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Archives for September 2017

Blue Jays Designate Nick Tepesch For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have announced that they’ve designated righty Nick Tepesch for assignment. The move clears space for righty Luis Santos, whose contract the team has selected from Triple-A Buffalo.

The Blue Jays acquired the 28-year-old Tepesch from the Twins in a minor July deal, and after a brief stint at Triple-A, hhe allowed nine earned runs (and six unearned runs) in 15 2/3 innings in four starts with the big club before returning to Buffalo last week. The 28-year-old has a 4.71 ERA, 5.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 over 238 2/3 innings spanning parts of four seasons in the big leagues.

The 26-year-old Santos spent time in the Pirates and Royals organizations before signing a minor-league pact with the Jays early in the 2015 season. He’s produced a 4.07 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 108 1/3 innings in the rotation at Buffalo this year. It’s not immediately clear what role he’ll take with the Blue Jays, but should he stick with them, protecting him on their 40-man roster would prevent him from departing via minor-league free agency this winter. He also hasn’t pitched since last Thursday, potentially making him a useful short-term addition.

Minor MLB Transactions: Holmberg, Liriano, Lewicki

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The White Sox announced yesterday that they’d selected the contract of lefty David Holmberg from Triple-A Charlotte. Holmberg spent three months on the White Sox staff earlier this year, posting a respectable 3.55 ERA, but with 5.0 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 over 50 2/3 innings, including six starts. The team outrighted him last month. The 26-year-old has now pitched parts of four seasons in the big leagues, also appearing with the Diamondbacks and Reds.
  • The White Sox announced today that they’d placed outfielder Leury Garcia on the 10-day DL with a sprained thumb, replacing him with Rymer Liriano, whose contract they selected from Charlotte. Liriano was once a top prospect in the Padres organization, but they designated him for assignment prior to the 2016 season. He found a home with the Brewers, only to have his 2016 campaign derailed when he was hit by a pitch in Spring Training. The White Sox claimed him last winter, then outrighted him near the end of Spring Training. He batted .256/.323/.416 with Charlotte and now appears set for his first big-league action since 2014.
  • The Tigers will soon place Victor Martinez on the 60-day DL and select the contract of righty Artie Lewicki, MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets. Lewicki will start against the Royals on Monday, taking the unenviable task of filling Justin Verlander’s spot in the rotation. The 25-year-old Lewicki was the Tigers’ eighth-round pick out of the University of Virginia in 2014. This year, he’s produced a 3.38 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 141 innings split between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo. The impending Martinez move comes as little surprise, since he requires chronic ablation surgery and is out for the remainder of the season.

Mariners Designate Shawn O’Malley For Assignment

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The Mariners have designated utilityman Shawn O’Malley for assignment, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets. The move clears space on the team’s 40-man roster for infielder Gordon Beckham, whose contract the Mariners have selected from Triple-A Tacoma.

The 29-year-old O’Malley played a significant role on the 2016 Mariners, batting .229/.299/.319 in 89 games while playing six positions. This year, however, he missed time due to an appendectomy, then a significant shoulder injury. He hasn’t appeared in the big leagues at all and hasn’t hit much in 20 games with Tacoma as he’s tried to shake off the rust.

Beckham signed with the Mariners after the Giants released him near the end of Spring Training. He’s produced a .262/.313/.393 line this season for Tacoma. The veteran played in 88 games last year with the Braves and Giants, batting .212/.294/.347. He should provide a bit of extra infield depth for the Mariners down the stretch.

5 Key Stories: Verlander, Upton, Phillips, Leake, Gonzalez, Nicasio

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Here’s a look back at some of the top stories from an eventful week here at MLBTR.

Justin VerlanderAstros acquire Justin Verlander. The Astros made one of the biggest moves at the August 31 deadline, acquiring Justin Verlander, $16MM, and a player to be named later or cash considerations in return for prospects Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron and Jake Rogers. The run-up to the deal was dramatic, as Verlander initially said no to being dealt to Houston, hoping instead to be traded to the Cubs. The Astros also added outfielder Cameron Maybin in a waiver claim from the Angels.

