Archives for August 2016

Dodgers Activate Brett Anderson, Place Brandon McCarthy On DL

By Connor Byrne | August 14, 2016 at 1:09pm CDT

The Dodgers have made a handful of roster moves, according to Doug Padilla of ESPN. Los Angeles has activated left-hander Brett Anderson from the 60-day disabled list and placed right-handers Brandon McCarthy (hip) and Josh Ravin (triceps tightness) on the 15-day DL. The club has also recalled righty Brock Stewart from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Anderson, who underwent back surgery in March, will make his season debut Sunday against Pittsburgh. Injuries have been the main theme throughout the promising 28-year-old’s career, unfortunately, as he was unable to log more than 83 1/3 innings in any individual season from 2011-14. Last year was the first time Anderson eclipsed the 100-inning mark since 2010, and he set a career high with 180 1/3 frames and recorded a 3.69 ERA. Behind Anderson’s strong run prevention were a league-best 66.3 ground-ball percentage and a stellar walk rate (2.3 per nine innings).

As a result of his output last season, his first as a Dodger, the team tendered Anderson a $15.8MM qualifying offer in November. He elected to accept it, and he’ll now provide the Clayton Kershaw-less Dodgers another southpaw starter to team with Scott Kazmir. The soon-to-return Rich Hill, who has been dealing with blisters on his pitching hand, could give Los Angeles a third lefty as early as next weekend.

As has been the case with Anderson, injuries have consistently derailed McCarthy, who’s headed to the DL for the second time this season after lasting just 1 2/3 innings in his Saturday start. The 33-year-old missed most of 2015 because of Tommy John surgery and has come back to post a 3.63 ERA and 9.87 K/9 in in 34 2/3 innings this season. While those are strong numbers, McCarthy has taken significant steps backward in his latest four starts, perhaps thanks in part to the injury. Dating back to July 27, McCarthy has thrown 12 1/3 innings and allowed 10 earned runs on 17 walks and 11 hits. McCarthy has done a terrific job limiting walks throughout his career, making his recent control issues troubling.

The Dodgers continue to have more than a quality rotation’s worth of injured starters, yet they’re 65-51, handily in possession of a National League Wild Card spot and only one game behind NL West-leading San Francisco. Along with Kershaw, McCarthy and Hill, righty Bud Norris and lefties Alex Wood and Hyun-jin Ryu are also on the shelf. As mentioned, though, Hill is nearing a comeback, and Norris is also on the brink of a return, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bucs, Yanks, Prince, Ichiro, Jays, Phillies

By Connor Byrne | August 14, 2016 at 12:20pm CDT

This week in the baseball blogosphere…

Pirates Breakdown talks to both right-hander Jameson Taillon and manager Clint Hurdle about the highly touted 24-year-old’s first 10 major league starts.
Outside Pitch MLB reminisces on Prince Fielder’s career with the Brewers.
Pinstripe Pundits bids a fond farewell to Alex Rodriguez.
MLB451 searches for the next great reliever.
Blue Jay Hunter and Jays Journal try to figure out right fielder Jose Bautista’s future.
Philliedelphia writes that the Phillies should take their time in deciding center fielder Odubel Herrera’s future.
Sports Heaven asks whether the newest member of the 3,000-hit club, Ichiro, is better than Pete Rose was.
Notes From The Sally scouts Braves left-handed prospect Kolby Allard, who’s No. 77 in Baseball America’s Midseason Top 100.
Big Three Sports presents its midseason top 50 prospects list.
Wayniac Nation says Yankees first-round pick Blake Rutherford is showing why he was the steal of this year’s draft.
Inside the ’Zona advises the Diamondbacks to prioritize trading outfielder Yasmany Tomas during the offseason.
Dan Grant of Same Page Team ranks every member of the Blue Jays’ 25-man roster based on how important they’ll be to the club this month.
Chin Music Baseball lists seven players who have disappointed after signing expensive deals in free agency last offseason.
Call To The Pen analyzes Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker.
TPOP believes the Pirates erred in signing second baseman Josh Harrison to an extension last year.
The Runner Sports profiles Astros outfield prospect Myles Straw.
Everything Bluebirds opposes the Blue Jays’ use of a six-man rotation.
SaberBallBlog, meanwhile, delves into the success of Toronto’s starters.
isportsweb examines various Phillies issues.
Think Blue Planning Committee suggests some lineup tweaks for the Dodgers.
Pinstriped Prospects chats with Yankees right-hander Bryan Mitchell about his first rehab start with Single-A Charleston.
Baseball Docs names seven top prospects who shouldn’t be traded.
Now On Deck breaks down the struggles several East Coast teams have had during West Coast trips.
Super Two Sports regards Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard’s recent hot stretch as one that could save his career.
The Ranger Report thanks Prince Fielder for his Texas tenure.
MLB DFS Weather looks at how the conditions will affect each game.

