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Archives for July 2015

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/10/15

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Here are today’s minor moves from throughout the game.

  • Rays lefty Everett Teaford has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The Rays designated Teaford for assignment on Wednesday. He’s spent most of this season in the rotation with Durham, where he’s posted a 5.56 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 68 innings.
  • The Rockies have selected the contract of lefty Aaron Laffey, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets. They’ve also added righty Gonzalez Germen to their active roster, placed righty David Hale (groin strain) on the 15-day DL, optioned righty Scott Oberg, and moved minor league lefty Tyler Anderson (elbow) to the 60-day DL. The 30-year-old Laffey has played parts of seven big-league seasons with the Indians, Mariners, Yankees, Blue Jays and Mets, but he hadn’t appeared in a big-league game since 2013 before appearing with the Rockies tonight. He’s spent this season with Triple-A Albuquerque, posting a 4.91 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 47 2/3 innings split between the rotation and the bullpen.

Marlins To Designate Jordany Valdespin

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The Marlins have announced that they will designate 2B/OF Jordany Valdespin for assignment. The move will clear space on their active roster for lefty Adam Conley, who will start tomorrow in place of Mat Latos, who has been scratched with a foot bruise.

The Marlins selected Valdespin’s contract just this week, and he collected only one plate appearance in the big leagues. He’s hit .287/.342/.378 in 235 plate appearances with Triple-A New Orleans this season. The 27-year-old has collected 464 plate appearances in parts of four seasons with the Mets and Marlins, batting .217/.273/.371 for his big-league career. He’s generally made more headlines for his behavior than his play, butting heads with Mets manager Terry Collins and earning a PED suspension in 2013.

Dodgers Release Brandon League

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JULY 10: The Dodgers have announced that they’ve released League. League is now a free agent, and the Dodgers remain on the hook for the rest of his 2015 salary.

JULY 2: The Dodgers have designated right-hander Brandon League for assignment, the team announced. League, who is earning $7.5MM in 2015, has not pitched this season due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He had been on the 60-day disabled list.

League, 32, is in the final season of an ill-fated three-year, $22.5MM contract signed prior to the 2013 season. Widely panned from the moment it was signed, the contract looked dismal in year one, as League posted an ERA of 5.30 with a greatly diminished strikeout rate (4.6 K/9). The 2014 season proved to be a nice rebound for League, who worked to a 3.40 ERA with a slight increase in strikeouts (5.4 per nine) and a drastically improved ground-ball rate of 67.5 percent.

League earned that three-year deal (which was issued by the Dodgers’ former front office, headed by then-GM Ned Colletti) by posting a collective 3.38 ERA with 7.1 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 59 saves and one of the game’s best ground-ball rates in 320 innings between the Blue Jays, Mariners and Dodgers from 2008-12.

By cutting bait on League, the Dodgers are now paying a combined $17MM to a pair of relievers — League and Brian Wilson — that will not throw a single pitch for the team in 2015. The Dodgers will have 10 days to trade, waive or release League, though in the event that he’s placed on waivers, he’ll assuredly go unclaimed due to his salary and health issues this season.

Heyman On Grilli, D-backs, Marlins, Dodgers

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Here are the highlights from Jon Heyman’s massive new Inside Baseball article for CBS Sports. Be sure to check out Heyman on the latest edition of the MLBTR Podcast.

