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Archives for June 2018

Blue Jays Notes: Vlad Jr., Outfield Corners, Gaviglio

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Blue Jays fans have been anxiously anticipating the arrival of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but they’ll have to wait a bit longer, as the 19-year-old phenom was placed on the minor league disabled list today after incurring a leg injury (link via Chris Bumbaca of MiLB.com). Guerrero went from first to second on a single, slid into the bag and immediately signaled for a trainer’s assistance before exiting the contest, though Fisher Cats manager John Schneider called the placement “cautious.” The team didn’t disclose further details on Guerrero’s injury, though all indications from the organization to this point seem to be that it’s minor.

Here’s more out of Toronto…

  • While the Jays have played Teoscar Hernandez more in right field than it left, it seems that he’ll move to left field on a largely permanent basis moving forward. As MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm writes, the team feels that Hernandez has the arm for right field but that his range and instincts are better suited for the other corner slot. Randal Grichuk will likely get another shot to take the reins in right field, where he comes with a history of strong defensive ratings (career +9.1 UZR/150). Grichuk has gotten off to a disastrous start to his Blue Jays career, hitting .115/.202/.269 in 89 plate appearances, though Statcast gives some reason to be optimistic; Grichuk’s 99.1 mph average exit velocity on balls in the air and knack for barreling the ball have translated to a .318 xwOBA that dwarfs his current .209 wOBA.
  • Right-hander Sam Gaviglio has been a rare bright spot in an otherwise dreadful season for the Jays, writes Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. Acquired in a forgettable spring trade in which the Jays sent only cash considerations to the Royals, Gaviglio has stepped up as one of the club’s most consistent starters and has earned a longer look in the rotation. Through 28 2/3 innings thus far, he’s pitched to a 2.51 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.26 HR/9 and a 54.4 percent ground-ball rate. While it’s obviously a small sample and Gaviglio shouldn’t be expected to continue sporting a sub-3.00 ERA, fielding-independent metrics in that small sample are encouraging. Zwelling takes a look at the manner in which Gaviglio has found his early success. Of course, he also notes that the very fact that Gaviglio is poised to get any type of notable look in the rotation is a testament to the team’s struggles this season and the fact that things have hardly gone as planned. As the Jays struggle, trade chatter surrounding veterans on the club will only increase. J.A. Happ’s name has already begun to pop up on the rumor mill (FanRag’s Jon Heyman took a look at that earlier today), and if the Jays do deal from their rotation it could open the door for Gaviglio to get an even lengthier audition.

Athletics, Edwin Jackson Agree To Minor League Deal

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June 7: Jackson’s deal has a $1.5MM base salary at the big league level, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link).

June 6: Veteran right-hander Edwin Jackson and the Athletics are in agreement on a minor league contract, Jackson’s agents at the ESQ Agency have confirmed to MLBTR. The 34-year-old recently exercised an opt-out clause in his previous minor league pact with the Nationals and became a free agent. It seems that the A’s will need to make a relatively quick decision on Jackson, as his new deal comes with a June 20 opt-out date.

Jackson pitched well for the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse this season, logging a 3.40 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 41.7 percent ground-ball rate in 55 2/3 innings (a total of 10 starts). The well-traveled righty totaled 76 innings for the Nats at the MLB level in 2017, turning in mixed results. Jackson recorded a 2.94 ERA through his first eight starts last year but surrendered nine home runs through those 49 frames. The long ball caught up to him, as he was tagged for 24 earned runs in his final 22 innings of work. Jackson did maintain solid velocity on his heater (93.5 mph) and check in with a healthy 10.1 percent swinging-strike rate in 2017.

If Jackson sees any MLB time with the A’s, he’ll lay claim to an interesting oddity in MLB record books. The veteran righty has pitched in the Majors for 12 different clubs at present, leaving him one team shy of tying Octavio Dotel’s record of 13. Dating back to the 2003 season, Jackson has pitched in 377 MLB contests, tallying 1800 1/3 inning of 4.67 ERA ball with 6.9 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 43.7 percent grounder rate. He’s two wins shy of reaching the century mark for his career.

