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Archives for August 2020

Mariners Sign Seth Frankoff

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The Mariners have signed right-hander Seth Frankoff to a minor league contract and assigned him to their alternate training site, per a club announcement. Seattle’s 60-man player pool now contains 59 players. Frankoff is repped by Vanguard Sports.

The 31-year-old Frankoff has just two Major League innings under his belt but is a veteran of eight minor league seasons and a pair of successful campaigns in the Korea Baseball Organization. Frankoff spent the past two seasons with the KBO’s Doosan Bears, pitching to a combined 3.68 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9 in 266 2/3 frames (50 starts). He’d inked a minor league deal with the Padres over the winter but elected free agency last month after San Diego opted not to include him in its own 60-man pool.

Seattle currently has five relievers and starter Kendall Graveman on the injured list, so it’s not much of a surprise that they’ve been on the hunt for some extra depth. In addition to adding Frankoff, the club claimed right-hander Brady Lail off waivers from the White Sox yesterday.

Pirates Place Joe Musgrove On 10-Day Injured List

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The Pirates have placed right-hander Joe Musgrove on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right triceps, per a club announcement. The team didn’t offer a timetable on a potential return.

Acquired in the trade that sent Gerrit Cole to Houston, the now-27-year-old Musgrove has established himself as a useful rotation piece in Pittsburgh. From 2018-19, the former top prospect racked up 285 2/3 innings with the Bucs, pitching to a 4.28 ERA (3.75 FIP) with averages of 8.1 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and 1.04 HR/9. The overall return on that blockbuster that landed Musgrove in Pittsburgh hasn’t been great, but Musgrove himself has provided plenty of value already — and he’s still controlled through the 2022 season.

The length of Musgrove’s absence will be especially worth monitoring given that we’re already less than three weeks from the 2020 trade deadline (Aug. 31). A healthy Musgrove, because of that aforementioned club control, could be an appealing trade piece to any number of clubs that have had injuries in their rotation.

The 3-13 Pirates have zero designs on contending in 2020, and with the playoff field expanded to 16 teams, it stands to reason that the few pure sellers out there would see plenty of demand for their players — particularly those controlled beyond the 2020 season. Parting with meaningful young talent to rent a player for perhaps as little as one month could be a tough thing for buyers to do, but any team that acquired Musgrove would be doing so for another two seasons beyond the current campaign.

Musgrove’s numbers in 2020 don’t look particularly appealing, although it’s a sample of just three starts that is skewed by a recent drubbing at the hands of a Twins lineup which ranks fifth in the Majors in runs scored. Interested clubs would be judging Musgrove on more than those three starts alone, and his overall 4.45 ERA and 4.03 FIP in 300 1/3 frames as a Pirate are plenty appealing. He’s obviously not a dramatic front-of-the-rotation upgrade, but with so many clubs just needing solid mid-rotation contributors as injuries have piled up elsewhere, Musgrove would generate legitimate interest if this triceps issue proves minor.

Pirates Claim Nick Tropeano

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The Pirates announced Tuesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Nick Tropeano off waivers from the Yankees, who had designated him for assignment over the weekend. Tropeano has been optioned to the Pirates’ alternate training site.

Tropeano, 30 this month, has pitched in parts of five big league seasons, compiling a 4.51 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 1.57 HR/9. He was at one point a fairly well-regarded prospect in the Astros and Angels organizations, but injuries have slowed his career. Tropeanos had Tommy John surgery that cost him all of the 2017 season, and he has since battled shoulder and elbow troubles that have limited him to 182 innings between the minors and big leagues.

Last season, Tropeano was hit hard in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League , posting a 5.87 ERA in 79 2/3 frames. Offense was elevated in that already hitter-friendly league, however, just as it was in the Majors thanks to alterations to the ball’s composition. Prior to last year’s ugly results, Tropeano had a career 3.67 ERA in 223 Triple-A frames. He’ll give the Bucs some depth for their rotation and a possible long relief option.

MLB Suspends Alex Cintron, Ramon Laureano

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3:07pm: The league has announced the suspensions. Cintron’s will begin immediately. Laureano is appealing his suspension, so his punishment will be held in abeyance until the appeals process has been completed.

1:52pm: Laureano has actually received a six-game suspension, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (via Twitter).

1:41pm: Major League Baseball will announce that Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron and Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano have been suspended for their roles in this week’s brawl between the two teams. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that Cintron will receive a 20-game suspension, while Laureano will be suspended for five games (Twitter links). The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, meanwhile, tweets that Laureano’s penalty is still being finalized, so the five-game sum may not yet be set in stone. A formal announcement has not been made but figures to follow shortly.

