Cubs Add 3 To Player Pool
The Cubs have added three players to their 60-man pool, according to Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago. Right-handers Cory Abbott and Tyson Miller and just-signed catcher Jose Lobaton are now part of the group, which consists of 57 players. They’ll head to the team’s alternate training site in South Bend, Ind.
Abbott was a second-round pick of the Cubs in 2017, and he has since climbed to the Double-A level. The 24-year-old held his own there last season in his first try, amassing 146 2/3 innings of 3.01 ERA/3.51 FIP pitching with 10.19 K/9 and 3.19 BB/9. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen recently ranked Abbott as the Cubs’ 10th-best prospect, writing that he “projects as a low-variance fifth starter.”
Miller, also 24, joined the Cubs in Round 4 of the 2016 draft. He thrived in Double-A last year with a 2.56 ERA/3.05 FIP, 8.18 K/9 and 1.84 BB/9 in 88 innings, but his Triple-A debut didn’t go nearly as well. Miller tossed 48 2/3 frames there and stumbled to a 7.58 ERA/7.17 FIP with 7.95 K/9 against 4.62 BB/9. He is Longenhagen’s 30th-ranked Cubs prospect.
Latest On Freddie Freeman
A positive COVID-19 test has shelved Braves star Freddie Freeman since early July, but the first baseman is not a sure bet to miss Opening Day on the 24th. Manager Brian Snitker told Mark Bowman of MLB.com and other reporters Thursday that the Braves haven’t ruled out Freeman for the start of their season. Snitker added that Atlanta will likely make a decision on Freeman after Friday, David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets.
Fortunately, Freeman is doing much better now, but his illness seemed quite severe at the outset. Teammate and outfielder Nick Markakis even elected to opt out of the season after talking with Freeman, saying: “That opened my eyes. He didn’t sound good.”
Not long after Markakis made his choice, the Braves reached a deal with Yasiel Puig as a replacement in their outfield. Puig’s bat could also help matters if the Braves have to go without Freeman for any amount of time. That said, there’s no realistic hope of replacing Freeman’s on- or off-field impact on the organization. The 30-year-old enjoyed yet another terrific season in 2019, batting .295/.389/.549 (141 wRC+) with a career-high 38 home runs in 692 plate appearances.
While Freeman is getting closer to a return, the Braves had to place first baseman/outfielder Peter O’Brien on the 10-day injured list Thursday after he was exposed to someone with the coronavirus, per David O’Brien. Peter O’Brien didn’t test positive, however. The 30-year-old, whom the Braves signed to a minor league contract in the offseason, made their initial 60-man player pool.
Orioles Add 3 To 60-Man Pool
The Orioles have added three players to their 60-man player pool, per a club announcement. Outfielder Yusniel Diaz, lefty DL Hall, and infielder Ramon Urias will all be joining the team’s second training location at Bowie.
Each of these players is still working towards a big league debut. In the case of Diaz and Hall, they’ve long been considered among the organization’s top prospects. The former came over in the Manny Machado trade, while the latter was chosen in the first round of the 2017 draft.
Urias, 26, is in a different position. He earned a 40-man spot with the Cardinals but ended up on the waiver wire over the offseason. The O’s plucked the second bagger with intentions of giving him a crack at earning a utility job. He had scuffled in limited Spring Training action, following a rough stretch in the Mexican League, but did turn in a solid .263/.369/.424 output in 375 Triple-A plate appearances last year.
11 Umpires To Opt Out Of 2020 Season
JULY 16: The umpires presently expected not to participate are Tom Hallion, Mike Winters, Fieldin Culbreth, Phil Cuzzi, Brian Gorman, Jerry Layne, Scott Barry, Kerwin Danley, Sam Holbrook, and Gerry Davis, per Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com (Twitter link).
JULY 14: Eleven MLB umps have exercised their right to opt out of (or otherwise decided not to participate in) the 2020 season, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports on Twitter.
That’s a rather large number of umpires, in the context of the league’s typical overall roster. The present list includes about ninety umps in all.
The league had entered the season planning on 19 crews, as usual. That would involve 76 umpires. If anything, there’ll now be a greater need for reserves given the possibilities of individuals or crews requiring isolation due to the coronavirus situation.
While that’s a significant loss of experience, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to find alternatives. Given the unfortunate cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season, there will be no shortage of candidates from the lower ranks to take a step up to the ranks of MLB umpires.
Phillies Release Bud Norris
The Phillies have released veteran righty Bud Norris, per a club announcement. He had been with the organization on a minor-league deal.
The team also has added southpaw Austin Davis and catcher Rafael Marchan to the 60-man player pool. Both had been sidelined for undisclosed reasons.
Norris, 35, sat out the 2019 season after failing to receive an offer to his liking. He was effective in 2018, so it stood to reason he had a realistic shot at earning a job with the Phils. Norris allowed four earned runs in the four Grapefruit League frames he threw this spring.
Giants Sign Third-Rounder Kyle Harrison
The Giants have locked up third-round draft choice Kyle Harrison, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). It was known already that a deal was close, but it’s now in the books.
Harrison is said to be lined up for a $2.5MM bonus, well over the $710,700 slot allocation that came with the 85th overall choice. It was long believed the UCLA commit would require a sizable bonus to forgo college.
