Astros Rumors

AL Notes: Yankees, Miley, Vladito

By Dylan A. Chase | September 22, 2019 at 12:32am CDT

Joel Sherman of the New York Post had an interesting profile today of a Yankees pitching staff at a crossroads (link). After losing Domingo German and Dellin Betances to suspension and injury, respectively, over the past several days, the AL East-champion Bombers find themselves with a pitching picture very much in flux. “I don’t look at it as frustrating,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild told Sherman. “I look at it as a problem to solve. We have to figure out what we are going to do. You would love to have those two guys obviously. But we don’t, so we have to move forward.” As Sherman points out, German’s loss may be particularly impactful, as his multi-inning ability may force skipper Aaron Boone to opt for a 13-man pen in the playoffs instead of a 12-man pen.

While Chad Green, J.A. Happ, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino, James Paxton, Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Aroldis Chapman, and Zack Britton are all ’locks’ for the postseason staff, the final spots are more of a toss-up after the team’s loss of German and Betances. Luis Cessa, Cory Gearrin, Tyler Lyons, Stephen Tarpley, Ben Heller, and Jonathan Loaisiga are names floated by Sherman as possibilities to round out Boone’s October pen corps.

More notes from around the AL this Saturday eve…

The Astros are facing what the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome deems a “full-fledged fourth starter crisis” after another uninspiring performance from the previously steady Wade Miley (link). In Saturday’s game against the Angels, Miley failed to complete more than one inning for the third time in four starts. The 32-year-old Miley had looked to be a coup for the Astros front office after signing a one-year/$4.5MM deal this offseason, with a 3.06 ERA through his first 156 innings this year. Unfortunately, the calendar’s turn to September has spelled doom for Miley, who has allowed 18 earned runs in 7 ⅓ September innings. Manager A.J. Hinch is voicing somewhat of a hedged belief in the experienced lefty: “We’re going to figure it out,” manager A.J. Hinch told Rome. “He’s going to be really effective for us. But given the time, it’s a difficult time to assess because he’s got one start left before we need to make some decisions.” Looking back, regression was probably coming for Miley all along, as those first 156 innings were undermined by a .263 BABIP and 4.36 FIP mark.
In a somewhat more humorous note to conclude tonight’s news, Sportsnet’s Arash Madani passes along an eyebrow-raising nugget concerning Blue Jays rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero Jr., it seems, doesn’t owe his prodigious power to an intensive weight room regimen: “I’ve never worked out at the gym before,” Guerrero Jr. told Madani. “I’ve never lifted weights before.” While it’s roundly mystifying to consider that “Vladito” has achieved phenomenal athletic fame without ever committing himself to either a ’leg’ or ’upper body’ day, it still may be disconcerting to Jays fans taking a sidelong glance at the youngster’s to-this-point suspect defense. Vlad Jr. has logged a -4 DRS figure in 792 innings at third base this year, with 17 errors to his credit. Guerrero Jr. tells Madani that he will be newly committing himself to weight training this offseason with the intent of remaining at third base moving forward.

Bryan Abreu Making Push For Postseason Roster

By Dylan A. Chase | September 21, 2019 at 11:06pm CDT

The Astros are not a team with many holes. With a staff fronted by three aces, a lineup peppered with stars, and a bullpen anchored by the likes of Roberto Osuna and Ryan Pressly, Houston’s squad currently holds a 33.6% chance of winning the World Series, per Fangraphs’ MLB Playoff Odds calculations. It seems somewhat unfair, then, that such a squad would find a way to get even better heading into October, but that’s exactly what they may be doing now that rookie reliever Bryan Abreu is on the scene. The 22-year-old arm has been so impressive in his first MLB action, in fact, that he may be forcing himself onto the Stros’ postseason roster, according to a report from Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (link).

Abreu, the club’s second-ranked pitching prospect behind Forrest Whitley, has debuted here in the second half with 6.2 innings in which he has punched out ten hitters while walking just three. This production comes on the heels of some shaky bottom-line results in Triple-A this year (5.05 ERA in 13 starts and 20 appearances) that obscured more impressive underlying numbers (11.86 K/9, 3.99 FIP). “He’s nasty,” Hinch told Rome last Sunday. “His breaking ball is as good as anyone we have or anyone that we have had over the last few years. You see the funny swings and the uncomfortable takes, and you realize why the organization was so high on him.”

