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Archives for March 2016

West Notes: Dodgers, Wood, Wolters, Bush

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After a Spring Training in which they’ve beset by injuries, the Dodgers’ thrifty offseason looms large, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes. The Dodgers’ lengthy injury list (including players who were hurt before the spring started) currently features Andre Ethier, Brett Anderson, Hyun-jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy and Frankie Montas, who all figure to miss significant time, along with Howie Kendrick, Yasmani Grandal, Mike Bolsinger and others, whose maladies currently appear to be somewhat less serious. “It’s one of those freak things, that everything is happening at once,” says Kendrick. “Better it happen here than later, and then hopefully we get on with our season.” The Dodgers’ core issue, as Nightengale sees it, is that despite being a financial powerhouse, they want to succeed by accumulating depth and staying patient, rather than by paying the prices (either in money or in top prospects, of which they have many) necessary to acquire star players. That means they won’t be willing to trade their best young talent for upgrades now, even when they’ve been bitten by the injury bug. Here’s more from the West divisions.

  • Dodgers starter Alex Wood looks like a rebound candidate, FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan writes. That would be a bit of good news for the team’s beleaguered rotation. Wood has raised his release point, which had fallen during his uneven 2015 season. He might also be in the process of regaining some of the velocity he’s lost as well — it fell from an average of 91.7 MPH in 2013 to 89.3 last season, and his pitches this spring have been closer to his 2013 levels.
  • Catcher Tony Wolters was an unlikely choice to make the Rockies’ roster, but he’ll head north with the big-league team thanks in part to his ability to play at the middle infield positions as well as behind the plate, Nick Groke of the Denver Post writes. When the Rockies claimed Wolters in February, he had never played above the Double-A level. He initially played shortstop in the Indians organization before switching to catching in 2013. That versatility could make him more useful in extra-inning games — and, I’d think, in long games in general, of which Coors Field has many. “We didn’t know the kid until spring training started,” says manager Walt Weiss. “Over the course of six weeks, he won a lot of people over. That’s hard to do in this game.”
  • The Rangers believe Matt Bush could pitch in the Major Leagues in 2016, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Bush, of course, was the first overall pick by the Padres in the 2004 draft, but the path he’s taken since then has been rocky, to say the least. He flamed out as a shortstop, and more troublingly, had a number of run-ins with the law, including a drunk-driving incident that resulted in him hitting a motorcyclist and spending more than three years in jail. But one member of the Rangers’ minor-league staff, Roy Silver, was in contact with Bush during his incarceration and had experience working with Josh Hamilton and other addicts. Bush, now a pitcher, is currently hitting 100 MPH from the mound.

Rule 5 Pick Chris O’Grady Returns To Angels

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9:45pm: The Angels have announced that they’ve accepted O’Grady’s return, which means they paid the Reds $25K. O’Grady has been assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake.

2:45pm: Reds’ Rule 5 selection Chris O’Grady has cleared waivers and been offered back to the Angels, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports on Twitter. With all the other clubs in the league passing on a chance to take over the left-hander’s Rule 5 rights, Los Angeles will have three days to decide whether to take him back.

O’Grady, 25, is a former tenth-round pick out of George Mason. He spent last year at Double-A and Triple-A in the Halos’ system, working to a combined 3.28 ERA with 8.9 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 over 57 2/3 frames. But O’Grady struggled some in spring action, allowing 10 earned runs on 10 hits over 9 2/3 innings — though he also recorded eight strikeouts against only three walks.

East Notes: Rickard, Banuelos, Eveland

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Outfielder Joey Rickard has been told that he’s made the Orioles’ roster, Roch Kubatko of MASN tweets. Of course, it comes as little surprise that Rickard, a Rule 5 pick from the Tampa Bay organization, would make the team after batting .390/.463/.576 this spring. Rickard could be having a significant impact on the Orioles’ roster composition, too, as FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan recently noted. Hyun Soo Kim is unlikely to make the Orioles’ 25-man and his immediate future is unclear, and while Kim’s .182/.229/.182 performance this spring is part of the reason why, but Rickard is part of the reason too. As Sullivan notes, Rickard doesn’t have much power (he only had two home runs all of last season in the minors) but was successful last year thanks to his abilities to hit for contact and control the strike zone. Rickard might also be able to add value with his defense and baserunning. If everything goes right, that could make him similar, as a player, to the late Ryan Freel, who was surprisingly productive for the Reds from 2003 through 2006. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • Braves lefty Manny Banuelos is fighting elbow soreness, and there’s no timetable for his return, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. A recent MRI indicated there was no damage, but the Braves are determining their plan for Banuelos, who had Tommy John surgery three years ago and had surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow last September. Banuelos, who was competing for a job in the Braves’ rotation, says he doesn’t think his current soreness is a huge problem. “Doesn’t feel like it, but we’ll see,” he says. “I’m not worried too much. I wish I could pitch, man.”
  • Rays lefty Dana Eveland has an opt-out Friday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. Eveland is competing for a role in the Rays’ bullpen and has gotten good results in Spring Training, striking out eight batters and walking three in 10 2/3 innings while allowing three runs, none earned. He signed a minor-league deal with the team in September.

