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Archives for July 2019

Angels Select Jose Rodriguez

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The Angels have selected the contract of righty Jose Rodriguez among a series of roster moves, the team reports.

Rodriguez, 23, had posted strikeout rates of 10 or better at both Double and Triple-A this season. He isn’t one of the team’s most well-regarded prospects, with FanGraphs profiling the righty as an “up-and-down” arm, though he seems a mere temporary fill-in for Noe Ramirez, who was placed on the 10-Day IL with a viral infection.

The back-end of the Angels’ pen, anchored by an ascendant Ty Buttrey and resurgent Hansel Robles, has been mostly effective this season, though there’s certainly room for improvement at the front end. The club sits just 4.5 games back in a top-heavy AL Wild Card race, so a systematic patching-up of any and all holes will be at the fore of the club’s deadline plans.

Diamondbacks “Focused Intently” On Selling

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The Diamondbacks, who blew a late lead in Miami last night to drop back even at 52-52, are reportedly “focused intently” on selling, per Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi, who lists Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, David Peralta, Archie Bradley, Andrew Chafin, Greg Holland, and Jarrod Dyson as names on the proverbial table.

It’s a bit of surprise revelation for the in-the-thick-of-it Snakes, whose +63 run differential is second only to the Cubs among legitimate NL Wild Card contenders. Arizona would need to jump four teams to find itself in the second Wild Card slot – including the 53-51 Giants, who’ve all but announced their intention to make the buyer’s plunge in the coming days – but one could easily envision the club slithering in with a late-season surge.

Still, it may be high time to cash in on the team’s best assets: righty Zack Greinke, who’s still owed over $90MM (including signing-bonus deferrals) on his record-setting deal, is on pace to match or eclipse all but his lights-out 2009 campaign. The 35-year-old’s microscopic 1.15 walk rate is the lowest of his career, and he hasn’t yet been sliced of his once-sharp cheddar, with an average fastball velocity that still hovers barely above the 90 MPH plateau. The club would need to pay down a significant portion of the contract, but high-upside returns may be dangled if the team finds itself amenable.

Lefty Robbie Ray, who hits arbitration for the final time next season at what’ll surely be a below-market rate, is still conducting his high-walk, high-homer, massively-high-strikeout train in ’19, and would be a good fit for any number of contenders – Yankees, A’s, Giants – with strong bullpens and weak rotations.

David Peralta’s value has perhaps been overstated in some circles – he’s an aging corner bat who’s nearly unplayable against lefties, but should net a decent return from a team in need of mid-order lefty thump. Fellow outfielder Jarrod Dyson may be coveted for his late-inning skills – top-scale defense, pinch-runner extraordinaire – but likely won’t return a high-upside piece.

The rest of the pieces won’t be coveted league-wide, but the Snakes could trim an estimated $26-30MM off next season’s payroll by trading all but Greinke from the group. Add Zack, of course, and the team could position themselves at the fore of the offseason free agent market.

Mariners Claim Keon Broxton

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The Mariners have claimed OF Keon Broxton, reports Greg Johns of mlb.com. The 29-year-old was designated for assignment Sunday by the Orioles.

It’s the third team this season for Broxton, who was acquired in the offseason by Mets and jettisoned after a miserable to start to the season. In 142 plate appearances for New York and Baltimore, the righty’s slashed .188/.244/.289 with a shocking 43.0% strikeout rate. Swing-and-miss has always been the undoing for the speedy outfielder, who again has posted stellar, if not elite, defensive and baserunning numbers.

Broxton’ll look to squeeze his way into a hobbled Mariner outfield that’s currently without Mitch Haniger and Domingo Santana. Centerfielder Mallex Smith hasn’t been able to replicate his breakout 2018 campaign, so perhaps Broxton will be in the mix there. A corner spot may also be up for grabs – rookie Dylan Moore hasn’t offered much in his sporadic action, either.

Athletics Acquire Jake Diekman

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The A’s have acquired Jake Diekman from the Royals, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Kansas City will receive prospects Ismael Aquino and Dairon Blanco in return.

