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Quick Hits: Hanley, Trumbo, Bellinger, Peavy, Red Sox, Draft

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Hanley Ramirez is getting interest from “multiple teams” since officially becoming a free agent, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo tweets.  It isn’t any surprise that the veteran slugger is drawing some attention, particularly since he’d be available at a prorated minimum salary while the Red Sox cover the approximately $14.5MM remaining on Ramirez’s contract.  Considering the low price tag, any number of teams could have interest — consider that the Orioles, who are already loaded with first base/DH candidates, have already been linked to Ramirez.  It was only weeks ago that Ramirez was one of the league’s hottest hitters (posting a .330/.400/.474 slash line over 110 plate appearances in March and April) before he fell into a deep slump that led to his release from the Sox.

Some more from around the baseball world…

  • Last winter, the Orioles “checked on” any trade interest in Mark Trumbo, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports.  It isn’t stated how much interest existed, though one can imagine it was a pretty thin market, given that Trumbo was coming off a rough 2017 season and is owed $26MM in 2018-19.  Trumbo has a decent .292/.320/.427 slash line over 100 PA, though he has only two homers and missed all of April recovering from a quad strain.  The O’s seem primed to be deadline sellers, though they’d likely have to eat some money to facilitate a Trumbo deal.  (Incidentally, he also has a seven-team no-trade clause.)
  • The slumping Cody Bellinger hasn’t started two of the Dodgers’ last three games, as manager Dave Roberts talked to reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) about how the reigning NL Rookie Of The Year is trying to adjust to being pitched differently as well as some bad breaks at the plate.  “He’s doing everything right as far as the preparation.  The results just haven’t been there,” Roberts said.  “So as a young player, he’s constantly trying to make adjustments. You get to a point where you wonder if you’re ever going to get a hit. All players go through that at some point in time.”  Roberts wasn’t ready to say that a brief minor league stint might eventually be in the cards for Bellinger, who is hitting only .225/.298/.413 with eight homers over his first 238 plate appearances.
  • In the latest on Jake Peavy’s comeback attempt, the veteran righty will hold a private workout for teams sometime in June, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports.  After sitting out the 2017 season to deal with personal issues, Peavy had been working out and planning to have a showcase in early May, though he said a few weeks ago that he wanted to consult with his children before deciding on a comeback.
  • Also from Cafardo’s piece, he notes that tomorrow’s amateur draft carries particular import for a Red Sox farm system that has been thinned out by trades in recent years.  Between those losses, Jay Groome’s Tommy John surgery and Michael Chavis’ PED suspension, Boston doesn’t seem to have enough young trade chips to make a splash at the deadline.  “Let me put it this way, there isn’t anyone in their farm system that a team would say, ’I have to have that guy.’ Not saying they don’t have anything to make a deal, but they don’t have enough to make a major deal,” one AL scout tells Cafardo.  Of course, it remains to see if the Sox will necessarily be looking for a blockbuster upgrade given that the roster is already in very good shape and cruising towards a postseason berth.
  • With the first round of the draft less than 24 hours away, Baseball America has released its latest mock draft of the first 35 picks.  Auburn right-hander Casey Mize is still seen as the favorite to go to the Tigers with the first overall pick, with Mize unlikely to fall beyond the Giants (at the No. 2 pick) if Detroit goes go in another direction.  Interestingly, Baseball America’s executive editor JJ Cooper (Twitter link) hears from multiple sources that “it is more likely now than it was any time up to now” that the top three picks will be Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart (Tigers), California high schooler Cole Winn (Giants) and then Mize to the Phillies third overall.  Still, there is “only a small chance” of this scenario playing out, and the likeliest scenario is still Mize going to the Tigers.

NL East Notes: Marlins, Hill, Hellickson, Swarzak, Phillies

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Many of the free agent mistakes that have plagued the Marlins in recent years weren’t the fault of president of baseball operations Michael Hill, a source tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.  “People without full accountability had more power under Jeffrey [Loria]” than Hill did, the source said, and Jackson’s piece details some of the thought process that led to the Marlins’ ill-fated signings of Wei-Yin Chen, Martin Prado, Edinson Volquez, Jeff Locke, Brad Ziegler, and Junichi Tazawa.  Hill’s lack of culpability in these signings could explain why he kept his job once the Derek Jeter/Bruce Sherman ownership group took over the team last year, amidst a general housecleaning of former front office staff.  Hill was already under contract through 2020, though that doesn’t appear to have been a major factor in his retention, since the team has eaten quite a bit of salary in letting go of other executives.  According to Jackson, roughly $18MM in total salary was owed to departed front office members Mike Berger, Jeff McAvoy, Marc DelPiano, and Jim Benedict through the 2020 season.

