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East Notes: Gamboa, Red Sox, Howard

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Rays righty Eddie Gamboa made his big-league debut Friday at the age of 31, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times notes. Gamboa spent his entire career in the Orioles organization before signing a minor league deal with the Rays last offseason. He had a strong season for Triple-A Durham (2.68 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 94 innings), finally earning his shot in the Majors as the oldest Rays player to debut in the bigs since “The Rookie” Jim Morris in 1999. Gamboa throws about 80% knuckleballs, so he joins R.A. Dickey and Steven Wright as one of the very few knuckleballers currently in the big leagues. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • Yoan Moncada’s debut is exciting news, but the Red Sox need relief pitching, not more offense, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. The Sox have already added Brad Ziegler and Fernando Abad this season, although Abad has struggled. Koji Uehara is close to returning from a right pectoral injury, and could potentially provide the bullpen with a boost. Red Sox relievers have posted a 4.68 ERA with 9.7 K/9 but also with 4.3 BB/9 over the past 30 days.
  • Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard met with manager Pete Mackanin earlier this week to discuss Howard’s playing time, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes. Mackanin has said he wants to get Tommy Joseph more looks at first base as the season comes to a close. “I’ve got one more month here and I just want to play and finish out playing,” Howard told Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this week. “So, it’s like I’m just trying to do my time, finish out this last month, and try to keep playing somewhere else.” The Phillies will pay Howard a $10MM buyout rather than exercising his 2017 option. He’s batted .199 this season, although he’s hit 20 home runs in just 305 plate appearances.

Giants Promote Joe Nathan

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The Giants have selected the contract of righty Joe Nathan, as the Mercury News’ Andrew Baggarly and others have tweeted. To clear roster space for Nathan, they’ve recalled righty Ray Black and placed him on the 60-day DL.

The Giants signed the 41-year-old Nathan to a minor league deal last month. He has pitched sparingly since 2014, making his way through three organizations while battling his way back from Tommy John surgery. He did pitch three outings with the Cubs earlier this season, and the results were modestly promising — he struck out four batters and walked two in two innings.

Nathan’s first appearance with the Giants will represent a homecoming — he played his first four big-league seasons with San Francisco, making his big-league debut all the way back in 1999. It was the Twins, though, who enjoyed much of Nathan’s big-league success, as the Giants traded him with Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser in late 2003 in a famously lopsided deal for A.J. Pierzynski. In Minnesota, Nathan became one of the game’s top closers, racking up 260 saves between 2004 and 2011 before heading to the Rangers and then the Tigers. For his career, Nathan has a 2.88 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 919 innings.

Braves Outright Kyle Kubitza, Wilfredo Boscan, Madison Younginer

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The Braves have outrighted infielder Kyle Kubitza and righties Wilfredo Boscan and Madison Younginer, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. The moves clear three spots on the Braves’ 40-man roster.

Atlanta claimed Kubitza from the Rangers last month, and he’s played just 17 games in the Braves’ system since then. The 26-year-old, originally a Braves draftee, has played for three organizations since 2011, posting a career .262/366/.420 minor league line. He’s had a disappointing 2016 season at the Triple-A level, with a .215/.319/.341 line over 455 plate appearances while playing primarily third base, first base and outfield.

Like Kubitza, Boscan is a recent waiver claim — the Braves snagged him from the Pirates in August. The 26-year-old made his big-league debut with the Bucs in 2016 but spent most of the season starting at the Triple-A level, with a 4.16 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 93 innings.

The 25-year-old Younginer spent six years in the Red Sox system before joining the Braves via a minor league deal last offseason. He pitched well in the bullpen at Double-A Mississippi and threw in the mid-90s in his big-league debut this season, but posted poor results in both in the Majors and at Triple-A.