Padres Notes: Preller, Trade Deadline, Wood, Lincecum

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Padres president Mike Dee denies recent whispers that GM A.J. Preller’s job is in danger after the team’s failed attempt at contention last season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. “Not true,” says Dee. “We have more confidence and excitement about him as GM than when we hired him in 2014. … He’s here for the long haul.” Dee says one reason the team hired Preller was because of his background in acquiring amateur talent, and it will take awhile for his efforts in that area to bear fruit. Notably, the organization is already rumored to have committed almost $30MM to talent that will become available in next summer’s Latin American amateur market — a huge figure, particularly given the penalties that will be involved. Here’s more on the Padres.

  • Sherman also has some fun details of the Padres’ activity — or lack thereof — on the trade market last summer. They were reportedly offered only outfielder Junior Lake from the Cubs in return for Ian Kennedy. The Mets offered pitching prospect Michael Fulmer (later the key to the Yoenis Cespedes deal) for Justin Upton, but the Padres were concerned about Fulmer’s long-term viability as a starter. The Yankees, meanwhile, offered infield prospect Jorge Mateo for Craig Kimbrel (who, of course, later netted a considerable return from the Red Sox). They let Kennedy and Upton walk, but will receive compensation picks for them.
  • After trading Nick Vincent to the Mariners, Preller says he doesn’t think the team will make any more significant deals before the start of the season, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. “I don’t really think so,” says Preller. “I think at this point, our focus has been more on some of the position battles, the competitions to round the club out. But you never want to say no.” As Lin notes, the team acquired Kimbrel just as the season started last year, but it doesn’t appear they plan on something like that happening again. Preller adds that the team is happy with Wil Myers at first base, seemingly in response to a question about whether they might pursue someone like James Loney (who’s now in limbo after being told he won’t make the Rays’ Opening Day roster) to platoon with him.
  • Former phenom Brandon Wood — who belted a remarkable 43 home runs as a 20-year-old for Class A+ Rancho Cucamonga in 2005 but never made an impact in the Majors — is now 31 and preparing for his first season as a minor-league manager, Ted Berg of USA Today writes. Before the 2006 season, Baseball America rated Wood (then with the Angels) the third-best prospect in the game. Now he’s set to manage the short-season Tri-City Dust Devils. Wood says anxiety was his undoing as a player, recalling that he at times struggled to control his body because he wasn’t breathing enough.
  • The Padres are expected to be keenly interested in free agent starter Tim Lincecum, Jon Heyman writes (Twitter links). Lincecum is rumored to be throwing 90 MPH off flat ground, Heyman reports, but he hasn’t yet had a showcase (even though there has been talk of a showcase for months now), saying he wants to be “perfect” for it. Lincecum is making his way back from hip surgery.

Andrew Miller Suffers Chip Fracture In Right Wrist

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7:08pm: Miller has a chip fracture in his right wrist, Curry tweets. He will see a hand specialist to determine the best course of action to treat it.

4:39pm: Miller has undergone X-rays and they came back negative, Jack Curry of YES tweets. Miller still has to have a CT-scan.

3:03pm: Yankees reliever Andrew Miller left today’s action after taking a comebacker to his right wrist. It has been diagnosed as a bruise for now, but Miller is headed for further testing, as George A. King III of the New York Post was among those to tweet.

With Aroldis Chapman out for the first thirty games of the season, Miller was expected to reprise his closing duties from a year ago. The high-powered lefty has firmly established himself as one of the game’s very best relievers, and any absence would certainly tell. Of course, the Yankees also have yet another top-quality pen arm in Dellin Betances.

It’s obviously far too soon to know the prognosis, and the injury is far less worrisome than had it been to his opposing hand. But with Opening Day less than a week off, even a brief absence could well require a trip to the DL.

Braves Sign Drew Stubbs To Minor-League Deal

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The Braves have signed outfielder Drew Stubbs to a minor-league deal and invited him to what remains of big-league camp, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (Twitter links). Stubbs is represented by Lagardere Unlimited.