  • The Braves have had “serious talks” about dealing closer Jason Grilli to a contender, Heyman writes, with the Blue Jays and Dodgers among the teams that make the most sense.
  • The Diamondbacks have made infielder Aaron Hill and pitchers Jeremy Hellickson and Addison Reed available in trades, and all three players have attracted at least some interest.
  • The Marlins could trade starter Dan Haren for the right return. On paper, the Dodgers would seem to make sense, but that seems unlikely, since the Dodgers treated Haren basically as a throw-in in the Dee Gordon trade in the offseason. The Dodgers would also prefer to find a starter they could use in the playoffs, and Haren likely doesn’t qualify.
  • Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins could become available in a trade as top prospect Corey Seager continues to demonstrate he’s ready for the big leagues.
  • The Dodgers, Blue Jays, Nationals and perhaps other teams had scouts on hand as Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma returned from a lat injury this week. Iwakuma could be a trade candidate, but Heyman notes that giving up four homers to the Tigers probably didn’t exactly increase his value.
  • Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez still seems set on retiring after the season, despite agent Paul Kinzer’s efforts to get him to continue.
  • The Padres have been scouting the Mets lately, leading to speculation that the Mets could be trying to trade for Justin Upton.
  • The Phillies are “not bending” in their demands for Cole Hamels, and his limited no-trade clause remains an obstacle.
  • The Giants have had talks with free agent infielder Everth Cabrera. The Orioles released Cabrera last month. He would provide depth for San Francisco.

NL East Notes: Amaro, Span, Morse, Latos

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GM Ruben Amaro’s recent declaration that Chase Utley might not be the Phillies’ everyday second baseman when he returns from injury is a tough one for fans to take, David Murphy of the Daily News writes. For those unfamiliar with Amaro’s comments, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal provided a good summary earlier this week. “Cesar Hernandez is our best second baseman,” Amaro told reporters, including CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury. “I would assume that Cesar would be our second baseman.” After getting off to a poor start this season, Utley is currently on the DL with ankle inflammation, and Hernandez has performed well in his absence, but Amaro’s remarks understandably haven’t sat well with Phillies fans, who don’t want to see a franchise icon pushed off the stage. The core of the problem, as Murphy sees it, is that Phillies fans have to endure the marginalizations or departures of players who were key to the Phillies’ run of successful seasons several years back, while the team’s front office can continue to use that same run of successful seasons to justify its own continued employment. Rosenthal, meanwhile, wonders whether Amaro — who had already appeared to be a lame duck — might be hastening his departure with his tone deaf comments. Here’s more from the NL East.

  • The Nationals have placed outfielder Denard Span on the disabled list, Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider writes. Span, who had not played since Sunday, has been dealing with back tightness. The injury means the Nationals are down yet another position player. They currently also have Anthony Rendon, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman on the DL.
  • The Giants have had at least a bit of interest in acquiring Michael Morse from the Marlins, but the Giants would need to take on a significant portion of the approximately $11MM remaining on Morse’s contract for the Marlins to consider the deal, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes (scroll down). The Marlins would seem to have somewhat less use for the right-handed Morse with today’s addition of fellow righty corner infielder Casey McGehee, and Justin Bour has taken over the bulk of the Marlins’ playing time at first base anyway. The Giants surely have fond memories of Morse from his solid performance with their 2014 World Series team, but Morse has hit a disastrous .210/.273/.304 with his usual poor defense in 2015, so it’s doubtful the Giants would be willing to take on much salary to acquire him. Morse would serve as a right-handed bench option in San Francisco.
  • The Marlins have also received “several” calls regarding starting pitcher Mat Latos, Jackson writes. That’s not surprising — Latos is a free agent at the end of the season, and as MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently noted, Latos’ velocity has returned lately, seemingly making him a more attractive trade candidate than his overall numbers suggest he should be.

No Progress On Extension For Dave Dombrowski

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The Tigers have not made any recent progress on an extension for president and GM Dave Dombrowski, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports writes. Dombrowski’s contract expires after the season. Morosi notes that it’s unclear whether the situation reflects a desire for change on owner Mike Ilitch’s part, or whether he plans to offer Dombrowski a new deal at some point. It is, of course, clearly possible that it’s the latter — Dombrowski and the Tigers did not agree to his last extension until August 2011, just months before his previous deal was set to expire.

