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Archives for July 2016

NL West Notes: Friedman, Ryu, Giants, Rockies

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Some news from around the NL West…

  • While Clayton Kershaw’s health status will surely be the biggest factor in the Dodgers’ deadline plans, the club has “a number of target guys we are interested in irrespective of what’s going on,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman tells ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla.  “Of course, as things play out the next few weeks, the importance of certain areas will grow and others will decrease. But it’s still pretty early on in those conversations.”  L.A. has already made one notable move for pitching (picking up Bud Norris) in the wake of Kershaw’s back injury.
  • The Dodgers could also get an internal pitching boost with Hyun-Jin Ryu’s return, as Friedman told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick) that Ryu could be back soon after the All-Star break or perhaps even this week.  Ryu missed all of 2015 and all of this season due to shoulder problems, including recovery from labrum surgery in May 2015.
  • The Giants will be getting Sergio Romo, Joe Panik and other notable regulars back from the DL within the next couple of weeks, though as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle notes, it will create a bit of a roster crunch due to the number of out-of-options players on the current 25-man.  Schulman speculates that Ruben Tejada could be the first of the out-of-options crew to be designated for assignment since Tejada has cleared waivers twice this season.
  • Rockies GM Jeff Bridich tells Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that the team is “going to keep our eyes and ears open to everything” heading into the trade deadline.  While Bridich was excited that the Rockies are still within striking distance of the NL wild card race, Saunders figures the club will ultimately end up being deadline sellers, rather than buyers.  Saunders cites Jorge De La Rosa as “Colorado’s most realistic trade possibility,” with the likes of Daniel Descalso, Nick Hundley, Boone Logan and Mark Reynolds also possible candidates to be moved.  Carlos Gonzalez will garner the most trade buzz but Saunders believes Gonzalez will remain with the team not just through the rest of this season but into the 2017 campaign as well.

Yankees Notes: Miller, Beltran, Bullpen

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Here’s the latest on the Bronx Bombers…

  • Andrew Miller has been the subject of many trade rumors already this summer, though, Miller tells Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com that some Yankee executives have told him he won’t be dealt.  “I’ve had reassurances from them at the times I’ve talked to them that [a trade is] something that hasn’t been discussed or planned for or anything like that,” Miller said. “I think that’s kind of nice….There haven’t been reach-outs or anything like that. But you run into people and they tell you not to read into anything you’re hearing.”  That said, Miller also acknowledges that “there are situations and there are offers that could be too good to refuse.  That’s the reality of the business.  I can’t worry about it.  I have zero leverage in the situation, but I came here to play for the Yankees.”  It isn’t yet clear if the Yankees will trade any of their high-priced veterans at the deadline, though even if they do, Miller could stay since New York reportedly has a very large asking price on his services.
  • Carlos Beltran also wants to stay in New York, he tells MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, since the veteran outfielder believes the Yankees are still capable of getting back into contention.  Beltran has some control over his future in the form of a partial no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to 15 teams, and he is a free agent at the end of the season.
  • Scouts from the Rangers, Cubs and Nationals were watching the Yankees’ series in San Diego this weekend, George A. King III of the New York Post reports.  The three teams have all been known to be interested in bullpen additions and have been linked to Miller, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman on the rumor mill.
  • In other Bombers news from earlier today, the Yankees were one of many teams who scouted Rich Hill’s start on Saturday, and they also have some interest in Rays left-hander Matt Moore.

Paul Goldschmidt Switches Agencies

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Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has hired Excel Sports Management as representation, reports Robert Murray of Today’s Knuckleball. The three-time All-Star was previously a client of ISE Baseball (formerly Relativity Baseball) and agent Joe Sambito, who won’t follow him to Excel, according to Murray.

Goldschmidt, an eighth-round pick in 2009, became one of baseball’s preeminent stars during his second full season – 2013 – when he hit .302/.401/.551 with 36 home runs, stole 15 bases and accounted for 6.2 fWAR in 710 plate appearances. Since the beginning of that season, Goldschmidt has slashed .306/.414/.548 in 2,248 trips to the plate and accounted for 20.8 fWAR, the fourth-highest total among major league position players. The 28-year-old right-handed hitter is in the midst of yet another excellent season, having batted .293/.420/.505 with 14 homers and 10 steals through 365 trips to the plate.

