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Archives for April 2019

Phillies Select Sean Rodriguez, Designate James Pazos

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The Phillies announced a series of transactions today. Two have 40-man roster implications. The club selected the contract of infielder Sean Rodriguez and designated reliever James Pazos to make way.

Joining Rodriguez on the active roster is righty Enyel De Los Santos. To create space, infielder Mitch Walding and righty Drew Anderson were optioned back to Triple-A.

Rodriguez turns 34 on Friday, so this makes for an early birthday gift. He’s in the starting lineup today at shortstop, representing his first MLB action since he was designated last August by the Pirates. Rodriguez has struggled at the plate in recent seasons but is off to a .267/.327/.622 start with the bat at Triple-A. He’ll help fill in while Jean Segura is sidelined.

As for Pazos, who’s closing in on his 28th birthday, it seems the Phillies have been quite underwhelmed since receiving him via trade over the winter. He was a quality relief piece in 2018 and has plenty of cheap control remaining, but had struggled badly in a Phillies uniform. Over 14 2/3 innings between Spring Training and the start of the Triple-A season, the southpaw has managed just six strikeouts against 11 walks.

That said, Pazos pitched to a strong 3.39 ERA with better than a strikeout per inning in 103 2/3 frames with Seattle in 2017-18. While he was dominant against either righties or lefties, he demonstrated an ability to limit damage against each; right-handed hitters managed a .248/.327/.393 line to left-handers’ collective .248/.326/.353. During that two-year run with Seattle, Pazos averaged just under 95 mph on his heater while posting a 10.9 percent swinging-strike rate and 32.6 percent opponents’ chase rate on pitches outside the strike zone. Given the number of teams in need of bullpen help throughout the league, there’s a solid chance he’ll generate interest from another team.

Minor-League Signees Seeing Significant MLB Action: Relief Pitchers

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We recently explored the position players who earned big early-season roles after entering camp on minor-league deals. That’s no guarantee of continued success — or even ongoing opportunities. Some have already been dropped from their respective rosters. The same holds to an even greater extent in the ever-changing world of relief pitching.

Let’s have a look at the relievers who have already thrown at least six frames after settling for minors pacts over the offseasons …

  • Nick Vincent, Giants: Perhaps we should stop being surprised by Vincent, who has mostly churned out quality results at the MLB level. He owns a 2.03 ERA through 13 1/3 innings with the Giants and is on track to hold onto a big-league job all season long — perhaps in a different city, if he’s dealt.
  • Alex Wilson, Brewers: Another pitcher who struggled to find a job despite an established track record of solid innings, Wilson has not found success thus far in Milwaukee. He’s generating 10.6 K/9 but an untenable 6.6 BB/9 and 1.64 HR/9, leaving him with an unsightly 8.18 ERA.
  • Ryne Harper, Twins: He’s carrying a 2.70 ERA through ten frames of action. While the peripherals don’t jump off of the page, it’s a solid start for a pitcher who waited a long time for a shot at the majors.
  • Javy Guerra, Blue Jays: Though he was recently designated for assignment, Guerra was able to generate a dozen strikeouts in ten innings. He did that in spite of a middling 6.5% swinging-strike rate, however, and was drawing grounders just 28.0% of the time.
  • Luis Avilan, Mets: The 29-year-old has generated very little soft contact to this point and has coughed up two long balls. That has left him with ten earned runs in his nine innings, though the Mets will likely allow him some leash to right the ship.
  • Luke Bard, Angels: He was given a shot to open the season but was just optioned after 8 2/3 innings. Bard gave up three long balls in that span, but did show a 13.6% swinging-strike rate and managed to hold onto his 40-man spot for the time being.
  • Jeanmar Gomez, Rangers: The veteran has solid K/BB numbers but has been tagged for a whopping .481 batting average on balls in play. He’s just not fooling anyone at the moment (6.3% SwStr%, 50.0% hard-hit rate).
  • Francisco Liriano, Pirates: It has been a pleasing return to Pittsburgh for the southpaw, who’s getting strikeouts (12.3 per nine) and grounders (52.6%) to begin the season. The 35-year-old is also doling out a few too many free passes, as usual, but a 14.8% swinging-strike rate suggests that the ball is coming out of his hand well.