Please send submissions to ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

Marlins Place Giancarlo Stanton, Adam Conley On DL

By Connor Byrne | August 14, 2016 at 10:38am CDT

In a pair of highly unfortunate developments for the playoff-contending Marlins, the club has placed both right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (left groin strain) and southpaw Adam Conley (left third finger tendonitis) on the 15-day disabled list, per an official announcement. To fill their respective spots on the roster, the Marlins have recalled infielder Robert Andino and recently acquired left-handed reliever Hunter Cervenka from Triple-A New Orleans. They’ve also released right-handed reliever Cody Hall.

Stanton suffered his injury on a slide that led to the final out of the Marlins’ 8-7 loss to the White Sox on Saturday. The 26-year-old, who hit his 25th home run of the season earlier in the game, was trying to stretch a single into a double on the play and slid awkwardly, hurting his groin.

This is the second straight year with a noteworthy injury for Stanton, whose 2015 season ended in June on account of a fractured left hamate bone. Stanton was hitting an excellent .265/.346/.606 with 27 homers in 318 plate appearances at the time, but he hasn’t been nearly as effective this season. Still, the star slugger has produced an above-average .244/.329/.496 batting line in 432 trips to the plate, and he remains among the sport’s premier power threats.

Losing Stanton leaves Miami without two of its three home run leaders, including first baseman Justin Bour, who hasn’t played since July 2 because of an ankle issue and isn’t progressing toward a return. Even before Stanton’s injury, the Marlins dropped eight of 11 games to begin August, though they remain within a half-game of the second Wild Card spot in the National League. But, just as they haven’t been able to come close to replicating Bour’s lost production, they won’t be able to find anyone to rival Stanton’s output. While the newest member of the 3,000-hit club, Ichiro Suzuki, has batted .319/.389/.390 in 240 PAs and represents a quality off-the-bench fill-in, the 42-year-old is a radically different player than Stanton. Ichiro hasn’t homered this year and has gone deep only twice since 2014.

Conley, meanwhile, hasn’t thrown more than five innings in a start since July 27. He logged four frames Saturday and gave up five earned runs on five hits and four walks. Conley then revealed that he has been dealing with soreness in his pitching hand that has sapped him of velocity, per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.

Like Stanton, Conley will be difficult for Miami to replace. Aside from ace Jose Fernandez, Conley has perhaps been the Marlins’ best starter. The 26-year-old has recorded a 3.94 ERA, 8.42 K/9 and 4.21 BB/9 across 130 1/3 innings this season. He’ll now join southpaw Wei-Yin Chen as the second key member of their rotation to hit the DL, leaving them with Fernandez, Tom Koehler, Andrew Cashner and David Phelps. The only one of those four who inspires confidence is Fernandez, but the Marlins are keeping an eye on his innings and are skipping his originally scheduled Sunday start.

Jose Urena, Justin Nicolino and Kendry Flores are potential Conley replacements in New Orleans, though the former two have performed poorly in extensive major league action this year. Depending on the severity of Conley’s injury, then, the Marlins seem like candidates to scour the market for a potential August trade. Otherwise, their iffy-at-best rotation could help cost them a playoff spot.

