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Archives for September 2015

Troy Tulowitzki To Miss At Least Two Weeks With Cracked Shoulder Blade

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SUNDAY: The team “is cautiously optimistic” that Tulowitzki can return in two-to-three weeks, GM Alex Anthopoulos told reports, including the National Post’s John Lott.  The shortstop’s progress over the next few days will better determine his future status, as Anthopoulos noted that “there’s a lot of bleeding internally that needs to subside at this point” and there’s no set recovery time since different people heal at different rates from such injuries.

SATURDAY, 7:36pm: Tulowitzki has been diagnosed with a small crack to his left scapula, tweets Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. He also has upper back muscle bruising. The timetable for his return is unknown, but the loss is certainly a blow to the club. Cliff Pennington is likely to start in his absence.

4:25pm: Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki left the first game of a doubleheader against the Yankees on Saturday with an unknown injury, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm and others report. Tulowitzki collided with teammate Kevin Pillar while catching a popup, then toppled backward strangely. He walked off the field without assistance. X-rays on Tulowitzki’s back and ribs came back negative, although Tulowitzki was also scheduled to undergo an MRI on his upper back, the results of which won’t be available until tomorrow. He is currently day-to-day. Tulowitzki has, of course, dealt with injuries throughout his big-league career, including injuries to his wrist, groin, rib and hip.

Obviously, a significant injury to Tulowitzki would be a blow to the Jays, who are trying to hold off the Yankees and win the AL East. The Jays are very well positioned for a playoff berth no matter what, but they’re only two and a half games up in their division. Tulowitzki hasn’t hit exceptionally well (.234/.316/.370) since arriving from Colorado in a high-profile trade near the deadline, but the Jays are 29-9 in games he’s played for them.

Astros Notes: Gomez, Appel, Fields

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Houston beat Huston today, as the Astros staged an improbable ninth-inning comeback against Angels closer Huston Street.  Brought on to protect a 3-0 lead, Street looked like he was en route to a routine save after he got the first two outs, but the Astros then roared back for five runs.  Jed Lowrie delivered a pinch-hit three-run homer that ended up as the difference in the 5-3 victory.  It was a much-needed win for the Astros, who retained their 1.5-game lead in the AL West over the Rangers just before the two teams meet for a huge four-game series in Arlington beginning Monday.  Here’s some more from Minute Maid Park…

  • Carlos Gomez missed today’s game due to what the team described as left intercostal discomfort and he’s heading to Houston to be examined by team doctors and undergo an MRI (as reported by several Astros beat writers, including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and the Houston Chronicle’s Evan Drellich).  Gomez will miss Monday’s game with the Rangers though he’s hopeful of not being out for much longer than that.  Gomez’s health, of course, has already made headlines this season when the Mets backed out of an agreed-upon trade to acquire Gomez from the Brewers due to concerns about Gomez’s hip.  More related to stomach muscles, he also underwent an MRI for a possible abductor issue earlier this summer.  The Astros stepped in to acquire Gomez instead, though he hasn’t played up to his usual standards; the outfielder is hitting .234/.282/.379 over 158 PA for Houston.
  • The Astros are succeeding in 2015 and if you told someone two years ago that No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel would not be a part of that upswing, they would have been pretty surprised.  Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle spoke with Appel’s agent, Scott Boras, who says that his client is progressing just fine in the minors.  “You hope each year in a player’s career, they progress and you can certainly say he did that,” Boras said. “He moved to a new level and performed well and I think he feels very confident about coming to camp (in 2016) and competing..Look, every player’s different. He’s a big guy. And … new to pro baseball. But getting control of those limbs, that body takes time — and it takes professional seasoning.” Appel posted a 4.48 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 12 Triple-A starts and a 4.26 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 13 starts at Double-A.
  • Another Boras client, Josh Fields, was the victim of a roster crunch when he was optioned to the minors on August 20 and Boras didn’t hide his frustration over the demotion in his chat with Drellich.  “A lot of organizations are doing that now. It’s hard, it’s hard on [veteran] players, because they have options left because they were successful when they signed and got up to the big leagues right away,” Boras said.  “When teams have roster limits, they choose those guys. So it’s kind of an unfortunate circumstance of an organization with a lot of talent.”  Fields had a 2.20 ERA and 54 strikeouts (to just 15 walks) over 41 innings when he was demoted and was hit hard in his first two outings since being recalled, giving up seven ER in just 1 1/3 innings.

Marlins Likely To Tender Alvarez; Not Crow

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At this point, the Marlins are leaning towards tendering an offer to pitcher Henderson Alvarez, Barry Jackson of Miami Herald reports. However, Jackson writes that it is “less likely” that Miami extends an offer to reliever Aaron Crow.

