Some notes from around the AL West…
- Mariners manager Scott Servais is hopeful that Hisashi Iwakuma can throw a bullpen session before the end of Spring Training, Servais told MLB.com’s Greg Johns (Twitter link) and other reporters. Iwakuma is roughly expected to return by late May or early June, as the veteran righty continues his recovery from undergoing shoulder surgery last September. Iwakuma re-signed with Seattle on a minor league deal, giving the M’s a potential extra bit of rotation depth once he is fully healthy.
- The Athletics optioned right-hander Chris Bassitt to Triple-A today in the wake of a rough Spring Training, though Bassitt told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he believes a lack of communication about his role contributed to his 7.11 ERA over 6 1/3 IP. According to Bassitt, “I was told coming into camp I was going to compete for a starting spot and never got a single chance…It’s hard to prepare when you don’t know what you’re preparing for. Anyone just wants to know what they’re expecting out of you and so far no one can really answer that yet.” Bassitt said he was willing to pitch in whatever role the A’s wanted, except he just wanted more notice and more clarity about that role. “The way my mechanics are, I pretty much have to go out of the stretch when I come out of the bullpen, and I wasn’t prepared to be a reliever, I really wasn’t. It’s frustrating all around that wasn’t relayed to me all offseason,” he said. Oakland manager Bob Melvin said he felt the team “tried to intimate that to” Bassitt that he would be deployed in an undefined role as a swingman, long reliever, or starter depending on the situation. Bassitt last pitched in the majors in April 2016, as he was sidelined for much of that season due to Tommy John surgery, and he tossed 50 2/3 innings in the minors in 2017.
- Though Jose Altuve’s five-year, $151MM extension doesn’t begin until the 2020 season, Fangraphs’ Craig Edwards believes the Astros aren’t facing too much risk in locking up the star second baseman. Comparing the Altuve deal to other extensions of five-plus years for players who were at least two seasons away from free agency, Altuve is younger than three of the names cited (Miguel Cabrera, Dustin Pedroia, Ryan Howard) and is coming off a much better platform year than Ryan Zimmerman when he inked his six-year, $100MM pact with the Nationals. The best comp might actually be Joey Votto’s ten-year, $225MM extension from the Reds, though Houston’s commitment to Altuve was only half as long. Since Altuve still projects to be an excellent player going forward, the extension also shouldn’t be considered a “gift” — as in, the Astros weren’t simply giving him a make-good deal since his original extension proved to be such an incredible bargain for the team.
Can I get a $151 million gift? How about $151.00? $1.51?
No, but if you are an elite baseball player, you might get a contract b
Maybe if you provided your employer with $500mm in value, then you would get $151mm gift yea. Ever heard of this thing called a salary?
If the A’s still had an option with bassitt, they should of just told him to work out of a starter.
If the A’s still had a option with bassitt, they should of just told him to work out as a starter.
Try a third time, you might get it right. “Should have”.
I’m sorry grammar police. Whenever I post a comment, it doubles it.
Nothing was doubled. They aren’t the same comment.
Also, that’s such a minuscule error to judge me for.
2 errors….and english is not even my first language
And you did not capitalize English, and you did not place a period at the end of your statement.
This is baseball, not English class. Get over yourselves.
Exactly ! This grammar
and punctuation crap is ridiculous ! Get a life nerds!
Gibberish is the new English!
I absolutely love when the comment section turns into the Grammar Olympics. Everyone battling to see who will come out on top, it’s riveting. Gentlemen, you’re all winners!
The period is supposed to be inside the quotation mark, not outside.
Genoa Ohio
Jeez. At least when Tyler Cravy lashed out in spring he had good numbers to back him. 7.11 era is no bueno buddy.
I’d hardly call this lashing out.
Uh oh did Bassitt just do the Tyler Cravy kiss of death lol
lame excuse by Bassit to pretend he didn’t know he was trying out for the bullpen. Nothing melvin has said from the beginning of spring training said he was part of the rotation. He was a long shot on making the starting staff. Go down to the minors and make them have to bring you up. To complain that it was because of a undefined role is weak when you were trying to make the team in any way possible.
God, stop homering for 5 seconds and realize that if a team tells you to get ready to be a SP and you do that and then never start an actual game, that’s on the team. Melvin is washed up as a manager and needs to go.
The A’s are NOT a well-run team despite how badly you want them to be and Bassit’s claims are more than valid. Ryan Christenson will hopefully change this for them, but the A’s constantly make the wrong moves, A great example of this will be the number of times Olson will hit in the 2-spot this season and how many times he hits in the 5 spot. Just watch. Despite every other team in MLB realizing you hit your best guy 2, the A’s won’t. Melvin is just a clueless manager nowadays. He got too old and the game passed him by.