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NL East Notes: Zimmerman, Phils, Tejada, Heaney

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The Nationals raised some eyebrows recently by having injured third baseman Ryan Zimmerman work out in left field (as noted yesterday by the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore), though many on the coaching staff were quick to tell Kilgore that Zimmerman was merely getting some conditioning work. In a second piece from Kilgore last night, Zimmerman essentially said the same, noting that he cannot take grounders during batting practice at this point and the outfield worked helped him “from going crazy.” Manager Matt Williams, however, wouldn’t rule out using Zimmerman in the outfield, though he sounded more comfortable with the longtime third baseman as an emergency option there: “I think he’s a wonderful athlete and if we have a pinch late in a game where we have nobody left and he’s got to play left field, or right field or center field, he could do it.” 

Here’s more from the NL East…

  • The next 20 games could determine the Phillies’ course of action this summer, writes CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury. The Phils have a stretch of 20 games in 20 days beginning tonight, and 11 of those contests come against divisional opponents. If the team fares well in this stretch, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. may well push the decision off for a few weeks, but Salisbury implies that a particularly poor showing could push the Phillies into sell mode.
  • Salisbury’s colleague, Corey Seidman, points out that fans can’t pin the team’s 19-22 record on the aging core. Ryan Howard is on pace for 28 homers, Chase Utley has played like an MVP candidate thus far, Jimmy Rollins has a career-high .359 OBP, Carlos Ruiz’s OBP sits at .396 and Marlon Byrd has hit very well. Cliff Lee, A.J. Burnett and Jonathan Papelbon have all turned in solid ERA marks also, he adds. However, the team has received next to no production from Ben Revere and Domonic Brown, the bullpen has struggled and the bench has combined to hit .181 with four homers thus far.
  • Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald found the Marlins’ recent signing of Miguel Tejada a bit puzzling, so he spoke with VP of player development Marty Scott about the deal. Scott said the signing was made for depth purposes and that Tejada impressed both offensively and defensively in private workouts. “I don’t want something to happen at the big-league level where we don’t have someone we know who can come up and do the job,” said Scott before calling Tejada a “safety valve.”
  • From that same piece, Spencer reports that the Marlins are currently listing Thursday’s starter at Triple-A as “TBA,” and that spot is very likely to be filled by top prospect Andrew Heaney, who has dominated Double-A Jacksonville. If all goes well, says Spencer, Heaney could be with the Fish in early June.

West Notes: Perez, Cashner, Ibanez, La Russa

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Rangers left-hander Martin Perez underwent his Tommy John surgery earlier today, and everything “went as expected,” writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The surgery was performed by Dr. Keith Meister, who performs most of the club’s surgeries. As the Rangers look to deal with that blow to their rotation, here’s more from baseball’s Western divisions…

  • For the time being, Padres ace Andrew Cashner has avoided joining Perez on the list of series elbow injuries. Cashner underwent an MRI today, and while that test has conditioned the public to fear the worst, GM Josh Byrnes issued the following statement via press release: “After performing an MRI today on Andrew’s right elbow, our doctors have indicated to me that he has elbow soreness and irritation. Based on our doctors’ recommendation we will be proceeding with rest and rehabilitation for his recovery.”
  • Though the Angels will soon need to make roster moves to get Kole Calhoun, David Freese and Dane De La Rosa back on the active roster, releasing struggling DH Raul Ibanez isn’t likely, reports MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. General manager Jerry Dipoto wouldn’t say Ibanez will not be released, Gonzalez writes, but he expressed that the team will remain patient and voiced confidence in the aging slugger: “Raul has a track record. He has done this before. He has gone through cold spells, and he has gotten hot. There’s nobody here who believes Raul has had his last good days in the big leagues.”
  • Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall “can hardly stop pinching [himself]” after the team’s hiring of Tony La Russa as its new chief baseball officer, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. La Russa drew interest from multiple clubs for an executive role and turned down at least one offer, feeling that he wasn’t needed with that team, Heyman adds. He also writes that manager Kirk Gibson has close to a clean slate following the La Russa hire, and that La Russa will give Gibson and GM Kevin Towers until at least season’s end to help get the Snakes back on track.

