Mariners Notes: Gonzales, Segura, Haniger, Cruz
Here’s the latest from the city of Jimi Hendrix and Frasier Crane…
- Marco Gonzales is hopeful that he can return from the disabled list to start during the Mariners’ series with the Yankees this weekend, MLB.com’s Greg Johns was among those to report. A cervical neck muscle strain forced Gonzales to the 10-day DL on August 27, though the left-hander had no issues while playing catch today. Gonzales will throw a light bullpen session Monday and another later in the week with an eye towards starting against New York. “The silver lining” of the absence, Gonzales told Johns and other reporters, is that he has had time to rest his arm and perhaps get a bit of a reset after struggling badly over his last four outings.
- The November 2016 deal that brought Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger to Seattle has turned into one of the best trades in recent Mariners history, with the two both quickly becoming cornerstone players for the M’s. The Athletic’s Corey Brock (subscription required) looks back at the trade with GM Jerry Dipoto, who broke down some of the talks between he and Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen, and how Segura and Haniger were identified as targets.
- In a mailbag piece for the Seattle Times, Ryan Divish notes that the two biggest questions surrounding the Mariners’ offseason will be whether or not to re-sign Nelson Cruz, and what position Dee Gordon will play in 2019. The two questions go hand-in-hand, particularly in regards to Robinson Cano — if Cruz leaves, Cano will see more DH time and Gordon could play more at his natural second base position. If Cruz stays as the full-time DH, however, Cano will see regular time at second while Gordon could return to the outfield. Ryon Healy‘s future with the team is also a factor, as Cano could also be deployed at first base. It will be an interesting positional juggle for the M’s, plus we can’t rule out Dipoto trying another unconventional solution (i.e. the decision to acquire Gordon and use him as a center fielder in the first place).
Braves Acquire Preston Tucker
The Braves have brought back a familiar face in Preston Tucker, re-acquiring the outfielder from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations (as per the Braves’ official Twitter feed).
Atlanta previously traded Tucker to Cincinnati as part of the teams’ July deal involving veteran outfielder Adam Duvall. The 28-year-old Tucker failed to impress during his brief time with the Reds, with only a .664 OPS over 42 plate appearances, and he was demoted to Triple-A earlier this week. Over the entire 2018 season, however, Tucker’s .240/.302/.419 slash line over 169 combined PA with the Braves and Reds this year is nearly league average (96 wRC+).
Tucker will provide the Braves with a bit more outfield depth as rosters expand in September, plus there is some late-bloomer potential given his strong career minor league numbers. Tucker does have 23 homers over his 636 career PA in the big leagues, though his overall production at the plate leaves much to be desired (.224/.281/.410).
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/2/18
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Dodgers announced that they’ve selected the contract of catcher Rocky Gale from Triple-A Oklahoma City and moved right-hander Brock Stewart (right oblique strain) to the 60-day disabled list. Gale, whom the Dodgers signed to a minor league contract last offseason, hit .281/.305/.383 in 318 plate appearances with Okahoma City this year. The 30-year-old previously saw MLB action with the Padres in 2015 and ’17, though he only totaled a combined 20 PAs in those stints.
- The Braves have selected infielder Ryan Flaherty from Triple-A Gwinnett and placed outfielder Michael Reed (left lower back strain) on the 60-day DL, per a team announcement. Flaherty’s back in Atlanta not long after it outrighted him Aug. 23. The veteran has struggled across 172 PAs this season as a member of the Braves, with whom he has hit .222/.298/.301.
Reactions To Josh Donaldson Trade
It’s expected that Indians right-hander Julian Merryweather will be the player they eventually send to the Blue Jays to complete this week’s Josh Donaldson trade, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports. There’s plenty of time for a resolution here, as the sides have until Jan. 30, 2019, to determine the PTBNL. If it proves to be Merryweather, Toronto will be getting a soon-to-be 27-year-old who does not rank among the Indians’ top 30 prospects at MLB.com right now – likely because he underwent Tommy John surgery in March and hasn’t pitched this season. Merryweather did rank as the Tribe’s 16th-best farmhand at MLB.com after last season.
- Like Merryweather, Donaldson has endured an injury-ravaged 2018. Calf problems have kept the third baseman out since the end of May, and Indians president Chris Antonetti said Sunday that it remains unclear when he’ll debut with his new team (via Davidi). It’s possible the Indians will place Donaldson back on the 10-day disabled list and have him join one of their minor league affiliates for a rehab assignment, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal says (video link). Meanwhile, they’ll prepare third baseman Jose Ramirez to play second base and second baseman Jason Kipnis to head to the outfield. Ramirez – who’s having an MVP-caliber season – does not want to constantly toggle between second and third, per Rosenthal, so Cleveland will have to be certain Donaldson’s healthy before inserting him into its lineup.
