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Archives for July 2018

Orioles Notes: Jones, Payroll, Valencia, Rickard

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As a pending free agent on a rebuilding team, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones is a logical trade candidate leading up to Tuesday’s non-waiver deadline. While the 32-year-old has drawn interest on the trade market this month, he’s more likely than not to finish the season in Baltimore, Dan Connolly of The Athletic hears (subscription required). “Multiple” clubs have asked the Orioles whether Jones would be willing to waive his 10-and-5 rights and accept a trade, but the “sense” is he’ll stay where he is, Connolly writes. Even if Jones does remain with the O’s through the season, that doesn’t necessarily mean the team will re-sign the longtime franchise linchpin over the winter, Connolly notes.

More from Baltimore…

  • Unsurprisingly, general manager Dan Duquette announced Saturday that the rebuilding O’s are primed to cut spending at the major league level over the next couple years, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com relays. “We’re going to invest enough to develop a competitive major league team, and I would expect the club will take the payroll down next year and the year after and reinvest those resources,” said Duquette. The Orioles’ Opening Day payroll this year checked in a bit under $149MM, per Cot’s, placing them just above the middle of the pack in spending. Baltimore’s hopes of contending blew up in its face, though, and now the club’s at the beginning of a teardown. Fortunately, Duquette revealed that the Orioles will look to “invest heavily in the foreign market” after largely ignoring it to this point – an ownership-driven call that has garnered widespread criticism. Of course, with Duquette’s contract up at season’s end, it’s unclear whether he’ll play any part in the Orioles’ rebuilding efforts heading into 2019. Neither Duquette nor manager Buck Showalter, another soon-to-be free agent, gave direct answers when asked about their futures, according to Dubroff.
  • Third baseman/outfielder Danny Valencia has been a decent buy-low pickup for Baltimore after signing a minor league deal in March, but he’s not drawing much trade interest, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. The righty-swinging journeyman has offered league-average offense across 265 plate appearances this year (.268/.321/423 with nine home runs), and he has typically posed a threat against left-handed pitchers. But Valencia’s not a strong defender, Kubatko observes, which is likely hampering his market. In the event Valencia’s not dealt this month, he could still end up as an August trade candidate if teams are continuing to look for bench help, per Kubatko.
  • Outfielder Joey Rickard faces long odds of returning to the Orioles next year, in part because their “system seems packed with outfielders,” Dubroff writes. An Oriole since they selected him in the 2015 Rule 5 Draft, the 27-year-old Rickard has picked up 687 major plate appearances since 2016 but has batted just .247/.295/.370 and posted a replacement-level fWAR. Considering he has minor league options left and still has four arbitration-eligible seasons remaining, the Orioles could keep Rickard at the Triple-A level or try to find a taker via trade if they’re uninterested in continuing to use a 40-man spot on him.

Yankees Acquire Luke Voit From Cardinals

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11:48pm: New York received $1MM in international money in the swap, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com tweets. Sanchez echoes Badler in noting that the Yankees will likely use that money to sign Rodriguez, whom they’re expected to land for $1.1MM.

10:09pm: The Yankees have acquired first baseman Luke Voit and international signing bonus pool money from the Cardinals for relievers Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos, per an announcement from New York.

The 27-year-old Voit joins Tyler Austin as the second right-handed-hitting first baseman at the Triple-A level for the Yankees. Voit, who has a minor league option remaining, has racked up 137 major league plate appearances since 2017 (just 13 this year) and batted .240/.307/.432 with five home runs. He has been far better as a member of Triple-A Memphis this year, with which he has hit .299/.391/.500 with nine homers in 271 PAs. It’s unclear whether Voit will get a big league shot immediately with the Yankees, though they could arguably use some offensive help after losing superstar slugger Aaron Judge to the disabled list Friday.

