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Archives for August 2016

Angels Won’t Commit To Another Lincecum Start

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After veteran starter Tim Lincecum allowed six runs against the Mariners Friday, Angels manager Mike Scioscia wouldn’t commit to Lincecum taking another turn in the rotation, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. “Our goal is to get him right,” Scioscia says, although he adds that “we haven’t really digested some things.” The Angels had committed more strongly to Lincecum after he struggled against the Astros two starts ago.

It’s unclear what further plans the Angels might have for Lincecum if they remove him from the rotation. Speculatively, releasing him would seem to be an option, although perhaps a move to the bullpen could also be a possibility. Gonzalez notes that if Lincecum does leave the rotation, Jhoulys Chacin and Nate Smith are candidates to take his place. The Angels, of course, are dealing with a long list of pitcher injuries, with Garrett Richards, C.J. Wilson, Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano all on the DL.

It’s not surprising that the Angels might consider moving on from Lincecum, whose tenure with the team has not gone well, to put it mildly. Since signing in May after returning from hip surgery and debuting with the big-league team in June, he’s made nine starts and posted a 9.16 ERA in 38 1/3 innings, with 7.5 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9. He’s allowed at least four runs in all but two of those starts. His velocity is in the high 80s, about where it was last season with the Giants but down significantly from his 2008-2011 heyday.

Rays May Seek Compensation For Lucius Fox Injury

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After weeks of build-up, the Rays shipped lefty Matt Moore to the Giants at the trade deadline for a package that included young infield prospect Lucius Fox. As it turns out, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Fox was dinged up at the time of the trade — which may lead Tampa Bay to seek added compensation from their trade partner.

The 19-year-old is said to have been playing through a bruised foot that was not disclosed to the Rays. While not a significant problem, it may prevent Fox from returning to action before the end of the minor league campaign. That wouldn’t seem to be a major long-term issue, but could take away some valuable developmental opportunities heading into the offseason.

The other two pieces of the pact — infielder Matt Duffy and minor league righty Michael Santos — were both on the DL at the time of the deal, with known injuries. But Fox’s malady was apparently not accounted for in striking the agreement.

It’s important to note that there’s no suggestion that Fox would be sent back to the Giants, who only signed him last summer; to the contrary, Topkin says that’s not on the table. For the Rays to achieve any recompense, they’ll have to “work through MLB,” according to the report.

Fox, a switch-hitting Bahamian shortstop, has not been overly impressive in game action in his brief professional career. He owns only a .207/.305/.277 slash over 331 plate appearances in the Sally League. That didn’t stop the Rays from ascribing rather significant value to him, though, and he certainly comes with an impressive prospect pedigree after receiving a $6MM bonus last year as an amateur.

Padres To Sign Clayton Richard

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The Padres have agreed to a deal that will bring back southpaw Clayton Richard, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. It is not yet clear whether it is a major league or minor league pact.

Richard, 32, previously spent five campaigns in San Diego. He’ll return there after washing out this season with the Cubs, who had tendered him a contract and agreed to a $2MM deal over the winter.

Though he dealt with injuries at times, Richard was generally a quality starter for the Pads, particularly over the 2010-12 campaigns. In that three-year, run, he carried a 3.88 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 520 frames.

After a rough 2013 campaign, Richard ended up missing all of 2014 after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. He showed well in Triple-A for the Pirates last year and ended up being dealt right onto the Cubs’ active roster, ultimately contributing 42 1/3 innings of 3.88 ERA ball — mostly out of the pen.

That led to Chicago’s decision to give Richard a spot in this year’s pen. But he never managed to get on track, even when deployed sparingly. The southpaw finished only 14 frames in 25 appearances, coughing up ten earned runs and as many walks as strikeouts (seven apiece).

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/5/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Indians announced that outfielder Joey Butler has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A. Butler, 30, hasn’t seen the majors this year after posting a useful .276/.326/.416 batting line in 276 plate appearances last year for the Rays. Though he once seemingly represented a corner outfield option for Cleveland this year, he hadn’t yet earned a promotion and now loses his 40-man spot after running up a .238/.306/.360 slash at the highest level of the minors — well off of his .841 career OPS in extensive Triple-A action.
  • Likewise, Giants infielder Ramiro Pena has cleared waivers and is ticketed for Triple-A, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweets. The 31-year-old did excellent fill-in work for San Francisco, slashing .299/.330/.425 in his 91 plate appearances. But with the Giants welcoming back several players from the DL and re-aligning their infield mix, he was without a spot. Pena is a handy defender — he played at short, second, and third this year alone — but typically isn’t quite as productive at the plate as he has been in 2016. He carries a .636 OPS in his 701 trips to the plate as a big leaguer, though he has been swinging a good stick at Triple-A in each of the last two years.