Goldschmidt’s success has come under the eminently team-friendly contract he signed before the 2013 campaign. Back then, Goldschmidt put pen to paper on a five-year, $32MM pact with a $14.5MM club option for 2019. If Goldschmidt ultimately plays out his deal, including the option, he won’t be eligible for free agency until the age of 32.

Dodgers Release Ian Thomas, Outright Two

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The Dodgers have made a trio of roster moves, releasing left-hander Ian Thomas and outrighting righties Yaisel Sierra and Layne Somsen off the 40-man roster, reports Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Updated Dodgers depth chart]

Thomas, whom the Dodgers designated for assignment Thursday, originally joined the team via trade with the Braves last summer. He logged a combined 23 1/3 innings with the two clubs in 2015 and posted a 3.86 ERA with 23 strikeouts against 11 walks. Thomas racked up quality numbers early this season for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate — 1.42 ERA, 22 strikeouts and five walks in 19 innings — but has been on the minor league disabled list since mid-May because of tendinitis in his left shoulder.

The Dodgers claimed Somsen off waivers from the Yankees on June 22 and subsequently designated him Friday. Somsen’s only major league action came earlier this season as a member of the Reds, with whom he threw 2 1/3 innings and gave up five earned runs. The 27-year-old has been far better this season in the minors, where he has put up a 1.44 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 across 25 Triple-A frames.

Los Angeles signed Sierra – a Cuba native – to a deal worth upward of $30MM in February, making him easily the most interesting name in this group. The move hasn’t gone according to plan, though, as the 25-year-old has disappointed at the High-A level this season. In 49 innings, Sierra has run up a 4.69 ERA with 6.05 K/9 against 3.70 BB/9.

Pirates Claim Eric Fryer From Cardinals, Designate Rob Scahill

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3:33pm: The Pirates have announced both the Fryer claim and right-handed reliever Rob Scahill’s designation for assignment. Scahill threw 16 1/3 innings for the Pirates this year prior to the designation and recorded a 4.41 ERA, 7.16 K/9, 3.31 BB/9 and 58 percent ground-ball rate. In 104 big league innings, the 29-year-old owns a 3.89 ERA, 6.23 K/9, 3.72 BB/9 and 52.7 percent grounder rate.

[RELATED: Updated Pirates depth chart]

1:32pm: The Pirates have claimed catcher Eric Fryer off waivers from the division-rival Cardinals, reports Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter link). The 30-year-old became available when the Redbirds designated him for assignment Tuesday, though they were hoping he’d sneak through waivers and remain in the organization.

This will be the second stint in Pittsburgh for Fryer, who was previously with the Bucs from 2010-12. He looks poised to take the place of Chris Stewart – who could head to the disabled list, Adam Berry of MLB.com tweets. Stewart would then join starting backstop Francisco Cervelli as the second Bucs catcher on the DL, leaving the position to Fryer and Erik Kratz.

In parts of six major league seasons, Fryer has totaled 199 trips to the plate and hit .270/.347/.354. Forty-one of those PAs came this year in St. Louis, with which Fryer slashed an outstanding .368/.415/.421. Those numbers are vastly superior to the .237/.328/.328 line Fryer has compiled in 935 Triple-A plate appearances, so regression is clearly on the way. Defensively, Fryer has graded respectably as a pitch framer and thrown out 29 percent of base stealers during his minor league career.

Nationals Activate Stephen Strasburg, Place Joe Ross On DL

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The Nationals have activated right-hander Stephen Strasburg from the disabled list and placed fellow righty Joe Ross on the DL with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, Dan Kolko of MASN was among those to report (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Updated Nationals Depth Chart]

Strasburg, whose last action came June 15, will start for the Nats on Sunday. The 27-year-old hit the DL with an upper back strain on June 26, retroactive to June 16. Prior to that, the ace posted stellar numbers – 2.90 ERA, 11.4 K/9 and 4.92 K/BB rate – over 93 innings and began the season a perfect 10-0. Strasburg also inked a seven-year, $175MM contract extension in May, of course, so the first-place Nats can breathe a sigh of relief that one of their top players and most significant investments avoided a serious injury.

