Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for May 2018

Cubs To Sign Lane Adams

By | at

The Cubs have reached agreement on a minor-league deal with outfielder Lane Adams, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). He had recently elected free agency after being removed from the Braves’ 40-man roster.

The 28-year-old Adams will provide some outfield depth to a Chicago organization that has struggled to produce runs of late. But it does not appear as if he’ll be an immediate factor at the MLB level.

Adams has been a productive hitter in limited action since landing with the Braves in advance of the 2017 season. He slashed .270/.345/.460 with six home runs in 143 plate appearances in Atlanta. That’s the most extensive MLB time the former Royals farmhand has received in his career, though clearly he did not receive much time while he was on the active roster.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Bautista, Cabrera, Harvey, Swanson

By | at

ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(May 4th)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

  • MILWAUKEE BREWERS | Depth Chart
    • Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Zach Davies (rotator cuff inflammation)
      • With two upcoming off days, Davies is expected to miss only one start.
    • Promoted: RP Jorge Lopez

—

AMERICAN LEAGUE

—

FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

NL Notes: Harvey, Braves, Rendon, Hedges, Lamb, Reyes

By | at

After deciding to designate Matt Harvey for assignment, the Mets are now sorting out exactly how his tenure with the organization will come to an end. Initial trade discussions seem not to be generating much traction, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter), who says that the team is offering to “eat a significant amount” of the remainder of Harvey’s salary in hopes of securing something in return. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the response from rival officials has to this point been that they’d prefer simply to pursue Harvey if he passes through waivers. If that occurs, he’ll surely either be released or decline an outright assignment, at which point he’d be a free agent who could sign for a pro-rated version of the league minimum, leaving the Mets on the hook for the balance of the $5.6MM he’s owed.

More from the National League:

  • New Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has been discussing his team’s promising start with quite a few outlets of late as excitement has mounted. He largely credited the prior regime with “outstanding” work in accumulating and developing talent in a chat with Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Anthopoulos also says he’ll be “open-minded to do things” if the team is in position to push for the postseason at the trade deadline, though he notes there’s still quite a lot of baseball to be played before making any final assessments of where the 2018 roster may be headed. In comments to MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (via Twitter), Anthopoulos did note that payroll constraints and an ongoing focus on the future would continue to weigh significantly in the team’s decisionmaking.
  • Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon acknowledged after his rehab appearance today that he has a hairline fracture in his injured toe, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets. That explains his somewhat extended absence after fouling a ball off of his foot. The important thing for the Nats, though, is that Rendon seems to be ready to be activated as the club attempts to extend a six-game winning streak.
  • The Padres have a plan in place for assessing the balky elbow of catcher Austin Hedges, as Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports on Twitter. He’ll be given a week or ten days of rest before it’s decided whether he needs to undergo an MRI. Hedges hit the DL recently with a bout of tendinitis. It seems the hope remains that the issue will resolve itself with some down time. Hedges has struggled at the plate in 2018, hitting at a .173/.235/.293 clip to open the season.
  • Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb received an MRI and cortisone shot after reporting continued discomfort in his injured left shoulder, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (Twitter links). That said, the belief is that this will not constitute a significant setback. It’s still disappointing to hear that Lamb is not yet back to health, as the club no doubt hoped he’d already be nearing a return at this point. Given his extended absence, it stands to reason that he’ll require some rehab time once he is cleared for game action. Fortunately for the Snakes, Daniel Descalso has filled in admirably.
  • Prized Cardinals righty Alex Reyes is prepared to begin a rehab assignment next week, as MLB.com’s Joe Trezza writes. As he works back from Tommy John surgery, the high-octane hurler is said to be working in the upper nineties and looking good. That’s great news for the Cards, though the team is expected to handle Reyes with care as he ramps up fully. It’s still not clear how the organization will deploy the 23-year-old, who showed ample promise in his 2016 debut, once he is ready to return. But he’s building up as a starter and figures to be a valuable addition to the MLB roster in any role when he is activated.

Angels Select Juan Graterol

By | at

The Angels have selected the contract of catcher Juan Graterol, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports on Twitter. He had been bumped from the 40-man a month ago.