Yankees Option Chad Green, Activate Gary Sanchez

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The Yankees have announced a few notable roster tweaks. Struggling reliever Chad Green was optioned down to Triple-A to sort things out, with southpaw Stephen Tarpley recalled to take his active roster spot. And the club activated catcher Gary Sanchez while optioning down fellow backstop Kyle Higashioka.

Green has simply not been himself this year. After two outstanding campaigns in the New York bullpen, he has been bombed for 14 earned runs on 15 hits (including four dingers) in his 7 2/3 innings this season.

It’s tough timing for Green , as he is trying to set the stage for his first season of arbitration eligibility. With 2.077 years of service accrued through yesterday, he can only afford to miss 64 of the remaining potential MLB service days before the season ends if he’s to cross the threshold to a third year of service. (If he falls short of that, he could potentially still qualify for arb as a Super Two, though that’d put free agency one season further in the distance.)

The Yankees will hope they can figure out what is going on with Green. His velocity is down a bit, though he’s still sitting just under 95 with his heater, and his swinging-strike rate has dropped to 10.4%. While his groundball rate has shot up to 48.4% — a level he hasn’t worked at since he was in the minors — Green is giving up loads of hard contact.

Meanwhile, the club will welcome the return of Sanchez to a lineup that has been racked by injuries. The slugger bounced back quickly from a calf strain. Several other key players remain sidelined, but the hope is that a variety of fill-in pieces can keep the team above water in the meantime.

Mariners Acquire Mike Wright

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The Mariners have acquired righty Mike Wright from the Orioles, per a club announcement. Infield Ryne Ogren will head to the Baltimore organization in return.

Wright was designated for assignment recently by the O’s. The out-of-options hurler will head onto the active roster for the M’s. He’ll need to remain there or be exposed to waivers.

The results haven’t been there for Wright, who carries a 5.95 ERA through 242 career frames in the majors. He has been hurt by the long ball this year, surrendering five in just 13 1/3 innings of work en route to a ghastly 9.45 ERA.

It’s not entirely clear what the Mariners hope to accomplish with the move beyond adding another arm to the stable. Perhaps their analytics department has an idea for how to squeeze improved results from his raw stuff, which includes a four-seam fastball that sits at around 94 mph.

As for Ogren, the 22-year-old was a 12th-round draft pick in 2018. He has been stationed at the Class A level to open the 2019 season, where he carries a .229/.319/.343 slash in 48 plate appearances.

Padres Promote Ty France, Place Jose Pirela On IL

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The Padres have brought third baseman Ty France up to the active roster, the club has now announced after Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the move (via Twitter). It seems he’ll take the place of Jose Pirela, who is going on the injured list with an oblique strain.

France already owned a 40-man roster spot, but this’ll be his first taste of regular-season MLB action. His most direct path to playing time was cut short when the club inked Manny Machado over the winter. But France has instead blazed his own trail with an inspired effort to open the year at Triple-A.

A solid effort at the plate in 2018 earned France his roster placement over the offseason, when he’d otherwise have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft. But he has taken things to a whole new level in the new season, compiling 92 plate appearances over which he carries a remarkable .423/.500/.885 slash with nine home runs.

France, who entered the professional ranks as a 34th-round draft pick, has only played on the corners during his minor-league career. That makes it tough to see how he’ll fit into the plans in San Diego, though perhaps the club will simply throw him into the mix at second base or the corner outfield and hope for the best. Otherwise, he’ll presumably be limited to spelling Machado and Eric Hosmer while functioning as a late-inning pinch hitter.

It may not be a full showcase for France, given the awkward fit, but it’ll still be interesting to see where things lead. He’s not considered one of the better prospects in a talent-rich organization, but is nevertheless an increasingly interesting player to watch. France could theoretically force his way into the picture or boost his trade stock, creating some interesting possibilities.

Report: Brewers “Front-Runner” To Sign Gio Gonzalez

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The Brewers are the “front-runner” to land free agent starter Gio Gonzalez, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). They’re one of a variety of teams that make conceptual sense for the southpaw, who just opted out of his deal with the Yankees.

