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Archives for August 2017

Rangers Release Pete Kozma

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The Rangers have released infielder Pete Kozma from his minor league contract, as per John Blake, the team’s executive VP of communications (Twitter link).  Texas designated Kozma for assignment and outrighted him off the 40-man roster in July.

Kozma was claimed off waivers from the Yankees at the end of April, appearing in 28 games for Texas and playing around the diamond at all four infield positions.  For the season as a whole, Kozma has played in 39 games with the Rangers and Yankees but made only 51 plate appearances, largely serving as a late-game defensive sub or pinch-runner.  Kozma only has a .378 OPS for the year, continuing his career-long status as a light-hitting utility specialist.

Padres Extend Andy Green’s Contract

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The Padres have extended the contract of manager Andy Green, as per a team press release.  Terms weren’t officially announced by the club, though MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell reports (Twitter link) that Green received a three-year extension to his current deal, so he’ll now remain in change of the Padres’ dugout through the 2021 season.  FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman recently reported that Green’s original deal included at least one club option year, so this new extension overwrites that option (or options) with a firmer commitment.

Green has just a 119-159 record since being hired as San Diego’s manager in the 2015-16 offseason, though of course his stewardship of a rebuilding team wasn’t being judged on wins and losses.  It is clear that upper management feels Green is the best choice to lead the team through the rebuilding phase and eventually into contention.

“[Green’s] managerial style is characterized by intelligence, preparation and integrity, and he has continually proven himself to be the right person to lead this young team,” Padres owners Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler stated in the press release.  “We look forward to him managing, motivating and teaching the many waves of talent that we know are on their way to San Diego.”

A veteran of four MLB seasons, Green spent four years managing within the Diamondbacks’ farm system before becoming Arizona’s third base coach for the 2015 season.  Green just turned 40 years old last month and is still the second-youngest current manager in the bigs (Rays skipper Kevin Cash is 39).

Ian Kinsler Fails To Clear Revocable Waivers

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TODAY: Kinsler will remain with the Tigers, Heyman tweets, as no trade was worked out with the team that claimed him.

FRIDAY, 5:23pm: The Brewers did not win the claim for Kinsler, Heyman tweets. Milwaukee had reportedly shown interest in the veteran in recent weeks.

4:54pm: It seems unlikely a deal will be worked out, Heyman hints (Twitter links). The (still unknown) claiming team tried and failed to land Kinsler before the non-waiver deadline and hasn’t made headway since winning the claim. There’s “no optimism” of that changing, per the report.

3:20pm: Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler will not make it through revocable waivers, as an as-yet unidentified team has placed a claim on the veteran, per a report from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). It’s not yet known whether Kinsler will end up in a new uniform, though.

Detroit still remains in control of Kinsler’s fate. It can work out a trade to send him to the claiming team, allow that club to take on his contract without compensation, or choose instead simply to revoke the waiver placement. In the last scenario, Kinsler would remain under control of the Tigers, but in effect he would no longer be able to be traded this year. (Detroit could still put him on waivers again, but this time would not have the option to revoke the placement.)

According to prior reports, Kinsler’s waiver period ended at noon CST yesterday. From that point on, any claiming team would have 48 hours to work out a deal, meaning we’re just past the halfway point in that period. It’s likely, then, that the Tigers are still working with the mystery team to resolve Kinsler’s fate.

The 35-year-old is a steady performer, even if he may not again match last year’s top-quality output. Kinsler has consistently rated as a premium defender at second and has long been an above-average hitter. That he’s now carries a below-average batting line on the year isn’t much of a concern given his track record, evidence of poor fortune in 2017 (.260 BABIP on a career-best 37.1% hard-hit rate), and the high floor that his glove creates.

That profile makes Kinsler’s contract seem like a fairly valuable asset. He’s earning $11MM this year — with something like $3MM left to go — and can be retained via club option for $12MM for 2018. (The $5MM buyout likely won’t come into play.) Plugging in a perennial first-division regular at that kind of rate would hold appeal to quite a few organizations; clearly, at least one has real interest. Whether or not the claiming team has significant enough interest to get the Tigers to bite on a deal, though, remains to be seen.

Brewers Place Brent Suter On 10-Day DL, Designate Michael Blazek

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The Brewers have placed left-hander Brent Suter on the 10-day DL with a left rotator cuff strain and designated right-hander Michael Blazek for assignment, as per a team announcement.

