Minor Injury Notes: Rendon, Luzardo, deGrom
Anthony Rendon sat out Friday’s game with oblique tightness, per the Angels’ PR department (via Twitter). Rendon is day-to-day. The Angels’ third baseman was remarkably stable during his time with the Nationals, appearing in at least 136 games in five of the last six seasons. His only significant injury time came in 2015 when a sprained knee and quad strain limited him to 80 games. This season, of course, games will come at a premium. Barring a setback, the Angels hope and plan to have Rendon back in the lineup well in time for their July 24th opener against the Oakland Athletics. Let’s take a spin around the league to check in on other minor injuries…
- MLBTR’s Connor Byrne wrote yesterday about the A’s long-term dream for Jesus Luzardo as a rotation stalwart. But as Byrne noted, after missing time due to the positive coronavirus test, it’s unlikely he will be ready to join the rotation by Opening Day. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) confirmed as much this morning, as manager Bob Melvin suggested the rotation would be “difficult for him initially.” What that means exactly for Luzardo’s near-term future isn’t totally clear. The A’s could choose to keep him in camp to stretch him out until he is ready to join the rotation. Or they could throw him back into the role he held last season as a multi-inning shutdown artist. Slusser suggests his chances of breaking camp on the roster are good, giving the A’s one heck of a bullpen weapon as the season gets underway.
- The New York Mets plan to pitch Rick Porcello on Saturday and Corey Oswalt on Sunday, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. That puts ace Jacob deGrom in line for a simulated session to run concurrently with Sunday’s preseason game. DeGrom should then be ready to start the season opener next Friday, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. A back issue flared up for deGrom last week, prompting an MRI, but all appears to be well and deGrom is back on track for Opening Day. With Noah Syndergaard out for the season, deGrom is probably the most important player on the Mets’ roster (which would probably be true even with Syndergaard). DeGrom has won each of the last two NL Cy Young awards, and in a short season, his brand of dominance could go a long way to keeping the Mets’ firmly in contention. One long losing streak could tank the year, but if deGrom is up to his usual antics (read: dominance), he should be as effective a streak stopper as there is in baseball.
When Does The Luxury Tax Reset?
Remember, if you can, that pre-pandemic world where matters such as the Red Sox’ stated and then de-emphasized desire to dip under the luxury tax line were of the utmost importance. While there are much bigger concerns now, even just in the arena of baseball finances, the luxury line is still of real moment to the Boston organization.
The Red Sox already did the hard work — especially, trading Mookie Betts and David Price — to drive down 2020 salary to the point that the team would not pay competitive balance tax penalties — and, more importantly, would reset its penalty rate for future seasons. Unfortunately, the uncertain nature of the 2020 campaign extends to that effort. If the season is cancelled, it won’t count as a luxury tax year, meaning the Red Sox would still be considered a multi-year offender at the start of the 2021 offseason.
It’s clear, then, what happens if the 2020 season is (reset!) or isn’t (no reset!) played. But what of a partial-season? Alex Speier of the Boston Globe has us covered.
For the 2020 campaign to count for logging luxury tax years, it must continue beyond the August 31st trade deadline. In the even of a mid-season cancellation prior to that time, the Sox will remain in the penalty box. Should MLB find a way to keep its contests going into September (and hopefully beyond), then the Red Sox’ record of excess spending will be expunged in advance of the 2020-21 offseason.
As Speier notes, the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t just altered the schedule. It also modifies what kind of revenue-sharing rebates the Red Sox can anticipate receiving if they avoid another year of repeat offender status. And it changes what kind of spending the club might wish to pursue in free agency this coming winter. Even without the stepped-up tax charges that apply to multi-season tax payors, revenue shortfalls are sure to impact the pursuit of big-ticket players.
While the motivation for the luxury reset isn’t as strong in retrospect as it was at the time, the Sox surely still hope to reap the rewards. So long as the league is still running as of the trade deadline — where some interesting questions may await — they’ll do just that.
Brad Keller Returns To Royals Camp
Right-hander Brad Keller is on his way back to Royals camp, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan was among those to report (Twitter link). He had been sidelined owing to a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Fortunately, it seems Keller has emerged from his infection without any significant complications. While he hasn’t yet provided any detail regarding his situation, it seems fair to presume he is in good health since he’s now ready to get back to work on the ballfield. Keller had to clear two negative tests before he was able to return.
