Red Sox minor leaguer Michael Kopech has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for the stimulant Oxilofrine, the league announced yesterday. Kopech was selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Red Sox and had been enjoying a very strong season at Class A Greenville. The right-hander has posted a 2.63 ERA with 9.7 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 in 16 games this season (15 of them starts). As Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe notes, via Twitter, because Kopech tested positive for an amphetamine as opposed to a substance ruled to be a performance-enhancing drug (steroid) by MLB, he’d still be eligible for the minor league postseason. Oxilofrine, which is found in some dietary supplements, is said to increase adrenaline, boost endurance and assist in weight loss. In a statement released at MiLB.com, Kopech apologized to the fans and the organization. The prospect noted that he has been trying to gain weight since signing as opposed to lose it, adding that he appealed the suspension despite having little to prove his innocence because he “didn’t have any understanding of how [he] could have failed a test.” Kopech received a $1.67MM bonus in last year’s draft.
Here’s more from the AL East…
- The Yankees’ first-half success comes, in large part, due to improved health up and down the roster, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. An improved farm system and improved depth from offseason moves such as re-signing Chris Young has better positioned the team to deal with injuries than in 2013-14. Nevertheless, Sherman writes, they’re at risk in the second half. He questions how realistic it is to expect Michael Pineda to finish the season with 30-plus starts and both Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira to clear 600 plate appearances. Masahiro Tanaka’s elbow remains a concern, and CC Sabathia, while healthy, has been ineffective overall.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet writes that while Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Jonathan Papelbon are among the biggest names that figure to be connected to the Blue Jays in the coming two weeks, history shows that GM Alex Anthopoulos looks beyond the most obvious options. Nicholson-Smith runs down a list of speculative pitching options for the Jays to pursue, including Mat Latos (who I recently profiled at MLBTR), Hisashi Iwakuma, Jesse Chavez, Mike Fiers and several more.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman tells the Post’s George A. King III that he’s comfortable being aggressive or passing on asking prices he deems exorbitant this July. Interestingly, King writes that the industry belief, at present, is that the Blue Jays would be more willing to part with top prospects to land Cueto than the Yankees would. While there are no true untouchables in the Yankees’ farm system, King adds, Aaron Judge and Luis Severino “come close” to earning that label.
- MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski finds it difficult to envision the Orioles shifting into “sell” mode, adding that the team’s current plan is to approach the deadline with a buyer’s mindset. GM Dan Duquette has previously said that the Orioles’ pending free agents have more value to Baltimore than to other clubs, Melewski notes, further suggesting that shipping out veteran players is unlikely.
I would still be more comfortable trading Luis Severino than Aaron Judge. However, if there is nothing out there to get without paying too high a price, why not call Severino up and see what he can do? Maybe even in the bullpen? Still, would like to see the Yankees acquire a good mid-rotation starter like a Mike Leake. Give them a little more depth in that starting rotation and force them to make a decision on CC.
I saw Judge hit a monster homerun against the Reading Phillies. My son had just asked if anyone had ever hit one of the lights in the outfield. My father-in-law chuckled and said it was impossible due to the distance. Judge damn near proved him wrong.
I know it shouldn’t matter but if the Jays trade assets for Jesse Chavez after giving him up for a piddly amount of cash, it would be more than I could bear.
The Jays don’t need another 3-4-5 pitcher, they already have enough of those. They need an ace and a solid #2 guy, push Buehrle back to #3, and Dickey’s performance makes him a pretty decent #4/5 guy. So what #1/2 pitcher is available out there, that is under team control for a few years, AND has a contract under 5 years (the 5 year rule imposed by AA) – James Shields. Trade for him this year, and go after one of the big free agents this off-season. Hypothetical rotation for next year: Cueto, Shields, Stroman, Hutchison, Sanchez. Or throw in Dickey if they pick up his option, and move Sanchez to the bullpen. They can maybe make the playoffs this year, but just can’t match up against the true contenders.
