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Giancarlo Stanton Clears Revocable Waivers

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Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has cleared revocable waivers, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. While it is far from clear that Stanton is going to end up being traded this month, that’s now possible. He joins a list of other veterans that are known to have made it through waivers without being claimed.

Passan also suggests there could at least be plausible scenarios where a deal comes together. He cites “at least four” teams that have engaged in some level of dialogue with Miami regarding Stanton, noting that there was enough traction with one organization that some returning prospects were discussed.

Stanton, 27, has been on an unholy tear at the plate. After swatting a dozen home runs in 25 games in July, he has launched ten more through just 13 contests in August. That run has helped restore Stanton’s standing as one of the game’s premier sluggers after a down 2016 season. Overall, he owns a .268/.359/.552 batting line with 251 home runs through nearly 4,000 trips to the plate in his eight-year career.

Of course, the question on the trade front has never really been about just how productive the hulking slugger can be. He cleared waivers, rather, due to a somewhat checkered injury history and the massive extension he signed in November of 2014. Stanton’s annual salary ramps up significantly beginning next year; all said, he’s promised $295MM through 2027 (including a buyout on an option for one more year).

That huge commitment isn’t the only complicating factor. Stanton possesses a full no-trade clause, though Passan suggests that won’t be a significant barrier. Of greater significance, perhaps, the Marlins are in the middle of a franchise sale and the massive slugger is the club’s marquee attraction with television rights fees negotiations looming.

Still, Passan argues, the Fish would be best served marketing Stanton now, while his value is ascendant. That’s certainly not a universal opinion — ESPN.com’s Buster Olney argued the opposite recently — but does seem a reasonable approach for an organization with needs that likely outstrip the available resources in the near-term.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Fulmer, McCann, Peralta

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IMPACT ROSTER MOVES

  • ARZ: OF David Peralta placed on Paternity Leave List. | Diamondbacks Depth Chart
    • Gregor Blanco played LF and batted 1st in Peralta’s place on Monday.
  • COL: SP Chad Bettis recalled from minors; RP Carlos Estevez optioned to minors. | Rockies Depth Chart 
  • DET: SP Michael Fulmer activated from 10-Day DL; RP Bruce Rondon optioned to minors. | Tigers Depth Chart
  • KCR: SP Jake Junis recalled from minors; RP Kevin McCarthy optioned to minors. | Royals Depth Chart
  • NYY: SP Luis Cessa recalled from minors; RP Caleb Smith optioned to minors. | Yankees Depth Chart

—

FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

  • ATL: OF Matt Kemp will likely be activated from 10-Day DL on Friday August 18th. | Braves Depth Chart
  • BAL: OF Anthony Santander (Rule 5 pick) will likely be activated from 60-Day DL on Thursday August 17th. | Orioles Depth Chart
  • COL: SP Kyle Freeland will be activated from 10-Day DL on Tuesday August 15th. | Rockies Depth Chart
  • LAA: SP Andrew Heaney will be activated from 60-Day DL sometime this weekend. | Angels Depth Chart
  • LAD: 1B Adrian Gonzalez will be activated from 60-Day DL during their upcoming road trip (Aug. 18-24) | Dodgers Depth Chart

—

MINOR TRANSACTIONS

  • ARZ: RP Silvino Bracho and RP J.J. Hoover recalled from minors; RP Jake Barrett optioned to minors. | Diamondbacks Depth Chart
  • HOU: RP Reymin Guduan optioned to minors; RP Jordan Jankowski designated for assignment. | Astros Depth Chart
  • SDP: RP Kirby Yates reinstated from Family Leave List; RP Jose Valdez optioned to minors. | Padres Depth Chart
  • SEA: RP Thyago Vieira recalled from minors; RP Christian Bergman optioned to minors. | Mariners Depth Chart
  • TBR: RP Chase Whitley recalled from minors; RP Jose Alvarado optioned to minors.  | Rays Depth Chart

 

Devin Mesoraco Diagnosed With Fractured Foot

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Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has once again been hit with an injury, this time a fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his left foot, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). More will be known about his prognosis once he is examined by team doctors.

Significant hip and shoulder problems have limited the 29-year-old in recent years. In fact, his 55 games this year represent the most action he has seen since 2014 — a season in which he had emerged as one of the game’s most productive backstops with 25 long balls and a 147 OPS+.

Mesoraco has battled just to get on the field ever since. He was hitting quite well earlier this year after opening on the disabled list, but has struggled badly at the plate since returning in July from another DL placement for a shoulder issue. Through 164 plate appearances on the year, Mesoraco owns a .213/.317/.390 slash with six home runs.