Gonzalez spent time with the Milwaukee organization late last season after being acquired from the Nationals. He was solid down the stretch but scuffled in the postseason. While the club got what it bargained for, it never reportedly showed much interest in a reunion over the offseason.

Circumstances have changed since the start of the 2019 campaign. The Brewers have received underwhelming work from the rotation. While Jimmy Nelson is still on the mend and there’s still hope for the club’s solid overall talent base to shine through, the club can’t afford to sit back and wait in a division that figures to be tightly contested all season long.

There are certainly other plausible landing spots for Gonzalez, but it seems he’s trending toward a return to Milwaukee. The Mets were connected rather heavily, but MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweeted yesterday that their interest level is “more curious than fervent” and Mike Puma of the New York Post now labels them a “longshot” (via Twitter). Other potential suitors are more hypothetical.

MLBTR Poll: Who’ll Sign Gio Gonzalez?

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Last night, we examined the market landscape for Gio Gonzalez, who’s back on the open market after exercising an opt-out clause in his now-defunct deal with the Yankees. As we explained there, the veteran lefty has a variety of plausible landing spots.

There’s indication that multiple clubs have already extended offers to Gonzalez, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand recently tweeted. While a deal isn’t imminent, it seems reasonable to think he could put pen to paper at any time. Having already built up his pitch count, Gonzalez ought to be ready to jump in and make a start at a moment’s notice.

If you’re interested in revisiting the breakdowns of each team’s situation vis-a-vis Gio, then check out the above-linked post. We’ll only list the teams that we pegged as the likeliest suitors in the poll below. Let’s see how the MLBTR readership expects things to shake out. (Response order randomized; link for app users.)

AL Pitching Injury Notes: Snell, Carrasco, Smyly, Estrada, Hardy

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The Rays have decided to start ace lefty Blake Snell today after he bounced back quicker than expected from a minor toe fracture, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. There are some obvious risks to bringing him back before he’s ready, but the organization obviously feels that isn’t the case. The reigning American League Cy Young winner has been outstanding once again early in 2019, with a 2.16 ERA and 13.0 K/9 against 1.4 BB/9 over 25 frames.

More on the health front, focusing on some other AL hurlers:

  • Indians righty Carlos Carrasco departed his start yesterday early with some left knee discomfort and will undergo an MRI to make sure there isn’t an injury. It’s being billed as a precautionary measure, as MLB.com’s Mandy Bell reports (via Twitter). The Indians will hope it comes back clean, as he’s a key part of the team’s plan to fend off challengers in the AL Central. Carrasco has had a few rough outings this year, but has also spun a pair of 12-strikeout gems and was getting the job done yesterday before tweaking the joint.
  • Rangers starter Drew Smyly was placed on the 10-day injured list yesterday with what the club described as mid-arm nerve tightness in his left arm. It seems the hope is that he’ll only miss a start or two; the placement was back-dated to April 20th. The 29-year-old Smyly hasn’t quite had the bounceback campaign he was hoping for to this point, with a 7.80 ERA, 19:10 K/BB ratio, and four home runs allowed through 15 innings over four starts. Right-handed Wei-Chieh Huang is up to take the open roster spot. He made his MLB debut earlier this season and has been throwing well at Double-A.
  • The Athletics sent righty Marco Estrada in for an “ablation procedure” on his balky back yesterday, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to cover (Twitter links). It seems he’ll be out through at least early May, though there isn’t a precise timeline just yet. The hope seems to be that this surgery will speed things up a bit. Meanwhile, the A’s hoping that reliever Lou Trivino will bounce back quickly after he was struck in the thumb by a baseball. He’s taking a few days but not slated to hit the injured list at the moment.
  • The Tigers announced yesterday that lefty Blaine Hardy was heading to the IL with a left forearm strain. Injuries to that area can be quite concerning for a pitcher, but there’s no real indication at this point of the outlook for the 32-year-old. After dabbling with the rotation in 2018, Hardy has been utilized in a multi-inning relief capacity thus far, throwing a dozen frames in eight appearances. Fellow southpaw Jose Fernandez takes his spot on the active roster.