Here’s some more from the NL East…

  • Jeremy Hellickson left during the first inning of today’s game due to a right hamstring strain.  MLB.com’s Jamal Collier was among those to report that Hellickson would undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury.  Signed to a minor league deal last offseason, Hellickson has delivered tremendous results over his first 43 1/3 innings, posting a 2.28 ERA, 7.06 K/9 and 5.67 K/BB rate.  The Nationals don’t need a fifth starter until June 19 thanks to multiple off-days in the schedule, though Hellickson is hopeful of avoiding a DL stint since he noted that his current injury isn’t as painful as another hamstring strain he suffered a few years ago.
  • The Mets are expected to activate reliever Anthony Swarzak from the disabled list on Tuesday, Newsday’s Tim Healey reports.  Swarzak, who signed a two-year/$14MM free agent deal last winter, made just two appearances for the team before hitting the DL due to an oblique injury in early April.
  • In a chat with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury and other reporters, Phillies scouting director Johnny Almaraz implied that the team will look to take a college player with the third overall pick in tomorrow’s amateur draft.  Alvarez agreed with the general outlook that the draft is deep in quality college talent, noting “I see a lot of clubs moving in that direction where we’re going to try and get on these college players pretty quickly.”  Oregon State infielder Nick Madrigal, Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm, and Florida pitcher Brady Singer have all been noted as potential picks for the Phils, and Salisbury believes one of the trio will be the choice, barring an unexpected development (like the Tigers passing on Casey Mize as the first overall pick).

Red Sox Links: Pedroia, Swihart, Hanley

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Some news and notes out of Boston…

  • Dustin Pedroia’s return from left knee surgery lasted just three games before the Red Sox second baseman returned to the disabled list with inflammation in that same knee.  Speaking with reporters (including the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato) about the latest injury, Pedroia noted that he was feeling discomfort in a different part of the knee than the area that was operated on back in October.  He is scheduled to meet with the doctor who performed the original surgery on Tuesday “and see what he has to say. It could be just normal or scar tissue or something, but that’s it.”  Pedroia didn’t feel he came back from his first DL stint too quickly, or that he or the team did “anything wrong” during his rehab process to incur this new issue.  The current absence is somewhat being viewed as part of the overall recovery from last fall’s surgery and the knee problems that had bothered Pedroia for some time.  “It just might take a little time,” Pedroia said.  “Last year, if I didn’t have surgery, it wasn’t going to get any better. It’s going to get better. So, just stinks going through it.”
  • Blake Swihart’s first start at catcher this season is likely to come this week, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo and other media.  Swihart has been behind the plate twice this season as a sub, though he has yet to actually start at catcher since April 2016 due to injuries and trials at different positions, due to concerns about Swihart’s defensive capability as a backstop.  Opposing scouts are greatly interested in whether Swihart can handle catching, Cafardo writes, and showcasing Swihart behind the plate would help the Sox in their efforts to trade the former top prospect.  There’s even a possibility that Swihart could stick in Boston in regular catching duty, as Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon have provided little offense this season.
  • The Red Sox have already been quite public with their reasons for releasing Hanley Ramirez, though in a video report for FOX Sports, Ken Rosenthal adds that the some with the club felt that Ramirez’s departure would allow for new voices to take a leadership role in the clubhouse.  Rosenthal mentioned J.D. Martinez as a potential veteran leader, particularly as he is the most experienced member of the position player roster with Pedroia out of action.