Angels acquire Justin Upton, Brandon Phillips. The Tigers completed another leg of their rebuilding plan in a surprising move this week, sending Justin Upton to the Angels for prospect Grayson Long and a player to be named later or cash. The Angels, hoping to aid their run at contention, took on all of the $88.5MM left on Upton’s contract beyond this year, assuming he doesn’t exercise his opt-out clause. They also added another veteran big-leaguer, Brandon Phillips, sending catcher Tony Sanchez to the Braves in return.

Mariners acquire Mike Leake. Upton’s wasn’t the only big contract to change hands this week, as the Cardinals shipped righty Mike Leake, international bonus spending rights, and around $17MM to Seattle for infielder Rayner Ascanio. Leake, who is under contract through 2020, has joined the Mariners’ rotation. In a separate deal, the Mariners also sent outfielder Leonys Martin and cash to the Cubs for a player to be named later or cash. In other significant Cardinals news this week, the team designated longtime reliever Kevin Siegrist for assignment. The Cardinals also promoted top prospect Jack Flaherty to take Leake’s place in the rotation.

Rangers acquire Miguel Gonzalez. The Rangers sent Yu Darvish to the Dodgers earlier this summer, but this week they made a move that suggests they haven’t quite pulled the plug on their 2017 season, acquiring righty starter Miguel Gonzalez from the White Sox for infielder Ti’Quan Forbes. The Rangers also welcomed back reliever Jake Diekman this week after Diekman struggled for months with inflammatory bowel disease. The team will have to pursue a playoff berth without Adrian Beltre, however, as it emerged this week that he would miss four weeks with a hamstring strain.

Phillies claim Juan Nicasio after Pirates place him on outright waivers. The Pirates made the surprising decision earlier this week to place reliever Juan Nicasio on irrevocable outright waivers, and the Phillies snapped him up even though they’re not in contention and Nicasio is eligible to depart via free agency in the offseason. (The Phillies also added a second veteran reliever this week, claiming Siegrist from the Cardinals.) Pirates GM Neal Huntington explained that he hoped placing Nicasio on waivers would enable him to be claimed by a contender in the American League.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Victor Martinez To Miss Rest Of Season

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SATURDAY: Martinez will have chronic ablation surgery and will miss the remainder of the season, Fenech writes (all Twitter links). He will be placed on the 60-day DL tomorrow. The Tigers do expect Martinez to play in 2018.

SUNDAY 6:42pm: The Tigers do not have insurance on what’s left of Martinez’s contract (around $21MM through 2018) if he cannot be cleared to return, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

10:58am: Martinez had a rapid heartbeat after the Tigers’ game in Chicago on Saturday and had to stay overnight at a hospital as a result, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com (on Twitter). The expectation is that Martinez will be released from the hospital today, after which he’ll head back to Detroit. The Tigers won’t decide on a timetable for a potential return to the field until they determine what’s causing Martinez’s heart issue, Beck adds.

10:22am: The Tigers announced that they have placed designated hitter Victor Martinez on the 10-day disabled list with an irregular heartbeat and recalled outfielder JaCoby Jones from Triple-A Toledo.

This is the second time this year Martinez has landed on the DL with an irregular heartbeat since he was diagnosed with the condition in mid-June. Martinez required a short stay in a Detroit-area hospital then, but he was able to return to action in under two weeks. The hope is that the 38-year-old Martinez will be able to make a similarly speedy recovery this time around, and MLBTR extends its best wishes to the respected and accomplished veteran.

Phillies Claim Kevin Siegrist From Cardinals

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The Phillies have announced that they’ve claimed lefty Kevin Siegrist from the Cardinals. The Cards designated Siegrist for assignment on Thursday as they activated him from a stint he spent on the DL with forearm tendinitis. To clear space on their 40-man roster, the Phillies have transferred righty Jerad Eickhoff (hand) to the 60-day DL.

