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Archives for June 2019

Cubs To Activate Pedro Strop

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The Cubs will welcome back reliever Pedro Strop from the injured list, manager Joe Maddon tells Bruce Levine of 670 The Score (Twitter link). Fellow righty Dillon Maples was optioned down to make room.

Strop’s return from a hamstring injury is an important step for a club that has had its share of relief issues of late. The Chicago pen has blown more saves (seven) in the past month than all but one other team (the Mets, with nine). Adding Strop back to the late-inning mix will not only give Maddon another key arm to work with in high-leverage situations but will help deepen the rest of the unit.

Soon to turn 34, Strop has long been a reliable piece for the Cubs. Since landing in Chicago, he carries a 2.71 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 342 frames of action. He has allowed just 5.7 hits and 0.6 home runs per nine in that span.

It’s tough to say much after a twelve-appearance sample, but Strop was perhaps a tick off to begin the season. His velocity has continued to trend down, albeit at a gentle pace, and he had permitted six earned runs in his 10 2/3 innings. Most of the damage came in two outings to open the year.

The Cubs will be glad to throw Strop back in the mix to see whether he can get back to his usual productivity. Whether or not he’ll retake the closer’s job from Steve Cishek remains to be seen. The club would prefer to have both of those pitchers working in a setup capacity in front of Brandon Morrow, but it’s anyone’s guess whether and when he’ll return.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels On Spending Outlook

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It’s really not yet time for the Rangers to look to the coming offseason; after a surprisingly solid start to the season, they’re still in position to compete for a wild card spot. But the coming free agent market was a topic of conversation in a recent interview with Rangers GM Jon Daniels on 105.3 The Fan’s Ben and Skin show (audio and transcript via the Dallas Morning News).

Even as he preps for a potentially interesting summer trade market, Daniels says that he anticipates entering next winter with “a lot more [payroll] flexibility the next two years than we’ve had the last couple, the last, probably three or four.” That said, the long-time top baseball ops exec said that the club’s spending is “going to be player-specific” in that the club will be “ready to make [an] investment” in “the right guy” but won’t “spend just to say we spent.”

The Rangers have made moves of that sort already in recent years, giving out three-year deals to Mike Minor and Lance Lynn. But Daniels obviously sees some stepped-up possibilities for the near future as the organization has continued to steadily draw down its payroll commitments.

Reading between the lines and adding a dollop of speculation, it seems that the Texas club could be more aggressive in exploring higher-grade free agents. Perhaps the near-term spending availability will also expand the team’s trade possibilities this summer. There’s some room to spend with only $85MM or so on the books for 2020 (including the remaining money owed to Prince Fielder after the portions picked up by the Tigers and the contract insurer). And as Daniels acknowledges, “the new ballpark will play into it.” The club will surely want to maximize that revenue stream with a competitive product.

That said, it’s far too soon to address the potential needs and opportunities in detail. The needs on the fringes of the roster are all but impossible to know at this point, and indeed there are still some notable variables even in the nascent Texas roster core.

Daniels notes that future investment is premised upon the idea that the organization has “a good foundation” in place at present. “There’s some really good quality players that are going to be here for several years and we’ll have an opportunity to build on that,” Daniels says.

The Rangers GM obviously believes the club has the makings of a productive core unit, but the rotation still comes with rather gaping near- and long-term questions. And some key position players are still sorting through some issues.

Outfielder Nomar Mazara has yet to turn in a breakout, though he’s at least still producing at a roughly league-average at the plate. Second baseman Rougned Odor has been a mess at the plate; he’s still just 25 years of age, but his rollercoaster MLB track record is of increasing worry.

Daniels says there’s “still patience” with Odor, citing the recent comments of skipper Chris Woodward and noting that he’s still a hard-working and highly talented ballplayer. But Daniels also acknowledged that “there is a level of concern,” particularly given that “this is not the first time it has happened.” Indeed, Odor has had notable peaks and valleys throughout his career. He managed to post league-average offensive work last year, but that included a brutal start and finish. It also came on the heels of a rough 2017 showing.

Odor is off to a .166/.232/.331 slash to open the present campaign. He’s sustaining a walk-rate boost he showed last year, but suddenly has a whopping new swing-and-miss issue. Odor is striking out at a 33.7% clip on a 13.6% swinging-strike rate, both of which represent career-worst levels.