The move was necessitated by the unavailability of Martin Maldonado, who is on the bereavement list. A 40-man spot was opened by moving J.C. Ramirez to the 60-day DL, which was going to happen at some point anyway since he is down for the rest of the year.

Graterol, 29, has seen limited MLB action over the past two years. He has produced a .214/.218/.276 slash in 102 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. In parts of five seasons at Triple-A, he carries a marginal .286/.313/.346 batting line.

Diamondbacks To Sign Clay Buchholz

By | at

The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with righty Clay Buchholz, according to Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports (via Twitter). It’s a minors pact, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

The 33-year-old Buchholz was just released from his minor-league deal with the Royals after exercising an opt-out clause. He’ll now head to an Arizona organization that is dealing with some injury issues in the rotation.

D-Backs GM Mike Hazen is certainly well-acquainted with Buchholz from their mutual time with the Red Sox. That helps explain the connection here, though it remains unclear just what the Arizona organization plans to do with Buchholz, who is likely ready to join the MLB staff from a conditioning standpoint but may yet need to earn his way up.

In his 16 minor-league innings this year, Buchholz has limited the opposition to only two earned runs on ten hits. Of course, he has also recorded just nine strikeouts against seven strikeouts and missed almost all of the 2017 season due to injury after an inconsistent showing in the 2016 campaign.

That said, it wasn’t long ago that the Phillies were interested in adding the two-time All-Star at a $13.5MM salary in a swap with the Sox. And Buchholz, despite many ups and downs over the years, has compiled a lifetime 4.01 ERA in 1,175 career inning at the game’s highest level.

Royals Select Jason Adam

By | at

The Royals have selected the contract of righty Jason Adam, the club announced. He’ll join the active roster while sliding into the 40-man spot the team opened yesterday.

Adam, 26, was a 5th-round selection of the Royals in the 2010 draft. The local product ended up being dealt away, though, before dealing with a long run of arm troubles. (ESPN.com’s Keith Law documents them concisely on Twitter; Maria Guardado of the Kansas City Star has the full story of Adam’s path to the majors.)

All of that is in the rearview mirror, though, at least for the time being. Adam has been a revelation in the upper minors early in the 2018 season, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits in 18 frames over ten appearances. His stuff has seemingly played up in a relief role, with 26 strikeouts against six walks.

Braves Place Dansby Swanson On 10-Day DL

By | at

The Braves have placed shortstop Dansby Swanson on the 10-day DL with left wrist inflammation, per a team announcement. He’ll be replaced by outfielder Preston Tucker, who was only just optioned way earlier today.

It doesn’t seem as if the move was made out of concern that Swanson has suffered a significant injury. Manager Brian Snitker suggested today that the belief is Swanson’s wrist is “structurally sound,” per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter).

That’s generally good news, then, for the Braves. The team’s encouraging overall start has been matched — and driven, in no small part — by Swanson’s own first month. Coming off of a rough 2017 effort at the plate, he was something of a question mark entering the current campaign.

To this point, Swanson has fulfilled the promise he showed as a former first overall draft pick who sprined through the minors. He’s off to a .289/.336/.430 start through 122 plate appearances, with two home runs and two stolen bases. Defensive metrics are also smiling on Swanson’s efforts in the field after awarding him marginal grades in 2017.

That said, Swanson still has some issues to overcome on the offensive side. He has benefited thus far from a .388 batting average on balls in play that’s sure to decline. Swanson has thus far taken a more aggressive approach than in the past, with his swing rate (48.5%) and swinging-strike rate (11.2%) both easily topping his prior levels. He’s drawing walks in just 5.7% of his plate appearances, well shy of the 10.7% rate he carried last year, while going down on strikeouts more than ever before (26.2%). It remains to be seen how things will shake out as pitchers react to this changed approach and Swanson, in turn, responds.

As for Tucker, he was eligible to return in advance of the usual 10-day waiting period since he was replacing an injured player. It’s fair to wonder, though, whether he’ll remain on the MLB roster for long. There isn’t a rush for another infielder — Johan Camargo can slide to short, with Charlie Culberson and Ryan Flaherty still available off the bench — but the organization had already decided it preferred an alignment that did not include Tucker. He could head back to Gwinnett when Swanson is activated, if not sooner — if, say, the Braves decide to promote just-claimed utilityman Philip Gosselin.