If Dombrowski were to leave Detroit, an established executive of his caliber would surely attract interest elsewhere, and Morosi suggests that the Angels GM job or Blue Jays president position might be good fits. The Tigers won the AL Central four straight times from 2011 through 2014, and Dombrowski has proven to be adept in the trade market in particular, landing key current and former players like Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer, Carlos Guillen, Anibal Sanchez, Yoenis Cespedes and others in deals that have turned out quite well for the Tigers. Dombrowski also led the Tigers to the World Series in 2006 and won a championship as GM of the 1997 Marlins. The Tigers are, however, currently in the midst of an underwhelming 44-41 season.

Tigers Release Joba Chamberlain

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The Tigers have released righty Joba Chamberlain, the club announced. The veteran reliever was recently designated for assignment.

Chamberlain signed with the Tigers for just $1MM this offseason and was installed in a set-up role. But he was unable to repeat a fairly productive 2014 campaign, working to a 4.09 ERA over 22 frames before being cut loose.

The 29-year-old has posted a useful strikeout-to-walk ratio of just over 3:1 (6.1 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9), but he’s been victimized steadily by the long ball. As things stand, he’s permitted a 21.7% HR/FB rate, with 2.05 long balls leaving the yard per nine innings.

It would be surprising if Chamberlain does not get another look at the big leagues in relatively short order, though he may be forced to take a minor league deal. His average fastball velocity (93.4 mph) is an exact match for last year’s mark, and he has been victimized by a .360 BABIP-against, leaving some room for optimism.

Trade Market For First Basemen

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As we continue to look at positional availability around the game, let’s check in at the first base position. Several clubs could conceivably stand to make an acquisition. For instance: In the NL Central, the Cardinals are likely without Matt Adams for the season, while the Pirates could look to upgrade over or find a strong platoon partner for Pedro Alvarez. The Nationals are still without Ryan Zimmerman and could probably stand to add a left-handed bat (though Clint Robinson has been solid). The Tigers could have a need Miguel Cabrera is out longer than expected. And the Angels are not only in need of some offensive firepower at the DH slot, but probably would not mind finding a bat capable of manning first to give Albert Pujols some time off of his feet.

Starters

Joey Votto (Reds), Carlos Santana (Indians), Adam Lind (Brewers), Ryan Howard (Phillies), Mike Napoli (Red Sox), Adam LaRoche (White Sox), Logan Morrison & Mark Trumbo (Mariners), Ike Davis (Athletics), Mitch Moreland (Rangers), Pedro Alvarez (Pirates), Michael Morse (Marlins), Justin Morneau (Rockies)

