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Archives for August 2016

Athletics Designate Patrick Schuster For Assignment

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The Athletics have designated left-hander Patrick Schuster for assignment, per a club announcement.

Schuster joined the A’s on a minor league contract during the offseason and has spent the majority of the year with their Triple-A affiliate, Nashville. As a member of the Sounds, the 25-year-old has recorded tremendous numbers (1.16 ERA, 9.08 K/9, 2.79 BB/9) over 32 appearances and 38 2/3 innings. Schuster wasn’t nearly as successful this season in his 6 2/3 big league innings, though, with eight earned runs allowed on nine hits and six walks. That stint represents the only major league time for Schuster, who was previously with the Diamondbacks and Reds organizations.  In 446 2/3 minor league innings, Schuster has put up a 3.26 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.

Royals Release Edward Mujica

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The Royals have released right-handed reliever Edward Mujica, according to a team announcement. Mujica joined the Royals organization less than a month ago, signing a minor league deal July 15. Notably, that pact included an Aug. 7 opt-out.

The 32-year-old Mujica threw 12 innings and struck out an impressive 14 batters for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, but he proved eminently hittable, yielding 11 earned runs on 17 hits. Mujica was previously far stingier as a member of the Phillies’ Triple-A club earlier this season, logging a 3.04 ERA and .92 BB/9 during a 39-inning stint with Lehigh Valley.

Mujica, who has pitched in each of the prior 10 major league campaigns, has compiled a 3.85 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 over 546 2/3 big league innings. However, the well-traveled veteran scuffled to a combined 4.75 ERA with the Red Sox and Athletics in 47 1/3 frames in 2015 and hasn’t gotten back to the majors since.

Mets “Open” To Adding Carlos Gomez

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The Mets nearly acquired center fielder Carlos Gomez from the Brewers prior to last summer’s trade deadline, but New York backed out thanks to concerns over Gomez’s hip. Gomez ended up with the Astros, who designated him for assignment Wednesday after he hit a shockingly ineffective .221/.277/.342 with nine home runs in 486 plate appearances dating back to last year’s trade.

Now that Gomez will likely be available for the prorated league minimum soon, the Mets could once again have interest in the services of a player whose professional career began when they signed him as a 16-year-old in 2002.

“We always have an open mind,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.

Despite his woes at the plate, the 30-year-old Gomez remains a threat on the bases and would add some speed to the Mets, who have the third-fewest steals in the majors (27) and have been among the worst base-running teams in the sport this year, according to FanGraphs. He’d also provide another option in center field to a club in need of one at the moment. With Juan Lagares recovering from thumb surgery, the Mets’ primary choices in center are Yoenis Cespedes, Alejandro De Aza, Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson. Those are all less-than-ideal fits, as Cespedes – who has spent the lion’s share of the season in center – would much rather play left field; De Aza is amid a miserable year; Conforto has little experience in center; and Granderson, 35, is a defensive liability. Unfortunately, Gomez has endured an uncharacteristically subpar season in the field, posting negative figures in Defensive Runs Saved (minus-6) and UZR/150 (minus-4.7).

Offensively, the right-handed hitting Gomez could conceivably serve in a platoon with the lefty-swinging Conforto, who has hit a terrible .133/.185/.150 against southpaws since his promotion to the majors last season. That’s over an admittedly microscopic sample size of 65 plate appearances, though, and the only way the 23-year-old Conforto will eventually become an everyday player is by adjusting to same-handed pitchers. For his part, Gomez (.221/.275/.326 in 95 PAs) hasn’t inspired versus lefties this year, either. Nevertheless, at 57-55 and two games out of a Wild Card spot, the reigning National League Champions haven’t ruled out reuniting with Gomez.

Yankees Release Ike Davis

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The Yankees have announced the release of first baseman Ike Davis, who inked a major league deal with the organization June 12 after opting out of his minor league contract with the Rangers.