The Rangers released Stubbs earlier this week after he exercised his opt-out. He struggled with the Rockies and Rangers last year, batting .195/.283/.382 in 140 plate appearances, and he hasn’t hit well overall in his career, generally struggling to hit for average. He is only 31, though, and has a decent track record of providing valuable center field defense and a bit of home-run power.

Bowman notes that the deal could lead the Braves to re-think their outfield depth situation. Bowman also says Jeff Francoeur’s job on the big club is seemingly “safe,” though, and the Braves have what looks like a crowded outfield picture, with Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Hector Olivera, Michael Bourn and Francoeur, along with Emilio Bonifacio and Kelly Johnson, who can also play other positions. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets, however, that he expects the Stubbs deal will lead to Bonifacio’s departure from the organization. Bonifacio is signed to a big-league deal that will pay him $1.25MM.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/30/16

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As we near the end of Spring Training, it’s a big day — if you can call it that — for minor moves. Here’s the latest from around the league.

  • The Royals have released outfielder Travis Snider, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. They had signed Snider to a minor-league deal after he hit .232/.313/.350 with the Orioles and Pirates last year. He had been looking to compete for a bench job.
  • The Royals have also re-signed righty sidearmer Peter Moylan to a minor-league deal, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. The 37-year-old came back to pitch for the Braves last season after having Tommy John surgery, and the Royals signed him to a minor-league deal only to release him earlier this week to avoid paying him a retention bonus.
  • Third baseman Will Middlebrooks could have refused to let the Brewers send him to the minors, but he’s accepted an assignment to Triple-A Colorado Springs, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel tweets. Middlebrooks hit .212/.241/.361 in 255 plate appearances last season for San Diego and did not win a job with the Brewers out of Spring Training.
  • The Marlins have re-signed utilityman Don Kelly to a minor-league deal, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. The Marlins had released Kelly yesterday, likely to avoid paying him a $100K retention bonus as an Article XX(B) free agent. The longtime Tigers bench piece played sparingly in the Marlins organization in 2015.
  • The Marlins also released first baseman Tommy Medica today, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. Medica played in 102 games with the Padres in 2014, but did not play in the big leagues last year, instead batting .259/.314/.364 in 363 plate appearances for San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.
  • The Tigers have re-signed veteran infielder Casey McGehee to a minor-league deal, tweets MLB.com’s Jason Beck. They had released him this week. As with Kelly and Moylan, McGehee would have been owed a retention bonus. McGehee struggled with San Francisco and Miami in 2015, batting .198/.264/.274 in 258 plate appearances.
  • White Sox righty Kameron Loe has received an 80-game suspension for PEDs, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes (Twitter links). Officially, Loe tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone metabolite and methasterone. He says on his Twitter account that he was caught taking an unapproved product he bought at a nutrition store. Loe was also suspended 50 games last year, although that was for a “drug of abuse,” not for PED use. He pitched in the independent Atlantic League in 2015 before signing a minor-league deal with Chicago.
  • The Rays have released first-baseman-turned-knuckleballer Dan Johnson, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 36-year-old Johnson, who briefly played for the Cardinals last year, had been trying for a sort of second career as a pitcher after years spent as a slugger on the fringes of the big leagues.

