AL Notes: ChiSox, Rays, Rangers, A’s
Having lost 19 of 29, the struggling White Sox won’t rest on their laurels after acquiring right-hander James Shields on Saturday. General manager Rick Hahn said today that the Shields trade won’t be the team’s last move, noting that the Sox have the money and prospects to make more deals (Twitter link via Bruce Levine of 670 The Score). They could seek a left-handed bat and-or a setup man, according to Levine (Twitter link).
More from around the AL:
- The last-place Rays aren’t ready to sell yet, but they could be “very active” in shopping players prior to the deadline if they don’t begin climbing up the standings, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports. The Rays are deep in both pitching and outfielders, two areas that will be in demand, and infielder Steve Pearce could also draw plenty of interest. After a disappointing showing last season, Pearce has returned to his 2014 form in slashing .302/.389/.527 with eight home runs and nearly as many walks (18) as strikeouts (22) in 149 plate appearances. The 33-year-old, who’s on a palatable $4.75MM salary, is scheduled to become a free agent at season’s end.
- The Rangers are likelier to use their assets to upgrade their pitching – both the rotation and bullpen – than make a deal for Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, says Rosenthal. While no buyer has been connected to Lucroy more than the Rangers in recent months, their backstops have exceeded expectations this season and the injured Robinson Chirinos is nearing a return.
- In other Rangers news, the team will make a concerted effort to get infielder Jurickson Profar more playing time if he continues performing well, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s important he plays,” president and general manager Jon Daniels said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean every day, but we want to keep him in the flow and keep him going.” The former elite prospect has collected 12 hits, including two home runs, in his first 33 plate appearances this year. If Profar continues holding his own, Prince Fielder, Mitch Moreland and Elvis Andrus will all be at risk of losing playing time.
- Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray will start for the club Sunday after he made a quick recovery from the trapezius strain that forced him to the disabled list two weeks ago (via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Gray performed like an ace over his first two-plus seasons in the majors from 2013-15, but he got off to an uncharacteristically awful start this year before landing on the DL. Manager Bob Melvin attributes that, at least in part, to the injury. “A lot of the command issues stemmed from what was going on in his trap,” he said. “He wasn’t able to extend like he wanted to and had a little trouble commanding the baseball. So those issues are resolved.” Gray will now try to improve on the 6.19 ERA and 4.50 BB/9 he posted over his first nine starts (48 innings) of 2016.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/4/16
Here are today’s minor moves from around the game.
- The Dodgers have outrighted James Ramsey to Triple-A Oklahoma after he cleared waivers, per a club announcement. Los Angeles designated the outfielder for assignment a week ago. The 26-year-old has slashed just .222/.285/.429 with five home runs in 138 minor league plate appearances this season.
- Mets right-hander Jeff Walters cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas, the team announced. New York designated Walters for assignment earlier this week to make room for James Loney. Walters, 28, has a 9.27 ERA in 22 1/3 innings with Las Vegas this season.
- Right-hander Nick Tepesch has requested and been granted his release from his minor league contract with the Rangers, according to the team’s executive vice president of communications, John Blake (Twitter link). Tepesch appeared in 42 games — 39 of them starts — for the Rangers from 2013-14, logging a 4.56 ERA with 5.4 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 219 innings. The 27-year-old missed the 2015 season and underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in August.
- The White Sox have signed free agent catcher Janigson Villalobos to a minor league contract, the team announced. Villalobos, 19, is a native of Venezuela.
Earlier updates:
- The Angels have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty Deolis Guerra and placed fellow righty Nick Tropeano on the 15-day DL with right shoulder tightness. Guerra has been a fixture on the transactions lists recently — the Angels designated him for assignment and then outrighted him just this week. He’s allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings in the big leagues this season. As for Tropeano, the Angels scratched him yesterday from his start today. Jhoulys Chacin will start in his place.
- The Dodgers have released lefty reliever Joe Thatcher, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Thatcher had previously exercised an opt-out clause in his minor-league deal, opening a brief window in which the Dodgers could add him to their active roster or let him go, and it appears they’ve chosen the latter option. The 34-year-old pitched reasonably well with the Astros last season and had a 3.60 ERA, 12.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 15 innings with Triple-A Oklahoma City this year.
- The White Sox have announced that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Jason Coats from Triple-A Charlotte. He’ll take the 25-man roster spot of righty Tommy Kahnle, who was optioned last night; Kahnle himself had briefly taken the spot of corner outfielder Melky Cabrera, who was placed on the family emergency leave list yesterday. The 26-year-old Coats looked like a fringe prospect heading into the 2016 season, but he’s had a breakout year at Charlotte, batting .335/.399/.567 with 22 extra-base hits. He’s starting in left field and batting seventh for the Sox today against the Tigers.
