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Archives for August 2018

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/5/18

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

Latest Moves

  • The Phillies announced (Twitter link) that infielder Trevor Plouffe has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers.  Plouffe was designated for assignment on Tuesday to create roster room for newly-acquired southpaw Aaron Loup.  After signing a minors contract with the Phils in April, Plouffe cracked the 25-man roster and appeared in seven games (12 PA) for the team.  The clear highlight of this brief stint was Plouffe’s three-run walkoff homer to end a 16-inning marathon against the Dodgers on July 24.

Earlier Today

  • The Padres have selected right-hander Trey Wingenter’s contract from Triple-A El Paso, the club announced. The 24-year-old reliever, a 17th-round pick in 2015, is now in line to make his major league debut. Wingenter, who has also garnered his first Triple-A experience this season, pitched to a 3.45 ERA/4.58 FIP with 10.76 K/9, 4.87 BB/9 and a 46.5 percent groundball rate in 44 1/3 innings prior to his promotion.
  • The Mets have signed infielder Dylan Tice and left-hander Matt Gage to minor league deals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Both Tice and Gage had been playing independent ball before catching on with the Mets. The 25-year-old Tice was most recently in affiliated ball from 2015-16 with the Cardinals, who chose him in the 36th round of the 2015 draft. Gage, a 10th-round selection of the Giants in 2014, had been with the San Francisco organization until earlier this season. Also 25, Gage opened 2018 with a 3.18 ERA and 6.0 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9 in 22 2/3 innings at the Double-A level.

Nationals Agree To Sign Greg Holland

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10:36pm: There “is nothing official” between Holland and the Nationals yet, Chelsea Janes tweets, though it seems like a deal will indeed happen eventually.

9:58pm: The two sides have reached an agreement, Heyman tweets.

1:19pm: It appears the two sides are “moving toward a deal,” Jon Heyman of Fancred reports.

11:42am: The Nationals and free-agent reliever Greg Holland are in discussions on a contract, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. They’re one of several teams to show interest in the Scott Boras client since the Cardinals released him on Friday.

On paper, Holland would help replenish a Washington bullpen which lost fellow right-handers Brandon Kintzler (traded to the Cubs) and Shawn Kelley (designated for assignment) earlier this week. However, both Kintzler and Kelley have outpitched Holland, who endured a shockingly poor stint as a member of the Cardinals.

Thanks to his past work as a closer with the Royals and Rockies, Holland secured a $14MM guarantee from the Cardinals on Opening Day. That came after Holland unexpectedly sat on the open market for the entire offseason, and it’s likely that not getting to partake in spring training contributed to his subpar St. Louis tenure. Regardless, Holland posted an equally peculiar and unacceptable line with St. Louis, where he notched a 7.92 ERA with 7.92 K/9 and 7.92 BB/9 over 25 innings (32 appearances). Consequently, despite the Redbirds’ sizable investment in Holland – whose signing also cost them their second-round pick in 2019 – they cut the cord on him after four months.

Landing Holland would be a far less risky play for the Nationals than it was for the Cards, as he’d only cost the Nats the prorated league minimum through season’s end. Reeling him in would also add yet another Boras client to a roster which already has seven such players, give Holland a chance to rebuild his stock going into the offseason and perhaps help keep Washington in contention. At 56-54, the Nationals will enter play Sunday trailing the NL East-leading Phillies by six games and a wild-card spot by 4 1/2.

Cubs Notes: Bryant, White Sox, Cease

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It was on this day in 2014 that Javier Baez made his MLB debut, hitting a solo home run in the 12th inning that held up as the winning run in a Cubs victory over the Rockies.  Baez celebrated his anniversary as a big leaguer with another solo homer today as part of a 2-for-5 performance against the Padres, though Chicago wasn’t as successful, dropping a 10-6 result to San Diego.  Baez is now hitting .300/.333/.585 with 24 homers in 433 PA this season, with this breakout offensive performance combining with his usual excellent defense to make him one of the game’s most overall valuable talents.