The most proven major leaguer in this swap is Shreve, whom the Yankees deemed redundant after adding fellow lefty Zach Britton to an already loaded bullpen earlier this week. Shreve, 28, saw extensive action with the Yankees in each season from 2015-18 and combined for a 3.88 ERA/4.89 FIP with 10.42 K/9, 4.56 BB/9 and a 43.7 percent groundball rate over 173 2/3 innings. He has posted similar numbers through 38 frames this year, with a 4.26 ERA/4.98 FIP, 10.89 K/9, 4.26 BB/9 and a 46.7 percent grounder rate.

The long ball has haunted Shreve this season, as he has allowed homers on 23.5 percent on fly balls, and has given up an unappealing .240/.356/.551 line to left-handed hitters. Nevertheless, the Cardinals seem to be banking on a turnaround from the out-of-options Shreve as they radically reconstruct their bullpen. The additions of Shreve and Gallegos are the latest moves to make over a relief unit that said goodbye to relievers Greg Holland, Sam Tuivailala and Tyler Lyons on Friday. Shreve could be a multiyear solution for the Cards, who will be able to control him via arbitration through 2021. He’s making a meager $825K this season.

Gallegos, 26, still has a pair of options left. The right-hander has amassed 30 1/3 major league innings since 2017 (including 10 this season) and recorded a 4.75 ERA/3.98 FIP with 9.49 K/9, 2.37 BB/9 and a 36.5 percent grounder percentage. Most of Gallegos’ year has been spent at Triple-A Scranton, where he has accumulated 27 2/3 frames and registered a 3.90 ERA/1.68 FIP with tremendous strikeout and walk rates (13.34 K/9, 2.28 BB/9).

Along with saying goodbye to Voit to reel in both Shreve and Gallegos, the Redbirds dealt an undisclosed amount of international bonus pool money. That’s likely not a big deal to St. Louis, which is barred from spending more than $300K on any individual prospect, whereas the Yankees could use their added cash to sign high-end Cuban pitching prospect Osiel Rodriguez and/or fellow countryman Carlos Verdecia, a shortstop, Ben Badler of Baseball America notes on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

AL News & Rumors: Rangers, Kela, Beltre, Red Sox, Jays, Vlad Jr., Twins

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There were five teams on hand Saturday to scout Rangers closer Keone Kela, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram reports. The Diamondbacks and Pirates – both of whom have had previously reported interested in Kela – as well as the Red Sox, Indians and Giants were in attendance, according to Wilson. Kela didn’t pitch, though the 25-year-old has bolstered his trade value this season with a 3.28 ERA/2.85 FIP, 10.85 K/9 against 3.03 BB/9 and 23 saves in 24 chances over 35 2/3 innings. Adding to Kela’s appeal, he’s making a relative pittance this season ($1.2MM) and still has three more arbitration-eligible years remaining. The Dodgers are interested in Kela, too, per the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant, who adds that LA has also been scouting fellow Texas relievers Jose Leclerc, Alex Claudio and Jake Diekman,

  • More on the Rangers, who have yet another potential trade chip in pending free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre. While the Braves have been connected to Beltre this week, one source “downplayed” their interest in the future Hall of Famer to Wilson. Grant passes along different information, writing that the Braves’ interest in Beltre is “serious.” Whether a deal comes together will largely be up to the 39-year-old Beltre, who, as a 10-and-5 player, has full no-trade rights. Beltre spoke about his future Saturday, telling Grant and others in regards to the Rangers: “We have talked. I’ve always been at peace with being here. Obviously, we have talked before [about a trade], and if it makes sense for both parties, I would consider it. But up until now, there’s nothing concrete that we can sit and talk about.”
  • Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Ian Browne of MLB.com and other reporters Saturday that third baseman Rafael Devers is likely headed to the disabled list with a hamstring injury. It would be the second DL placement this month for Devers, who went on the shelf July 12 on account of left shoulder inflammation, thus adding to a disappointing season for the well-regarded 21-year-old. After an impressive debut in 2017, Devers has batted a below-average .245/.295/.425 in 396 plate appearances this season, though he has shown off respectable power (15 home runs, .180 ISO).
  • Blue Jays uber-prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is now one step from the majors, having been promoted from Double-A to Triple-A on Saturday. The 19-year-old third baseman tore through Double-A pitching in 266 PAs this season, hitting .402/.449/.671 with 14 home runs and nearly as many walks (21) as strikeouts (27) prior to his promotion. Both Baseball America and MLB.com regard Guerrero as the game’s best prospect.
  • The Twins brought third baseman Miguel Sano back to the majors on Saturday. Sano earned a surprise demotion to the minors in mid-June after opening the season with a .191/.247/.353 line with seven home runs and 30 strikeouts against a mere two walks in 73 PAs. The 25-year-old’s only a season removed from an All-Star campaign in which he slashed .264/.352/.507 with 28 homers over 483 PAs.