- The Pirates announced a variety of moves related to their bullpen — they’ve selected the contract of righty Curtis Partch, recalled lefty Cory Luebke from Triple-A Indianapolis, optioned righties Wilfredo Boscan and Rob Scahill to Indianapolis, and moved righty Ryan Vogelsong (facial fractures) to the 60-day DL. The moves provide the Bucs with fresh relief options after Boscan and Scahill each pitched multiple innings last night. The hard-throwing Partch last pitched in the big leagues in 2014 with the Reds. He’s gotten great results so far this season for Indianapolis, with a 1.30 ERA, 10.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 27 2/3 innings.
- Utilityman Emmanuel Burriss has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, the Phillies have announced. The Phillies designated Burriss for assignment on Wednesday after he struggled in brief duty in the big leagues this season.
Mariners Release Joel Peralta
SATURDAY: Seattle has released Peralta, according to a club announcement.
THURSDAY: The Mariners have designated righty Joel Peralta for assignment, the team announced. Fellow right-hander Cody Martin will take over his spot in the Seattle pen.
Peralta, 40, joined the M’s on a minor league deal over the winter. He is owed $1.25MM, but presumably hasn’t earned much (if any) of the $2.5MM incentive package.
Seattle hasn’t received the reliable production it hoped for out of the veteran. Peralta’s velocity, contact, and zone numbers all look similar to prior seasons. But he’s always allowed a lot of flyballs, and this year more than ever (20.0%) have turned into home runs.
The result is that Peralta owns an ugly 5.40 ERA over 23 1/3 innings, and that mark has been on the rise of late. On the other hand, he’s running out an impressive 10.8 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9, so it won’t be surprising to see him earn another opportunity at some point this season — though that may come with another organization.
Pitcher Notes: Pomeranz, M’s, Giants, Royals, Tigers
The Padres traded James Shields on Saturday, but they aren’t as willing to move their best starter, southpaw Drew Pomeranz, reports Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). The club would need to be “overwhelmed” to deal the 27-year-old, according to Lin. Pomeranz currently ranks eighth among qualified starters in both ERA (2.22) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.66), and he’s playing this season on a meager $1.35MM salary. Thus, it would likely to take a significant haul to land him and his two-plus remaining years of team control.
More on a few other pitchers:
- The Mariners promoted their top pitching prospect, Double-A reliever Edwin Diaz, and optioned fellow reliever Cody Martin to Triple-A Tacoma to make room, per a team announcement. Diaz, 22, has posted a sterling 2.21 ERA, 11.95 K/9 and 1.55 BB/9 in 40 2/3 innings this year. Most of those numbers came as a starter, but the Mariners decided to move Diaz to the bullpen early last month because they feel his ceiling as a reliever is higher. Diaz has a high-90s fastball out of the ‘pen and has dominated in relief this season, writes The Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish. He’ll have a chance to earn a spot with the Mariners in the wake of veteran Joel Peralta‘s designation for assignment earlier this week.
- Before lefty Brian Duensing agreed to a minor league deal with the Orioles last month, the Giants and Royals also pushed for his services, he told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). Duensing became a free agent when he opted out of his contract with Kansas City in mid-May; as evidenced by Kansas City’s desire to re-sign Duensing, the defending World Series champions were obviously sorry to see him go.
- The Tigers’ Shane Greene made three of his four early season appearances as a starter before landing on the disabled list April 24 with a blister on his throwing hand. The right-hander is healthy again, but he will now come out of the bullpen, manager Brad Ausmus said (via Brendan Savage of MLive.com). “He’ll work out of the pen, probably sixth-seventh innings, right around there,” Ausmus stated. “Maybe eighth depending on who needs rest, who’s coming up, etc. He can work a couple innings. Availability will come into play but he can definitely work a couple of innings.” Prior to his injury, Greene put up a 6.28 ERA, 6.91 K/9 and 5.65 BB/9 in 14 1/3 innings. He worked almost exclusively as a starter last season (16 of 18 appearances), though his run prevention was even worse (6.88 ERA).
Brewers Return Rule 5 Pick Colin Walsh To Athletics
The Brewers will return Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh to the Athletics, reports Jane Lee of MLB.com (Twitter link). Walsh, whom the Brewers designated for assignment on Tuesday, will head to Triple-A Nashville.
Prior to his designation, the 26-year-old Walsh picked up just four hits over his first 63 career major league plate appearances. The infielder/outfielder drew an impressive 15 walks, but he also struck out 22 times – good for a bloated 34.9 percent rate. Walsh has been far more successful in the minors, having hit .278/.395/.422 in nearly 2,500 trips to the plate. He was particularly effective last season in a the Double-A level slashing .302/.447/.470 with 13 home runs and 17 steals in 134 games.
