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East Notes: G. Sanchez, Red Sox, Marlins, Pirates, Phillies, O’s

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This season hasn’t gone according to plan for Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, leading Joel Sherman of the New York Post to wonder if the club could target Miami’s J.T. Realmuto or another starting-caliber backstop during the winter. It doesn’t seem that’s going to happen, though, as Yankees general manager Brian Cashman suggested to Sherman that he hasn’t lost any confidence in Sanchez. “If you are asking if [Sanchez] is a championship-caliber catcher moving forward, the answer is yes,” Cashman said. “Despite circumstances that have played out this year, we will stay with it and hopefully be rewarded for it.” After his bat helped propel him to elite catcher status from 2016-17, Sanchez has slashed an underwhelming .184/.280/.404 in 304 plate appearances this season. On the other side, the 25-year-old has drawn plenty of criticism for defensive miscues, including for his work in Oakland this past Wednesday. Still, it’s easy to see why Cashman remains bullish on Sanchez. With a .189 batting average on balls in play and a massive gap between his real wOBA (.298) and expected wOBA (.366), Sanchez has been one of the game’s unluckiest hitters in 2018, and he has still managed 15 home runs and a .221 ISO. Defensively, Sanchez’s issues may be a tad overblown, evidenced in part by the above-average marks he has earned from StatCorner.

More from the East Coast…

  • Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes is out indefinitely with left hip inflammation, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. With Boston all but locked into the top seed in the American League, Barnes’ loss isn’t much of a blow now. But it could be if the injury continues to linger into the playoffs, as Barnes leads Red Sox relievers in holds (25) and strikeouts per nine (14.19). He has also thrown the second-most innings (58 1/3) of anyone in Boston’s bullpen and logged an impressive 3.39 ERA/2.71 FIP.
  • With righty Trevor Williams on a roll for the Pirates, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald revisits the 2015 trade in which the Marlins sent the hurler to Pittsburgh for fellow righty Richard Mitchell and the right to hire pitching guru Jim Benedict from the Bucs. Williams ranked among the Marlins’ top prospects at the time, making the deal look good for Pittsburgh. It looks even better now, given that the 26-year-old Williams has allowed a combined four earned runs over his past nine starts – a 54 2/3-inning span – to improve his ERA/FIP to 3.15/4.16 across 148 2/3 frames this season. Considering Williams’ current performance and his affordable team control through 2022, not to mention what the Marlins got in the trade, losing him looks rather regrettable for the Fish. Former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria expected Benedict to fix the Marlins’ pitching staff, per Spencer. It didn’t happen, however, and Benedict’s now with the Cubs. Mitchell, meanwhile, was a non-prospect who never threw a pitch with the Miami organization and hasn’t played professionally since the end of his Pirates tenure.
  • Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn broke one of the toes on his right foot, but it’s an injury he can play through, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia was among those to report. Quinn suffered the injury on a hit by pitch on Wednesday and hasn’t played since, though manager Gabe Kapler said the Phillies “have every assurance that this injury is a tolerance issue and when he’s ready to play, he’s good to go.” Nevertheless, as Salisbury details, it adds to a laundry list of injuries for the 25-year-old Quinn – who has still recorded good numbers since debuting last season. Over 153 major league PAs, including 84 this year, Quinn has hit .307/.371/.455 (121 wRC+) with 12 stolen bases.
  • The Orioles plan to re-sign pending free-agent catcher Martin Cervenka, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Cervenka joined the Orioles via the Giants in the minor league phase of last year’s Rule 5 draft, and has since amassed “lots of supporters” within the O’s organization, Kubatko writes. The 26-year-old may even debut in the majors’ next season, as Kubatko adds that Cervenka could have a shot to emerge as the Orioles’ backup catcher in 2019. In doing so, he’d become the first native of the Czech Republic to ever play in the majors. The highest level Cervenka has reached to this point is Double-A, where he put up a .258/.317/.457 line with 15 home runs in 375 PAs this season.

Heyman’s Latest: Harvey, Reds, Brewers, Royals, Smoak, Orioles

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Even though the Reds are out of contention and right-hander Matt Harvey is a pending free agent, the club opted against trading him to the NL Central rival Brewers before last month’s waiver deadline. Milwaukee won the claim for Harvey, but it turns out the Brewers only offered “Triple-A non-prospects” for the 29-year-old, Jon Heyman of Fancred hears. Considering that, not to mention Reds owner Bob Castellini’s reported affinity for Harvey, Cincinnati kept the ex-Met and will likely try to prevent him from leaving via free agency. Pitching will be an area of focus in general for the Reds during the offseason, per Heyman, who adds they may also be on the lookout for one or two outfielders.

