Dodgers Rumors

Dodgers Shut Emmet Sheehan Down; Walker Buehler Could Return Soon

By Steve Adams | April 15, 2024 at 2:08pm CDT

Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan hasn’t pitched this season while rehabbing from a forearm injury. He’d recently resumed throwing to live hitters, but manager Dave Roberts told reporters last night that the 24-year-old righty has been shut back down because his arm “hasn’t been responding” the way Dodgers medical personnel hoped (link via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic). Sheehan said he had another round of testing on his arm that didn’t reveal any structural damage, but Roberts still called his injury a “longer-term situation.” The Dodgers had already transferred him to the 60-day injured list at the end of March.

Sheehan entered the 2023 season as one of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects and pushed his way into top-100 consideration with a strong minor league showing early last year. By mid-June, he was up in the big leagues for his debut. While the right-hander’s 4.92 ERA in a subsequent sample of 60 1/3 innings didn’t exactly cement him as a long-term fixture just yet, he entered camp as perhaps the favorite to land a rotation spot behind Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Bobby Miller and James Paxton. That spot instead went to fellow righty Gavin Stone, who started his 2024 campaign with two shaky starts before an excellent third outing that saw him carry a perfect game into the sixth inning before running into trouble.

The setback for Sheehan creates further uncertainty in a Dodgers’ rotation that also has Miller, Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May on the injured list. Sheehan’s status on the 60-day IL already meant he was out until at least mid-May, but there’s no way to gauge how long he might be expected to miss right now.

The Dodgers still rank tenth in the majors in rotation ERA, thanks in no small part to a dominant start to the season from Glasnow. Some alarm bells sounded when Yamamoto was torched for five runs in one inning during his MLB debut, but he’s responded by rattling off 15 innings with just three runs allowed while posting a terrific 19-to-3 K/BB ratio. Paxton has quality run-prevention numbers, but his success isn’t sustainable if he keeps walking more hitters than he’s striking out. He’s issued 14 free passes in 16 innings, yielding a walk to a glaring 20.6% of his opponents on the season. He’s fanned just ten (14.7%).

In Glasnow and Paxton, the Dodgers are banking on a pair of oft-injured veterans to help lead the staff while awaiting the returns of Buehler, Kershaw and May. Buehler is expected to make another rehab start this Thursday, per Mike DiGiovanna and Jack Harris of the L.A. Times. His most recent rehab outing was cut short when a comebacker struck his pitching hand, but Buehler escaped that injury scare unscathed. Roberts indicated that Buehler is targeting 80 to 85 pitches in that scheduled Thursday outing. He’ll be reevaluated after that point. If the team feels he’s ready, that’d point to a return next week. If he needs one more rehab start following Thursday’s outing, he could still return in the final days of April.

NL West Notes: Padres, Yankees, Soto, Montgomery, Treinen, Bryant

By Mark Polishuk | April 14, 2024 at 4:38pm CDT

As one might expect, December’s blockbuster Juan Soto trade between the Padres and Yankees took on several different permutations before the two sides finally agreed on the seven players involved. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Padres had interest in 17 different Yankees players before finally agreeing on a package of four pitchers (Michael King, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito, Drew Thorpe) and catcher Kyle Higashioka in exchange for Soto and Trent Grisham. Clarke Schmidt and Chase Hampton were two of the other pitchers known to be considered when reports began to surface about the trade negotiations, and Heyman adds that the Yankees agreeing to include Thorpe instead of Hampton was one of the turning points in getting the deal done.

Though San Diego ended up taking a pitching-heavy mix of players, Heyman writes that the Friars also asked about such noteworthy position-player prospects as Spencer Jones, Roderick Arias, and George Lombard Jr. Jones is a top-100 prospect and the 25th overall pick of the 2022 draft, and he has already drawn lots of trade buzz early in his pro career. The Yankees have thus far balked at moving Jones, even in past talks with the Brewers and White Sox about Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease, respectively.

