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Pirates Shut Down Gerrit Cole For Remainder Of Year

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The Pirates have shut down star right-hander Gerrit Cole for the rest of the season, as Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review first suggested on Twitter. It does not seem as if there is any concern about a significant injury, with the team likely deciding that it isn’t worth continuing to press a critical piece of the team’s future rotation.

Cole is continuing to deal with discomfort and inflammation in his right elbow, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. Specifically, per a club announcement, “posterior inflammation” is the reason that Cole will end his year on the 60-day DL.

Things didn’t go well for Cole in his recent outing, as he tried to return from brief rest. While the big righty was working in the mid-to-upper nineties, he surrendered five earned runs on four hits and four walks in just two innings of work.

Puig-Braun Blockbuster Nearly Occurred, Likely To Be Revisited

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We heard recently that the Dodgers and Brewers had worked on an August trade that would have sent Yasiel Puig to Milwaukee in exchange for fellow outfielder Ryan Braun. New reports provide interesting new details on the swap, which nearly took place and could well be a viable scenario for the coming winter.

One iteration of the talks would have packaged Puig with righty Brandon McCarthy and a pair of prospects, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy recently reported. Indeed, negotiations went right down to the wire before the August 31st deadline, with Braun camping out in the Miller Park clubhouse to await word. The sides “simply ran out of time,” per McCalvy, who adds that both the Giants and Braves have stated interest in the veteran slugger.

Whether or not other trade partners will be reconsidered remains to be seen, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today says that an offseason deal to send Braun to the Dodgers is actually “likely.” According to the report, Braun was advised by the Brewers to stick around and wait until the deadline because a deal seemed so promising at that juncture. Ultimately, the final prospect piece couldn’t be agreed upon.

Braun declined to address the matter, but did note that he grew up a Dodgers fan and spends his winters in the Los Angeles area. “When those conversations started, I think it was an interesting position for me to be in,” he said. Braun’s contract requires him to list up to six teams to which he can freely be traded, and the Dodgers were one club that had a green light this year. If he wanted to gain leverage, he could in theory switch the Dodgers out of that position when his next opportunity to re-name the teams arises, though it seems that Braun has compiled his list based primarily on geographic preference.

The above-noted trade parameters are obviously quite interesting, even before learning what type of prospects would’ve been included. McCarthy’s inclusion would help offset the $76MM in salary obligations owed to Braun after this year, as the veteran hurler will be paid $20MM over the next two seasons and has only just returned from Tommy John surgery. But he also might have filled some innings for Milwaukee while representing an interesting potential bounceback trade piece — especially if his 2019 conditional club option is available. (It has not been reported what type of injury would allow that option to be triggered, but it functions as a variation of the Lackey clause.)

Pirates Acquire Wade LeBlanc

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The Pirates have acquired southpaw Wade LeBlanc from the Mariners, the teams announced. Seattle will receive a player to be named later or cash considerations in the deal.

LeBlanc, 32, was outrighted after his fifty-inning big league run for the M’s this year. He worked to a 4.50 ERA in that span, with a useful 7.4 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9.

MLBTR Mailbag: Richard, Mets, Giants, Nova

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As more and more teams fall out of contention, the subject matter of the questions in our inbox (mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com) increasingly turns toward the offseason — specifically free agency. That was eminently true this week, thus prompting the free-agency-themed edition of the Mailbag that follows…

(As a quick aside, remember that if we didn’t get to your question, you’re encouraged to join one of three weekly chats — Tuesdays at 2pm CST with myself, Wednesdays at 6:30pm CST with Jason Martinez and Thursdays at 2pm CST with Jeff Todd — to ask questions in a lengthier forum.)

Is Clayton Richard this year’s Rich Hill, and how much do you think it would cost the Padres to bring him back? — Adam

Richard may be the most comparable case to that of Hill’s 2015 September renaissance, but Richard hasn’t been as dominant as Hill was in Boston. While Richard’s 1.15 ERA is eye-catching, he’s averaged 7.5 strikeouts and 3.5 walks per nine innings with San Diego, whereas Hill averaged 11.2 K/9 and just 1.2 BB/9 in last year’s run. The nature of Hill’s dominance made it more believable that he could repeat his performance and led to widespread interest on the free agent market. He was dominating hitters, whereas Richard has relied more heavily upon getting favorable results on balls in play. The latter isn’t as sustainable as the former.

All of that said, Richard has been impressive in his return to San Diego. His 67.7 percent ground-ball rate, in particular, will pique the interest of pitching-hungry clubs, and his age gives him a significant one-up on Hill when juxtaposing Richard’s 2016 with Hill’s 2015 campaign. Hill broke out while on the brink of his age-36 season, whereas Richard turned 33 yesterday. (Happy birthday, Clayton!) Given the dearth of starting options, I think it’s possible that a team is willing to sign Richard for something in the vicinity of the Hill contract (one year, $6MM). That certainly has to be the benchmark that Richard and his reps at ISE baseball are aiming to match (and, more likely, to surpass). For what it’s worth, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes took the under on $6MM for Richard when we chatted about it earlier today.