More rumblings from Heyman…

  • Royals general manager Dayton Moore said back in April that the team wants skipper Ned Yost around beyond this season. At 46-94, the Royals have since endured a horrific campaign. Nevertheless, Yost remains in their plans, Heyman reports, adding that they plan to offer him a one-year extension. Whether Yost wants to keep the job for 2019, when he’ll turn 64 years old, isn’t yet clear. Yost is in his ninth season as the Royals’ manager, with the team’s World Series title in 2015 serving as the crowning achievement of his tenure.
  • Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak cleared trade waivers last month, but “a couple teams” did check in on him and some of Toronto’s relievers, Heyman writes. That’s not surprising in Smoak’s case, as the switch-hitter’s amid a second straight strong offensive season and comes with another affordable year of team control in the form of an $8MM club option. Perhaps the clubs that have shown interest in him this season will circle back over the winter, then.
  • Earlier this summer, Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette denied a report that the O’s had interviewed former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti for a front office position. However, an interview between one of Orioles owner Peter Angelos’ sons and Colletti did occur, according to Heyman. It’s still not known which position the two sides discussed, though, nor is it clear if Baltimore continues to have interest in Colletti. Notably, Duquette is about to reach the end of his contract – which could put the O’s in the market for a new baseball operations chief – but it’s not a lock he and the club will part ways, Heyman writes.

Ervin Santana Won’t Return This Season

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Injured Twins right-hander Ervin Santana won’t return this season, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press tweets. The news doesn’t come as a surprise, as Minnesota’s out of the playoff race and Santana has barely pitched this season.

Long a quality starter, including as recently as 2017, Santana endured a horrid season that was cut short by nagging issues with his right middle finger. Santana underwent surgery on that finger in early February, and he was only supposed to miss 10 to 12 weeks. Instead, the 35-year-old didn’t make his 2018 debut with the Twins until July 25, and that ended up as one of just five major league starts he made this season. Santana, who hasn’t pitched since Aug. 16, will conclude 2018 with an unsightly 8.03 ERA/7.94 FIP, 5.84 K/9, 3.28 BB/9 and a 23 percent groundball rate in 24 2/3 innings.

Had he been his typical self this year, Santana would’ve been a strong candidate to return to Minnesota in 2019. Now, the Twins will have to decide on Santana’s $14MM option within the next few weeks, but it’ll be a shock if they don’t buy the veteran out and send him to the free-agent market. Not only did Santana struggle through an injury this year, but he took issue with the front office’s decision to sell earlier in the summer. Santana and the Twins seem to be heading toward a divorce, then. In the meantime, he’s undergoing three platelet-rich plasma injections in his finger, Beradino reports.

Gregory Polanco To Miss Rest Of Season

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Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco suffered left knee and left shoulder injuries Friday that will force him to miss the rest of the season, the team announced. Polanco incurred “a significant bone bruise in his left knee,” one that will require six to eight weeks of rehab. The severity of his shoulder ailment isn’t clear at this time.

At 70-71 and eight games behind an NL wild-card spot, the Pirates are essentially out of playoff contention as the regular season nears an end. Nevertheless, this is a concerning development for Pittsburgh, for which Polanco is a cornerstone player. The Pirates signed Polanco to a five-year, $35MM extension entering 2016, and he has largely lived up to that deal. Polanco struggled in 2017, though he has still managed a respectable 5.4 fWAR since signing the pact.

The 26-year-old Polanco made major progress this season, as he posted personal-best numbers on the offensive side, hitting .254/.340/.499 (123 wRC+) with 23 home runs, a .245 ISO and an 11.4 percent walk rate in 534 plate appearances. He also stole 12 bases on 14 attempts. While Polanco did not grade well as a defender (minus-5 DRS, minus-1.5 UZR), his season will nonetheless end with a solid 2.5 fWAR.

Based on the timetable for Polanco’s left knee, this injury shouldn’t affect him in 2019 or necessarily inform the Pirates’ outfield plans for next season. His shoulder may be another story, however, and Pittsburgh’s not yet in position to divulge specific information on that injury.

White Sox Select Rob Scahill, Place Michael Kopech On 60-Day DL

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The White Sox have purchased reliever Rob Scahill’s contract from Triple-A Charlotte and placed right-hander Michael Kopech on the 60-day disabled list, per a team announcement.