As noted in Rome’s article, manager AJ Hinch found room for another rookie reliever, Josh James, on 2018’s postseason rosters when James finished the year with a string of impressive appearances. Could Abreu be making a similar case? While Hinch told Rome that no conversations about the postseason roster will begin until the club clinches the AL West, the reporter projects that Will Harris, Pressly, and Osuna are certain locks for the playoff pen. After that, James, Hector Rondon, and Joe Smith are “logical inclusions”, and the impending return of Brad Peacock could account for the final spot. If any injuries befall one of these Houston mainstays–or if Peacock shows signs of rust upon returning–Abreu may be held in firm consideration for postseason action.

West Notes: Lyles, Astros, Turner, Pence, A’s

By Connor Byrne | September 20, 2019 at 11:40pm CDT

Right-hander Jordan Lyles has been terrific for the Brewers since they acquired him from the Pirates prior to the July trade deadline, but he almost ended up elsewhere before Milwaukee grabbed him. The Astros showed “strong interest” in Lyles leading up to the deadline, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports in a subscription piece delving into his late-season turnaround. Lyles was a first-round pick (38th overall) of the Astros in 2008, but he was unsuccessful as a major leaguer in Houston from 2011-13. The Astros then traded Lyles to the Rockies in a deal for outfielder Dexter Fowler. Lyles has struggled with a few other teams since then, and it’s anyone’s guess whether he’d have thrived this summer had Houston gotten him instead of Milwaukee.

After losing out on Lyles, the Astros still made a couple starting pitching additions at the deadline, landing ace Zack Greinke and another righty in Aaron Sanchez. The Greinke pickup has gone swimmingly thus far, though Sanchez fell somewhat flat before suffering a season-ending injury that might also keep him out for some portion of 2020. Considering Sanchez’s situation, not to mention the pending free agencies of starters Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley, perhaps they’ll circle back to Lyles if he hits the open market in the offseason.

Let’s check in on a few other teams from the majors’ West divisions…

A lower back strain has shelved Rangers designated hitter/outfielder Hunter Pence since Aug. 23, and though the club’s eliminated from postseason contention, he still hopes to play again this year, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com relays. Regardless of if Pence makes it back, the Rangers will have an offseason decision on whether to re-sign the soon-to-be free agent. The 36-year-old Pence, who has revived his career in Texas, said last week he’d “love” to return to the club. However, manager Chris Woodward expressed some doubt over how Pence would fit on the roster going forward. GM Jon Daniels took a similar tone Friday, telling Sullivan: “He was extremely productive on the field, and he was [a] really valuable member of the clubhouse that you would love to have back. On the other hand, how many at-bats are we going to have for a corner outfielder-DH. On the surface, as we are currently constructed, not a lot. Things could change. That’s the reality.”
Third baseman Justin Turner will slot back into the Dodgers’ starting lineup Saturday and Sunday, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. He won’t play a full game in either case, though, according to manager Dave Roberts. A sprained left ankle has kept Turner out dating back to Sept. 7, but he’ll now have time to tune up before the Dodgers begin a potential run to the World Series in October.
Athletics reliever Lou Trivino hasn’t pitched since Sept. 14 because of left oblique and rib soreness. It turns out Trivino suffered the injuries when he slipped in his shower, he told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday. Trivino does expect to pitch again this season, which wasn’t going according to plan for him even before his at-home accident. While the 27-year-old largely stymied opposing hitters as a rookie in 2018, he has only managed a 5.25 ERA/4.53 FIP with 8.55 K/9 and 4.65 BB/9 in 60 innings this season.

Brad Peacock Could Return Sunday

By Connor Byrne | September 20, 2019 at 6:02pm CDT

The Astros’ pitching staff received great news Friday when standout reliever Ryan Pressly came back from injury. In yet another welcome development for the club, fellow right-hander Brad Peacock isn’t far from rejoining Pressly and the rest of Houston’s pitchers. Manager A.J. Hinch told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and other reporters Peacock could return from the injured list as early as Sunday. Peacock hasn’t pitched since Aug. 27.

Shoulder issues have limited Peacock throughout the summer, as he sat out all of July and most of August before a brief comeback and another IL placement. Peacock felt a “sharp pain” in his shoulder in his most recent appearance, leading the Astros to put him back on the shelf. The 31-year-old’s latest shoulder discomfort stemmed from nerve damage in his neck, but the Astros are confident he has moved past it, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle writes.