D-backs Have Decisions To Make On Key Execs

By Connor Byrne | August 14, 2016 at 8:51am CDT

The last-place Diamondbacks have until Aug. 31 to decide whether to exercise 2017 options for general manager Dave Stewart and senior vice president of baseball operations De Jon Watson, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Chief baseball officer Tony La Russa told Piecoro that he expects owner Ken Kendrick and CEO Derrick Hall to retain Stewart and Watson. However, La Russa doesn’t seem aware of his own job security going forward.

“There has not been one conversation, not one, between Derrick and Ken, the three of us, having to do with front office contracts, not one, because what’s dominating us is the disappointing season and that’s where our concentration and energy are going,” said La Russa, who’s unsure of whether his three-year contract began in 2014 – when the team hired him, Stewart and Watson – or in 2015.

Regardless, if the Diamondbacks let go of the 71-year-old La Russa, the longtime manager won’t collect any of the money still owed to him, he informed Piecoro.

“If they like what I’m doing, then I’m here,” the three-time World Series winner stated. “If they don’t, then I’ll leave knowing that right now I’m not very happy with the job that I’m doing. So I’m determined to do better.”

After posting 79 wins and a plus-7 run differential last year, the Diamondbacks’ first full season under La Russa, Stewart and Watson, the club has gone backward in 2016. Those three are currently at the helm of a 48-68 team despite aggressively trying to turn it into a contender in the offseason. Not only did Arizona commit $206.5MM to right-hander Zack Greinke, but it famously dealt 2015 No. 1 pick and top shortstop prospect Dansby Swanson, outfielder Ender Inciarte and young righty Aaron Blair to Atlanta for Shelby Miller.

Greinke has pitched well in his first season with the Diamondbacks, though it’s too early to assess whether their long-term investment in him was wise. On the other hand, Miller’s 2016 has been an unmitigated disaster. The decision to trade such a significant haul for the righty was widely pilloried from the get-go, but no one expected the 25-year-old to regress from a quality starter to someone incapable of holding a spot in a major league rotation. Miller, who has registered a 7.14 ERA, 6.49 K/9 and 4.41 BB/9 across 69 1/3 innings with the Diamondbacks, has been with Triple-A Reno since mid-July.

After acquiring Miller, Greinke, shortstop Jean Segura and reliever Tyler Clippard (who is now a Yankee after a July trade) during the winter, D-backs brass expected to field a postseason-caliber squad. Prior to the season, Stewart called the idea of the club winning fewer games than last year “a joke” and referred to it as “impossible” (via Jack Magruder of Today’s Knuckleball). Unfortunately for Stewart, that impossibility is going to become a reality.

In fairness to Stewart and the rest of the Diamondbacks’ front office, injuries haven’t helped the team’s cause. Most notably, Arizona has been without star center fielder A.J. Pollock all season because of a fractured elbow. Plus, the 26-year-old Segura – whom the Diamondbacks acquired from the Brewers for righty Chase Anderson, infielder Aaron Hill and shortstop prospect Isan Diaz – has been quite effective. Moreover, lefty Robbie Ray, righty Rubby De La Rosa and outfielder Yasmany Tomas, all of whom were picked up after La Russa, Stewart and Watson took the helm, have shown promise. But, despite Tomas’ offensive strides, the big-bodied 25-year-old has minimal upside because of his limitations as a defender and base runner. Thus, the Diamondbacks’ $68.5MM investment in him looks questionable at best.

Arizona’s other noteworthy Cuban signing, 2014 addition Yoan Lopez, has scuffled in the minors during his tenure in America and the righty hasn’t pitched since June 29 because he’s contemplating leaving the sport. Signing Lopez, then an international free agent, for a record $8.27MM bonus took Arizona out of the running to land any other international amateurs for more than $300K during both the 2015 signing period and this year’s.

The era of La Russa, Stewart and Watson has clearly produced more negatives than positives for the Diamondbacks, who enter play Sunday with the fourth-worst record and third-worst run differential (minus-114) in the majors. While La Russa expects his cohorts to return next season, the fact that there’s uncertainty regarding their statuses obviously wasn’t what they or the franchise had in mind at the beginning of the year.