Scahill, whom the White Sox signed to a minor league deal last December,  is set to pitch in the majors for the first time this year. But Scahill’s addition to Chicago’s roster comes under terrible circumstances for the club, which found out Friday that the prized Kopech, 22, is likely to require Tommy John surgery just four appearances into his big league career.

The 31-year-old Scahill was with Kopech in Charlotte, where the former posted a disastrous 5.64 ERA despite solid peripherals over 60 2/3 innings. Scahill registered 10.53 K/9 against 3.71 BB/9 with a 49.7 percent groundball rate during that span, and he also logged a 3.23 FIP/3.19 xFIP.

A former Rockie, Pirate and Brewer, Scahill carries a decent track record in the majors, where he has recorded a 3.79 ERA/4.66 FIP across 144 2/3 frames. Scahill has managed a passable ERA largely because he has induced grounders at an excellent clip (54.8 percent), somewhat helping to offset subpar strikeout and walk rates of 5.97 and 3.48, respectively.

Indians Could Activate Josh Donaldson On Tuesday

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Injured third baseman Josh Donaldson appears to be closing in on his Cleveland debut. If all goes well for Donaldson over the next few days, expectations are that the Indians will activate him from the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com reports. In the meantime, the plan is for Donaldson to play third at the Double-A level on Saturday and then go through a workout prior to the Indians’ series in Tampa Bay, which begins Monday.

Not only has a calf strain kept Donaldson off a major league diamond since May 28, but it has prevented him from garnering much rehab work in minor league games. He has only totaled 15 minor league plate appearances this year, three of which have come with the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate.

Because Donaldson has barely seen the field over the past three-plus months, his trade value prior to the non-waiver deadline in July and the waiver version in August significantly diminished. As a result, the Blue Jays nearly ended up retaining Donaldson through the season but ultimately dealt the former MVP (and cash considerations) right before last month’s deadline. Toronto parted with Donaldson for a player to be named later – reportedly Indians minor league right-hander Julian Merryweather – in lieu of keeping the pending free agent and issuing him a qualifying offer in the offseason.

If he’s able to avoid a setback in the coming days and return to the field for Cleveland, it’s anyone’s guess what Donaldson will provide the soon-to-be AL Central champions. The 32-year-old was a superstar-caliber player from 2013-17, but along with his injury woes this season, he has dealt with a decline in production. Donaldson has batted an unspectacular .234/.333/.423 in 2018, though that output has come over a small sample of 158 plate appearances.

The Indians are left to hope the previous version of Donaldson will reappear over the next several weeks, and if he’s healthy enough to stay in their lineup, third baseman/MVP candidate Jose Ramirez will shift to second base and second baseman Jason Kipnis will move to the outfield. And Donaldson, in addition to trying to help the Indians win a World Series, will attempt to up his stock as a trip to the open market looms.

West Notes: Trout, D-backs, Acuna, Giants, Hundley, Holland

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The out-of-contention Angels have arguably wasted another year of control over baseball’s best player, center fielder Mike Trout, with whom they still haven’t even won a playoff game since his rookie campaign in 2012. But even though Trout’s team control is dwindling (2019 is the penultimate year of his contract), the Angels should continue trying to win with the future Hall of Famer – not trade him – Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times opines. While Trout would warrant a massive return in a trade, Shaikin argues that even the best prospects aren’t sure bets to produce in the majors or avoid injuries, using the package the White Sox received from the Red Sox for Chris Sale in 2016 as an example.

Of course, as opposed to shopping Trout – which, despite the Angels’ struggles, has always looked incredibly improbable – the Halos could try to keep him for the long haul. Trout is fond of Anaheim, Shaikin notes, though he writes that there aren’t any compelling reasons for the player to ink a contract extension now. Asked Friday about the possibility of signing a new deal, Trout told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register:  “I don’t know. It’s up to them. Obviously you’ve got to finish out the season and worry about it in the offseason. I don’t want to worry about it right now.” Trout added that his main objective is to win, and while that hasn’t happened in Anaheim, he didn’t throw its front office under the bus. Rather, he rightly suggested that injuries have played a huge role in the Angels’ disappointing season.