Siegrist was a key reliever for the Cardinals in 2015 and 2016, when he combined for a 2.44 ERA, 10.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 over 136 1/3 innings. This season, though, he’s dealt with a neck injury in addition to the forearm problem, and he’s posted a 4.98 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 over 34 1/3 innings. He’s also dealt with somewhat diminished velocity, with his mid-90s heater dipping more into the 92-93 MPH range.

Siegrist is, however, eligible for arbitration for two more seasons after this one and he’s making a modest $1.64MM this year. Assuming he’s able to come back healthy, the Phillies can use the rest of the season to get a read on him, then decide if they want to keep him in their bullpen as a relatively cheap addition for 2018. The Phillies, despite not contending this season, have also already shown somewhat of a willingness to take on short-term veteran bullpen upgrades, having also recently added Juan Nicasio on a waiver claim.

Michael Conforto To Have Shoulder Surgery

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Mets outfielder Michael Conforto will soon have surgery to repair his torn shoulder capsule, tweets MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. The team placed Conforto on the DL last week.

It was already fairly clear that Conforto would not be back this season. (The Mets also added Nori Aoki today in a signing that probably would have happened independent of the news that Conforto needs surgery.) What’s not known, at this point, is how Conforto’s surgery might affect the timeline for his recovery. Via DiComo, the Mets will not announce a timeline for Conforto’s return until the surgery is complete.

Prior to the injury, Conforto enjoyed a breakout year in 2017, batting .279 with a .384 OBP and an outstanding .555 slugging percentage, with 27 home runs in 109 games. The 24-year-old former top prospect obviously appears set to play a significant role in the Mets’ outfield for the foreseeable future, health permitting.

Dodgers Designate Jordan Jankowski For Assignment

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The Dodgers have announced that they’ve designated righty Jordan Jankowski for assignment. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for righty Wilmer Font, whose contract the team selected today. The Dodgers also promoted Font and righty Brock Stewart to the big leagues.

The Dodgers added Jankowski on a waiver claim from the Astros less than two weeks ago. The 28-year-old has a 5.61 ERA, 11.4 K/9 and 5.8 BB/9 in 43 1/3 innings of relief at the Triple-A level this season. He also debuted with the Astros earlier this year, giving up six runs in 4 1/3 innings.

The 27-year-old Font, meanwhile, was named the PCL Pitcher of the Year after a remarkable season for Triple-A Oklahoma City in which he posted a 3.42 ERA, 11.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 over 134 1/3 innings. The former Rangers farmhand signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays after a stint in independent ball last season, then headed to the Dodgers on another minor-league pact last winter.

Cubs Designate Jack Leathersich For Assignment

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The Cubs have designated lefty Jack Leathersich for assignment, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat tweets. The move clears space on the team’s 40-man roster for newly acquired outfielder Leonys Martin.

The 27-year-old Leathersich has spent most of the season at Triple-A Iowa, posting a 2.84 ERA, 5.7 BB/9 and an eye-popping 14.6 K/9 over 44 1/3 innings. Those numbers, combined with the fact that Leathersich has options remaining, could win him some attention on the waiver wire. He does, however, have limited big-league experience, and he struggled in brief duty with the Cubs earlier this season. The Cubs acquired Leathersich on a waiver claim from the Mets in the 2015-16 offseason, later re-signed him to a minor-league deal, then added him to their 40-man roster last winter.

Mets Sign Nori Aoki

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The Mets have signed veteran outfielder Nori Aoki, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. The Blue Jays released Aoki earlier this week, making him eligible to sign with any team for a prorated portion of the league minimum salary.

The 35-year-old Aoki has produced a respectable .274/.319/.402 line over 258 plate appearances with the Astros and Jays this season, but has now changed teams twice, first heading from Houston to Toronto in the Francisco Liriano deal (likely in part to balance salaries in that trade) and now going from Toronto to New York. He has little power, with just five home runs this season, but he retains some of his established ability to make contact and still rates as approximately an average defender in a corner.

Aoki will aid a Mets team that’s short in the outfield following the departures of Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson last month, as well as significant injuries to Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto. Aoki is eligible for salary arbitration in the offseason, but he would likely be in line to receive a salary above the $5.5MM he’s getting this season, so he appears to be a non-tender candidate.

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