AL Notes: Furbush, Blue Jays, Athletics, Rangers, Holaday

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Mariners southpaw Charlie Furbush is undergoing a blood injection therapy to his shoulder in hopes of speeding his recovery, MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports, but he might not return to action for “several months.” Furbush suggested that he could resume throwing in about three weeks’ time, but given his rotator cuff issues last year and continued difficulties, it certainly seems likely that the club will bring him along cautiously.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • We checked in earlier today on Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion, as he’s not expected to engage in further contract talks before the season starts. Jon Heyman of MLB Network joins Ben Nicholson-Smith in reporting that there’s nothing scheduled with Encarnacion (Twitter link).
  • Heyman also adds on Twitter that Jose Bautista could be willing to consider a four-year arrangement to stay in Toronto, despite his ask of five or even six years in an extension. Of course, that would be at a superstar rate of pay — Heyman suggests $30MM annually. The club, meanwhile, is believed to be interested in a three-year pact that might looking something like the Yoenis Cespedes deal.
  • The Athletics could continue to hold contract talks with outfielder Josh Reddick into the regular season, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports. (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle noted yesterday evening that talks between the two sides were “percolating a little bit.”)While previous indications were that there’d be a deadline at the end of the spring, it appears there’s a willingness to keep talking if negotiations are showing sufficient promise of completion. If a new deal can’t be struck, Reddick will reach free agency after the season. He currently sits at sixth among pending free agents on the pre-season power rankings by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes.
  • Athletics righty R.J. Alvarez underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Alvarez was roughed up in his twenty MLB innings last year and has yet to harness his command, but has generated some whiffs with his mid-90s fastball and slider combo.
  • The Indians have shifted Trevor Bauer into the bullpen to open the season, as Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal was among those to report. That leaves Cody Anderson and the just-extended Josh Tomlin as the four and five starters as things get underway. As Lewis notes, both Bauer and Anderson have displayed significant increases in their fastball velocity this year. Both president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona emphasized that Bauer remains in the rotation picture and will play a significant role — indeed, he had strong results this spring — but it’s certainly an interesting decision on a highly promising player who has yet to fully settle in at the major league level. It bears noting that the 25-year-old is all but certain to qualify as a Super Two after the season, so any loss of innings could have a significant impact on his future earnings.
  • Injured catcher Chris Gimenez will suit up for the Rangers on Wednesday in a “last-ditch effort” to make the team, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram tweets.  Gimenez currently appears to be on the outside looking in after the Rangers acquired Bryan Holaday from the Tigers.  The catcher will now have to make a big impression on team brass while dealing with an infected left leg.
  • At one point, the Tigers would have asked for catcher Brett Nicholas and more for Holaday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets.  However, the Rangers were able to acquire Holaday while hanging on to Nicholas.  Instead, they parted only with right-hander Myles Jaye and catcher Bobby Wilson. Meanwhile, Detroit plans on slotting the newly-acquired Jaye in their Double-A rotation, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.  In the long term, he says, the club believes that Jaye can be a major league reliever.

Pirates Notes: Nicasio, Luebke, Hurdle

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Juan Nicasio has made the Pirates’ rotation, according to various reporters, including MLB.com’s Adam Berry (on Twitter). That means Nicasio will join Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Jon Niese and Jeff Locke, and veteran Ryan Vogelsong — who had been competing with Nicasio for the last rotation spot — will head to the bullpen. It’s been an interesting spring for Nicasio, who struggled with control while pitching for the Rockies and Dodgers in recent years but whiffed 24 batters against just five walks in 15 innings of Spring Training action. The Pirates will see if he can join a long line of hurlers who have rejuvenated their careers in Pittsburgh. Here’s more on the Bucs.

  • It was previously reported that lefty Cory Luebke’s opt-out was yesterday, but it’s actually today, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. That means the Bucs will have to decide today whether Luebke has made their bullpen. It appears likely he will after a spring in which the previously injury-ravaged Luebke earned praise for his stuff, including a 94-MPH fastball and hard breaking ball.
  • The Pirates appear to be pursuing a new model for their starting pitching reclamation projects, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Previously, they looked for pitchers with good fastballs and the ability to get strikeouts, and tried to help them with their command. But Vogelsong and Niese don’t fit that model, Sawchik notes (although it certainly looks like Nicasio does). “Jonathan might be of a different style than pitchers we acquired in the past,” says GM Neal Huntington. “But if you only stick to (one model) especially at the major league level, especially given how the market has evolved, you are really going to limit your options.”
  • Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chronicles the baseball career of Bucs manager Clint Hurdle, which he began as a phenom with the Royals. Hurdle was mostly a bust as a player, and he fought a long battle with alcoholism, but he reemerged on the other side as a manager and is now one of the game’s most respected.

Phillies Release, Re-Sign Edward Mujica

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WEDNESDAY: The Phillies have announced that they’ve re-signed Mujica to a minor-league deal. He will report to minor-league camp later this week.

TUESDAY: The Phillies have released veteran righty Edward Mujica, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to report on Twitter. Mujica had been in camp on a minor league deal and seemed to have a solid shot at earning a late-inning role.

As an Article XX(B) free agent, Mujica would have been due a roster bonus if kept in the minors to open the season. But he forced the issue by triggering an opt-out provision in his contract — which would have paid him $2.5MM at the MLB level.

Mujica, 31, was long a sturdy pen option. He timed his entry onto the free agent market well, putting up a strong 2013 season — 2.78 ERA; 6.4 K/9 against 0.7 BB/9; 37 saves — before joining the Red Sox. But he’s largely disappointed since. Over 107 1/3 frames in the last two seasons, in Boston and in Oakland, Mujica owns a 4.28 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. Long balls, in particular, have been an issue.

There’s little question that Mujica will draw interest from other organizations. Indeed, he’s generated solid results this spring. In his 8 1/3 innings, he allowed two earned runs on just four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

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