[Updated Brewers depth chart at Roster Resource]

Suter’s injury could very well explain his lack of effectiveness over his last three starts (13 ER in 14 1/3 innings), though the southpaw has provided the Brew Crew with solid overall results as both a reliever and starter this season.  Suter has a 3.79 ERA, 2.72 K/BB rate and 7.4 K/9 over 59 1/3 IP, starting nine of his 16 appearances.  Prior to this ugly three-start stretch, Suter had been on fire, with a 1.50 ERA over his previous five starts and 30 innings pitched.

It isn’t yet known who will step into Suter’s rotation spot.  Junior Guerra is probably the likeliest candidate, though the righty has struggled with both injuries and ineffectiveness in the wake of his breakout 2016 year and is currently at Triple-A.  Paolo Espino and Wily Peralta are also options in the minors, though these two have also not provided good results at the big league level this season.

This is the second time Blazek has entered DFA limbo this season, as Milwaukee designated the right-hander in April and then outrighted him to Triple-A.  A big contributor out of the Brewers’ bullpen in 2015, Blazek struggled last season and has been hit hard in limited action this year, allowing six homers in just 8 2/3 IP en route to an 8.31 ERA.  Blazek’s numbers at the Triple-A level have been solid, however, so he’s likely to continue on as organizational relief depth.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/13/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

  • The Mets have selected the contract of right-hander Kevin McGowan, who will fill the open roster spot left behind after Neil Walker’s trade to the Brewers.  McGowan, 25, was a 13th-round pick for the Mets in the 2013 draft and he owns a 3.90 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 2.29 K/BB rate over 62 innings (one start in 44 appearances) at the Triple-A level this season.
  • The Astros released left-hander Ashur Tolliver, as per Paul Braverman of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies media relations department (Twitter link).  Tolliver spent much of the season at Triple-A, where he struggled to a 7.13 ERA and 33 walks (against just 28 strikeouts) in 35 1/3 innings.  He also appeared in three games at the big league level for the Astros, posting a 3.60 ERA in five innings but also walking four batters as the control problems continued.  Houston outrighted Tolliver off its 40-man roster last month.
  • The Mariners selected the contract of righty Christian Bergman prior to yesterday’s game (Bergman got some immediate use, tossing a scoreless inning in Seattle’s 6-3 loss to the Angels.)  Right-hander Andrew Moore was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.  Bergman has a 5.32 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 2.14 K/BB rate in 47 1/3 innings for the M’s this season, with eight of his 10 appearances coming as a starting pitcher.  He was outrighted by the Mariners just last week, though made a relatively quick return to not just 40-man status, but the big league roster.

Tigers Designate Edward Mujica For Assignment

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The Tigers have designated right-hander Edward Mujica for assignment, as per a team announcement.  Righty Jeff Ferrell’s contract has been selected from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Mujica signed a minor league deal with Detroit last winter and posted some excellent numbers (2.35 ERA, 7.6 K/BB rate, 7.4 K/9) in 46 relief innings for Triple-A Toledo.  This performance earned Mujica a promotion on August 3, though the veteran righty was hit hard for 9.95 ERA over 6 1/3 innings, surrendering at least one run in four of his five outings as a Tiger.

Mujica has now pitched in parts of 11 big league seasons with seven different teams, and his Tigers stint marks his first taste of MLB action since 2015.  Mujica was an All-Star in 2013 after emerging as the Cardinals’ closer and posted solid numbers out of the Red Sox bullpen as recently as 2014, though he took a step back in 2015 and then bounced around three different teams’ minor league affiliates last season.

Ferrell, by coincidence, also last pitched in the majors in 2015, with a nine-game cup of coffee accounting for his entire MLB resume.  The 26-year-old was originally drafted by the Tigers in the 26th round of the 2010 draft, and he has a 4.00 ERA, 2.96 K/BB rate and 7.6 K/9 over 546 1/3 IP in the minors.  Working as a full-time reliever this season, Ferrell has an impressive 2.28 ERA and 9.9 K/9 over 55 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A, holding right-handed batters to just a .482 OPS.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Pedroia, Tanaka, Walker