As a Mets fan, I’d like to know if you think the Mets will re-sign the trio of Neil Walker, Yoenis Cespedes and James Loney. I think Loney is a better option at first base than keeping Duda. — Lou

I strongly disagree that Loney is a better option at first base than Duda. Loney has been one of the least productive first basemen in the Majors since taking over for Duda, having turned in the fifth-lowest slugging percentage (.381) and seventh-worst OBP (.304) among the 37 first basemen with at least 300 plate appearances this season. He’s been about 15 percent worse than a league-average hitter, per metrics like OPS+ and wRC+, whereas Duda was 35 percent better than the league-average bat from 2014-15. There’s no comparison between a healthy Duda and Loney, and even half a season of Duda figures to yield more productivity than Loney. The Mets could re-sign Loney to a minor league deal as a safety net due to uncertainty surrounding Duda’s back, but I wouldn’t offer any more than that. And as far as tendering Duda a contract, giving him a bump to $7-8MM in arbitration is still a reasonable risk to take given his 2014-15 numbers.

Between Walker and Cespedes, they’re more likely to be able to work something out with Walker’s camp. Cespedes is the premier free agent on this winter’s open market, and I don’t envision him having the difficulty he had on last winter’s market. He won’t have Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon to compete with this season and is clearly a cut above the next-best corner options, which include Michael Saunders, a much older Jose Bautista, a struggling Josh Reddick and possibly Mark Trumbo (though Trumbo is clearly better suited for first base than the outfield). Cespedes has an easy case for $125MM+ this winter and could end up in the $140-150MM range depending on whether he pursues another opt-out provision. That’s probably too steep for the Mets, given their recent free-agent pursuits.

Walker, meanwhile, looked ticketed to top Chase Headley’s four-year, $52MM deal before news of his back surgery broke. If four years are still on the table, I’d peg him to come in below Headley in light of that surgical procedure, and he might even be looking at three guaranteed years now as a result of the injury. There’s risk due to his back, but that’s a palatable price point considering Walker’s capabilities.

What are the best options for the Giants in free agency? Seeking a big time relief option or a power bat in the outfield? — D. Randa

I’d imagine that the Giants will be in on big-name relief upgrades, including Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon, though the asking price on each of those names is going to be sizable (especially the first two). While I see the merit of targeting a left fielder, third base looks like a larger priority for San Francisco. Eduardo Nunez can serve the Giants well as a utility player, but his disappointing performance in San Francisco has left his 2016 numbers looking virtually identical to his 2015 production. I wouldn’t bet on him outperforming those levels in 2017 when he hasn’t demonstrated a prolonged capability to do so at the age of 29.

Justin Turner would be a significant boost to the Giants, and Martin Prado would make a nice fit as well. While Prado offers the same high-contact/low-power profile as Nunez, he has a history of striking out even less, walking more and playing better defense than Nunez. Turner will be 32 next season and Prado will be 33, so there are some age-related concerns, admittedly.

If a left fielder is determined to be the priority, the Giants have both the funds and the need to make an earnest pursuit of Cespedes as well, though they’ll obviously face ample competition on that front. And, there will be more corner outfield options on the trade market than there will be legitimate third base upgrades.

Is Nova about to get “Happed?”  Could he get something like 3/24 this winter given the weak market, or will his career-long inconsistencies limit his earning potential? — Michael G.

Three years and $24MM feels light at this point. That’s just tacking one additional year onto what Mike Pelfrey got coming off a disastrous three-year run with the Twins. Phil Hughes got that exact contract with Minnesota three offseasons ago coming off a clunker of a season in his own right. Neither of those pitchers were a part of a market as thin as the 2016-17 market, either.

Nova will pitch next season at age 30, so he has relative youth on his side, and he’s been outstanding ever since the move to Pittsburgh. Some teams will probably view his breakout as a bit more questionable than the J.A. Happ breakout referenced in the your question because it’s due largely to Madduxian control — Nova has walked just two of the 177 batters he’s faced as a Pirate — as opposed to Happ’s sudden uptick in strikeouts. But, the comparison is apt, as MLBTR’s Charlie Wilmoth recently examined at length, and I still believe that he can top $30MM on a three-year pact. Furthermore, I’m not fully closing myself off to the possibility of a fourth season. He’s more than three years younger than Happ was when he hit free agency, after all. Reaching four years would mean a concession in terms of average annual value, but the possibility isn’t outlandish.