Alvarez, Jackson writes, could be due to earn about $4MM in arbitration. The club’s decision, unsurprisingly, will come down to his medicals before the December tender deadline. For his part, Alvarez believes he’ll be ready to pitch by February 2016.  The 25-year-old underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a tear in his right shoulder in late July, ending his season prematurely.  He was Miami’s Opening Day starter, but wound up finishing the 2015 season with just 22 1/3 innings, four starts, and a dismal 6.45 ERA under his belt.

Originally acquired from the Blue Jays in the Jose Reyes/Mark Buehrle/Josh Johnson blockbuster in the 2012-13 offseason, Alvarez looked to be an increasingly important member of the Marlins’ rotation in 2013-14, as he tossed 102 2/3 innings of 3.59 ERA ball in 2013 and showed improved results (2.65 ERA) with an increased workload (187 2/3 innings) in 2014. The young righty’s season-ending no-hitter served as one of the bright spots to the 2013 campaign for the Marlins.

On April 7th of this year, Crow learned that he would have to undergo Tommy John surgery.  The Marlins sent left-hander Brian Flynn and minor league righty Reid Redman to the Royals to acquire Crow over the winter, but the former first-round pick didn’t get to throw a pitch in his new environment in 2015. Crow delivered generally strong ERA and strikeout marks for the Royals from 2011-13, working exclusively out of the bullpen, but he struggled in 2014; Crow’s ERA spiked to a career-worst 4.12, and he posted the worst K/9 (5.2) and ground-ball (43.2%) marks of his career.  Miami acquired Crow in the hope that it was buying low on a previously successful reliever with two years of team control remaining.   However, it sounds like his time in Miami might be coming to a close.

Follow MLB Trade Rumors On Instagram

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Recently, MLB Trade Rumors launched a brand new official Instagram account:@TradeRumorsMLB.  Each day, we’re sharing conversation-inspiring images about the hottest topics in baseball.  From there, we invite you to give us a like, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section, and even share the link with a friend.

Recently, we cast Matt Harvey as Batman and asked readers if “The Dark Knight” will rise for the postseason.  Then, late last week, we featured some of the possible candidates for the Phillies’ GM job and asked you to pick who you think would be best for the gig.

So, what are you waiting for?  If you don’t have an Instagram account, this is the perfect excuse to sign up and get one.  Follow us on Instagram today!

Blue Jays Acquire Darwin Barney

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2:53pm: The Blue Jays will send Double-A catcher Jack Murphy to the Dodgers to complete the trade, Bill Plunkett of the Orange Country Register tweets.  Murphy, 27, has spent the year in Double-A New Hampshire.  He owns a slash line of .220/.309/.315 through 328 plate appearances this year.

9:05am: The Blue Jays announced that they have acquired Darwin Barney from the Dodgers in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  As a post-August 31st acquisition, Barney will not be eligible for postseason play.

Barney, 29, appeared in two games for the Dodgers this season and spent the rest of the season in Triple-A.  At Oklahoma City, Barney slashed .277/.325/.354 with four homers and seven steals across 96 games.  For his career, Barney has a .245/293/.336 major league batting line in parts of six seasons with the Cubs and Dodgers.

Of course, the 2012 National League Gold Glove Award winner has more of a reputation for his defensive work than his hitting.  For his career, Barney owns a strong 12.9 UZR/150 rating at the second base position.  He also has 149 2/3 innings experience at shortstop, where he has graded out with a 40.0 UZR/150, albeit in a very limited sample size.

Barney will join the Blue Jays in New York for today’s contest against the Yankees.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:

  • On this week’s edition of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast, Jeff Todd and Steve Adams discussed the Nationals’ disappointing season before looking ahead to the offseason and their 2016 roster.   A new episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast will be released every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
  • Recently, MLB Trade Rumors launched a brand new official Instagram account:@TradeRumorsMLB.  Each day, we’re sharing conversation-inspiring images about the hottest topics in baseball.  From there, we invite you to give us a like, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section, and even share the link with a friend.  So, what are you waiting for?  If you don’t have an Instagram account, this is the perfect excuse to sign up and get one.  Follow us on Instagram today!
  • In the latest edition of the MLBTR Mailbag, Steve fielded questions on the KBO, the Reds’ core, R.A. Dickey, and more.
  • The Phillies aren’t on anybody’s list to contend next season, but there are reasons to feel optimistic about the future of the club, Brad Johnson writes. Brad laid out some of the key things that the Phillies need to do this winter, including finding a resolution to the Ryan Howard situation.
  • If Marco Estrada doesn’t have the qualifying offer hanging over him, he could get a lot of interest as an under-the-radar choice for a team that misses out on the big names in the first or second tier of free agent arms, Mark Polishuk writes.
  • Submarine pitcher Darren O’Day is poised to hit the open market as one of the best late-inning arms available and Jeff checked in on his stock to see what kind of deal he could fetch.
  • The Reds need to maximize the value of Aroldis Chapman, Jeff writes.
  • Steve ran down three major needs that the Brewers will have this offseason.
  • If you missed out on this week’s chat with Steve, you can get caught up by reading the transcript here.