Dodgers Place Bobby Miller On 15-Day Injured List

By Nick Deeds | April 13, 2024 at 10:12pm CDT

10:12pm: Per Ardaya, Miller has undergone an MRI which revealed no structural damage to the righty’s shoulder. Meanwhile, Harris adds that while Miller has been shut down from throwing for the time being, the Dodgers are “hopeful” that he’ll be able to build up at a normal rate once he resumes throwing.

9:51pm: The Dodgers announced this evening that they’ve placed right-hander Bobby Miller on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Right-hander Connor Brogdon has also been placed on the 15-day IL due to plantar fasciitis in his foot. Right-hander J.P. Feyereisen and left-hander Nick Ramirez have been called up to take the duo’s places on the active roster.

The news comes on the heels of a difficult start to the season for Miller. While the 25-year-old struck out 11 Cardinals in six scoreless innings for his first start of the year, since then he’s allowed a whopping seven runs on nine hits and five walks in 5 2/3 innings of work across a pair of starts against the Cubs and Twins. A timeline for Miller’s return to action is not yet clear, though Jack Harris of the L.A. Times reports that the inflammation in the young righty’s shoulder is not considered “severe” by the club, with Harris adding that there is no need for surgery as things stand.

While that reporting removes the most worrisome outcomes from the table for the time being, it’s nonetheless disheartening news for Dodgers fans. The club’s first-round pick in the 2020 draft, Miller quickly grew to be a consensus top-30 prospect in the sport and impressed during his rookie season with a 3.76 ERA and 3.51 FIP across 22 starts with L.A. last year. Though he just celebrated his 25th birthday earlier this month, Miller already entered the season as a potential cornerstone for the Dodgers’ rotation alongside the likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

Those plans have now clearly been scuttled, at least for the time being, and the Dodgers will have to sort through their rotation options in order to replace Miller for what could prove to be an extended absence. With Gavin Stone already in the club’s starting five alongside Glasnow, Yamamoto, and James Paxton, right-hander Walker Buehler may spring to mind as the obvious candidate to take Miller’s spot in the rotation. After all, the 29-year-old righty was long one of the most effective pitchers in the sport and has already begun a rehab assignment as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Unfortunately, it’s unclear how realistic an option Buehler is in the short term. As The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported last night, Buehler’s most recent rehab outing was cut short after the righty took a comebacker off his pitching hand. David Vassegh of Sportsnet LA relays that manager Dave Roberts has indicated Buehler is “fine” following the incident and should be ready to make his next rehab start, but the abbreviated outing last night could extend Buehler’s time away from the club long enough for the Dodgers to need an interim option. Right-handers Kyle Hurt and Landon Knack are among the arms who the club could rely on to make a spot start or two while Buehler completes his rehab.

As for Brogdon, the right-hander hits the shelf just one week after the Dodgers acquired him from the Phillies in exchange for minor league lefty Benony Robles. Brogdon has made just one appearance in a Dodgers uniform to this point, allowing two runs on two hits in an inning of work against the Twins during which he did not record any walks or strikeouts. With Brogdon headed to the injured list and Miller’s replacement in the club’s rotation not yet needed on the roster, the Dodgers bullpen receives a pair of reinforcements in the form of Feyereisen and Ramirez.

Feyereisen, 31, joined the Dodgers during the 2022-23 offseason in a trade with the Rays after he had already undergone shoulder surgery that would end up keeping him from pitching at all in 2023. He made his Dodgers debut during the Seoul Series against the Padres but struggled, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one in a single inning of work. That rough performance was enough for the Dodgers to leave Feyereisen off their stateside Opening Day roster, though now he’ll get another opportunity with the big league club.