Whether and how Odor’s issues will be sorted remains to be seen, but Daniels notes it’d be preferable not “to make a habit of kind of getting into these deep holes and having to put a program together to get out of it.” The club must have “a sense of urgency” in getting Odor on track, Daniels says. Even if that occurs, one wonders whether the team can have confidence that the second bagger won’t fall into another funk.

Poll: Did The Orioles Land A Franchise Cornerstone?

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You always hate to put too many expectations on a young player who was just taken in a draft. That’s all the more true in baseball, when there’s almost always a fairly lengthy period of development and preparation in the minor leagues before said player will even be ready to test himself at the game’s highest level.

But every situation is different. And last night’s draft seemed to represent a rare match of a desperate franchise with an exceptionally well-suited top selection when the Orioles chose Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman first overall.

By definition, teams selecting first overall are in a tough spot when it comes to their MLB roster. It’s awfully tough to turn a club around immediately after pacing the league in losses in the prior season. But the Orioles were in especially dire straits after a calamitous attempt at one more season of contention before launching a rebuild.

The on-field product at Camden Yards was really poor last year and remains so at present. While the farm system isn’t barren, it was and is generally regarded as a bottom-third outfit. And the club’s new front office leadership is only just starting the arduous task of building out an international operation.

The first overall draft pick is a nice consolation prize for a wretched season; it’s one the O’s may well pick up for multiple years running. But it doesn’t always convey as much draft power as you might wish. The Diamondbacks, not the Orioles, had the highest overall spending capacity this year since they were able to secure some lofty comp selections.

More importantly, you’re always limited by the players available. Last year, the Tigers were glad to find Casey Mize at 1-1, though pitching prospects are always riskier. The Astros were able to get creative back in 2012, selecting Carlos Correa instead of consensus top prospect Byron Buxton and reallocating some bonus space for later draft targets. But that was only possible because there were two exceptional talents. In some years, there aren’t any slam dunks. Browse back through the recent history of top overall picks and you’ll find quite a few that did not stand out as obvious selections at the time (and haven’t necessarily worked out as hoped).

With the first overall pick, you want a combination of upside and floor. You want it all in terms of talent and makeup. Preferably the player is not just toolsy but advanced enough to be a relatively near-term MLB option. And when you’re in as deep a hole as the Orioles, especially, you are hoping that this special player is capable of taking on the immense pressure that comes with such a selection.

On the surface, Rutschman is all of that and more. He’s a switch-hitting catcher with outstanding abilities on both sides of the ball and a history of performance at the highest levels of the collegiate ranks.

True, there were some other blue chippers in this class. In particular, second overall selection Bobby Witt Jr. had a case to get the top nod. He’s got all the tools and comes with big league bloodlines. If you’re wary of putting too much stock in a guy who’ll take a lot of wear and tear behind the dish, maybe Witt was a better selection. As a high schooler, he wouldn’t be expected to push immediately towards the majors.

Expectations are certainly lofty for Rutschman. He already led OSU to a title. As an advanced college player, he’ll be expected to perform well out of the gates and move swiftly up to the bigs … where team-level expectations will immediately rise.

Rutschman spoke last night in a way that should resonate with Orioles fans: “I’m going to control what I can control and play the best that I can play and work as hard as I can. I think everything else is going to take care of itself.” It’s a humble statement on the surface, but one that’s also laden with expectations when you consider the context. With Rutschman leading the way, will everything else fall into place for the Orioles?

Minor MLB Transactions: Marlins, D-backs, Padres

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A couple of the latest minor moves from around baseball, courtesy of Roster Roundup:

  • The Marlins have acquired catcher Tyler Heineman from the Diamondbacks. The D-backs presumably received cash in the deal for Heineman, who took 90 plate appearances with their Triple-A club in Reno and hit .325/.407/.525 (134 wRC+). Now 27, the amateur magician was a decent Astros prospect in his younger days. Heineman entered the pros as Houston’s eighth-round pick in 2012.
  • The Padres have released outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo, who posted quality power numbers with their Triple-A team in El Paso this year. While the 25-year-old slashed .259/.300/.696 (127 wRC+) with 15 home runs and a .438 ISO in the offense-driven Pacific Coast League, he went down on strikes 40 times against just five walks. Scavuzzo was with the Dodgers through last season after joining them as a 21st-rounder in 2012. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen pointed out Scavuzzo’s lack of plate discipline a little over a year ago while assessing the Dodgers’ prospects, but he did credit the right-handed hitter’s “big pop.”