MLB Reviewing Padres’ Medical Disclosures In Recent Deals

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Major League Baseball is taking a look at concerns that have arisen over the medical information disclosed by the Padres in at least two notable trades recently completed by the organization, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. The swaps in question occurred with the Marlins (centered around Andrew Cashner and Colin Rea) and Red Sox (for Drew Pomeranz).

San Diego, of course, already agreed to something of a do-over in the case of Rea, sending minor leaguer Luis Castillo back to Miami and accepting the return of Rea. The 26-year-old righty departed in the middle of his first start with his new club with elbow issues, and it was just announced that he’ll need Tommy John surgery, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets.

It was reported at the time that the Marlins felt they had been wronged, with San Diego agreeing to unwind that portion of the transaction while insisting on organizational innocence. Olney explains that Rea informed the Miami staff that he had been treated for elbow discomfort in San Diego, which Miami then asserted had not been disclosed.

Now, per the report, it seems that questions have been raised about Pomeranz’s health. Boston parted with highly-regarded pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza to get him, but the Sox now believe they’ve learned elements of Pomeranz’s medical history that ought to have been revealed by the Pads.

Importantly, in the case of Pomeranz, the Red Sox are not seeking any modification of the agreement. It doesn’t appear as if there’s any real ongoing issue there, then, apart from the league’s general review of San Diego’s practices. Olney notes that it’s not clear whether any sanctions could be considered.

As Olney also discusses, these swaps seemingly point to the need for a more formalized process for exchanging medical information between organizations. The question of health disclosures is also under consideration with regard to the amateur draft, and perhaps both discrete but related topics could be on the table as collective bargaining talks continue.

Dodgers Place Bud Norris On 15-Day DL

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The Dodgers have placed righty Bud Norris on the 15-day DL, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. He’ll be replaced in the rotation by Ross Stripling, at least for the time being.

Los Angeles had other pitching news as well. Just-acquired lefty Rich Hill will make his debut with the club on Sunday. And though Clayton Kershaw hasn’t yet resumed throwing, manager Dave Roberts says he’s hopeful that the game’s best pitcher will be on the hill at some point in September. Lofty prospect Jose De Leon was also considered for the assignment in place of Norris, but it seems he’ll receive at least one more minor league start before tasting the majors.

Norris, acquired recently from the Braves, has provided a 4.34 ERA in 29 frames since his acquisition. He carries an impressive 9.9 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in that span, and had helped to solidify a staff that has seen immense turnover. Now, Norris joins the other Dodgers arms that have cycled in and out of the rotation as health permits.

Keeping track of the comings and goings from the Los Angeles rotation has proven quite the task this year. As the team’s current depth chart shows, injury returnee Brandon McCarthy still seems a part of the staff after his poor recent outing, but he has been pushed back in favor of Hill. Even when the team’s newest hurler is activated, the team will have five legitimate MLB starters sitting on the DL. Whether or not the organization continues to seek depth in the August trade market remains to be seen, but that probably can’t be counted out at this point.

Cubs Designate Joe Nathan, Activate Jorge Soler

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The Cubs have designated righty Joe Nathan for assignment, per ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers (via Twitter). His roster spot will go to outfielder Jorge Soler, who was activated after a long DL stint.

[Related: Updated Cubs Depth Chart]

Nathan, 41, had only just returned to the majors after a long road back from Tommy John surgery at an advanced age. He signed a major league deal with Chicago during the season, finishing his rehab and then making three scoreless appearances, posting four strikeouts against two hits and two walks in two innings. Nathan has checked in with an average 91.5 mph four-seamer, which is just about where he sat in his last full season (2014).

The veteran has long been a late-inning presence, most recently as the Tigers’ closer. He owns a 2.88 career ERA over 919 innings, with 9.2 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9 in his lengthy run at the major league level. When Nathan blew out his ulnar collateral ligament early last year, it seemed like the end. But he has made it all the way back, and certainly seems worthy of another big league opportunity in Chicago or elsewhere.