Walsh’s 2015 showing helped lead the Brewers to select him in December, but his weak big league output brought their union to an end. The rest of the league had an opportunity to acquire Walsh after Milwaukee designated him, but nobody bit and he’ll now return to the A’s.
Marlins Release Edwin Jackson
SATURDAY: Jackson cleared waivers and has been given his unconditional release, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
TUESDAY: The Marlins have designated righty Edwin Jackson for assignment, the club announced. His roster spot will go to southpaw Mike Dunn, who will be activated from the DL for the first time this season.
Jackson, 32, signed on with Miami on a league-minimum MLB deal over the winter. He had previously been released by the Cubs, who are still paying out the final season of the four-year, $52MM contract he inked with Chicago before the 2013 campaign.
While the 14-year veteran had solid results last year working out of the pen, he’s scuffled to a 5.91 ERA in 10 2/3 innings thus far in 2016. Jackson has managed just seven strikeouts against six walks in his eight appearances on the year.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Dunn will be looking to bounce back from a tough 2015 season and forearm issues earlier this year. He was one of the game’s more effective left-handed relievers over 2013-14, when he compiled a 2.89 earned run average in 124 2/3 innings, with 10.0 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Dunn is in his final season of arbitration eligibility.
James Shields Trade Talks “Heating Up”
TODAY: Shields trade talks are “heating up,” FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes (Twitter links). The White Sox appear to still be involved, as the Padres have been scouting their prospects. One team (perhaps the White Sox, although that isn’t certain) has made a “compelling offer,” and two other teams are contenders to land Shields as well.
MAY 29: The Padres are fielding calls from plenty of teams for Shields and other players, tweets Heyman. Given the many moving parts, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that a Shields trade doesn’t appear imminent.
As between the White Sox and Padres, discussions are “fluid,” reports Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. Whether a deal happens will come down to how much of Shields’ remaining $58MM each team is willing to absorb, per Levine, who adds that Anderson will not be part of this trade (Twitter link).
MAY 28: The White Sox and Padres are discussing a trade involving righty starter James Shields, and those negotiations have “significant momentum,” Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. It’s unclear whether a deal is likely to be completed soon, however. Jon Heyman of MLB Network corroborates Lin’s report that the White Sox and Padres have discussed Shields, but he notes that other teams are also in the mix (Twitter link).
The Padres initially signed Shields prior to the 2015 season as part of their ill-fated bid to build a competitive team. He posted a modestly disappointing 3.91 ERA, 9.6 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 that year. He’s gotten somewhat better results this season, with a 3.06 ERA, although his peripherals (7.8 K/9, 3.2 BB/9) don’t suggest huge improvement.
The broader issue with Shields, perhaps, is his backloaded contract. He’s making $21MM this year and will make $21MM in each of the next two seasons, plus a $2MM buyout or a $16MM option for 2019. (He also can opt out after this season, but it seems unlikely right now that he’ll do so.) Those numbers could make trading for Shields tricky, especially given that he’s already 34, although Lin notes that the Padres would be willing to eat salary. It’s also unclear how Shields’ home-run tendencies might play in U.S. Cellular Field, a relatively homer-happy ballpark.
Nonetheless, Shields has an extremely durable arm and produces relatively consistent results, and he could help most teams, the White Sox included. The Sox have gotten brilliant performances from Chris Sale and Jose Quintana this season, and they’re likely also happy with Carlos Rodon and Mat Latos (although Latos has been shaky recently). Shields could, however, conceivably upgrade the other spot in the White Sox’ rotation, which currently belongs to Miguel Gonzalez.
As for the Padres’ potential return, ESPN’s Keith Law tweets that he recently heard the White Sox would be willing to part with shortstop prospect Tim Anderson in exchange for a mid-rotation starter. (There is, however, no specific indication that Anderson is involved in the Shields talks.) Anderson, the 17th overall pick in the 2013 draft, is batting a solid .314/.342/.408 for Triple-A Charlotte (although with 44 strikeouts against just eight walks) and is generally regarded as one of the White Sox’ best few prospects. He would appear to be a strong return for Shields, although it’s difficult to speculate on how the trade might work without knowing how much of Shields’ contract the Padres end up paying.
Yankees Place Mark Teixeira On 15-Day DL
10:53am: Brian Cashman says Teixeira’s injury is a significant one that could require surgery, Lohud’s Chad Jennings writes. Cashman says that the Yankees will have Teixeira rest the knee and could treat it with injections. If it does not improve, Teixeira could have surgery, which would likely end his season.