Upon signing with the Yankees – with whom his father, Ron Davis, pitched from 1978-81 – the lefty-swinging Davis hoped to provide a first base solution to a team that was without starter Mark Teixeira because of a knee injury. Instead, Davis racked up just three hits – all singles – in a mere 15 plate appearances with New York, which outrighted him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 27. As a member of the RailRiders, Davis batted .217/.318/.391 with five home runs in 107 trips to the plate. Previously in 2016, he registered a .268/.350/.437 line with four long balls in 163 PAs as part of the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate.

Davis saw extensive major league action as recently as last year, when he logged a subpar .229/.301/.350 showing with three HRs in 239 PAs as a member of the Athletics. Davis’ best seasons came as a Met, with whom he swatted a career-best 32 homers in 2012 and combined to bat an above-average .241/.334/.433 with 68 HRs in 1,741 PAs from 2010-14.

Mariners Designate Luis Sardinas For Assignment

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The Mariners have designated infielder Luis Sardinas for assignment, according to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (Twitter link).

Sardinas, whom the Mariners acquired from the Brewers for outfielder Ramon Flores in November, collected 77 plate appearances with Seattle prior to his designation and hit just .181/.203/.264. The 23-year-old added to his struggles by striking out in nearly a third of PAs (25) while walking only once. Notably, Sardinas has lined up at six different positions – including pitcher – this year. During his one-inning mound stint on July 29, Sardinas retired the vaunted Cubs in order on a mere eight pitches. Unfortunately, that has been the highlight in an otherwise disappointing season for Sardinas, who previously garnered a combined 230 trips to the plate with the Rangers and Brewers from 2014-15. In total, Sardinas has batted an ugly .218/.257/.268 with two homers in 307 big league PAs.

Blue Jays Place Jose Bautista On 15-Day DL

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The Blue Jays have placed right fielder Jose Bautista on the 15-day disabled list with a left knee sprain and recalled outfielder Junior Lake from Triple-A Buffalo to take his roster spot, according to Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star (Twitter link). Bautista is the second full-time Jays outfielder to hit the DL this week, joining Kevin Pillar (thumb).

This is the second DL stint of the year for Bautista, who previously missed over a month on account of a sprained toe. Bautista just returned from that ailment July 25 before suffering his latest injury Tuesday. In the 80 appearances Bautista has made this year, he has hit a disappointing .222/.349/.444 in 355 plate appearances, though he has added 15 home runs while continuing to show mastery over the strike zone (16.3 percent walk rate versus a 17.7 percent strikeout rate). Still, combining the decline in Bautista’s 2016 numbers – which are well below the figures he has posted since breaking out in 2010 – with his age (36 in October) and two DL placements doesn’t seem to bode well for the impending free agent’s earning power during the upcoming winter.

From a team standpoint, losing Bautista is clearly a notable blow for playoff-contending Toronto, which carries a 64-50 record into Tuesday and is mere percentage points behind AL East-leading Baltimore. Without Bautista and Pillar, the Jays’ outfield alignment will consist of recent pickup Melvin Upton Jr. in center field, Michael Saunders in right and Darrell Ceciliani in left, as their depth chart shows.

Padres Request Release Waivers On Hector Olivera

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The Padres have requested release waivers on infielder Hector Olivera, per a club announcement. He had been formally designated for assignment back on Aug. 2, and his release will become official in 48 hours once he clears said waivers.

San Diego acquired Olivera’s contract from the Braves in exchange for Matt Kemp prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, but the acquisition was a formality. The Padres very clearly wanted nothing to do with Olivera, who was finishing up an 82-game suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy at the time, and only agreed to take on his contract as a means of off-setting some of the money they were sending to Atlanta in the form of Kemp’s salary. Ultimately, the trade will save San Diego about $25.5MM, and Olivera will never suit up in a Padres uniform.