Here’s the latest on a couple other West-based teams:

  • Twenty-year-old Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna may be on his way to joining Trout as an elite player, which is a difficult reality for the Diamondbacks, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic explains. The Venezuelan-born Acuna signed with the Braves for a $100K bonus four years ago, but before that, the Diamondbacks believed they were on the verge of adding him for $80K. Junior Noboa, the Diamondbacks’ vice president of Latin American operations, revealed to Piecoro that the two sides reached an agreement in the Dominican Republic. However, rules state a player must officially sign in his home country, and by the time Acuna returned to Venezuela, the Braves had made a stronger offer, according to Noboa. “They accepted it before I could come back with another offer,” Noboa said of Acuna’s camp. Acuna disagrees with Noboa’s version of the story, as he said through an interpreter Thursday: “There was a difference between what was promised and what was eventually settled upon. They gave me an initial number and then afterwards that wasn’t it. That’s why I wasn’t on board with signing.” Regardless, as Piecoro notes, Acuna was not a superstar prospect when he chose Atlanta over Arizona. Thus, whether he’d have developed into the player he is now had he signed with a different team is anyone’s guess.
  • The Giants would be wise to re-sign upcoming free agents Nick Hundley and Derek Holland, opines The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, who writes that re-upping the former “figures to be a top priority” (subscription required). Hundley’s approaching the end of his second season in San Francisco, where he has backed up star catcher Buster Posey. It’s no surprise the Giants are prioritizing the position, though, considering Posey underwent season-ending hip surgery last month and could miss the start of next year. Offensively, the 35-year-old Hundley has made a case for a new deal by hitting a passable .235/.294/.407 (90 wRC+) in  245 PAs. On the other hand, Baseball Prospectus has Hundley ranked among the majors’ worst defensive backstops this season. Holland, a minor league signing last winter, has been a major bargain for the Giants. After his career went into a tailspin with the Rangers and White Sox from 2015-17, the soon-to-be 32-year-old has bounced back to log a 3.54 ERA/3.87 FIP with 8.96 K/9 and 3.54 BB/9 in 152 2/3 innings (31 appearances, 27 starts).

DJ LeMahieu Hires Wasserman Media Group

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With an offseason trip to free agency looming, Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu has hired the Wasserman Media Group to represent him, Jon Heyman of Fancred reports.

Although LeMahieu has been a productive second baseman for the Rockies over the past few years, he’s likely in his last season with the club, Kyle Newman of the Denver Post writes. The Rockies have younger second base options on hand in Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers, and their presences are among the reasons the team probably won’t pony up for LeMahieu, Newman explains.

It hasn’t been an ideal contract year for LeMahieu, 30, as injuries have limited him to 105 games after he appeared in no fewer than 146 contests in each season from 2014-17. LeMahieu has still managed a career-high 14 home runs, contributing to a solid-looking .273/.321/.437 line over 479 PAs that, thanks to Coors Field, is 12 percent worse than league average, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric. But LeMahieu has produced nearly as well on the road as he has at home (.743 away OPS, .772 at Coors), and Statcast has been bullish on his work (.351 expected weighted on-base average versus .326 real wOBA). Further, LeMahieu has been elite in the field this year, with 16 Defensive Runs Saved and a 6.0 Ultimate Zone Rating.

LeMahieu is one of several established second basemen primed to reach free agency after the season, joining the likes of Daniel Murphy, Jed Lowrie, Brian Dozier, Marwin Gonzalez, Logan Forsythe, Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker, among others. As with LeMahieu, age- and/or performance-related concerns exist with each of them.

Yankees Notes: Judge, Gardner, Bird, Voit

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The Yankees have gone without their best player, injured right fielder Aaron Judge, since July 26, but it appears he’s getting closer to a return as the playoffs draw nearer. Judge participated in on-field drills Friday for the first time since he suffered a chip fracture in his right wrist, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com relays, leading to excitement from manager Aaron Boone. “This is what we’ve been waiting for this whole time, for that pain to get out of there, for him to be able to really swing,” said Boone, who added, “Now it’s just a matter of getting back up to baseball speed, building that stamina and then obviously graduating to live pitching, to seeing an actual pitcher.” Judge would like to return to the majors within two weeks, Hoch notes, and doing so would give him time to shake off some rust prior to the Yankees’ wild-card round matchup in early October.

