Twins “100 Percent Committed” To Terry Ryan
A Twins official says the team is “100 percent committed” to GM Terry Ryan despite the team’s 11-31 start, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. Berardino notes that Ryan and Twins owner Jim Pohlad spoke on the field on Friday, and there did not appear to be strife between them.
“There are concerns in ownership as you would be expecting when you’re (11-31),” says Ryan. “[B]ut as far as the relationship and anything else that comes with our conversations, it’s mostly, ‘All right, how are we going to get this thing right?’ That’s where some of that creativity comes in as far as answers.”
Ryan, for his part, recently offered support for Twins manager Paul Molitor. It sounds, though, like he’s very open to other moves to address the team’s weaknesses.
“It just isn’t going well at all. So I have to be prepared to try to change it up and move some pieces,” he says. “We’re struggling to a point where we haven’t been able to right it. I’m going to have to do some things. We’re going to have to keep messing around with this roster.”
To that end, the Twins have made a variety of roster moves in the past two weeks, adding lefties Pat Dean and Taylor Rogers, righty Brandon Kintzler, and outfielders Robbie Grossman and Darin Mastroianni to the big club. Aside from a 5-3 win against the Blue Jays today, however, the losses continue to mount.
Offensively, the team’s winter signing of Byung Ho Park has been a success, and Joe Mauer and Miguel Sano have contributed. But a number of position players have struggled, including Oswaldo Arcia, Eduardo Escobar, Danny Santana and Eddie Rosario. (Escobar is currently on the disabled list; Rosario was recently sent to the minors.) The team has the second-worst OBP (.299) and worst slugging percentage (.376) in the AL. The team’s pitching staff, meanwhile, has accumulated a miserable 5.01 ERA, with the team suffering through down seasons so far from Phil Hughes and a number of relievers and back-of-the-rotation starters.
Ryan, of course, enjoyed success with the Twins in the early 2000s, as the team won four division titles from 2002 through 2006. He stepped down in 2007, remaining with the organization as an adviser, and returned to the GM job in 2011. The Twins had three straight seasons of 92 losses or more from 2012 through 2014 (although an incoming GM does not deserve full blame for the poor performance of a team built in part by his predecessor). The Twins finished 83-79 last season in their first winning campaign since 2010.
Cubs Designate Neil Ramirez For Assignment
The Cubs have designated reliever Neil Ramirez for assignment, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. The move clears roster space for outfielder Matt Szczur, who was activated today. Jason Heyward‘s MRI on his injured side revealed only a contusion, so he’ll only need to miss three to five days and won’t require a stint on the disabled list.
Ramirez, 26, got off to a rough start this season for the Cubs, surrendering a whopping eight walks in 7 2/3 innings. He allowed a more modest run total (four) while racking up an impressive 10 strikeouts, though, and has overall been an asset for the Cubs dating back to his debut with the team in 2014. Even with this season’s struggles factored in, Ramirez has posted a terrific 2.20 ERA, 10.74 K/9 and 4.27 BB/9 in 65 1/3 frames with Chicago. The team has 12 pitchers without Ramirez, however, and decided it made more sense to risk losing him than reserve catcher Tim Federowicz, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (Twitter link).
NL Injury Notes: Duda, Montas, Smith
First baseman Lucas Duda was scratched from the Mets‘ lineup Saturday and had an MRI on his back, as ESPN’s Mark Simon notes. The nature and severity of Duda’s issue is unclear, although he’s batted just .192/.300/.404 in May. “Having him out of the lineup is a huge loss for us, especially against right-handed pitching, which we’re going to see two games here and two games in D.C. (next week),” says manager Terry Collins. “We have to look at the big picture. We can’t aggravate this thing to where it becomes a major issue. We hope that it won’t.” Here’s more on NL injuries.
- The Dodgers are keeping an eye on Frankie Montas, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes. Montas, who’s recovering after having surgery on his rib in February, pitched two scoreless innings in extended spring training on Thursday and threw 100 MPH with what manager Dave Roberts describes as good command. Montas is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Tulsa this weekend. As Plunkett notes, Montas isn’t eligible to come off the 60-day DL until June 3. Montas, one of the keys to the Dodgers’ end of the Todd Frazier deal last winter, could turn out to be a significant asset for the Dodgers, given his velocity (his average fastball last year in a brief trial with the White Sox was 96.7 MPH) and the instability of the Dodgers’ bullpen beyond Kenley Jansen.