The Market Landscape For Gio Gonzalez

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Gio Gonzalez’s first trip through the free-agent process didn’t treat him well this winter, but being a free agent who’s already stretched out in mid-April — he threw 93 pitches in his last Triple-A start with the Yankees — should lead to more interest in the lefty. Clubs throughout the league might have been content to lean on internal options rather than promise a roster spot to Gonzalez over the winter, but injuries and poor performances early in the year have created an abundance of fits, and the market now has few remaining alternatives. Unlike fellow veteran lefty Dallas Keuchel, Gonzalez isn’t attached to a qualifying offer, and he’s pitched recently in a professional setting.

The asking price on Gonzalez isn’t known, but at this point, it’s difficult to imagine it’s especially exorbitant. Gonzalez settled for a minor league deal with the Yankees that came with a $3MM base rate and a hefty $300K per start in terms of incentives. At this point, a mid-range guarantee on a one-year deal that promises him a spot on a big league roster seems like it should be sufficient to sign Gonzalez, and any salary to which he agrees would be pro-rated to exclude the portion of the season that has already been played out anyhow. Put another way, signing Gonzalez to a one-year deal with a pro-rated $5MM base salary would mean adding roughly $4.3MM in spending through season’s end.

In yesterday’s MLBTR chat, it was a bit surprising to see the number of questions centering around Gonzalez. He’s a fine pitcher with an established track record, but the level of interest in him among our reader base was greater than it was at any point throughout the winter. That makes sense in mid-April, though. There are few legitimate upgrades on the free-agent market this time of year — Keuchel is a notable exception but has a much higher asking price — and teams are generally reluctant to make trades at this juncture of the season. If you’re a fan hoping to see your favorite team make even an incremental upgrade in the rotation, Gonzalez is quite possibly the best bet as far as someone who can be ready in short order. Given the general intrigue surrounding him, plus the fact that it’s April 23 and there are minimal transaction/hot stove-related storylines to monitor, the following is a way-too-in-depth look at where Gio Gonzalez could plausibly be expected to sign.

To kick things off, it seems unlikely that Gonzalez’s preference would be to sign with a non-contender. It’s true that Dan Straily recently did just that by signing with the Orioles, but he has a lesser track record and presumably faced a more limited market. Gonzalez has reportedly already drawn interest from a pair of contending clubs, and he likely wants to return to the postseason. It’d be a surprise to see him land with the Orioles, Marlins, Royals, Giants or White Sox. Clubs that entered the season unlikely to contend but have gotten off to solid starts, such as the Tigers, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Rangers, are all a bit likelier but still seem somewhat like long shots from here. There’s a case to be made for each of those clubs to take a look, and all have shown some willingness to spend at the levels it might take to land Gio, but a realistic assessment of their chances doesn’t really support an early-season investment.

Modest as Gonzalez’s asking price figures to be, not every team will rush to commit even a few million with the season underway. The Indians barely spent in free agency, and while they’ve lost Mike Clevinger for a couple months, they surely wouldn’t displace any of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer or Shane Bieber for Gonzalez. Pirates ownership is even more averse to spending, and Gonzalez doesn’t represent a clear upgrade over any of the current starting five (based on their early performances, anyhow).

The Cubs’ rotation is already expensive and performing well, and ownership set hard budgetary restrictions over the winter. The Red Sox are looking at 75 percent tax on any dollars spent, and they only expect Nathan Eovaldi to miss six weeks with his recent injury. They’re likely to stay in house.

Other teams are likely content with what they have in house. The Rays don’t have a set five-man rotation, but the trio of Blake Snell, Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow is formidable. Yonny Chirinos is something between their fourth starter and the top followup arm to an opener, and the Tampa Bay organization seems content to continue on with that opener tactic rather than adding another conventional starter. The Nationals have the game’s most expensive top four and a respectable fifth starter in Jeremy Hellickson. The Phillies are a bit of a tight fit with Jerad Eickhoff back in action and Nick Pivetta still in the picture.

The Dodgers are already teeming with rotation options and have Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill back from injury. Out in Colorado, the Rox have finally found a homegrown slate of starters who’ve gotten the job done. Cincinnati has had success with its revamped rotation and will soon welcome Alex Wood back from the IL. The Braves have more young starting pitching options than any team in the game. Over in Houston, it’s tough to Gonzalez as a compelling upgrade, especially with some intriguing young arms stashed in the upper minors. Similarly, it seems doubtful that the Twins would pull the plug on their Martin Perez experiment after all of 12 innings.