Rays Notes: Archer, Banda, Pitching, Mariners, Trades

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Here’s the latest from Tropicana Field…

  • Chris Archer will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of his injured groin, he told MLB.com’s Erik Erickson and other reporters.  The injury cropped up during Archer’s start on Saturday, and the Rays ace said the problem was still bothering him today.  Given the timeline, Archer said it was “questionable” whether he’d make his next scheduled start.  Losing Archer would be another blow to a Rays team that has been scrambling for arms due to injuries and their unique usage of regular bullpen days, not to mention the potential impact it could have on Archer’s value as a potential trade chip at the deadline.
  • In further ominous injury news, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin reports (Twitter link) that southpaw Anthony Banda will visit with team doctors after being placed on the Triple-A disabled list due to a forearm strain.  Acquired as the primary piece in the three-team trade that sent Steven Souza to the Diamondbacks last offseason, Banda has posted solid numbers at Triple-A this season and also made three MLB appearances for the Rays (one official start and two relief outings behind “openers” Sergio Romo and Ryne Stanek).  Forearm injuries are always cause for concern, particularly since Tampa Bay has already lost youngsters Jose De Leon and Brent Honeywell to Tommy John surgery within the last few months.
  • Rays senior VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom recently spoke with The Athletic’s Juan Toribio (subscription required) about the team’s controversial “bullpen day” strategy and the usage of relievers to “start” games by pitching an inning before turning things over to a multi-inning pitcher.  Bloom said the front office has been “encouraged” by the results thus far, and very pleased with how the players and coaching staff have bought into the idea.  Despite the relative success thus far, however, Bloom said the Rays won’t necessarily stick with the pitching strategy going forward.  “I think time will tell, but we don’t want to shoehorn a group of players into a certain model just to say that we’re doing it….I think potentially if you have a different group of players with different strengths and weaknesses, you might do something different,” Bloom said. “But what we wanted to get away from was kind of doing the opposite, where I think previously the mindset was that no matter what the strength and weaknesses are of our player group, we’re going to force them to be in the so-called traditional model. We wanted to take an approach of, let’s assess the strengths and weaknesses of our group, and then try and figure out a way to build this in a way that gives them the best chance.”
  • The recent deal that sent Denard Span and Alex Colome to Seattle stands out as perhaps the biggest of the nine trades between the Rays and Mariners since Jerry Dipoto became Seattle’s GM in September 2015.  The close relationship between Dipoto and Rays GM Erik Neander plays a large role, though Topkin expands on that topic as part of a larger piece about how Tampa Bay approaches trades in general.  For instance, the Rays send several scouts to analyze another team’s player (or players) to get a variety of opinions before targeting someone in talks.  The club also puts a particular focus on scouting the lower levels of the minors to find hidden gems; several players acquired from the Mariners, in fact, have been unheralded names who eventually cracked the big leagues.

MLB Weekend Roster Roundup: Belt, Calhoun, Pedroia, Pence

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ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(June 2nd-June 3rd)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

  • WASHINGTON NATIONALS | Depth Chart
    • Placed on Paternity List: RP Tim Collins
    • Promoted: RP Jefry Rodriguez
      • Rodriguez pitched 4.2 scoreless innings of relief in his MLB debut on Sunday.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

  • DETROIT TIGERS | Depth Chart
    • Role change: P Artie Lewicki will start on Tuesday June 5th. He has been working out of the bullpen.

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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

AL West Notes: Astros, Gossett, Kiner-Falefa

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There are “two developing holes” on the Astros roster that the team could address at the trade deadline, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes in his latest Insider-only column.  One is a big bat capable of filling the left field or DH spots, and the other is a potential closer.  For the former, Houston has a number of internal candidates on hand (Marwin Gonzalez, Evan Gattis, Josh Reddick, Jake Marisnick) who have either struggled or been battling injuries, while youngsters like J.D. Davis, Tony Kemp, or prospect Kyle Tucker represent more options as manager A.J. Hinch juggles his lineup.  Ken Giles has a 4.50 ERA and has allowed a lot of hard contact this season (.368 xwOBA), though he’s also given up just one walk and one homer in 18 innings, against 16 strikeouts.  Given Giles’ struggles last postseason, however, the Astros could very well look at pitchers like Kelvin Herrera or Brad Hand to bolster themselves for some important ninth innings come this October.