- Brewers manager Craig Counsell says lefty Will Smith is ready to begin a rehab assignment and could return to the team in the first week of June, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (Twitter links). Smith tore his lateral collateral ligament late in Spring Training and opted to rehab it rather than having surgery. He began throwing off a mound last week. A quick return would be a boon for both Smith and the Brewers — he had figured to get at least some opportunities at closer this year, and if he does pile up saves or holds, he’ll likely get a nifty raise on his $1.475MM 2016 salary through the arbitration process next winter. Perhaps we would be getting ahead of ourselves in imagining he might close, however — Jeremy Jeffress has done well in the closer’s role, and there’s no urgent reason for the Brewers to remove him. The team surely would, however, enjoy the return of a reliever in Smith who posted a 2.70 ERA, 12.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in a terrific 2015 season. He and Jeffress could also be good trade chips for the Brewers this summer.
NL Notes: Phillies, De La Rosa, Harvey
The Phillies have been lucky to get solid work from a cheap bullpen this season, Matt Gelb of Philly.com writes. Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon are now gone, but journeyman Jeanmar Gomez has been effective in the closer’s role, and Hector Neris and David Hernandez have also been terrific. The team could also soon receive reinforcements, with Michael Mariot and Mario Hollands perhaps joining the bullpen after returning from injury. Another possibility, Gelb suggests, might be Edubray Ramos, a 23-year-old who now has a 1.54 ERA, 24 strikeouts and just one walk in 23 1/3 innings split between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season. Here’s more from the National League.
- Jorge De La Rosa will return to the Rockies‘ rotation on Tuesday against the Red Sox, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding tweets. Jon Gray will pitch Wednesday and Eddie Butler on Thursday. De La Rosa struggled this season before missing almost a month due to a groin strain, but if he can approach something resembling his 2015 form (when he posted a 4.17 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9), he’ll provide a boost to a Rockies pitching staff that has already recently added help in its bullpen.
- Matt Harvey has struggled to the tune of a 5.77 ERA this season (albeit with a reasonable 8.0 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9). But his agent, Scott Boras, says Harvey’s tough year is the result of the typical ups and downs experienced by pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports. He compares Harvey (who had TJ surgery in 2013) to Stephen Strasburg, who underwent the procedure in 2010 and has had bumps in the road (including some struggles at the beginning of last season) since then but recently signed a $175MM extension. “This Tommy John dynamic carries with it unknowns,” says Boras. “It’s amazing that Harv and Stras pitched against one another (Thursday night). You go back a year ago and who’s who? I’m sitting on the phone (then) talking about Strasburg’s career and no one is saying anything to me about Matt Harvey’s brilliance and dominance. Now the roles are reversed.” Boras suggests that former Tommy John patients experience trouble locating pitches.
Quick Hits: Strike Zone, Reds, Twins
MLB’s competition committee has agreed to changes in the strike zone and the intentional walk that could go into effect next season, reports ESPN’s Jayson Stark. The changes would raise the strike zone slightly, from the bottom of the hitter’s knees to the top, thus creating a smaller zone for hitters and likely increasing offense. Also as a result of the proposed changes, a team could immediately issue an intentional walk without throwing the requisite four pitches. The changes must next be approved by MLB’s playing rules committee, which is led by Mets GM Sandy Alderson. Here are more quick notes from around the game.
- GM Dick Williams says the Reds will be creative in addressing their beleaguered pitching staff, but they have limited resources with which to pursue solutions, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. The team now has six starting pitchers (Homer Bailey, Raisel Iglesias, Anthony DeSclafani, Michael Lorenzen, Jon Moscot and Tim Adleman) on the disabled list. “We will get creative. We always do. We find a way,” says Williams. “But this is putting an incredible strain on our resources.” They don’t seem likely to turn to top prospects like Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed, and Williams says there’s no “rainy day fund” with which to pursue outside replacements.