- The Blue Jays didn’t commit to trading Donaldson until “late in the day” on Aug. 31, the waiver deadline, general manager Ross Atkins tells Arash Madani of Sportsnet (video link). Asked why the Jays didn’t simply keep Donaldson and issue the pending free agent an ~$18MM qualifying offer after the season, Atkins suggested the player they’ll receive for him is more useful than the pick they’d have gotten had Donaldson rejected the QO. Atkins believes the player’s “an exciting upper-level talent” who will have a near-future impact in the majors.
- Donaldson grew into a leader as a Blue Jay and wanted to sign a long-term pact with the team, but the feeling wasn’t necessarily mutual, John Lott of The Athletic explains (subscription required). While Donaldson and the Jays discussed an extension last offseason, the team’s offer was “significantly” lower than Donaldson’s asking price – particularly with respect to contract length – Lott reports. Still, despite whatever issues he may have had with the franchise, Donaldson didn’t want to be traded, according to Lott.
Rays Select Andrew Velazquez
2:45pm: The Rays cleared space for Velazquez by placing right-hander Jose Mujica on the 60-day disabled list, Topkin tweets.
12:56pm: The Rays have selected infielder/outfielder Andrew Velazquez from Triple-A Durham, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported. The club already has a full 40-man roster, so it’ll need to make room for Velazquez.
The switch-hitting Velazquez entered the professional ranks as a seventh-round pick of the Diamondbacks in 2012. Arizona then traded him to Tampa Bay in a November 2014 deal that saw right-hander Jeremy Hellickson head to the D-backs.
Now 24, Velazquez does not rank among the Rays’ top 30 prospects at MLB.com, though he has offered passable production this year with Durham. In his first taste of Triple-A action, Velazquez has hit .258/.317/.409 (105 wRC+) with 12 home runs and 29 stolen bases across 461 plate appearances.
Heyman’s Latest: Machado, Yanks, Tribe, Harper, Realmuto, Braves, Mauer
Dodgers pending free agent Manny Machado has made it known he prefers shortstop, but the former Baltimore third baseman would return to the hot corner “for the right team,” Jon Heyman of Fancred writes. A willingness to play third certainly won’t hurt Machado on the open market, where he’s expected to sign one of the richest contracts ever, as it could encourage more teams to get involved in the bidding. Machado prefers to sign with the Yankees, Heyman relays, which jibes with a previous report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The Yankees already have an excellent shortstop in Didi Gregorius and a big-hitting rookie third basemen in Miguel Andujar, but their presences didn’t prevent the team from pursuing Machado at this year’s non-waiver trade deadline. Gregorius is only under contract for another year, moreover, while Machado is a much better defender at third than Andujar. Speculatively, if the Yankees sign Machado and extend Gregorius, perhaps they’d move Andujar to first base (where they haven’t gotten much production this year) or use him as trade bait to acquire pitching.
More rumblings from Heyman…
- The Indians were the most aggressive pursuers of Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper at the non-waiver trade deadline in July, according to Heyman. However, the Indians were unwilling to trade high-end pitching prospect Triston McKenzie for Harper – who’ll be a free agent at season’s end – and general manager Mike Rizzo didn’t want to deal Harper anyhow. Expectations are that the Rizzo-led Nats will do their best to re-sign Harper, Heyman suggests.
- There isn’t much optimism around baseball that the Marlins will be able to extend star catcher J.T. Realmuto, reports Heyman, who writes that he “apparently remains a target” of the NL East rival Braves. Atlanta extended catcher Tyler Flowers earlier this week, but only for a guaranteed $6MM over two years. Realmuto is also controllable for the next two seasons, and given that the Marlins won’t contend during that span, it seems like a strong bet that they’ll trade the 27-year-old if they’re unable to extend him.
- Twins icon and pending free agent Joe Mauer is uninterested in playing elsewhere, per Heyman, who adds that it’s believed Minnesota would welcome the first baseman back in 2019. The question is whether the St. Paul native will choose to play next year, which would be his age-36 season. Mauer’s now in the final weeks of the franchise-record eight-year, $184MM extension he signed as a superstar catcher in 2010. The deal hasn’t quite worked out as hoped, though, thanks in part to injuries and a decline in production. Mauer has posted league-average offensive numbers over 444 PAs this year, with a .278/.350/.379 line (99 wRC+).