In its push for a second consecutive playoff appearance, the A’s appear to again be double and tripling down on an already-staunch bullpen. The 32-year-old Diekman’s long had issue with the free pass – the lefty hasn’t walked under four per nine since 2013 – but is setting down hitters at a career-best rate: indeed, his 13.61 K/9 is over two batters per nine higher than his previous season best. Diekman’s park-adjusted peripherals place him firmly within the game’s top 30 relievers at present, and he’ll join an Oakland pen that’s already notched MLB’s second-highest fWAR total, behind only the Yankees.

Diekman, who’s owed approximately $700K over the remainder of the season, has a $5.75MM mutual option on his deal for 2020, a figure that’ll likely be declined on the player’s side if the lefty continues on his current pace. It should be no matter for the A’s, who control each of bullpen stalwarts Joakim Soria, Yusmeiro Petit, Liam Hendriks, Blake Treinen, and Lou Trivino through at least next season.

As they did last season in the team’s winner-take-all bout with the Yankees, the A’s appear to be gearing up for a potential all-bullpen Wild Card alignment. After nominal ace Frankie Montas was suspended for a PED violation, it’s been mostly hope-and-pray in the team’s rotation. Mike Fiers has delivered quality outings, but deeper peripherals don’t augur well for the season’s close; ditto with Brett Anderson, who’s also managed to avoid major injury for one of the few times in his career. Chris Bassitt and Daniel Mengden have had moments, but it may be white-flag time where the division is concerned for the A’s, who sit 8.0 GB of Houston in the AL West despite just a half-game deficit in the second Wild-Card spot.

Blanco, 26, was an ’18 Cuban signee who’d spent all of 2019 at AA-Midland, where the outfielder slashed .276/.342/.468. He didn’t check in among the team’s top 38 prospects at FanGraphs, who did note that the righty possesses “80 grade” speed, which could vault him into a potential fifth outfielder spot in the big leagues.

Aquino, 20, had appeared in 10 games for the A’s Arizona League affiliate, mostly in relief. He didn’t crack the team’s top 30 prospects at either FanGraphs or MLB.com.

Giants Designate Ty Blach For Assignment

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Per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, the Giants have designated lefty Ty Blach for assignment to make room on the 40-man for prospect Logan Webb’s return from the Restricted List.

Blach, 28, was a reasonably productive swingman for the 2016-18 versions of the club, with numbers slightly inflated (per fWAR and other metrics that rely heavily on park factors) by the enormous dimensions of SF’s Oracle Park. The lefty, who’s posted the league’s lowest strikeout total since his debut in late 2016, threw up a solid 3.84 FIP in 47 appearances (13 starts) for the Giants last season, a performance that ostensibly wasn’t enough to curry favor with the new regime.

He’s spent much of the this season trying to survive in the PCL, where his 5.93 ERA/5.26 FIP are actually respectable totals in the harrowing offensive climate that dots the league’s landscape.

Phillies Acquire Jose Pirela

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The Phillies have acquired Jose Pirela from the Padres for cash considerations, the team reports.

Pirela, 29, was designated for assignment Monday by the Friars. The one-time Yankee was a staple in the Padre lineup from 2017-18, a stretch bookended by an ugly .249/.300/.345 line in 473 plate appearances for the club. Pirela has experience at every position save catcher, shortstop, and center field, and has proven a capable defender at each. In 242 plate appearances for the mash unit that is the El Paso Chihuahuas this season, the 29-year-old did his best to stand out, slashing a hefty .353/.401/.674 with 18 homers for the club.

With the possible, small-sample exception of Brad Miller, Philadelphia’s secondary players haven’t offered much this season. Six of the Phils’ bench players have combined for -2.5 fWAR, a number that’ll surely need a boost if the club’s to nail down one of two hotly-contested NL Wild Card spots.

Righty Tommy Hunter was moved to the 60-Day IL to make room for Pirela on the 40-man.

Nationals Option Kyle Barraclough, Recall Adrian Sanchez

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The Nationals optioned Kyle Barraclough to Double-A Harrisburg today, recalling well-traveled infielder Adrian Sanchez, the team announced.