[Related: Oakland Athletics depth chart]

The depth addition comes at a time when the A’s have already lost righty Jharel Cotton for the season due to Tommy John surgery and have recently placed both Andrew Triggs (nerve irritation) and Daniel Gossett (elbow strain) on the disabled list. Righty Paul Blackburn and lefty Brett Anderson, too, are on the big league disabled list for the A’s. Given the glut of injuries in the Oakland rotation picture and the close proximity of Jackson’s opt-out date, it seems there’s a decent chance he’ll ascend to the Majors with the A’s in the coming weeks.

Tigers Sign Jacob Turner, Hunter Cervenka

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6:28pm: The Tigers have now formally announced the signings.

6:22pm: The Tigers have signed right-hander Jacob Turner to a minor league deal, as first noted on Roster Roundup (Twitter link). Evan Woodberry of MLive.com writes that he’s likely headed for Triple-A Toledo and adds that the Tigers have also picked up left-handed reliever Hunter Cervenka on a minor league pact.

Now 27 years of age, Turner was once the ninth overall pick in the draft by the Tigers (2009) but has yet to cement himself in the big leagues. He went from Detroit to Miami in the trade that sent Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Tigers, but he’s never made more than 20 starts or topped 118 innings in any big league season.

Since being cut loose by the Marlins in 2014, Turner spent time with the Cubs, White Sox and Nationals before returning to the Miami organization to open the 2018 season. He was released after tossing just 5 2/3 innings in the Majors and 21 2/3 frames in Triple-A, though. Now, after a second stint with Miami, he’s back for a second stint in the Tigers organization, where he’ll serve as rotation depth in the upper minors. Turner owns an unsightly 5.26 ERA with 5.8 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in 368 big league innings, but he has a more palatable 4.27 ERA and slightly better K/BB numbers in a near-identical sample of 358 Triple-A innings.

As for Cervenka, the former Marlins and Braves lefty has a 4.69 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 48 MLB innings, but he’s also issued 36 walks and hit three batters in that time. That’s been the norm for the 28-year-old throughout the upper minors as well, where he’s averaged nearly 11 punchouts per nine innings pitched but also averaged more than six walks in that time. Cervenka had been with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League prior to his signing, and to his credit, he dominated the indy scene. In 17 2/3 innings, Cervenka allowed three runs on nine hits with a 21-to-2 K/BB ratio.

A’s Option Maxwell, Activate Blackburn, Move Powell To 60-Day DL

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The Athletics announced a series of roster moves Thursday, activating righty Paul Blackburn from the 60-day DL and transferring outfielder Boog Powell from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL in his place. To make room on the active roster for Blackburn, who’ll start tonight’s game, Oakland optioned catcher Bruce Maxwell to Triple-A Nashville.

Maxwell became a controversial figure last season as the first (and still only) MLB player to take a knee during the National Anthem, but he received quite a bit more negative attention months later when he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. (He reached a plea agreement in mid-April.) While the Athletics front office publicly voiced support for Maxwell as a player, the team also went out and signed Jonathan Lucroy to a one-year deal, supplanting Maxwell as the starter.

Thus far, that looks to have been a wise move. Maxwell didn’t hit much in two previous seasons with the A’s, and he’s off to a dismal .182/.207/.309 start to the season, albeit in a small sample of just 58 plate appearances. Lucroy, meanwhile, has posted a solid .263/.320/.359 slash, though that respectable production is still light years away from his peak form. He’ll continue to handle the bulk of the catching duties, and it seems that Josh Phegley will now serve as his primary backup for the time being.

Blackburn, meanwhile, has yet to pitch in the Majors this season due to a forearm strain suffered in Spring Training. Now healthy, he’ll look to step up in an injury-plagued Athletics rotation that has lost Jharel Cotton for the season and currently has Andrew Triggs, Daniel Gossett and Brett Anderson on the MLB disabled list.