As for Soler, today’s move marks the first time he has suited up in the majors since June 6th, when he suffered a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old is a heralded talent who has shown promise at times in the majors, but he’ll need to improve upon the .223/.322/.377 batting line he carried over his first fifty games of the season.

There have been some positives thus far for Soler. In particular, he increased his walk rate to 11.2% while driving down his strikeout rate to 23.7%, both of which are marked improvements over 2015. And his .264 BABIP provides cause to anticipate regression (though it is driven by an increasingly flyball-heavy batted ball mix). Still though, Soler has just five long balls and a .154 ISO, falling well shy of the big power numbers he carried in the upper minors and first taste of MLB action back in 2014.

Top 20 Trade Candidates: August Edition

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The non-waiver trade deadline is in the rear-view mirror, and in the since last installment of MLBTR’s Top Trade Candidates, we’ve seen 20 of the players listed on the Top 50 list moved (including each of the top eight) as well as a few names that had originally just missed the cut (Hector Santiago, Joaquin Benoit) and a few that missed the list entirely (e.g. Brandon Guyer, Mike Montgomery, Scott Feldman). The end result drastically altered the top of the list.

  1. Derek Norris, C, Padres: The Padres still have Austin Hedges demolishing Triple-A El Paso, and with Christian Bethancourt also playing well this year, Norris doesn’t look like a future piece for the Friars. They could hope he rebuilds some value in August and look to move him this winter, but they were shopping him hard in late July and there’s no reason to think they won’t be motivated to move him in August whether he’s claimed or clears trade waivers.
  2. Adam Lind, 1B/DH, Mariners: Lind hasn’t hit in his lone season with Seattle, and the Mariners picked up another left-handed-hitting power bat for first base/DH in the form of Dan Vogelbach. GM Jerry Dipoto didn’t hesitate to move disappointing veterans (e.g. Benoit, Wade Miley, Joel Peralta), and the Mariners have Dae-ho Lee as insurance even if Vogelbach proves unready.
  3. Yasiel Puig, OF, Dodgers: We debated Puig’s placement on the list internally, but I left him with a high ranking not because I feel he’ll clear waivers, but rather because it’s easy to see a team like the Braves (who currently have pole position on the waiver wire) being genuinely motivated to get a deal worked out if they claim him. I can’t see many, if any teams passing on Puig, but in the off chance that he does clear waivers, he becomes even more likely to be dealt.
  4. Jim Johnson, RP, Braves: Johnson is cheap and has pitched well since returning from a DL stint on June 3 (1.69 ERA, 23-to-10 K/BB ratio, 55.6 percent ground-ball rate in 26 2/3 innings). The Braves explored deals for him prior to the non-waiver deadline, and a claiming team would probably give up a low-level prospect in order to add him to its bullpen for six or seven weeks (plus a potential postseason run).
  5. Danny Valencia, 3B/1B/OF, Athletics: Even after the trade of Josh Reddick, Valencia still isn’t getting regular playing time in Oakland. Ryon Healy is the top option at third base now, while Valencia jumps between both infield and outfield corner spots. He’s affordable, he’s mashing for the second straight year, and while he doesn’t have defensive value or a great clubhouse rep, Valencia’s bat makes him appealing to a number of teams.
  6. Kurt Suzuki, C, Twins: Interim GM Rob Antony told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger that he had some talks pertaining to Suzuki but nothing that compelled him to make a deal. Suzuki could easily be blocked if a team that doesn’t need a catcher claims him to stop him from reaching Cleveland (e.g. Seattle), but he can help a fringe contender if he gets there on waivers.
  7. Melky Cabrera, OF, White Sox: Cabrera isn’t challenging for any batting titles as he’s done in the past, but the switch-hitter is batting .297/.340/.455 with 20 homers dating back to June 1 of last season. He doesn’t provide any defensive value, but then again neither does Jay Bruce, who just netted the Reds a pair of nice prospects. Cabrera is priced the same in 2017 as Bruce ($13MM), and offers more OBP with less pop. He’s not as good of a hitter, but the difference between the two is a lot smaller than many realize when looking at the raw power numbers.
  8. Brian McCann, C, Yankees: McCann’s going to clear waivers by virtue of the $39.4MM left on his contract through 2018 (as of this writing), and at that point whether or not he’s moved will probably come down to how much money the Yankees are willing to eat to move him and clear a spot for Gary Sanchez to take the reins behind the plate.
  9. James Shields, SP, White Sox: Like McCann, Shields is all but a lock to clear waivers. He’s pitched well enough lately that the White Sox might not have to eat too much more of the $27MM he was owed upon their June acquisition of Shields. The peripherals on Shields are ugly, but a team in need of a back-of-the-rotation arm could consider him somewhat of a buy-low option if it believes that even his 2015 form can be rediscovered.
