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Royals Designate Wily Peralta For Assignment

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The Royals have designated righty Wily Peralta for assignment, per Jeffrey Flanagan of mlb.com. Right-hander Josh Staumont will be recalled in his place.

Once a promising young starter for the Brewers, Peralta hit the skids in 2015 and couldn’t steady himself even after a 2017 transition to the bullpen. Kansas City’s reclamation attempt also fell flat: in 42 relief appearances for the club this season, Peralta posted a 5.80 ERA/5.85 FIP on back of a mere 5.36 K/9. Command was always an issue for the now 30-year-old, who often flashed electric heat but rarely displayed the bat-missing secondary stuff to match.

The move was somewhat overdue for the Royals, whose players are afforded some of the longest leashes league-wide. The KC ’pen has again been shaky this season, though the trio at the back-end (Ian Kennedy, Jake Diekman, Scott Barlow) has been far more reliable than last season’s iteration.

Rays Place Ryne Stanek On IL, Recall Hunter Wood, Option Brendan McKay, Activate Chaz Roe

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The Tampa Bay Rays continued their weekly weekend roster churn, placing Ryne Stanek on the IL, optioning Brendan McKay to Triple-A, calling up Hunter Wood, and activating Chaz Roe from the injured list, tweets MLB.com’s Juan Toribio.

Wood and McKay, like ships passing in the night, are two of the many innings-eating arms the Rays have trucked back and forth to Durham per the team’s need – such is life in the Tampa Bay system. McKay, 23, has thus far lived up to the hype in four starts, going 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA (2.86 FIP). Control has been his calling card, as he’s walked just one batter in 19 1/3 innings. With 18 strikeouts to go with it, McKay heads to Durham as the proud owner of a comic 18.00 K/BB ratio. 

Wood, 25, has pitched effectively across 17 appearances (2 starts) for the big league club, currently boasting a 2.08 ERA (3.42 FIP) in 26 innings. His minor league numbers are less impressive, perhaps due to a tendency to air it out in Durham where he has both struck out hitters at a higher rate (11.9 K/9 to 7.3 K/9) and walked them at a higher rate (4.0 BB/9 to 2.1 BB/9).

Stanek, 27, hits the shelf with right hip soreness. He of the league-leading 27 games started distinction has gone 0-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 41 appearances, 27 of which qualify as starts, despite his longest single outing of the season lasting two innings – a mark he’s hit 14 times. Stanek has already pitched 55 2/3 innings on the season, less than 12 innings away from the career-high that he set last year.

Roe, 32, returns from a right flexor strain that has kept him out of action since July 9th. Roe, 32, had seen consistent usage out of the pen despite posting a 5.27 ERA (4.21 FIP) across those 39 games. The strikeouts have been there, but so have the walks as Roe racked up 11.9 K/9 to 6.6 BB/9.

Keone Kela Close To Rejoining Pirates

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Keone Kela has been out of action since May 4 when the Pirates placed him on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. One of their key deadline additions from last season, it seems Kela will be ready to rejoin the team right around deadline time once again. The Pirates sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis on a rehab assignment last week, and he could be ready for game action with the Pirates within the week, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter).

Kela was tremendous for the Pirates in 16 appearances last season after coming over from Texas. This season was more of a mixed bag: he’ll carry a 4.63 ERA (5.71 FIP) whenever he returns to game action. The 26-year-old endured a rough stretch in early April, but he’d run up a streak of six consecutive scoreless outings before hitting the injured list. On his rehab assignment he’s been roughed up a bit (13.5 H/9), but the stuff is there as he has struck out seven batters in 3 1/3 innings.

The Pirates bullpen could use the boost, as they’ve been a bottom-10 unit by ERA, xFIP, and fWAR this season. Bullpen coach Euclides Rojas is tasked with getting this previously-strong group back on track as they’ve fallen particularly prone to missing the strike zone this year, ranking 29th in the majors with 4.34 BB/9. Kela’s been dogged at times by control issues himself, but if he returns as he’s been in 2018-19, he’ll strengthen the bridge between the Pittsburgh starters and closer Felipe Vazquez. 

