AL Notes: Correa, Beltran, Gordon
Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is just the megastar-to-be for Major League Baseball, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan writes — Correa is not quite as brash as Bryce Harper can sometimes be, but more outwardly confident than Mike Trout, and might just have that kind of exceptional talent. Last season, when he was a 20-year-old rookie, he quickly won over teammates with his play and with his confidence. “It was kind of like us saying; ‘Here you go, dude. You own this place,'” says outfielder George Springer. Here’s more from the American League.
- Yankees slugger Carlos Beltran hopes to continue playing beyond the expiration of his contract following the 2016 season, ESPN’s Wallace Matthews writes. “My goal is to play 20 years,” Beltran says. “I would love to play 20 years in the big leagues. So that means two more years if possible.” Beltran’s first season in the big leagues was 1998, so playing through 2017 would mean he appeared in 20 straight big-league seasons. Beltran has become more and more of a defensive liability as he’s aged, but his hitting bounced back nicely in 2015, when he batted .276/.337/.471 with 19 home runs. His best path forward after 2016 might be as a DH, although, as Matthews notes, Alex Rodriguez appears set to man that position with the Yankees through 2017.
- Alex Gordon confirms that the White Sox had strong interest in him this offseason, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago writes. His first choice, though, was always to head back to the Royals. “After every conversation I had with (agent Casey Close) it was always, ‘Have the Royals said anything?‘” says Gordon. “This is where I grew up. Its where I wanted to be. Coming from the bad times to really cherish the good times, why not stay here?” Both Gordon and Yoenis Cespedes were reportedly possibilities for the White Sox, although both ended up returning to their former teams, with Gordon taking a $72MM guarantee to stay in Kansas City.
Central Notes: Mesoraco, Maybin, Sano
Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco‘s spring debut will come later than expected due to a groin injury, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. Mesoraco missed most of last season due to hip trouble, and he characterizes his current injury as a minor and expected result of the rehabilitation process. “We had a very small minimal amount of groin and hip flexor tightness, soreness,” he says. “The doctor kind of said this was something that would probably happen once I got back into it. We just slowed things down but everything is feeling fine. I feel good now. It shouldn’t be too much longer.” The absence of Mesoraco, who batted .273/.359/.534 in his 2014 breakout, was one of many disappointments for the Reds last season. Here’s more from the Central divisions.
- The Tigers are hopeful Cameron Maybin will return by Opening Day and won’t be looking outside the organization for extra outfield help, tweets Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. It was reported earlier this week that Maybin would miss four to six weeks due to a hairline fracture in his left hand. Of course, even the full six weeks would only cause Maybin to miss the first couple weeks of the season, hardly the kind of devastating blow that might require the Tigers to pursue an outfielder with any sort of urgency.
- Twins slugger Miguel Sano got to the big leagues and thrived in 2015 despite the loss of his daughter the previous offseason, Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes. Sano’s daughter Angelica died in December 2014 due to a heart defect. “Last year in Double-A, I cried a lot,” says Sano. “I was really sad. I don’t concentrate too much on playing because I think a lot about my baby.” Sano struggled badly through April at Double-A Chattanooga, batting just .159/.303/.381. He turned his season around from there before his promotion to the bigs, culminating in a 20 at-bat stretch following the All-Star break in which he had seven extra-base hits. “He came back after the All-Star break, and it was just completely different,” says his Double-A manager, Doug Mientkiewicz. “He embarrassed Double-A baseball. I called Terry [Ryan], and I was like, ‘I don’t know where he can go, but he needs to go somewhere, because it’s not normal what he’s doing to this league.'” The Twins, of course, promoted Sano to the Majors, where he hit 18 home runs in 80 games and finished third in AL Rookie of the Year balloting.
