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Angels Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Jordyn Adams

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Angels first-round pick Jordyn Adams revealed today that he’s agreed to terms with the team, though he’s yet to officially sign his new contract, as Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets. Adams, a prep outfielder out of North Carolina’s Green Hope High School, was selected by the Halos with the No. 17 overall pick. Financial terms have not been reported, though that slot came with a slot value of $3,472,900.

Opinions on Adams varied, to an extent, headed into this week’s draft, though most every outlet agreed that he was one of the 50 best talents in the draft. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs joined ESPN’s Keith Law in ranking him 19th among draft prospects, while Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com had him 37th, and Baseball America pegged Adams 45th.

Adams, by all counts, possesses tremendous athleticism, as he was also committed to UNC where he’d have had the chance to play wide receiver on their football team in addition to furthering his baseball career. (Notably, Adams’ father is the defensive line coach at UNC.) Fangraphs pegs him as an 80-grade runner, while MLB.com has him at a 75 (on the 20-80 scale), and there’s little doubt in any of the aforementioned scouting reports that he has the potential to handle center field as a plus defender. He’s said to have good bat speed and a good feel for hitting, but he’s also still raw as a prospect given that he’d yet to commit to baseball on a full time basis before today’s agreement.

While Adams is obviously years from MLB readiness, he’ll add to a growing collection of talented outfielders in the Angels’ minor league ranks. Jo Adell, last year’s first-round pick, and Brandon Marsh (second round, 2016) both have the potential to play excellent outfield defense down the line and are both considered to be among the game’s 100 or so best prospects.

Rangers Release Tim Lincecum

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The Rangers have granted right-hander Tim Lincecum his release, as MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan was among those to tweet. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports first broke the news that the team had decided not to promote Lincecum to the big leagues, leaving him with the choice of accepting a Triple-A assignment or granting him his release (Twitter link).

Texas signed Lincecum to a one-year, Major League deal that came with a $1MM guarantee back in March, but blister issues slowed his path back to a mound. He’s been ramping up after missing much of the early portion of the season, but things haven’t gone especially well in Triple-A Round Rock. Lincecum has totaled 12 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, yielding eight earned runs on 14 hits and nine walks with 10 strikeouts in that time.

Now, the 33-year-old former Cy Young winner will have to explore other options as he seeks to return to the Majors for the first time since a brief, ill-fated tenure with the Angels in 2016. Lincecum endured a precipitous decline during which he saw his fastball velocity plummet before ultimately requiring a major hip surgery that has prevented him from since reestablishing himself at the big league level. He’d been working exclusively as a reliever with the Rangers organization, and it seems likely that he’ll continue on that path if he ultimately latches on with a new organization.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels had nothing but praise for the amount of effort Lincecum put into his comeback attempt, telling reporters (Twitter link via Sullivan): “Despite good intentions and a lot of hard work, we didn’t feel it was the right move to bring Tim up here.”

Indians Option Bradley Zimmer, Activate Lonnie Chisenhall

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The Indians announced on Tuesday that they’ve activated outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall from the 10-day disabled list and opened a roster spot by optioning struggling center fielder Bradley Zimmer to Triple-A Columbus.

[Related: Updated Cleveland Indians depth chart]

Zimmer, 25, has turned in quality contributions on the bases and in the outfield this season, but he’s had a dreadful time at the plate, batting just .226/.281/.330 with a pair of homers in 114 trips to the plate. Those struggles are largely a continuation of a poor 2017 second half for the former first-rounder. Zimmer debuted and hit .285/.339/.450 prior to the All-Star break last season before fading badly down the stretch with a .196/.275/.318 line to close out the season. Zimmer struck out at a 33.5 percent clip in the second half last season, and he’s posted an even more alarming 38.6 percent strikeout rate in 2018.

As for the 29-year-old Chisenhall, he’ll return from a calf strain that has held him out of action since landing on the disabled list way back on April 8. He’s made just 21 plate appearances this season in what is likely the most important campaign of his big league career. Chisenhall, who hit .288/.360/.521 in 270 PAs last season, is set to hit free agency for the first time following the 2018 season. While durability appears to be a legitimate concern for him, he’s been productive at the plate in three of the past four seasons and will look to rebuild his stock as best he can in the four months between now and season’s end.