NL East Notes: Backman, Phillies, Pierzynski, Folty

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Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters yesterday that Triple-A manager Wally Backman resigned from his post to pursue Major League coaching opportunities, but Newsday’s Marc Carig cites anonymous sources in reporting that Backman was actually fired from his position. Carig writes that there was a “pattern of defiance by Backman,” who made many player development choices that Alderson and the front office didn’t support. Namely, Backman continually sat Michael Conforto against left-handed pitching and didn’t bat Gavin Cecchini or Kevin Plawecki high enough in his batting order to afford them as many opportunities for at-bats as the Mets would’ve liked.

Here’s more from the National League East…

  • Phillies manager Pete Mackanin is strongly in favor of his front office pursuing a pair of impact bats for the middle of the order and re-signing Jeremy Hellickson this winter, he tells Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com. While the notion that a Major League manager hopes to have an improved Major League roster in the upcoming season isn’t exactly a stunning development, Mackanin did seem to imply that there’s a preference on his part to focus on the lineup more than the pitching staff. Mackanin praised Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, Zach Eflin and Jake Thompson by name, and the Phillies of course also have an exciting young righty in the form of Vince Velasquez as well. Hellickson, in theory, could displace Eflin or Thompson — the two least-experienced arms of the bunch — if he were to be re-signed. As for the lineup, Mackanin stated: “No question about it, I’d like to get two professional hitters. As many as I can. I think it takes pressure off the young guys. When you have [Tommy] Joseph, [Cameron] Rupp and even [Maikel] Franco in the middle of your lineup to produce runs, that’s tough to do. Your first year in the big leagues is tough. To be called upon to be the run producer is tough.”
  • While A.J. Pierzynski’s career has been polarizing, to put it mildly, his presence on the Braves drew positive reviews from members of the coaching staff and teammates, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I loved every moment that he was here, and I love A.J.,” said first base coach Eddie Perez. “You probably won’t hear that from many people, but I did. And you know why? Because he goes between the two lines and gives you everything to win games.” Right-hander Matt Wisler acknowledged that Pierzynski was hard on the young pitching staff at times, but feels that it was to their benefit. “I don’t mind it, I think if somebody gets on me like that sometimes I kind of need it,” Wisler explained. “Especially for me, because I kind of over-think, and when he gets on you I kind of forget about it and just go back to making pitches. He helped me in that regard.”
  • Mike Foltynewicz escaped an injury scare relatively unscathed last night, as MLB.com’s Pat James writes. The young Braves righty was struck in the leg by a line drive off the bat of Marcell Ozuna (which Statcast measured at 110 mph), but has only a contusion and some swelling to show following the ill-placed line drive. Foltynewicz walked off the field under his own power but was eventually forced to utilize crutches to move around the clubhouse as the swelling in his leg intensified. He’s day to day for the time being.

Dodgers Outright Casey Fien

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The Dodgers have outrighted reliever Casey Fien to Triple-A Oklahoma City after designating him for assignment over the weekend in order to clear room for the returning Andre Ethier, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group (on Twitter).

The Dodgers claimed Fien and the remainder of his $2.275MM salary from the Twins back in early May and ultimately received 25 1/3 innings of 4.21 ERA ball out of the 32-year-old. Fien never established himself with the Tigers, who originally drafted him in 2006, but he broke out as a solid setup piece for the Twins in 2012. Fien went on to post a 3.54 ERA in 223 2/3 innings for the Twins from 2012-15, but his strikeout rate plummeted in 2015 and he struggled greatly this season before Minnesota designated him. While his ERA improved with the Dodgers, Fien allowed a stunning eight homers in his short time with L.A., plus another five in his 13 1/3 innings with the Twins. All told, he’s served up 13 long balls in just 39 1/3 innings of work this season en route to a collective 5.49 ERA, although his 8.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 are at least somewhat encouraging.

Oklahoma City’s season is still alive in the Pacific Coast League playoffs, so Fien can continue pitching in the Triple-A postseason. However, if he’s not added back to the 40-man roster, he’ll be eligible to elect free agency at season’s end.

Latest On Twins’ Front Office Search

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The Twins have already advanced through a large portion of the process for filling their front office openings, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. Minnesota is looking for a replacement for displaced GM Terry Ryan, whose chair has been occupied on an interim basis by long-time club executive Rob Antony.

In conjunction with an executive search firm, the club has already nearly wrapped up formulating a list of first-round interview candidates, per the report. And the organization has conducted multiple interviews with prospective front office personnel, according to owner Jim Pohlad, which has included sit-downs both in Minnesota and elsewhere.

The goal appears to be to find an analytical-savvy baseball operations leader, Berardino says, though the club also has not dismissed the idea of hiring someone with a scouting background or a track record as a general manager. As we’ve heard previously, the organization is hoping to hire a president of baseball operations who will, in turn, hire a general manager.