Andrew McCutchen Suffers Knee Sprain

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JUNE 4: McCutchen suffered a sprain and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, according to manager Gabe Kapler (via Salisbury). He was on crutches after the game, Gelb tweets.

JUNE 3: Outfielder Andrew McCutchen departed after suffering an apparent left knee injury in the first inning of the Phillies’ game against the Padres on Monday, per reports from Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Matt Gelb of The Athletic and Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. McCutchen needed assistance getting off the field.

The Phillies replaced McCutchen with fellow veteran outfielder Jay Bruce, whom they acquired from the Mariners on Sunday. Philadelphia’s plan when it landed Bruce was to add some left-handed pop to its bench, but if McCutchen’s injury is serious, the former could take on a greater role than expected with his new team. Along with putting Bruce in the game in the wake of McCutchen’s exit, the Phillies shifted utilityman Sean Rodriguez from left to center.

Bruce, Rodriguez, Bryce Harper, Scott Kingery and Phil Gosselin represent the Phillies’ healthy outfield options currently in the majors, though they do have the experienced Nick Williams at the Triple-A level. Aside from Harper, however, the 32-year-old McCutchen is easily the Phillies’ most productive choice in the outfield.

After signing a three-year, $50MM contract with the Phillies during the offseason, McCutchen – a five-time All-Star – has gotten off to a .256/.378/.457 (124 wRC+) start with 10 home runs and 43 walks against 55 strikeouts with his new club. As one of the Phillies’ premier offensive players, he’s not someone the first-place team can afford to lose. Philly entered play Monday holding a one-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East.

Health Notes: Eovaldi, Peralta, Jay, Franchy, Bradford

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Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi could return from the injured list as early as June 15, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe suggests. As Abraham notes, that would mark 52 days since Eovaldi underwent right elbow surgery April 22, at which point he was reportedly supposed to miss four to six weeks. Eovaldi’s absence has deprived Boston of a second-half hero from 2018, someone whose late-season excellence convinced the reigning world champions to bring him back on a four-year, $68MM contract in free agency. The hard-throwing Eovaldi, 29, then came out of the gates slowly prior to his surgery, logging a 6.00 ERA/7.05 FIP with 6.86 K/9 and 4.71 BB/9 over 21 frames and four starts. Still, considering the Red Sox are fighting for a playoff spot and haven’t gotten enough from their rotation in general, Eovaldi’s return should be a welcome one for the club.

  • The Diamondbacks activated outfielder David Peralta from the 10-day IL on Monday and optioned right-hander Stefan Crichton to Triple-A Reno, the team announced. Peralta had been out since May 22 with right AC joint inflammation. He got off to a terrific start before then, following up last year’s 30-home run effort with a .309/.357/.524 line (126 wRC+) and seven HRs in 207 trips to the plate.
  • White Sox outfielder Jon Jay began a rehab assignment with Double-A Birmingham on Monday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com tweets. Perhaps in an attempt to lure his friend Manny Machado to the South Side of Chicago, the White Sox signed Jay to a $4MM guarantee in the offseason. Machado wound up in San Diego, however, and the 34-year-old Jay still hasn’t played under his new deal because of a hip issue. Long a competent if unspectacular offensive player, Jay has batted .285/.352/.378 (103 wRC+) in 4,061 attempts at the major league level.
  • Outfielder Franchy Cordero could rejoin the Padres as early as Wednesday, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The 24-year-old has been shelved since April 9 because of a right elbow sprain. Cordero underwent surgery on the same joint in early July of last year, ending his season.
  • The Mariners placed Chasen Bradford on the 10-day IL and recalled fellow righty reliever Matt Festa from Triple-A Tacoma, per a team announcement. Bradford’s dealing with a right forearm strain, which is an ominous-sounding injury for a pitcher. This also marks Bradford’s second IL stint of the season, as he previously missed time with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. The 29-year-old still ranks fifth among 2019 Mariners relievers in innings (16 2/3), and has only walked 2.16 hitters per nine while generating ground balls at a 51.9 percent clip. However, a lack of strikeouts (5.94 K/9) and a bloated home run rate (3.24 HR/9) have contributed to an uninspiring 4.86 ERA/7.23 FIP for Bradford.