It remains to be seen whether Mesoraco will be able to return from his latest injury during the current season. Regardless, he’ll wrap up another injury-riddled campaign and head into the offseason in hopes of returning to full health. Mesoraco is slated to earn $13MM in 2018, the final year of the four-year, $28MM extension he inked after that excellent 2014 season.

NL Notes: Bettis, Granderson, Familia, Baker, Roberts, Davis

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Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis made his return to the major league hill tonight after a long road back following treatment for testicular cancer. To call it a success would be an understatement: Bettis, 28, scattered six hits over seven scoreless frames. MLBTR congratulates him on an inspiring return to the game’s highest level of competition.

Here’s more from the National League:

  • While there has been at least some chatter surrounding the idea that the Nationals could have interest in Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson, that’s not the case, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (via Twitter). While the Nats’ original starting outfield trio is shelved on the DL, it seems the organization feels good enough about the health outlook to forego pursuit of a player such as Granderson. The hope remains that both Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth will be able to return in time to gear up for the postseason, with a variety of other players — including Brian Goodwin, Michael Taylor, and just-acquired veteran Howie Kendrick — slated to cover for the longstanding absence of Adam Eaton, who is not expected to play again this year.
  • Mets closer Jeurys Familia is set to begin a rehab assignment tomorrow, as James Wagner of the New York Times reports on Twitter. Familia will open in the Gulf Coast League as he begins to move back toward the majors following surgery for a blood clot in his shoulder. It’s obviously too late for his return to impact the Mets’ long-lost hopes of contending, but the 27-year-old will still presumably be aiming to get some work in late this year to set the stage for a rebound in 2018. The coming campaign will be his final year of arbitration control; with only 9 1/3 innings on his ledger to date in 2017, Familia will likely only be able to earn a relatively modest raise on his $7.425MM salary.
  • While the Nationals and Dodgers hold the two best records in the National League, each team’s manager — Dusty Baker and Dave Roberts, respectively — currently lack long-term job security. In Baker’s case, per Janes, it seems unlikely that his future will be addressed until after the season (when his contract will expire), though it seems the general expectation in the organization remains that something will be worked out. There’s a similar tone with regard to Roberts, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times writes. Roberts says he’s not thinking about a new deal in the middle of the year, but did say he hopes to continue his “dream job” beyond his current term (the three-year deal runs through 2018 and includes a club option for one more season).
  • Shaikin also takes a look in at the interesting transition to the mound currently being attempted by Ike Davis and the Dodgers. The former Mets first baseman — and one-time Arizona State closer — has already earned plaudits for his outstanding attitude in heading down to Rookie ball, and there are some reasons to think he could have a new future in the game at thirty years of age. “The early reviews have been really good,” said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

Mariners To Select Contract Of Andrew Albers

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The Mariners will select the contract of just-acquired lefty Andrew Albers, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (via Twitter). He’ll step into the rotation spot that opened when James Paxton hit the DL.

It’s not yet known how the M’s will clear roster space, but corresponding moves will need to be made before the scheduled start tomorrow. Albers is not on the 40-man roster, as he was playing on a minor-league deal when Seattle dealt for him on Friday.

Albers has not yet made an appearance, so his first work in his new organization will come at the major league level. The southpaw has seen the majors in the past, though only for 79 2/3 total innings, most of which came back in 2013.

That said, Albers has been quite good this year for the top Braves affiliate. He  owns 2.61 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 over his 120 2/3 innings. The soft-tossing control artist also owns a solid 46.1% groundball rate.

Needless to say, it’s hard to land pitching in August, so the M’s will hope their creative solution pays dividends. Albers was not on a 40-man roster and therefore did not need to pass through waivers to be traded.

Finding A Left-Handed Reliever For The Astros

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Earlier today, MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Astros are still on the hunt for left-handed bullpen upgrades. That’s a logical target for a team that missed out on the likes of Zach Britton, Justin Wilson and Brad Hand prior to the non-waiver deadline, but bullpen upgrades won’t be easy to come by in Houston.

The Astros have their league’s best record, meaning any AL player that is placed on revocable trade waivers will have to go through the entire league unclaimed before Houston has a chance. And, any National League player placed on waivers will need to go unclaimed by every other MLB organization to make it to Houston. In other words: any clearly desirable left-hander isn’t going to make it to Jeff Luhnow and his staff.