Blackburn delivered mixed results for the A’s in 10 starts last season. On the one hand, he posted a very strong 3.22 ERA with a terrific 56.3 percent ground-ball rate and just 2.45 walks per nine innings pitched in 58 2/3 innings. On the other hand, he missed fewer bats than any pitcher in MLB, averaging just 3.38 strikeouts per nine innings pitched and turning in a 5.8 percent swinging-strike rate. Fielding independent pitching metrics all felt his true talent level was more than a run higher, with SIERA most bearishly pegging him at 5.15.

As for Powell, he’s been out since early April with a sprained right knee. He’s already missed nearly two full months of action and has yet to go out on a minor league rehab assignment, so today’s transfer is purely a procedural move to open a 40-man spot for Blackburn. Powell has already spent 60 days on the DL anyhow, and the move to the lengthier DL doesn’t reset his eligibility for activation.

Jordan Montgomery Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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June 7: The Yankees announced that Montgomery underwent Tommy John surgery today, adding that Dr. Christopher Ahmad also discovered a loose bone chip that was removed as well.

June 5: Yankees left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who has been on the 10-day disabled list with an elbow strain for a bit more than a month, will undergo Tommy John surgery on Thursday this week, the team announced to reporters (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch).

Obviously, the news comes as a blow to a Yankees club that was already likely to be in the market for rotation help on the summer trade market. With Montgomery now out of action for the balance of the 2018 season and a significant portion of the 2019 season as well, that need will only be emphasized more strongly by general manager Brian Cashman and his staff.

[Related: New York Yankees depth chart]

The 25-year-old Montgomery entered Spring Training 2017 as a dark-horse candidate for a rotation spot but forced his way into the organization’s plans and appeared to seize a long-term rotation spot with a very strong rookie showing. In 155 1/3 innings last year (29 starts), Montgomery notched a 3.82 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 and 1.2 HR/9. He started six games for the Yankees in 2018, working to a 3.62 ERA in 27 1/3 innings, though his final outing lasted just one inning, and he’s been on the DL since.

Montgomery will still accrue service time in both 2018 and 2019 as he mends on the 60-day disabled list. By the time he’s likely to be healthy enough for a full season of work in the rotation (2020), he’ll quite likely have gone through the arbitration process for the first time as a Super Two player. Montgomery entered the season with 153 days of Major League service time, so he’ll be at two years, 153 days once the 2019 season wraps up. That makes him a virtual lock for Super Two designation, and he’ll be controllable for the Yankees all the way through the 2023 campaign.

With Montgomery now done for the year, the Yankees will continue to lean on Domingo German in the fifth spot of their rotation for the foreseeable future. He’ll fall in line behind Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Sonny Gray and CC Sabathia, though it’s possible that the Yankees will ultimately turn to another option in the five-spot — at least until a presumptive trade acquisition comes together.

German, 25, threw six no-hit innings in his first MLB start back on May 6, but he’s been rocked for 19 earned runs in 21 innings since that time. Top pitching prospect Chance Adams has struggled with the Yankees’ top affiliate this season, though lefty Justus Sheffield has been more impressive and could conceivably earn a look in the coming weeks as the Yankees plot a new trajectory in the wake of Montgomery’s unfortunate diagnosis.

Rays Designate Brad Miller For Assignment

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The Rays have designated infielder Brad Miller for assignment, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. His roster spot will go to Jake Bauers, who has been called up as expected.

Miller, 28, was a non-tender candidate and a trade/release candidate throughout the offseason after struggling through a dismal 2017 campaign, but he agreed to a $4.5MM salary to avoid arbitration and broke camp with the club at the end of Spring Training. To his credit, he’s done a nice job of rebounding from last year’s dreadful .201/.327/.337 slash. Through his first 174 plate appearances in 2018, Miller has hit .256/.322/.429 with five homers, 10 doubles and a triple.

While that slash line is above the league average, it’s also dependent on a .343 BABIP that is way north of Miller’s career mark of .287. That trend is all the more concerning given that Miller is putting fewer balls in play than ever before; he’s striking out at a career-worst 29.3 percent pace in 2018 and carries a fairly characteristic platoon split that has rendered him largely unplayable against left-handed pitching (.639 OPS against lefties in 35 PAs).

