AL Notes: LaRoche, Indians, Murphy
Former White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche, who retired amidst a storm of controversy in Spring Training, has an outlook different than that of most ballplayers, ESPN’s Tim Keown writes. Now that LaRoche has stepped away from his big-league career after a disagreement with his front office about the presence of his son in his team’s clubhouse, he’s planning a lengthy RV trip with his family to the Pacific Northwest. LaRoche also stars in a reality show (Buck Commander) and owns a meat company. And improbably, in November, he joined with Brewers pitcher Blaine Boyer and a nonprofit to try to travel to Southeast Asia to go undercover to try to save underage sex slaves. “Something huge happened there for us,” says Boyer. “You can’t explain it. Can’t put your finger on it. If you make a wrong move, you’re getting tossed off a building.” Here’s more from the American League.
- Michael Brantley (shoulder) and Lonnie Chisenhall (wrist) have begun rehab assignments with Triple-A Columbus, so the composition of the Indians‘ outfield seems likely to change soon, Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes writes. Part of the issue, in Brantley’s case, is that he missed most of Spring Training, so he needs to get enough repetitions in his rehab assignment so that he can be ready to play. “With Michael it’s about him building enough volume and feeling comfortable at the plate,” says Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti The Indians’ roster currently includes four outfielders — Marlon Byrd, Collin Cowgill, Rajai Davis and Tyler Naquin. Of those, only Naquin is optionable. The 38-year-old Byrd, interestingly, shares that no teams showed interest in him before the Indians signed him to a minor-league deal in mid-March. “There was no interest … zero,” he says. “I would have to ask the 29 other teams what the reason was.”
- Veteran outfielder David Murphy does not plan to retire and is looking for an MLB job, the MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets. Murphy had opted out of his deal with the Red Sox in Spring Training. He had previously said he might retire if he did not get a big-league job.
NL Central Notes: Liriano, Finnegan, Saves
Pirates lefty Francisco Liriano will miss his scheduled start tonight against the Tigers due to hamstring trouble, as Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes. The cause of Liriano’s hamstring issue isn’t yet known. Starting in his place will be Ryan Vogelsong, who lost in a three-way battle with Juan Nicasio and Jeff Locke for the Bucs’ last two rotation jobs coming out of camp. Here’s more from the NL Central.
- Reds lefty Brandon Finnegan is looking more and more like a starter, Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs argues. Finnegan is developing confidence in his secondary pitches, throwing his changeup almost twice as frequently this season than he did as a starter in 2015. He’s also showing better command of the pitch. Sullivan goes so far as to compare Finnegan to Liriano. If Finnegan develops as a starter, the Reds will be that much closer to getting their money’s worth from last summer’s Johnny Cueto trade.
- Cardinals manager Mike Matheny has been candid in the past about tailoring his usage of closer Trevor Rosenthal to the save statistic, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. “There are personal statistics that help drive personal achievement as far as salaries go,” Matheny explained last season. “For us to be completely oblivious to that, I think is a mistake as well. Then you start having some friction.” Saves can, indeed, drive salaries, particularly for a player like Rosenthal who’s in the midst of his arbitration seasons. But managing with a closer’s saves total in mind might not be the best way to preserve the closer’s arm and his availability. One potential fix, Goold suggests, might be to somehow redefine the statistic to award saves for getting key outs. Such a fix might prevent teams from doing what the Cardinals did Sunday, when Rosenthal pitched the last out of the eighth inning and then threw 26 pitches in the ninth even after the Cardinals scored five runs.
Quick Hits: Draft, Vazquez, Thames, Dodgers
We’re a bit less than two months away from the 2016 amateur draft, and there figures to be quite a bit of chatter regarding the top high school and college talent in the nation over the coming months. Today, Keith Law and Eric Longenhagen of ESPN.com released their Top 50 draft prospects (subscription required and recommended), adding another excellent resource to stand alongside previously released rankings from Baseball America and from MLB.com. For those interested, MLBTR will run the first installment of its Draft Prospect Q&A series tomorrow afternoon, starting with one of the top bats of the class.