The trade rumors continue to swirl around Vazquez, of course, despite the Pirates insistence that their closer is not on the market. Were the Buccos to move Vazquez, a healthy Kela might be first in line to replace him. Vazquez is on a great contract, however, and the Pirates are still within shouting distance of the playoffs, trailing both the division and wild card by only five games.

Red Sox Activate Nate Eovaldi, Option Ryan Weber

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The Red Sox activated Nathan Eovaldi from the 60-day injured list today, per The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham (via Twitter). Optioning Ryan Weber to Triple-A will be the corresponding roster move. The team announced the moves as well.

Eovaldi will step into the closer’s role, as has been the plan coming out of Boston since the beginning of this month. Eovaldi certainly has the chops to cover the back-end innings for the BoSox, but the decision was surprising because of Eovaldi’s stated preference for the rotation. The injury history, his success out of the pen in last year’s World Series, and the middling production from the Red Sox pen (4.56 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 4.35 xFIP) add up to a fairly compelling case to support Boston’s decision, however.

Ryan Brasier leads the team in saves with seven, but his recent struggles landed him back in Pawtucket earlier this week. Freeing Brandon Workman and Matt Barnes from regular closing responsibilities will lengthen the bullpen and give manager Alex Cora weapons to deploy earlier in ballgames. Given the scarcity of natural sellers in this year’s trade market, the Red Sox already sidestepped the long line of teams angling for bullpen additions by finding an easier get for their rotation in the form of ex-Oriole Andrew Cashner. Rather than mortgaging the farm to outspend the many of pen-hungry buyers, the Red Sox are hoping Eovaldi can settle a relief core than has been the worst in the majors by ERA (6.88) over the last month.

As for Weber, he made two appearances in this most recent go-round with the major league club, struggling through 4 2/3 innings of work. For the season, he’s made three starts and five relief appearances for the Red Sox, amassing 24 innings and a 5.25 ERA (4.31 FIP). The 28-year-old righty returns to Pawtucket for the time being, where he owns a 5.16 ERA this season across 11 starts.

“Fierce Union Advocate” Rick Shapiro Parts Ways With MLB Players Association

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The MLB Players Association has ended their relationship with long-time executive Rick Shapiro, per ESPN’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). Shapiro had seen his role and influence with the Players Union increasingly diminished in recent months.  

Parting ways with one of their lawyers feels like a significant move, especially as we get closer to defining the real meat of the 2021 labor negotiations. Of Shapiro’s particular influence, Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) writes:

“Shapiro was a fierce union advocate, but also someone MLB viewed as knowing the history of CBA negotiations and capable of getting to a deal, so his exit is another sign of war drums by the union with the end of the CBA coming following 2021. Haven spoken to multiple agents tonight who feel this is a big loss for union, in part because Shapiro also was a key figure in the arbitration process and this loss of his institutional knowledge and advocacy will not be easily replaced. Since the death of Mike Weiner and naming of Tony Clark to lead the union, Rick’s influence had internally waned. Still agents were shocked that the end came this morning rather than waiting until the next CBA was completed. The union did not want to comment on this matter.”

Given the shifting tenor of contract negotiators in general between players and owners, departing a well-regarded litigator is a notable move for the union. Without comment or knowledge of corresponding moves, however, it’s presumptuous to assume this move speaks to a willingness (or even eagerness) on the players’ part to “lean in” to the coming conflict (as it seems on the surface).

That said, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that there are many in the industry who feel this is a sign of the growing momentum of a potential strike. Regardless, Shapiro’s exit can be added to the catalog of happenings to keep near-at-hand as we sift through narratives in advance of the 2021 collecting bargaining negotiation.