MLBTR Originals

By Connor Byrne | August 14, 2016 at 8:16am CDT

Here’s a recap of the original analysis MLBTR offered this week:

MLBTR was pleased to welcome guest author Burke Badenhop on Friday. Badenhop, who was a successful reliever with the Marlins, Rays, Brewers, Red Sox and Reds from 2008-15, detailed how September roster expansion affects bullpens.
The non-waiver trade deadline passed on Aug. 1, and several potential movers didn’t end up going anywhere. Steve Adams highlighted 11 of those players and polled readers on whose non-trade was the most surprising.
Jeff Todd examined the stock of Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos in advance of his potential foray into the free agent market during the upcoming offseason. Ramos has stayed healthy and performed like an elite backstop this year, so he looks primed for a substantial payday.
As a result of the Astros designating center fielder Carlos Gomez for assignment, Steve increased his August trade candidate rankings from 20 players to 21. Given that there’s reportedly a stronger likelihood of Houston trading Gomez than releasing him, the former star immediately took the top spot on the list.

Nationals Release Jonathan Papelbon

By charliewilmoth | August 13, 2016 at 10:55pm CDT

The Nationals have officially announced that they’ve released former closer Jonathan Papelbon, making him a free agent. The Nats had initially told Papelbon they intended to designate him for assignment, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes (Twitter links). Papelbon instead requested to be released, since the process of being designated for assignment could result in him being in DFA limbo for up to ten days. The Nationals agreed, although they waited for much of the day Saturday to make the move official. Papelbon’s release clears space for Reynaldo Lopez, who will start tonight against the Braves.

The 35-year-old Papelbon has had a hard time this year, with a 4.37 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 35 innings, and his struggles had deepened recently — he allowed a total of nine runs in his last five outings, and he hadn’t pitched in a week. Those struggles coincided with the Nats’ recent addition of Mark Melancon to replace him at closer, and Melancon has had great success so far in Washington. Also, while Papelbon pitched well in previous seasons despite steadily declining velocity, his average fastball continued to slow this year, dropping to 90.9 MPH five years after peaking 95.0 MPH in 2011.

The release ends Papelbon’s tenure in Washington, which began just over a year ago when they acquired him (with cash) from the Phillies for a minor leaguer. His on-field performance was satisfactory down the stretch for Washington last year, although he was involved in an ugly incident near the end of the season in which he choked teammate Bryce Harper in the dugout.

After struggling in 2016, Papelbon would have had little or no trade value, given his performance, his salary ($13MM for the year) and his dodgy clubhouse reputation. He’s due for free agency this winter. The Nationals surely gauged trade interest before releasing him, but it’s easy to imagine that there wasn’t much.

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick was first to report that the Nationals were likely to make a move with Papelbon, and that he had asked to be released (all Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quick Hits: Tigers, Kinsler, Dodgers, Puig

By Connor Byrne | August 13, 2016 at 10:37pm CDT

With the Tigers in Arlington to take on the Rangers, second baseman Ian Kinsler reflected on the November 2013 trade that sent him from Texas to Detroit for first baseman Prince Fielder, whose career ended this week because of neck problems. “It’s the best thing that’s happened,” said Kinsler of the deal (via Jason Beck of MLB.com). “Toward the end of my time in Texas, things got kind of stale, so to be able to be traded to an organization like Detroit really allowed me to kind of reflect on who I was as a player and what I needed to do to improve.” The 34-year-old’s two-plus-season run with the Tigers has been a resounding success. Dating back to 2014, his first year with the club, Kinsler ranks eighth among major league position players in fWAR (13.8) and has hit .287/.331/.441 with 49 home runs in 1,906 plate appearances. Kinsler, who’s slashing a robust .291/.347/.488 with 21 homers and 13 stolen bases this season, regards Detroit as the “perfect place” for him and hopes to finish his career there. Going forward, Kinsler is due a reasonable $11MM next year and the Tigers have a $10MM club option for 2018.