Some more from Wrigleyville…

  • Kris Bryant has yet to swing a bat since returning to the DL to deal with his bothersome shoulder, and the Cubs slugger tells reporters (including the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan) that he doesn’t yet know when he might be back on the field.  Bryant was eligible to return on August 3, though he was expected to remain beyond the 10-day minimum DL stint to fully allow his shoulder to heal up.  He reiterated, however, that he doesn’t have long-term concerns about the injury.  The former NL MVP is enjoying another strong season (.276/.380/.474 with 11 homers in 358 PA), though his shoulder troubles could explain why his production has dipped a bit from his 2016-17 levels.
  • Dylan Cease was a top-1oo ranked minor leaguer when he was traded as part of the four-prospect package sent by the Cubs to the White Sox for Jose Quintana in July 17.  As The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney writes in a subscription-only piece, however, the Cubs were ultimately willing to deal Cease due to a significant injury history (Tommy John surgery in 2014) and because he was still pitching in A-ball.  Cease has since made his Double-A debut in the White Sox system and looked outstanding, with a 1.99 ERA, 12.8 K/9, and 4.48 K/BB rate over 40 2/3 IP that has only elevated his status as a future building block for the Sox.  Mooney tracks the Cubs’ initial pursuit of Cease through an interview with scout Keith Lockhart, who originally signed the young righty, and is well aware of the risk involved in moving such blue chip prospects.  “When it first came down, it was easy to say, ’Listen, we got an established big-league starter for some guys that were in A-ball,’ ” Lockhart said. “As the years go on, if Dylan turns out to be a No. 1 starter for the White Sox and leading a rotation, then the story just stays alive.”
  • In other recent Cubs news on MLBTR, Yu Darvish updated the media with his rehab status.

AL East Notes: Estrada, Judge, Rays, Pirates

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Marco Estrada threw a gem for the Blue Jays on Saturday, allowing one earned run and just one hit while walking two and striking out four over seven innings against the Mariners.  As Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi notes, “the outing is sure to renew [trade] interest in” Estrada’s services, as the right-hander spent most of July on the disabled list recovering from a glute strain and a minor blister issue.  It has been an inconsistent 2018 season for Estrada, though he was turning things around to the tune of a 2.35 ERA over five June starts before his injury problems cropped up.  Had Estrada stayed healthy, he almost surely would’ve joined J.A. Happ, Seunghwan Oh, and other veterans moved by the Jays as the team looks to rebuild for 2019 and beyond.  Toronto will continue to be a team to watch in the August trade market, given the presence of Estrada, Josh Donaldson, and others that could be enticing trade candidates if they can be worked through the waiver process.

Here’s more from the AL East…

  • Yankees slugger Aaron Judge gave reporters (including ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey) an update on his recovery from a chip fracture in his wrist, saying that he is still feeling some pain, though “some of the range of motion is coming back,” and he has been able to make short-range throws of up to five feet.  Judge was originally estimated to miss roughly three weeks, and while that timeline hasn’t officially changed yet, he has yet to begin taking dry swings.  On the plus side, Judge is participating in conditioning and running drills so he’ll theoretically be able to make a quick return once his wrist is ready.
  • The Rays were one of baseball’s busiest teams during trade deadline season, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times provides a recap on all of the club’s dealings.  With salaries always a concern in Tampa, the Rays now have only a bit over $8MM committed to their 2019 payroll, all owed to Kevin Kiermaier via the outfielder’s multi-year contract.  Topkin calculates that between the minimum salary players, Kiermaier, and arbitration-eligibles Tommy Pham and Matt Duffy (but not C.J. Cron), the Rays may have approximately $25MM in payroll for 2019.  Even if the Rays won’t approach even their modest $70MM payroll from the start of this season, they’ll still have some room to spend on upgrades this winter.  In regards to Cron, Topkin thinks his home run total could push his arbitration number beyond the Rays’ comfort zone, so the first baseman could potentially be a trade candidate or maybe even a non-tender candidate despite his solid season.
  • Also from Topkin’s piece, the player to be named later acquired by the Rays from the Pirates in the Chris Archer trade still isn’t known, and the mystery prospect may not change organizations until the minor league season ends.  Indeed, Pirates GM Neal Huntington said today during his radio show (hat tip to MLB.com’s Adam Berry) that “nothing’s imminent” about the players to be named later involved in the Archer trade and also in the trade with the Rangers for Keone Kela.

MLB Weekend Roster Roundup: Fowler, McCullers, Myers, Osuna, Snell

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ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(August 4th-August 5th)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

  • CINCINNATI REDS | Depth Chart
      • Promoted:  RP Austin Brice
        • Brice was the 26th man for Saturday’s double-header.
  • WASHINGTON NATIONALS | Depth Chart
    • Promoted: RP Austin Voth
      • Voth was the 26th man for Saturday’s double-header.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

Injury Updates: Springer, Altuve, Sale, Devers, Erasmo

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The latest on some injury situations from around baseball…