As for Ramirez, the Dodgers acquired the lefty this past winter in a cash deal with the Yankees earlier this month. The southpaw made his big league debut with the Tigers back in 2019 and posted middling during his first three seasons in the majors, pitching to a league average 4.55 ERA and 4.60 FIP in 110 2/3 innings of work split between Detroit and San Diego. Ramirez didn’t pitch in the majors during the 2022 season but resurfaced with the Yankees last year as a key contributor to the club’s bullpen with a 2.66 ERA and 2.94 FIP in 40 2/3 innings of work.

That made the southpaw something of a surprising cut from New York’s Opening Day roster, though the club ultimately decided to give his roster spot to fellow lefty Tanner Tully instead of retain him for the 2024 campaign. Now with the Dodgers, Ramirez figures to provide the club with a multi-inning option out of the bullpen while also giving the club an addition lefty to pair with Alex Vesia and Ryan Yarbrough.

Ohtani’s Former Interpreter Charged With Bank Fraud Due To Theft Of Over $16MM

By Darragh McDonald | April 12, 2024 at 12:55pm CDT

April 12: Mizuhara surrendered to federal authorities this morning, per Alden González of ESPN. González adds that Mizuhara is scheduled to appear in court at 1:00 p.m. Pacific, or 3:00 p.m. Central, with the expected outcome of being let out on bond at some point.

April 11: U.S. attorney Martin Estrada announced today that Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been charged with bank fraud to finance a “voracious appetite for illegal sports betting,” per Sam Blum of The Athletic. Mizuhara is alleged to have transferred more than $16MM from Ohtani’s account to an illegal sports book, per Alden González of ESPN. The full 37-page complaint against Mizuhara was relayed by Meghann Cuniff of The Washington Post.

Per Blum, Estrada says the account was set up by Mizuhara in 2018 and he began illegal gambling in 2021. “The bets do not appear to have been made on the sport of baseball,” Estrada says. “At this point Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” Estrada added, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. “Mr. Mizuhara lied to the bank to access the account … lied to them about being Mr. Ohtani,” Estrada also said, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. When Mizuhara won a bet, the winnings would go into his own account and not Ohtani’s, per Blum. Estrada says investigators have viewed text messages from Mizuhara where he admitted to stealing from Ohtani, as relayed by Ardaya.

Last month, ESPN reported that more than $4.5MM had been wired from an account in Ohtani’s name to a sports gambling ring in California, where betting on sports is illegal. Mizuhara initially told ESPN that he was the one who racked up the debt but that Ohtani wired the money to help him pay it off. He later retracted that story and said Ohtani knew nothing about the gambling or the wire transfers. Ohtani later spoke on the matter, accusing Mizuhara of stealing money from him and lying about it, saying that he didn’t find out any of the details until the reporting had come out.

Both Mizuhara and Ohtani have said that Ohtani did not place any bets. Mizuhara has said that he did not bet on baseball and there’s not yet been any reporting to contradict that. As relayed by Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Mizuhara is alleged to have made about 19,000 wagers from December of 2021 to January of 2024, winning $142.27MM but losing $182.94MM for a net loss of $40.7MM.

It was reported last night that Mizuhara was in negotiations with federal authorities about pleading guilty. As part of that reporting, it was relayed that prosecutors had evidence Mizuhara disabled notifications that Ohtani would have received from his bank about transactions. The details from today go even farther, alleging that Mizuhara called the bank and impersonated Ohtani to access funds, per Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic. He answered security questions related to Ohtani’s biographical information to wire funds to a bookmaker, saying it was for a car loan. Per Shaikin, Ohtani’s agent repeatedly asked about the account but Mizuhara told him it was “private” and that Ohtani didn’t want anyone else to monitor it.

Shaikin relays a text message exchange between Mizuhara and a bookmaker where he admits to the theft: “Technically I did steal from him. it’s all over for me.” The maximum penalty for these charges is 30 years, per Shaikin. Mizuhara will appear in federal court in the coming days, per Blum. Ohtani has cooperated fully in the investigation, per Shaikin, including providing access to digital devices.

