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NL East Notes: Nats, Harper, Marlins

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Though both the Braves and Nationals collapsed over the last few months of the season, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution still feels Washington is in the better position going forward.  The Nats will lose some big pieces in free agency this winter but they “can fix a lot with a manager who can take charge of the clubhouse and a few leaders on the roster. They have more proven major-league talent than the Braves,” Schultz writes.  Here’s some more from around the division…

  • Bryce Harper wasn’t in the Nationals’ lineup on Monday, an absence GM Mike Rizzo confirmed was due to the outfielder’s part in the dugout fracas with Jonathan Papelbon during Sunday’s game.  Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post has quotes from both Rizzo and Harper about the situation, and she also expresses some incredulity that Harper was punished for essentially acting in self-defense.
  • The Papelbon incident doesn’t exactly help the Nationals’ chances of keeping Harper on a long-term contract, Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post writes.  Boswell’s piece examines the many changes that will come to the Nats this winter due to free agent departures and other moves, leaving remaining veterans like Ryan Zimmerman dismayed that the likes of Ian Desmond or Jordan Zimmermann could depart, though Zimmerman is still optimistic.  “Sometimes, shaking things up is what’s necessary. If every single person from this team came back, would I like our chances if we did it all again next year? Yes. But that’s not going to happen….But some really, really good things are coming to this team. ‘Mix up’ could be positive,” Zimmerman said.
  • The Marlins have played well in September, a performance MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro attributes to the clubhouse putting the season’s discord and drama behind them.  “Basically, the players united together.  They were tired of losing.  Tired of the internal bickering….So they responded by staying loose, having fun, and the wins followed,” Frisaro writes.  The leadership of Martin Prado and Jeff Mathis played a big part in this attitude shift, and Mathis’ teammates would love to see the veteran catcher brought back in free agency this winter.  Frisaro thinks the Marlins need to build on this, rather than create even more distrust by having another roster shakeup.
  • In other NL East news on MLBTR, check out this collection of Phillies Notes from earlier today.

Braves Notes: Weber, Allard, Maroth

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Braves righty Ryan Weber is one of several recent call-ups with an under-the-radar minor league career, John Manuel of Baseball America writes. Weber was a standout in high school, starring for USA Baseball national teams as a teenager despite his small frame. He wound up at junior college, though, and then was selected in the late rounds in 2009. He made his way through the Braves’ minor league system slowly, posting unspectacular statistics and not reaching Double-A until last season. But he pitched well in the high minors this year, posting a 2.35 ERA, 5.3 K/9 and a terrific 0.9 BB/9 over 99 2/3 innings split between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett, and he’s now started three games for a rebuilding Braves club. Here’s more out of Atlanta.

  • The Braves focused on high school talent in last year’s draft, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo notes. They used their first four picks on youngsters Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka, Austin Riley and Lucas Herbert. “We’re getting back to the Braves way,” says assistant GM John Coppolella. “When you build a skyscraper, you build it from the bottom up, you don’t build it from the top. We wanted to get the most impact talent we could. We got away from that and we’re paying for it now with a bit of a talent drain at the upper levels.” All four top draftees are now in instructional league play, although Coppolella notes that No. 14 overall pick Allard won’t pitch much — the Braves are taking it slow with him because of the stress reaction in his back that he suffered in high school. (Allard pitched just six innings in his first pro season, but as Mayo notes, they were terrific — he struck out 12 of the 20 batters he faced in six innings in the GCL.) Allard should be “good to go” next season, Coppalella says.
  • The Braves have hired Mike Maroth as their minor league rehab pitching coordinator, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. Maroth will replace Dan Meyer, who will remain with the organization in a role that has yet to be determined. Maroth pitched parts of six seasons with the Tigers and Cardinals, and he spent the last four seasons working as a pitching coach in the Tigers system.

Heyman’s Latest: D-Backs, Freeman, O’s, Samardzija

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Jon Heyman of CBS Sports has published his latest Inside Baseball column and begins by taking a look at his 25 “heroes” of the 2015 season. Here are some highlights from the rest of the piece…