The 31-year-old Olivera’s future in Major League Baseball is questionable at best, from this point forth. Neither Atlanta nor San Diego even feigned interest in having Olivera join their active rosters following his suspension, and it stands to reason that others throughout the league will take a similar approach. Olivera was arrested at a Washington D.C.-area hotel back in April and charged with misdemeanor assault and battery of a woman who was reportedly hospitalized and had visible bruising.

While the 2016 season has seen both Aroldis Chapman and Jose Reyes land new jobs after serving suspensions under the same policy, neither wound up going to trial — Chapman was never even arrested — which very likely helped their cases. Furthermore, Olivera has never been a productive player at the minor league or Major League level. And while on-field success would in no way excuse the heinous actions for which he was arrested and charged, his chances of finding additional employment within a Major League organization would be greater had he in any way justified the ill-fated six-year, $62.5MM contract to which he was signed by the Dodgers.

If, for some reason, another club does decide to take a chance on Olivera with what would assuredly be a minor league contract, that club would be responsible only for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time he spends in the Majors. (That sum would be subtracted from the remainder of what he is owed by San Diego.) However, it also seems possible that Olivera’s career in Major League Baseball has come to an abrupt end.

AL Central Notes: Maybin, Twins, Royals

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The Tigers announced yesterday that outfielder Cameron Maybin has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a Grade 2 sprain of his left thumb. Maybin will join third baseman Nick Castellanos and right-handers Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Pelfrey on the disabled list (as can be seen on their depth chart), adding to a growing contingent of injured Tigers as Detroit tries to chase down Cleveland for the American League Central Division lead. The loss is a tough one for Detroit, as Maybin’s on-base percentage this season checks in just under .400, and his overall .325/.394/.398 slash is highly impressive even if some regression is inevitable (.382 BABIP). Maybin’s 14.9 percent strikeout rate and 10 percent walk rate are both career-bests, however, so some of the gains are legitimate. The Tigers will announce a corresponding move later today.

More from the AL Central…

  • Twins right-hander Phil Hughes hopes to begin throwing again in three to four weeks after undergoing surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome earlier this summer, he tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. (Hughes is also recovered from a femur fracture he sustained when he was struck by a line drive.) The righty explains to Berardino that the issue has been building up over time and may have begun back in his disappointing 2015 season. “It’s something that can come on slowly,” said Hughes. “It was more something that probably came along a little bit last year and didn’t really come to a head until this year, when I was really having some problems with it.” Hughes had a breakout season in 2014, his first with the Twins, which prompted the club to tack three years and $42MM onto the remaining two years and $16MM he was owed at the time. If TOS has been the root of Hughes’ struggles since Opening Day 2015, there’s some hope for a rebound with a healthy 2017 season.
  • A couple other items of note from Berardino’s column: Firstly, 2015 first-rounder and current top 50 prospect Tyler Jay was tested for TOS after experiencing some shoulder/neck problems following a promotion to Double-A, but results were negative. Secondly, Berardino writes that the Twins’ GM search won’t pick up much steam until after the Major League Baseball owners meetings on Aug. 17-18.
  • The emergence of Cheslor Cuthbert gives the Royals some interesting options when it comes to constructing their 2017 roster, writes Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. Cuthbert has taken over the regular third base job following Mike Moustakas’ torn ACL, and he’s responded with a .301/.339/.449 slash line and nine homers on the season. However, the Royals plan to have Moustakas back in 2017 — his final year before free agency — when he is already guaranteed an $8.7MM salary. Further adding to the muddled scene is former first-round pick Hunter Dozier, whom the team believes to be about Major League ready from an offensive standpoint. GM Dayton Moore spoke about the possibility of his younger players being versatile enough to handle multiple positions, which would indeed give manager Ned Yost additional options to work more than one of said bats into his lineup. Additionally, Dodd notes that Kendrys Morales is likely to hit the open market this winter, so the Royals can use a the DH slot and second base to work Cuthbert into the lineup more often.