MLB issued a statement on the matter, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN and others: “We are aware of the charges filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office against Mr. Mizuhara for bank fraud after a thorough federal investigation. According to that investigation, Shohei Ohtani is considered a victim of fraud and there is no evidence that he authorized betting with an illegal bookmaker. Further, the investigation did not find any betting on baseball by Mr. Mizuhara. Given the information disclosed today, and other information we have already collected, we will wait until resolution of the criminal proceeding to determine whether further investigation is warranted.” MLB’s Department of Investigations (DOI) opened an investigation into the matter last month after the initial reports came out.

MLBTR Podcast: Reviewing Our Free Agent Predictions And Future CBA Issues

By Darragh McDonald | April 10, 2024 at 11:59pm CDT

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Why did the 2023-24 offseason play out the way that it did? Was the slow offseason a trend or a blip? Looking at competitive balance tax and TV revenue issues. (2:40)
The decision between a middleground deal versus a short-term deal, focusing on Cody Bellinger of the Cubs but also other players who didn’t get the huge offers they were expecting (20:00)
There were very few long deals this winter, so can we glean anything about the trend of extending contracts to lower the average annual value? (34:50)
Why did we project big contracts for players with clear warts? (42:10)
Is the middle tier of the free agent market dying? (45:15)
With the next CBA negotiations coming after 2026, how will the players respond to recent events? (50:20)
Are the owners divided, with rich and poor teams getting pushed apart by the collapse of TV revenue streams? (59:05)
Is deferred money a real problem and is there any motivation to change the rules? (1:02:40)
Does MLB need more parity and what are the best ways to do it? (1:09:30)
Was Shohei Ohtani’s deferred money an extreme outlier or is it still a concerning trend? (1:13:10)
Will there be another lockout after 2026? (01:19:35)

Check out our past episodes!

Baseball Is Back, Will Smith’s Extension, Mike Clevinger And Jon Berti – listen here
A Live Reaction To The Jordan Montgomery Signing, Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter, And J.D. Martinez Joins The Mets – listen here
Mutiny In The MLBPA, Blake Snell Signs With The Giants And The Dylan Cease Trade – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!

Report: Ohtani’s Former Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Negotiating Guilty Plea For Theft

By Anthony Franco | April 10, 2024 at 11:58pm CDT

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara is in negotiations with federal investigators about pleading guilty to charges of stealing from Ohtani’s bank account, according to a report from Tim Arango and Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times. Ohtani has publicly accused Mizuhara — a longtime friend — of stealing from his accounts to pay off gambling debts which the interpreter had accrued.

A few weeks ago, ESPN reported that more than $4.5MM had been wired from Ohtani’s account to an illegal bookmaker in Southern California. The New York Times now reports that federal prosecutors have found evidence indicating that Mizuhara siphoned more than that initially reported $4.5MM figure, in part by disabling notifications that Ohtani would have received from his bank about account transactions.

The gambling debts first became public in late March while the Dodgers were playing the Padres in South Korea. Initially, Mizuhara told ESPN that Ohtani had wired the money to the bookmaker to cover the debt. Mizuhara subsequently retracted that statement, telling ESPN the next day that Ohtani had been unaware of the entire situation. The two-time MVP said the same, releasing a statement accusing Mizuhara of stealing the money and referring the matter to the authorities.

Both Ohtani and Mizuhara have stated that the two-way star did not place any bets. Mizuhara indicated that the bets were his alone but denied that he ever placed a bet related to baseball.

Tonight’s report from Arango and Schmidt adds context to the conflicting stories. According to the New York Times, Mizuhara and Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo of CAA, initially tried to manage the public relations fallout without informing Ohtani. The Times writes that Mizuhara first told Balelo that Ohtani had covered debts for an unnamed teammate. He then changed his story and admitted the debts were his own but still claimed that Ohtani agreed to pay them, which is the version of events he initially told ESPN.