  • Adding a top-tier starting pitcher and a top closer are the main priorities of the Diamondbacks this offseason, Heyman hears. While the D-Backs probably won’t make a run at “the” top starter (presumably David Price), the team does have some money to spend on a starting pitcher. Previous reports have also stated that the Diamondbacks will renew trade talks for Aroldis Chapman this winter, though the asking price on him has, in the past, been said to be exorbitant.
  • The Braves have shown a willingness to listen to trade offers on almost anyone, but sources tell Heyman that Freddie Freeman probably isn’t going anywhere. Atlanta is also said to be open to a return for Craig Kimbrel — the initial trade was made for the purpose of shedding Melvin Upton’s contract — though the ’pen will receive a boost when Shae Simmons, Jason Grilli and Chris Withrow are healthy.
  • The Orioles will make qualifying offers to Chris Davis and Wei-Yin Chen but are not yet certain whether to extend one to Matt Wieters, who has had somewhat of a rough season in his return from Tommy John.
  • Clay Buchholz has been out since July with an elbow injury and will not return this season, according to Heyman, but the Red Sox will exercise his $13MM option for 2016 if he looks good in a bullpen session Sunday. Whatever happens, the Red Sox will look for additional pitching this winter. (Last night, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reported that Buchholz still hopes he can pitch an inning in the Red Sox’ last game of the season.)
  • The White Sox considered offering Jeff Samardzija an extension of around $80MM when they acquired him last season, but Samardzija wanted to test free agency. Heyman reports that Samardzija was disappointed the White Sox didn’t deal him in July, since a deal would have allowed him to pitch for a contender and would have prevented him from being extended a qualifying offer.
  • Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler still looks like the favorite for the Angels GM job, and Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine is another possibility. Heyman also mentions that the name of Padres and Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has also come up.
  • Though Eppler may the favorite in Anaheim, he’s also one of two finalists for the Mariners’ GM post, with the other being Jerry Dipoto. Each candidate is in line for a second interview, which could be more than Dana Brown of the Blue Jays and interim GM Jeff Kingston get. Each has interviewed once, as have others, per Heyman.
  • Incoming Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro will retain GM Alex Anthopoulos. Of course, as Heyman notes, that’s hardly surprising given how well the Jays have played recently.
  • Nationals ownership, is, perhaps unsurprisingly, very disappointed with the 2015 team. While nothing is certain, however, GM Mike Rizzo seems likely to return for 2016.

Injury Notes: Braun, Nelson, Eovaldi, Folty, Hanley

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Here’s the latest on several injury situations around the league:

  • Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will undergo back surgery after the season, he told reporters including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. It’s not immediately clear what procedure he’ll need, but Braun indicated that he expects to be able to work through a short rehab and be ready in time for a full Spring Training. “We have to make sure we don’t allow [a setback] to happen,” said the 31-year-old. “We’ve known for a while that I’m going to have to have surgery, so we’ve been trying to battle through it. The danger is that if it gets worse, then the recovery time with the surgery could get a lot longer.”
  • The Brewers have decided to shut down righty Jimmy Nelson after he was struck in the head by a line drive in his most recent outing, per a club announcement. Skipper Craig Counsell told reporters today that Nelson’s neurologist felt there was too much risk to allow him to return to the mound at this point, as club play-by-play man Joe Block tweets. Hopefully, of course, rest and recuperation will put the 26-year-old back on track for a normal spring.
  • Things are not progressing well for Yankees righty Nathan Eovaldi, as Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reports. Eovaldi is still experiencing soreness in his pitching elbow despite a two-week layoff. At this point, Eovaldi may not have much chance of being ready for the start of the postseason and could ultimately be shut down entirely, GM Brian Cashman indicated.
  • The Braves announced that righty Mike Foltynewicz underwent surgery to remove “the anterior half of his first rib.” Foltynewicz had been on the DL with rib inflammation and was then hospitalized yesterday after experiencing blood clots in his right arm. Atlanta assistant GM John Coppolella explained that, “our first and foremost thoughts are just for his health and that he is okay,” as Kevin McAlpin of Braves Radio Net reports (links to Twitter). The two issues are unrelated, per Coppolella, who indicated that the club is still trying to get its arms around the situation. It seems a safe be that Foltynewicz, a key part of last year’s Evan Gattis trade, will not pitch again this year, though there are no indications that he’ll have any lingering issues.
  • Hanley Ramirez will wait until he’s completely pain free to be activated by the Red Sox, as MLB.com’s Ian Browne writes. The club has made clear that it won’t utilize Ramirez at the plate until he is ready and able to play the field. Boston is set to begin the experiment of moving the pricey veteran to first base. While a late-season return won’t have much bearing on the standings, getting a look at Ramirez at another new position could have ramifications for Boston’s offseason plans.

Quick Hits: Montreal, Phillies, Braves, Moylan

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In early April, the Blue Jays will play exhibition games at Olympic Stadium in Montreal for the third straight year, as Ainsley Doty of SportsNet writes. The Jays and Red Sox will play there April 1 and 2, just before the start of the regular season. The exhibitions will likely warm the hearts of fans longing for baseball to return to Montreal on a more permanent basis. “It is clearly a strong message that major teams from Major League Baseball want to come to Montreal,” says Montreal mayor Denis Coderre. “Of course, we keep the flame on. Montreal is a serious contender to get back the Expos one day.” Here are more quick notes from around the game.