Alderson: Chances Of Major Mets Sell-Off “Remote”

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In a candid interview with Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Mets GM Sandy Alderson suggested that it’s quite unlikely his organization will oversee a franchise-altering sell-off of MLB assets this summer. The post is a must-read for Mets fans.

“Can circumstances change that, yes,” Alderson said of the possibility of a significant roster tear-down. “But I think that would be very, very remote. It’s not something we’re even considering or talking about.”

Even more interesting than that statement, though, was Alderson’s explication of his philosophy on roster building and team performance. He tells Nightengale that he rejects the notion — which he says is prevalent in the broader MLB culture — that “you’re either really good or you stink.” Alderson generally explains that he doesn’t adhere to that level of extremism and notes that a significant rebuild, while coming with the potential for great success, also doesn’t guarantee a return to prominence.

That line of thinking seems to hint that the Mets will not feel pressured to take a dramatic approach to the deadline. Of course, Alderson has also proven willing to do so in recent years, having adopted both buying and selling postures as situations warranted. Memorably, the club struck a pair of 2015 blockbusters — one foiled by medicals, one consummated — with a resulting butterfly effect of rare significance. Last year, the club shipped out a bevy of veterans on expiring contracts after a disappointing and injury-riddled first half of the season.

This time around, the hope was — and still is — that the roster would perform much better. The Mets ponied up some cash for solid veterans at areas of need, though certainly some would have argued that a bigger spend on more elite talent was warranted. Things looked promising after an initial run of success, but the club entered play today three games under .500.

Alderson is taking the long view and remaining optimistic despite the team’s recent struggles, bemoaning a “temporary loss of perspective” and citing “the possibilities when we get players back from injuries.” Indeed, the team is welcoming back two significant offseason additions — Todd Frazier and Anthony Swarzak — for today’s game, while Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes are perhaps not far behind. Those returns won’t ensure an upswing in the standings and don’t explain all of the difficulties the Mets have encountered, but each absence has also undoubtedly been a significant component in the club’s overall struggles.

Rays Place Chris Archer On 10-Day DL, Promote Diego Castillo

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The Rays announced today that they have placed top righty Chris Archer on the 10-day disabled list with what has been diagnosed as a left abdominal strain. He’ll be replaced by right-handed pitching prospect Diego Castillo.

Archer’s placement is retroactive to June 3rd, so it could only be a brief stay on the DL. At this point, though, his timeline is not clear.

To this point in the season, the results have continued to lag the peripherals for Archer. He has allowed more than four earned runs per nine dating back to the start of the 2016 campaign despite fielding-independent pitching metrics that suggest much better.

Still, there’s little doubt that Archer remains a highly appealing potential trade target. He’s throwing as hard as ever and getting swings and misses. Prior to today’s news, he was on track to challenge for fourth-straight season of two hundred or more innings. And he can be controlled for three more seasons via affordable options.

It’s certainly still possible that Archer can feature as an interesting deadline asset. First, though, he’ll have to make it back and show he’s in good form. It remains to be seen, too, whether the Rays will have serious interest in striking a deal.

Castillo, 24, has been impressive thus far at Triple-A. In his 26 1/3 innings on the year, accumulated over 19 appearances, he has allowed just three earned runs on 15 hits while compiling a 32:7 K/BB ratio. He entered the season as the Rays’ 27th-best prospect, in the eyes of MLB.com. Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser tweets that Castillo’s stuff is electric, even if his command can waver at times.

Cardinals Activate Carlos Martinez, Yadier Molina

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The Cardinals announced a series of roster moves today. In particular, the team has activated both ace Carlos Martinez and veteran backstop Yadier Molina from the disabled list.

Additionally, the Cards have selected the contract of righty Preston Guilmet, who had been pitching at Triple-A on a minor-league deal. To clear roster space the club designated catcher Steven Baron. Opening up active roster space meant optioning catcher Carson Kelly and righty Mike Mayers while shifting infielder Greg Garcia to the paternity list.