  • Votto is hitting well, though not as well as he has in the past, and plays for a Cincinnati team that profiles as a seller. But there has been little indication that the 31-year-old will be made available, let alone that other clubs will be interested in taking on the $199MM remaining on his massive extension from 2016 on.
  • If there’s a premium, controllable option that could be pried loose, it may be Santana. He continues to reach base at a healthy clip while maintaining an excellent 16.9% walk rate, but his power is down (.367 slugging percentage, .153 ISO) and the BABIP gods have been unkind. Santana is under team control through 2017 — with a meager $6MM salary this year, a $8.25MM hit in 2016, and a $12MM option ($1.2MM buyout) for the final season of his deal — giving Cleveland little impetus to move him absent a big-time offer.
  • Perhaps the most appealing short-term first baseman on this year’s market, Lind has put up a big .296/.378/.521 slash with 15 long balls in the season’s first half, though he has marked platoon splits and is best suited as a righty-masher. He’s owed only the remainder of a $7.5MM salary in 2015, and can be controlled with a $8MM club option ($500K buyout) next year.
  • Howard has been completely baffled against lefties, but still puts up big power numbers against right-handed pitching (.241/.285/.469). At this stage, he probably only makes sense as a part-time player. To move him, Philly will need to eat a huge portion of the approximately $12.5MM he’s owed the rest of the way this year — to say nothing of the $35MM still left on his deal down the line (including a $10MM buyout for 2017). Howard also has full no-trade protection now that he’s achieved ten-and-five rights.
  • The 33-year-old Napoli is playing on a $16MM salary this year and has hit at about 20% below league average. Boston is probably not in a position to move him as things stand, but he could profile as an August trade piece depending upon how things shake out.
  • LaRoche has not thrived since signing a two-year, $25MM deal with the White Sox over the offseason, but is still maintaining league-average production and offers a steady glove at first. His strikeout rate has jumped to 28.9%, but he’s bounced back before and would hold appeal for teams in need of a sturdy all-around option at first.
  • Both Morrison and Trumbo have hit beneath the league average line this year, though they’ve shown more in the past. Seattle has already performed quite a bit of roster juggling this year to maintain a contender, and seems fully committed to 2015, but could conceivably move either or both if it continues to fall short of expectations.
  • The 28-year-old Davis has been steadily average at the plate, even with limited exposure to same-handed pitching. He’s owed just $3.8MM this year and can be kept through arbitration for 2016, so he could be a low-cost/low-risk option if the A’s decide to sell.
  • Moreland profiled quite a bit like Davis coming into the year, but has raked in 2015 — in large part due to a lofty 21.2% HR/FB rate and a .324 BABIP that is a good bit higher than his career marks. Likewise, he’s cheap ($2.95MM salary) and has one more year of arb control. Texas has a whole host of left-handed power bats, including fellow first baseman Prince Fielder and top prospect Joey Gallo, so could entertain offers in a bid to sell high.
  • The Pirates are firmly in contention, unlike the teams that control the players listed above. But Alvarez has dropped off somewhat at the plate (.236/.305/.436 with 12 home runs) and has remained a major drag in the field since moving over from the hot corner. There’s another year of team control left, but Alvarez will get a raise on his 2015 salary of $5.75MM. It’s plausible to imagine Pittsburgh adding one of the players noted elsewhere in this post while shipping Alvarez out to an AL club in need of a DH.
  • Morse and Morneau are more or less unmovable at present, as both are in the midst of extended DL stays. Morse will return soon, but will need to show some improvement after an awful start to the year. Morneau, unfortunately, has much more serious health issues, as he is once again shelved with worrisome concussion issues.

Backups/DH Candidates

Chris Carter (Astros), Billy Butler (Athletics), Nick Swisher (Indians), Garrett Jones (Yankees), Wilin Rosario (Rockies), Darin Ruf (Phillies), Tyler Moore (Nationals), Brett Wallace (Padres)

  • The question, as always, with Carter is whether he can make enough contact for his prodigious power to outweigh his proclivity for strikeouts. It’s been no different this year, but his overall productivity has taken a step back with dips in his in-zone contact, line-drive and hard-contact rates, and BABIP. Houston has other options in the first base/DH arena — Evan Gattis and Jon Singleton, in particular — and the 28-year-old is already earning $4.18MM as a Super Two.
  • Butler has not bounced back as the A’s hoped when they surprisingly promised him $30MM over three years. It’s unclear whether Oakland or any of the other teams in the league have much appetite for a deal, but he can’t be ruled out as a trade piece.
  • Swisher continues to decline at the plate, with both declining walk and power numbers, and has struggled with a knee issue. That makes him an unlikely deadline mover, but a rebound might let the Indians offload a small piece of his salary (about $7.5MM more this year, plus $15MM for 2016) in an August deal.
  • Jones, 34, has a well-established track record of fairly solid production against right-handed pitching. It’s certainly possible that he could find himself the odd man out on a Yankees club that has multiple DH candidates and is always a threat to make an unexpected splash at the deadline.
  • Though Rosario is young, powerful, and affordable ($2.8MM this year with two more seasons of arb control), much of his value has dissipated with a move away from the catching position. His numbers are obviously inflated by playing at Coors Field, but he could make sense for a team in search of affordable power (and/or sees some hope in eventually plugging him back behind the dish).
  • Ruf, Moore, and Wallace have all shown some promise at times, but have not done much at the MLB level this season and are limited as marginal corner outfielders who are probably best suited at first base or DH. There’s not a lot of value here, of course, but it’s not difficult to imagine any of the three changing hands (or hitting the waiver wire) if they lose their roster spots or a need arises elsewhere.