Houston has had some success in turning scrap-heap arms into key contributors, though, as the presence of Collin McHugh and Will Harris on their roster indicates. They’ll need to hope for similarly good fortune in their 2017 efforts to add a southpaw, as there’s no longer a clear upgrade that Houston can easily acquire. With that said, here are a few speculative avenues for them to explore…

Struggling Left-Handed Starters

  • Derek Holland, White Sox: Holland opened the season with impressive April/May ERAs that were backed by more dubious peripherals. He’s remained healthy but seen his results crater in recent months. But, he’s also held lefties to a dismal .216/.279/.333 line. A shift to a short-relief role would likely allow his 91 mph average fastball to trend upward, toward the 93-94 mph he used to average as a starter. Holland signed a one-year, $6MM deal this winter and is owed about $1.57MM of that sum.
  • Wade Miley, Orioles: Miley was brilliant in his last start and has turned in three useful outings in a row, but the Orioles still may relish the chance to escape the money he’s owed. Miley is guaranteed $2.23MM through season’s end and has a $500K buyout on a $12MM option for 2018. He’s been rocked for a 5.17 ERA (5.09 FIP, 4.57 xFIP, 4.98 SIERA) but has limited lefties to a lowly .211/.326/.289 output.

Sizable Contracts

  • Brett Cecil, Cardinals: Cecil’s first season of a four-year, $30.5MM deal has been a disappointment, as he’s averaging three fewer strikeouts per nine innings in 2017 than he has in any of the past three seasons and also has his highest BB/9 rate since 2014. Lefties have clobbered him in 2017, but Cecil has a solid track record and a contract that is extremely likely to clear waivers (if it hasn’t already). He does have a full no-trade clause, which adds to the potential complications, and it’s not at all clear that the Cards will be looking to make any such moves now that they have fully joined the NL Central hunt.

Bullpen Reclamation Projects

  • J.P. Howell, Blue Jays: Howell has missed most of the season due to discomfort and tightness in his left shoulder, but returned earlier this month and has made three appearances in August. Despite a mostly solid four-year run with the Dodgers, Howell settled for a one-year deal worth $3MM this winter. He averaged just 85 mph on his fastball earlier this year but has added another mile or so to that total since returning. Howell thrived with just an 86-87 mph average heater in L.A., so he’s had success at this velo level before.
  • Aaron Loup, Blue Jays: Loup is missing bats and has a ground-ball rate north of 55 percent, but his BB/9 rate is up from 2.5 in 2016 to 4.6 in 2017. He hasn’t had especially dominant numbers against lefties since an excellent 2012-14 run, but lefties that miss bats and have a chance to pass a decent ways through waivers are few and far between. Loup is earning $1.125MM in 2017 and can be controlled through 2018 via arbitration. Though he carries only a 4.62 ERA over the past three seasons, it’s at best questionable whether he’d make it to Houston on the wire.
  • Ian Krol, Braves: Krol posted a 3.18 ERA with 9.9 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 56 percent grounder rate as recently as 2016, but he’s had a disastrous 2017. Krol’s K/9 rate is down to 8.2, while his BB/9 rate has nearly doubled to 4.2. His gaudy ground-ball rate has plummeted to 40.2 percent as well. The 26-year-old has been clobbered by righties and lefties alike, but he can be controlled through 2020. His recent success and those years of control could lead a team to place a claim before he gets to Houston, though.
  • Josh Edgin, Mets: Edgin was already outrighted off the 40-man roster, so he needn’t clear revocable waivers to move. The 30-year-old’s K/BB numbers took a nosedive in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, though he did post a passable 3.65 ERA in 37 innings this year. However, even with that palatable earned run average, he still went unclaimed when placed on outright waivers in early August.

Solid Results, Limited Track Record

  • Daniel Coulombe, Athletics: Coulombe has posted quality FIP marks in the past but has never gotten his bottom-line results to line up with those indicators until 2017. Soon to turn 28, Coulombe has a 3.63 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 53.9 percent ground-ball rate in 39 2/3 innings.
  • Daniel Stumpf, Tigers: Stumpf turned in a nice performance in Triple-A, and while his strikeout totals haven’t carried over to the bigs, he’s been a useful ’pen piece in small sample. Through 22 1/3 innings, the former Rule 5 pick has a 2.78 ERA, though his secondary stats don’t support that mark. Stumpf has averaged 7.9 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 against a 42.2 percent ground-ball rate. He can be controlled through 2022, though he comes with an 80-game PED suspension on his record.
  • Sam Freeman, Braves: It may not be all that likely that the 30-year-old Freeman would get anywhere close to the Astros on the waiver wire. He’s having a nice season, with a 3.43 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a 59 percent ground-ball rate in 42 innings. He’s also controlled through the 2020 campaign. He’s bounced around the league via minor trades in recent years and signed a minor league deal this past winter, but his 2017 performance would almost certainly lead to more interest than he’s generated in the past.