The hope for the Rays, clearly, is that Bauers can provide an offensive spark. He’ll give the Rays a left-handed bat to replace the lefty-swinging Miller and a considerably better glove to play at first base. He also comes to the big leagues with more outfield experience than Miller has, so he’ll give manager Kevin Cash an option in that regard as well. Bauers has crushed left-handed pitching in a small sample so far in 2018 and posted a .396 OBP against lefties last year as well, so he also represents a more well-rounded offensive player, in theory.

Tampa Bay will now have a week to either trade, outright or release Miller, who is owed about $2.79MM through season’s end. That salary makes it tough to envision a straight waiver claim taking place, but Miller has a bit of defensive versatility (even if he’s not a plus defender at any position) and has a track record of hitting right-handed pitching well. It’s possible, then, that the Rays could find a taker on the trade market if they agree to pay down a portion of that remaining sum.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/7/18

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves here:

  • Mets lefty Aaron Laffey has decided to retire, according to Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review Journal (via Twitter). The 33-year-old, an eight-year MLB veteran, had been pitching for the organization’s top affiliate. Laffey was struggling quite a bit, though, carrying an unsightly 11.77 ERA through 26 innings in six starts. He recorded only 11 strikeouts against six walks while surrendering a whopping 45 base hits and ten long balls. Over his 494 1/3 career innings in the majors, the last of which came in 2015, Laffey worked to a 4.44 ERA. He spent the bulk of his time with the Indians and also saw substantial action with the Blue Jays, along with shorter stints with the Mets, Mariners, Yankees, and Rockies.
  • Backstop Steven Baron has cleared waivers after being outrighted by the Cardinals, according to a club announcement and as tweeted by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It seems Baron will accept an assignment to Triple-A. He was designated for assignment recently after a brief MLB stint, during which he recorded his first hit in the majors. The 27-year-old is a .248/.307/.333 hitter in 455 career plate appearances at Triple-A.

2018-19 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings

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The 2018 MLB regular season is nearly 40% over, and it’s time to update the earning power of the upcoming free agent class.  Click here to check out the previous rankings.

1.  Bryce Harper.  Harper has struggled since we last checked in, hitting .199/.317/.423 in his last 43 games.  By measure of wRC+, he ranks 36th among qualified hitters.  Nonetheless, Harper still leads the National League with 18 home runs and stands a good chance of reaching 40 for the second time in his career.  He’s not going to hit .229 all year — he’s 12th in baseball in barrels per plate appearance but has a .217 BABIP — and still projects to land the largest contract in baseball history.  Harper is still four months shy of his 26th birthday.

2.  Manny Machado.  Machado, on the other hand, is hitting .329/.394/.659 since we last checked in.  Walks and power are way up, strikeouts are down, and Machado is doing all he can to close the gap between him and Harper.  But the next 54 days will not be about Machado’s impending free agency; the focus is on a likely trade.  The Orioles would be crazy not to trade Machado to the highest bidder, even with their front office in a “fractured” state, to use Ken Rosenthal’s word.  A trade will remove a qualifying offer from the equation, not that a QO matters a lot when dealing with free agents like Harper and Machado.

3.  Clayton Kershaw.  Kershaw returned to action on May 31st after a month-long layoff from biceps tendinitis.  The return was short-lived, as he exited after five innings and was placed on the DL with a lower back strain.  This will mark the third year in a row that he will miss more than a month due to a lower back injury.  Suddenly, Kershaw opting out of the remaining two years and $65MM left on his contract does not look like a slam dunk.  As Cliff Corcoran suggested at The Athletic on Tuesday, the simplest solution might be for the Dodgers to tack a year or two onto Kershaw’s contract, perhaps with a new opt-out clause.  The scenario of Kershaw opting out and signing a new contract of 5-6 years is looking less and less likely.