  • There are plenty of teams with at least a mathematical chance of winning (or “winning”) the first pick in the 2016 draft, but right now the Phillies hold a two-game “lead” over the Braves, as Vince Lara-Cinosomo of Baseball America notes. Both teams already have solid farm systems thanks in part to their recent rebuilding efforts. The next top Phillies draft signing will join a system topped by J.P. Crawford and recent trade acquisitions Jake Thompson, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro. The Braves’ system is topped by Curacaoan infielder Ozhaino Albies, along with top 2015 pick Kolby Allard and a host of players acquired in recent trades.
  • After righty Peter Moylan had his second Tommy John surgery last year, the Braves signed him to a two-year minor-league deal with the idea that he would spend at least part of this season coaching pitchers at the Braves’ Appalachian League affiliate in Danville. Instead, he never went to Danville and pitched in the big leagues instead, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. Moylan made his season minor-league debut with Triple-A Gwinnett in late May, got promoted to the big leagues in August and has now been in the Majors for more than a month. Now the 36-year-old is looking forward to continuing his progress in 2016. “I got a cup of coffee with L.A. in 2013, but I wasn’t ever really comfortable with how I was throwing,” says Moylan. “Coming back here, it’s sort of given me a chance to look at video of what I was doing back in the day, and go back to that. Now hopefully I can continue that, maintain that and then roll through next year.”

Braves Outright Jake Brigham, Michael Kohn

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Earlier this week, the Braves outrighted righties Jake Brigham and Michael Kohn. Neither of the two had been among the team’s September call-ups.

After signing a minor-league deal with the Braves last November, the 27-year-old Brigham made his big-league debut in 2015 and struggled, allowing 16 runs in 16 2/3 innings. He spent a larger portion of the season with Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett and fared better, however, combining for a 3.46 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 91 innings in the minors. In June, he also took a perfect game into the ninth inning with Mississippi.

The 29-year-old Kohn pitched six outings with the Braves early in the year but suffered a shoulder strain in May and missed much of the rest of the season before briefly returning to minor-league action this month. The reliever has struggled with his control in a big-league career that spans parts of five seasons, posting a 3.52 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 6.2 BB/9 in 115 career innings.

Injury Notes: Nelson, Travis, Tulo, Banuelos

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A serious knee injury to Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang will have immediate impact as the post-season nears, and that’s not the only injury to watch today. Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson exited his outing tonight after being struck in the head by a line drive. It was a scary situation, and he’s obviously being handled with extreme care, but the 26-year-old righty was able to walk off and is reportedly coherent as he heads to a hospital for treatment.

As we send our best wishes to Milwaukee, here’s the latest on some other medical situations around the league:

  • Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis will undergo exploratory surgery on his left shoulder, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm was among those to report on Twitter. That will end whatever hope had remained for him to return this year. It’s unfortunate for both Travis and the Jays that he won’t have a chance to rejoin the club late in the year. Travis, 24, was a revelation for Toronto after coming over in an offseason swap for Anthony Gose. He owns a .304/.361/.498 slash over 239 plate appearances. With good baserunning and fielding added in, he was certainly one of the league’s most impressive rookies, though he’s been out since late July. His progress over the fall and winter will certainly be important as the Jays plan for next season.
  • Of course, the Blue Jays are also waiting to learn when shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will return from his own shoulder issues. As Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter, the club is still looking for a full understanding of the situation and does not yet have a timeline. Tulo saw a specialist today in hopes of learning more. There is no indication at present that the collision which led to the injury will post any long-term difficulties for the star infielder.
  • Young Braves left-hander Manny Banuelos underwent a procedure today to remove a bone spur from his elbow, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter links). It went as well as could be hoped, says O’Brien, as there was no ligament damage found. The former top prospect, now 24, made his big league debut after generating solid results at Triple-A in his first season with the Atlanta organization.

MLBTR Podcast Featuring David Aardsma

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Jeff catches up on the week’s news and notes, then welcomes veteran right-hander David Aardsma to the show to talk about how the veteran reliever is navigating the later stages of his career. Aardsma offers his thoughts on the feeling of being traded and being designated for assignment as well as the difficult decision to opt out of his minor league deal with the Dodgers this year. Also discussed is the Top Velocity program Aardsma went through this offseason and the impact it had on his mechanics and health as the season wore on.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

NL East Notes: Cespedes, Olivera, Phillies

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Yoenis Cespedes has been surprised with by the overwhelming manner in which Mets fans have embraced him, he told the New York Post’s Ken Davidoff on Wednesday, and the slugging outfielder is open to a return to the Mets in free agency. Cespedes called his time with the Mets thus far the best of his Major League career because of his production, the team’s overall play and the fact that as it stands, New York is playoff-bound. Cespedes revealed to Davidoff that he was the one who instructed his agents to approach the team about removing the contractual clause that would’ve only given the Mets five days to re-sign him this offseason. Cespedes admitted to Davidoff that he knew little about the Mets before being traded there, and it was news to him that the Mets hadn’t reached the playoffs since 2006. “This year will be the next time,” Cespedes confidently told Davidoff. Cespedes also spoke to Davidoff about his decision to sign with Jay-Z’s startup agency, Roc Nation Sports, last offseason, although he didn’t get into specific details about the switch.