An interesting trade for the Jays that gives them their starters and closer is ship Dickey and Bautista to the Pirates for Garret Cole and Mark Melancon. Then trade Labourt or Berucki to the Mets for Parnell or Familia. That solves the bullpen issues, which gives the team an opportunity to then trade Norris, Loup, and Smith to Oakland for Sonny Gray and Reddick to take Bautistas spot in the lineup. The rotation is then Cole, Stroman, Gray, Hutch and Sanchez in 2016. All the pitchers are cost controlled and the Jays would then have four potential aces for the cost of one Shields. They lose offense, but Bautista can be replaced without losing too much. The bullpen is then solid with Cecil, Parnell, Melancon, Osuna for the 8th and 9th innings. All five starters would then be capable of going seven innings and it would breed success.
No offense to the Blue Jays, but there is no way they outbid any of Cueto’s other suitors. Plus, I’m pretty sure he won’t go up there with all things being equal between clubs this offseason.
We don’t want him.
We want controllable arms not a rental who is going to flee for a 150+ million dollar contract.
Maybe you didn’t read what I said. I said go after one of the big free agents this off-season, and be the team that signs him to that 150+ contract. Won’t happen, but I can dream. I’m not talking about THIS year, this year is a disaster. Need to start looking forward to next year.
I didn’t even reply to you, I was replying to the other poster.
Ah sorry, I think the other poster was also referring to signing him in the off-season as a free agent, and he wouldn’t choose Toronto if he had a choice. Either way, we can all agree the Jays don’t want or need a rental.
Not offended, I agree with you, it’s why it’s hypothetical. Replace Cueto with any of the other FA pitchers out there. Price, Samardzija, Greinke, Kazmir, Fister, Gallardo – all would be an improvement over what they have…they have 40 million taken off the books next year with Buehrle, Dickey, and Romero. If they can find someone to take Reyes, they will have a ton of cash to spend.
I don’t see the Jays giving up any of their top ten prospects for a strictly rental player. To do so is incompetence by the front office and they are mortgaging the future for the here and now. With Gibbons at the helm, the team isn’t going to win anything and would be throwing assets away for nothing. Instead of trading for a Cueto, Price, etc, fire Gibbons and replace him first. Then trade Dickey back to the NL for Kimbrell and they could include Boyd, Tirado, Labourt, etc with him. San Diego could throw in one of their starters and the Jays add someone like AJ Jimenez, which gives San Diego players that would become their top prospects and the Jays get their starters and closer without losing any of their top players that will be on the team in 2016. That is competent asset management, where if they give up any of their top ten prospects for a rental, it is disaster in the making because they would not only lose Cueto, etc at the end of the year, but they have also given away their top players for nothing. Norris, Castro and Hoffman could all be on the Jays starting rotation in 2016, cost controlled for six years, where a rental is gone with zero control.
The Padres aren’t gonna do that….. They’d laugh at an offer like that.
I agree with you 100%, one rental does not make the Jays contenders for the World Series. IF a rental would put them over the top to make it to the World Series, then maybe go for it. They just are not close enough and need major improvements to the pitching staff. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Jays would only be on the hook for around half of their salary for this year, considering there’s only half a season left. If they take in both Kimbrel and Shields, half of those contracts would be under 10 million. (Full salary for Kimbrel is 9.5 this year, Shields 10 this year)
Jays could have had a starting #1 or #2 if they spent money in the offseason and stopped with the 5 year contract bs. The fact you bring up Shields as someone the Jays would go after would be extremely counter productive of the front office as he was just a FA and now you would have to give up assets to get him.
Shields signed for less than 5 years. Maybe Shields, given the choice with the exact same contract offer from each team, chose to go to San Diego as opposed to Toronto.
Managers have little impact on the performance of a major league team. You’re giving way to much credit to the role of the manager.
Most teams win a division by less then 5 games. Managers sure as heck do make a difference. Especially the bad ones.
Gibbons for the most part has been a very good manager though. The only times people get mad at him is win the bullpen blows the game, and he doesn’t really have a Herrera, Davis, Holland back 3 he can lean to
He’s accomplished nothing in his 6 years of managing the Jays. He’s a below .470 win percent manager his tenure with the Jays.
Molitor and Girardi are doing more with less.
They make bullpen decisions and starting lineup decisions. That is more then enough to impact the team. Gibby is a terrible manager.
Why fire Gibbons? He’s done the best with what he has to work with. I don’t get all the Fire Gibbons crap that all Toronto fans give him when the truth of it is he is a really good tacticion