Though they have played well, the Cards sit in third place in a highly competitive NL Central division. They’ll gladly welcome two of their best players back into the fold.

Of added interest here is Guilmet, who had an opt-out chance on June 1st. Perhaps he and the team worked out a delay to allow these other roster situations to ripen. In any event, the 30-year-old is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2015.

Guilmet, who pitched last year, has been an absolute force thus far in 2018 at Triple-A. He has permitted just three earned runs on a paltry nine hits over 29 innings through 21 appearances. Along the way, he has issued only five walks while ringing up 35 opposing hitters on strikes.

Reds Activate Anthony DeSclafani, Release Kevin Shackelford

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The Reds announced today that they have activated righty Anthony DeSclafani from the 60-day disabled list. Clearing the way for his long-awaited return, the organization optioned righty Jackson Stephens and released right-hander Kevin Shackelford.

DeSclafani’s return to action tonight represents the culmination of a lengthy rehab effort. The 28-year-old had been a noted success story for the Reds after coming over in the pre-2015 Mat Latos swap, working to a 3.74 ERA in 308 frames over his first two seasons in Cincinnati.

Successive injuries, however, put DeSclafani on the shelf. He was working back from a long absence owing to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament when he suffered an oblique strain.

In between those injuries, DeSclafani agreed to avoid arbitration with the Reds for $860K. That rate of pay obviously reflects the right-hander’s absence, but does also increase his potential value if he can get back to something approaching his prior form.

Thus far in 2018, DeSclafani has thrown 19 1/3 innings in the high minors on a rehab assignment. Though he has surrendered ten earned runs on five long balls, he’s also maintaining a healthy 22:3 K/BB ratio.

As for Shackelford, he sported an impressive 16.1% swinging-strike rate and 58.0% groundball rate in 30 2/3 MLB innings last year, though he also allowed a few too many long balls and a 4.70 ERA. But he struggled in limited action this and is now headed for elbow surgery, per C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).

Mets Designate Buddy Baumann

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The Mets have designated lefty Buddy Baumann for assignment, per a club announcement. Also departing the active roster is righty Gerson Bautista, who was optioned to Triple-A.

These moves will create the roster space needed for the Mets to activate Todd Frazier and Anthony Swarzak. We covered their activations from the DL earlier today.

Baumann, 30, was hit hard in his three appearances this year with the Mets. He has shown swing-and-miss ability at the game’s highest level, but has yet to fully establish himself in the majors. In 14 Triple-A innings this season, Baumann has allowed only a pair of earned runs on seven hits, with 18 strikeouts and ten walks.

Mets To Activate Todd Frazier, Anthony Swarzak

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The Mets have announced that they will activate third baseman Todd Frazier and righty Anthony Swarzak from the disabled list today, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. Corresponding roster moves are not yet known.

Frazier will end up missing just under a month with a hamstring strain. The veteran was off to a solid start to the year before that, slashing .237/.357/.412 with five home runs and a 15.0% walk rate over his first 140 plate appearances with the organization. He inked a two-year, $17MM contract over the winter.

Likewise, Swarzak joined the Mets on a two-year free agent pact; in his case, it came with a $14MM guarantee. But he made only two appearances before going down to an oblique injury.

Both players represent significant pieces of the Mets roster. The news is most welcome given the team’s struggles of late. With a number of players on the DL, the club has carried three catchers and utilized youngster Luis Guillorme quite a lot at second and third.

Given his struggles at the plate, Guillorme could simply be sent down to make way for Frazier. Complicating matters, though, is the fact that Swarzak will require a 40-man spot since he’s coming back from the 60-day DL. Veteran utilityman Jose Reyes has been even worse offensively than Guillorme, and trimming him from the roster would allow the club to maintain greater pitching depth by optioning (rather than designating) a reliever. That said, there are also some reasonable DFA candidates on the current staff and there has been no indication to date that Reyes is at risk.

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