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Cleveland Indians pitcher Gavin Floyd is out indefinitely after suffering a recurrence of the right elbow stress fracture that limited him to nine starts in 2014.  

Continue for updates.

Floyd Reinjures Pitching Elbow

Tuesday, March 10

The Indians announced they are currently exploring treatment options:

Floyd, 32, pitched only nine games last season with the Atlanta Braves due to a fractured olecranon in his pitching elbow. He has been limited to just 14 starts since the end of the 2012 season due to injuries. In 2013, he needed Tommy John surgery while pitching with the Chicago White Sox.

Cleveland signed Floyd to a one-year, $4 million deal in December. Floyd can make up to $10 million in 2015 with incentives, though his latest injury makes that unlikely. He is yet to make a spring training appearance after dealing with soreness.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

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The Cleveland pitching staff got a boost on Tuesday as the team signed right-handed starting pitcher Gavin Floyd.     

The team announced the move on Twitter:

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com has more details on the contract:

Floyd, who suffered an elbow fracture last year while pitching for the Atlanta Braves, went 2-2 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 54.1 innings over nine starts. It was the second season he had cut short after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2013.

The team clearly isn’t worried about any lingering elbow issues, however.

Cleveland’s starting staff managed just 78 quality starts last season, tied for 11th in the American League, but it has a solid core in place that Floyd will reinforce. The club tweeted the expected rotation after the signing:

Floyd should slide nicely into the rotation and will complement team ace Corey Kluber, along with the duo of Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer, each of whom came into his own last season.

Add in one of the more underrated bullpens in the American League, and Cleveland’s pitching staff is looking pretty good heading into the 2015 MLB season with Floyd’s addition.

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The Chicago White Sox have begun the 2013 season at a level below expectations.

Below expectations is a perfect phrase to describe Gavin Floyd’s entire major league career.

Floyd, a pitcher with all the talent in the world, has never been able to mentally handle the major leagues the way his physical abilities should allow him to.

And now, at age 30, his time to put it all together is running out.

Last night, against a reeling Toronto Blue Jays club wrought with injuries and early season disappointment, the White Sox scored two runs in the first inning off former Sox Mark Buehrle.

But, like he has done so many times in his career, Floyd wasted the lead handed to him, giving up two first inning runs himself.

The White Sox went on to lose 4-3, with Floyd only lasting 4.1 innings. Floyd is now 0-3 in his three starts with a 6.32 ERA.

Obviously, it’s still early in the season. Established starting pitchers should almost never be dropped after just three starts. However, there are two factors going against Gavin at this point.

One is current White Sox long reliever, Hector Santiago. The 25-year-old southpaw with a beautiful screwball has gotten off to a red-hot start, having yet to allow a run in his eight innings of work.

It’s never too early for the club to start thinking about its future, and a player like Santiago represents the Sox present and future.

Along those lines is the second point to be made against Gavin Floyd: his contract.

Both Santiago and Floyd have one year left with the team on their current contracts, but Santiago is much more likely to be extended than Floyd. Unless the miraculous occurs, Floyd will be in another uniform come next season.

Normally, this actually makes a pitcher better. Desiring a free agent period marked with meaty, long-term contract offers, hurlers are dialed in on the mound and end up benefiting their current team even more than their future team.

In the case of Floyd, the opposite has occurred, and it makes sense. Floyd’s mentality is not of the Jake Peavy ilk. Pressure and spotlights don’t suit him. He’s no bulldog.

Supporting evidence would be his only career postseason outing, a three-inning disaster in the 2008 ALDS.

So while Peavy pitched brilliantly heading into free agency last season, Floyd is nothing more than a lame duck. 

The 2013 season may be the last hurrah for some of the White Sox great veteran players whose victory lap will hopefully bring the club a postseason berth.

But in Gavin Floyd’s case, it’s time for the White Sox to move on now rather than later.

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New Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn will have his hands full this winter as he attempts to turn the White Sox into a playoff team.

Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune has reported that the White Sox will focus on the trade market more than the free-agent market to make any major moves.