If the Royals are to mount a surprise run at the postseason in 2020, they’ll need Keller to be at his best. Soon to turn 25, Keller carries a rather nice 3.68 ERA through 305 2/3 MLB frames over the past two seasons.
Though he has averaged a modest 6.4 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 to this point in his MLB career, the sinker-baller has more than good fortune to cite for his success. Keller owns a 52.0% lifetime groundball rate and 0.65 HR/9 rate to date, both notable numbers in this era of the long ball.
If Keller can continue to tamp down on the dingers, he’ll keep delivering big value to the organization and set himself up for a nice payday as a first-time arbitration-eligible player. Even if he settles in as a back-of-the-rotation starter, Keller already rates as a Rule 5 heist.
Giovanny Gallegos Reporting To Cardinals Camp
Key righty Giovanny Gallegos is on his way back to action, the team informed reporters including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). Gallegos has been missing from Summer Camp to this point for unstated reasons.
This is big news for the Redbirds, who came to rely upon Gallegos quite a bit in 2019. Largely unheralded before last season, Gallegos turned in 74 innings of 2.31 ERA ball on the year, carrying a sparkling combination of 93 strikeouts and 16 walks while permitting only 44 base hits.
That performance has already helped change perceptions of the 2018 swap that sent Luke Voit to the Yankees. If he can keep things going, Gallegos might convince the St. Louis faithful to change their tune entirely on a deal that has generated no shortage of consternation.
It remains to be seen how rapidly Gallegos will ramp up. Supposing he has been in good health and had ample training opportunity, he should be able to move throw his progression rather swiftly.
Even in the best-case scenario, it’d be optimistic to think Gallegos will be ready for Opening Day. And he’s presumably now out of the closer conversation to open the year. But the timing should make Gallegos available for most of the 2020 campaign.
Indians Ink First-Rounder Tanner Burns
The Indians have a deal in place with supplemental first-round selection Tanner Burns, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). It’s a $1.6MM bonus that falls shy of the $2,045,400 slot allocation that came with the 36th pick.
Burns drew first-round grades from several pundits, with Baseball America, The Athletic, and MLB.com all ranking him among the thirty best players available. ESPN.com and Fangraphs were somewhat less bullish but still saw him as at least a second-round player.
Though he isn’t viewed as possessing overwhelming upside, Burns is seen as having a starter’s arsenal with excellent fastball command. It seems that long-term durability represents the biggest question, though it’s based more on his lack of height (he’s 6’0) than on a particularly concerning history of injuries (though there have been some shoulder woes).
Yankees Release Adam Warren
The Yankees have released righty Adam Warren, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). He had been with the team on a minor-league pact.
Warren, who has been working back from Tommy John surgery, was not a participant in Summer Camp. His contract is a two-year arrangement, befitting his rehab status.
It seems that coronavirus-related roster management matters forced the decision. GM Brian Cashman explained that Warren is progressing well, as Jack Curry of YES reports on Twitter. Indeed, the expectation is that the Yanks will work out a new deal with him in the coming offseason.
The 32-year-old Warren had a rough ’19 campaign with the Padres and hasn’t had a lot of success outside of New York. But he has always had some magic in pinstripes. Over 407 total frames with the Yanks, he carries a 3.18 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.
Red Sox Sign Zack Godley; Rodriguez & Hernandez Back In Camp
As anticipated, the Red Sox have reached agreement with righty Zack Godley, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports on Twitter. The deal is now formally wrapped up, with Godley taking a 60-man player pool spot and heading to Summer Camp.
Godley will still need to earn his way onto the Boston 40-man and active roster. But he’s expected to have ample opportunity to do so.
The Red Sox did finally get some other good news on the pitching front. Southpaws Eduardo Rodriguez and Darwinzon Hernandez, each sidelined due to coronavirus considerations, are back in camp, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets. They’ll still need to build up to regular season readiness.
Godley, 30, was cut free recently by the Tigers. Since he had participated in the Detroit organization’s Summer Camp, Godley is in a relatively advanced position in terms of readiness. With the Boston rotation short on experienced options, he’s seen as a plug-and-go option.