Follow @pfrumors For The Latest NFL News This Weekend

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This weekend is absolute madness in the NFL world.  By 3pm CT today, all 32 teams will have cut their rosters down from 75 to 53, meaning that more than 700 transactions will take place.  Luckily, you can keep up with every cut and every trade by following @pfrumors on Twitter and staying tuned to ProFootballRumors.com. Colin Kaepernick (vertical)

The day is already off to a huge start with the Vikings’ acquisition of Sam Bradford from the Eagles. On Friday, the Titans’ new regime cleaned house, getting rid of notables like wide receiver Justin Hunter, versatile athlete Dexter McCluster, and running backs David Cobb and Bishop Sankey.  In San Francisco, Colin Kaepernick is making headlines for unexpected reasons, but it sounds like the Niners are leaning towards keeping him on the roster.  In non-deadline news, Patriots defensive lineman Rob Ninkovich was slapped with a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on banned substances.

There will be a dizzying amount of news today concerning your favorite team.  In fact, we often see big names get cut on deadline day, and some moves can even impact your fantasy team.  Don’t miss on a single piece of news – follow @pfrumors on Twitter today!

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

5 Key Stories: 8/27/16 – 9/2/16

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Here were the five most crucial stories from MLBTR this week.

Yoan MoncadaRed Sox promote Yoan Moncada. At long last, the Red Sox promoted Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada to the big leagues this week, and he made his Major League debut Friday. The 21-year-old was batting .277/.379/.531 for Double-A Portland. (Moncada, by the way, wasn’t the only top prospect to receive good news this week — the Dodgers were also set to promote righty Jose De Leon.)

Drama surrounding Yasiel Puig. The Dodgers outfielder, who’d already been demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, was placed on revocable waivers early in the week. The Brewers subsequently claimed him, then discussed a would-be blockbuster with the Dodgers that would have involved Ryan Braun. The Dodgers then revoked Puig’s waiver placement and promoted him back to the big leagues, so trade talks would appear to be on hold until after the season.

Trades, trades everywhere. Teams took advantage of their last opportunity to make waiver trades for players they can add to their postseason rosters, coming up with several deals before Wednesday’s deadline. The Mets acquired righty Fernando Salas from the Angels, the Orioles picked up outfielder Michael Bourn from the Diamondbacks, and the Indians got outfielder Coco Crisp from the Athletics.

Reds sign Vladimir Gutierrez. The Reds made a big splash on the international market, signing Cuban righty Vladimir Gutierrez for $4.75MM. The deal will count against the Reds’ international bonus pool, but they’d already exceeded it by signing Alfredo Rodriguez for $7MM. Gutierrez ranked among the top international prospects available during this signing period.

Neil Walker to have season-ending back surgery. The Mets’ playoff hopes — and, perhaps, Neil Walker’s offseason ambitions — were dealt a blow this week with the news that Walker would undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk. Walker batted .282/.347/.476 with 23 home runs in his last season before free agency eligibility.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Doolittle, Jay, Myers, Miller

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The Athletics announced the activation of lefty Sean Doolittle, who had been sidelined with a shoulder strain. As MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports, the late-inning southpaw says that his rehab took longer than expected and that he only recently was able to recapture the mechanics and velocity he is accustomed to. Doolittle now hopes the shoulder woes are in the rearview mirror, but his ability to stay healthy over the long haul will remain an important question for Oakland.

Here are a few more notes from out west …

  • Padres outfielder Jon Jay is set to begin a rehab assignment tomorrow, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports on Twitter. The veteran wasn’t able to return in time to become a trade piece, and the Pads are well out of contention, but he has plenty to play for. The outcome of his upcoming free agency could depend quite a bit on whether he can return to being the solid regular he was before fracturing his forearm on a hit-by-pitch. (In case you missed it, San Diego reportedly has interest in exploring a reunion.)
  • Linlooks at the second-half struggles of Padres first baseman Wil Myers. After a big start to the year, Myers has been slumping for about six weeks even though he remains healthy. The 25-year-old hinted that he is battling through the mental and physical grind of a long season, but says he expects to learn and improve from his lull at the plate. It will be interesting to see whether and how Myers’s fall-off will impact the chatter about an extension we heard earlier in the summer.
  • Shelby Miller showed promise in his return to the Diamondbacks, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. While he started rough, Miller was able to buckle down and deliver six solid frames. The embattled righty says he ironed out his mechanics in the minors, and that seems to have shown through in his good Triple-A results. He still has a ways to go in re-establishing his trajectory, but Miller worked in the mid-nineties with his fastball and filled up the zone in his first outing back in the majors.