More on the Bronx Bombers…

  • Outfielder Brett Gardner is the current longest-tenured Yankee, having debuted with the team back in 2008, but his future is in question beyond this season, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post points out. The Yankees will head into 2019 with a host of corner outfield possibilities, regardless of whether Gardner’s still with them, and a decision to make on his $12.5MM club option (or $2MM buyout). While the Yankees could exercise the option and trade Gardner, who remains valuable at age 35, he’ll have a major say in whether a deal will happen. Gardner informed Davidoff that he has already earned 10-and-5 rights, giving him the ability to put the kibosh on any trade. As you’d expect, though, Gardner’s more focused on the present than how the offseason could unfold. “I haven’t put too much thought into next year yet,” Gardner said. “And to be honest, I really don’t plan to until after the season. That’s kind of how I always try to compartmentalize things like that.”
  • Unlike Judge and Gardner, first baseman Greg Bird hasn’t contributed much to New York’s success this year. Between that and fellow first baseman Luke Voit’s tremendous production since the Yankees acquired him from the Cardinals in July, Bird may not even make the Bombers’ playoff roster, George A. King III of the New York Post observes. Many expected the oft-injured Bird to break out in 2018, but his season got off on the wrong foot – literally – when he underwent right ankle surgery in late March. The 26-year-old didn’t debut until the end of May as a result, and he has batted a disastrous .179/.284/.386 in 296 plate appearances since then.
  • Voit, meanwhile, is relishing his time as a Yankee, as Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. The fiery 27-year-old has slashed .308/.372/.615 with eight home runs in just 86 plate trips with the Yankees, after spending the first few months of the season with the Cardinals’ Triple-A team. But Voit doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward the Cardinals, as he noted that two “great” first base options – Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez – blocked him in St. Louis. Continued Voit: “The Yankees have let me play. This is the first time in my career that I’ve gotten to play two straight weeks in a row.” Frederickson’s piece contains more quotes from Voit, for whom the playoff-contending Cardinals acquired relievers Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos. Shreve’s the only one of the two who has pitched for the Cards so far, and he has posted solid results.

NL Injury Notes: Wright, Cardinals, Straily

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Long-injured third baseman David Wright is working toward a 2018 comeback as the season nears an end, but the Mets aren’t optimistic he’ll return to the majors this year. Assistant general manager John Ricco suggested Friday (via Mike Puma of the New York Post) that Wright won’t have time to get up to speed, saying “it does get more difficult to foresee a situation where he could come back” to the bigs this season. Ricco added that money won’t play a role in whether Wright takes the field for the Mets this year, noting that he hasn’t been medically cleared to play in the majors. However, the club will take a financial hit if he does, Puma points out. The 35-year-old is still due approximately $2.6MM through season’s end, but insurance will pay 75 percent of that sum if he stays on the shelf. Otherwise, the Mets will have to pay all of it, and if they continue to keep Wright on ice, he may have a case for a grievance – albeit one he’d likely lose – as Puma explains. A series of upper body issues, including spinal stenosis, have prevented the career-long Met and seven-time All-Star from playing in the majors since May 27, 2016.

  • The Cardinals expected to have right-hander Michael Wacha back in their rotation by now, but the left oblique strain that has shelved him since June 20 continues to pose a problem. Ten days after exiting a Double-A start on account of oblique issues, the rehabbing Wacha was unable to make his scheduled start with Triple-A Memphis on Friday because of “discomfort” in that area, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Wacha’s now slated to return “to St. Louis for more evaluation,” according to Cardinals manager Mike Shildt. With so little time remaining in the season, Wacha may be done for the year, Hummel observes. Fortunately for the Cardinals, who are clinging to a one-game lead for the NL’s second wild-card spot, fellow righty Adam Wainwright is on the cusp of returning from his own injury issues. The former ace is set to join Miles Mikolas, Austin Gomber, Jack Flaherty and John Gant in the Cards’ rotation – a group that appears increasingly likely to finish 2018 without Wacha. The 27-year-old had been one of the Redbirds’ most effective starters before his injury, as he logged a 3.20 ERA/4.21 FIP over 84 1/3 innings.
  • In further unwelcome news for the Cardinals, catcher Yadier Molina is dealing with a strained left hamstring and will sit out for at least the weekend – if not longer – Shildt revealed (via Hummel). Although Molina’s strain is “mild,” there’s “no timetable” for his return, per Shildt. Molina already missed several weeks earlier in the season with a pelvic injury, but the potential Hall of Famer has otherwise turned in another terrific year, with a .273/.324/.447 line and 17 home runs over 447 plate appearances and quality work behind the dish. For as long as the 36-year-old Molina’s out, St. Louis will rely on Francisco Pena and Carson Kelly to handle the position.
  • Marlins righty Dan Straily exited his start against Pittsburgh on Friday with a left oblique strain, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets. The severity of the injury isn’t clear, but with time running out on the rebuilding Marlins’ season, it seems fair to surmise that Straily won’t pitch again in 2018. The 29-year-old has posted a respectable 4.12 ERA with 7.28 K/9 against 3.83 BB/9 over 122 1/3 innings this season, but ERA indicators such as FIP (5.11), xFIP (4.99) and SIERA (4.92) haven’t been enamored of his work.

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