Astros Place Brian McCann On DL, Designate Jordan Jankowski

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The Astros have placed catcher Brian McCann on the 10-day DL and designated righty Jordan Jankowski for assignment, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter links). Jankowski will lose his 40-man spot to allow the club to select the contract of Max Stassi, who is needed to fill in for McCann.

It isn’t yet known what kind of absence McCann is facing, though it doesn’t sound like there’s too much cause for concern. The veteran backstop is said to be dealing with right knee soreness. Given Houston’s commanding position in the AL West standings, some down time for McCann won’t likely hurt.

In McCann’s steady, the 26-year-old Stassi will get his first MLB time in 2017. He has appeared very briefly in each of the four prior campaigns; while it seemed he’d get a longer look in 2016, that failed to come about due to an injury and Stassi ended up losing his 40-man spot.

Thus far in 2017, Stassi has turned around what had been a lengthy offensive malaise. Through 287 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors, he’s slashing .266/.383/.473 with a dozen home runs and greatly improved plate discipline (13.2% walk rate against a 23.3% strikeout rate).

Jankowski will not control his fate. He’ll either end up with another organization (via trade or claim), land back at Triple-A Fresno after being outrighted (without right of refusal), or be set onto the open market (if the ’Stros don’t wish to keep him).

Thus far in 2017, the 28-year-old Jankowski has failed to carry a sub-4.00 ERA for the first time as a professional. Through 40 1/3 innings at Triple-A, he owns a 5.13 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. Jankowski did earn his first MLB call-up, though he was knocked around in 4 1/3 innings, and could intrigue other organizations with his history of big strikeout numbers.

Blue Jays To Sign Brett Anderson

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The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor-league pact with free-agent lefty Brett Anderson, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Anderson still must undergo a physical before the deal is finalized.

Toronto has struggled to fill out its rotation, with injuries leaving openings and the team dealing away Francisco Liriano at the deadline. While a Wild Card run still seems generally unlikely, there’s enough of an opening that it certainly makes sense for the Jays to seek out some new options. And there could be a greater rotation need if the club ends up dealing Marco Estrada.

Anderson will represent a free-roll for Toronto. The Cubs promised the 29-year-old a $3.5MM payday for the current season and remain on the hook for the remainder after releasing him earlier this summer. Toronto would only need to pony up the league-minimum rate of pay for any time that Anderson spends on the MLB roster.

Both Anderson and the Jays will hope for a bounceback performance after Anderson struggled with Chicago. Back issues have again been a significant problem, and Anderson’s 22 MLB innings have not gone well. In that span, he was roughed up to the tune of 20 earned runs on 34 hits and a dozen walks.

There have been better days in the past, of course. For most of his career, Anderson has turned in quality results when healthy. As recently as 2015, he was able to spin 180 1/3 innings of 3.69 ERA ball, though that was his first full season since 2009 and ending up giving way to an injury-shortened 2016 campaign.

Should the southpaw earn his way back up to the majors, he ought to have enough time to showcase his form for possible winter suitors. While the injury history significantly limits his earning upside, Anderson could still conceivably score a MLB deal over the offseason if he’s able to turn in a handful of effective starts for Toronto.

Blue Jays Select Tim Mayza’s Contract, Release Taylor Cole

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The Blue Jays announced on Monday that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Tim Mayza from Triple-A Buffalo. In order to clear roster space, Toronto has optioned right-hander Leonel Campos back to Buffalo and given righty Taylor Cole his unconditional release.

Cole’s release comes on the heels of a tough MLB debut, during which he allowed four runs on six hits and a walk with one strikeout. The Jays had placed Cole on the 10-day DL due to a fractured fifth toe in his right foot shortly after he made that debut. The 27-year-old Cole had a solid 2016 season — 3.97 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 in 77 innings — but missed most of the 2017 campaign recovering from an injury.

As for Mayza, the 25-year-old will be making his own MLB debut the first time he takes the mound. A 12th-round pick back in 2013, Mayza logged a lackluster 4.59 ERA in Double-A before taking off with a 0.93 ERA and a 16-to-7 K/BB ratio in 19 1/3 innings with Triple-A Buffalo. Overall, he has a 3.25 ERA with a 58-to-22 K/BB ratio in 52 2/3 minor league innings this season.

