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Minor MLB Transactions: 8/16/20

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The latest minor moves from around the game…

  • The Giants outrighted infielder Abiatal Avelino off their 40-man roster and assigned him to their alternate training site.  (Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group was among those to report the transaction.)  Avelino cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.  The 25-year-old Avelino recorded 19 plate appearances over 10 games with the Giants in 2018-19, and was originally acquired from the Yankees as part of the Andrew McCutchen trade in August 2018.  Avelino has been touted for his defensive ability as a middle infielder, and his bat hasn’t been unproductive over 3201 minor league plate appearances — .272/.328/.385 slash line with 43 homers, plus 189 steals from 245 attempts.

NL West Notes: Oberg, Rockies, Bumgarner, Cueto

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Rockies reliever Scott Oberg is on the 45-day injured list due to blood clots in his throwing arm, marking the third time blood clots have interrupted Oberg’s career.  It remains to be seen if Oberg will be able to return during the 2020 season, though the right-hander told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that he fully intends to keep pitching.  “If this is what it’s going to have to be, it’s just another hurdle to overcome.  I’ve dealt with the adversity road plenty of times,” Oberg said.  After already undergoing three different procedures in the past, it isn’t yet certain if a fourth surgery will be required; Oberg has consulted with doctors and specialists about his latest issue, with more consultations planned for the coming week.

More from around the NL West…

  • With Oberg and the struggling Wade Davis both on the IL, the Rockies’ search for a closer is still ongoing.  It seemed as if Jairo Diaz was laying claim to the job, though after a rough outing (three walks, one hit, and two unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning) today, manager Bud Black told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post and other media that the club has no “designated closer.”  It seems likely that Diaz will still get some save chances as part of the Rockies’ closing committee, though Yency Almonte, Carlos Estevez, Daniel Bard, and possibly others could all figure into the ninth inning depending on the situation.
  • Madison Bumgarner will throw a 50-pitch simulated game on Monday, a week after the southpaw was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a back strain.  Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) that the simulated game “is a way for us to see how he looks, see how he feels and have him evaluate how his body feels and give us that information and determine what the next step is moving forward.”  Piecoro notes that Bumgarner is still expected to miss at least one more start while on the IL, though the left-hander might not miss much beyond the 10-day minimum if he reports a clean bill after the sim game.
  • Could Johnny Cueto be turning himself into a trade candidate?  With the Giants in last place and looking like deadline sellers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Cueto could get some attention from teams looking for veteran pitching.  Cueto has a 4.62 ERA, 1.73 K/BB rate, and 6.8 K/9 through 25 1/3 innings this season, some fairly middling numbers that ERA indicators (4.72 FIP, 5.55 xFIP, 5.28 SIERA) hint could or should be worse.  On the plus side, Statcast metrics show that Cueto is doing a good job of limiting hard contact, and Cueto is averaging 91 mph on his fastball, roughly the same average velocity he was posting in the couple of seasons prior to his August 2018 Tommy John surgery.  The Giants would likely have to eat some money to accommodate a trade, given that Cueto is owed $21MM in 2021, there is a $5MM buyout of his $22MM club option for 2022, and he is also owed the prorated remainder of his original $21MM salary for the rest of this season.

Giants Designate Andrew Triggs

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The Giants have designated righty Andrew Triggs for assignment. That’ll create 40-man space for Trevor Cahill, whose contract was selected.

Triggs only made one appearance this year, coughing up three earned runs while recording only a single out. He’s still looking to reestablish himself in the majors after his career was interrupted by surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome.

From 2016-18, Triggs provided the Athletics with 163 innings of 4.53 ERA pitching, though ERA estimators have pointed to greater promise. Triggs owns a career 4.17 FIP, 4.11 xFIP, and 4.09 SIERA.

Trevor Cahill To Start For Giants On Wednesday

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Right-hander Trevor Cahill will make his Giants debut Wednesday with a start against the Astros, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports. The Giants will announce a corresponding roster move before the game.

Cahill signed with the Giants in the offseason as someone with a great deal of starting experience, but he was only able to score a minor league deal in free agency. He just joined the Giants’ taxi squad over the weekend.

At his best, the 32-year-old Cahill has been a productive starter for the Athletics and Diamondbacks, including as recently as 2018. Cahill threw 110 innings of 3.76 ERA/3.54 FIP ball with Oakland that year, but his numbers nosedived in 2019 as a member of the Angels, who inked him to a $9MM guarantee in free agency. He logged only a 5.98 ERA/6.43 FIP over 102 1/3 frames, most of which came out of the Angels’ bullpen.

Cahill will now attempt to rebuild his stock with another California-based club, San Francisco, whose rotation has been a mixed bag during its 8-11 start. Kevin Gausman, Drew Smyly and Logan Webb have been bright spots so far, but Smyly and Jeff Samardzija are on the injured list, which has helped open up an opportunity for Cahill.