Tigers Place Miguel Cabrera On 10-Day DL

By | at

The Tigers have placed star slugger Miguel Cabrera on the 10-day DL with a hamstring strain, per a club announcement. Backstop Grayson Greiner has been called up to take the open spot on the active roster.

Cabrera has endured some nicks and bruises to open the season and will now get a rest. It’s not clear at this point how long he’ll be down. A hamstring strain can vary quite a bit in seriousness; no matter the prognosis, moreover, his actual progress will largely dictate the timeline.

The 35-year-old Cabrera has thus far now shown any ill effects when he has been in the lineup. In his 108 plate appearances, he’s slashing .323/.407/.516. Though he has managed only three long balls, he’s also carrying a healthy mix of 17 strikeouts against 14 walks.

That output helps quiet concerns over Cabrera’s sub-par 2017 campaign. Perhaps, then, it’s still possible he’ll factor into the trade market this summer if he can make it back from the DL in time to show he’s at full speed. That said, it remains difficult to imagine just how a swap would come together given the massive remaining commitment to an aging slugger who’s only capable of taking the field at first base. Cabrera is earning $30MM this year and is promised $162MM more thereafter.

As for Greiner, 25, he’ll get his first look at the game’s highest level. In 67 plate appearances this season at Triple-A, he owns a .259/.343/.414 batting line. Greiner was a third-round selection back in 2014.

Blue Jays Designate Luis Santos, Select Jake Petricka

By | at

The roster turnover is continuing for the Blue Jays, who announced another round of moves today. Only two directly implicate control rights, though: righty Luis Santos was designated for assignment, with fellow reliever Jake Petricka taking his place on the 40-man and active rosters.

Additionally, the Toronto organization turned over two other active roster spots. Outfielder Dalton Pompey and infielder Richard Urena are heading up, with righties Joe Biagini and Carlos Ramirez optioned back to Triple-A along with outfielder Dwight Smith Jr.

The 27-year-old Santos had given the Jays some useful innings late last year and re-joined the organization as a depth piece for the 2018 season. In his lone MLB outing this year, he was bombed last night for six earned runs on five hits and three walks. It would not be surprising if he ends up back at Buffalo.

As for Petricka, he’ll be getting a look as a bounceback candidate after signing a minors deal with the Jays over the winter. His contract includes a $1.3MM base salary and up to $500K in incentive pay. Petricka was once a useful member of the White Sox’ bullpen but has dealt with injuries and diminished effectiveness of late when healthy. The initial returns in 2018 have been promising, as Petricka has (as usual) generated a huge number of groundballs while allowing only a single earned run in eight innings over five outings.

Indians Designate Jeff Beliveau, Gio Urshela; Select Alexi Ogando

By | at

The Indians have made some roster tweaks today, per a club announcement, with right-hander Alexi Ogando joining the active roster after his contract was selected. Meanwhile, southpaw Jeff Beliveau and third baseman Gio Urshela were designated for assignment (the latter upon his activation from the DL).

Ogando, 34, makes his return to the majors after spending the 2017 season with Korea’s Hanwha Eagles. He worked as a starter in the KBO after three campaigns functioning exclusively from the pen, and has remained in the rotation since joining the Cleveland organization on a minors deal.

In four starts this year at Triple-A, Ogando has compiled 18 2/3 innings of 2.89 ERA ball with 6.8 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. The debate over his role with the Indians won’t be as strident as it was back when he was a quality young pitcher for the Rangers, but it seems Ogando could either move into a traditional relief role or be utilized as a swingman.

Things have not gone well thus far for Beliveau, who had earned a promotion with a compelling showing to open the year at Columbus. In 3 1/3 innings since moving to the majors, he has allowed four earned runs on five hits and four walks while recording only a pair of strikeouts.

The decision to place Urshela in DFA limbo is somewhat more interesting, as he has been considered a part of the team’s MLB depth in recent seasons. That said, it’s hardly surprising that the Indians lost patience. While Urshela is regarded as a quality fielder, he has not produced at the plate in limited MLB action. In his 42 rehab plate appearances this season at Triple-A, though, Urshela turned in a useful .324/.405/.432 bating line.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top