- Twins GM Terry Ryan still supports manager Paul Molitor despite the team’s 10-31 start, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. “I’m in this with (Molitor); we’re joined at the hip,” says Ryan. “No one’s pointing fingers around here. I’ve got to do a better job. The club has to do a better job. It starts with my chair. I’m aware of that. I take that as serious as anything because I’m the one that makes the decisions.” Molitor, of course, took the Twins managerial job last year and led the club to its first winning season since 2010. But this season, in which he’s presided over a club that’s last in the AL in both runs scored and runs allowed, has been a trying one.
NL Notes: Heyward, Upton, Rockies
Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward will undergo an MRI this morning after leaving yesterday’s game following a diving catch, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune notes. Heyward says his “lower rib bone and hip bone hit each other.” He adds that he isn’t experiencing any sharp pain and is relieved that there aren’t any broken bones, but it sounds like he could still wind up on the disabled list. If Heyward were to head to the DL, the Cubs could activate Matt Szczur, who’s currently on the DL with a hamstring injury. Here’s more from the National League.
- Padres outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. appears to be getting his career back on track in San Diego, writes FOX Sports’ Flinder Boyd in a lengthy profile that chronicles the twists and turns Upton’s career has taken. After miserable seasons with the Braves in 2013 and 2014, Upton has quietly had modest success with the Padres, batting .257/.327/.429 last season and .266/.346/.441 this year. “I stopped trying to live up to other peoples’ expectations,” says Upton. “I’m just thankful for another opportunity.”
- The Rockies have recalled pitchers Jordan Lyles and Miguel Castro from Triple-A Albuquerque and placed righty Christian Bergman on the 15-day DL with a strained oblique, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding notes (Twitter links). They’ve also optioned righty Scott Oberg to Albuquerque. The moves give the Rockies’ bullpen somewhat of a new look. Lyles, who has struggled in both the big-league and Triple-A rotations this year, will take Bergman’s long relief role. Castro had briefly been optioned to Albuquerque after a stint on the DL for shoulder inflammation. The hard-throwing 21-year-old was previously off to a fast start with the Rockies, whiffing nine batters and allowing just one run and two walks in his first seven innings.
Draft Notes: Phillies, Reds, Puk, Pint
With the 2016 MLB Draft approaching on June 9, here’s a quick roundup of links on how the first round might play out.
- The Phillies will take Florida lefty A.J. Puk with the top overall pick, MLB.com’s Jim Callis projects. Callis also suggests California high school outfielder Mickey Moniak or Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis could also be possibilities, with the team likely saving significantly against their draft pool regardless of who they select. If the Phillies do pick Puk, Callis suggests, the Reds could go with Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel. (Puk, by the way, left early in his start against LSU yesterday, but as Ross Dellenger of the Advocate writes, that was due to a stomach illness, not an injury.)
- ESPN’s Keith Law (Insider-only), meanwhile, predicts the Phillies will take Puk, with the Reds taking Lewis. Law also lists Louisville outfielder Corey Ray and California high school outfielder Blake Rutherford as possibilities with the top pick.
- Baseball America lists Puk as its top talent on its list of the draft’s top 500 prospects, noting his mid- to high-90s fastball, which plays up due to his 6’7 frame. Coming in second is Kansas high school pitcher Riley Pint, suggesting in the accompanying subscriber-only scouting report that he’s a “much better version” of Marlins prospect and former second overall pick Tyler Kolek. Pint throws 97-98 MPH, can hit 102, and has a changeup, curve and slider that could all potentially be good pitches.
Week In Review: 5/14/16 – 5/20/16
Here’s a look back at the past week at MLBTR.
Key Moves
- The Angels signed starting pitcher Tim Lincecum to a pro-rated one-year deal.
- The Pirates extended catcher Francisco Cervelli through 2019.