  10. Ervin Santana, SP, Twins: Minnesota doesn’t have an urge to move Santana — if they did, he’d be higher up on this list — and he’s pitched well enough that he could be claimed despite the $28MM he’s owed from 2017-18. Santana isn’t a steal, but he’s a fairly priced mid-rotation arm that could reportedly be obtained with a strong offer. Given the dearth of pitching on this year’s free agent class, a team could look to begin its offseason shopping this summer.
  11. Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Phillies: I had Hellickson higher on this list originally, but if the Phillies didn’t find an offer to their liking in July, they’ll face a tougher time in finding a suitable offer in August. Hellickson is a lock to be claimed by an NL contender — likely the Pirates, Mets or Marlins — either to block him from other contenders or to try to work out a trade to help a beleaguered rotation. Perhaps a deal can be worked out in the allotted 47-hour window, but not trading Hellickson by the deadline suggests that the Phils are truly comfortable with the notion of a qualifying offer.
  12. Edinson Volquez, SP, Royals: Volquez has pitched poorly this summer and was absolutely shelled in his first post-deadline trade. If he rights the ship perhaps he’ll hold some appeal to other clubs, but he’s a pitcher with a reputation for inconsistency that is flirting with his third season of a 5.00 ERA or worse since 2011. That he’s owed $6.5MM through season’s end (including the buyout of a mutual option) doesn’t help his value.
  13. Ryan Braun, OF, Brewers: Braun’s contract will clear waivers. However, the Brewers want legitimate prospects in a trade, and any trading partner will almost certainly want some fairly significant financial relief. Whether GM David Stearns and another club can find that nexus in the next three weeks is the question. It didn’t happen in June or July and probably won’t in August, but the very fact that he’ll be available to any team after clearing waivers has landed him on the back half of this list.
  14. David Robertson, RP, White Sox: With another $28.5MM owed to him through 2018, Robertson is a near lock to clear waivers as well. He hasn’t pitched up to his standards this season, so it’s tough to see a club parting with premium talent based on his results from a dominant 2014 season — his last elite campaign.
  15. Ryan Madson, RP, Athletics: There’s $17.06MM remaining on Madson’s deal through 2018, and the peripherals here are ugly as well. He’s saved 22 games, but his deteriorating strikeout and walk rates and the complete disintegration of his ground-ball tendencies make even his fairly modest 3.74 ERA look like somewhat of a mirage.
  16. Brandon Kintzler, RP, Twins: He’s a useful reliever that isn’t earning anything substantial this year due to the fact that he signed a minor league pact in the offseason. Kintzler is controllable through 2017, and while he’s not as good as his 2.08 ERA would indicate, he’s allergic to walks and has an enormous 64.2 percent ground-ball rate. He’s not going to be viewed as a closer, but the money, ground-ball rate and control would make him an appealing middle-relief pickup for a claiming team.
  17. Jeanmar Gomez, RP, Phillies: The Phils apparently didn’t get an offer they liked in July and have hung onto Gomez despite a lackluster track record. He’s cheap enough and having a solid enough season that he’ll be claimed on the wire. He’s a similar case to that of Hellickson, though; if the Phillies didn’t get an offer they liked in the non-waiver period, will they get something more considerable when they can only negotiate with one team?
  18. Nick Markakis, OF, Braves: There’s still $24.3MM remaining on Markakis’ contract, and while he’s actually displayed some of the pop that had been missing from his bat over the past month, that’s too much for any team to claim him. He should clear and give the Braves will have an opportunity to discuss him with all 29 other teams.
  19. Daniel Hudson, RP, D-backs: The Diamondbacks said they weren’t interested in just giving Hudson away, and unless that’s changed since another brutal outing on Aug. 2, he’ll probably remain with the team. It’s tough to envision a club giving up anything of value for a reliever with an unthinkable 26 earned runs allowed in his past 9 2/3 innings, even if there’s plenty of upside to be had. (And there is with Hudson.)
  20. Zack Cozart, SS, Reds: It’s a stretch to list Cozart, as there’s no way he clears waivers, and the Reds aren’t actively seeking to move him. He’ll be claimed, and not necessarily by a contending club — Cozart is controllable through 2017 — so the only way he’ll be moved is if someone offers a legitimate package. If he had a chance at making it to the Mariners, who nearly acquired him on Monday, it would be likelier, but Cozart would have to clear every NL team and half of the AL as well — that’s an extreme long shot.

Injured

Jon Jay, OF, Padres: As a productive free-agent-to-be playing for a rebuilding Padres club that effectively posted an “Everything must go!” sign out in front of Petco Park in July, Jay would probably top the list if he were healthy. He’s slated to come back in mid to late August and should be dealt if he can prove his health even for a few games.

Trevor Plouffe, 3B, Twins: Plouffe is nearing a return and doesn’t necessarily have a place in Minnesota now that the Twins have halted the ill-conceived Miguel Sano-in-the-outfield experiment. He’s a free agent next season and has established himself as a solid defender at third with 20-homer pop. That hasn’t been the case this season, but he could clear waivers given his recent injury and 2016 struggles, at which point the Twins could get creative in finding a deal for him.

Peter Bourjos, OF, Phillies: Bourjos set the world on fire at the plate in the month of June, and even though it wasn’t sustainable, the hot streak brought his batting line up to an acceptable place. Combined with his speed, defensive reputation and $2MM salary, that should make him an appealing outfield option for a club in need of a bench piece once he’s off the DL.

Logan Morrison, 1B/DH, Rays: Morrison had one of the worst starts to a season I can recall any semi-regular player having, but he hit .271/.348/.462 with 10 homers in 234 PAs from May 16 through July 27, when he landed on the DL with a forearm strain. If he gets healthy, he’s at least a bench bat for a contending club, and the Rays have little reason to hold.

Also Considered

Yunel Escobar (Angels), Jorge De La Rosa, Boone Logan & Jake McGee (Rockies), Ian Kennedy (Royals), Shelby Miller (Diamondbacks), Matt Garza & Chris Carter (Brewers), Seth Smith (Mariners), David Freese, Matt Joyce & John Jaso (Pirates)

Nate Schierholtz Receives 80-Game PED Suspension

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Free agent outfielder Nate Schierholtz has received an eighty-game suspension after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug, the league announced today. He’ll serve the suspension if and when he joins a new organization.

Schierholtz, 32, spent the early portion of the season at Triple-A with the Tigers but was release in late May. He carried only a .246/.280/.356 batting line over 125 plate appearances at the point of his release, and he hasn’t found another organization since.

An eight-year major league veteran, Schierholtz hasn’t seen the big leagues since 2014, when he spent most of the year with the Cubs before a brief stint with the Nationals. He also made a quick stop with the Phillies, who acquired him from the Giants midway through his sixth year in San Francisco.

Over 2,275 career MLB plate appearances, Schierholtz owns a .253/.302/.405 batting line with 52 home runs. He also spent the 2015 season playing in Japan for the Hiroshima Carp, an experience that he shared this spring with MLBTR’s Zach Links

Red Sox Claim Bryan Holaday From Rangers

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The Red Sox have claimed catcher Bryan Holaday off outright waivers from the Rangers, reports Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). Texas designated Holaday for assignment on Monday in the wake of its acquisition of Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress from the Brewers.

Holaday, 28, was acquired by Texas from the Tigers late in Spring Training and saw significant action early in the season following an injury to backstop Robinson Chirinos. Holaday was quite productive in the month of May but hasn’t hit much outside of that stretch and has a collective .238/.290/.405 slash in 94 plate appearances with Texas this season. Prior to the 2016 campaign, he’d spent his entire career in the Tigers organization, shuffling back and forth between the Majors and minors while serving as a backup to Alex Avila. The presence of James McCann and Detroit’s offseason pickup of Jarrod Saltalamacchia left Holaday without a spot on the big league roster, however, and he’s out of minor league options, which left Detroit with no way to carry him in the Majors.

That he’s out of options means he’ll have to go directly onto the 25-man roster for Boston as well, as Holaday cannot be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. He’s a career .248/.285/.356 hitter with five homers in 376 plate appearances. Holaday has thrown out 30.2 of attempted base thieves over the past three seasons, though he rates as a well below-average framing catcher, per Baseball Prospectus.

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