Minor Moves: Spence, Oeltjen, Germano, Billings

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Here are today’s minor transactions, with the newest moves at the top of the post…

  • The Marlins announced (on Twitter) that left-hander Josh Spence has been released from their Triple-A New Orleans affiliate. Spence, a 26-year-old from Australia, pitched reasonably well for the Zephyrs, posting a 3.97 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings. However, he also walked seven hitters in that time and hit a batter. Command hasn’t been an issue for Spence in previous minor league seasons, but he walked 24 batters in 40 innings for the Padres in 2011-12 despite a strong 3.15 ERA and 9.2 K/9 rate.
  • The Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces, announced today that outfielder Trent Oeltjen has been released (Twitter link). The Australian 31-year-old batted just .219/.286/.313 in 35 plate appearances for the Aces, but he has a strong .294/.358/.479 batting line in his career at that level. His last Major League action came with the 2011 Dodgers.
  • Right-hander Justin Germano has accepted his outright assignment to the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo reports (via Twitter).  Germano had the option of becoming a free agent after he was outrighted off the Rangers’ 40-man roster, following being designated for assignment earlier this week.  The veteran righty has been hit hard in his two appearances with Texas this season, posting an 11.81 ERA over 5 1/3 IP.
  • The Yankees have outrighted right-hander Bruce Billings to Triple-A, according to MLB.com’s transactions page.  Billings was designated for assignment on Thursday.  The righty allowed four runs in four innings of work for New York this season, though he recorded seven strikeouts in that brief stretch.
  • With Billings’ situation resolved, MLBTR’s DFA Tracker tells us that three players remain in DFA limbo: Royals outfielder Justin Maxwell, White Sox infielder Jeff Keppinger and Marlins reliever Carlos Marmol.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

 

Quick Hits: Trades, Coffey, Holland, Draft

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While we’re a ways off from seeing trades of major significance come in bulk, ESPN’s Jim Bowden lists five summer deals that he think should happen to improve some fringe contenders (ESPN Insider required and recommended). Among his scenarios are the Blue Jays acquiring Jeff Samardzija, the Orioles acquiring Kurt Suzuki and the Braves acquiring Nick Franklin. Here are some more links from around the baseball world…

  • Free agent right-hander Todd Coffey is deciding between offers from two teams and could choose a destination as soon as tonight, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (Twitter link). The Phillies are said to be one team in on Coffey, Cotillo reported over the weekend.
  • Fangraphs’ Jason Collette wonders if the emergence of Wade Davis as a dominant reliever in the back of the Royals’ bullpen will lead them to explore trades of Greg Holland. Davis is striking out batters at a higher clip than anyone in baseball, and he’s cost-controlled over the next two seasons, while Holland is a lock to get expensive via arbitration. Holland is already earning $4.68MM, and as Collette notes, his agent would likely use Craig Kimbrel’s contract as a comp in extension talks. A trade of Holland could address other needs on the budget-conscious Royals’ roster.
  • While some have talked about a perceived drop in draft prospect Jacob Gatewood’s stock, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo writes that the industry was “probably a little too over-zealous” with him last summer. Mayo has spoken with several scouts and cross-checkers who believe the powerful prep shortstop should go in the mid-to-late first round. Gatewood’s mix of power and swings/misses is reminiscent of sluggers Joey Gallo, Kris Bryant and Giancarlo Stanton, Mayo adds.
  • Mayo also profiles prep right-hander Touki Toussaint, noting that his affable personality is an excellent complement to his three-pitch arsenal — each of which has the potential to be above average down the line. Toussaint, who is of Haitian descent but was born in Florida, nearly gave up on baseball at the age of 9 to focus on soccer because of his difficulty hitting. However, he gave it another shot three years later and has been focused entirely on baseball — as both a closer and a starter — ever since. MLB.com ranked Toussaint 16th among draft prospects.

Blue Jays Acquire Raul Valdes

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The Astros announced (on Twitter) that they have traded left-handed reliever Raul Valdes to the Blue Jays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

The Astros claimed the 36-year-old Valdes off waivers from the Phillies this past offseason and opened the season with him in their bullpen, but the results were less than favorable. Valdes yielded five runs in 3 2/3 innings with the Astros before being designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City (he accepted the assignment rather than electing free agency).

Valdes didn’t reach the Majors until the age of 32 back in 2010, and since that time he’s posted a 5.13 ERA with 9.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 30.2 percent ground-ball rate in 140 1/3 innings for the Phillies, Mets, Yankees, Astros and Cardinals. His best season came in  2012, when he posted an outstanding 2.90 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 31 innings for Philadelphia.

Toronto’s bullpen has been an issue for the team all season, posting the third-highest combined ERA in the Majors (5.26) and totaling the sixth-most innings of any Major League team (145 1/3). Valdes provides the team with depth and has looked strong since reporting to Triple-A, posting a 3.48 ERA with 13 strikeouts against zero walks in 10 1/3 innings.