Cashman also says the Yankees tried to recruit James Loney, now with the Mets, at the end of Spring Training. “We had a conversation with Loney at the end of spring training, and at that time Loney was unwilling to go to Triple-A,” Cashman says. Loney would have given the Yankees a veteran first base option in the wake of Teixeira’s injury.
9:12am: The Yankees have announced that they’ve placed first baseman Mark Teixeira on the 15-day disabled list with a cartilage tear in his right knee. To take his place on the active roster, they selected the contract of veteran 1B/OF Chris Parmelee. They also transferred Dustin Ackley (shoulder) to the 60-day DL.
As we noted yesterday, Teixeira left yesterday’s game with right knee pain, and he received an MRI. The 36-year-old has struggled thus far this season, posting a .180/.271/.263 line while also dealing with a lingering neck issue. His 2016 has been a far cry from his performance last year, when he batted .255/.357/.548 while hitting a remarkable 31 home runs in 462 plate appearances.
With Teixeira (and Ackley) on the shelf, Parmelee, who was batting .252/.343/.444 with Triple-A Scranton, could take over a fair amount of playing time at first, perhaps along with Rob Refsnyder, although Refsnyder lacks experience at the position. (The team has elected to keep veteran slugger Nick Swisher, another potential first base option, at Triple-A after a slow start there.) Along with Teixeira, the Yankees are also missing Greg Bird, who is out for the season with a torn labrum.
Draft Notes: Puk, Phillies, Top 500, Groome
We’re five days from the start of the 2016 MLB Draft, and ESPN’s Keith Law’s latest mock draft (Insider only) has the Phillies taking Florida lefty A.J. Puk with the first overall pick. He notes, however, that the Phillies still haven’t settled on anyone. The selection of another player (like Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis, Louisville outfielder Corey Ray, or California high school outfielder Mickey Moniak, all of whom Law mentions as possibilities) could cause uncertainty elsewhere in the draft. Here’s more on what to expect this week.
- Phillies GM Matt Klentak himself says the Phillies are debating who to select but have whittled their list of possibilities down to “a small handful,” writes Philly.com’s Matt Breen. In addition to Puk, Lewis and Moniak, Breen also names Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel and California high school outfielder Blake Rutherford as possibilities.
- Baseball America’s list of the top 500 draft prospects currently features Puk at the top, with Lewis, Moniak, Senzel and Ray at Nos. 4 through 7, respectively. Between them are Kansas high school righty Riley Pint and New Jersey high school lefty Jason Groome. In the subscriber-only scouting reports, BA praises Groome’s mid-90s fastball and biting curveball, noting that he’s at least as physically gifted as any other player available this year.
- Many of this week’s high school draftees will face tough decisions about whether to go to college or turn pro, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani explains that he turned down a bonus of about $600K from the Red Sox out of high school so that he could head to the University of Florida. He got a smaller bonus after the Blue Jays selected him three years later. “You go from not making decisions that matter through high school – you decide to do your homework or something, or what you’re going to eat – and then you decide whether to go play professional baseball or go to college,” says DeSclafani. “That can be a life-changing thing.”
Week In Review: 5/28/16 – 6/3/16
Here’s a look back at the past week at MLBTR.
Key Move
- Indians outfielder Marlon Byrd received a 162-game PED suspension.
Trades
- Mets – acquired 1B James Loney from Padres for cash considerations
- Blue Jays – acquired P Jason Grilli from Braves for P Sean Ratcliffe
- Phillies – acquired UT Jimmy Paredes from Blue Jays for cash considerations
- Mariners – acquired IF Patrick Kivlehan from Rangers for a PTBNL or cash considerations
- Braves – acquired P Jed Bradley from Brewers for a PTBNL or cash considerations
Claims
- Brewers – P Neil Ramirez (from Cubs)
Designated For Assignment
- Mariners – P Joel Peralta (link)
- Phillies – OF David Lough (link), UT Emmanuel Burriss (link)
- Tigers – P Jose Valdez (link)
- Dodgers – UT Alex Guerrero (link), OF James Ramsey (link)
- Mets – P Jeff Walters (link)
- Brewers – IF/OF Colin Walsh (link)
- Marlins – P Edwin Jackson (link)
- Cardinals – IF Ruben Tejada (link)
Outrighted
- Angels – P Deolis Guerra (link)
- Braves – IF Reid Brignac (link)
Opted Out
- Padres – P Jeremy Guthrie (link)
- Dodgers – P Joe Thatcher (link)
- Giants – IF Hak-Ju Lee (link)
Key Minor League Signings
- Cardinals – P Jerome Williams (link)
- Braves – P Dale Thayer (link)
- Royals – P Joe Beimel (link), IF Steven Tolleson (link)