Here’s more from the NL East…

  • Former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski spoke with ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes about the trade that sent Cespedes to the Mets, providing some insight into the final day of the non-waiver trade season. Dombrowski received an 8am phone call from Mets GM Sandy Alderson expressing serious interest in Cespedes after the Carlos Gomez trade fell through, he told Edes. His response was that Michael Fulmer would be the Tigers’ top target in talks, and Alderson replied that he’d keep in touch. At 1:30pm, Dombrowski received permission from Tigers owner Mike Ilitch to go ahead with a trade only if the return included the prospects atop Detroit’s list; there’d be no take-what-you-can-get scenario. Had their price not been met, “[W]e would’ve kept him,” said Dombrowski. Alderson had been told by Dombrowski that the Tigers would need to hear definitively within 15 minutes of the deadline, as a trade involving Cespedes would need commissioner approval due to his unique contract, and the final call conceding Fulmer was (obviously) made in time to complete the swap.
  • The Braves are easing Hector Olivera into things early in his big league career, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta believes that Olivera will be in a better position to succeed in 2016 after playing winter ball in Puerto Rico and benefiting from a full Spring Training, so for the time being, they’re willing to give him a couple of nights off per week as he adjusts to life as a Major Leaguer. That’s less likely to be the case following this season, when Olivera will be counted on as a key fixture in the middle of the lineup.
  • Though Ruben Amaro Jr.’s tenure as Phillies GM hasn’t produced the results the organization hoped for when Pat Gillick stepped aside in 2008, former president David Montgomery believes that Amaro deserves respect for the work he put in over the years, writes Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Amaro took the blame for a good deal of the Phillies’ misfortunes, but Montgomery notes that the decision to continue acting in a win-now capacity stretched beyond Amaro. “We pushed it hard,” said Montgomery. “We were all involved in it, and I’ve said that many times, as far as trying to get one more after we got ’08. We were all in. We knew the risk. We knew the risk that when you trade your near-ready minor leaguers, there’s going to be a dip.”

East Notes: Williams, Cespedes, Boxberger, Kelly, Tazawa

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Star Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper provided a ringing endorsement for embattled skipper Matt Williams, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. “Truly, I love him as a manager,” said Harper. “Flat out I absolutely do. If I didn’t, everybody would know.” Player sentiment only goes so far, of course, but the comments do seem particularly meaningful with Harper set to finish off a compelling, breakout season as one of the lone bright spots on a disappointing team.

Here’s more from the eastern divisions:

  • While there was a report yesterday that the Braves could have interest in Yoenis Cespedes as a free agent, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears (Twitter link) that the team has no such intentions. As I noted at the time, that match seemed curious on paper not because Cespedes wouldn’t be an appealing target for the team — he would — but because his price tag seems likely to move quickly into a range that the Braves would not find palatable.
  • Rays closer Brad Boxberger says that his recent struggles may be the result of inconsistent usage earlier in the year, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Another strong campaign from Boxberger, 27, has started to trend downward in recent weeks, and he said that could be due to “all of the early use in non-closing situations.” While Boxberger says he does not want to place blame on the team’s lack of a designated closer role — which he has filled, de facto, for much of the year — he obviously seemed to suggest that as a possibility. Boxberger will still be a season away from reaching arbitration eligibility after this year, though his saves tally this year will set him up for a big payday thereafter — if he can remain healthy and effective.
  • Red Sox righty Joe Kelly has flipped the narrative on his season, but as Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports, he may have thrown his last pitch of 2015. While that decision has yet to be made, the 26-year-old exited his outing last night with shoulder tightness — obviously not an area that the team will want to take any chances at the tail end of a lost season. Kelly’s solid late-year results have surely given nsew president of baseball operations plenty to think about in planning next seasons rotation.
  • Another Red Sox right-hander, reliever Junichi Tazawa, has already been declared shut down for the rest of the year, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports. The move is not related to any injury, says interim manager Torey Lovullo. Instead, Boston wants to avoid too much stress on the 29-year-old’s arm after he topped sixty frames in each of the last two years. The steady Tazawa has faded down the stretch this year after a typically strong first half. He’ll enter his final year of arbitration in the offseason.
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