AL East Notes: Sox Pen, Wright, Hicks, Holder, Liriano

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The Red Sox were thwarted in their efforts to bolster the bullpen during August, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said today, as Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports. That’s largely what the organization expected, he said, with blocking maneuvers becoming common in the revocable waiver trade period. “The one thing that comes to light on this is that we said after July 31, there’s been nobody that’s been making it through waivers,” Dombrowski explained. “So as we said at the time, you’re going to have to make your moves, try to help you, before the trading deadline. And that was really the case.”

More from the A.L. East:

  • Red Sox knuckler Steven Wright may miss his next start as he continues to deal with shoulder discomfort, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald tweets. A breakout ace in the first half, the righty has scuffled to a 5.06 ERA over his last seven starts. While a shift in fortune and some inevitable regression may be largely to blame, the balky shoulder appears to be an added concern moving forward.
  • The Yankees are likely to be without outfielder Aaron Hicks for all or most of the rest of the season after he was diagnosed with a grade 2 hamstring strain, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets. It’s still possible he’ll make it back in 2016, but Hicks won’t have much time to turn the tables on what has been a disappointing debut campaign in New York. He owns a .213/.273/.330 slash over 320 plate appearances, which won’t help his pending first trip through arbitration.
  • Meanwhile, the Yankees have promoted an interesting arm in Jonathan Holder, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. GM Brian Cashman didn’t intend to add a player to the 40-man unless it was strictly necessary, because of potential complications for the team’s winter roster maneuvering, but says he changed his mind. Though Holder didn’t need to be added to the big league roster to be protected from the Rule 5 draft, Cashman says that the chance at a postseason berth was too important to hold down the righty. Moreover, said Cashman, “if he is what he has been this year, then he is going to be in our pen next year anyway.” Indeed, after blowing away opposing hitters in Double-A, Holder has been even more impressive in his 20 1/3 frames at the highest level of the minors — surrendering just two earned runs on seven hits while racking up 35 strikeouts without issuing a single free pass. His first MLB frame was a good one, too, as he set down the side in order.
  • Since they don’t need him right now in the rotation, the Blue Jays intend to utilize Francisco Liriano out of the pen for the time being, skipper John Gibbons told reporters including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Things didn’t go well at all in his first relief outing tonight, as Liriano coughed up two earned runs on two hits without recording an out. The southpaw had been somewhat better over his four starts for Toronto, throwing 22 2/3 innings of 3.97 ERA ball with 9.1 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9.

Recent September Extensions

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September isn’t a terribly active month on the trade front as players acquired after August 31 are not eligible to join an acquiring club’s postseason roster. However, in recent years, we have seen some notable extensions hammered out in the final full month of the regular season. While most such agreements represent short-term arrangements with veterans, every now and again there’s a more significant pact to be found. Could we see one go down in the next week and change? Here’s a look back at some notable September extensions over the past five seasons…

2015

  • None … but honorable mention to the Marlins’ early October agreement with Ichiro Suzuki on a one-year, $2MM extension with a club option. — The Fish pushed a 41-year-old Ichiro harder than had been expected in 2015, and he responded with a less-than-useful campaign. But he was still valued as a bench presence, and it didn’t hurt that 2016 promised a run at 3,000 hits. Ichiro not only passed that milestone, but has gone on to thrive in a more limited role this year, providing solid baserunning and glovework as well as a sturdy .292/.362/.363 batting line in 301 plate appearances to date.

2014

  • Rockies sign Jorge De La Rosa to a two-year, $25MM extension. — De La Rosa saw a strong uptick in his fastball velocity in 2014, his second full season back from Tommy John surgery.  With an average of 92.3 mph on his heater versus 91.1 mph in 2013, De La Rosa pitched to a 4.26 ERA with 6.7 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 51.9 percent ground-ball rate in 160 2/3 innings of work at the time of the signing.  This season, the hurler has pitched to a similar 4.17 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.