Cardinals To Promote Luke Weaver

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The Cardinals will promote top prospect Luke Weaver to take Michael Wacha’s spot in the rotation on Saturday, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch writes. Weaver will become the second highly touted Cardinals right-hander to make his big league debut this week, as St. Louis called up Alex Reyes and inserted him into the Major League bullpen. The Cardinals will need to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Weaver prior to Saturday’s debut.

[Related: Updated St. Louis Cardinals Depth Chart]

Weaver, 23 later this month, was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2014 (27th overall) and has quickly risen through the team’s system, reaching Triple-A last week after missing a large portion of the season due to a fractured wrist in his non-throwing hand. Despite his missed time, Baseball America rated him as the game’s No. 75 prospect on its midseason Top 100, and MLB.com rated him 93rd on its same list of top prospects. The Florida State product’s results in 2016 are borderline absurd, as he’s pitched to a 1.30 ERA with a 92-to-12 K/BB ratio and a 40.4 percent ground-ball rate in 83 innings. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com praise Weaver’s fastball, which sits at 94 mph and can touch 96 mph, as well as a plus changeup with good movement. His slider and curve are both inconsistent, they note, but either could develop into an average offering.

It’s unclear at this time if Weaver will continue to start beyond Saturday or if his promotion will amount to a one-time cameo prior to the expansion of rosters in September. General manager John Mozeliak spoke highly of Weaver’s control and his confidence in the rookie heading into this weekend’s outing, but he didn’t commit to anything beyond that date. “I feel like when you look at the ability to throw strikes, get deeper into games, I think that’s important,” said Mozeliak (via Langosch). “Candidly, [Weaver] only had one start in Triple-A, but I think he’ll still give us a good opportunity to win that game.”

Weaver will step into the St. Louis rotation alongside Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Jaime Garcia and Mike Leake, and in an odd way, the wrist injury actually helps the Cardinals. Weaver tossed 124 2/3 innings in 2015 between Double-A and the Arizona Fall League and surely would’ve been at or beyond that point right now had he opened the season healthy. However, he’s now still 40 innings behind his 2015 total, thereby reducing potential reluctance to drive up his innings total. If Weaver proves effective early on, he could give the Cardinals a consistent option in the rotation down the stretch, or at least as long as Wacha remains sidelined with shoulder problems. The Cardinals will control Weaver through at least the 2022 season, and the earliest he can be eligible for arbitration would be upon completion of the 2019 campaign.

2017-18 MLB Free Agents

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The following MLB players will be eligible for free agency following the 2017 World Series.  Numbers in parentheses are the age at which the player will play the 2018 season.

If you see any notable errors or omissions, please contact us. To see who represents these players, check out MLBTR’s Agency Database.

Updated 6-27-18

Catchers

Carlos Ruiz (39)
Geovany Soto (35)

First Basemen

Adam Lind (34)
Tyler Moore (31)
Brandon Moss (34)

Second Basemen

Shortstops

J.J. Hardy (35)

Third Basemen

Yunel Escobar (35)
Conor Gillaspie (30)
Jhonny Peralta (36)

Left Fielders

Andre Ethier (36)
Franklin Gutierrez (35)

Center Fielders

—

Right Fielders

Seth Smith (35)

Designated Hitters

Matt Holliday (38)
Brandon Moss (34)

Starting Pitchers

R.A. Dickey (43)
Scott Feldman (35)
Matt Garza (34)
Ubaldo Jimenez (34)
John Lackey (39)
Jeff Locke (30)
Jake Peavy (37)
Chris Smith (37)

Right-Handed Relievers

Joe Blanton (37)
Josh Collmenter (32)
Jason Grilli (41)
Chad Qualls (39)
Trevor Rosenthal (28)
Drew Storen (30)
Huston Street (34)

Left-Handed Relievers

Antonio Bastardo (32)
Eric O’Flaherty (33)

Cot’s Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

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