A few more notes from around the game as Tuesday night winds to a close…
- The Red Sox have considered activating catcher Christian Vazquez from the disabled list, manager John Farrell told reporters, including the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier (Twitter link). Per Farrell, nothing is imminent, but the club has had ongoing discussions about its catching situation. ESPN Boston’s Scott Lauber points out (Twitter link) that sophomore backstop Blake Swihart had a rough game defensively but also notes that Vazquez, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, has yet to catch three games in a row on his rehab assignment.
- Former Blue Jays/Mariners outfielder Eric Thames sat down with Blake Murphy of VICE Sports to discuss his transition to the Korea Baseball Organization and his rise to the status as arguably the league’s best player. The 29-year-old outfielder/first baseman was the KBO’s MVP last season, batting .381/.497/.790 with 47 homers and, incredibly 40 stolen bases (despite never stealing more than eight in a North American season). Thames explained the work he’s put in with coach Jun-ho Jeon — known as the Stolen Base King of Korea. “Even little things like the way the glove’s tilted a little bit—’OK, go.’ ‘On this pitch, go,'” Thames explained. “It’s like, are you serious? And then—bam!—it’s a high leg kick or a curveball. It’s like, how do you even know that? He’s one of those guys that has a natural eye for base-stealing.” While the KBO is a notoriously hitter-friendly league, it’s tough to write off Thames’ outrageous production as a pure result of that environment. Thames discusses some elements that he feels have helped him improve his game and also discusses the cultural differences between playing in North America and in Korea. He’ll be a free agent next winter and added that he’s keeping an open mind to taking another shot at playing in the Majors. He’ll be somewhat of a wild card on next winter’s thin free agent market.
- The Dodgers‘ bullpen has struggled early on, writes Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times, but the team isn’t planning on making any drastic alterations to the composition of its relief corps just yet. McCullough notes that if the Dodgers do elect to make some changes, there are myriad internal options, and those alternatives will only grow in numbers as Hyun-jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson get healthy. A return from any of those arms could push a starter like Alex Wood or Ross Stripling to the bullpen, and McCullough points out that the Dodgers’ large slate of arms and ability to take on salary should also present the club with various trade scenarios as the deadline approaches this summer.
NL East Notes: Dunn, deGrom, Winkler, Nationals
Marlins left-hander Mike Dunn has had a setback in his recovery from tightness in his left forearm, writes MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. The Marlins are bracing themselves to be without Dunn — their most reliable reliever across the past five seasons — for longer than they initially expected. “He didn’t come out very good from his ‘[bullpen session],” manager Don Mattingly said. “He felt a little grab in there again. So, we’re going to slow him down, and I think he’s going to talk with [team physician Dr. Lee Kaplan] again and see where it goes.” As Frisaro writes, the initial MRI on Dunn didn’t reveal any structural damage, but there’s no timetable for his return at the moment until he has the injury reexamined. Dunn, 31 in May, has posted a 3.62 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 285 2/3 innings with the Marlins. He’s set to become a free agent at season’s end.
More from the NL East…
- The Mets are bracing for the possibility that Jacob deGrom will require a stint on the disabled list, writes MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. That possibility, DiComo writes, is the reason that New York didn’t place deGrom on the paternity list for the birth of his son. Had deGrom gone on the paternity list, the Mets would’ve given up the ability to backdate a DL stint to the date of his most recent start. As such, if deGrom is placed on the disabled list, the move could be made retroactive to April 9.
- Braves right-hander Daniel Winkler, who fractured his right elbow over the weekend, will see Dr. James Andrews tomorrow, tweets Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Bowman notes that the early indication is that Winkler’s surgically repaired ulnar collateral ligament was not damaged in the injury, though he’ll meet with the renowned Dr. Andrews to ascertain that fact. Even if his UCL is intact, Winkler seems likely to be facing another prolonged absence in the wake of the new injury.