2013

  • Padres sign Will Venable to a two-year, $8.5MM extension. — Venable had a breakout season in terms of his power production in 2013, so the Padres moved to lock in his remaining arbitration salaries, as further 20-homer/20-steal seasons would cause the price to soar. Unfortunately for the team, Venable’s decision to opt for security looks wise, in hindsight, as he batted just .224/.288/.325  in the first year of the deal and .248/.325/.356 in 2015.  This season Venable was moved to Texas in an August waiver trade as the Rangers looked to add outfield depth.
  • Marlins sign Greg Dobbs to a one-year, $1.75MM extension. — This extension drew plenty of public scrutiny, as Dobbs’ on-field performance in 2013 (.228/.303/.300) didn’t warrant the deal. It was eventually reported that owner Jeffrey Loria negotiated the deal without consulting former president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest. The Dobbs extension would be one of many stories that were referenced when describing the rift between Loria and Beinfest at the time of Beinfest’s dismissal.
  • Giants sign Hunter Pence to a five-year, $90MM extension. — The most notable of any extension in this post, Pence was positioned to be one of the top free agents in the 2013-14 class, but he took what looked to be market value at the time to remain in San Francisco. As it turns out, the market for outfield bats was more aggressive than many had thought, with Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo landing seven-year deals worth $153MM and $131MM, respectively. Last season, Pence hit .277/.332/.445 with 20 homers.  This season, Pence has put up a similar .275/.327/.478 line, though he has seen only 52 games on the year due to injury.

2012

  • Padres sign Chris Denorfia to a two-year, $4.25MM extension. — Denorfia’s strong season led former GM Josh Byrnes to lock in his final arb years with this modest extension, and Denorfia made the deal look like a good one in 2013 by hitting a solid .279/.337/.395 with a career-high 10 homers and excellent numbers against lefties. His production fell off in the contract’s second year, but the Padres’ triumvirate of interim GMs were still able to flip him to Seattle for outfielder Abraham Almonte and minor league righty Stephen Kohlscheen.
  • Rangers sign Colby Lewis to a one-year, $2MM extension. — Lewis went down for the season in mid-July back in 2012, but he’d been enjoying a strong season and was expected to return for the 2013 campaign, making a $2MM salary a potential bargain for Texas. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Lewis had multiple setbacks and wasn’t able to take the hill the following season, but it’s not hard to see why they were interested in the low-risk deal; Lewis had turned in a 3.93 ERA over his previous 506 1/3 innings with the Rangers.

2011

  • Cardinals sign Chris Carpenter to a two-year, $21MM extension. — Carpenter led the league in innings pitched in 2011 and had been generally excellent over the previous three seasons, prompting quite a bit of praise for this deal. He, in fact, restructured his contract and took what most expected to be less money in the long run, giving up a $15MM club option in favor of this two-year deal. Of course, Carpenter would sadly throw just 17 more innings in his career before injuries forced him to retire. While it looked good at the time, this deal didn’t pan out.
  • Mets sign Tim Byrdak to a one-year, $1MM extension. — While the extension wasn’t particularly memorable and didn’t have a large impact on the 2012 Mets, Byrdak fired 30 2/3 innings of 4.40 ERA ball and was a strong weapon against lefties, making him worth his modest salary.
  • Cardinals sign Lance Berkman to a one-year, $12MM extension. — After a huge rebound campaign in 2011, Big Puma was rewarded with this contract, but he totaled just 97 plate appearances the following season due to knee injuries. He wasn’t able to recover with the Rangers in 2013 and retired following that season, putting an end to an excellent career.
  • Marlins sign Omar Infante to a two-year, $8MM extension. — This contract paid dividends in the sense that Infante was largely excellent for the Marlins over the next half-season before being dealt to the Tigers along with Anibal Sanchez. That trade netted former top prospect Jacob Turner, catcher Rob Brantly and lefty Brian Flynn — a respectable haul at the time but one that now looks lackluster. Miami dealt Turner to the Cubs for a pair of low-level relievers last season, and Brantly was passed over in favor of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
  • White Sox sign Sergio Santos to a three-year, $8.25MM extension. — Signed at the end of a breakout season as the White Sox closer, Santos found himself traded to the Blue Jays for pitching prospect Nestor Molina that offseason. Molina didn’t do much and was outrighted by the ChiSox in 2014, but they probably feel fortunate not to have had to pay Santos the money he was guaranteed, as shoulder injuries led to a 5.23 ERA and just 51 innings pitched over the life of his three guaranteed years with Toronto.