While opposing left-handers have a career .265/.315/.465 batting line against Valdes, he’s also had quite a bit of misfortune against them. Left-handed hitters have a career .370 BABIP against Valdes, which has offset his outstanding 11.8 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 (6.8 K/BB) against same-handed opposition.

Twins Notes: Rosario, Buck, Draft, Defense

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Twins prospect Eddie Rosario’s 50-game suspension will be over at the end of the week, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff tells Wolfson that Rosario will open his season at Class-A Advanced to shake off some rust, despite a solid showing in 70 Double-A games last season. Rosario has been ranked on several Top 100 Prospect lists — including the 2014 editions of Baseball Prospectus (60) and ESPN’s Keith Law (49) — but his stock took a hit when he tested positive for “a drug of abuse” for the second time this offseason. A few more links on the Twins…

  • Mariners catcher John Buck told Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press this weekend that he was “extremely close” to signing in Minnesota this offseason. According to Buck, his agent (Seth Levinson of ACES) told him there was a very good chance they’d finalize a deal, but Kurt Suzuki jumped in at the last minute and landed a spot with the Twins. “The way Kurt is swinging, they didn’t choose wrong, I guess,” Buck told Berardino. “He’s doing great.” Suzuki has been a surprisingly strong force this season, slashing .312/.378/.416 with the Twins.
  • La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune spoke with Twins scouting director Deron Johnson about the upcoming draft, who spoke to the tricky nature of this year’s draft without a clear-cut No. 1 overall pick. Neal writes that the Twins are doing the most due diligence on LSU right-hander Aaron Nola and NC State left-hander Carlos Rodon on the college side of things. As far as prep players go, righty Tyler Kolek, left-hander Brady Aiken, shortstop Nick Gordon and catcher/outfielder Alex Jackson are all in play.
  • The 2014 Twins have an alarmingly dangerous mix of low-strikeout pitchers and poor defensive players, writes Mike Petriello in an ESPN Insider piece. Petriello looks at the Twins’ poor outfield defense, in particular, noting what he describes as a “spring decision that backfired terribly.” The Twins elected to keep infielder Jason Bartlett as a utility player/backup outfielder — a decision that resulted in the loss of Alex Presley on waivers. When Bartlett abruptly retired, the Twins were forced to designate outfielder Darin Mastroianni for assignment, and they lost him to Toronto on waivers. In other words, as Petriello writes, “by keeping Bartlett, the Twins received zero production and lost two decent outfielders.”

2015 Free Agent Power Rankings

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We’re always looking ahead at MLBTR, and it’s time for another entry in our 2015 Free Agent Power Rankings series.  Steve Adams’ April edition can be found here, and the full list of 2015 free agents is here.

1.  Max Scherzer.  Scherzer has allowed six runs in the 39 innings he’s pitched since our last edition of these rankings, driving his ERA down to an AL-best 1.83 and earning him our top spot.  His decision to turn down a six-year, $144MM offer from the Tigers before the season is looking wise.  A new deal will begin with Scherzer’s age-30 season.  I have to think agent Scott Boras will seek something in the range of Clayton Kershaw’s seven-year, $215MM deal.  That contract includes an opt-out clause after the fifth year.  Key differences, aside from performance: Kershaw’s contract began with his age 26 season, but it was not negotiated on the open market.

2.  Hanley Ramirez.  Ramirez’s .251/.333/.450 line on the young season qualifies as good but not great.  Among shortstops, his weighted on-base average places him sixth among qualifiers.  Last Thursday, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports described extension talks with the Dodgers, writing, “there’s still a significant enough gap that it may take a while to do a deal, assuming one will get done.”  Heyman threw out a $130MM figure in the article, drawing Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo comparisons.  Those players received seven-year deals on the open market, but Heyman feels the length of a Ramirez contract could be a big question in these negotiations.  If the Dodgers succeed in preventing Ramirez from reaching free agency, we could be in line for the first offseason without a $100MM position player since 2005-06 (the first offseason covered by this website).

3.  Jon Lester.  Lester and James Shields have been keeping pace this year, with each hurler sporting a 2.67 ERA.  In the time since our last rankings, Lester added to his resume with a career-best 15 strikeout performance against the A’s on May 3rd.  We haven’t heard much on the extension front, save for an April comment from Red Sox manager John Farrell about the team’s intention to make every effort to retain their ace.