Astros Place Jose Altuve On DL

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The Astros have placed second baseman Jose Altuve on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to July 26, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets. Altuve has been dealing with right knee soreness over the past few days.

Altuve hasn’t played since Wednesday, thus depriving the reigning world champion Astros of their much-ballyhooed double-play tandem of him and shortstop Carlos Correa, who’s also on the DL. A back injury has kept Correa out of action for just over a month, and he’s unlikely to return until sometime next month. Nevertheless, at 67-39, Houston continues to boast a 4 1/2-game lead over second-place Seattle in the American League West.

As has been the case over the past few seasons, the Astros’ success this year has come thanks in large part to Altuve. Last year’s AL MVP winner, Altuve has batted .329/.392/.464 with nine home runs and 14 stolen bases over 454 plate appearances in 2018. He’s also in the midst of his fifth straight season of at least 4.0 fWAR, having notched exactly that amount thus far. Altuve’s loss is obviously significant for Houston, then, though the 28-year-old suggested to reporters (via McTaggart) that his injury isn’t serious. Regardless, this marks Altuve’s first trip to the DL since the six-time All-Star debuted in the majors in 2011, and it should open the door for Marwin Gonzalez to handle second for as long as he’s out.

NL Notes: Mesoraco, Cubs, Bucs, Nats, Brewers

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There’s not much “momentum” on a trade involving Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets, though he notes that a deal still may come together by the non-waiver deadline on Tuesday. Mesoraco has already been part of one trade this year, as he joined the Mets in May in a deal for now-Reds righty Matt Harvey. The 30-year-old Mesoraco has batted .230/.206/.393 with eight home runs in 219 plate appearances and caught 26 percent of would-be base stealers this season. He’ll be a free agent in the offseason.

More from the National League…

  • Cubs right-hander Tyler Chatwood is headed to the team’s bullpen to make room for just-acquired starter Cole Hamels, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com was among those to report. Chatwood joined the Cubs on a three-year, $38MM contract last winter, but the deal hasn’t worked out as planned for the club. Prior to his demotion to a relief role, Chatwood walked a ridiculous 8.14 batters per nine innings across 94 frames (19 starts) and pitched to a 4.98 ERA/5.57 FIP.
  • The Pirates placed outfielder Corey Dickerson (left hamstring strain) and first baseman Josh Bell (left oblique strain) on the 1o-day disabled list Saturday, per Jerry DiPaola of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. The club recalled outfielder Austin Meadows and first baseman Jose Osuna from Triple-A to take their places. If not for Pittsburgh’s recent hot streak, it may have been in position to sell Dickerson prior to the deadline. The 29-year-old, who’s on a $5.95MM salary in 2o18 and has one arbitration-eligible season left, has batted a terrific .318/.351/.517 with 11 home runs in 367 plate appearances.
  • The Nationals reinstated outfield prospect Victor Robles from the disabled list Friday and activated him at the Triple-A level, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. The 21-year-old Robles has missed nearly all of this season after suffering an elbow injury early in the spring. He continues to rank as one of the majors’ premier prospects, though, as evidenced by Baseball America grading him as the game’s sixth-best farmhand in its most recent top-100 list.
  • Brewers first base prospect Jake Gatewood will undergo season-ending surgery after suffering a torn left ACL, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. The 22-year-old Gatewood, Milwaukee’s 14th-best prospect at MLB Pipeline, hit .244/.302/.466 with 19 home runs in 388 PAs at the Double-A level this season.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/28/18