2017 Opt-Out Clause Update

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The last look we took at the handful of players with opt-out clauses following the 2017 season was more than a month ago, and a few of their situations may have changed since that early July check-in. Here’s an update on this group of potential free agents…

[Related: MLBTR Free Agent Power Rankings: August Edition]

Trending Up

  • Justin Upton, Tigers ($88.5MM from 2018-21): There have been plenty of suggestions that there’s no way Upton will walk away from that contract, but we’re not really sold on that notion. Upton was terrible in his first three months with the Tigers but is hitting .274/.352/.542 (137 wRC+) with 45 homers dating back to July 1, 2016. Over the past calendar year, he’s hitting .281/.366/.571 (148 wRC+) with 40 homers in 631 PAs. He’s been seven to nine runs above average in left field, per UZR and DRS, as well. Upton will play next year at the age of 30 and needs only to feel he can top Hanley Ramirez’s guarantee to opt out. Beyond that, he may simply like the idea of moving to a team that isn’t openly trying to pare back its payroll and retool for the future.
  • Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees ($67MM from 2018-20): Tanaka’s home-run woes are an unequivocally troubling issue, but his numbers since the summer began are encouraging. Since May 26, Tanaka has a 3.99 ERA with 10.7 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and a 47.6 percent ground-ball rate — good for a 3.12 xFIP and a 3.17 SIERA. The numbers are even better if you look at his past nine starts (3.00 ERA, 65 K, 12 BB, 57 innings). The health concerns are well known. Tanaka had a partial UCL tear in his rookie season but was able to avoid Tommy John, and he’s currently on the DL with what is reportedly some minor shoulder fatigue. The righty has averaged 2.2 HR/9 this year, but he’s also going to be just 29 years old next year. An opt-out looked highly unlikely two months ago but now looks entirely plausible, as long as this latest DL trip proves minor.
  • Welington Castillo, Orioles ($7MM player option): Since last check, Castillo has absolutely raked. He’s batted .308/.345/.500 with four homers and three doubles in his past 84 PAs, and his overall batting line it up to .283/.319/.457 (103 wRC+). Castillo’s framing marks have improved from some of the worst in the league to roughly average (per Baseball Prospectus), and he’s halted an incredible 46 percent of stolen-base attempts against him in 2017. He should be able to top a one-year, $7MM deal with ease this winter.

Trending Down

  • Greg Holland, Rockies ($15MM player option): Since our last check, Holland has reminded everyone that he is indeed mortal. In his past 11 2/3 frames, he’s coughed up eight runs on a dozen hits and six walks with 14 strikeouts. Six of those runs have come in his past two outings, but as long as that proves to be a blip on the radar, Holland still seems a safe bet to opt out. If he significantly fades in his first year back from Tommy John or lands on the disabled list, though, there’s at least a chance that he takes the option. Assuming he remains healthy, though, Holland will likely look to top Mark Melancon’s four-year, $62MM deal this winter.
  • Johnny Cueto, Giants ($84MM from 2018-21): It’s been almost a month since Cueto last set foot on a Major League mound, as he’s been sidelined with a forearm issue that has significantly clouded his chances of opting out. Reports earlier in the summer suggested that a slow start wasn’t going to deter Cueto from opting out, but a month-long injury scare and an ERA in the upper-4.00s certainly might. Cueto, 32 in February, has a 4.59 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and the second worst ground-ball rate of his career (39.2 percent). FIP, xFIP and SIERA all peg him at 4.41 or worse.

Unchanged Since Last Check

  • Matt Wieters, Nationals ($10.5MM player option): Wieters wasn’t hitting in early July, and he’s hitting even less now. His defensive reputation limited him to a two-year, $21MM deal with a player option after year one on the 2016-17 open market, and that was coming off a much better offensive season. Wieters seems extremely likely to take the $10.5MM in 2018.
  • Ian Kennedy, Royals ($49MM from 2018-20): Kennedy’s results have improved slightly since the last opt-out update, but it’s hardly enough to make it likely that he’ll opt out of that significant guarantee. Through 120 innings in 2017, Kennedy has averaged 1.65 HR/9, tying a career-worst mark, while both his strikeout and walk rates have gone the wrong direction. He’s also missed a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury, and he’ll turn 33 this December.
  • Wei-Yin Chen, Marlins ($52MM from 2018-20): No change here. Chen has scarcely been able to pitch in 2017 due to a reported partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. He’s reportedly still aiming for a late comeback, but that won’t be enough to give him the earning power to top his remaining guarantee.

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