Signed
- Cubs – P Joe Nathan (one-year deal with 2017 club/mutual option)
Trades
- Angels – acquired IF Ryan Jackson from Phillies for cash considerations
- Padres – acquired OF Jabari Blash from Mariners for a PTBNL or cash
- White Sox – acquired OF Jason Bourgeois from Diamondbacks for cash considerations
- Yankees – acquired P J.R. Graham from Twins for a PTBNL or cash considerations
Claims
- Marlins – P Cody Hall (from Diamondbacks)
- Blue Jays – IF Jimmy Paredes (from Orioles)
Designated For Assignment
- Angels – P Dan Reynolds (link)
- Royals – OF Jose Martinez (link)
- Astros – P Asher Wojciechowski (link), C Erik Kratz (link)
- Rays – P Danny Farquhar (link)
Outrighted
- Reds – P Drew Hayes (link)
- Yankees – P Phil Coke (link)
- Red Sox – P Sean O’Sullivan (link)
- Angels – P Javy Guerra (link), 1B Ji-Man Choi (link)
- Cubs – OF Ryan Kalish (link)
Opted Out
- Braves – P Sean Burnett (link)
Released
- Rays – C Carlos Corporan (link)
Key Minor League Signings
- Yankees – P Neal Cotts (link)
- Rays – C J.P. Arencibia (link)
- Twins – OF Robbie Grossman (link)
- Angels – P David Huff (link)
Rangers Announce Plans For New Ballpark
TODAY: Further details of the ballpark plans have emerged, with MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (all links to Twitter) and Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link) were among those to report. The plans call for a $1B facility that would be ready for play by at least 2021, with a lease running through 2054. Team and city plan to split that fee equally, with an “extension” of a current tax used for the public funding. In terms of politics, city council approval will be sought on May 24th, with a public election on November 8th also needed to finalize the deal.
YESTERDAY: The Rangers and the City of Arlington are set to announce plans for a new ballpark, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. According to the report, a retractable roof facility is expected to replace what’s currently known as Globe Life Park in Arlington before the lease on that stadium is set to expire after the 2023 campaign.
As Grant explains, the timing of the agreement is tied to efforts from other localities to woo the ballclub, with Dallas representing a particularly appealing possibility. Instead, Arlington will keep the organization by facilitating a new building ahead of the lease expiration, which was a perk that only that city could offer.
While Globe Life is among the dozen oldest stadiums in the majors, it’s only been around since 1994. It opened then to great fanfare, as it — along with what’s now known as Progressive Field, in Cleveland — joined Oriole Park at Camden Yards as retro-styled stadiums with modern amenities. The successes of those parks spurred a round of new construction that has shown little sign of abating.
With the move, the Rangers will join at least the Braves and Diamondbacks as teams in some stage of the ballpark procurement process. Atlanta is set to replace the even-younger Turner Field next year, while Arizona hopes to move out of Chase Field (which came on line in 1998) in the coming seasons. Other organizations, most notably the Rays and A’s, are still navigating complicated paths toward their own replacement parks, with the possibility of alternative locations still looming.
Financing and formal legal approval remain barriers, Grant notes, with an election likely necessary to move the project forward. The city has already approved a sizeable entertainment and hotel project next to Globe Life, which is expected to come on line in the coming years. It’s not apparent whether that undertaking will be impacted. Neither does it appear to be known whether there is an established location for the proposed new ballpark.
Playable weather isn’t hard to come by in Texas, but Grant explains that the retractable roof will allow the club to manage the blistering summer sun. That will, in theory, allow the organization to boost is attendance. Of course, new facilities also tend to allow teams to cash in through other avenues, though that often comes at the expense of taxpayers (as well as paying patrons).
While it’s far too soon to know what kind of impact this move may have on the Rangers’ bottom line, suffice to say that such plans usually redound to the team’s benefit. The Texas organization already runs out one of the league’s more robust payrolls, and it seems reasonable to expect that these plans will aid the club as it competes for top-level talent with other big-market organizations.
Reds Outright Drew Hayes
11:32pm: Hayes has already cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets.
2:35pm: The Reds have designated right-hander Drew Hayes for assignment, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets. His roster spot will go to outfielder Steve Selsky.
Hayes, 28, has struggled in his first taste of the majors this year. Over 9 2/3 innings, he’s allowed nine earned runs on 15 hits, including three long balls. Hayes has struck out eight while issuing six walks in that small sample. He did turn in a nice season last year, tossing 58 innings of 2.95 ERA ball at the Triple-A level with 8.7 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9.
As for Selsky, 26, this represents his first crack at the big leagues. He was carrying a .275/.380/.383 slash line in 142 plate appearances for Triple-A Louisville. Though he did show greater pop in the lower levels of the minors, Selsky seems to have settled in as more of an on-base threat than a source of power as he’s moved up the ranks.