While there are a number of priorities, third base stands out as an urgent area of need. AJ Mass of ESPN (Insider required) has suggested that the White Sox could trade starter Gavin Floyd to the Kansas City Royals for Mike Moustakas.

Interdivisional trades may not be common, but this is a deal that would benefit both sides.

Moustakas was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 MLB draft and he was immediately labeled with a comparison to Alex Rodriguez by his agent Scott Boras (h/t Conor Nicholl of MLB.com). That comparison is very optimistic, but Moustakas has developed into a good player.

The 24-year old third baseman hit .242 with 20 home runs and 73 RBI during his first full season in the major leagues. There is still a lot of room for Moustakas to continue to develop, and there is a good chance that he becomes one of the elite offensive third basemen in the American League in the next few years.

Additionally, Moustakas is a great fit for the Royals because he will not hit the free-agent market until after the 2018 season. Given these facts, it appears unlikely that the Royals would be willing to deal Moustakas.

However, after their acquisition of Ervin Santana, it appears as if the Royals are interested in making a push for the postseason this year. The starting rotation was one of the Royals’ biggest problems last season and they will need to bring in another starter or two this winter.

Gavin Floyd could serve as a steady middle-of-the-rotation starter for the Royals. He went 12-11 with a 4.26 ERA in 2012, and he will be 30 years old next season. Floyd has one year and $9.5 million left on his contract.

Even though Floyd has a decent amount of trade value, it is hard to see him being dealt straight up to the Royals for Moustakas. Kansas City would certainly demand more than Floyd in return for a potentially perennial All-Star.

Floyd could serve as a center piece for a deal, but at least one other player would need to go to the Royals.

Perhaps the White Sox could sweeten the deal by including a prospect like Carlos Sanchez in the deal. The young middle infielder has been moving quickly through the White Sox system and he earned himself an invitation to the Futures Game in 2012.

Sanchez was ranked as the seventh-best prospect in the White Sox organization following the 2012 season by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A last season, the switch-hitter batted .323 and stole 26 bases. It is possible that Sanchez could make his major-league debut before his 21st birthday this June.

Even if Sanchez is not a fit in a possible deal for Moustakas, the White Sox could package a different prospect with Floyd such as Scott Snodgress or Simon Castro in order to get a deal done.

Moustakas would be an outstanding addition to the White Sox lineup in 2013 and beyond. Acquiring Moustakas would be expensive for Chicago, but it would very well be worth it.

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In a bold move Tuesday afternoon, the Chicago White Sox signed Jake Peavy to a contract extension and picked up the option on Gavin Floyd. With Peavy and Floyd penciled into the 2013 starting rotation, the White Sox signaled that they intend to win the AL Central next year.

As reported by Jon Heyman from CBSSports.com, Peavy’s extension is worth $29 million over two years.

Peavy, 32, had an impressive campaign in 2012. He went 11-12 with a 3.37 ERA and struck out 194 in 219 innings. Along with Chris Sale, Peavy was a constant for the White Sox rotation this past season and he would have been missed.

Almost simultaneously, MLBTradeRumors.com reported that the White Sox had picked up Floyd’s $9.5 million option.

Floyd’s 2012 stats (12-11, 4.29 ERA and 144 Ks in 168 innings) were less impressive than Peavy’s, but he is as solid a No. 4 starter as there is in the AL.

Prior to the moves today, next year’s rotation had been a question mark. Now, the White Sox seemingly have one of the best rotations in the league.

In addition to Sale, John Danks and Jose Quintana, Peavy and Floyd provide the White Sox with a balanced rotation and reasons for legitimate optimism on the South Side.

Now, Danks is coming off surgery, while Sale and Quintana each surpassed career highs in innings pitched, so how everything comes together is still very much unknown. The moves have to excite White Sox fans, however.

One very large question looms after today’s announcement, though.

Do the moves preclude White Sox GM Rick Hahn from re-signing A.J. Pierzynski and bringing Kevin Youkilis back?

Based on Hahn’s statement that the White Sox will have a 2013 payroll “right in the same neighborhood” they “spent in 2012” (per Patrick Mooney from Comcast Sports Net), it would seem so.

Then again, the White Sox have surprised us more than once, so anything is possible.