Giants Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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In addition to a trade this morning, the Giants have made a series of roster moves ahead of this afternoon’s matchup with the Dodgers (first reported by Maria Guardado of MLB.com). They’ll make a few tweaks to the pitching staff, reinstating left-hander Jarlin Garcia from the 60-day injured list and adding veteran Trevor Cahill to the taxi squad. To make room, Andrew Suarez has been optioned to the team’s alternate training site and infielder Abiatal Avelino was designated for assignment.

The Giants will rejigger their bullpen, adding Garcia, who was on the injured list with an undisclosed illness, and subtracting Suarez. Garcia, 27, will get his first shot with his new club after spending the first three years of his career with the Marlins. He emerged as a valuable lefty in Miami, notching a 4.29 ERA in 170 innings of work. He got work as both a starter and reliever, though he’s likely to settle firmly into a relief role.

Cahill, meanwhile, might be on the cusp of a promotion to the big league club, after news of Jeff Samardzija’s placement on the injured list yesterday. He figures to be one of the foremost options to replace Samardzija in the starting rotation for the foreseeable future.

Avelino, acquired in the 2018 trade that sent Andrew McCutchen to the Yankees, will see his Giants tenure come to a swift end, having appeared in just 10 games for the MLB club. The Giants will have a week to either trade, release, or place Avelino on outright waivers. At just 25 years old, and with plenty of remaining team control, Avelino could be a worthwhile pickup for a team in search of infield depth. His offensive track record in the minors is not especially strong, but his last two seasons in the upper minors have undoubtedly been his best.

Giants Acquire Luis Basabe

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The Giants and White Sox have completed a trade, with outfielder Luis Basabe heading to San Francisco in exchange for cash considerations.  Right-hander Jordan Humphreys was placed on the restricted list to make room for Basabe on the Giants’ roster.  (Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Humphreys is dealing with a family matter.)

The White Sox designated Basabe for assignment earlier this week, ending an injury-plagued three-year run for the outfielder in Chicago’s farm system.  Basabe was acquired from the Red Sox as part of the trade package in the Chris Sale blockbuster, though he sandwiched a very impressive (and healthy) 2018 campaign in between injury-shortened 2017 and 2019 seasons.

It was enough for Chicago to make Basabe expendable, though the Venezuelan prospect was once a well-regarded international prospect and is still a couple of weeks shy of turning 24 years old.  There’s certainly no harm for the Giants in spending a few dollars to acquire Basabe’s services and see if he can unlock some higher potential in a new environment.

MLB Pipeline has already ranked Basabe as the 18th-best prospect in San Francisco’s farm system, with a scouting report noting that he “has the tools to be a worthwhile fourth outfielder,” even if his hitting is still a question mark.  Basabe has batted .248/.345/.392 across 2570 PA in the minors (none above the Double-A level), and he has shown a lot of swing-and-miss in his approach at the plate.

Giants Place Jeff Samardzija On 10-Day IL

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The Giants have placed right-handed pitcher Jeff Samardzija on the 10-day injured list due to a shoulder impingement, according to Kerry Crowley of the Mercury News. He’s set to undergo an MRI today. Meanwhile, left-hander Andrew Suarez has been recalled to replace Samardzija on the active roster.

A blister on his right hand has prevented Samardzija from utilizing his splitter, which is crucial to Samardzija’s repertoire as his go-to two-strike pitch. That has contributed to the 35-year-old’s unsightly 9.88 ERA through three starts. He’s struck out just 5 batters in 13 2/3 innings, and no National League pitcher has allowed more earned runs or hits. Suffice it to say, it’s been a frustrating start to the final year of the five-year, $90MM contract Samardzija earned prior to the 2016 season.

Indeed, if the results of his MRI are damning, Samardzija may see his Giants tenure come to a premature end, though hopefully that’s a fate that can be avoided yet. At the earliest, he’ll be eligible to return August 18, and the results of the MRI should bring clarity to the veteran’s timetable for a return.

The news is that much more concerning given Samardzija’s previous shoulder problems: he missed a considerable portion of the 2018 season with tightness and inflammation in his right shoulder, limiting him to just 10 starts that year. While the injury never required surgery, it hampered him throughout the year and he struggled to recover. Nearly two years removed from those injuries, it’s hard to conclude that his current issues are related to those he suffered in 2018, but one can’t help but draw a connection.

With Samardzija out of the picture for the foreseeable future and Drew Smyly also on the IL, the Giants are faced with a rotation conundrum. Beyond Johnny Cueto, Kevin Gausman, Logan Webb, and Tyler Anderson, they’ll need to cobble together a plan in the meantime. While Suarez, taking Shark’s spot on the roster, has started for the Giants in the past, Gabe Kapler might look to deploy him in relief in the immediate future. Elsewhere on the 60-man player pool, Trevor Cahill and Dereck Rodriguez are leading depth options. They figure to be the primary candidates to replace Samardzija in the rotation.