- The Nationals‘ hiring of Davey Lopes has already begun to pay dividends, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post. New manager Dusty Baker came to the Nats with the goal of making the club more aggressive on the basepaths and improving the club’s stolen base numbers and overall running efficiency. Lopes has already been working with Bryce Harper to improve his stolen base acumen in an effort to punish opponents who pitch around him. “There’s something you can take advantage of [every opponent],” Baker tells Wagner. “And Davey Lopes is the best at picking that up. He’s the best. Davey sees things that very few people see [in] the young players. He’s been around a long time. He was one of the best at his craft when he was playing. So coaching does come into play.”
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/12/16
Here are the day’s outright assignments and minor moves from around the league…
- The Braves formally announced today that they have selected the contract of right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, who will start tonight’s game. Right-hander Joel De La Cruz was optioned to Triple-A to clear room on the 25-man roster, while left-hander Jesse Biddle was transferred to the 60-day disabled list in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Chacin, 28, was a mainstay in the Rockies rotation from 2010-14, but he was released by Colorado last spring and ultimately signed minors deals with the Indians and D-backs. Chacin logged a 3.22 ERA in 128 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level and then had a nice run with the Diamondbacks’ big league club late in the year, turning in a 3.38 ERA in 26 2/3 innings.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that right-hander Ariel Pena has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A from the Brewers after being designated for assignment last week. Pena, who had been outrighted once before, had the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency but chose to remain in the Brewers organization. The Brewers originally acquired Pena along with Johnny Hellweg and Jean Segura in the trade that sent Zack Greinke to the Angels. The Brewers also announced (on Twitter) that they’ve released three players from their Dominican Summer League affiliate.
Red Sox, Wesley Wright Agree To Minor League Deal
4:45pm: Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports that Wright can earn $1MM in the Majors (Twitter link). He’ll head to Triple-A for the time being.
4:12pm: The Red Sox have signed left-handed reliever Wesley Wright to a minor league contract, per the MLB.com transactions page. The 31-year-old had been in camp with the D-backs but was released late in Spring Training when he didn’t make the club.
Wright split the 2015 season between the Orioles and the Angels, though he spent a good chunk of the season Baltimore’s DL due to a strained left trapezius muscle. The O’s had inked Wright to a big league contract in the offseason but designated him for assignment upon activating him from the 60-day DL in mid-July. Wright latched on with the Angels and was called up to the Major League club in September, tossing 5 2/3 innings and permitting a pair of earned runs to score across the season’s final month.
Prior to last year’s injury-marred campaign, Wright had spent 2012-14 in the bullpen for the Cubs, Astros and Rays, working to a combined 3.38 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 154 1/3 innings of work. He’s held opposing left-handed bats to a .237/.313/.334 batting line in parts of eight Major League seasons and will give the Sox some additional depth in their left-handed relief corps. Boston presently has lefties Tommy Layne and Robbie Ross in the ‘pen, and the 40-man roster also includes lefties Roenis Elias and Edwin Escobar, each of whom is pitching at the Triple-A level to begin the season.
Offseason In Review: San Diego Padres
This is part of MLBTR’s series of posts breaking down the offseasons of every team in baseball. You can find all the others at this link.
After one of the most hyper-aggressive offseasons in recent history, the Padres pumped the brakes at the 2015 trade deadline and did so again with a more reserved winter.