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Saturday’s minor moves…

  • Rays catcher Adam Moore has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham after clearing waivers, according to Bill Chastain of MLB.com. Moore, whom the Rays designated for assignment Wednesday, has only totaled six major league appearances this season. The 34-year-old has been more active at the Triple-A level, with 158 PAs, but has batted just .215/.259/.309.

Cafardo’s Latest: Tribe, Cubs, Dodgers, Bucs

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Blue Jays outfielder Curtis Granderson, Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton and Marlins utilityman Derek Dietrich are on the Indians’ “radar”, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Either Granderson or Hamilton would add a much-needed upgrade to Cleveland’s outfield, which lost Tyler Naquin to the disabled list Saturday, while Dietrich may be able to help both at the keystone and in the outfield. Dietrich has spent the majority of his career at second base, but the 29-year-old – who happens to be a Cleveland native – has amassed 84 appearances in left field this season. Dietrich’s amid his best offensive season, having hit .283/.348/.454 with 13 home runs in 388 plate appearances.

More from Cafardo…

  • The Cubs and Rangers have already made a pair of trades in recent weeks, as Chicago acquired both Jesse Chavez and Cole Hamels from Texas. That may not be the end of the two teams’ dealings, though, with Cafardo writing that the Cubs are “looking at” Rangers relievers Jake Diekman and Keone Kela.
  • Along with the previously reported Brad Brach, the Dodgers have been scouting Tigers reliever Shane Greene, according to Cafardo. The 29-year-old Greene has pitched to a 4.19 ERA/3.98 ERA with 9.63 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 43.5 percent groundball rate in 43 innings this season. He’s on a meager salary this year ($1.95MM) and scheduled to go through arbitration one more time.
  • The resurgent Pirates seem intent on addressing their bullpen, as they’ve targeted both Kela (previously reported) and Brach to bolster their relief corps, per Cafardo. Brach, a 32-year-old who will be a free agent at season’s end, has logged a 4.85 ERA/4.01 FIP with 8.77 K/9, 4.38 BB/9 and a 46.5 percent groundball rate in 39 innings.

New York Notes: Judge, Wheeler, Mesoraco, Frazier

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It seems the Yankees will at least take a peek at the outfield market after losing Aaron Judge for a stretch, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The club is in the early stage of considering the possibilities, with GM Brian Cashman believing his front office has not “peeled the onion enough to tell you exactly what we will do.” The obvious internal choice, Clint Frazier, still isn’t available but could be soon. Otherwise, it seems the team may mostly be looking at finding a player who can help bridge the gap and perhaps then function as a fourth outfield or bench bat option once Judge’s wrist heals and he’s ready to take the field again.

Now let’s jump over to Queens…

  • The Mets are drawing wide interest in righty Zack Wheeler, Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets. That creates an interesting situation for the organization, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post explores in his latest piece. While Wheeler has been the starter the Amazins have been most willing to deal, they’ve seen a recent transformation in his mental approach to the game that’s resulted in him making good on his excellent potential. Because of that, his value to them has gone up, and now they’re not sure whether they’ll be able to find a taker who will pay an appropriate price for him. Of course, Wheeler’s set to become a free agent after the 2019 season, so there’s little reason to hang onto him unless the Mets feel as though they can get a better package for him this offseason, or on the off-chance that they fancy themselves contenders in 2019.
  • Though there’s a chance that Wheeler could leave Queens, backstop Devin Mesoraco appears to be the likeliest player left on the roster to be dealt, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). Mesoraco came to New York in the trade that sent Matt Harvey to the Reds, and he’s improved his production since coming over from Cincinnati. Mesoraco sports a .229/.308/.405 slash with the Mets, and has hit seven of his eight homers since the trade. His contract expires at season’s end, however, and there are certainly teams (such as the Yankees) who could use a catcher.
  • Mets third baseman Todd Frazier is expected to begin a rehab assignment with High-A St. Lucie tonight. The 32-year-old veteran’s decline has continued this season, as he’s hit just .217/.300/.385. Frazier signed a two-year, $17MM deal with the Mets just this past offseason, but has only been able to take the field for 260 plate appearances so far after amassing at least 575 in each of the previous five seasons. He’s dealt with both hamstring and rib issues this season.