More than half the teams in the league seem unlikely to represent a landing spot for Gonzalez, but there are plenty of viable on-paper fits in both the American League and the National League.

The Angels have again been hit hard by injuries, and Gonzalez could easily step in over Chris Stratton. Elsewhere in the division, Oakland’s injury woes date back to 2018, and offseason signee Marco Estrada has already seen his longstanding back issues flare up. De facto fifth starter Aaron Brooks has struggled, too. Perhaps the Mariners shouldn’t be taken as legitimate postseason contenders just yet, but they’re seven games over .500 with baseball’s second-bet run differential. Adding Gonzalez to deepen a rotation that currently contains rookie Erik Swanson and a perhaps fading Felix Hernandez would be a risk-free move that could help maintain their performance to date.

There are several National League contenders that arguably ought to take a hard look. The Padres’ bold plan to cycle through young starters is sure to have its ups and downs throughout a long season; plugging in a durable, well-established veteran holds obvious appeal. In the central division, the Brewers and Cardinals have both seen cracks form in their starting staffs to open the year. The Milwaukee organization, in particular, has a connection to Gonzalez and is already rumored to be in on him now. Also rumored to have interest are the Mets, who are surely thinking of replacing the struggling Jason Vargas.

It’s tough to anticipate any kind of bidding war here. But there are enough clear landing spots to think that Gonzalez may be able to push the price up a bit and command a MLB rotation gig right out of the gates.

Prospect Notes: Hernandez, Sheffield, Senzel, Bichette, Vlad Jr., Luzardo

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Here’s the latest on some prospects of note from around the game:

  • The Red Sox brought up top pitching prospect Darwinzon Hernandez for his first taste of the majors, with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe first reporting the move. Hernandez, a 22-year-old from Venezuela, still needs to iron out his command but has shown some impressive swing-and-miss capabilities. It was on display tonight, as he allowed five baserunners but also racked up four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings in relief.
  • Left-handed pitching prospect Justus Sheffield will join the Mariners on Friday for his first action with his new club, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports on Twitter. He’s expected to piggyback with Yusei Kikuchi for a start; it’s possible he’ll be dropped back to Triple-A thereafter, though that’s not yet clear. While he already has 13 days of MLB service on his odometer, Sheffield won’t be able to reach a full year of service even if he stakes a permanent claim to a big-league roster spot. Sheffield hasn’t been himself thus far at Triple-A, carrying an 11:14 K/BB ratio through 18 1/3 innings.
  • It’s possible the Reds will soon welcome top prospect Nick Senzel to the majors. As Fletcher Page of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports, Senzel is back in the lineup at Triple-A after recovering from a sprained ankle. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be promoted in the near-term, but the organization doesn’t have much cause to hesitate at this point. Senzel can no longer achieve a full year of MLB service in 2019; the club is sitting at five games under .500 and can’t wait long to make its move. Once Senzel gets his timing down and gets comfortable in the outfield — he’s lined up in center field tonight for Louisville — he’ll likely be called up.
  • The Blue Jays got some unwelcome news on exciting infield prospect Bo Bichette. Robert Murray and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported on Twitter that Bichette had suffered a broken hand. As Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets, the fracture was to the second metacarpal of his left hand. Widely considered one of the game’s very best prospects, Bichette will now need to get back to health before he can begin pressing for a major-league promotion. Meanwhile, anticipation grows that teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will soon get the call; Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs tweets that some around the game anticipate it’ll come this week.
  • Top Athletics prospect Jesus Luzardo is beginning to work back toward the hill, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter links). He’s moving from 75 feet to 90 feet tomorrow, so it’s still rather early in his progression back from shoulder soreness. Slusser estimates that it could take four to six weeks before the prized southpaw could be ready for game action. In all likelihood, he won’t be seen as a candidate for a MLB promotion until he has at least a few Triple-A starts under his belt and the club feels confident there aren’t any lingering issues with the joint.

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