Phillies Acquire Mike Morin From Twins For Cash Considerations

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The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired right-handed pitcher Mike Morin from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced. Seranthony Dominguez was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Morin on the 40-man roster.

The Twins designated Morin for assignment earlier this week in order to activate Eddie Rosario and C.J. Cron from the injured list. The 28-year-old gave the Twins two solid months of production out of the bullpen. He ends his Minnesota tenure after 23 appearances with a 3.18 ERA across 22 2/3 innings.

In contrast with his sparkly ERA figure, fielding independent pitching pegs Morin’s runs per nine at 4.50. Taken in conjunction with a 4.4 K/9 and .230 BABIP, and there’s cause enough to suspect Morin benefited from a tough of good luck while pitching for the Twinkies. Still, by pounding the zone (5.5 BB%) with an arsenal of downward driving sinkers, changeups, and sliders, Morin has suppressed opponents’ launch angle to a below-average 8.2 while limiting hard contact to just under 30% (league average is 34.4%).

If Morin keeps generating groundballs as he has for the Twins (47.4 GB% versus a career mark of 42.3%), he would fit the profile of someone capable of outperforming his FIP with some regularity – but that’s not been the book on Morin in the past. He is, however, prominently featuring a sinker for the first time in his 6-year career. Morin’s career resume includes a 4.48 ERA across 209 relief appearances for the Angels, Royals, Mariners and Twins.

For the Phillies, Morin provides another low-cost option for a pen that has thus far been unspectacular. Phillie relievers rank in the bottom-10 league-wide in ERA and FIP while pulling 29th with a -0.7 fWAR so far in 2019.

Trade Candidate Faceoff: Bauer Vs. Stroman Vs. Minor

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Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer, Blue Jays righty Marcus Stroman and Rangers lefty Mike Minor have been among the most popular names in the rumor mill in advance of the July 31 trade deadline. All three are quality starters who are under control through 2020, so a slew of contenders have predictably shown serious interest in each of them. But who’s the most desirable of the trio?

Perhaps it’s the 28-year-old Bauer, who started his major league career in 2012 with the Diamondbacks. The third pick in the 2011 draft, Bauer was something of a can’t-miss prospect coming up. It took him longer than expected to find his footing in the majors, though, and it didn’t happen in Arizona. It occurred in Cleveland, which acquired Bauer in a three-team trade prior to the 2013 season. Bauer was a useful starter with the Indians from his first full season in 2014 through 2017, but he truly put it all together last year. Across 175 1/3 innings, Bauer notched a 2.21 ERA/2.44 FIP with 11.34 K/9 and 2.93 BB/9 en route to a sixth-place finish in the AL Cy Young voting.

Bauer probably won’t wind up in Cy Young contention this season, though he has turned in another above-average performance. No major league starter has amassed more innings than Bauer, who has delivered 144 2/3 frames of 3.67 ERA/4.29 FIP pitching with 10.58 K/9 against 3.48 BB/9. But home runs have been a major problem for Bauer compared to last year, when he yielded them on just 6.2 percent of fly balls. The rate has shot to 15.2 this season, while Bauer’s groundball percentage has shrunk from 44.5 to 38.5. He is, however, averaging a personal-best 94.8 mph on his four-seam fastball.

Stroman, also 28, has never encountered trouble racking up grounders in the majors. Since debuting in 2014, Stroman has posted a tremendous 59.7 percent grounder rate, including 57.9 this year. The ability to induce worm burners has long made Stroman effective at preventing runs, even though he’s hardly a strikeout-heavy pitcher. Stroman has fanned just over seven per nine in his career and this season, and has also logged a sub-3.00 BB/9 during those spans. The package of skills has helped Stroman to a praiseworthy 3.06 ERA/3.60 FIP in 117 2/3 innings this season.