Rays Sign Vidal Nuno

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The Rays have signed left-handed reliever Vidal Nuno III, according to Roster Roundup. He presumably inked a minor league contract.

Nuno landed a minors deal with the Nationals back in January, but they released him last week with a June 15 opt-out date approaching. The 31-year-old struggled to a 7.25 ERA/6.32 FIP with 10.07 K/9, 4.84 BB/9 and a 35.9 percent groundball rate in 22 1/3 innings with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate before returning to the open market. A significant portion of that damage came in one appearance, though.

With his Washington stint in the rearview, Nuno’s returning to the Tampa Bay organization. He spent last season with the Rays, notching 33 innings of 1.64 ERA ball in the majors. The soft-tossing Nuno’s success in the run prevention department came with less encouraging peripherals, though, as he recorded a 4.46 FIP with 7.91 K/9, 2.73 BB/9 and a paltry 28.6 percent grounder rate. He also benefited from a perfect strand rate and a .216 batting average on balls in play against.

Also a former Yankee, Diamondback, Mariner and Oriole, Nuno saw big league action in each season between his 2013 debut and last year. He owns a 4.06 ERA/4.68 FIP, 7.45 K/9 against 2.51 BB/9, and a 37.9 percent grounder mark in 377 innings at the sport’s top level.

Pirates Searching For Mid-Season Acquisitions

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The Pirates aren’t exactly playing inspired ball at 28-30, but they remain in the hunt in a densely packed NL Central. GM Neal Huntingon indicated that he’s on the look for acquisitions in an interview with 93.7 FM The Fan (as covered by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

The club has had a number of tough injury breaks, though that’s true of plenty of other teams as well. But missing some notable roster pieces has only left Huntington feeling more determined. He says the “continued fight in this club is something to appreciate and love.”

While the Bucs are a notoriously light-spending outfit, Huntington isn’t just counting on getting a boost from already-paid-for, rehabbing players such as Corey Dickerson, Jung Ho Kang, Jameson Taillon, and Keone Kela. The long-time front office leader isn’t necessarily saying the pocketbook or farm system will be opened wide to make additions, but does say he’s “got to find a way to get some reinforcements here.”

Unsurprisingly, pitching is the focus. While the Pirates have a few position players nearing returns, the group of hurlers has longer to wait for its own injured assets to make it back to the roster. Collectively, the Bucs have an ugly 6.17 ERA over the past thirty days.

It’d obviously be nice to score a high-end starter, though that isn’t necessarily in the cards. The focus now is on smaller game. Huntington highlights the middle relief corps, saying he has not “done a good job in getting the right guys at the right times from the right spots.” Picking up reasonably interesting, potential bounceback relievers in the middle of the season is something the Pirates have pulled off in the past, so we can safely anticipate some efforts in that regard.

That’s not to say that more significant moves won’t ultimately be pursued. It’s just hard to foresee it happening in the near-term with the deadline still two months off and the Pirates’ position still unclear. Huntington did acknowledge there could be a “potential scenario” where the team moves a position player for pitching, though he did so in the vaguest possible terms.

Draft Retrospection: Angels Pick A Legend

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We’re now at the 10-year mark since the Angels stumbled on one of the greatest players in the history of baseball. With the 25th pick in the 2009 draft, the club selected a New Jersey-based high schooler named Mike Trout. At the time of Trout’s selection, MLB.com wrote of the 17-year-old:

“Trout is a toolsy high school center fielder who was gaining momentum as the weather in the Northeast warmed up. He looks more like a football safety — his position in high school — than a center fielder, but has the tools to play there with plus speed. He just started switch-hitting to enhance his offensive value, and with some changes to his approach at the plate should hit for some power down the line. There is some rawness with the bat, but he has the kind of upside many teams look for in a high school position player, and was moving into first-round conversations as a result.”

Trout’s ability to hit from both sides of the plate didn’t carry into the pros, but it hasn’t mattered. Now 27, the right-hander has slashed an astounding .306/.419/.575 with 254 home runs and 196 stolen bases in 4,919 plate appearances since he debuted with the Angels in 2011. Among all-time major leaguers who have accrued at least 4,500 trips to the plate, Trout ranks sixth in wRC+ (172), trailing a few players you may have heard of in Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby and Barry Bonds, and already sits 67th in fWAR (68.8). Trout looks like a mortal lock to eventually exceed 100 fWAR, something only 20 position players have ever done.