- The Brewers finished second to the NL Central rival Cardinals in the race to sign then-free agent Miles Mikolas last winter, Heyman reports. A former Ranger and Padre, Mikolas returned stateside after a couple seasons in Japan, joining the Cardinals on a two-year, $15.5MM guarantee. That contract has been a steal for St. Louis, which has seen the 30-year-old Mikolas turn in 167 innings of 2.96 ERA/3.43 FIP ball this season.
Jorge Soler May Be Done For Season
Royals outfielder Jorge Soler suffered a setback in his rehab from a foot injury, and the team will shut him down for an undisclosed period of time, manager Ned Yost told Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com and other reporters on Sunday. With only a few weeks left on the schedule, it’s possible Soler’s season is over, Flanagan notes.
Soler last played in the majors on June 15, when he incurred a left foot fracture, though the Royals’ hope was that he’d return in August. Instead, the 26-year-old’s big league campaign may conclude with 257 plate appearances and a terrific .265/.354/.466 batting line. Soler also chipped in nine home runs and a .202 ISO while cutting his strikeout rate to 26.8 percent (compared to 32.7 in 2017). Statcast data suggests Soler’s success this season hasn’t been a fluke, as there’s little difference between his expected weighted on-base average (.359) and his real wOBA (.355).
In terms of bottom-line results, this has been a rough year for the rebuilding Royals, who own the majors’ second-worst record (44-91). Soler’s production counts as a rare bright spot, especially after he endured a difficult first year with the organization in 2017. Soler – whom the Royals acquired from the Cubs for closer Wade Davis in December 2016 – spent the majority of last year in the minors, playing just 35 games in Kansas City. But Soler worked diligently over the winter to improve, as Maria Torres of the Kansas City Star detailed in February, and that effort did yield positive results prior to his injury.
With his season potentially over, Soler will have to make a key financial decision during the winter. While the Cuba native is still on the nine-year, $30MM deal he signed in 2012 with the Cubs, he’ll have a chance to opt into arbitration in the offseason. Soler’s currently slated to make $4MM in 2019, and thanks to his injury, he may be better served taking that guaranteed sum than testing arbitration.
Brewers Recall Two, Outright Nick Franklin
The Brewers announced that they’ve recalled a pair of pitchers – right-handers Zach Davies and Corey Knebel – and reinstated infielder/outfielder Nick Franklin from the 60-day disabled list. The team subsequently outrighted Franklin to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
Davies, whom the Brewers recalled from Single-A Wisconsin, is back after missing upward of three months with shoulder problems. The 25-year-old hasn’t taken a major league mound since May 29, which was both his eighth appearance and eighth start of the season. Davies opened the year in rough fashion when he was healthy, as he notched a 5.23 ERA/5.29 FIP across 43 innings. Going back to his major league debut in 2015, all 75 of Davies’ appearances have been starts, but it’s unclear whether he’ll finish the year in Milwaukee’s rotation. The club just did acquire the more established Gio Gonzalez, after all, and it has four other set starters in Jhoulys Chacin, Chase Anderson, Junior Guerra and Wade Miley.
Knebel’s absence from the Brewers was much shorter than Davies’, as the team optioned the former to Colorado Springs on Aug. 23. On the surface, it was a surprising demotion for Knebel – who was a lights-out closer in 2017 – but the 26-year-old has taken multiple steps backward this season. While Knebel’s still bringing high-90s heat, he has only managed a 5.08 ERA/4.28 FIP through 39 major league innings in 2018. Knebel has seen his strikeout and swinging-strike rates drop since 2017, while his home run-to-fly ball percentage has skyrocketed.
Franklin, an offseason minor league signing, only totaled two PAs with the Brewers this season. The 27-year-old suffered a quad injury May 8, the same day the Brewers selected his contract from Colorado Springs, and he hasn’t played since. Franklin was formerly a well-regarded prospect with the Mariners, who chose him 27th in the 2009 draft, but he hasn’t experienced much success since debuting in the majors in 2013. Because Franklin has already been outrighted in the past, he’ll be able to choose whether to reject the Brewers’ assignment in favor of free agency.
AL Notes: Twins, Buxton, White Sox, Yankees, Boone
The Twins won’t recall center fielder Byron Buxton from Triple-A Rochester this season, in part because the left wrist issue he has been dealing with throughout the summer is “still lingering,” general manager Thad Levine said Saturday (via Dan Hayes of The Athletic; subscription required). But the decision to not bring the 24-year-old Buxton back to the majors this season is likely more related to his service time, suggests Hayes, who notes they’re now in position to control him through 2022 instead of 2021. Levine did acknowledge the service time as a factor, saying: “We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we weren’t at least aware of service-time impacts on decisions we make.” Levine added Buxton’s agent is “displeased, disappointed for sure,” though the GM would like to “make amends” with Buxton at some point so as not to damage the sides’ relationship. At this time in 2017, Buxton was a cornerstone player for the playoff-bound Twins, potentially setting himself up for a lucrative extension. A year later, he and the Twins have endured a year to forget. Injuries helped limit Buxton to a .156/.183/.200 line with no home runs and 28 strikeouts against three walks in 94 major league plate appearances. He was much better at Triple-A, hitting .272/.331/.456 with four HRs in 148 PAs, though he did post a 28.4 percent strikeout rate.