Minor, 31, fared nicely as a Braves starter from 2010-14, but injuries knocked his career off course thereafter and kept him out of action from 2015-16. When he returned the next season with the Royals, Minor was a reliever – and an excellent one at that. But after signing a three-year, $28MM contract with the Rangers going into 2018, he returned to a starting role. The results were closer to average than exceptional then, though Minor has made notable strides since. His ERA’s an outstanding 2.86, albeit with a less inspiring 4.08 FIP, in 129 innings. Minor fanned 10 Astros and walked one in seven innings of a losing effort Friday, improving his K/9 to 9.14 and his BB/9 to 3.14. Although Minor hurt his cause by allowing four home runs, he has generally kept the long ball at bay this season.

It’s clear Bauer, Stroman and Minor are all appealing starters, but one can’t simply compare their performances when talking about them as trade candidates. Their salaries also play a key part in the discussion. Bauer’s easily the most expensive of the group this year ($13MM) and could end up in the $18MM to $20MM range during his final trip to arbitration over the winter. Minor comes in next at $9.5MM, but another $9.5MM salary is already etched in stone for 2020. Stroman’s making $7.4MM this season, though he’ll certainly join Bauer in getting a raise in his last year of arbitration.

Weighing all the factors – performance, age, price and what you think each would cost in a trade – which of these hurlers would you most want to acquire in the next week and a half?

(Poll link for app users)

West Notes: D-backs, Rangers, Dodgers, Mariners

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Diamondbacks righty Jon Duplantier is back from the injured list, but he’s not heading onto the MLB roster. He’ll be optioned back to Triple-A, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert tweets. It’s good to see that he’s ready to get back to action already. When Duplantier hit the shelf in mid-June with shoulder inflammation, there was at least some fear of a reasonably significant injury. In his first 25 frames of MLB action, the now-25-year-old worked to a 4.32 ERA with 24 strikeouts and nine walks.

  • After a brief run in their rotation, righty Jesse Chavez has returned to the Rangers’ bullpen, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports on Twitter. The club will recall lefty Joe Palumbo from Triple-A Nashville to start Monday in Seattle. Chavez is coming off three straight starts in which he yielded at least four earned runs, and his outing against Arizona on Wednesday was especially grisly. Chavez coughed up seven earned runs on five hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
  • The Dodgers announced Friday that reliever Dylan Floro has been placed on the 10-day injured list with neck inflammation. He’s replaced by fellow righty Casey Sadler. Injury aside, Floro has been one of several Dodgers relievers to take steps back since last season. Floro combined for a 2.25 ERA and a 55.1 percent groundball rate in 64 innings between LA and Cincinnati in 2018, but he’s at 4.11 and 51.9 in those categories across 35 frames this year. While Floro has walked fewer hitters, his strikeout and home run rates have gone in the wrong direction.
  • Mariners reliever Hunter Strickland is on track for potential activation next weekend, per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer (via Twitter). He’ll first need to make it through three rehab appearances at Triple-A, but it’s good news for the 30-year-old reliever, who has been sidelined for a long stretch with a lat injury. Strickland had been slated to serve as the Seattle closer until going on the IL on March 30 with a right lat strain.

Report: “Scarce” Interest In Wilson Ramos

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Even though Wilson Ramos is only in the first season of a two-year, $19MM contract, the struggling Mets could attempt to trade him before the July 31 deadline. The problem is that teams aren’t exactly lining up to acquire Ramos, per the New York Post’s Mike Puma, who reports inquiries have been “scarce.”

The Ramos pickup is one of several splashy offseason moves that haven’t gone to New York’s liking during a campaign to forget. On the positive side, the offensively accomplished Ramos has continued to post respectable production with the bat. With a .267/.345/.396 line in 304 plate appearances, Ramos’ 99 wRC+ is 12 points higher than the average catcher’s. Still, it probably isn’t the type of output the Mets were envisioning they’d get from Ramos, whose wRC+ has dropped 32 points from the career-best 131 he recorded with the Rays and Phillies in 2018.