If he truly is healthy, Peacock should be a boon to the Astros’ cause as they go for their second World Series title since 2017. The club leads the majors with a 100-53 record, putting it in the driver’s seat in the American League West, and is trying to fend off the 100-54 Yankees for homefield advantage in the AL.

Peacock was a competent member of the Astros’ rotation earlier in the year, but he worked out of their bullpen upon his initial return from the IL and seems likely to do so again for the duration of the campaign. In 20 appearances (15 starts) and 88 2/3 innings this year, Peacock has pitched to a 4.06 ERA/4.30 FIP with 9.54 K/9 against 2.94 BB/9.

Astros Activate Ryan Pressly

By Steve Adams | September 20, 2019 at 3:01pm CDT

The Astros have one of their best pitchers back from the injured list. Barely four weeks after Ryan Pressly underwent an arthroscopic knee procedure, he’s been reinstated from the IL, the team announced. A four- to six-week timeline was projected at the time of the surgery.

Pressly, 30, returns to the ’Stros with enough time left on the calendar to get into a few games as a tuneup for the postseason. He’ll rejoin a bullpen that is currently without teammates Brad Peacock and Collin McHugh, each of whom remains on the injured list. McHugh’s throwing program was recently shut down due to renewed elbow discomfort, while Peacock is trying to work back from shoulder trouble that has hindered him throughout the season.

Given those injuries, a healthy Pressly is all the more important. Since being acquired from the Twins at the 2018 trade deadline, he’s morphed from an above-average reliever to a virtual juggernaut, pitching 78 2/3 innings of 1.94 ERA ball with 104 strikeouts against 17 walks between the regular season and last year’s playoff run. Pressly made his first All-Star team in 2019, and he’s currently tied with Sergio Romo for the MLB lead among qualified relievers in terms of opponents’ chase rate (40.9 percent) while sitting 11th in swinging-strike rate (17.3 percent).

Pressly would’ve been a free agent following the 2019 season were it not for the two-year, $17.5MM contract extension he signed prior to Opening Day. The Astros now control him for both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and his deal also includes a vesting/club option for the 2022 campaign as well.

Aaron Sanchez May Not Be Ready For Start Of 2020 Season

By Steve Adams | September 18, 2019 at 6:01pm CDT

Details surrounding Aaron Sanchez’s shoulder surgery last week remain unusually sparse, but Astros manager A.J. Hinch indicated to reporters today that Sanchez’s rehab process could carry into the 2020 season (Twitter link via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).

The uncertainty surrounding Sanchez’s readiness for the 2020 season only further muddies the Astros’ decision on whether to tender him a contract this winter. The 27-year-old Sanchez was a paid a relatively modest $3.9MM salary in 2019 and struggled when healthy enough to take the ball, so his forthcoming arbitration raise will be anything but exorbitant. But, if the Astros are concerned that the right-hander will miss a substantial portion of the 2020 campaign, then it’s possible they could simply move on. Doing so just months after trading Derek Fisher to acquire Sanchez and Joe Biagini from the Blue Jays certainly wouldn’t be an ideal outcome, but spending on a player whose health outlook is cloudy enough could potentially prove more detrimental yet.

There’s reason for the Astros to roll the dice on Sanchez, of course. Although he’s been consistently plagued by fingernail and blister issues in recent seasons, he was excellent in Toronto as recently as 2016, when he pitched 192 innings of 3.00 ERA ball with 7.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and an outstanding 54.4 percent ground-ball rate. Add in that Sanchez can be retained at a relatively low rate and that the ’Stros could lose Gerrit Cole, Wade Miley and Collin McHugh to free agency this winter, and a low-cost flier on Sanchez has its appeal.

Then again, the Astros were able to wait out the starting pitching market and sign Miley for a $4.5MM guarantee last winter. They could seek a similarly low-cost match with a free-agent starter this winter rather than promise a comparable sum to Sanchez in arbitration. Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke will return to front next year’s rotation, and the Astros will also likely have Lance McCullers Jr. back from Tommy John surgery. Houston does already have more than $156MM committed to the 2020 payroll — not including arbitration raises for Carlos Correa, Brad Peacock, Roberto Osuna, Jake Marisnick, Biagini and a likely repeat of McCullers’ $4.1MM salary — so the team may not be keen on further spending on a player with this level of uncertainty.