Major League Signings
- Alexei Ramirez, SS: One year, $4MM (plus $4MM mutual option)
- Fernando Rodney, RHP: One year, $2MM (plus $2MM club option)
- Carlos Villanueva, RHP: One year, $1.5MM
- Buddy Baumann, LHP: One year, $520K
- Cesar Vargas, RHP: One year, salary unreported
- Total Spend: $8.02MM
Notable Minor League Signings
- Jeremy Guthrie, Brandon Morrow, Adam Rosales, Mike Olt, Matt Thornton, Casey Janssen, Christian Friedrich, Justin Sellers, Josh Satin, Erik Kratz, Philip Humber
Trades and Claims
- Acquired CF Manuel Margot, SS Javier Guerra, 2B Carlos Asuaje and LHP Logan Allen from Red Sox in exchange for RHP Craig Kimbrel
- Acquired RHP Enyel De Los Santos and IF Nelson Ward from Mariners in exchange for RHP Joaquin Benoit
- Acquired CF Jon Jay from the Cardinals in exchange for INF Jedd Gyorko and cash considerations ($7.5MM)
- Acquired LHP Drew Pomeranz, LHP Jose Torres and a PTBNL (Rule 5 pick Jabari Blash) from Athletics in exchange for 1B Yonder Alonso and LHP Marc Rzepczynski
- Acquired C Christian Bethancourt from Braves in exchange for RHP Casey Kelly and C Ricardo Rodriguez
- Acquired 2B Jose Pirela from Yankees in exchange for RHP Ronald Herrera
- Acquired LHP Trevor Seidenberger from Brewers in exchange for OF Rymer Liriano
- Acquired RHP Jean Cosme from Orioles in exchange for Odrisamer Despaigne
- Acquired RHP Dan Straily from Astros in exchange for C Erik Kratz (Straily was then claimed off waivers by Reds)
- Traded RHP Nick Vincent to Mariners in exchange for PTBNL
- Selected RHP Luis Perdomo from Cardinals in Rule 5 Draft
- Selected RHP Blake Smith from White Sox in Rule 5 Draft
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Justin Upton, Ian Kennedy, Craig Kimbrel, Joaquin Benoit, Shawn Kelley, Jedd Gyorko, Yonder Alonso, Clint Barmes, Dale Thayer, Will Middlebrooks, Odrisamer Despaigne, Bud Norris, Marc Rzepczynski
Needs Addressed
Looking at the list of trades made by general manager A.J. Preller and his staff this winter, perhaps “reserved” wasn’t an optimal word selection for the introductory sentence to this review. The Padres were hardly dormant this offseason, but the club’s direction unequivocally changed: while the 2014-15 offseason was about acquiring Major League talent with an eye towards immediate improvement, the 2015-16 offseason instead focused on long-term value and short-term additions that didn’t compromise that long-term outlook.
Chief among those forward-looking moves was the decision to trade one of the game’s best closers, Craig Kimbrel, less than nine months after acquiring him. In terms of prospect capital, the Padres received more than they gave up in order to acquire Kimbrel in the first place, although part of the reason they were able to acquire Kimbrel at a lesser price in terms of young talent was their willingness to absorb Melvin Upton’s contract. The addition of Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, Carlos Asuaje and Logan Allen was a huge boost to a floundering Padres farm system, but the club still rates among the worst overall minor league systems in baseball, per Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law. Be that as it may, the Kimbrel trade could reap Major League benefits in the very near term, as Margot is close enough to the big league level that he could be in center field for the Friars as soon as this summer. Asuaje, too, could emerge on the big league scene relatively quickly.
While many thought the trade of Kimbrel and the subsequent trade of Joaquin Benoit signaled that the Padres would embark on an offseason fire sale, the team didn’t move enticing veterans like Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner or Derek Norris. Rather, the Padres dealt from the fringes of their Major League and 40-man rosters and, in doing so, were able to pare down the payroll a bit while simultaneously bringing in additional near-term pieces. The new regime clearly wasn’t as high on Jedd Gyorko as the former front office, and shedding his salary for a more substantial up-front cost (the final year of Jon Jay’s contract) created some roster flexibility down the line. Christian Bethancourt and Jose Pirela give the Friars a pair of young players that can step directly onto the roster.
San Diego also moved a year of Marc Rzepczynski and two years of Yonder Alonso for three years of Drew Pomeranz and an intriguing Rule 5 pick in Jabari Blash (plus minor league lefty Jose Torres). From my vantage point, it was hard not to like the deal for the Padres, who gained more control over Pomeranz than they had over either Alonso or Rzepczynski. Pomeranz might not have lived up to his potential yet, but he posted solid numbers in both seasons he spent with the A’s and is nearly two years younger than Alonso, whose ceiling is pretty limited at this point.
In Rodney, Villanueva, Baumann and Vargas, the Padres made a series of low-cost bullpen signings to help replace some of the depth they surrendered in other trades, and while none of the group will replicate the production of Kimbrel, there’s reason enough to believe that Rodney or Villanueva could easily justify the modest salaries that each was guaranteed.