Here’s some more from around the AL West…

  • Sticking with the Astros relief corps, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link) believes the team could specifically target a left-hander at the deadline.  While Chris Devenski and Hector Rondon can handle left-handed batters, the only actual southpaw in the Houston pen is Tony Sipp, who has become a spare part rather than a regularly-used arm.  The questions surrounding Giles notwithstanding, Rosenthal thinks adding a lefty might be the only real relief need for Houston, as the Astros have one of the best overall bullpens in the game.
  • Athletics starter Daniel Gossett left today’s game after five innings due to elbow tightness, though he told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that his removal was precautionary.  “I just didn’t want to overextend anything or have it lead to anything that might be worrisome,” Gossett said.  The right-hander will undergo an MRI tomorrow in Oakland.  Any missed time for Gossett would further thin out an already injury-riddled A’s pitching staff, as Gossett was himself a rotation fill-in while Brett Anderson and Andrew Triggs were out on the disabled list.
  • Rookie Isiah Kiner-Falefa has emerged as a versatile part of the Rangers roster, and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News chronicles at how Rangers scout Steve Flores came upon the youngster almost by accident.  Kiner-Falefa initially caught Flores’ attention while the scout was on hand to watch another member of Kiner-Falefa’s high school team in Hawaii, and the interest developed to the point that Texas selected Kiner-Falefa in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/3/18

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Sunday’s minor moves from around the game:

  • The Mets have assigned Scott Copeland to Double-A after the right-hander cleared waivers, The Athletic’s Tim Healey reports (Twitter link).  Copeland was designated for assignment on Friday after just a two-day stint in the majors, though he did chalk up his first MLB appearance since the 2015 season.  The 30-year-old has a 3.22 ERA over 22 1/3 IP (all as a starter) at the Double-A level this season.
  • The Diamondbacks have acquired right-handed reliever Brad Goldberg from the White Sox for cash considerations, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com and Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. Goldberg, 28, will now head to his second organization after initially joining Chicago in the 10th round of the 2013 draft. The hard thrower debuted in the majors last year with 12 innings of 8.25 ERA ball, but other than that, he has worked exclusively in the minors (including a 22 1/3-inning run at Double-A this season).  Goldberg owns a 3.07 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 91 Triple-A innings.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Archer, Cubs, Tribe, Barria, Hanley, Brewers, Villanueva

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This week in baseball blogs…

Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com

Tigers To Select Drew VerHagen’s Contract

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The Tigers will select right-hander Drew VerHagen’s contract prior to their doubleheader against the Yankees on Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com tweets. VerHagen will start the first of those games, while the team will option reliever Johnny Barbato in a corresponding move.

The 27-year-old VerHagen is headed back to Detroit’s 40- and 25-man rosters just over a month after the team outrighted him on April 27. VerHagen had thrown 10 innings of seven-run ball at that point, contributing to the 5.04 ERA he has posted across 94 2/3 innings with the Tigers since his 2014 debut.

While VerHagen hasn’t produced in the majors, the hard thrower has been downright dominant with Triple-A Toledo this season. Over six starts and 27 1/3 innings, VerHagen has pitched to a 1.32 ERA with 13.5 K/9, 2.63 BB/9 and a 48.1 percent groundball rate. Those numbers are substantially better than the production he registered last year in 97 1/3 innings at the minors’ highest level (4.90 ERA, 6.38 K/9, 3.98 BB/9, 44.5 grounder percentage).

Reds’ Anthony DeSclafani To Make Season Debut Tuesday

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Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will make his long-awaited return to the Reds’ rotation with a start on Tuesday against the Rockies, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. It’ll be DeSclafani’s first major league appearance since Sept. 28, 2016. Given that DeSclafani’s currently on the 60-day disabled list and the Reds’ 40-man roster is full, they’ll need to make a corresponding move prior to activating him.

Injuries have beset DeSclafani over the past couple years, as a sprained ulnar collateral ligament kept him out for all of 2017 before a left oblique strain shelved him for the first two months of this season. DeSclafani was a quality mid-rotation starter before then, combining for 308 innings of 3.74 ERA/3.79 FIP ball from 2015-16 – the ex-Marlin’s first two seasons as a Red. Although, DeSclafani’s injury troubles began in earnest in the latter of those years, when an oblique issue cost him two months and limited him to 123 1/3 frames.

Now, if the 28-year-old DeSclafani is able to revisit his old form upon his return, it would be a boon to a rebuilding Cincinnati club that has struggled mightily to develop starting pitching. The Reds’ DeSclafani-less rotation has logged a league-worst 5.59 ERA since last season, and bright spots have been hard to find this year – especially with 2017 breakout starter Luis Castillo amid a disappointing campaign. Among the rotation pieces the Reds have used this season, only Matt Harvey (4.44) and Tyler Mahle (4.38) have managed ERAs under five, but even they’re well below the National League average for starters (3.98).

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