Astros Stop Collin McHugh’s Throwing Program

By Steve Adams | September 17, 2019 at 4:53pm CDT

The Astros have shut down Collin McHugh after the right-hander experienced continued pain during his latest throwing session, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (Twitter link via FOX 26’s Mark Berman). While the team hasn’t formally indicated that McHugh’s season is over, the latest setback certainly calls into question whether he’ll be able to contribute again in 2019 — be it in the regular season or in the playoffs.

McHugh has been on the injured list since Aug. 31 due to elbow discomfort — his second such IL placement in 2019. The 32-year-old opened the season with a chance to reclaim his spot in the Houston rotation but struggled badly in eight starts, pitching to a 6.37 ERA (5.27 FIP, 4.46 xFIP) through 41 innings of work. McHugh managed a strikeout per inning with respectable control in that time, but he also served up nine long balls in those 41 frames (1.98 HR/9).

Houston dropped McHugh to the bullpen in mid-May, and he landed on the injured list after just two appearances — ultimately missing six weeks due to the aforementioned elbow troubles. That hiatus notwithstanding, McHugh has been sharp since moving back into a bullpen role. In his past 33 2/3 innings, he’s worked to a 2.67 ERA (3.43 ERA, 4.22 xFIP) and averaged 10.7 strikeouts and 4.2 walks per nine innings pitched. Most importantly, he’s managed to once again keep the ball in the yard, as he’s yielded only three home runs in that span.

Today’s news not only clouds McHugh’s chances of returning to the team in 2019 — it calls into question whether he’ll pitch again as an Astro at all. McHugh is set to become a free agent at season’s end, so it’s in his best interest to get back to the mound and demonstrate health in some capacity if he can. Two IL stints for elbow issues in his platform year will be a red flag, to some extent, for all interested parties anyhow, but finishing the year on a healthy note would obviously be preferable.

It stands to reason that McHugh will draw interest from teams both as a starter and a reliever this winter, but that level of interest will surely be dependent on the health of his elbow. If he’s unable to throw before the offseason begins, he could potentially set up some throwing sessions for teams to watch over the winter as a means of proving that his elbow is back up to full strength.

AL West Notes: Robles, Mathis, Astros

By Steve Adams | September 16, 2019 at 9:48am CDT

Right-hander Hansel Robles has been a bright spot in what has become another disappointing season for the Angels, writes Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times. Robles boasts a 1.25 ERA over his past 40 games — tops among AL pitchers with at least 40 innings in that time — and recently set down 27 consecutive hitters over one particularly dominant stretch. Considering that the Angels acquired him via waivers last year, Robles’ emergence as a dominant arm in the ’pen is a particularly positive development. The Mets designated Robles for assignment last June, with manager Mickey Callaway explaining at the time that the “adjustments” Robles needed to make to find consistency were “looking more and more difficult.” With the Halos, however, Robles has refocused on a split-changeup that the Mets pushed him away from. “The movement he gets on it, the shape that he gets on it, his ability to locate it pretty consistently,” pitching coach Doug White said to Torres, “guys have to be ready for 98 and then the changeup comes and it’s really hard to hit.”

Robles leads the Angels with 21 saves and has pitched to a 2.36 ERA with 9.0 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 0.66 HR/9 and a 38 percent ground-ball rate. He’ll get a nice raise on this year’s $1.4MM salary in arbitration over the winter and can is under team control through the 2021 season.

AL West Notes: Luzardo, Sanchez, Gallo, Santana

By Mark Polishuk | September 15, 2019 at 11:05pm CDT

Jesus Luzardo’s second Major League appearance resulted in his first career save, as the star Athletics rookie allowed a run on two hits and two walks over three innings of work in Oakland’s 6-1 win over the Rangers today. Luzardo has tossed three innings in each of his two MLB games, both times coming directly after a starter (Brett Anderson on Wednesday after five innings, and Sean Manaea after six innings today). Should the A’s reach the postseason, there’s certainly a case that Luzardo could serve as either a multi-inning reliever or even as a proper starter. “That gives us a little pause for thought about how we potentially might do things down the road,” A’s manager Bob Melvin told reporters, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser. “Obviously, we have to get there, a lot of work between then and now. But you definitely think of some options, especially with Luzardo coming out of the pen doing what he’s doing.”

Early Trade Deadline Re-Assessment: AL West

By Jeff Todd | September 12, 2019 at 9:23am CDT

It has only been a little over five weeks, so it’s too soon to judge with finality how this year’s trade deadline maneuvers will play out. That said, we’re already half of the way through the period — the regular season portion, at least — for which rental players were acquired. Even players with future control are usually added first and foremost for their immediate contributions (though there are some exceptions). It’d be awfully premature to say anything conclusive about the prospect side of any deals, but we do now have some additional information with which to work.