The Padres’ only other free-agent expenditure was a similarly small commitment to Alexei Ramirez, and he’ll serve as a short-term patch over a long-term problem. I’ll talk a bit more about the deal later in the review.
Keep reading for more analysis after the break …
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
East Notes: Duquette, Rickard, Montero, Osuna
Both the Nationals and Orioles have rejected the idea that Washington is currently pursuing Baltimore executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette to take over as the club’s president. The clubs were responding to a report suggesting such interest from Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (on Twitter). Mike Rizzo currently serves the Nationals as the general manager and president of baseball operations, though it’s possible that the organization could add a business-oriented president as well, and Duquette had reportedly been considered for such a broad role with the Blue Jays last year. It’s also worth noting that Rizzo has a two-year option that’s up for decision on June 15. This is hardly the first time there’s been intrigue surrounding Duquette, or Rizzo for that matter, though such a move would remain surprising — not least of which because the two clubs are engaged in a protracted dispute over television rights fees. It’s all hypothetical for now, anyway. “We are not in discussions with Dan Duquette, nor are we in the market for a team president,” a Nats spokesperson tells Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link). An Orioles source says that the club hasn’t received any request to contact Duquette, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com adds (Twitter links). Meanwhile, Duquette himself issued his own statement, saying: “I don’t know anything about this, nor has anyone contacted me.”
Here’s more from the game’s eastern divisions:
- Duquette told Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com the backstory on the Orioles‘ decision to take Joey Rickard from the Rays in this winter’s Rule 5 draft. You’ll want to read the full account at that link, but here’s a brief rundown: Baltimore’s analytics department put Rickard on the organization’s radar after his strong 2015, and the O’s got an up-front look when the 24-year-old played for Felipe Alou Jr. — the director of the team’s Dominican academy — in the Dominican Winter League. The stars aligned when Rickard was available when Baltimore’s Rule 5 slot came up, and the club’s uncertain corner outfield mix made him a good fit. Obviously, he’s rewarded the team thus far with an excellent start to the year; he’s among several players who have had outstanding debuts, as we covered in a poll earlier today.
- The Mets are set to recall righty Rafael Montero to provide some innings, as ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin reports (Twitter link). Once one of the team’s more promising young pitchers, the 25-year-old has struggled with shoulder issues recently and wasn’t penciled in at the major league level to start the year. He’s needed there now, though, because of Jacob deGrom‘s lat issue and Steven Matz‘s rough, 1 2/3-inning outing yesterday. Those two situations have led to some early questions, with an anonymous scout telling Kevin Kernan of the New York Post that Matz seemed in need of further Triple-A seasoning after his first start. Barring some undisclosed health issues or continued struggles, that seems rather premature, though it’s fair to note that Matz did scuffle a bit this spring — allowing 13 walks (though racking up 21 strikeouts) in his 23 2/3 innings in camp.
- Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna is not only continuing to show the same exciting stuff that led to his breakout last year, but is increasingly working a changeup into his arsenal, as John Lott writes for Vice Sports. He’s certainly got enough with his fastball and slider to succeed in the late innings, but adding another plausible offering — if not a swing-and-miss option in and of itself — could certainly improve his near and long-term outlook. Of course, that might also increase the organization’s interest in shifting Osuna back into a starting role down the line.
Padres Return Rule 5 Pick Josh Martin To Indians
The Indians announced that they have received righty Josh Martin back from the Padres. The Rule 5 pick had been designated for assignment, with some suggestion that San Diego may attempt to find a way to hold onto him.
Cleveland will slot Martin in at the Triple-A level, where he can continue to develop and serve as pen depth without occupying a 40-man spot. Martin worked to a 3.07 ERA with 10.7 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 over 67 1/3 innings last year at Double-A.
That showing wasn’t enough to get the Indians to commit a roster spot, but proved tantalizing enough for the Pads to give him a shot to stick. But Martin struggled this spring, allowing 13 earned runs in his 11 frames in camp. While he struck out 12 opposing batters in that span, he also surrendered 16 hits and seven walks.