Unfortunately, the same might not be true in regards to the 23-year-old Ross, whose average sinker velocity fell nearly two miles per hour (from 93.5 to 91.8) in his start Saturday and dropped into the high 80s in his fifth and final frame. Notably, Ross’ brother – Padres ace Tyson Ross – has missed nearly the entire season with shoulder inflammation, and the Nats will now hope their Ross doesn’t suffer a similar fate. Before succumbing to injury, the second-year man tossed 95 1/3 innings of 3.49 ERA ball and added a 7.46 K/9, 2.25 BB/9 and 44.1 percent ground-ball rate. Even though Ross has emerged as a quality starter, his loss shouldn’t do much in the near term to hinder a Nats rotation that has Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Tanner Roark, elite prospect Lucas Giolito and Gio Gonzalez in the fold.

Diamondbacks Place Zack Greinke On DL

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The Diamondbacks have sent right-hander Zack Greinke to the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain and reinstated outfielder Rickie Weeks Jr. from the bereavement list to take his place on the roster, according to a team announcement. This ends Greinke’s consecutive starts streak at 106, as Jack Magruder of FanRag Sports tweets.

[RELATED: Updated Diamondbacks Depth Chart]

Greinke sustained the injury during his start against the Phillies on Tuesday and had to exit after two innings as a result. Prior to that outing, Greinke had rebounded from initial struggles to record a 2.58 ERA over 11 starts dating back to April 30. All told, the $206MM offseason investment has pitched to a solid 3.62 ERA in 109 1/3 frames in his first year in Arizona and logged a 7.49 K/9, 1.73 BB/9 and 47.6 percent ground-ball rate. He’s one of several notable Diamondbacks currently on the DL, joining fellow starter Rubby De La Rosa and outfielders A.J. Pollock, David Peralta, Chris Owings and Socrates Brito. Those injuries have contributed to the Diamondbacks’ 37-46 start, and Greinke’s absence certainly won’t help matters for a club that’s 7.5 games out of an NL Wild Card spot and trying to claw its way back into contention prior to the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said Sunday that the team hopes to have Greinke back shortly after the All-Star break (Twitter link via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com), so it appears – at least for now – that he’ll avoid a long DL stint.

NL Notes: D-backs, Brewers, Marlins, Nats

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After making multiple high-profile offseason moves, the Diamondbacks entered the campaign with playoff aspirations, but the 37-46 Snakes sit a likely insurmountable 14 games behind NL West-leading San Francisco and 7 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot. Still, chief baseball officer Tony La Russa stands by the roster the front office has assembled, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. “I think the talent is very competitive,” La Russa said. “I think we just need to execute better. You don’t want to focus on the pitching because there are days when we don’t score enough runs and days we don’t defend as well as we can. I think it’s a matter of executing.” As for why the Diamondbacks aren’t executing, La Russa attributed it to the players pressing “just enough to where it can be the difference in the game.” With less than a month to go before the trade deadline, the D-backs don’t see themselves as sellers yet, but La Russa acknowledged that they “may do a little planning ahead.”

More from the NL:

  • The 35-45 Brewers would rather acquire starting pitching than subtract it at the deadline, general manager David Stearns told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We always want to add starting pitching; add quality arms. I don’t know I’d term us a seller of pitching,” said Stearns, who went on to state that the Brewers “would have a very high price to trade any young player that has significant control remaining and who we believe can contribute to the organization for a long time.” It’s worth noting in light of Stearns’ comments that all three 20-somethings currently in the Brewers’ rotation – Jimmy Nelson, Zach Davies and Chase Anderson – are cheap and controllable for the foreseeable future. One starter whom the Brewers will likely look to deal is 32-year-old Matt Garza, according to the Journal Sentinel, though he’ll need to rebuild his value after a poor 2015 and a back injury that kept him out until mid-June of this season. Garza, who’s on a $12.5MM salary through next season, has fared respectably since returning – albeit in only 21 2/3 innings – with a 3.74 ERA, 5.82 K/9, 2.91 BB/9 and 50.7 percent grounder rate in four starts.
  • The Marlins’ acquisition of reliever Fernando Rodney earlier this week is part of the payoff in owner Jeffrey Loria’s long-term investment in the team’s infrastructure, details Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com. Loria installed a board of directors in the offseason when he named Mike Hill president of baseball operations and hired Don Mattingly as manager. Along with Loria, Hill and Mattingly, the Marlins’ decision-making board consists of several other higher-ups, each given a voice in the way the franchise operates. Loria also spent to improve the Marlins’ analytics department and beefed up their pro and amateur scouting budgets, per Gammons. In regards to his playoff-contending club, Loria told Gammons, “I can honestly say this is the best I’ve felt about the Marlins since 2003,” alluding to their second World Series-winning season. “There are times when I think this team is as good as that 2003 team, but now’s not the time for comparisons. Now is the time for very smart people to work hard to constantly make us better, and that includes the coaching staff Donnie has put together.”
  • The Nationals are concerned about the velocity drop right-hander Joe Ross experienced in their 9-4 loss to the Reds on Saturday, manager Dusty Baker told reporters, including Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ross lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits while striking out only two batters. The 23-year-old’s sinker, which averages 93.5 mph, came in at a mean of 91.8 mph Saturday and fell into the high 80s in his final inning, notes Ladson. Ross insisted afterward that he’s healthy, saying, “My stuff wasn’t there, the command wasn’t really there. It’s a little frustrating, but I feel all right.” Washington will take a cautious approach and continue trying to limit Ross’ workload, stated Baker. After narrowly eclipsing the 150-inning total between the majors and minors last season, Ross is up to 95 1/3 frames this year.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Carpenter, Ichiro, Bullpens, Bucs

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Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere:

Please send submissions to ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

Red Sox Notes: SPs, Rodney, Farrell, Groome

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With Clay Buchholz unable to turn around his dreadful season and the Red Sox set to start journeyman Sean O’Sullivan on Sunday, they are and should be desperate for starting help, writes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. There’s an expectation around baseball that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will aggressively seek rotation upgrades in advance of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, which could mean moving top prospects like infielder Yoan Moncada and outfielder Andrew Benintendi, per Drellich, who adds that Dombrowski does value the two highly. Although Dombrowski said last Sunday that there isn’t much help on the market, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels offered his own take on it, telling Drellich that pitching is “always there,” but whether it’s worth the asking price is another matter. “There’s a sense of like, ‘Oh, you can’t trade for an ace. No they’re available all the time,” Daniels informed Drellich as part of a piece that’s absolutely worth a full read.

More from Boston, which is in an uproar after the 43-37 Red Sox’s forgettable June and their humiliating 21-2 loss to the Angels on Saturday:

  • The Sox were considering taking a run at reliever Fernando Rodney before the Padres traded him to the Marlins earlier this week, though Boston is more interested in acquiring starters than bullpen aid, according to Drellich. With $217MM ace David Price having a tough time preventing runs, Buchholz floundering, and a lack of usable back-end options, that comes as no surprise.
  • Beleaguered manager John Farrell has his flaws, but he’s far down the list of Boston’s problems and replacing him won’t fix the team’s issues, opines Scott Lauber of ESPN.com. Price’s struggles, the team’s lack of starting pitching depth and an inability to find a solution in left field – where the Red Sox have dealt with injuries this year to Brock Holt, Blake Swihart and Chris Young – won’t magically disappear if Farrell loses his job and bench coach Torey Lovullo takes the helm, Lauber contends. As Lauber points out, if the Red Sox do give Farrell the ax, it’ll be their first in-season firing of a manager since they handed Jimy Williams his walking papers in August 2001. Given that Farrell oversaw back-to-back last-place finishes coming into this season, he could follow in Williams’ unenviable footsteps if a turnaround doesn’t come.
  • Even though there are concerns about first-round left-hander Jason Groome’s makeup, the Red Sox are expected to sign the 12th overall selection by the July 15 deadline, reports Drellich. A deal could take until the 11th hour to get done with the 17-year-old, though.

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