Cintron’s punishment is the largest ever given to a coach. The former big leaguer was seen clearly goading Laureano from the dugout after Laureano took first base following the second time he’d been hit by a pitch in Sunday’s game. Laureano had some choice words for Houston pitcher Humberto Castellanos as he walked to first base but did not initially take any action toward the Astros. Cintron, however, persisted with verbal barbs and took a step toward Laureano, seemingly daring him to engage in an altercation. Laureano eventually lost his cool and gave in to Cintron’s prodding.

The result, of course, was the exact type of situation that Major League Baseball has sought to avoid in the midst of this pandemic-interrupted season: an on-field brawl in which members of both clubs were in direct physical contact — many without a mask or face covering. Houston catcher Dustin Garneau, a former teammate of Laureano in Oakland, quickly tackled him to the ground and said he did so in an effort to diffuse the situation. Other members of both organizations soon pulled the involved parties apart and managed to quell the fracas, but suspensions for Cintron and Laureano, the brawl’s two central figures, have been widely anticipated since the incident.

For the A’s, the loss of Laureano for nearly a week is significant over the course of a shortened season. The former Astros farmhand was acquired at minimal cost following the 2017 season, but he’s blossomed as a star since debuting in Oakland in 2017. A standout defender with a rocket arm, Laureano has also proven a legitimate threat on the bases and at the plate. In 731 career plate appearances, he’s a .286/.351/.507 hitter with 32 home runs and 21 steals. He’s quite arguably out to the best start of his career in 2020, slashing .263/.405/.491 in 74 plate appearances.

Laureano can still appeal the punishment and push for a reduced suspension, which seems likely to be the case. Assuming he’s still suspended at some point, the A’s can turn to Mark Canha again in center field or recall any of Skye Bolt, Luis Barrera or Dustin Fowler from their alternate site.

D-backs Trade Ildemaro Vargas To Twins

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The Twins announced that they have acquired switch-hitting utility infielder Ildemaro Vargas from the Diamondbacks for cash. Minnesota will make a 28-man roster move to accommodate Vargas’ activation at a later date. Arizona designated Vargas for assignment late last week.

Vargas, 29, has a strong Triple-A track record at the plate and plenty of versatility, given that he’s a switch-hitter with more than 1000 innings of experience at each of shortstop, second base and third base. Vargas has also seen time at all three outfield spots and first base, though only a few games’ worth of innings at each slot.

However, despite that versatility, Vargas’ production from Triple-A hasn’t really carried over to the Majors. He’s a career .326/.371/.464 hitter at the top minor league level but has mustered just a .257/.287/.357 slash in the Majors. He hasn’t received much of a look at the big league level with the D-backs, however, so perhaps the Twins feel that he can thrive with a bit more playing time. Then again, the Twins already have plenty of infield options themselves, so playing time could continue to be difficult to come by. Vargas is also out of minor league options, so the Twins can’t send him to their alternate training site in St. Paul unless they designate him for assignment themselves and Vargas subsequently goes unclaimed on waivers.

Indians Place Mike Clevinger, Zach Plesac On Restricted List

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The Indians announced today that right-handers Zach Plesac and Mike Clevinger have been placed on the restricted list. Both pitchers violated the league’s health and safety protocols over the weekend when they went out after Saturday night’s game. In a pair of corresponding moves, Cleveland reinstated outfielder Tyler Naquin from the injured list and recalled lefty Logan Allen from the team’s alternate training site.

Today’s move subtracts both Plesac and Clevinger from the active roster, though they’ll continue to receive both service time and salary while absent, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. That differs from the restricted-list assignments that follow a PED suspension. In all likelihood, the decision was made in order to add a pair of fresh bodies to the roster while Plesac and Clevinger are tested daily for Covid-19 — rather than as a punitive measure. The organization can reinstate the pair whenever it sees fit, so long as both have tested negative at least twice (separated by a span of 24 hours).

It’s not yet clear to what extent (if any) the club will discipline the pair, although the team’s higher-ups can’t be pleased with them. That’s particularly true of Clevinger, who didn’t speak up even after Plesac was disciplined and reportedly took a flight with teammates after having been out. The Athletic’s Zack Meisel tweets that president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti declined to reveal whether Plesac and Clevinger would be subject to some form of discipline. For now, they’ll both be isolated away from the team for at least 72 hours while undergoing continued testing.

Phillies Designate Nick Williams, Trevor Kelley For Assignment; Nick Pivetta Optioned

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The Phillies announced a series of roster moves Tuesday, selecting the contracts of right-handers Connor Brogdon and Blake Parker. In corresponding 40-man moves, Philadelphia designated outfielder/former top prospect Nick Williams and right-hander Trevor Kelley for assignment. Right-hander Nick Pivetta was also optioned to Philadelphia’s alternate training site.