4.  Patrick Corbin.  Corbin continues to put up strong numbers and ranks fifth among pitchers in the NL in wins above replacement.  Critics will note that Corbin worked in the 92-93 mph range in his first six starts, and then spent the next seven in the 90-91 range.  The results in those last seven starts: a 3.46 ERA and 10.8 K/9.  As Zach Buchanan of The Athletic explained yesterday, “It wouldn’t hurt for Corbin to rediscover the extra ticks on his fastball. He’s thrown it in the low 90s for most of his career, and it may be that extra oomph has allowed him to pitch like a frontline starter at times. But it’s also clear that fastball velocity isn’t the main ingredient for Corbin’s success.”  Assuming Corbin keeps it up, a five-year deal in the $90-100MM range seems plausible.

5.  A.J. Pollock.  An attempt at a diving catch on May 14th resulted in an avulsion fracture of Pollock’s left thumb.  The injury could keep Pollock on the shelf until July.  It seems that Pollock will once again fail to play in 130 games this year, after playing in 124 for all of 2016-17.  Pollock’s injury history could thwart his attempt at landing a five-year deal in free agency.  A strong finish could still result in an irrational free agent bidding war, however, as he was playing at a very high level before going down.

6.  Craig Kimbrel.  Aside from a few extra flyballs leaving the yard, Kimbrel is having a typically excellent season as Boston’s closer.  A five-year, $90MM deal figures to be a likely record-setting target for Kimbrel’s agent.

7.  Dallas Keuchel.  Keuchel’s ERA has been pushed up to 4.13 with some recent rough outings, as he’s allowed 17 earned runs in his last 22 2/3 innings.  Home runs have been a big part of the problem so far.  The 30-year-old lefty is still setting up for a solid deal, perhaps with a four-year term.

8.  Josh Donaldson.  After missing three weeks with shoulder inflammation, Donaldson played in 24 games and then went down for calf tightness.  Before hitting the DL, Donaldson was producing less power and more strikeouts than he had in recent seasons.  He’ll return from that injury soon and attempt to get his season on track.  33 in December, Donaldson could have difficulty securing a four-year deal.

9.  Yasmani Grandal.  A new entrant on this list, Grandal’s free agency was examined in-depth by MLBTR’s Jeff Todd yesterday.  30 in November, Grandal is one of baseball’s best-hitting catchers over the past three years and gets strong marks defensively.  He could be looking at a deal of four or even five years, depending upon how the market shapes up.

10.  Charlie Morton.  Morton continues trending upward, even though he’ll turn 35 as free agency begins.  He’s currently dominating the American League with a 2.84 ERA and 11.3 K/9, with a fastball that has aged like a fine wine.  When speaking about his future, Morton certainly doesn’t sound like someone who will test the market and seek to maximize his guarantee on a three-year deal.  However, in terms of sheer earning power, Morton might be able to find a $60MM contract if he wants to, making him worthy of a spot on this list.

Other candidates for the last few spots on this list include Elvis Andrus, Garrett Richards, Brian Dozier, and Gio Gonzalez.

Mets Deal With GM Sandy Alderson Runs Through 2019

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Mets GM Sandy Alderson is under contract with the organization through the 2019 season, according to a report from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. The veteran executive is earning $8MM total in the two-year agreement.

Alderson signed the deal with the team last December, representing a long-expected continuation of his tenure at the helm of the baseball operations department. At the time, though, the duration and value of the deal were not announced or firmly reported.

When he agreed to stay in charge, Alderson cited a desire to complete “some unfinished business” after a disappointing 2017 season. After shipping out several veterans in mid-season trades, the front office oversaw a busy offseason, that featured a variety of veteran additions.

Unfortunately, things haven’t gone as hoped thus far in 2018. The club is mired in a six-game skid and has fallen 7.5 games back of the pace in the NL East. Alderson already sent out former ace Matt Harvey and could now face some tough roster decisions at the trade deadline.

Recently, Alderson suggested that the Mets organization does not foresee any major deals involving core players. He indicated ongoing optimism that the current roster can compete, at least once it’s back to full health. But the pressure is building as the struggles continue.

In any event, barring a surprise shake-up, it’ll be Alderson who leads the charge in setting the strategy through the current season and into 2019. Whether he and the organization desire for the arrangement to continue beyond that point remains to be seen. It has been reported that assistant GM John Ricco is seen as an eventual successor.

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