  • George Springer left today’s game in the third inning with what the Astros described as “left thumb discomfort.”  Springer suffered the injury while sliding into second base on an attempted steal, with manger A.J. Hinch telling MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (Twitter video link) and other reporters that Springer’s thumb was clipped by the glove of Dodgers shortstop Chris Taylor during the tag.  The severity of the problem isn’t yet known, though McTaggart tweets that Springer’s x-rays were negative.  Jake Marisnick took Springer’s spot in the lineup, and one would think Marisnick or youngsters Kyle Tucker or Derek Fisher would get the bulk of playing time if Springer had to miss significant time.  Losing Springer would be another blow to a Houston team that has suddenly been bit by the injury bug, as such key figures as Lance McCullers Jr., Chris Devenski, and (most of all) Jose Altuve have all been placed on the DL within the last two weeks.
  • Speaking of Altuve, he won’t return from the disabled list after the 10-day minimum, as he’ll instead head to Houston to have his right knee re-examined by team doctors (the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome was among those who reported the news).  The star second baseman hit the DL on July 28, with a backdated placement of July 26, due to knee soreness.  “I don’t know that we can consider it a setback other than we can consider that he needs more time to heal,” A.J. Hinch said, while GM Jeff Luhnow said the team saw the re-examination as a “checkpoint on where [Altuve is] at.”  The absolute earliest Altuve could return is on Thursday for the start of the Astros’ series with the Mariners.
  • Chris Sale will also spend some extra time on the DL, as the Red Sox ace wasn’t listed as a probable starter during Boston’s three-game series in Toronto from Tuesday to Thursday.  (MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith was among those with the information.)  Mild shoulder inflammation sent Sale to the DL on July 31 (retroactive to July 28), and the expectation was that Sale would only miss one start, with a return targeted for Wednesday’s game.  Instead, Brian Johnson will take the hill for the Sox against the Blue Jays.
  • The Red Sox could get third baseman Rafael Devers back for that Wednesday game, as the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato tweets that Devers will rejoin the team in Toronto after playing in a minor league rehab game on Monday.  A hamstring strain sent Devers to the DL on July 28, and Wednesday is the first day he is eligible to return.  Devers also missed some time earlier this month with shoulder inflammation.  The young slugger has been inconsistent (.245/.295/.425 in 396 PA) over his first full Major League season, and his particular struggles against left-handed pitching could put Devers in platoon duty down the stretch rather than an everyday role at third base.
  • Erasmo Ramirez is slated for a rehab outing today and is expected to rejoin the Mariners sometime this week, the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish writes.  Ramirez has been sidelined since April recovering from a teres major strain, and has only made two appearances this season after another DL stint (lat strain) to begin the 2018 campaign.  It isn’t yet clear if Ramirez will work as a starter or reliever when he is activated, as his role could hinge on whether the struggling Felix Hernandez can get on track.

Athletics Acquire Shawn Kelley

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4:52pm: The Athletics announced that they’ve acquired Kelley for international slot money. To clear room for him, they placed outfielder Jake Smolinski on the 60-day disabled list with a blood clot in his left calf.

4:46pm: The Athletics have acquired reliever Shawn Kelley from the Nationals, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports. There’s no word yet on what the Nationals received in exchange, but given that they designated Kelley for assignment earlier this week, it’s likely to be an insubstantial return.

Even though it’s competing for a playoff spot in the National League, Washington elected to move on from Kelley after he admitted he “acted like a baby” in a 25-4 rout over the Mets on Tuesday. Kelley slammed his glove after allowing a home run in that game, which offended general manager Mike Rizzo and others in the Nationals organization.

“If you’re not in, you’re in the way,” Rizzo said (via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post).

It’s clear Kelley’s actions didn’t turn off Oakland, which is pushing for a playoff berth in the AL. If his results to this point of the campaign are any indication, the 34-year-old Kelley should help the Athletics break their three-year playoff drought. Kelley logged a 3.34 ERA with 8.91 K/9 and 1.39 BB/9 in 32 1/3 innings with the Nats this year, though that came with a 27 percent groundball rate and a 4.56 FIP. He’s in the final season of a three-year, $15MM contract and is making $5.5MM.

Quick Hits: Realmuto, Marlins, Astros, Red Sox, Angels, Eloy

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Along with the previously reported Nationals, the Astros had interest in Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Both teams’ interest in Realmuto dates back to at least last offseason, but neither they nor anyone else have been able to pry the star backstop out of Miami. Instead of Realmuto, the Astros ended up acquiring the much less exciting Martin Maldonado from the Angels before the deadline. He’s backing up Max Stassi, who has emerged as the Astros’ starter since Brian McCann underwent knee surgery a month ago. Stassi got off to a great offensive start this year before cooling off significantly over the past couple months, though he is having an elite season behind the plate.