Rays To Sign Dan Johnson To Be Knuckleball Pitcher
The Rays will sign Dan Johnson to a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Bill Chastain tweets. Johnson played first base for the Rays during parts of the 2008, 2010 and 2011 seasons (famously hitting a ninth-inning homer in 2011 that propelled the Rays to the playoffs) and spent the 2015 campaign playing first in the Cardinals and Reds organizations (appearing briefly in the big leagues with the Cards). He has also won MVPs in both the PCL and the International League and has logged over 4,000 career plate appearances in Triple-A.
Surprisingly, though, the Rays are signing Johnson this time not as a first baseman, but as a righty knuckleball pitcher. As Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune notes, the Rays recently hired former knuckleballer Charlie Haeger to be a minor league pitching coordinator, and Haeger is already working with another knuckleballer in Rays camp, Eddie Gamboa. Johnson, remarkably, is four years older than Haeger. If Johnson were to return to the big leagues as a knuckeball pitcher at age 36 after years spent on the fringes of the Majors as a first baseman, it would be an extremely unusual twist in his career, perhaps rivaling that of pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel.
Andrew McKirahan Out For Season
Braves GM John Coppolella says lefty Andrew McKirahan will miss the entire 2016 season after tearing an elbow ligament earlier this week, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. As we noted earlier today, McKirahan appears likely to have Tommy John surgery. If he does, it will be his second time having the procedure, having also undergone it in 2012.
McKirahan went from the Cubs to the Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft prior to last season, then headed to Atlanta on a waiver claim. He missed half of 2015 due to a PED suspension, but was a regular in the Braves’ bullpen down the stretch. For the year, he posted a 5.93 ERA in 27 1/3 innings, although he had 7.2 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 and threw a fastball that reached into the mid-90s. As Cunningham notes, McKirahan already faced an uphill battle in making the Braves’ Opening Day roster this season, since the organization has a variety of potential bullpen lefties, including veterans Ian Krol and Alex Torres along with Matt Marksberry, Hunter Cervenka and 2015 Rule 5 pick Evan Rutckyj.
NL Injury Notes: McKirahan, Walden, Hamilton
Braves lefty Andrew McKirahan has a torn UCL and will likely have Tommy John surgery, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. McKirahan will visit with Dr. James Andrews, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (on Twitter). McKirahan left Wednesday’s game with discomfort in his left forearm and had an MRI. He had previously had Tommy John surgery in 2012. Since then, he headed from the Cubs to the Marlins in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, then to the Braves on a waiver claim. He posted a 5.93 ERA (albeit with a decent 7.2 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9) in 27 1/3 innings in 2015, missing a significant portion of the year after a PED suspension. Here are more quick notes on injuries.
- Cardinals righty Jordan Walden‘s return from the shoulder issues that sidelined him for most of last year appears to be going well so far, writes MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. Walden pitched a scoreless inning against the Astros Friday. Walden was a key part of the Braves’ bullpens in 2013 and 2014 and was expected to help the Cardinals after arriving in the late 2014 trade involving Jason Heyward and Shelby Miller. He only pitched 10 1/3 innings last season, however, none after April 29.
- Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton was scratched from yesterday’s game with a stiff right shoulder, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets. Hamilton had surgery on the shoulder near the end of last season to fix a torn labrum and had conceded late last month that the shoulder wasn’t completely healthy (although he did say it was “feeling good” and that he wouldn’t be limited in Spring Training). There’s no indication yet, however, that the speedster’s current shoulder stiffness is serious.
Week In Review: 2/27/16 – 3/4/16
Here’s a look back at the past week at MLBTR.
Key Move
- The Rangers signed Ian Desmond to a one-year, $8MM deal to be their left fielder.
Extensions
- Cardinals – 2B Kolten Wong (five years plus option)
Suspensions
- Closer Aroldis Chapman of the Yankees received a 30-game suspension after an investigation into domestic violence allegations.