Although Ramos hasn’t been the legitimately great offensive catcher he was a year ago, his defensive decline is the bigger concern for the Mets. Going by Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric, Ramos has been one of the worst behind-the-plate defenders in the majors this season. The 31-year-old has gotten negative reviews as a framer and a blocker, and to make matters worse, he has thrown out only 9 of 71 would-be base stealers. Ramos’ 13 percent caught-stealing rate is down 16 percent from his career mark.

Ramos’ defensive woes aren’t lost on the Mets’ best pitchers, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, who Puma notes have expressed that they’d rather pitch to light-hitting backup Tomas Nido. If Ramos isn’t going to catch either deGrom or Syndergaard, it clearly makes his contract and presence that much less desirable for New York. However, with seemingly no playoff contenders in the market for a pricey catcher having a disappointing season, the Mets may be stuck with Ramos until at least the winter.

Checking In On Largest One-Year Deals: Hitters

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In the wake of Angels right-hander Matt Harvey’s designation for assignment Friday, we took a look at how the other seven pitchers who signed one-year contracts worth at least $5MM have performed so far in 2019. We’ll do the same here with the 13 hitters who received $5MM-plus last offseason. While most of the pitchers we covered have endured disappointing years, the majority of the offensive players have helped their teams…

Josh Donaldson, 3B, Braves ($23MM):

  • After an injury-marred 2018 with the Blue Jays and Indians, the Bringer of Rain said yes to the Braves’ gargantuan one-year offer early last winter. The deal has gone swimmingly for both parties so far. The 33-year-old Donaldson has enjoyed a healthy season and slashed .255/.373/.517 with 22 home runs and 2.7 fWAR in 397 plate appearances. Donaldson’s age will prevent him from landing a long-term contract in the offseason, but it’s safe to say the overall value of the deal will outdo his current pact at the rate he’s going.

Yasmani Grandal, C, Brewers ($18.25MM):

  • Grandal turned down a lucrative multiyear offer from the Mets’ before settling for the Brewers’ short-term pact – a contract that has worked out beautifully for the Brew Crew. Not only has the switch-hitting Grandal batted .252/.372/.502 with 19 HRs and 3.1 fWAR across 366 trips to the plate, but he has continued to provide high-quality defense. Grandal’s deal does include a $16MM mutual option for 2020, but he’s almost certain to reject his half of it in favor of another free-agency experience. The soon-to-be 31-year-old won’t have a qualifying offer hanging over him then, as he did last offseason.

Nelson Cruz, DH, Twins ($14MM):

  • Now a member of his fifth team, the ageless Cruz, 39, continues to rake. Cruz has torched opposing pitchers for a .271/.365/.541 line with 18 homers and a .271 ISO in 299 PA, making him one of the chief threats on a Minnesota team with no shortage of formidable hitters.

Mike Moustakas, 3B/2B, Brewers ($10MM):

  • For the second straight winter, Moustakas wound up with a one-year contract. There’s also an $11MM mutual option for 2020, but it’s likely he’ll decline it to try his hand at free agency yet again. After all, Moustakas is in the midst of one of his best seasons. The 30-year-old Moose has not only slashed .265/.334/.544 with 25 homers and a .279 ISO over 386 PA, but he has been an asset at two defensive positions. Between his customary spot (third base) and his new one (second), Moustakas has logged 5 DRS with a 1.6 UZR. The newfound defensive flexibility should serve him well during the upcoming winter.

Brian Dozier, 2B, Nationals ($9MM):

  • Dozier had been a star in Minnesota until last season, when the Twins traded him to the Dodgers during the summer, but he was uncharacteristically subpar between the two clubs in 2018. The 32-year-old carried those struggles into the beginning of this season with the Nationals, though he has rebounded at the plate over the past several weeks. In all, Dozier has hit a useful .235/.333/.436 and swatted 14 homers with a .201 ISO through 333 PA. Contrary to past seasons, Dozier no longer runs much – he has attempted just three steals, succeeding on two. Meanwhile, his work in the field (minus-4 DRS, minus-0.9 UZR) has earned below-average reviews.