Mark Gonzales from the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday that the White Sox have until Friday to make qualifying offers to both men.

@SuggestSmith

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It’s the offseason, a month away from spring training.  Like many of you, I’m a bored Sox fan.  In my previous articles, I have come off as extremely pessimistic.  It’s a curse, what can I say.  

It’s a new year and a chance for me to change it up.  Let’s focus on the good. Introducing your Chicago White Sox all-decade team..

For those of you who wanted to recall the illustrious careers of Dan Wright, Billy Koch and Rob Mackowiak, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Maybe if I get enough positive feedback on this piece, I’ll come up with the franchise’s worst players of the decade next week. Enjoy. 

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After relentlessly attempting to land local product Gio Gonzalez and add another established pitcher to the rotation, the Marlins are forced to look elsewhere as the division rival Washington Nationals augmented their rotation with another young arm. 

It was disappointing for the Marlins because, in this particular case, they were willing to deal their top prospects, a change of times for a franchise who usually keeps and molds their farm system and deals their established starting players. 

The Oakland Athletics asked the Marlins for either Logan Morrison or Mike Stanton in a package deal for Gio Gonzalez and the team has deemed both “untouchable”. 

So where does the team go from here? 

The current rotation of Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Ricky Nolasco, and Anibal Sanchez has an array of question marks to the point that it might not even be within the top 3 in the crowded NL East.

The trade market currently consists of Wade Davis (Rays), Gavin Floyd (White Sox), Matt Garza (Cubs), Wandy Rodriguez (Astros), and Carlos Zambrano (Cubs). 

The Marlins could easily obtain Davis, Rodriguez or Zambrano in different ways. If they want Wade Davis (26), they’d have to part with Gaby Sanchez which will only happen if the team successfully signs Yoenis Cespedes so that Morrison can reclaim his former position at first base.  

To get Wandy Rodriguez (32), the Marlins would have to eat up the grand majority of his contract (three years/$36 million) and deal a solid return. But considering they wanted C.J. Wilson, this is a possibility. Rodriguez went 11-11 with a 3.49 ERA but his strikeout rate has steadily declined since 2008. 

To get Carlos Zambrano (30), the Marlins wouldn’t have to deal much as the Cubs would eat up most of the $18 million owed to him in 2012. The team would likely have to part with pitcher Chris Volstad to get a deal done. Zambrano essentially would be a reclamation project with the hopes he can regain his footing as top-of-the-rotation guy. 

As for Matt Garza or Gavin Floyd, the package would have to be within the ranks of the Gio Gonzalez deal. The Marlins will probably steer clear of Garza (10-10, 3.32 ERA) considering the package the Cubs would seek for their 28-year-old with only one year of control left. Gavin Floyd (12-13, 4.37 ERA), Ozzie’s former pitcher with the White Sox, would be an intriguing option but the “rebuilding” White Sox could seek a huge return for their 28-year-old pitcher. 

On the other hand, the free agent market consists of Edwin Jackson, Hiroki Kuroda, Roy Oswalt, Joe Saunders and Javier Vazquez.  Out of these, Vazquez has said and continues to hold firm on his stance on retiring and, at this point, why force a guy back when he truly doesn’t want to return?

Joe Saunders and Hiroki Kuroda make little sense because of age in Kuroda’s case (36) or pitching ability in Saunders’ case (soft-throwing left-hander, which the Marlins have in Mark Buehrle). 

Edwin Jackson seeks a multi-year deal with agent Scott Boras in tow, and the Marlins won’t go down that road with a pitcher of similar ability in Ricky Nolasco, who floundered last season. 

As for Roy Oswalt, it wouldn’t be a bad decision to sign him, as he seeks a one-year deal. But can the Marlins afford to add another question mark, as Oswalt suffered through back issues last season? 

You can bet the Marlins are going to add one more pitcher, but who is it? That’s yet to be seen, but the team has to do whatever it takes to keep up with the pitching ranks in the NL East. The Marlins arguably may have the best lineup in the division, but the starting rotation thirsts for one more ace to make the team a serious contender. 