A previous installment of this post written by Steve Adams and Zach Links ran in September 2015.

Brewers Won Claim For Yasiel Puig; Trade Talks Involved Ryan Braun

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The Brewers were the team that won the claim for Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Milwaukee engaged in serious conversations about acquiring the 25-year-old before the waiver placement was revoked by Los Angeles.

Intriguingly, the trade dialogue between the two organizations included star Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun. It seems reasonably likely that there were quite a few other moving parts involved, but those two players undoubtedly make for fascinating centerpieces on either side.

It is not yet clear whether the clubs intend to revisit the matter in the offseason, though it certainly seems plausible. Los Angeles was not interested in parting with Puig unless it obtained a “better player” in the swap, per Rosenthal. If that remains true this winter, then Braun — who is older and more expensive — would certainly fit the mold of the type of asset that could be pursued.

Puig remains controllable for three more seasons, his age-26 through age-28 campaigns. Two of those are guaranteed at $14MM total, and Puig can still opt into arbitration, but the total commitment falls shy of his talent level. The question, of course, is whether his poor recent play and somewhat spotty track record at maintaining focus can be reversed.

There’s really no question as to the current performance level of Braun, who is carrying a .312/.374/.544 batting line with 24 home runs and 14 steals over 468 plate appearances this year. But he will turn 33 in November and has battled through a laundry list of injury issues.

Braun does have a rather robust no-trade clause, but the Dodgers are not on this year’s iteration, meaning he can be traded there without his consent — at least until he has his next opportunity to modify the list. Even assuming his PED past is mostly a non-issue at this point, Braun’s large contract is also a factor in limiting his marketability. He is owed $76MM over the next four years, including the buyout on a $15MM option for 2021.

Dodgers To Promote Jose De Leon

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The Dodgers are set to promote highly-rated pitching prospect Jose De Leon, according to reports from MLB.com’s Bill Shaikin (via Twitter) as well as Robert Murray and Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links). He is expected to take the ball on Sunday.

Feb 27, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jose De Leon poses for a portrait during photo day at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The 24-year-old came into the year with top-fifty overall prospect billing. Though he was handled cautiously early due to some health concerns, De Leon has done nothing but boost his stock since resuming action.

Over his 86 1/3 Triple-A frames thus far, the youngster has compiled a 2.61 ERA with 11.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 while allowing only 61 base hits. The dominant showing represents the culmination of a remarkable developmental path.

A 24th-round draft pick out of Southern University and A&M College, De Leon did not start his professional career with any fanfare. And he didn’t really make it onto the prospect map until 2014. As Baseball America explained last winter, the righty has enhanced his athleticism, improved his mechanics, and honed his pitches significantly since the Dodgers added him to their system.

The BA scouting report notes that De Leon is able to spot his low-to-mid-nineties heater. He pairs that with a quality change and useful curve. MLB.com, which currently ranks De Leon the sixth-best right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, also crediting him with having worked hard to improve over the years.

Now, the Dodgers will test De Leon at the highest level of the game, beginning with an outing against the Padres. He’ll join fellow prized young talent Jose Urias on the MLB staff, and could end up playing an important role as the club seeks to hold off the Giants in the NL West.

While the delayed start to the year may not have been optimal in all regards, it does seem to mean that De Leon won’t have many restrictions down the stretch. He reached 114 1/3 innings last year, so he ought to be able to take the ball every fifth day and/or work into the postseason without any concern that he is being over-extended.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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