Placed On DL: Rua, Perdomo, Naquin

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Here are a few players to hit the disabled list today…

  • Rangers outfielder Ryan Rua has been placed on the DL with back spasms, the club has announced; they’ve recalled center fielder Delino DeShields to take his spot on the roster. Rua’s been worse than a replacement level player this year, according to both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference, hitting a meager .194/.223/.371 across 132 plate appearances. He’s struck out in exactly a third of his plate appearances while drawing just five walks in that span.
  • The Padres announced that Luis Perdomo is going back on the disabled list due to a strained right shoulder, while left-hander Jose Castillo will activated from the DL in the same transaction. Perdomo allowed six earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings in his most recent start, and the former Rule 5 Draft selection has endured an ugly season to date. The right-hander has barely averaged four innings per start, walking nearly five batters per nine innings while posting a 7.94 ERA for the Friars. It’s surely a disappointing development for a San Diego ballclub that’s been very patient with him in his development since holding him on their active roster for the entire 2016 season.
  • The Indians’ outfield woes continue, with Tyler Naquin becoming the latest player to hit the disabled list. Naquin’s been dealing with a hip injury, as was earlier reported, so the official move comes as little surprise. Right-hander Adam Plutko will be recalled in his place, as tonight’s scheduled starter Mike Clevinger is dealing with a minor illness and may have to miss his start. Naquin’s been only marginally above replacement and sports a .264/.295/.356 slash line, but he was one of few options in the Tribe outfield worth playing and they’ll now likely be intensifying their search for a viable replacement for Lonnie Chisenhall.

Rockies To Sign Matt Holliday To Minor-League Deal

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The Rockies have reached an agreement with Matt Holliday on a minor-league pact. Thomas Harding of MLB.com was first to report that a deal was a “distinct possibility”, while Jon Heyman of Fancred later tweeted that Holliday was going to sign the deal.

The 38-year-old veteran certainly has had a storied career, first coming up with the Rockies (and making it the World Series with them in 2007), and also playing with the Cardinals during some of their best seasons in recent memory. All told, the outfielder owns a .299/.378/.511 batting line across 14 major league seasons.

It’d be unreasonable to expect any semblance of that production this season, of course, and in fact it remains to be seen whether or not the veteran has anything left in the tank. He’s a particularly curious fit in the National League, where his outfield defense will be exposed since the Rockies won’t have the luxury of deploying him as a DH. Then again, it’s entirely possible that he’ll simply be used mostly as an extra right-handed bat off the bench.

Although his 2017 season with the Yankees was unspectacular, his .231/.316/.432 slash to go along with 19 homers in 427 plate appearances netted him a 98 wRC+, or just a tick below league average. If he’s able to replicate that alone, he could certainly be a useful weapon. But the most interesting element of his recent performance is a .267/.366/.477 slash against southpaws. That could make him a great asset in pinch-hit situations late in games, or even a viable starter against the many intimidating left-handers in division-rival rotations.

Despite interesting upside in this or a similar role, Holliday went unsigned throughout the entire offseason (though clearly he wasn’t the only casualty of a slow winter). He told reporters at the end of spring training that he still intended to continue his player career if an opportunity came up, and MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted at the time that it would almost assuredly come in the form of a minor-league deal and some reps at Triple-A, if at all. Holliday will presumably head to Albuquerque for the time being, and be recalled when and if he can get into game shape.

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