  • The Red Sox inquired about Marlins closer Kyle Barraclough before the deadline, but Boston ultimately “backed off,” Cafardo writes. Barraclough wound up staying with the Marlins, who placed a high asking price on the flamethrowing right-hander. The 28-year-old hasn’t been good of late, as his ERA has skyrocketed from .99 to 3.28 since the beginning of July, but he still comes with a quality track record and affordable team control. As a result, the Marlins elected to keep Barraclough, who will make his first of three possible trips through arbitration during the winter.
  • In an interestingly timed move, the Angels announced Sunday that special assistant Eric Chavez will manage their Triple-A team in Salt Lake for the rest of the season. Previous manager Keith Johnson will finish the year on the Angels’ coaching staff, and GM Billy Eppler said Sunday that the Halos want him to work with their young infielders (Twitter link via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times). The decision to replace Johnson with Chavez raised eyebrows, though, given that the latter has come up as a potential replacement for Angels skipper Mike Scioscia, who’s reportedly going to retire at the end of the season. The 40-year-old Chavez, a longtime major league third baseman, had never managed at any level until the Angels handed him the Triple-A reins.
  • Standout White Sox outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez is “getting really close” to earning a major league promotion, director of player development Chris Getz said Sunday (via 670 The Score, on Twitter). The 21-year-old Jimenez, whom Baseball America, MLB.com and FanGraphs all regard as the game’s third-best prospect, has hit an astounding .376/.425/.679 with eight home runs and a .303 ISO in 120 plate appearances since the White Sox moved him to Triple-A Charlotte in late June.

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia Will Reportedly Retire After Season

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SUNDAY, 3:38pm: In response to Nightengale’s report, Scioscia told media (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times): “This is insanity. That’s it.”

12:58pm: Scioscia decided before the season began that this will be his final year as a manager with the Angels or anyone else, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. He plans to retire at the end of the season, according to Nightengale.

10:38am: For what it’s worth, Scioscia denied Rosenthal’s report on Sunday, telling media members (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register): “Nothing has changed since we talked last October. That’s the best way I can put it. There’s always chatter out there. The only word I have is poppycock. That’s all it is.”

SATURDAY: Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who’s in the last season of a 10-year, $50MM contract, is expected to step down at the end of the campaign, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription required). Scioscia’s not under pressure from the club to walk away, according to Rosenthal. Rather, the soon-to-be 60-year-old would depart of his own volition, and it’s unclear whether he’d be open to managing elsewhere in the future.

Scioscia, the longest-tenured manager in baseball, has been atop the Angels’ dugout since the club hired him prior to the 2000 season. The union between the Angels and Scioscia, a former Dodgers catcher, has been fruitful. The franchise won its only World Series title under Scioscia in 2002, taking out Barry Bonds and the Giants in a memorable seven-game set. The Scioscia-led Angels have also gone to the playoffs in six other seasons, each of which included a division title, and combined for a 1,625-1,402 regular-season record. Only 17 other managers have won more games than Scioscia, and 12 are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

While the Scioscia era has gone well in the aggregate, recent Angels teams haven’t been able to approach the early success the franchise had with him at the controls. Despite having the majors’ best player, center fielder Mike Trout, dating back to his breakout 2012 season, the Angels haven’t won a playoff series since 2009. They haven’t even won a postseason game with Trout, who was part of the most recent Angels playoff team – the 2014 club that Kansas City swept in the ALDS.

With Trout in his third-last year of team control, the Angels made several key moves this past offseason to return to prominence. Most notably, the Halos signed Japanese-born superstar Shohei Ohtani, a starting pitcher/designated hitter who was the majors’ top free agent in the offseason. Ohtani has wowed as a two-way player, but a right elbow sprain has kept him off the mound since June 6 and limited him to 49 1/3 innings. He’s among a host of Angels who have dealt with injury issues this season, which has helped lead to an underwhelming 55-57 record. As a result, the Angels are well out of the playoff race, trailing the AL West-leading Astros by 15 1/2 games and another division rival – the Athletics – by 10 1/2 for a wild-card spot.

Barring a miraculous comeback (and a change of heart from Scioscia), it appears his tenure in Anaheim will conclude in disappointing fashion and with a fourth straight non-playoff season. The Angels’ next skipper will be taking over for a team icon, one who has garnered AL Manager of the Year honors twice. Rosenthal notes that individual may come from inside the organization, though he does expect the Angels to explore outside candidates, too. The Halos hired former Tigers manager Brad Ausmus last winter as a special assistant to GM Billy Eppler, and he stands out as their most obvious in-house Scioscia successor. Otherwise, fellow Eppler assistant Eric Chavez or Scioscia’s bench coach, Josh Paul, could be possibilities, per Rosenthal.

Regardless of whether the Angels’ next manager ultimately comes from within, the club shouldn’t have difficulty attracting interest in the job. Led by Trout and Ohtani, there’s enviable talent on the Angels’ roster, and the franchise has consistently run high payrolls under owner Arte Moreno. This year’s team entered the campaign with the game’s seventh-most expensive roster, but unfortunately for the Angels and Scioscia, a dreary ending appears to be in store.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Trades, Vlad Jr., Archer, Braves, Brewers

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This week in baseball blogs…

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