Barraclough, 29, represents the “successful” half of the Nats offseason bullpen upgrades. Entering the season, Washington hoped to install the since-departed Trevor Rosenthal as their eighth inning man, with Barraclough targeted for seventh inning setup duties. Obviously, the Nats had to audible not long into the season as Rosenthal imploded like few pitchers can, while Barraclough’s struggles were more pedestrian in comparison. Still, Barraclough ultimately landed on the injured list with nerve irritation in mid-June.

Yesterday marked Barraclough’s return, which he celebrated with a wild pitch before Justin Turner launched a 3-1 get-me-over fastball into the left field bleachers for the  game-winning three-run homer. He did retire Cody Bellinger to end the inning, but Barraclough nonetheless finds himself headed back from whence he came not 24 hours after his arrival.

For the season, the Nats called on Barraclough 33 times for 25 2/3 innings with a 6.66 ERA (6.57 FIP). His walk rate (4.2 BB/9) is actually at a career low, while his 10.5 K/9 is his highest mark since 2016. Those improvements have paled in comparison to the regression in terms of quality of contact surrendered, however. Hitters against Barraclough have seen their year-over-year solid contact rates improve from 1.4% to 10.0% and barrel rates from 4.8% to 13.8%. Those contact rates have yielded 11.6 hits per nine innings and 2.8 HR/9.

As for Sanchez, 28, he returns to his place at the end of the Nationals bench. Today marks Sanchez’s seventh stint with the big league club this season, where he serves as the emergency backup shortstop and rarely-used 25th man. For the season he has started just once with 20 total plate appearances. He has four hits and seven strikeouts. Without Sanchez, the Nationals don’t have a backup for shortstop Trea Turner on the roster, but given the rarity with which the Nats put Sanchez to use, one would think a playoff contender like Washington could find a better use for a roster spot.

Is Manuel Margot The Padres Centerfielder Of The Future?

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Centerfielder Manuel Margot has played himself back into the conversation for the San Diego Padres, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell.

If it seems like Margot has been around forever, that’s because he’s not only in his third season as a regular contributor in San Diego, but before that he was a key piece in the trade that sent Craig Kimbrel to the Red Sox – after which he instantly became the top-rated prospect in the Padres’ system by MLB.com. He was the 26th-ranked prospect in the game at the start of 2016 when he looked like a potential future star in center, batting a projectable .263/.313/.409 as a 22-year-old rookie.

The Padres have had so many prospects enter the national conversation since that 2015 blockbuster that Margot has faded well into the background, not only on the national level but for the Padres as well. As it stands today, Margot’s career line of .251/.303/.394 doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence as the centerfielder of the future.

Still, he’s remarkably only 24-years-old, and as Cassavell points out, for a little over a month now, he’s raked. Since June 23, he’s holding a .260/.387/.519 line. Consider positive career defensive ratings in center (19 DRS, 11.8 UZR), and Margot may yet contribute to the next contender in San Diego.

Despite San Diego’s deep farm system, they don’t necessarily have their next centerfielder bookmarked. That plays in Margot’s favor, but it might also make the Padres all the more proactive in seeking an outside solution. Unless he can consistently put together quality results against right-handers, he’s more likely pegged for a future as a fourth outfielder, whether in San Diego or elsewhere.

The Padres best bet is to play out the string for the remainder of 2019 and hope he does enough to improve his stock for a potential offseason trade. His youth is encouraging, but he’s also approaching his first season of arbitration, making 2019 a put-up-or-shut-up season for Margot. His first time through arbitration won’t break the bank, but it does change his valuation moving forward. Another couple of months like his last, however, and Margot could change that valuation once again.

Braves Targeting Pitching From Royals, Rangers

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The Braves have a relatively strong hold on the National League East as they have pushed their lead back up to 5 1/2 games over the Nationals and 6 1/2 games over the Phillies. Much like their trailers in the East, the Braves are exploring reinforcements for a bullpen that has let the club down at times.

Much like other contenders, the Braves have looked into acquiring lefty Jake Diekman from the Royals, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). Diekman remains one of the most likely players to move before Wednesday’s deadline, but the Royals are apparently in no rush to make a decision. Bowman names Ian Kennedy as another name that makes sense for the Braves, though the Royals are less interested in paying down the money owed Kennedy, making him a less likely target.

