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Yordan Alvarez Not Yet In Astros Camp

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Young Astros star Yordan Alvarez was notably absent from Astros camp today, though the precise reason isn’t yet clear. Manager Dusty Baker told reporters that he’s unable to provide further indication due to “league mandates.” Jake Kaplan of The Athletic was among those covering the chat (Twitter thread).

It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that Alvarez has tested positive for COVID-19, but that’s not necessarily the case. He may be held up for different reasons entirely. Even if the delay is related to the coronavirus, that doesn’t mean he has been infected.

Even if Alvarez is dealing with a health problem, it may still be hoped that he can return to action sooner than later. Whatever the case, Baker noted he’s hopeful that Alvarez will be able to report within a matter of days.

Alvarez, who recently celebrated his 23rd birthday, is expected to anchor the middle of the Astros’ already star-studded lineup after his mammoth debut season in 2019. He had dealt with knee issues last year and this spring, but the hope was that the long layoff would provide a respite.

GM James Click said just this morning that he believed Alvarez was ready for full-speed participation. The new top baseball operations exec did also note that some players and staffers in the organization had tested positive for coronavirus, though he did not offer specifics.

Obviously, we’ll all hope that Alvarez is able to resolve whatever issues he needs and report to Summer Camp sooner than later.

Welington Castillo Opts Out Of 2020 Season

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Veteran catcher Welington Castillo has opted out of the 2020 season, Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Friday (Twitter link via the Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty). Castillo inked a minor league contract with the Nationals back in January and was originally announced as part of the team’s 60-man player pool. However, it appears he’ll opt not to play during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Castillo likely wouldn’t have opened the year in the Majors, barring an injury to Yan Gomes or Kurt Suzuki, but as a 10-year Major League veteran, he was quite likely the first line of defense should either Gomes or Suzuki need to miss time. With Castillo forgoing the season, he won’t be paid and won’t accrue service time. Catchers Raudy Read, Tres Barrera and Jakson Reetz are all still in the Nationals’ 60-man pool.

The 33-year-old Castillo wrapped up a two-year deal with the White Sox last year. Chicago inked him at a $15.5MM total over two years, and while he hit reasonably well in limited action in 2018 (.259/.304/.406), his 2019 season was the worst of his career at the plate. In 251 plate appearances, Castillo mustered just a .209/.267/.417 slash.

Castillo becomes the third member of the Nationals organization to sit out the 2020 season, joining first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and right-hander Joe Ross. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end and likely return to the open market in search of another minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training. In 2701 career plate appearances, Castillo is a .254/.313/.426 hitter with 98 home runs.

Rangers’ Brett Martin Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Rangers left-hander Brett Martin tested positive for COVID-19, the team told reporters Friday (Twitter link via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). It’s also notable that Martin is diabetic — although to this point the Rangers have thankfully indicated only mild symptoms for the southpaw. The team also has three minor league trainers conducting contact tracing for Martin, who arrived for summer camp earlier this week, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

As with Delino DeShields Jr. and the Indians this morning, it seems quite likely that Martin gave his consent for his diagnosis to be made public. Player cases aren’t to be disclosed to the media or public without the individuals consent.

Martin, 25, made his Major League debut with the Rangers last year and pitched 62 1/3 innings across 51 appearances (49 out of the bullpen). In that time, he worked to a 4.76 ERA but a more encouraging 3.65 FIP with a strong 62-to-18 K/BB ratio. If he’s able to get back to full strength without lingering complications, Martin would quite likely be in line for a relatively prominent bullpen role — particularly given this year’s expanded rosters. He’ll need a pair of negative tests with at least 24 hours between them before he is medically cleared to return.

Padres To Add Cole Wilcox To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Padres will add recently signed third-round pick Cole Wilcox to their 60-man player pool today, tweets Dennis Lin of The Athletic. The former University of Georgia right-hander was considered a potential first-round talent but, as a draft-eligible sophomore, came with some signability concerns. The Friars paid him a $3.3MM bonus that stands as a record for a third-round pick. That bonus falls roughly in line with the slot value for the No. 20 overall selection, so Wilcox ultimately did get paid at a mid-first-round level.