Brett Gardner, OF, Yankees ($7.5MM):

  • The Yankees opted to continue their relationship with their longest-tenured player, which has been a wise choice. Their outfield has battled major injuries to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks, but the long-steady Gardner has been around to help pick up the pieces. The 35-year-old’s a 2.1-fWAR player through 350 PA on the strength of .245/.326/.465 hitting with 15 homers and an effective defense and base running mix. He also delivered one of the greatest dugout conniptions in recent memory on Thursday.

Jonathan Schoop, 2B, Twins ($7.25MM):

  • Schoop couldn’t secure a multiyear contract in the offseason after a rough 2018 divided between Baltimore and Milwaukee. The 27-year-old has bounced back this season to give the Twins league-average offensive production (100 wRC+) with 15 bombs and 1.1 fWAR in 321 PA. Still, it doesn’t look as if he’ll come close to replicating the career year he enjoyed in 2017.

Steve Pearce, IF, Red Sox ($6.25MM):

  • Pearce was one of the toasts of Boston last autumn, earning World Series MVP honors after the team’s Fall Classic triumph over the Dodgers. As we covered Thursday, though, this year hasn’t been nearly as fruitful for Pearce. At this point, hindsight says the Red Sox would have been better off letting the 36-year-old go. Multiple injuries have kept Pearce out since May 31 (and a return isn’t close). Perhaps of greater concern, the 2018 standout has hit a disastrous .180/.245/.258 with one homer in the 99 trips to the plate he has taken this season.

Nick Markakis, RF, Braves ($6MM):

  • Old reliable Markakis, 35, has added another effective season to a long line of them this year. A solid amount of walks, a dearth of strikeouts, below-average power and plenty of contact continue to define Markakis’ offensive game. He’s hitting .289/.361/.441 with nine long balls through 395 PA, though the lefty hasn’t fared nearly as well against southpaws this season. Nevertheless, this has been yet another impressively durable year for Markakis, who came into 2019 with six straight campaigns of 155-plus games and has appeared all of the Braves’ 99 contests this season.

Robinson Chirinos, C, Astros ($5.75MM):

  • After the in-state rival Rangers passed on Chirinos’ 2019 option, the Astros scooped him up on a buy-low deal. As was the case with the Rangers, the 35-year-old Chirinos has given the Astros an offensively adept, defensively limited backstop. Despite a recent slump, Chirinos has still hit .218/.347/.424 and totaled 12 homers across 293 PA. The defense hasn’t been very good, though, which helps explain why the Astros had interest in Martin Maldonado before the Royals traded him to the Cubs.

Billy Hamilton, OF, Royals ($5.25MM):

  • The out-of-contention Royals are primed to trade Hamilton, but the value’s minimal. It’s true Hamilton’s always imposing speed and defense could catch contenders’ eyes, though his typically punchless bat has been worse than ever this season. The 28-year-old’s wRC+ (50) ranks dead last among 217 hitters who have amassed at least 250 PA in 2019.

Jordy Mercer, SS, Tigers ($5.25MM):

  • For the Tigers, the ideal endgame in signing Mercer – previously a usable shortstop with the Pirates – was likely to trade him in the summer. That’s going to be difficult, however, as Mercer hasn’t been good or healthy this season. He owns a miserable 62 wRC+ with minus-0.2 fWAR in 106 PA.

Freddy Galvis, SS, Blue Jays ($5MM):

  • Never a significant threat at the plate, the switch-hitting Galvis has batted a personal-best .270/.307/.452 and slugged 15 dingers in 384 PA this season. The durable 29-year-old has been a fixture in the rebuilding Blue Jays’ lineup as a result, though that may come to an end in the next two weeks with the deadline nearing. The fact that Galvis seems to have trade value is a win for a Toronto team which was likely hoping to flip him this summer when it signed him.

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