So, that’s why we’re going to take a glance back over our shoulders at the moves (and major non-moves) that organizations made in the run-up to this year’s trade deadline. We already covered the AL Central, NL Central, AL East, and NL East. Now we’ll head out west, starting with the American League …

Astros

The runaway division leaders were already setting up for the postseason at this summer’s trade deadline. As has now become customary, GM Jeff Luhnow pulled a rabbit out of his hat. He came through this year with the summer’s biggest blockbuster.

The Astros’ acquisition of veteran righty Zack Greinke seemingly came out of nowhere, breaking at the last possible moment. But how does it look at this early stage? The 35-year-old Greinke hasn’t been quite as good as he had been in Arizona, but he’s certainly getting the job done as hoped. Through seven starts, he carries a 3.32 ERA. On the prospect side, we haven’t learned much that we didn’t know already. Corbin Martin is still early in his Tommy John recovery, while J.B. Bukauskas only made two starts after the swap. Seth Beer did struggle upon moving to the Snakes’ Double-A affiliate, slashing .205/.297/.318 in 101 plate appearances, though that only puts a bit of a damper on a promising overall campaign. Infielder Josh Rojas, the least-hyped player involved, went on an unreal tear at Triple-A to earn a call-up. He’s holding his own (.250/.337/.382) through 86 MLB plate appearances.

That one will take longer to assess, particularly with regard to what was lost for the Houston org. That’s also true of the team’s other big deal, though in that case the initial results have been a dud for all involved. The Astros were clearly positioned to utilize outfielder Derek Fisher as a trade asset with little need for him, so turned him into a buy-low opportunity on Aaron Sanchez, who came over with reliever Joe Biagini from the Blue Jays. Fisher has not been hitting in Toronto, but the ’Stros have also not gotten anything close to what they might’ve hoped from their side of this bargain. Sanchez tantalized with a gem of an outing but couldn’t sustain it and ended up requiring shoulder surgery (the full details of which remain unclear). Biagini has not thrived after making changes to his repertoire, having now allowed a dozen earned runs and six long balls with a miserable 9:7 K/BB ratio over 13 2/3 innings.

The other MLB piece added has worked out quite nicely. The Astros brought back veteran backstop Martin Maldonado for another run. Acquired for his defense, he has also provided a whopping .246/.319/.585 hitting output over 72 plate appearances. It has been quite the opposite experience for the Cubs, who added utilityman Tony Kemp in the deal. Kemp has just nine base knocks (two for extras) in his 64 trips to the plate with Chicago.

Houston’s other deals were of the roster-clearing variety. The club sent out backstop Max Stassi to make way for Maldonado. Stassi has managed just three hits in 49 trips to the plate with the Angels; it’s still anyone’s guess whether the Astros have anything in the very young outfielders (Rainier Rivas and Raider Uceta) acquired in the deal. Neither do the ’Stros miss Tyler White, who struggled with the Dodgers before getting hurt after being sent there following a DFA. The young reliever added in that deal, Andre Scrubb, continued to show much the same results as before the swap. He ended his season with 64 2/3 Double-A innings of 2.78 ERA pitching with 10.6 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9.

Athletics

To the surprise of nobody, the A’s went for arms over the summer. While the club was rightly pleased with its overall position-player mix, there was an obvious dearth of talent in the staff — the rotation, in particular.

First came Homer Bailey, who held particular appeal since he’d cost only the league-minimum salary. (The Dodgers owe the rest of the tab on Bailey’s extension.) The 33-year-old has eaten innings as advertised, with a 4.98 ERA and 50:11 K/BB ratio over 56 frames. Oakland can’t really have hoped for much more. Infielder Kevin Merrell had been struggling when he was sent to K.C. in the deal and continued to do so after, slashing just .235/.278/.313 in 176 Double-A plate appearances.

The A’s have had much better results from the other starter they picked up, Tanner Roark, who was added in exchange for outfield prospect Jameson Hannah. While his peripherals look much like those of Bailey, Roark has held opposing teams to 3.40 earned runs per nine in his 42 1/3 frames over seven starts. Hannah — like Merrell, one of the team’s loftier recent draft choices — trended down after changing uniforms. He slashed just .224/.325/.299 in 78 trips to the plate at the High-A level.