D’Backs Notes: Goldschmidt, Watson, Pitching

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On Sunday morning, D’Backs GM Dave Stewart spoke with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio about a number of topics.  Here’s a look at some of the highlights..

  • Stewart told Bowden and Duquette (audio link) that he thinks it’s unlikely that Paul Goldschmidt or his team will approach him about an extension this offseason.  Of course, Stewart & Co. would like to get a long-term deal done with Goldschmidt and Stewart plans on talking to his camp to get a “lay of the land” and figure out what kind of deal they’re seeking.  Stewart added the first baseman “deserves to wear this uniform for as long as he wants to.”
  • The GM also admitted that he would like to hammer out a long-term pact with A.J. Pollock.  In fact, Stewart has already huddled up with Tony La Russa and the other top execs in the front office to prep for negotiations.  Last month, the outfielder was candid about his desire to work out an extension, so the feeling is mutual.  The 27-year-old will have over three years of service time by the end of the season, making him eligible for arbitration for the first time, and putting him on pace to become a free agent after 2018. The only recent extension for an outfielder with between three and four years of service time is that of Michael Brantley, who signed a four-year, $25MM deal with one option prior to the 2014 season.
  • Stewart said (Twitter links) that he has yet to receive any calls from clubs looking to interview team exec De Jon Watson.  Stewart said that he is perplexed by the lack of interest Watson has received as a GM candidate this year.  “I think DeJon would be an outstanding candidate. I think he’s ready [to be a GM]. He’s done an outstanding job here,” the GM said.
  • Not a huge surprise, but Stewart says that he is determined to try and find a frontline starter this offseason (link).

Blue Jays Designate Scott Copeland For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have designed Scott Copeland for assignment, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets.  The move will create room for the newly acquired Darwin Barney on the team’s 40-man roster.

Copeland, 27, made three starts and two relief appearances with the Blue Jays this season.  The right-hander spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A Buffalo, where he pitched to a strong 3.17 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.  The Blue Jays now have ten days to trade, release, or outright Copeland.

As MLBTR’s DFA Tracker shows, Copeland is now one of three players left in DFA limbo along with Cesar Cabral (Orioles) and Danny Dorn (Blue Jays).

Cafardo On Chapman, Ausmus, Red Sox

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In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looked at some potential options Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski can explore to help bolster the team’s bullpen.  Among the many names listed is Craig Kimbrel, who might not be made available.  San Diego didn’t deal Kimbrel at this year’s deadline, but the Padres likely want to reload with major league players, so Cafardo wonders aloud if the closer could be moved if it helps them  at third base, in the outfield, or the rotation. Here’s more from today’s column..

  • Will the Reds deal Aroldis Chapman this winter?  If they do, it would require a blockbuster package, as Reds exec Kevin Towers tells Cafardo.  Last month, Cafardo heard that the Reds were asking for an “incredibly unrealistic” return when the D’Backs and other clubs came calling for the closer at the deadline.
  • If the Tigers dismiss manager Brad Ausmus, he might not be unemployed for long.  Cafardo hears whispers in the industry that he would be a strong candidate to replace Padres’ interim skipper Pat Murphy to take the position.  Ausmus was a special assistant in San Diego before taking the Tigers job, so there’s certainly a familiarity there.
  • Speaking of Detroit, Dombrowski has a history with Ausmus, so Cafardo throws out the Red Sox possibility.  A report surfaced last week that the Tigers were planning on firing Ausmus, but GM Al Avila quickly issued a statement declaring that no decision would be made until the season was through.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suspects that Ausmus will be dismissed.
  • Former Cubs manager Rick Renteria has had some “indirect feelers” from teams concerning managerial jobs, Cafardo writes. Renteria, of course, was displaced in Chicago last October when the club hired Joe Maddon.  Renteria is well-regarded around the game and the Cubs were effusive with praise for him when they let officially let him go on Halloween of last year.  The Tigers, Marlins, and Padres could all be possibilities for him, Cafardo writes.
  • Towers tells Cafardo that he has only heard about possible interest in him “through back channels” and has no idea if he’ll have a GM job next year. “I’m 53 and would love to get back in, but if it doesn’t happen I’m perfectly happy here with Walt [Jocketty]. It’s been fun going through our organization and evaluating our young talent.” Cafardo speculates that Towers, an Oregon native, could be a candidate with the Mariners.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Britton, Castillo, Stroman’s

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Here’s a look at the best from around the baseball blogosphere this week..

Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

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