Released
- Braves – P David Carpenter, P Ryan Kelly (link)
Retired
- IF Maicer Izturis (link)
Key Minor League Signings
- Brewers – P Franklin Morales (link)
- Rockies – OF Ryan Raburn (link)
- Padres – P Christian Friedrich (link), P Matt Thornton (link)
- Yankees – OF Chris Denorfia (link)
- Red Sox – OF David Murphy (link)
- Orioles – P Sam Deduno (link)
- Blue Jays – P Rafael Soriano (link)
- Diamondbacks – IF/OF Rickie Weeks (link)
Braves Release David Carpenter, Ryan Kelly
The Braves have announced that they’ve released veteran reliever David Carpenter, along with journeyman righty Ryan Kelly. They also sent a number of players to minor league camp, including 2014 first-rounder Braxton Davidson.
Carpenter (not to be confused with the former Angels reliever also named David Carpenter who briefly pitched for the Braves last year) was a key part of the Braves’ bullpen in 2013 and 2014. The Braves sent him and Chasen Shreve to the Yankees for Manny Banuelos prior to the 2015 season, but Carpenter pitched for only two months in New York and was ultimately shipped to Washington. For the year, he posted a 4.01 ERA, 5.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 24 2/3 innings, also struggling with shoulder trouble. The Braves signed him to a minor-league deal in November.
The 28-year-old Kelly made it to the Majors in 2015, his ninth year in pro ball. He allowed 14 runs in 16 2/3 innings with the Braves but fared very well in the minors, posting a remarkable 0.77 ERA, along with 9.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, in 47 innings split between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves’ decision to release him this early in camp seemingly reflects a belief that he won’t be able to carry over his minor-league success to the big leagues, but given his minor-league success, he’ll surely get a chance elsewhere.
NL East Notes: Mets, deGrom, Mejia, De Aza, Nola, Capps
Longtime Mets media relations executive Shannon Forde passed away this evening after an extended battle with breast cancer. She was only 44 years of age, and leaves behind a husband and two young children. Her loss has sparked a remarkable outpouring of grief, and it is evident that she had a huge impact on many people who worked for or around the team. We recommend this piece from Joel Sherman of the New York Post as we join so many others in expressing our sympathies to her family and friends.
Here are some notes from New York and the NL East:
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson said today that there are no current extension talks with the team’s slate of young starters, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports. Emphasizing that he doesn’t see much “urgency” given the length of control over most of the club’s key pitchers, Alderson said that it’s also rather early in camp for such discussions to be held. “There hasn’t been any discussion with any of our starting pitchers,” he said, “not because we’re unwilling or because there isn’t any interest on the part of the players necessarily — just we are where we are in the spring-training schedule. It’s a little early. Agents don’t typically come in until later. I don’t think you can draw anything from that.”
- Meanwhile, the Mets renewed the contract of surprise ace Jacob deGrom at a rate of $607K, which is well above the minimum salary but also hardly reflects his outstanding contributions over the last two seasons. While deGrom declined to agree to that deal — a symbolic formality — it doesn’t appear that there’s any cause for hard feelings going forward, as DiComo further reports. “We haven’t talked about anything yet, and I don’t think this will affect that in any way,” said deGrom. “I think we’re still open to discussions for long-term things, but nothing’s in the works now.” For what it’s worth, as I’ve suggested before, I see deGrom as the likeliest of the New York hurlers to sign on to a long-term contract given his high rate of play, relatively advanced age, and approaching arbitration eligibility.
- Another Mets pitcher, banned reliever Jenrry Mejia, claims that he was only guilty of one of his three PED-related suspensions, as he tells Ben Berkon of the New York Times. He also accused the league of participating in some kind of “conspiracy” against him and suggested that the union had failed to adequately defend him. An MLB spokesman denied that any league official had ever even met with Mejia relating to his trio of failed drug tests. As Berkon notes, his comments don’t seem likely to help him if he chooses to seek reinstatement, though he has some time to think about how to approach that matter.
