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Archives for August 2016

AL Notes: Twins, Hill, Indians, Norris, Rangers

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While details are non-existent, Twins general manager Rob Antony dropped an intriguing note to reporters including Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (Twitter link). Minnesota nearly swung a three-team trade before the deadline, the newly-minted interim GM said. That’s certainly fun to ponder, though it’s awfully difficult to assess what kind of scenario might have materialized with so many moving parts. (Don’t let that stop you from trying in the comments!)

Here’s more from the American League:

  • Before he was traded by the Athletics to the Dodgers, southpaw Rich Hill was seeking around $28MM over two years in the extension talks between the sides, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. That’s certainly an interesting number to ponder: it’s shockingly high for a player of Hill’s background, but is rather cheap compared with the cost of top-end starting pitching on the open market, particularly given the dearth of arms coming this winter. Despite the risk, Hill has pitched at an extremely high level when healthy, and the guess here is that plenty of teams would be happy to take that chance for less than the expected annual rate of a qualifying offer (which is expected to be $16.7MM). Last fall, Marco Estrada commanded $26MM over two years in a deal struck while he pondered a QO, providing something of a comparable, though Hill is older and probably should come with wider band of reasonable performance expectations. Regardless whether that was a reasonable request for a raise over Hill’s current $6MM salary — which he landed despite only a four-start audition late last year — it provides some insight into the thinking of an interesting pending free agent. (Notably, the trade also means that Hill won’t be eligible to receive a qualifying offer.)
  • The Indians considered a move for Padres catcher Derek Norris after their agreement to add Jonathan Lucroy was vetoed by the veteran backstop, according to Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. Talks didn’t go very far, though, as Cleveland wasn’t enticed by a reportedly high asking price. The Indians also looked at Steve Pearce, but the team’s scouts weren’t enthused by his defensive profile at third.
  • The Rangers’ efforts to strike a deal for a new ballpark are still moving along, as Robert Cadwallader of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The Arlington City Council voted unanimously to push ahead with a November ballot item seeking approval for the funding package, which has received plenty of criticism given its taxpayer-backed terms and the fact that the Rangers seemingly play in a rather acclaimed, quite youthful ballpark at present. Another vote is needed to send the matter to the voters.

Injury Notes: McCullers, Nola, Pelfrey, Tilson, Dodgers, Lindgren

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As seemed likely after he departed last night’s game with elbow soreness, Astros righty Lance McCullers Jr. was placed on the 15-day DL today. Rookie Joe Musgrove will take his rotation spot, which at least does afford the club an opportunity to give him a reasonable look. That’s rather a dull silver lining, though, as McCullers has arguably been Houston’s best pitcher this year when healthy and remains a critical element of the team’s hopes this year and in the future. McCullers says that he’ll wait at least two weeks before being checked up on, at which point he could resume throwing — if he’s deemed ready. (Via Brian Smith of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter.)

[Related: Updated Astros Depth Chart]

Here are some more important injury notes from around the game:

  • The Phillies have placed righty Aaron Nola on the 15-day DL after he experienced some elbow discomfort, as Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Voice writes. Though there doesn’t appear to be any grave concern, it’s also not clear that Nola will throw again in the majors this year. He’s set to be shut down for at least a week, and if it goes much longer than the team may not see the benefit in trying to ramp him back up for only a few outings.

[Related: Updated Phillies Depth Chart]

  • Tigers righty Mike Pelfrey is hitting the disabled list with a back strain, as the team announced. He has thrown 115 1/3 innings of 4.76 ERA ball with 4.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 on the year. That’s really not what Detroit thought it was signing up for when it signed Pelfrey to a two-year, $16MM deal as a free agent before the season. Fortunately for the Tigers, the loss of Pelfrey coincides with an even more impactful addition: the return of slugger J.D. Martinez.

[Related: Updated Tigers Depth Chart]

  • White Sox outfielder Charlie Tilson will miss the rest of the season after tearing his hamstring in his MLB debut, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago tweets. Tilson was only just acquired, in exchange for reliever Zach Duke, and moved straight to Chicago’s major league roster. After recording a hit in his first turn at the plate in the majors, he popped his hammy chasing down a fly ball and now needs surgery. Regarded as a speedy, contact-oriented player, Tilson was set for something of a showcase over the last two months of the season; instead, he’ll have to rehab and look to impress his new team next spring.

[Related: Updated White Sox Depth Chart]

  • The Dodgers added two relievers to the 15-day DL, with Louis Coleman (right shoulder) and Adam Liberatore (left elbow) needing a respite. Coleman has been useful for Los Angeles, but the loss of Liberatore, in particular, is notable: he was in the midst of a surprising breakout campaign, with 33 1/3 innings of 1.62 ERA ball. Meanwhile, Los Angeles transferred Clayton Kershaw to the 60-day DL. That’s largely a formality to clear a 40-man spot, as it was already clear that he’d miss at least that much time, but the placement certainly doesn’t change the increasing perception that the game’s best pitcher may not be able to continue what had been his greatest season as a professional. Indeed, it still seems that he has yet to begin throwing.

[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]

  • Yankees southpaw Jacob Lindgren is going to miss all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, as George A. King III of the New York Post tweets. The 23-year-old moved quickly to the majors after being drafted in 2014, and looked like an immediate and future piece of the Yankees’ relief picture. Instead, he has managed to throw only seven innings at the High-A level on the year, with more walks than strikeouts (9 to 8) in that span.

Lucas Duda Suffers Setback, Could Miss Rest Of Season

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Mets first baseman Lucas Duda will be fully shut down for thirty days after experiencing a “flare-up” in his back, GM Sandy Alderson told reporters including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). As DiComo notes, that may well mean that he won’t return by the end of the season.

The 30-year-old slugger had been expected to play a significant role this year for the defending N.L. champs. Instead, he lasted only 39 games before succumbing to a back injury that has proven more serious than initially believed. Though Duda was always expected to miss a couple of months, it had generally been assumed that he’d return at some point down the stretch.

That still may be possible, and it doesn’t appear that the team has yet ruled Duda out completely. But a month-long shutdown doesn’t leave much time at all to return to game speed, and it may not even be worth the risk to try.

After all, Duda remains a likely asset for the Mets in 2017. He’s earning $6.725MM this year in his second-to-final season of arbitration eligibility. While he’ll likely earn a slight raise on that, he hasn’t done much to drive a big increase.

Before going down, Duda contributed 145 plate appearances of .231/.297/.431 hitting with seven home runs. That is well off of the standard he had set over the prior two seasons, when Duda was good for a .249/.350/.483 combined slash and 57 total long balls.

So long as the big lefty is able to show progress before the non-tender deadline, there’s good reason to think that he’ll still represent a solid value. Duda is limited to first base, where he is an average defender, and has never really hit lefties outside of a 132 plate appearance sample in 2015. But as a reasonably youthful, established power bat, the market will likely value him above a one-year, $7MM (or less) commitment.

Viewed in that light, Duda should at least represent a plausible trade piece even if he’s not in the Mets’ plans. Really, though, it’s not clear that New York has an alternative lined up. David Wright could require time at first if and when he’s able to return, though it’s hard to imagine the team making moves in reliance on his availability. And though highly-regarded prospect Dominic Smith has finally developed some power in his first attempt at the Double-A level, he’s only 21 years old and isn’t exactly demanding a big league promotion with a .282/.343/.439 batting line.

New York had already been forced to line up a fill-in for the present season, of course, with James Loney having now seen far more time than Duda on the year. He has been quite useful, slashing .284/.336/.442 over 215 plate appearances.

International Notes/Signings: Gutierrez, Padres, Cardinals

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Cuban right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez, who rated No. 3 on MLB.com’s rankings of international prospects, is still weighing multiple options, tweets MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. Gutierrez has reportedly bounced around to multiple agencies and had a lengthy stay on the free agent market (he was declared a free agent last July) and may now pitch in Japan or wait until next year’s international signing period to strike a deal. That seems like an awfully lengthy wait for a pitcher who has drawn some pretty solid reviews in the past and as recently as March was said to have re-established himself as a prospect after briefly seeing his stuff take a step backward. Gutierrez is 20 years of age, so he’s subject to international spending limitations for now, although if he does wait until next year to sign, the international free agency process could look markedly different, as it’ll be discussed at length in the upcoming wave of collective bargaining negotiations.

That said, there are also a pair of international signings that merit mention…

  • The Padres have signed Cuban righty Ronald Bolanos for a bonus that will be worth a bit more than $2MM, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. Badler notes that Bolanos, 20, played mostly as an outfielder in the 18U leagues in Cuba but converted to the mound in 2014 and has seen a substantial uptick in velocity as he’s filled out, with his heater now ranging from 90 to 96 mph. Badler praises his slider as a potentially above-average pitch and gives a less flattering review of Bolanos curveball, adding that the right-hander won’t pitch for the Padres this season but could open with one of San Diego’s Class-A affiliates in 2017. For those keeping score at home, the Padres’ total international expenditures (including the 100 percent overage tax with which they’re being hit on each of these signings) is now in the range of $65MM (as the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Dennis Lin points out, on Twitter).
  • Lost a bit amid last week’s trade deadline chaos was the fact that the Cardinals signed Cuban shortstop/outfielder Randy Arozarena for a bonus of $1.25MM, as Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald first reported (Twitter link). Following the signing, Badler wrote about the 21-year-old’s plus speed and plate discipline, noting that he could eventually develop enough pop for 10 to 15 homers but figures to derive more value from his OBP than his power. He’s advanced enough to jump right into the mix at Class-A Advanced, in Badler’s estimation. Sanchez’s rankings listed Arozarena as the No. 16 prospect on this year’s international market.

Mariners Likely To Be Active On August Trade Market

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The Mariners didn’t make a trade on Monday in the hours leading up to the non-waiver deadline, but GM Jerry Dipoto doesn’t expect that to preclude them from further tweaking the roster, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. “We’re going to have something on the market in August,” Dipoto tells Dutton. “I guarantee there will be more activity throughout the league, and we’ll probably be at the center of that.”

[Related: How August Trades Work]

That the Mariners didn’t make a trade wasn’t for a lack of effort, per Dipoto, who says that the Mariners had a lot of different discussions taking place, some of which “got very deep into the deal-making phase and just didn’t come to pass.” While Dipoto doesn’t address any specifics, one of those near-swaps was likely for Reds shortstop Zack Cozart. It was widely reported on Monday (first by Dutton himself) that the two sides were closing in on a trade that would send Cozart from Cincinnati to Seattle, but the deal never came to fruition.

Dutton now sheds some light on the talks, reporting that the two sides believed they had a basic two-for-two framework that would’ve sent Cozart and a minor leaguer to Seattle in exchange for minor league lefty Luiz Gohara and a second prospect. However, the Reds ultimately had to spend a great deal of time on Monday restructuring their trade of Jay Bruce to the Mets due to medical concerns surrounding some of the minor leaguers they were set to acquire. As such, Dutton writes that the Reds effectively “ran out of time” to assess all of the medical information on the players they would be receiving from the Mariners in exchange for Cozart. Gohara rated as the Mariners’ No. 5 prospect at MLB.com, whose scouting report notes that he’s had a breakout campaign after dropping 30 pounds in the offseason. Gohara has a 1.94 ERA and a 63-to-14 K/BB ratio in 51 minor league innings (nine starts).

Dutton adds that he spoke to some Mariners officials who didn’t rule out the possibility of revisiting talks for Cozart, though Cozart would have to pass through the entire National League and through nearly half of the American League to get to the Mariners on the waiver wire, which seems unlikely. Talks, of course, could resume in the offseason if Cozart remains in Cincinnati. It’s worth noting that Reds president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty told the Cincinnati Enquirer’s C. Trent Rosecrans yesterday that Cozart is not someone he’s actively looking to move, though he’s a free agent following the 2017 season, so it makes sense for the rebuilding Reds to be highly open to the concept so long as they receive quality talent in return.

In the days leading up to the deadline, the Mariners served as a reminder that the “buyer” and “seller” classifications are often too black-and-white, and teams will often operate in a gray areas somewhere between. Seattle shed some veterans that have disappointed this season — Joaquin Benoit and Wade Miley — but acquired MLB-ready assets in exchange. Benoit was swapped out for another change of scenery candidate, Drew Storen, while left-hander Ariel Miranda came over from the Orioles in the Miley swap and has already pitched in the big leagues this year himself. The Mariners did trade a long-term, controllable asset in moving Mike Montgomery to the Cubs, but Dipoto received a more or less MLB-ready first baseman in exchange by picking up blocked prospect Dan Vogelbach, creating the possibility for near-term gains. And, talks for Cozart further indicated that the Mariners don’t seem content to punt on the 2016 season.

Looking around the roster to identify potential August trade candidates, then, Adam Lind stands out as a logical option. Acquired from the Brewers this offseason to platoon at first base, Lind has struggled to a .226/.261/.434 line through 280 plate appearances. The emergence of Dae-ho Lee and the presence of the left-handed-hitting Vogelbach in Triple-A Tacoma could make Lind, a free agent at season’s end, expendable for the Mariners, and there were indeed rumors of his availability leading up to the non-waiver deadline. Veteran outfielder Nori Aoki has also underwhelmed in his first season with the Mariners, though he’s performed considerably better in a small sample upon his return from an option to Tacoma.

As for possible external acquisitions for Seattle, the Mariners were linked to names like Cozart, Jay Bruce and Joe Smith in the days leading up to the deadline. Given Steve Cishek’s recent struggles and the reported interest in Smith, adding another bullpen arm seems like a possibility, and their talks for Cozart could signal a desire to add another up-the-middle type of infielder. And, given Seattle’s current ranking, they’ll likely have a good shot at claiming any short-term assets that are placed on trade waivers by American League clubs. Seattle is currently five games back of the second Wild Card spot, and the two of the teams closest behind them — the Yankees and White Sox — acted largely as sellers, while the Royals (who have the same record as the ChiSox) stood pat as opposed to making any pre-deadline additions. That means that (for now) the Mariners have priority over virtually every team that considers itself a legitimate Wild Card contender.

Alexi Ogando Opts Out Of Diamondbacks Contract

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Right-hander Alexi Ogando has opted out of his minor league contract with the Diamondbacks, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (via Twitter). The 32-year-old is once again a free agent.

Ogando began the year in the Braves’ bullpen and posted a respectable 3.94 ERA in 32 innings with Atlanta, but walks were an issue for him all season long and he coughed up nine runs (seven earned) on seven hits and nine walks in his final seven innings with the Braves before being designated for assignment. On the year, Ogando averaged 8.2 K/9 but 6.5 BB/9 as well, and his results didn’t improve in Triple-A Reno with the D-backs organization. In 5 1/3 innings with Reno, Ogando served up eight earned runs on 10 hits and seven walks with just a pair of strikeouts to his credit.

While the 2016 campaign has been one to forget for Ogando, it’s notable that he does come with a lengthy track record of success in the Majors. The longtime Ranger entered the 2016 season with a lifetime 3.44 ERA in 471 1/3 innings at the Major League level and has pitched well both as a starter and as a setup man in the past. He’ll look to latch on with another organization and end the year on a high note.

AL West Notes: McCullers, Street, Rangers

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Astros righty Lance McCullers Jr. left his start last night with right elbow discomfort, the team announced. He’ll be looked at more closely today, but that’s certainly not the news the club was hoping for right after the non-waiver trade deadline. Houston had been rumored to be pursuing starters but instead parted with one depth option by trading veteran right-hander Scott Feldman to the Blue Jays. Shoulder problems delayed his start to the year, but McCullers has been quite effective when healthy, working to a 3.22 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 over 81 frames out of the Houston rotation this year. Rookie right-hander Joe Musgrove finished off the game in dominant fashion, tossing 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball and fanning eight in the process. He could step into McCullers’ rotation spot if a need arises.

Elsewhere in the AL West…

  • The Angels announced that Huston Street is headed to the disabled list due to knee inflammation. The 33-year-old has had an awful season this year, pitching to a 6.45 ERA with just 14 strikeouts against 12 walks in 22 1/3 innings at the back of the Halos’ bullpen. Those results aren’t ideal for any pitcher, let alone a closer that is in the first season of a two-year, $18MM contract extension. This is the second DL stint of the year for Street, who also missed time in May with an oblique issue. Righty Cam Bedrosian looks to be next in line, which isn’t much of a surprise considering the second-generation pitcher’s impressive breakout campaign. The 24-year-old has been a bright spot in a disappointing year for the Angels, using a fastball that has averaged 95.3 mph to help him generate 11.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 50.5 percent ground-ball rate en route to a pristine 0.90 ERA.
  • Rangers general manager Jon Daniels spent weeks speaking to the Rays about their starters, tried to pry Chris Sale or Jose Quintana away from the White Sox and explored rental pitchers on the final day of the deadline, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, Daniels found the asking prices in each case to be too prohibitive and ultimately decided he was better off strengthening his lineup and bullpen than overspending on a rotation arm. Daniels, though, tells Rosenthal that he doesn’t blame selling clubs for placing extreme prices on their pitchers. “I don’t think they were being difficult,” said the GM. “I thought they had great pitchers in a market in which no pitching was available. They were understandably asking for a lot, especially for guys with 3, 4, and 5 years of control. They may get as much in a year or two as they would have gotten today.” Daniels admitted that he’s still a bit concerned with his rotation, though the waiver trade market should afford him opportunities to bolster his starting mix if he desires.

Deadline Notes: Yankees, Sanchez, Peavy, Moore, Rangers, Liriano

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Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner had a long and interesting chat the Michael Kay Show (audio link) in which he discussed his organization’s rare sale-side moves at the deadline. Carrying three ace closers, he said, was an “incredible luxury, but not a necessity,” which seemingly helped to ease his mind in parting with Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. He further explained that the organization didn’t simply decide at some point that it would undergo a sale, but instead considered each individual move on its own merit as opportunities arose. Generally, he emphasized that he looked closely at every player in every deal and suggested that the group of trades has helped position the organization for the near-future and beyond. There’s plenty more in the interview, which is well worth a full listen.

Here are few more notes coming off of the trade deadline …

  • As has been expected, the Yankees will call up catcher Gary Sanchez once again, per Shane Hennigan of the Scranton Times-Tribune (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear whether he’ll just provide a temporary DH option — as he did earlier in the season — or stick for good, but Steinbrenner did note that the organization believes he’s ready for extended big league time. The owner emphasized that fans can expect to see several fresh faces down the stretch as the Yankees look to see what they have in the upper-level prospects they have been developing — not to mention those just added over the last several days.
  • The Giants have moved veteran righty Jake Peavy to the bullpen to accommodate the acquisition of Matt Moore, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports. Though Peavy has worked almost exclusively in the rotation over his long career, he seemingly took the news quite well. San Francisco has liked what it has seen of late from Matt Cain, who was the other candidate to move to a relief role, and thinks that Peavy will be better able to handle the transition, skipper Bruce Bochy explained.
  • Speaking of Moore, the Rangers turned their attention elsewhere given the Rays’ asking price on the lefty, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Texas would have needed to send not only Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz — each of whom were packaged to acquire Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress — but also Jurickson Profar, per the report.
  • Part of the calculus for the Blue Jays’ acquisition of Francisco Liriano was the opportunity for him to work again with backstop Russell Martin, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca explains. Both GM Ross Atkins and manager John Gibbons noted the importance of that connection, and Martin offered glowing reports of Liriano’s stuff. As Atkins put it: “The experience of Russ and the familiarity, if we come up with a plan we should expect some correction. This is not on Russ Martin by any means, but we did see that as an added benefit.”

Latest On Yasiel Puig, Dodgers

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Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi was non-committal when asked about Yasiel Puig’s future with the organization, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports. Puig was just optioned to Triple-A, with Zaidi characterizing the move as a reflection of “the fact that we were able to get a right fielder [Josh Reddick] that we believe is an upgrade for this team right now,” leading to “a little bit of a domino effect.”

But when asked whether the talented 25-year-old would play at the big league level again for the Dodgers, Zaidi demurred. “I don’t want to handicap that situation,” he said. “It certainly is a possibility. Beyond that, it’s just speculation.” While that statement certainly doesn’t suggest anything directly, it isn’t perhaps the standard front-office line for an established major leaguer who has been demoted but remains under contract for the foreseeable future.

The GM discussed several on-field improvements that Puig could work towards in the minors, but also didn’t suggest that the decision was purely related to performance. While it isn’t fair to say that the club ran out of patience with Puig, Zaidi said, there was clearly more at work here. Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that he has had to expend added attention to keeping Puig on task, explaining that the outfielder has room to grow and needs to consistently put in the needed work at the major league level.

Puig entered the league with a big splash at just 22 years of age and continued to put up top-line offensive numbers in 2014. He started to turn down the following year, but was still an above-average hitter, and the fall-off has gotten worse thus far in 2016. Over his 303 plate appearances this year, Puig owns a meager .260/.320/.386 slash. While he has been significantly better since returning from the DL in late June, and still grades well in the outfield, the overall package is decidedly less appealing than it once was. There are also at least some long-term injury questions given Puig’s frequent hamstring issues.

Los Angeles is said to be open to dealing Puig, whose immense talent will undoubtedly draw interest — though it seems fair to say that any dealing is more likely to occur over the winter. It will certainly be interesting to see how the market values Puig if and when he is auctioned. His contract situation still rates as a positive, but it’s no longer the screaming value it once was. He’s set to earn at least $14MM over the next two years, and can be controlled for one more. Puig also has the right to opt into arbitration, though at this point that may not be the financially advisable route given his rough platform season.

Blue Jays Release, Re-Sign Blake McFarland

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The Blue Jays have released and re-signed righty Blake McFarland to a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm tweets. His 40-man spot was needed for the club’s moves today to accommodate their post-deadline roster adjustments.

McFarland, 28, has not appeared this year, though the precise reason why isn’t immediately apparent. Originally signed as an un-drafted free agent, he showed promise last year while working in the upper minors and was added to the 40-man roster over the winter. Over 57 2/3 innings — mostly at the Double-A level — McFarland pitched to a 2.03 ERA with 11.2 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9.

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