West Notes: Hosmer, Rangers, Rockies, Giants

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There’s a “very good chance” the Padres will activate first baseman Eric Hosmer from the injured list Saturday, manager Jayce Tingler told AJ Cassavell of MLB.com and other reporters. Hosmer has been out since July 28 with gastritis, which cut off an encouraging start to the season in which he was hitting more fly balls than ever and getting tremendous results. The Padres have mostly turned to Jake Cronenworth at first in Hosmer’s absence, and the rookie has been excellent in the early going.

  • The Rangers announced that they’ve activated righty Rafael Montero and placed lefty Joe Palumbo on the IL with an ulcerative colitis flareup. Montero hasn’t pitched this season, but as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained in April, he has been a real find for the club. The former standout Mets prospect amassed 29 innings of 2.48 ERA pitching with 10.55 K/9 against 1.55 BB/9 in his first year with the Rangers last season.
  • The Rockies placed RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez on the IL on Friday with right biceps tendinitis and recalled fellow righty Ryan Castellani, per a team announcement. Gonzalez has made one start for the club this year, but he yielded three earned runs during that three-inning performance. Castellani, meanwhile, ranks as Colorado’s 18th overall prospect at MLB.com. He’s finally in line to make his Rockies debut six years after the team selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft. Castellani struggled to an 8.31 ERA with 9.76 K/9 and 6.23 BB/9 in 43 1/3 innings in his first Triple-A action last year.
  • Righty Reyes Moronta and outfielder Hunter Bishop have reported to the Giants’ alternate site, the club announced. Moronta’s continuing to work back from right shoulder surgery, while Bishop has been down since late June because of a positive coronavirus test. Bishop is now a part of the Giants’ 60-man player pool. There’s a chance Moronta will get into the Giants’ bullpen this season, manager Gabe Kapler said (via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Moronta has been highly effective since he debuted in 2017, having recorded a 2.66 ERA/3.38 FIP with 11.22 K/9 and 5.12 BB/9 across 128 1/3 innings.

Giants Designate Jandel Gustave For Assignment

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Prior to today’s game, the Giants designated right-handed reliever Jandel Gustave for assignment, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com (Twitter link). The move cleared roster space for the addition of fellow right-hander Andrew Triggs, whose contract was selected. Additionally, Rule V draftee Dany Jiménez cleared waivers and was returned to the Blue Jays organization after being designated earlier in the week, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).

The hard-throwing Gustave was once a relief prospect of note in the Astros’ system, but his most extensive MLB action came last season with the Giants. He tossed 24.1 innings of 2.96 ERA ball, but mediocre strikeout (14.1%) and walk (9.1%) rates suggested that strong run prevention was unlikely to continue. He hadn’t been on the Giants’ active roster this season.

Triggs got off to an inauspicious start to his SF tenure this afternoon, allowing three runs on three walks while recording just one out in a loss to the Rangers. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old once looked like a solid back-end starter, flashing solid strikeout and ground ball tendencies across the bay with the A’s between 2016 and 2018.

Jiménez’s time as a Giant comes to an end after just two appearances (in which he walked three of eight batters faced). The 26-year-old returns to the Toronto organization, where he needn’t occupy a 40-man roster spot.

Mets Acquire Billy Hamilton From Giants For Jordan Humphreys

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The Mets and Giants have agreed to a trade that will sent veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton to New York in exchange for right-hander Jordan Humphreys, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports (Twitter link).

After signing a minor league deal with San Francisco in February, Hamilton will move on without ever officially suiting up for the club.  Hamilton’s chances of making the Opening Day roster were likely scuttled by an injured list stint that caused him to miss over a week of the Giants’ Summer Camp.

Hamilton’s heralded center field glove will be a boost to a Mets team that recently lost Jake Marisnick to a hamstring strain, leaving the team defensively short-handed in the outfield and without a late-game sub for Brandon Nimmo in center.  Beyond defense, Hamilton’s blazing speed gives the Mets a strong candidate for pinch-running situations, and potential usage as the automatic runner at second base in extra-inning games.

Humphreys was designated for assignment earlier this week, ending his Mets tenure after 169 2/3 innings since being selected in the 18th round of the 2015 draft.  Only two of those innings have come since June 2017, however, as Humphreys missed almost two full years due to Tommy John surgery and ulnar nerve surgery.  MLB Pipeline has already ranked Humphreys as the 23rd-best prospect in the Giants’ farm system and credits the righty with a plus fastball, though “San Francisco probably won’t know exactly what it has in Humphreys until he returns to game action in 2021.”  Essentially, the Giants are taking a flier on a young arm in exchange for a veteran who wasn’t in their plans.

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