More from Detroit and one other major league city:

Dodgers Triple-A outfielder Yasiel Puig spoke Saturday about the mini-controversy he created earlier this week after posting videos online of him and some Oklahoma City teammates drinking alcohol and shouting curse words into the camera. “I really didn’t know how to use Snapchat,” said Puig (per Doug Padilla of ESPN.com). “I was just playing around with my teammates. I just did something that was wrong.” Puig added that he believes the Dodgers demoted him to the minors to become “a better teammate,” which is his goal. On whether the Dodgers are prepared to sever their relationship with the 25-year-old Puig, manager Dave Roberts told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, “I think that’s up to Yasiel. If he chooses to continue to grow as a baseball player and as a man, then he’d be welcome back here.”
The Tigers haven’t gotten great early returns on their investment in right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, whom they signed to a five-year, $110MM deal in the offseason. Not only has the ex-National posted disappointing numbers – 4.44 ERA and a career-low 5.55 K/9 in 97 2/3 innings – he’s also on the disabled list for the second time this season because of back and neck issues. “It’s been the most frustrating year of my career,” said Zimmermann (via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com) “Going on two months on the (disabled list) and we still don’t really have a true answer.” Zimmermann missed all of July and then returned to start Aug. 4, but he lasted just 1 2/3 innings and allowed six earned runs on six hits and two walks before heading back to the DL. The 30-year-old is currently making progress in his recovery, but there’s no timetable for his return, writes Woodbery.
Another injured starter, the Dodgers’ Rich Hill, could debut for Los Angeles next Saturday, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Hill, whom the Dodgers acquired from Oakland at the non-waiver trade deadline, has been out since mid-July on account of blister problems on his pitching hand. The left-hander is scheduled to make a rehab start Monday with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and he’ll join the Dodgers if that goes well. However, the Dodgers have already had to postpone his first start in their uniform twice. Hill is confident that won’t happen again, though. “It’s healed and 100 percent ready to go and I look forward to getting out there,” said the 36-year-old.

NL Central Notes: Cubs, Papelbon, Pirates, Reds

By Connor Byrne | August 13, 2016 at 8:38pm CDT

Even though Tommy La Stella hasn’t reported to Triple-A Iowa since the Cubs optioned him July 29, the team hasn’t yet closed the door on welcoming back the infielder this year, according to manager Joe Maddon (via Carrie Muskat of MLB.com). In regards to La Stella’s status, Maddon said Saturday, “I’m still very optimistic about him coming back, but nothing has changed.” Maddon added that La Stella will have to go the minors eventually and get some at-bats. Had he reported to Iowa by now, La Stella would have been on track to return to Chicago when rosters expand in September. But, with Iowa’s season set to end Sept. 5, time will become of the essence soon. Regardless, La Stella explained earlier this week that he’d rather “step away” from baseball than play for anyone other than the Chicago Cubs. The 27-year-old is currently on the temporary inactive list.

East News & Rumors: Marlins, Red Sox, Nats, Mets

By Connor Byrne | August 13, 2016 at 7:15pm CDT

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Saturday that the playoff-contending club hasn’t discussed signing Miami native and resident Alex Rodriguez, whom the Yankees released Saturday.“You’ve got to have a place to play. I know he hasn’t played in the field in a long time. I don’t know where he fits right now,” Mattingly told reporters, per the Associated Press. However, given the injury-forced absence of Justin Bour, Mattingly didn’t rule out the 41-year-old Rodriguez as a first base option for the Marlins. “There’s no reason he couldn’t play first. He has the ability to do a lot of things,” Mattingly stated. “We miss Justin a little bit over there at first. I don’t think we’ve been able to replace that. We’re always looking at ways of getting better in different areas.” The Marlins have been deploying right-handed hitters Miguel Rojas and Chris Johnson in a first base platoon with the lefty-swinging Derek Dietrich, though the former two have registered miserable batting lines this season. The same is true of Rodriguez – hence his release – but he’s only a year removed from hitting a tremendous .263/.394/.532 in 193 plate appearances against southpaws.