Draft observers weren’t universally sold on Harrison’s future. He didn’t rank higher than #54 on any draft boards, earning that placement from Keith Law of The Athletic.
That said, Harrison’s fastball velocity and draft profile were on the rise and might well have gained further ground had the season not been suspended. Fangraphs cited his “weird angle of attack,” “deception and great feel to pitch.” MLB.com, which ranked Harrison 63rd overall, credits the young southpaw with “a feel to use all three offerings.”
Ken Giles Still Open To Extension Talks With Blue Jays
Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles will be pitching for his fate as a free agent in 2020. But he says he’s open to staying off of the market entirely, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
That’s not to say that a new contract is a front-burner issue at this point. Giles says he’s “just focused on the season right now,” which is certainly sensible with the sport knee deep in a hurried run-up to competition.
That said, the Toronto closer reiterated his interest in staying with the organization. “If those talks do ever happen,” he said of potential extension chatter, “I’m all ears.”
It could be that this season will require too much of a sprint to allow for the measured development of extension talks. Ongoing economic uncertainty remains a major limiting factor as well. But mid-season chatter is certainly possible and Giles’s willingness to talk opens a potential path for the Jays.
As things stand, the club could have a tough mid-season choice. There’s enough talent on hand to imagine a competitive roster in a short-season format, but it’ll also be tempting to cash in Giles on the trade market. If he makes it through the year on the Toronto roster, the team could consider a qualifying offer and explore further contract talks.
There are still quite a few ways this could all shake out. Giles will have a big say, beginning with his performance on the mound. He acknowledged the importance of this campaign to his career, saying he’ll exercise ample precaution against COVID-19 infection but never considered sitting it out. The 29-year-old has had some ups and downs, but turned in a sparkling 1.87 ERA with 14.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 over 53 frames in 2019.
MLB Season Will Begin Without Live Scouts
MLB’s pro scouts are itching to get back in the ballpark, but it sounds like they’ll have to wait. The 2020 campaign will begin without live scouts, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link).
This is a disappointment for those who’d hoped to see baseball’s birddogs occupying otherwise all-but-empty ballparks during the television-only season launch. They will just have to keep watching film for the time being.
There is a glimmer of hope here. Per Rosenthal, Major League Baseball will consider loosening the restrictions once the campaign is underway. Presumably, it wouldn’t be especially challenging to allow entry from a logistical standpoint. Doing so might even offer an opportunity for teams to shake down their protocols for potential reentry of live spectators.
The broader worry from some segments within the game is the long-term fate of in-person scouting. Baseball America’s Josh Norris recently examined the matter in full. Getting looks on video certainly trims costs, though most scouts believe live attendance is crucial to their job.
Yuli Gurriel Hopes To Return To Astros After 2020
It’s anyone’s guess what free agency will look like when we get there at the end of the 2020 season. Odds are, it won’t be particularly lucrative for older first basemen. But Astros first bagger Yuli Gurriel is among the top players available and could draw wide interest if he’s able to repeat his productive 2019 effort.
To the extent Gurriel is pondering his future, he’s thinking more about where he’ll be than how much he’ll make. If he gets his way, Gurriel told reporters including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter), he’ll return to the Houston organization.
This is actually the fourth anniversary of the ‘Stros announcement of their five-year, $47.5MM deal with Gurriel. The long-time Cuban star was considered a clear MLB talent, though there were questions about how productive he’d be at a relatively advanced age.
There have been a few ups and downs, but Gurriel has generally provided strong offensive output. He was at his best in 2019, when he launched 31 home runs and slashed .298/.343/.541 in 612 plate appearances.
Gurriel could have opted into arbitration this past offseason, but instead negotiated a $300K boost over and above the $8MM salary he was already promised. His contract still provides for termination at the end of the 2020 season, thus preventing the Astros from retaining him through arbitration.
It remains to be seen if the Houston club will share Gurriel’s interest in a reunion. Cost efficiency will surely be a primary consideration for the data-driven club, which will be looking to account for the departure of numerous big bats. We haven’t had any opportunity to see the roster-building proclivities of new GM James Click. The former Rays exec certainly came up in a culture that rewarded creative tinkering over big splashes.
Cubs Sign Jose Lobaton
The Cubs have signed free-agent catcher Jose Lobaton to a minor league deal with an invitation to Summer Camp, per Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago. There’s no word on whether Lobaton will report to Wrigley Field or the Cubs’ alternate training site in South Bend, Ind.
The 35-year-old Lobaton is a veteran of a few major league organizations, most recently the Dodgers, and a lifetime .215/.293/.319 hitter in the bigs. Lobaton joined the Dodgers in a trade with the Mariners last August, but he didn’t appear in MLB with either club in 2019 and hasn’t logged at least 100 at-bats in a season at the game’s highest level since 2017. The Dodgers recently released the switch-hitter, who posted a .236/.310/.427 line with 14 home runs over 374 PA in Triple-A ball a year ago.
Lobaton is clearly facing an uphill battle in carving out a role with the Cubs. They have an elite tandem behind the plate in Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini, not to mention an experienced third option in Josh Phegley.