Also a seven-time All-Star, a two-time AL MVP and a Rookie of the Year winner, Trout’s impact has far outweighed anyone else’s from his draft class. The only other current major league notables from the ’09 first round include Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg (No. 1), Mets righty Zack Wheeler (No. 6, to the Giants), Rangers lefty Mike Minor (No. 7), Mariners righty Mike Leake (No. 8, to the Reds), Dodgers center fielder A.J. Pollock (No. 18, to the Diamondbacks), Rangers righty Shelby Miller (No. 19, to the Cardinals), Twins righty Kyle Gibson (No. 22) and Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk (No. 24, to the Angels).

The Halos lucked out in landing Trout immediately after Grichuk, who never took an at-bat with the franchise. In 2013, four years after the Angels drafted Grichuk, they traded him to the Cardinals in a package for third baseman David Freese and reliever Fernando Salas. Grichuk has since become a respectable pro, one whom the Jays signed to an extension worth a guaranteed $52MM in April, while Trout has emerged as a lock to end up with a plaque in Cooperstown. And Trout may have never been an Angel if not for longtime big league first baseman Mark Teixeira. The Angels acquired Teixeira from the Braves in July 2008, and after Tex enjoyed an excellent few months in Anaheim, he left for the Yankees in free agency during the ensuing offseason. The Angels, for their trouble, received the compensatory pick they’d use to select Trout.

“It was crazy. It was unbelievable,” Trout told MLBTR contributor Chuck Wasserstrom in regards to draft night. “There was a lot of stuff going through my mind. You’re anxious, you’re excited, you’re obviously nervous. You want to get picked. You know … hopefully be selected in the top three rounds. But being picked, well … if you’re up there on the first day, it obviously means something.”

This past March, almost a full decade after they took Trout, the Angels extended him on a record contract worth $360MM over 10 years. Trout’s now in line to spend his entire 20s and 30s in Anaheim, which the club likely never expected when it took a flier on him in the crapshoot known as the draft. On Monday, 10 years after the Trout selection, the Dodgers grabbed Tulane third baseman Kody Hoese 25th overall. Another Trout? Highly doubtful, but they can dream.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: Recent No. 2 Picks

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With the first round of the Major League Baseball draft in the works, teams are angling to land long-term cornerstones as we speak. The Royals, for instance, tabbed high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. second overall on Monday. If things go according to plan, he’ll evolve into a franchise player the way other recent second overall selections have. The best No. 2 choices over the past several years have been Kris Bryant, who joined the Cubs in 2013, and 2015 Astros pick Alex Bregman. The two have become stars since their respective draft nights, but whom would you rather have?

Bryant, now 27, exploded on the scene in 2015, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors with a 6.1-fWAR season, and hasn’t looked back since. The third baseman/outfielder added an NL MVP and a World Series to his list of accomplishments in 2016, the season he helped the Cubs break a 108-year title drought. Bryant’s now a two-time All-Star with a career slash line of .284/.386/.518 (141 wRC+), 120 home runs and 25.3 fWAR in 2,715 lifetime plate appearances.

Bregman’s also a world champion, having aided in the Astros’ victory in 2017. That was the year after Bregman debuted in the majors. Since then, the 25-year-old infielder – whose primary position is third – has earned an All-Star nod and batted a Bryant-like .280/.369/.507 (140 wRC+) with 75 long balls, 31 steals and 14.8 fWAR across 1,804 trips to the plate.

Beyond the fact that they’re two of the most valuable players in baseball, Bryant and Bregman are each under control for at least the next couple seasons. Bryant, who’s on a $12.9MM salary, has two more years of arbitration eligibility left after this one. The Astros, on the other hand, will avoid the arb process with Bregman as they move forward. Houston locked Bregman up to a five-year, $100MM extension prior to the season, meaning he’s under wraps through 2024.

Age and team control may play a factor as you choose between Bryant and Bregman. Regardless of which player you prefer, though, it’s obvious these are two of the premier first-rounders in recent history. They give hope to every downtrodden franchise that had a high pick Monday.

(Poll link for app users)

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