Though the same targets seem to make their way around the rumor mill from team-to-team, the Braves have not yet been tied to oft-rumored Tigers Shane Greene, Nicholas Castellanos or Matthew Boyd. A more likely trading partner for Atlanta is the Rangers, who can offer Mike Minor for the rotation or right-hander Jose Leclerc out of the pen.

Both Rangers come with future years of control, with Leclerc in particular being an interesting target as the 25-year-old recently signed an extension that has him under contract for five years after this season (through 2024). After recording 12 saves with a 1.56 ERA 59 games last season, Leclerc struggled out of the gate this year, ultimately losing his closer’s role and even taking a few turns as an Opener. That said, he turned things around since the slow start, currently holding a 4.02 ERA (3.31 FIP) in 47 games, making him worth 1.0 WAR by measure of both Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs.

It would be at least understandable if the Rangers were looking for a mulligan on the Leclerc extension, but that’s not to say they’re looking to sell low on their power righty. The Braves plethora of pitching in the upper levels of the minors give them the bullets they need to acquire whomever they need, should they decide to pull the trigger.

Rangers Haven’t “Seriously Engaged” Teams On Danny Santana

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Rangers utilityman Danny Santana has been one of the most surprising success stories of the 2019 season. Santana’s career began with a flourish as a member of the Twins in 2014, but he then performed terribly over parts of the next four seasons divided between Minnesota and Atlanta. Booted from the Braves’ 40-man roster last year, Santana caught on with the Rangers on a minor league contract over the winter.

Since the Rangers promoted Santana to the majors in the middle of April, the switch-hitting speedster has slashed .316/.346/.567 (128 wRC+) with 14 home runs, 12 steals and 2.0 fWAR in 281 plate appearances. Despite Santana’s best efforts, including a three-hit, six-RBI showing in a win over the Athletics on Thursday, the Rangers have backslid in recent weeks after looking like contenders for a while. The club’s still a decent 53-51 overall, but at five games behind wild-card position, rallying for a playoff spot probably isn’t realistic.

The Rangers’ place in the standings could influence them to sell by Wednesday’s deadline, and the 28-year-old Santana has come up as a speculative trade candidate. Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported last weekend Santana has drawn interest from other teams, but that’s vague. There was no specification as to whether talks had gotten serious with anyone. Well, now we have an answer. According to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas has “heard from only a few teams” in regards to Santana, and it hasn’t “seriously engaged any club in trade talks” for him.

With the Rangers set to open a new ballpark in 2020, when perhaps they’ll be better equipped to contend, Santana could stay as an important part of their roster going forward. As Wilson notes, although Santana has little third base experience, it’s possible he’ll take over as the Rangers’ starter there next season for Asdrubal Cabrera, who’s set to become a free agent. Otherwise, Santana may continue to function as the Rangers’ version of a Swiss Army knife. Thus far in Texas, he has totaled between five and 35 appearances at all three outfield spots and every infield position but third.

Not only has Santana been terrific at the plate and extraordinarily versatile in the field, but he has done it for a league-minimum salary. Santana also won’t rake in a ton next year via arbitration, and he’ll still be controllable for another season after that.

While Santana’s affordable control counts as a reason to keep him, it could likewise be an argument for the Rangers to cash him in for a rich return during the upcoming week. There’s also the fact that we’ve been down a familiar road with Santana in the past. His stellar rookie-year production came in spite of an ugly K/BB ratio and an unsustainable .405 batting average on balls in play. Santana’s K/BB issues have worsened since then – he has fanned 28.5 percent of the time and drawn walks at a meager 3.9 percent clip – while his BABIP (.401) is once again flying way too close to the sun and sure to plummet.

It’s clearly going to be difficult for Santana to continue to perform anywhere near this well as a hitter. At the same time, though, his Statcast profile shows he has made legitimate strides this season. Santana’s .335 expected weighted on-base average does pale in comparison to his .386 real wOBA, but it’s nothing to scoff at coming from an inexpensive player who can line up all over the diamond. The positives outweigh the negatives in the estimation of the Rangers, who seem content to keep Santana.

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