Whether Godley can seize the opportunity remains to be seen. He has had his chances in recent years but has thus far failed to regain the form he showed earlier in his career. In his best season, 2017, Godley turned in 155 innings of 3.37 ERA pitching with 9.6 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and a 55.3% groundball rate.
Julio Teheran Back In Angels Camp
After a long delay related to COVID-19 protocols, righty Julio Teheran is back in camp with the Angels, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was among those to report on Twitter. It’s not clear when he’ll be formally cleared to get in uniform, but it seems Teheran is nearing a resumption of activities.
Given the timing, there’s virtually no chance Teheran will be ready to step into the Halos rotation when the 2020 season finally gets underway next week. He had taken the ball twice in Spring Training before the season went on ice, but he has not yet participated in Summer Camp and surely still needs to build up his arm.
Teheran agreed over the winter to a one-year, $9MM pact with the Angels. The durable 29-year-old had quite a few productive seasons over his tenure with the Braves and posted a strong 3.81 ERA in 2019. Fielding-independent metrics were less than enthused about his work, however, and Teheran’s fastball velocity has continued to trail off.
The underlying situation that led the Angels to sign Teheran underwent some change during the pandemic-forced pause. Shohei Ohtani and Griffin Canning each had unexpected opportunities to rest, putting the L.A. rotation in better shape to open the season than had been anticipated. That’s not to say that the depth won’t be appreciated, but the club likely won’t feel it needs to rush Teheran’s readiness.
Rockies To Select Contracts Of Daniel Bard, Matt Kemp, Chris Owings
The Rockies will carry long-lost MLB reliever Daniel Bard on their Opening Day roster, GM Jeff Bridich tells reporters including Nick Groke of The Athletic (Twitter links). He’ll have to be selected to the 40-man roster in order to be activated.
Also making the Rox were outfielder Matt Kemp and utilityman Chris Owings. They’ve had much more recent MLB activity than Bard, but are also looking for redemption after crashing out with other organizations.
Once an exciting young reliever, Bard ended up with irredeemable control problems after an attempted rotation conversion. His path back to the majors has been anything but straightforward. Remarkably, Bard’s last MLB pitch came more than seven years ago, in late April of 2013.
Rockies To Release Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee
The Rockies have requested release waivers on relievers Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter) and Thomas Harding of MLB.com (Twitter link). Barring the extremely unlikely event of a claim, both players will return to the open market.
When last these veteran hurlers tested the waters, they found irresistible bait dangling from the Rockies’ line. Both were lured to Denver with three-year, $27MM deals in December of 2017. Closer Wade Davis followed soon after with a three-year, $52MM pact.
At the time, the hope was that installing a trio of established late-inning arms would put the Rox over the top. It’s not as if any of the hurlers took down much more than was anticipated entering the offseason. But it was a significant risk to add all three. The Rockies were obviously prepared to accept the downside scenario, but surely didn’t think it could work out as poorly as it did.
Shaw, long a high-quality setup man, has limped to a 5.61 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over 126 2/3 innings in Colorado. The 32-year-old struggled in Cactus League action this spring. McGee, soon to turn 34, carries a 5.54 ERA in his 92 2/3 frames since re-signing. While he owns a sturdy-enough combination of 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9, he has allowed two dingers per nine over the past two years.
So, is Coors Field to blame? Shaw was actually quite a lot better at home than on the road last year, so it doesn’t seem to explain much in his case. The opposite is true of McGee. Then again, the more revealing split may be in the platoon department. He was tuned up by right-handed hitters (.326/.390/.663) in 2019.
This move won’t really save the Rockies any money, but it’ll clear the deck for other players and wipe out some final earning possibilities for each of the two veterans.
Shaw’s deal promised him $9MM this year, so he’s still due the pro-rated portion of that. He’ll also get a $2MM buyout on a $9MM option, which would’ve been guaranteed with just forty appearances (had it been a full 2020 season). McGee needed 65 appearances (full season) for his $9MM option to vest. Instead, he’ll earn a pro-rated portion of his $9.5MM salary for 2020 and will also still be due a $2MM buyout.