According to the Times report, Mizuhara then provided that same account when speaking in English to the L.A. clubhouse. Ohtani, who was present for that clubhouse address, told reporters two weeks ago that he confronted his friend thereafter. At that point, according to Ohtani, Mizuhara admitted that he had stolen the money. The Dodgers fired him at that point.

The version of events laid out in the Times report aligns with Ohtani’s public declaration that he was unaware of Mizuhara’s activities and played no role in the gambling scheme. Of course, neither the legal process nor MLB’s investigation have been completed. Neither the U.S. attorney’s office nor anyone from MLB has commented publicly since Ohtani’s statement on March 25. Arango and Schmidt report that Ohtani has met with authorities in recent weeks.

Dodgers Outright Dinelson Lamet

By Mark Polishuk | April 9, 2024 at 8:53am CDT

April 9: Lamet cleared waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He has more than enough service time (nearly six years) to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, if he chooses.

April 6: The Dodgers announced that right-hander Dinelson Lamet has been designated for assignment. The move opens up a roster space for fellow righty Gus Varland, who has been called up from Triple-A.

Lamet’s minor league deal was selected to the active roster on April 1, and he has posted a 2.08 ERA over three appearances and 4 1/3 innings of work. While a small sample size, Lamet’s 16.7% strikeout rate was uninspiring, and he allowed a solo homer to Michael Busch during 1 1/3 frames in yesterday’s 9-7 Dodgers loss to the Cubs. If Lamet is the proverbial 26th man on the roster, Los Angeles seems willing to risk losing him on outright waivers in order to add a fresh arm in Varland, though it is certainly possible Lamet clears waivers and remains in the organization.

This cup of coffee with the Dodgers represents one of Lamet’s better stretches of pitching in the last four years, as he has a 6.63 ERA over 111 1/3 innings with four different big league clubs since the start of the 2021 campaign. Once a promising starter in the Padres’ rotation in 2019-20, Lamet has been set back by injuries and a consistent lack of control when facing MLB batters.

Jerry Grote Passes Away

By Mark Polishuk | April 7, 2024 at 9:07pm CDT

Longtime Mets catcher Jerry Grote passed away today at age 81. The Mets announced the news via a press release containing tributes from several former teammates who praised Grote as a teammate and as a defensive wizard behind the plate. In the words of former Mets southpaw Jon Matlack, “he was the best catcher I ever threw to. I don’t think I ever shook him off once. I had the pleasure of being his roommate on the road for a few years. It’s a sad day.”

Grote played in parts of 16 Major League seasons from 1963-1981, including a 12-year run with the Mets from 1966-77. He broke into the bigs with the Houston Colt. 45s (now the Astros) in the second and third years of the franchise’s existence, but a bit of a logjam on Houston’s depth chart saw Grote spend all of 1965 in the minors before he was dealt to the Mets.

The deal kicked off Grote’s long run in Queens, and his excellent defense helped him retain either the starting job or at least a timeshare of catching duties for almost the entirety of his Mets stint. Grote hit .252/.316/.326 over his 4844 career plate appearances, with a couple of solidly above-average offensive performances. His 112 wRC+ in 1968 was his personal best, and coincided with the first of Grote’s two All-Star selections (he was also named to the NL squad in 1974).

In 1969, Grote and his teammates become New York icons when the “Miracle Mets” won the World Series. After posting losing records in each of their first seven seasons in existence, the Mets suddenly broke out to win 100 games in 1969, then defeated the Braves in the first-ever edition of the NLCS before upsetting the powerhouse Orioles in the Fall Classic. Grote hit .311/.371/.406 over his final 119 plate appearances of the regular season to help New York surge its way into the playoffs, and his defense and management of the young Mets pitching staff was credited as a key factor in the triumph.

“[Grote] was the reason for my success,” said Jerry Koosman. “I have the photo in my home of me jumping into his arms after we won in 1969. I am heartbroken. No one was better behind the plate. He really controlled the game.”