4.  James Shields.  Shields is the workhorse of this free agent class, as he’s on pace to exceed 220 innings for the fourth year in a row.  A five-year deal, however, would be buying into his age 33-37 seasons.  In a March assessment of Shields’ upcoming free agency, MLBTR’s Jeff Todd suggested $100MM as a ceiling, proposing the interesting idea of an opt-out clause.

5.  Ervin Santana.  Last month, MLBTR’s Steve Adams made the bold choice of ranking Santana over Justin Masterson.  That call is looking correct, as Santana continues to miss bats above his career rate, partially due to his new change-up.  Having signed on March 12th, however, Santana will be subject to a qualifying offer from the Braves after the season.  Dragging around a QO again will hurt, but he should be able to find a strong four-year deal this time.  One potential solution would be to just sign a midseason extension with the Braves.

6.  Justin Masterson.  With a 4.78 ERA and 3.9 BB/9 in his last seven starts, Masterson hasn’t done anything to justify moving up the rankings.  Still, he’s shown enough overall to suggest he’ll pitch at a sub-4.00 ERA moving forward, and he doesn’t turn 30 until March.  Last year’s velocity hasn’t returned, but he’s made some recent progress in that regard.

7.  Pablo Sandoval.  Sandoval has 13 hits in his last eight games, perhaps suggesting he’s getting on track to reach his typical level of offense.  Sandoval won’t turn 28 until August, and the third baseman could greatly benefit from the weak free agent class for position players with a strong four and a half months.  The Giants and Sandoval broke off extension talks in late April, with Jon Heyman reporting the player sought at least $100MM on a five-year deal, with the team open to four years.

8.  Chase Headley.  Headley falls from the #6 spot last month.  He missed a few weeks with a calf strain, and has at least shown some pop and patience in the eight games since his return.  However, the 30-year-old ranks just 18th among third basemen in wOBA over the last year, with a .309 mark.  That’s actually better than Sandoval during that time, so I won’t argue if you prefer Headley to Panda.  Regardless, good defense and a league average bat won’t result in a big contract for Headley, so he needs to start hitting.

9.  Colby Rasmus.  Rasmus is currently on the DL with hamstring tightness.  The center fielder doesn’t turn 28 until August, and he’s shown 30 home run power when on the field.  Steve Adams’ comparison to B.J. Upton in last month’s rankings was apt.  Despite a qualifying offer, Upton snagged his five-year, $75MM deal coming off a .246/.298/.454 batting line.  Rasmus sits at .222/.266/.489 this year.

10.  Jed Lowrie.  This marks Lowrie’s first appearance on these Power Rankings.  He just turned 30, and his wOBA is only a touch below Hanley Ramirez’s among shortstops this year.  He’s upped his walk rate to career-best 11.5%.  Lowrie seems to be settling in as a 3-4 win infielder, shaking off early injury concerns.  Omar Infante’s deal could be a starting point.

Melky Cabrera, 30 in August, is close to cracking the top ten.  The Jays left fielder is off to  a .310/.350/.481 start in 200 plate appearances.  However, his defense drags his value down.

Nelson Cruz, Mike Morse, and Victor Martinez are also at the top of various offensive leaderboards in the early going.  However, they’re older than the players in the top ten and offer no value defensively, and could come with qualifying offers.  Cabrera, Cruz, Morse, and Martinez will have to stay healthy and continue raking to overcome their defensive limitations.

Plenty of 2015 free agent hurlers are off to strong starts, as Josh Beckett, Aaron Harang, Jason Hammel, A.J. Burnett, Dan Haren, and Chris Young sport ERAs under 3.50.  On the international front, 26-year-old righty Kenta Maeda has a 2.33 ERA after eight starts for the Hiroshima Carp.

Marlins Release Carlos Marmol

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The Marlins have released veteran right-hander Carlos Marmol, the team announced via Twitter.  Miami designated Marmol for assignment last week.

Marmol, 31, pitched 13 1/3 innings for the Fish this season, posting an 8.10 ERA and continuing his career pattern of posting high strikeout numbers (9.5 K/9) along with a lack of control (6.8 BB/9).  The righty was able to miss enough bats to deliver a few impressive seasons out of the Cubs bullpen but eventually became too unreliable for the closer’s job.  Chicago dealt him to the Dodgers last July and Marmol then signed a minor league deal with the Marlins during the offseason.

Justin Maxwell (Royals) and Jeff Keppinger (White Sox) are the only players still in DFA limbo, according to the MLBTR DFA Tracker.