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IMPACT ROSTER MOVES

  • DET: OF Alex Presley activated from 10-Day DL; OF/1B Jim Adduci optioned to minors. | Tigers Depth Chart
    • Presley played RF and batted 8th in Saturday’s game. He’s expected to play regularly vs. right-handed starting pitchers.
  • SF: RP Mark Melancon activated from 10-Day DL; INF Miguel Gomez (knee inflammation) placed on 10-Day DL. | Giants Depth Chart | Closer Depth Chart
    • Melancon is expected to work in low-leverage situations to start out with.
  • TEX: SP Tyson Ross activated from 10-Day DL; INF/OF Ryan Rua optioned to minors. | Rangers Depth Chart

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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

  • ATL: OF Matt Kemp will likely be activated from 10-Day DL on Friday August 18th. | Braves Depth Chart
  • LAD: 1B Adrian Gonzalez will be activated from 60-Day DL during their upcoming road trip (Aug. 18-24) | Dodgers Depth Chart
  • LAD: RP Chris Hatcher will be activated from 10-Day DL on Sunday August 13th. | Dodgers Depth Chart

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MINOR TRANSACTIONS

 

Bryce Harper Exits With Apparent Knee Injury

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Right fielder Bryce Harper departed the Nationals’ game against the Giants on Saturday with an apparent injury to his left knee. The injury occurred when Harper tried to beat out a ground ball, per the Washington Post’s Jorge Castillo, who adds that the superstar had to be helped off the field and didn’t put any weight on his leg when he exited (Twitter links). As the video shows (via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, on Twitter), Harper slipped while crossing the first base bag, which was “clearly wet” as a result of rainy conditions in Washington, tweets Castillo.

The Nationals already lost one of their starting outfielders for the year when center fielder Adam Eaton suffered a torn ACL in April, while left fielder Jayson Werth has been out since early June with foot issues. The club has also had to go without Eaton’s replacement, Michael Taylor, for over a month because of an oblique injury, while standout shortstop Trea Turner has been on the shelf since the end of June with a fractured wrist. The Nationals, to their credit, have withstood those absences en route to a 68-45 record and an insurmountable 14-game lead in the NL East.

While injuries haven’t stopped the Nationals to this point, remaining an elite team without Harper would be an incredibly difficult task. Harper is arguably the best player in the National League, after all, and will have a strong chance to win his second MVP this season if his injury isn’t as catastrophic as it appears. In his age-24 campaign, Harper has slashed a remarkable .326/.419/.614 with 29 home runs in 472 plate appearances. His 5.0 fWAR ranks third in the NL, trailing only Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (5.2) and one of Harper’s teammates, third baseman Anthony Rendon (5.1).

Washington replaced Harper on Saturday with Brian Goodwin, who shifted from center to right, and brought Andrew Stevenson off the bench to occupy center. Longtime first baseman Adam Lind and the recently acquired Howie Kendrick join Goodwin and the untested Stevenson as the team’s only healthy outfield options at the moment.

Mariners Sign Jeanmar Gomez To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have signed reliever Jeanmar Gomez to a minor league contract, as Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto reports that the Rainiers added the right-hander to their roster on Saturday (Twitter link). Gomez opted out of his minors pact with the Brewers on Monday, according to KKTV 11 in Colorado Springs.

The 29-year-old Gomez signed with the Brewers less than a month ago, on July 15, and performed well with their Colorado Springs-based Triple-A affiliate. Gomez totaled 8 1/3 innings with the club and allowed two earned runs on seven hits and a walk, with seven strikeouts. He wasn’t nearly as effective at the major league level this year with the Phillies, who released him June 24. Philadelphia parted with Gomez after he turned in a 7.25 ERA across 22 1/3 innings and experienced a dip in his already low velocity, though he did post career-best strikeout and walk numbers (8.46 K/9 and 2.82 BB/9) and a 50.7 percent ground-ball rate.

If Gomez ultimately gets to Seattle, it’ll be his fourth major league club since he debuted with the Indians in 2010. Gomez was at his best with the Pirates from 2013-15, when he combined for 3.28 ERA and a 51.5 percent grounder rate in 142 2/3 innings. Last season, Gomez’s first in Philadelphia, he served as the team’s closer and continued to eat innings (68 2/3) and induce grounders (52 percent). Gomez fell out of favor, though, with an 8.33 ERA during the season’s second half. Overall, he registered a 4.85 ERA and 37 saves, earning him $4.2MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Sale, Keuchel, Otani, Yanks, Jays, Bucs, Mets

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This week in baseball blogs:

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