The Mets dealt Grote to the Dodgers in 1977, and he returned to the postseason as the backup catcher on Los Angeles’ pennant-winning teams in both 1977 and 1978. Grote retired following the 1978 campaign before making a brief comeback in 1981 to play in 24 games (22 with the Royals and two with the Dodgers). His post-career endeavors included stints as a minor league manager and as a radio broadcaster.

We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Grote’s family, friends, and many fans.

Dodgers Acquire Connor Brogdon

By Mark Polishuk | April 6, 2024 at 2:02pm CDT

The Dodgers have acquired right-hander Connor Brogdon from the Phillies in exchange for minor league southpaw Benony Robles. Both teams have announced the trade.

Philadelphia designated Brogdon for assignment earlier this week, and he will now switch teams for the first time in his professional career. Brogdon was a 10th-round selection for the Phillies in the 2017 draft, and he had a 3.55 ERA, 24.1% strikeout rate, and 7.9% walk rate over 142 innings with the team from 2020-23.

Despite those generally solid numbers, the Phils shuffled Brogdon back and forth from the minors several times in his first three MLB seasons. His production also dipped last season when his strikeout rate tipped to 20.5% and his walk rate jumped up to 10.2%, and Brogdon was tagged for five homers in 29 innings of work. Between these red flags and a two-mile velocity drop on Brogdon’s fastball, the Phillies optioned the righty to Triple-A last June.

He didn’t make another big league appearance until this season, and Brogdon was hit hard for six earned runs in just two innings spread over three games. With an ugly 27.00 ERA on his resume, Brogdon found himself on the Phillies’ DFA wire due to being out of minor league options. He’ll now get a chance with another National League contender, and possibly might benefit from this specific change of scenery to a Dodgers team known for rehabilitating pitchers.

Robles was an international signing who began his pro career at age 18 with the Dodgers’ Dominican Summer League squad. The southpaw’s control is a work in progress but he has shown some ability to miss bats, as evidenced by his whopping 38.7% strikeout rate in 32 2/3 innings at high-A Great Lakes last season. Robles also had a 13.9% walk rate en route to a 3.86 ERA, so there’s some potential there for the 23-year-old as a relief weapon if he can limit the free passes.

Dodgers Re-Sign Matt Gage

By Steve Adams | April 6, 2024 at 7:45am CDT

TODAY: The Dodgers have re-signed Gage to a minor league contract, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports (X link).

APRIL 2, 2:31pm: In an updated announcement, the Dodgers stated that Gage has actually been released — not designated for assignment as the team initially indicated.

2:20pm: The Dodgers announced Tuesday that they’ve designated left-handed reliever Matt Gage for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to outfielder Taylor Trammell, whom the Dodgers have claimed off waivers from the Mariners (as was previously reported).

It’s been an eventful few months for Gage, who was designated for assignment by the Astros in late January and claimed off waivers by the Yankees. New York wound up including Gage alongside minor league righty Christian Zazueta in the trade sending lefty Caleb Ferguson from Los Angeles to the Bronx. He had a decent spring with the Dodgers, tossing four innings and allowing a pair of runs on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

Gage, 31, pitched in the majors with the 2022 Blue Jays and 2023 Astros, though he combined for only 19 2/3 innings between those two clubs. He’s posted a sparkling 1.83 ERA in that time but benefited from a tiny .222 average on balls in play. Gage doesn’t throw especially hard (93.2 mph average fastball) but misses bats nonetheless (26% strikeout rate, 13.7% swinging-strike rate). Command has been a major issue for him recently. He’s issued a walk to nine of his 77 MLB opponents (11.7%) and plunked another. Gage also walked 12% of his opponents in Triple-A last year.

Gage posted lower walk rates but also lower strikeout rates earlier in his minor league career as a starting pitcher. He’s begun to miss more bats but also miss the strike zone more frequently in recent seasons. The Dodgers will have a week to trade him, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He hasn’t been outrighted in the past and doesn’t have three years of MLB service, so if Gage clears waivers he can be outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City and stashed as depth.

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