More regarding A-Rod and the majors’ two East divisions:

For his part, Rodriguez seems unsure if he wants to continue his career. After his final game with the Yankees on Friday, the 22-year veteran was reluctant to say he was done. “For all the things I’ve been through, to have a night like tonight, I don’t know what more I can ask for,” he said (Twitter link via David Lennon of Newsday). For what it’s worth, in a survey of 24 executives from around baseball, nearly half (11) told Jayson Stark of ESPN that Rodriguez would return either this season or in time for spring training next year.
On the heels of his Saturday release from the Nationals, free agent reliever Jonathan Papelbon would welcome a return to Boston, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link). Papelbon, whom the Red Sox selected in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, had a highly successful run with the club from 2005-11. During that seven-season, 429 1/3-inning span, the right-hander converted over 88 percent of save opportunities (219 of 248) and compiled a 2.33 ERA, 10.67 K/9 and 2.41 BB/9. He’s far less effective now, having lost a few miles per hour on his fastball and his job as Washington’s closer before it released him. However, Boston’s bullpen has posted a 4.14 second-half ERA – the sixth-highest figure in baseball – notes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. Moreover, the Red Sox are without injured setup man Koji Uehara, and closer Craig Kimbrel has scuffled while dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. Given their issues, Papelbon is “worth investigating,” Sox president Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
Thanks to a clean MRI on Saturday, the Nationals will not place right fielder Bryce Harper on the disabled list, president and general manager Mike Rizzo said (via Alex Putterman of MLB.com). Harper hasn’t taken an at-bat since last Saturday because of a stiff neck, and manager Dusty Baker is wary of playing the 23-year-old in the event the team decides to place him on the DL retroactively. By playing him, Baker would reset the clock on a retroactive DL stint.
Left-hander Jon Niese is likely to return to the Mets’ rotation at the expense of Logan Verrett, whom the team pulled from its starting five after a disastrous Friday outing, according to Troy Provost-Heron of MLB.com. In an 8-6 loss to the Padres that dropped the Mets to below .500, Verrett yielded all eight runs on six hits (including four home runs) and three walks. Verrett has thrown 60 innings as a starter this year and recorded a 6.45 ERA, 6.15 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. Niese was a capable option out of the Mets’ rotation from 2010-15, but he struggled this year with the Pirates after an offseason trade, leading Pittsburgh to deal him back to New York prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. Niese’s return to the Mets was going well until Thursday, when he gave up six earned runs on three hits and three walks in just an inning of work.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/7/16

By charliewilmoth | August 13, 2016 at 7:09pm CDT

Here are today’s minor moves from around the game:

The Orioles have released left-hander Tom Gorzelanny, according to Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic (on Twitter). Gorzelanny’s tenure with Baltimore, which signed him to a minor league deal on July 24, was a short one. The 34-year-old worked six innings for their Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk and allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits and five walks. Gorzelanny, who spent some time with Cleveland this year before it designated him for assignment in June, tossed 39 1/3 frames of 5.95 ERA ball last season in Detroit.

Earlier updates:

The Twins will select the contract of lefty Ryan O’Rourke, 1500ESPN’s Darren Wolfson tweets. The 28-year-old O’Rourke has reestablished himself nicely since being outrighted in May, posting a 1.93 ERA, 9.3 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 28 innings for Triple-A Rochester. As Seth Stohs of TwinsDaily.com points out (on Twitter), O’Rourke has been brilliant since the beginning of July, allowing just one walk and no runs over that time frame. The Twins cleared space for O’Rourke yesterday when they designated fellow southpaw Andrew Albers for assignment.
The Padres have selected the contract of hard-throwing righty Brandon Morrow, tweets Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. To clear space, they’ve optioned lefty Buddy Baumann to Triple-A El Paso and placed infielder Cory Spangenberg (quadriceps) on the 60-day DL. The 32-year-old Morrow has pitched more than 80% of his 768 2/3 career big-league innings as a starter, but he’s set to relieve for the Padres after being out of the big leagues for over a year due to shoulder trouble. He had a 6.43 ERA, 9.0 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 21 innings for El Paso, although he fared significantly better than that in five starts in the big leagues last season.

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