Currently in the Minors

Allen Craig (Red Sox), Jesus Montero (Mariners), Adam Duvall (Giants), Cody Decker (Padres), Brandon Allen (Mets), Nick Evans (Diamondbacks), Matt Hague (Blue Jays), Mike Hessman (Tigers)

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in on the massively disappointing Craig, who lost his 40-man spot earlier in the year. He’s continued to lack power during a 208-plate appearance run at Triple-A, but does own a generally productive .260/.375/.353 line. The Red Sox would surely consider a deal, if any other teams see enough upside to give value in return. Montero has hit like the top prospect he once was, but he’s been plying his trade at Triple-A all year (though he just earned a promotion). It’s unclear whether Seattle sees much of a future for him in the organization, but his value is held down by his well-documented off-field issues, to say nothing of a lack of big league production when he’s had the chance. Duvall, 26, has shown plenty of power in the minors, but is limited defensively and struggled in a brief first taste of the big leagues last year. The other players listed all have spent at least some time in the majors (excepting the 28-year-old Decker) and are hitting well at Triple-A, but profile as fill-in pieces at present.

Dodgers Claim Preston Guilmet, Designate Chris Reed

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2:17pm: Los Angeles has announced that it designated lefty Chris Reed for assignment to create 40-man space for Guilmet.

Reed, 25, came into the year rated the organization’s 10th-best prospect, per Baseball America, which said he could develop into a back-end starter or late-inning relief option. The 2011 first-rounder has had some uneven results in recent seasons, and was shifted to a pen role this year. Thus far in 2015, Reed owns a 5.97 ERA over 34 2/3 frames in the upper minors, with more walks (5.7 BB/9) than strikeouts (5.5 K/9).

12:27pm: The Dodgers have claimed righty Preston Guilmet off waivers from the Rays, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. His roster spot had been needed in Tampa Bay for the activation of John Jaso.

Los Angeles has made a notable habit of bringing in a steady stream of relief arms, and Guilmet now joins the flow. The 27-year-old only tossed 5 1/3 big league innings this season, but has spent at least some time in the majors over each of the last three years. While he hasn’t found much success in just 21 innings at the game’s highest level, he does own a promising 2.47 ERA, with 9.8 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9, in his Triple-A career.

Marlins Sign Casey McGehee

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TODAY: Miami has announced the signing of McGehee.

YESTERDAY, 4:38pm: McGehee is actually still on release waivers until tomorrow, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. Once he clears, the Marlins are expected to make “a strong push” to sign him. McGehee is represented by Meister Sports Management.

4:12pm: The Marlins have agreed to terms with infielder Casey McGehee, Andy Slater of 940 AM-WINZ tweets. Slater notes that McGehee should join the team on Friday.

The Giants released McGehee yesterday, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. They had previously designated him for assignment after an awful .213/.275/.299 performance in 138 plate appearances. The Giants will still be on the hook for most of the remainder of McGehee’s $4.8MM salary.

With Martin Prado on the disabled list with a shoulder issue, the Marlins have lately gone with Derek Dietrich and Miguel Rojas at third base, the position McGehee has played almost exclusively in the big leagues since last season. Both Dietrich and Rojas have performed well at the Triple-A level this year, and Dietrich is also off to a good start in the big leagues, hitting .259/.333/.481 in 60 plate appearances.

Dietrich is, however, left-handed, as is primary first baseman Justin Bour. One would think the right-handed McGehee would still be able to play first base, so the he could potentially fill for one or the other against left-handed pitching. The Marlins already have righty first base options in Michael Morse and Jeff Baker, although Morse is in the midst of a very poor season and Baker is currently dealing with an oblique injury. McGehee has struggled this season too, of course, although the fact that he performed well with the Marlins in 2014 (after which they traded him to San Francisco) might earn him more chances in Miami than he might receive elsewhere. The corresponding move the Marlins make when they officially add McGehee to their roster will likely help explain how they plan to use him.

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