Williams, 26, was considered one of the game’s 100 best prospects for several years but has yet to put things together in the Majors. The 2012 second-rounder went from Texas to Philadelphia as one of the centerpieces in the Cole Hamels blockbuster, but the club never seemed completely sold on his abilities. Williams fared reasonably well at the plate in 2017-18, hitting a combined .269/.330/.446 (105 wRC+ and OPS+), but defensive shortcomings overshadowed that respectable output at the plate.

Once the Phillies signed both Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen in the same offseason, the writing has appeared to be on the wall for Williams. He stuck with the club through the 2019 season by virtue of the fact that he had a pair of minor league options remaining, but playing time was sparse — even after Odubel Herrera was suspended and McCutchen tore his ACL. Williams in just 67 games and took only 112 plate appearances, batting a woeful .151/.196/.245 in that extremely limited role. A club looking for a low-cost outfield flier could do worse than speculating on Williams, but it’s also perhaps telling that he’s been a largely superfluous piece in Philadelphia for more than a year and has yet to be traded.

Kelley, 26, appeared in four games with the Phils this season but was tagged for four runs on eight hits and a walk in 3 1/3 frames. He’s appeared in the Majors in each of the past two seasons — with the Red Sox in 2019 — but struggled in a small sample of games. The former 36th-round pick has a sharp minor league track record in terms of ERA, but he’s never missed a huge number of bats or demonstrated particularly strong control. The Phils plucked him off waivers when the Red Sox designated him back in December.

Turning to Pivetta, the 27-year-old is in his final option year and could well be running out of chances with the Phils. He’s long been praised for his raw abilities, but Pivetta has yet to demonstrate that he can efficiently command what appears to be a solid arsenal of pitches. He’s been prone not only to walks, hit batsmen and wild pitches but also to the long ball.

At his best, Pivetta sits nearly 95 mph with his fastball, drops a curve with elite spin, generates swinging strikes at a strong 12 percent clip and averages nearly 11 punchouts per nine frames. However, those appealing traits are still accompanied by inconsistency and results that fall shy of what one might otherwise expect from a pitcher with his stuff. Philadelphia has tried him both as a starter and reliever, and he’s offered glimpses of his potential at numerous points without settling in as a consistent contributor.

As for today’s two new additions, Parker is a well-known reliever who spent half the 2019 season with the Phils. The former Angels and Twins closer has a mid-90s heater and a big splitter that can function as an out pitch when he’s at his best. Consistency has been an issue for him as well, but the 35-year-old has a career 3.56 ERA, 10.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 285 2/3 frames.

The 25-year-old Brogdon will make his MLB debut the first time he takes the hill. The Phillies’ 10th-round pick back in 2017, Brogdon skyrocketed across three levels last year, ultimately putting together a combined 2.61 ERA with 106-to-24 K/BB ratio (12.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9) in 76 innings of relief.

Tigers Place C.J. Cron On Injured List

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The Tigers have placed first baseman C.J. Cron on the 10-day injured list, per a club announcement. Infielder Willi Castro was recalled to take the open roster spot.

The organization says that Cron has been diagnosed with a left knee sprain. It remains to be seen if there’s any greater damage to the joint.

Cron left last night’s game after attempting to field a liner. The 30-year-old left the field gingerly. Hopefully he has avoided significant damage.

The Tigers find themselves in competitive position a couple weeks into the season, thanks in no small part to contributions from their new first bagger. Cron has turned in a .190/.346/.548 batting line in 52 plate appearances. Despite the sub-Mendoza batting average, that’s good for a 146 wRC+.

Ken Giles May Soon Resume Throwing

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Blue Jays closer Ken Giles appears to be making progress in his effort to work back from a forearm strain. He’s “recovering well” and “could be throwing soon,” GM Ross Atkins informed reporters including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter).

This sounds quite promising, though there are still some hurdles left to clear. Giles is due for an MRI and a checkup tomorrow. And he’ll still need to ramp back up without incident once he gets the green light.

The Toronto organization will surely hope for a fairly rapid return. If the team is to make a surprise run, which seems unlikely but can hardly be ruled out, it’d surely help to have the 2019 version of Giles at the back of the pen. Perhaps it’s still possible he could throw well enough to warrant a qualifying offer at season’s end, though that would represent a fairly spendy bet on a player who has had a few injury questions of late.

The more intriguing possibility, of course, is that Giles could get back in the saddle in time to be traded. It’d be a rather tight timeline, and would surely require some faith on behalf of a potential trade partner, but a swap is still possible.

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