Earlier tonight, we learned that the Twins have formally requested permission to interview Cubs exec Jason McLeod. Indeed, the focus on the Chicago organization seems to be multi-faceted. Berardino says that Minnesota hopes to find a “Theo Epstein-type” president and is looking at other members of the staff that helped build what is arguably the league’s best major league roster. We’ve heard previously of interest in assistant GM Shiraz Rehman, and the latest report adds that Cubs pro scouting director Jared Porter is “firmly on the Twins radar” as well.

Injury Notes: deGrom, Holliday, Benintendi, Wright, Pollock, Kazmir

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The Mets are understandably anxious to get righty Jacob deGrom back on the big league hill, and with minor league seasons wrapping up, they may allow him to ramp up fully while pitching from the bullpen, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. DeGrom threw 35 pitches at full tilt today as he recovers from a recent bout of forearm tightness, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports on Twitter, and it seems he could be back in uniform in a few days. It’ll be interesting to see how deGrom is deployed, but regardless, it’s obviously good news for the Mets as they battle for a Wild Card berth.

  • One of New York’s primary competitors, the Cardinals, appear set to welcome back an important piece of their own in outfielder Matt Holliday, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports on Twitter. The veteran reported that his injured thumb felt good after an on-field BP session today. It still seems unlikely that St. Louis will pick up its $17MM club option on Holliday for 2017, though team and player could always work out an alternative arrangement.
  • Likewise, the Red Sox will get back an outfielder for the stretch run. Rookie Andrew Benintendi may be ready to go by the middle of the week after making good progress following a knee injury, manager John Farrell told reporters including Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. The left-handed hitter is likely to return in a time share, despite his immense early production, as the righty-swinging Chris Young is hitting well since he was activated from a DL stint.
  • The news wasn’t as good for Red Sox righty Steven Wright, who is dealing with shoulder issues, ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber reports. The knuckler may be able to begin throwing soon, but Farrell suggested that it will be a “challenge” for him to return to full duty in time to play a role late in the regular season or even the playoffs. Wright, 32, hasn’t maintained his breakout first-half production, managing only a 5.06 ERA in 42 2/3 innings over his most recent seven outings.
  • Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock is expected to return at some point over the next few weeks, Jack Magruder of Fan Rag tweets. After working back from a broken bone in his elbow that took most of his season, Pollock went down recently with a groin strain. But it seems he’ll be able to log a few more plate appearances late in the year, with the training staff saying that he is ahead of schedule in recovering.
  • It’s still unclear what, if anything, the Dodgers can expect from southpaw Scott Kazmir, who has been diagnosed with thoracic spinal inflammation. Manager Dave Roberts says that he hasn’t been updated as to Kazmir’s status, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The entire campaign has been a struggle for the veteran lefty, but he has been hit harder (.277/.333/.493) in seven starts over the second half and it’s not at all apparent whether he’ll be a factor in the postseason. With two years and $32MM left on his contract, Kazmir seems unlikely to trigger his opt-out clause after the season.

Christian Bethancourt, Tyson Ross Unlikely To Return In 2016

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The Padres are unlikely to welcome back either catcher Christian Bethancourt or righty Tyson Ross in the final weeks of the 2016 season, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Bethancourt is sidelined with an intercostal strain that has not improved enough to allow him to return. The expectation, though, is that he’ll participate in winter ball once healthy. The 25-year-old receiver, who’ll end the year with a .228/.265/.368 slash over 204 plate appearances, is part of an uncertain mix of future options behind the dish for San Diego.

Prospect Austin Hedges seems like the future number one, but the Triple-A standout appears to be finishing out his standout year at the highest level of the minors. (It’s worth noting that Hedges already has 154 days of major league service, so an earlier call-up would have meant bumping him past one full season and moved up his free agency.) Meanwhile, veteran Derek Norris has scuffled through a disastrous season with the bat and still looks to be a trade candidate.

As for Ross, who has been throwing in an attempt to work back from a shoulder injury, it seems increasingly unlikely that he’ll make it to his second MLB start on the year. “Before September rolled around, we all felt very strongly that Tyson was going to pitch again for us this year,” said manager Andy Green. “Then it looked like a probability. Now it looks like just a possibility at this point in time.”

Certainly, there’s little reason for San Diego to push Ross too hard. At present, the veteran righty “has not been able to rebound” sufficiently from his sessions, per Green. It has been a lost season for Ross, 29, who is nevertheless likely to earn something close to his $9.625MM salary in his final arb-eligible campaign. The Pads could still look to work out a trade for him if he shows up healthy in the spring, but otherwise will presumably enter the year as a prime mid-season trade candidate — if his shoulder holds up.

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