NL West Links: Dodgers, La Russa, Goebbert

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The Diamondbacks and Dodgers are both two of baseball’s biggest disappointments thus far, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan writes, though the Dodgers show up twice on Passan’s list of the season’s biggest underachievers.  Passan criticizes the Dodgers both for their middling play and for a broadcasting dispute between Time Warner Cable and DirecTV that has left Dodger games available in only 30 percent of homes in the greater L.A. area.

Here’s the latest from around the NL West…

  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty and Tigers assistant GM Al Avila were both mentioned to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal as names to consider for the Diamondbacks’ general manager job should Tony La Russa fire current GM Kevin Towers.  La Russa has ties to both Jocketty and Avila, though Rosenthal notes that La Russa hasn’t discussed possible GM replacements with D’Backs upper management, plus there’s still a chance Towers could be retained.
  • Though Kirk Gibson is well-liked and respected throughout baseball, there is a feeling amongst some scouts and some within the D’Backs organization that his in-game moves and handling of pitchers is hurting the team.  Firing Gibson might not be easy for La Russa, however, since there isn’t any obvious candidate who could step in immediately.  Rosenthal believes La Russa could talk to Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo but isn’t likely to do so in the middle of the Cards’ season.
  • Newly-acquired Padres outfielder Jake Goebbert talks to MLB.com’s Corey Brock about the uncertainty that a player goes through when he is the subject of an impending trade, like how the Goebbert-for-Kyle Blanks swap was rumored for a few days before the deal was finalized.  Goebbert notes to Brock that he wasn’t aware he was being targeted in any trades until he read his name right here on MLBTR last week.

New York Notes: Sabathia, A-Rod, Myers

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C.C. Sabathia received a stem cell injection in his right knee last week and will be out of action until at least July, Yankees GM Brian Cashman tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Cashman said he has checked in with teams about trade possibilities and while “nothing has materialized,” Cashman “will keep an eye out to see if something does.”  Three-fifths of the Bombers’ regular rotation is currently injured, with Ivan Nova out for the season and Michael Pineda on the DL until mid-June at the earliest.

Here’s the latest from the Yankees and Mets in this roundup of Big Apple baseball news…

  • Alex Rodriguez told advisers last summer that he was considering retirement rather than go through a lengthy battle with Major League Baseball over his record PED suspension, reports Teri Thompson, Bill Madden, Michael O’Keeffe, Christian Red and Nathaniel Vinton of the New York Daily News.  A-Rod was convinced to fight his suspension, however, after consulting with Desiree Perez, a New York nightclub manager affiliated with Jay Z and who also played a role in Robinson Cano signing with the Mariners.  Rodriguez may have been motivated to listen to Perez in part because, as the article states, he would like to become a player agent, possibly with Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports agency.
  • Back when Wil Myers was still a Royals prospect, Kansas City offered him to the Mets for a trade package of Jonathan Niese and Zack Wheeler, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets.  Myers, of course, ended up being the centerpiece of the five-player package the Royals sent to the Rays in exchange for James Shields and Wade Davis.  It’s an interesting what-if to ponder for both the Mets and Royals; Myers would’ve given the Amazins a cornerstone player in the outfield, but at the cost of two quality young arms.  For K.C., Shields was the better win-now move, though he had only two years of team control and Davis has become a relief pitcher.  Wheeler is controllable through the 2019 season while Niese’s five-year contract has club options that could’ve extended the deal through 2018.
  • Also from Martino, he looks at some trade possibilities for the Yankees and Mets this summer.  The Mets looked at LaTroy Hawkins, Fernando Rodney and Grant Balfour over the winter and could explore trading for veteran closer help, plus shortstop could still be a position the Mets are looking to upgrade.  As for the Yankees, they could also use shortstop help but acquiring a big name could be awkward given the awkwardness of benching Derek Jeter during his final season.  A move for Diamondbacks shortstop Didi Gregorius makes sense for both New York clubs.
  • Particularly in the wake of the Sabathia news, the Yankees also need starting pitching.  Martino writes that while the Yankees may not have the prospect depth to attract a major trade chip, their financial resources could help them take big contracts off the hands of losing teams.  Possible trade candidates in this vein could be the Diamondbacks’ Bronson Arroyo or the Blue Jays’ Mark Buehrle or R.A. Dickey (if Toronto falls out of the race, that is).
  • In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Paul Swydan criticizes both the Mets front office and manager Terry Collins for some transactions and personnel moves that Swydan feels “have left the Mets in an all-too-familiar middling position.”

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