Oakland swung one other deal with the Royals, giving up prospects Ismael Aquino and Dairon Blanco in exchange for southpaw Jake Diekman. The veteran reliever hasn’t generated the hoped-for results, compiling just 11 strikeouts while issuing nine walks over 14 1/3 innings. Blanco has scuffled mightily since the deal, while Aquino remains a total wild card.

You might’ve liked to see a bit more talent come in to the Oakland org, which surely could have stood to add more and/or better pitching pieces. But it’s hard to fault a somewhat conservative course when only a Wild Card was realistically in play.

Rangers

It remains to be seen whether the Texas organization will regret the decision not to move Mike Minor and/or Lance Lynn. Both still look like very nice values now and in the near future. For a team with hopes of a reasonably competitive reset, it was understandable that they held onto these free-agent hits. An offseason deal could yet also be considered. But it’ll be tempting to Monday-morning QB the decision if one or both falter.

The Rangers still look to have added some nice pieces in the deadline moves they did make. Veteran reliever Chris Martin brought back southpaw Kolby Allard, while high-powered but command-challenged reliever Peter Fairbanks netted utilityman Nick Solak. It was easy to part with an older bullpen piece, though Fairbanks has shown well and could still make the club pay. Still, it’s hard not to like what the Rangers have seen from their two new pieces. The 22-year-old Allard may not have an exceptional ceiling, but he has managed to carry a 3.78 ERA through six MLB starts. And Solak has a ridiculous .347/.460/.556 slash through his first 87 trips to the dish at the game’s highest level.

We’ll have to wait to see whether the team gets anything out of veteran reliever Nate Jones (if it exercises an option over him), but taking on his salary via trade allowed the Rangers to add a major international target. That deal did cost two rookie ball pitchers. Joseph Jarneski struggled quite a bit after the swap; while Ray Castro put up solid numbers, he’s already 22 years of age and is still pitching in the Dominican Summer League. The Texas organization has also received 10 1/3 solid innings from righty Ian Gibaut, who was added for a song and could be a part of the bullpen mix in 2020.

Angels

[ENTRY BLANK]

Just kidding. But … yeah, not much action for the Halos, was there? The aforementioned Stassi was added on the heels of even smaller acquisitions of along with Josh Thole (link) and Adam McCreery (link). These moves haven’t really cost much and helped the club make it through the season, but that’s about it.

To be fair, the Angels did not have a ton of obvious trade pieces to work with. Kole Calhoun would’ve held appeal, and perhaps in retrospect should have been dealt, but it’s not clear he’d have brought back enough of a return to justify sacrificing what was then an outside chance at a Wild Card run.

Mariners

There’s always some action when GM Jerry Dipoto is involved. But there could have been more. Dee Gordon was and is a candidate to be moved, as the M’s have no qualms about eating salary when necessary. Mitch Haniger might have been an interesting candidate for a big swap but for an injury. Domingo Santana was also not a factor for similar reasons.

The club did end up making several moves that brought in a volume of prospects. Cashing in veteran slugger Edwin Encarnacion in June netted pitching prospect Juan Then, who got his start in the Seattle system. The 19-year-old worked to a 2.98 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over 48 1/3 total minor-league frames after the swap, topping out at the Class A level.

In a pair of deals, the Mariners sent relievers Hunter Strickland (link) and Roenis Elias (link) to the Nationals for a series of prospects. Elvis Alvarado had been walking more than a batter per inning before the move but recorded a 13:3 K/BB ratio in a dozen rookie frames thereafter. And Taylor Guilbeau showed enough to get a late call-up. He owns a 4.50 ERA in eight innings over 11 appearances. More importantly, he’s showing well against left-handed hitters … though righties have had no trouble. The third hurler added from the D.C. organization is Aaron Fletcher, a recent 14th-round pick who could soon be on the MLB relief radar. He ran up the Nats ladder with good numbers and ended the season with a 13-inning Double-A run with the Seattle organization, over which he compiled a 3.46 ERA with a 15:3 K/BB ratio.

After a long time trying, the Mariners also found a home for veteran righty Mike Leake, whose no-trade rights complicated matters. Seattle was only able to offload $6MM of salary while picking up infielder Jose Caballero. The M’s gave him a look at the High-A level, where he slashed just .256/.339/.333 over 109 plate appearances. The only other Seattle swap was a minor one. Shipping Kris Negron to the Dodgers netted a younger utilityman in Daniel Castro. He continued to struggle at the plate at Triple-A after the deal.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Astros Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect