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Minor MLB Transactions: 9/17/16

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Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Rangers outrighted left-hander Michael Roth to Triple-A after he accepted the assignment, club executive VP of communications John Blake tweets.  Roth was designated for assignment earlier this week.  The southpaw appeared in just one game for the Rangers this season (allowing six ER over 3 2/3 relief innings) while posting a 2.97 ERA, 2.24 K/BB rate and 5.8 K/9 over 145 1/3 innings at Triple-A, with 23 of his 28 outings coming as a starter.
  • The Braves selected the contracts of utilityman Emilio Bonifacio and third baseman Rio Ruiz from Triple-A Gwinnett, the team announced.  Catcher A.J. Pierzynski and righty Rob Whalen were shifted to the 60-day DL in corresponding moves to create roster space.  Bonifacio was outrighted off Atlanta’s 40-man roster earlier this summer, and the veteran has appeared in just 15 games for the Braves in 2016.  Ruiz, 22, is getting his first taste of the majors after hitting .271/.355/.400 with 10 homers and 24 doubles over 533 Triple-A plate appearances this season.  MLB.com ranked Ruiz as the 15th-best prospect in the Braves’ system.

No Extension Talks Currently Planned Between Orioles, Zach Britton

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Scott Boras, agent for star Orioles closer Zach Britton, doesn’t think the club will be looking to pursue an extension with his client in the near future, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.  Britton has two more years of arbitration eligibility before he hits free agency in the 2018-2019 offseason.

With so much team control remaining, it perhaps isn’t surprising that the O’s are prioritizing other business before getting around to a long-term deal with Britton.  Extending Britton now would also be something of a buy-high move given that the closer is in the midst of perhaps his most dominating season yet — an 0.60 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 3.57 K/BB rate over 60 1/3 innings, plus a stunning 80.4% ground ball rate and a career-best 96.3 mph average fastball velocity.  Britton is a perfect 44-for-44 in save opportunities in 2016.

Needless to say, Britton will be getting a healthy raise in his third year of arbitration eligibility.  Britton and the O’s avoided arbitration in his first two arb years by agreeing to salaries of $3.2MM for 2015 and $6.75MM for this season.  As a Super Two player, Britton is on track for yet another big arbitration payday following the 2017 campaign; if he continues on his current pace, he could be looking at a 2017 salary in the neighborhood of $12-13MM.

Having already achieved quite a bit of financial security, Britton has some negotiating leverage on his side.  It could also help he (and Boras) in waiting to discuss an extension until after this offseason, as Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen are poised to set new standards for reliever contracts.

From Baltimore’s perspective, there are some arguments for exploring an extension now.  Locking Britton up to even a two-year deal through his remaining arb years would get the team some cost certainty.  The Orioles have traditionally been wary about signing pitchers to a significant multi-year deals, though they’re more comfortable doing so when it’s an arm they’re already familiar with (i.e. Darren O’Day’s four-year contract last winter).  Britton also doesn’t carry a significant health risk; as MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum outlined in his study of Tommy John injuries earlier this year, there is a well below-average chance Britton will eventually require TJ surgery.

Injury Notes: Hamilton, Reed, De La Rosa, Anderson, Kazmir, Oh, Marte

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The Reds announced this morning that outfielder Billy Hamilton and left-hander Cody Reed have been placed on the disabled list due to a left oblique injury and lower back spasm, respectively. The moves are retroactive to Sept. 5, but given the fact that rosters are currently expanded, the DL placements likely end the season for the pair of promising young talents. Hamilton, who turned 26 a week ago, enjoyed what has been his best overall season at the Major League level in 2016, hitting .260/.321/.343 in 460 plate appearances. While those numbers certainly don’t stand out, especially not when considering Hamilton’s home park, the .321 OBP is a career-best and represents a marked step forward for a player that posted just a .285 on-base percentage from 2014-15. Of course, he’s also a top-flight defender (13 runs above average per both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating) and the game’s best baserunner (he easily leads the league with 12.9 runs above average on the basepaths, per Fangraphs). Though he’s dealt with some bumps and bruises this year, things are pointing up for Hamilton as he reaches arbitration eligibility this fall. As for the 23-year-old Reed, his debut campaign wasn’t quite what he might’ve hoped. He did manager to strike out 8.1 batters per nine innings, against 3.6 walks, but compiled only a 7.36 ERA over 47 2/3 frames in ten starts. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to earn a rotation spot out of camp for 2017.

Here are some more injury notes from around the game:

  • It had seemed that Diamondbacks righty Rubby De La Rosa would be shut down for the year due to ongoing elbow soreness, but that may no longer be the case. As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets, manager Chip Hale says there’s still a chance that De La Rosa could return at the tail end of 2016. He’ll throw side sessions and perhaps even sim games while the team assesses both the health of his elbow and his command, per the skipper. “Maybe the last week of the season we get him in a game to see what he looks like,” said Hale.
  • The Dodgers put Brett Anderson on the hill tonight in the Triple-A playoffs and he provided five solid frames, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick reports. He is working back from a blister, and showed well with five strikeouts and zero free passes while allowing just one run on three hits. With the victory, Triple-A Oklahoma City stayed alive, meaning that fellow southpaw Scott Kazmir will take his own turn at a rehab outing, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). Kazmir has been battling thoracic spinal inflammation, and his timeline has remained murky. It’ll be interesting to see whether either or both starters play a role down the stretch or in the postseason for the Dodgers. Kazmir is likely not to opt out of his contract regardless, but Anderson will be looking to show that he’s at full health entering another run at free agency. Still just 28 years of age, back issues have limited Anderson to just a pair of major league outings thus far — neither of which went well at all.
  • Cardinals closer Seung-hwan Oh is back in action after resting a groin injury, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch tweets. Oh has been a tremendous find for St. Louis, providing 72 1/3 innings of 1.87 ERA ball on the year, and his return will be critical with just two weeks to go. His 2017 option is already guaranteed — he has accumulated exactly the thirty games finished that he needed — but the team was already surely excited to pick it up at just $2.75MM.
  • The Pirates are still awaiting the return of outfielder Starling Marte, who has dealt with back spasms. Skipper Clint Hurdle says that he believes Marte will be ready to go tomorrow, as Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. Unfortunately, it’s likely too late for the talented outfielder to impact the team’s postseason chances; Pittsburgh sat 5.5 games out of Wild Card position entering play today. The multi-talented 27-year-old has turned in another high-quality campaign, with a .311/.362/.457 batting line, nine home runs, and 47 steals, and his extension continues to look like an outstanding investment.

J.P. Crawford Undergoes Knee Surgery; Aaron Nola Nearing Attempt To Throw

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There were some notable reports on two important Phillies players today. Highly-touted shortstop prospect J.P. Crawford underwent knee surgery recently, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports on Twitter. And the club is nearing a critical phase of Aaron Nola’s recovery from an elbow injury, as Zolecki further reports.

Crawford’s procedure was to remove a loose body from his knee. It’ll require a four-week resting period, but doesn’t seem likely to pose any limitations heading into the 2017 season. A consensus top-ten league-wide prospect, Crawford didn’t quite make it to the majors this year but figures to get his shot at some point next season.

Following a solid but hardly overwhelming showing at Double-A, the 21-year-old Crawford earned a promotion to the highest level of the minors. He stalled out there, however, posting only a .244/.328/.318 batting line with four home runs and seven stolen bases in eleven attempts. While he continued to show strong plate discipline, there’s obviously a fair bit of work remaining.

As for Nola, there’s more concern but also less clarity. Though GM Matt Klentak says that the prized righty is “on track,” he still has yet to test his elbow since undergoing a platelet-rich plasma treatment. Nola will likely attempt to throw within the next week or two, says Klentak, with the results of that effort expected to play a major role in assessing his near-term outlook, which the GM says “remains to be seen.”

“The idea is before he goes into his offseason, he’s been up on the mound, he’s thrown to hitters and everything feels good and he goes into his offseason feeling very confident,” said Klentak. “We’re hopeful we’ll be able to time that with instructional league, but if it stretches beyond that, we’ll have to figure it out.”

Though Nola only ended up with a 4.78 ERA over his 111 innings on the year before he was shut down, there were plenty of signs of promise. He racked up 9.8 K/9 against just 2.4 BB/9 along with a 55.2% groundball rate. And ERA estimators viewed his season far more favorably than the earned runs would suggest, with Nola likely dealing with some bad luck (as reflected in a .334 BABIP-against and 60.6% strand rate).

Red Sox Unhappy With MLB Decision On Pomeranz Deal

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8:45pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has more on the Red Sox’ perspective. Boston became aware of the issues with Pomeranz after conducting an MRI on his shoulder and elbow, per the report, identifying “an injury he was receiving treatment for” that hadn’t been logged.

The club still felt it needed to move forward with the July 14th trade, and evidently didn’t feel the issue was severe enough to scuttle the deal. Still, though, Boston “sought compensation in the form of a player but didn’t succeed,” a source tells Cafardo. It is not immediately clear whether the team pursued that remedy directly with the Padres or through the league in some form.

7:55pm: Red Sox chairman Tom Werner had harsh words today for the decision of the commissioner’s office relating to withheld medical information in the summer trade for lefty Drew Pomeranz, as Tom Caron of NESN reports (Twitter links). (Video link via NESN.)

“We were extremely disappointed in the decision,” said Werner. “We felt that some wrong was committed and that it’s important to have a level playing field. The Padres didn’t play on it.”

After allegations from four teams arose regarding the Padres’ insufficient provision of medical investigation, the league opened an investigation. The league announced a 30-day suspension of Padres GM A.J. Preller yesterday, specifying that it related to the Pomeranz deal, but otherwise did not punish the San Diego organization or provide compensation to the Red Sox.

At the time the investigation itself was reported, indications were that Boston was not seeking any modification of the swap. Another Padres deal was partially unwound, with Colin Rea being traded back from the Marlins to San Diego. But that arrangement was apparently worked out between the teams. Since that time, reports have suggested that the Padres attempted to evade medical reporting requirements, suggesting to their trainers that doing so would help the organization to gain an advantage in trade talks.

It is not known whether the Red Sox specifically sought any particular recompense arising from the Pomeranz-related concerns. And it’s fair to note that Werner did not make clear whether that was the cause for his view on the suspension. Some have suggested that the Padres were handled less harshly in this instance than the Red Sox were recently, and the frustration could stem from that potential disparity. Boston was hit with a signing ban and was forced to give up its rights to several international free agent signees after a finding of a rules violation.

Meanwhile, Padres manager Andy Green defended his organization as well as Preller, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Insisting that Pomeranz never had any issues of which he was aware, Green went into extensive detail on his view of the situation — which you’ll find in full in Lin’s report. “I see it as that we had all our files in one place and they were not where they needed to be and we accepted responsibility for that and paid honestly a steep price for that,” the first-year manager explained.

At base, Green asserted that there was no “malicious intent to deceive anyone in the process” by the San Diego organization. “There was never this belief that we’re trading anybody that was hurt,” he continued. “There was never this belief that we’re trying to pull one over on the rest of Major League Baseball. … [E]very mistake that’s been made was well-intentioned. Mistakes have been made. We’ve owned them.”

Twins Interested In Mets AGM John Ricco; Have Interviewed Rob Antony

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The Twins have interest in Mets assistant general manager John Ricco for their front office leadership positions, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Meanwhile, the team has already sat down for an interview with interim GM Rob Antony for the open president of baseball operations role.

At present, Minnesota has not asked the Mets for permission to speak with Ricco, who is a top lieutenant of New York GM Sandy Alderson. The expectation, though, is that a request will be made. Ricco took on an increasingly public role in the Mets organization earlier this year, when Alderson was limited owing to cancer treatment.

As for Antony, he too has stepped into the fore at times in the past when former Twins GM Terry Ryan fell ill. Since Ryan parted ways with the organization just before the trade deadline, he has functioned as the full-blown GM on an interim basis. It is not yet clear how serious a candidate he is to take over the operations department on a full-time basis, or what his role could be if he isn’t hired in that capacity.

Other executives reportedly under consideration include Rays AGM Chaim Bloom, Indians AGM Derek Falvey, Cubs senior vice president of player development/amateur scouting Jason McLeod and Royals AGM J.J. Picollo.

 

Alex Bregman Diagnosed With Hamstring Strain

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Astros manager A.J. Hinch says that emerging young infielder Alex Bregman has been diagnosed with a hamstring strain that “obviously threatens [his] season.” (Video via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, on Twitter.)

While the club isn’t ruling anything out at present, Bregman isn’t accompanying the team on its current road trip. Instead, he’ll stay behind in Houston for treatment.

The “diagnosis for him is a little disheartening,” said Hinch, who explained that it was severe enough that it “would normally require a DL stint right away.” With rosters expanded in September, that’s not a necessary step, but it certainly sounds as if the odds are against a regular-season return. “[W]here we’re at on the schedule, that obviously is not a good sign,” said the skipper.

Bregman had been a key sparkplug since coming to the big leagues. Despite a rough start to his major league career, the 2015 #2 overall draft pick has already surged to a .260/.311/.480 batting line with eight home runs in his 212 plate appearances. The long-term outlook remains as optimistic as ever for Bregman, who seems primed to star in an everyday role for many years to come.

In the meantime, Houston will call up Colin Moran to help pick up the slack, though he struggled badly in a brief major league debut of his own earlier this year. The prognosis is better for Jose Altuve, who seems likely to return in relatively short order. And the presence of recent signee Yulieski Gurriel helps — he can play third base and has posted a strong .338/.360/.581 batting line since reaching the majors. But that’s scant consolation, as the Astros have plenty of ground to make up in the Wild Card race.