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There has been a lot of news as of late regarding players being shut down for the rest of the season (and others who we aren’t quite sure about). 

Let’s take a look at a few of the names that influence fantasy owners.

Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs

Shoulder surgery brought his renaissance campaign to a bitter conclusion as he hit .280 with 17 HRs, 53 RBI, and 47 runs on the year.

He is likely going to be replaced in the lineup by Koyie Hill, who doesn’t offer much upside for fantasy owners, even those in two-catcher formats. 

Soto should be fine for spring training and should be a starting option at a weak position entering the season.

Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

He has two fractured ribs, but if he can endure the pain, he can play through the injury. It’s actually hard to imagine him not getting into a game before the season comes to an end, as he hasn’t played since September 4 and the team is going to want him ready for the postseason. 

Going through that lengthy of a layoff and then being thrust back into the biggest stage would be awfully difficult. Still, it’s hard for fantasy owners to trust him at this point. 

It’s a big loss with fantasy championships on the line, but just stash him on your bench.

Tyler Colvin, Chicago Cubs

He suffered an injury after being hit in the chest with a broken bat. 

He put up a surprisingly strong rookie campaign, hitting .254 with 20 HRs, 56 RBI, 60 runs and six SBs.

You should be able to find someone on the waiver wire, but he will certainly have potential value next season in a five-outfielder format.

Coco Crisp, Oakland Athletics

He suffered a broken pinkie; just the latest in what feels like a never-ending list of injuries. 

He’ll likely miss the remainder of the season, putting a kink in the plans of owners trying to make a run in stolen bases.

Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics

He has soreness in his elbow and will be meeting with Dr. James Andrews to get checked out. 

That’s never a good sign, but for now owners need to simply hope that there isn’t a major problem and he is able to be ready for 2011. Unfortunately, 2010 seems like a lost cause. 

For those desperate for saves, Michael Wuertz and Craig Breslow are the most likely candidates to replace him.

Gavin Floyd, Chicago White Sox

He was pulled from his last start with tightness in his shoulder and now buried in the AL Central race, the White Sox really have no reason to push him. 

It’s unlikely he makes another start so look for another option to fill out your staff.

What are your thoughts on these players?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s early 2011 Rankings:

• Catchers  
• First Basemen 
• Second Basemen 
• Shortstops 
• Third Basemen 
• Outfielders 
  
• Closers 

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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As fantasy owners, we’ve all been burned.  We know what it feels like, and the stages of remorse that comes with it.

First, there’s denial. Denial that the player you coveted on draft day could really be this terrible, and that all your research and preparation was, well, dead wrong.

Then comes anger. Angst at said player for his exceeding levels of sucktitude.  You drafted him early enough where he still gets free passes after a slow start/poor outing, but there’s only so much a self respecting owner can take.

Finally, acceptance.

Ah, who am I kidding? The third stage is only more anger.  Followed by kicking that player to the free agent curb the same way Uncle Phil used to hoist DJ Jazzy Jeff onto his lawn in “Fresh Prince of Bel Aire.”

For those in roto leagues, these pitchers have not only burned a hole in your ERA, but one deep inside the carpals of your heart as well with their astounding rebound performances in the second half.  They’ve been dropped, forgotten about, left for dead, and left you with the open wounds of a team ERA that still hasn’t dipped blow 4.00.

It’s like going through a messy divorce with your wife, losing half your belongings and property in the process, only to find out just months later she’s met a charming Wall Street CEO with a mansion and fountain that spits Courvoisier.

And she’s pregnant.

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Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers has been officially placed on the disabled list retroactive to July 5 with a strained left oblique he suffered in the bottom of the third inning on Sunday. Fantasy baseball owners will greatly miss the 8-4 Gallardo with his 2.58 ERA and 9.83 strikeouts per nine innings.

Jordan Schelling of Brewers.com noted that despite being recently named to the National League All-Star team, Gallardo will not take part due to the injury. He will miss a minimum of two starts, and if all goes well, will be eligible to come off the disabled list July 20.  

In the meantime, if you need to fill the void left by Gallardo, or even Clay Buchholz, who was also recently sent to the disabled list, consider these ten options:

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