Peter and I for an afternoon of Mariner watching. The M’s are now 1-0 during U.S.S. Mariner/Mariner Musings gatherings. It is only a matter of time before Melvin becomes aware of this stat and asks us to help turn the season around by watching more games together.
Lots of talk in the papers this morning about Meche being optioned to Tacoma. Near as Derek, Jason, and I can figure, including conversations with folks who really should know, he’s out of options, no bones about it. The only way that we can see that he could be sent to Tacoma would be if he was outrighted off the 40 man roster and cleared waivers (as a first time designee, he wouldn’t have the option of refusing the assignment). Of course, MLB has so many abstract rules that not even they know, we’re probably wrong about this. But, from our understanding, they shouldn’t be able to option him to Tacoma without him first clearing waivers.
If Meche goes down and George Sherril doesn’t come up, well, he’d have every reason to go all Milton Bradley in Tacoma this afternoon.
Oh, and in case you haven’t thrown in the towel on 2004 yet, the M’s need to go 76-35 (.684 baseball) the rest of the way to win 95 games, which would probably get them in the playoffs. The Yankees have the best record in baseball right now at 31-19, which works out to a .620 winning percentage. So, for the rest of the year, the M’s would have to play significantly better than any other team in baseball has been able to play so far this year. Yea, that’s gonna happen…
Also, the M’s are on pace to lose 102 games this year. We’re a half game ahead of Tampa Bay and percentage points ahead of Kansas City for the worst record in the American League. On the bright side, since we’re almost certainly going to be picking in the top half of the first round next year, the M’s can’t forfeit that pick no matter how many lame free agents they sign.
Speaking of the draft, it’s next Monday, but you probably won’t even notice since the M’s don’t have a first or second round pick. Their first selection is #93 overall. I’m sure Howard Lincoln has to be pleased, however, that slot money for that pick is a little north of $400,000. So, the only way the M’s are going to add any real impact prospects in this draft will be overpaying for hard-to-sign types in the later rounds. Or by getting a bunch of great picks in the late rounds, but really, do we think this organization is capable of such a thing?
Last year, they overdrafted Adam Jones, who I still maintain will spend more time in the majors as a pitcher than as a shortstop, tossed a $700,000 bonus for the right to have Jeff Flaig rehab a torn labrum with the club for two years, and then spent three mid-round picks on senior signs that cost a combined $19,000 in signing bonuses.
2002 brought us such winners as the Mayberry/Esteve debacles, Josh Womack’s overdraft, a giant collection of HS arms who have been injured or ineffective, and the ridiculous Evel Bastida-Martinez selection (and subsequent huge bonus to a guy who just sucks).
2001 was the Michael Garciaparra draft, which everyone claimed was a terrible selection at the time, only made worse by the fact that they paid him $2 million to sign. Toss in Michael Wilson, Lazaro Abreu, Tim Merritt, John Cole, Justin Ockerman, and Jeff Ellena, and well, this was just one ugly, ugly draft. Right now, the entire crop has netted us Bobby Livingston and Rene Rivera, a pair of B- prospects with some pretty severe flaws in their games.
There is some hope, since Frank Mattox was inexplicably promoted after botching three consecutive drafts, and now Bob Fontaine is the man making the calls. But, in reality, it’s the same scouts, similar philosophies, and a team that doesn’t pick until most other teams have grabbed three players. Nothing like another missed opportunity to brighten the day on this sunny season.
New Unified Meche Theory
— [updated late Wednesday] —
Meche is drafted out of high school, so he has four years, not three, before he has to be protected on the 40-man roster.
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999….
1999
Meche is called up and put on the 40-man roster. He does not return to the minors. Not an option year.
2000
Meche splits time between the majors and minors. This is an option year, 1/3
2001
Meche is injured. This doesn’t count as an option year.
2002
Meche is injured and then goes down to San Antonio (where he stinks up the joint). It currently appears that he was on an optional assignment, for two reasons:
DL assignments are limited in length
Meche went on San Antonio’s DL when he was there, which can’t happen if he’s on a rehab assignment as far as I know.
However, some still disagree. This is option year 2/3.
2003
Meche is sent to Tacoma but only momentarily, and this doesn’t count as an option year.
If all of this is true, then 2004 now becomes Meche’s last available option year. If everything’s correct up until this point, that also means the assumption about 1999 not being an option year has to hold up.
Man, this is annoying to work out. However, it again proves our readers r00l d00dz! j00 0wnZ!
I’d like to announce that I lasted until just after Ibanez’s home run before I muted the television. Rizzs and Henderson… couldn’t the Mariners just send someone over to sing “Wind Beneath My Wings” over and over if they want to torture me?
Ibanez, by the way, is set to be the only Mariner who hits significantly better than Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections had him. PECOTA had Ibanez at .267/.332/.442 with 15 HR. We can be pretty sure he’ll do better than that, though — and this is going to sound petty, I know — overall his producitivy is probably going to work out to be about what PECOTA figured his 75% forecast was (though we’ll see… the season is long).
Fairly: “Isn’t it funny how things like that come back to haunt you?”
Niehaus: “Borders looking to tie it up here.”
Fairly: “Reminds me of when I killed that fan after a game in LA. I think about that every day. It was late and as I was leaving the stadium–”
Niehaus: “THAT BALL WILL DROP!”
Seriously, Nageotte comes in because Meche can’t throw strikes? Did the M’s just not pay attention to the fact that Nageotte can’t either? He had 25 walks, 2 HBP’s, and 6 wild pitches in 48 innings for Tacoma. There really isn’t any reason for Clint to be in the majors right now, and if they are thinking of putting him in the rotation full time, well, they’re fooling themselves.
Is there a player you want to beat you? I’m just saying.