More from Minnesota and two other AL cities…
- The White Sox have reinstated catcher Welington Castillo from the 10-day disabled list, putting him in position to play for the first time since May 23. Castillo landed on the DL with shoulder inflammation on Aug. 23, which came after he served an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Castillo, whom the White Sox signed to a two-year, $15MM contract last winter, began his season well before the suspension, as he hit .267/.309/.466 with six HRs in 123 PAs. While he was out, Chicago primarily turned to Omar Narvaez behind the plate, and he has quietly been among the game’s best offensive backstops this season (.284/.374/.432 in 264 PAs).
- Major League Baseball has suspended Yankees manager Aaron Boone one game and issued him an undisclosed fine stemming from his ejection on Friday, David Lennon of Newsday was among those to report. Boone, livid with home plate umpire Nic Lentz’s strike zone, was thrown out after a tirade in which the bill of his cap made contact with Lentz’s (video here). He’ll sit out Sunday’s game against Detroit, while bench coach Josh Bard will manage the Yankees.
- With help from his family, just-acquired Twins catcher Chris Gimenez will decide in the offseason whether to continue his career, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press tweets. The 35-year-old journeyman has racked up 1,033 major league PAs since debuting in 2009, including 225 with Minnesota last season, though he has spent the majority of this season with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Nimmo, Angels, Marlins, NL Cy Young, Trades
This week in baseball blogs…
- Good Fundies analyzes Brandon Nimmo‘s tremendous 2018.
- Joker Mag focuses on the Angels’ disappointing season and wonders where they’ll go from here.
- Fish Stripes examines the struggles of young Marlins outfielder Magneuris Sierra.
- The K Zone weighs in on the NL Cy Young race.
- The Sports Tank (links: 1, 2) reacts to the Yankees’ acquisition of Andrew McCutchen and the Indians’ Josh Donaldson addition.
- Foul Territory asks if the Red Sox will follow in the footsteps of the 1998 Yankees or the 2001 Mariners.
- Call to the Pen (links: 1, 2) wonders if the Braves will pursue a trade for Buster Posey over the winter, and stacks the Phillies up against the NL West’s top teams.
- MLB & Fantasy Baseball Analyzed argues the Mets should trade both Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard in the offseason.
- Know Hitter opines that the Mariners should try to deal Kyle Seager over the winter.
- Chin Music Baseball notes Alex Bregman‘s importance to the Astros’ offense, while The Runner Sports regards him as an AL MVP candidate.
- The Point of Pittsburgh evaluates the white-hot Adam Frazier and how he’s patterning after Jose Ramirez.
- Rotisserie Duck highlights the most disciplined and least disciplined hitters of 2018.
- Notes from the Sally ranks the top five most talented teams in the South Atlantic League.
- Outfield Fly Rule profiles newly promoted Braves pitching prospect Kyle Wright.
- A’s Farm takes a look at the team’s top minor league pitchers – Jesus Luzardo, Parker Dunshee and Brian Howard.
- PhilliesNation points out that Aaron Nola has the highest single-season bWAR for a Phillies pitcher since 1980.
- Jays From the Couch sees a glut of shortstop options in Toronto, which could negatively affect Troy Tulowitzki.
- Reviewing The Brew writes about Christian Yelich‘s importance to the Brewers.
- Friars On Base names five post-All-Star break positives for the Padres.
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Talking Chop looks at the most recent Liberty Media financial reports and Braves debt.
- The Baseball Rabbi (podcast) explains how the Yankees are leading a pitching revolution.
- Rox Pile asks what the 2019 Rockies might look like.
- Mets Daddy believes the club owes David Wright the chance to return to the majors this season.
- Stats Swipe imagines a playoff scenario in which the majors’ worst teams play for the No. 1 pick.
- Everything Bluebirds has concerns about the Blue Jays’ outfield.
- The Giants Cove has some ideas on how to improve baseball broadcasting.
- Motor City Bengals names the top 10 first basemen in Tigers history.
- Jays Journal wants Toronto to hire Stubby Clapp as its next manager.
- Extra Innings UK shares its Collegiate All-Star Team of European players, along with Player and Pitcher of the Year.
- The Runner Sports responds to this week’s Twins-Cubs trade involving a pair of backup catchers.
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