- The Mets haven’t received any interest in outfielder Alejandro De Aza and aren’t shopping him, Mike Puma of the New York Post recently tweeted. Though the veteran outfielder’s utility was greatly lessened when the club made a late strike for Yoenis Cespedes, it seems that it will take a change in circumstances for him to be moved to another organization.
- Aaron Nola impressed in his first 77 2/3 innings last year for the Phillies, and he tells MLBTR’s Zach Links (via Twitter) that he’s not interested in easing his way into things this year. “I want to go 200+ innings. I want to throw as many innings as I can,” Nola said recently. Actually, that seems like rather an attainable goal, as he ran up 109 1/3 innings in the minors last year.
- The Marlins are waiting to see what Dr. James Andrews recommends on Monday with regard to key reliever Carter Capps, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Miami won’t seek to strike a deal for another pen arm before that time, per the report, but it seems that an addition may well be contemplated if an extended absence results. At this point, even in the best of circumstances it seems likely that Capps will be required to spend some time resting and rehabbing.
NL West Notes: Sierra, Anderson, Thornton, Green
The Dodgers‘ investment in righty Yaisel Sierra will begin at $30MM, per a tweet from Jon Heyman of MLB Network, but could go up from there. Sierra will have the right to opt into salary arbitration if he becomes eligible. His contract will pay him a $6MM signing bonus and then salaries of $1MM, $2.5MM, $3.5MM, $4MM, $5.5MM, and $7.5MM, per the report.
Here’s more from Los Angeles and the rest of the NL West:
- Dodgers lefty Brett Anderson had surgery on the very same disk that was previously repaired, GM Farhan Zaidi told reporters including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The medical experts involved say that occurs in about ten percent of cases, suggesting that Anderson and the team got a bit unlucky. Plunkett also takes a look at the competition to fill in for Anderson.
- Newly-inked Padres lefty Matt Thornton is expected to have a solid shot at earning a job out of camp, GM A.J. Preller tells Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “He’s done it for a long time and still has quality stuff,” Preller explained. “I think the ‘pen is pretty open, so he’s got a legit chance to make the team.” Skipper Andy Green echoed that sentiment, calling Thornton “a very established left-handed reliever” who is “very dominant against lefties [and] very successful through his career.”
- Speaking of Green, it’s well worth checking out his recent interview with David Laurila of Fangraphs. The first-year manager addressed the concept and impact of defensive shifting from every angle, including the mental components and possible counter-strategies on offense. Ultimately, he concluded: “The game is evolving, and it’s important to evolve along with it.”
Minor MLB Transactions: 3/4/16
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…
- Veteran minor league outfielder Felix Perez has also signed on with the Orioles on a minor league deal, Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets. The 31-year-old has yet to crack the majors since signing under somewhat controversial circumstances. He had a four-year run in the Reds system and spent most of last year playing in the Mexican League, slashing a robust .312/.390/.580 with 20 home runs in 395 plate appearances.
- First baseman/outfielder Mike Carp is headed to the Orioles on a minors pact, as Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun reports. The 29-year-old won’t receive an invitation to MLB camp in the contract after playing little in 2015 and failing to crack the majors for the first time since his debut year. The left-handed-hitting Carp was coming off of a hugely disappointing 2014 season, so it’s been some time since he’s produced in the majors. But over 2011 to 2013, he did carry a .267/.334/.454 slash and hit 26 home runs over 745 plate appearances.
- The White Sox have inked right-hander Kameron Loe to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com’s Scott Merkin (Twitter link). The 34-year-old Loe has spent parts of nine seasons in the Major Leagues, most recently appearing with the Braves in 2013. He’ll head to minor league camp for the Sox, making him more of a veteran depth piece than an immediate option in the bullpen. Loe struggled through the 2014 season with the Triple-A affiliates for the Royals, Braves and D-backs, which led to a 2015 stint with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League. Loe had a strong showing in the Dominican Winter League this offseason and will look to rediscover the form that allowed him to pitch to a 3.61 ERA and 3.60 FIP from 2008-12 with the Rangers and Brewers.