Orioles, Scott Boras To Discuss Matt Wieters Extension

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Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette is scheduled to meet with agent Scott Boras about a possible extension for catcher Matt Wieters, according to Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com. The 30-year-old is slated to qualify for free agency after the season.

Boras suggests to Connolly that there is at least some level of mutual interest in a new contract for Wieters, who has spent his entire career with the Baltimore organization. Most recently, he accepted a $15.8MM qualifying offer to stay with the club rather than going onto the open market last winter.

Things haven’t gone quite as team or player hoped in 2016. He has been healthy, appearing in 110 games, but hasn’t produced to his typical levels at the plate. Over 412 plate appearances, Wieters owns a .243/.299/.402 triple-slash, though he has hit 14 long balls.

According to Boras, those offensive woes aren’t a long-term concern. The agent is famed for his analogies, of course, and chose a somewhat odd one to describe the veteran backstop.

“This guy is General Jackson and General Lee,” said Boras. “He is the North and the South. He can do it all. He is all-around.”

It is certainly notable that the sides are set to discuss a new contract, as Wieters was expected to play an interesting role on the upcoming free agent market. He may still do so, but if not, he’d join Francisco Cervelli among catchers who signed new deals rather than testing the open waters — considerably thinning the overall crop and perhaps boosting the stock of top options like Wilson Ramos and Jason Castro.

It seems unlikely that the O’s will again extend Wieters a qualifying offer after his down year with the bat, though perhaps that can’t be discounted entirely. Certainly, this year’s anticipated $16.7MM qualifying offer cost seems a bit high for a player who has produced at about 17% below league average.

Notably, too, Boras represents ace Orioles closer Zach Britton and pending free agent slugger Pedro Alvarez. Connolly suggest that both could come up in talks, as well. Britton has two remaining years of arbitration control remaining and will be due a raise commensurate with his unbelievable campaign, so he’ll present an interesting case this winter. And Alvarez is set to go back into free agency after a productive year, with the Orioles potentially having continued interest — particularly with Mark Trumbo also readying to weigh offers from other organizations.

Royals Outright Nick Tepesch, Release Reymond Fuentes

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The Royals have outrighted right-hander Nick Tepesch and released outfielder Reymond Fuentes, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com was among those to tweet. Both players were recently trimmed from the 40-man roster and had been in DFA limbo.

Tepesch will remain under team control, assuming he clears waivers. He has been claimed several times already this year, most recently by Kansas City. Though Tepesch had enough service time in 2016 to qualify for arbitration as Super Two, and could again next year, he only appeared in one major league contest this season and thus doesn’t have the 86 active roster days needed to qualify.

All told, the 27-year-old Tepesch has completed 116 innings on the year at the highest level of the minors. He owns a 3.96 ERA with 4.8 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9. That’s not a particularly exciting stat line, but Tepesch has at least been healthy and could represent a swingman option for 2017.

The 25-year-old Fuentes will be allowed to find another organization after posting a less-than-inspiring .254/.325/.317 batting line in his 272 trips to the plate this year at Triple-A. He was much better there last year, but he failed to continue the minor power outbreak (nine home runs, .422 slugging percentage) that he showed in 2015.

 

Joel Peralta To Retire

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Veteran righty Joel Peralta is set to retire, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). Peralta visited the Rays clubhouse today to see former teammates in Tampa Bay.

May 30, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Joel Peralta (62) on the mound against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Though he is apparently not planning to make any kind of formal announcement, Peralta says that he is “not going to play anymore.” Peralta has not signed with a team since he was cut loose by the Cubs over the summer, and suggested to Topkin that knee problems played a factor in the decision.

Despite a short and unsuccessful final stop, Peralta was pitching at 40 years of age. All told, he has enjoyed a rather remarkable and quite valuable career in the majors. A native of the Dominican Republic, Peralta did not even record a pitch with an affiliated organization until he was 24 years old.

Despite first cracking the big leagues at 29, he managed to appear in a dozen seasons. While not all of those campaigns were productive, Peralta was able to rack up 648 innings of 4.03 ERA pitching.

After generally underwhelming results to start his career, Peralta broke out in 2010 with the Nationals, when he began relying heavily on his splitter — the pitch that he credits for his success. That kicked off a four-year run in which Peralta compiled a 3.07 ERA over 255 frames, with 9.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9

Peralta’s K/BB ratio remained strong over his final three seasons, which included a final run with the Rays, a 2015 appearance for the Dodgers, and stops with the Mariners and Cubs this year. But he became increasingly susceptible to the long ball, and wasn’t able to hold opposing batters to less than four earned runs per nine innings during that span.

Ultimately, Peralta will probably be best remembered for his craftiness and resiliency. It “was never easy,” he tells Topkin. “I had to fight every year.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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