Wilcox will join top Padres pick Robert Hassell III in the organization’s 60-player pool, although neither is likely to be viewed as a big league option in 2020. Still, with no minor league season this year, the Padres are understandably interested in getting the top two talents they secured in this year’s draft some additional development reps — even if they’re only in a simulated game setting. There’s obvious benefit to getting the pair some in-person time with minor league coaches and player development staff as well.

Wilcox, who’ll turn 21 next week, got out to a ridiculous start to his 2020 season, pitching to a 1.57 ERA with a 32-to-2 K/BB ratio in 23 2/3 frames for the Bulldogs before the NCAA season was halted. The lack of walks was a particularly notable development for Wilcox, who’d issued 38 free passes in 59 2/3 frames as a freshman. The Athletic’s Keith Law was must bullish on Wilcox prior to the draft, ranking him 14th in the class and noting the 6’5″, 232-pound righty’s No. 1 or 2 starter upside while cautioning that there’s considerable development needed to reach that ceiling.

San Diego is now up to 53 players in its initial player pool.

Trout: “I Still Don’t Feel Comfortable”

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Angels superstar Mike Trout reported to the team’s summer camp today, but the three-time American League MVP made clear that he’s still feeling conflicted about playing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Honestly, I still don’t feel comfortable with the baby coming,” Trout told reporters today on a Zoom call (link via USA Today’s Bob Nightengale). “There’s a lot of things on my mind. I’m trying to be the safest and most cautious way to get through the season. It’s going to be tough.”

Trout’s wife is currently pregnant with the couple’s first child, and the 28-year-old center fielder says that they’re “playing it by ear” with the baby due to be born in August. “I’ve got to keep Jess safe,” says Trout. “I’ve got to keep the baby safe.” He adds, too, that in the event of a positive test, he’d need to go at least 14 days without seeing his newborn child, which also weighs on his mind.

“We all want to play,” Trout continued. “It’s going to come down to how safe we are going to be. If there’s outbreak or something happens these next few weeks, we’ve got to reconsider.”

Trout is far from the only player in the game with this type of concern. Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman voiced similarly thoughtful concerns last week before officially opting out of the 2020 season earlier this week. Washington closer Sean Doolittle, whose wife is high-risk, has regularly voiced concerns and yesterday told Scott Abraham of ABC7 News that he’s “leaning toward playing” but is “not entirely” sure he’ll ultimately do so (Twitter link, with video).

To this point, Zimmerman, Joe Ross, Tyson Ross and Mike Leake are the four players who have opted out of playing the 2020 season amid public health concerns.

Indians Sign David Hernandez, Jake Elmore, Steven Baron

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The Indians announced this morning that they’ve signed veteran right-hander David Hernandez, utilityman Jake Elmore and catcher Steven Baron to minor league contracts. Hernandez and Elmore will report to Summer Camp in Cleveland, while Baron will head to the team’s alternate training site in Eastlake, at their Class-A affiliate’s facility. All three have been added to Cleveland’s player pool, bringing their total to 58 players.

Hernandez, 35, wrapped up a two-year deal with the Reds in 2019. He was brilliant in the first season of that contract, pitching to a pristine 2.53 ERA and 3.38 FIP with 9.1 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 over the course of 64 innings. Unfortunately, the second season of the deal was as ugly as the first was impressive; in 42 2/3 innings, Hernandez was clobbered for an 8.02 ERA.

That’s an alarming number, of course, but it should be pointed out that Hernandez was plagued by a sky-high .393 average on balls in play — more than 100 points higher than his career mark. As was the case with many pitchers during last year’s juiced-ball campaign, Hernandez also saw his home-run rate soar (0.76 HR/9 in 2017-18; 1.48 HR/9 in 2019). He’d been in the original Spring Training with the Nationals but was cut loose.

The 32-year-old Elmore has appeared in 217 games and logged 527 plate appearances at the MLB level. Elmore is just a .215/.292/.275 hitter in that time, but he’s demonstrated substantial versatility; in 2013, the Astros used him at every position on the diamond — including catcher and pitcher. Elmore has at least 106 innings at all four infield spots, 234 innings in the outfield (including 14 in center) and has also caught 4 1/3 innings and pitched two frames (one run allowed) in the Majors.

Baron, 29, was the No. 33 overall pick by the Mariners back in 2009 but has never gotten much of a look in the big leagues. In 26 plate appearances, he’s batted .115/.115/.154. Baron is a veteran of 11 minor league seasons, though, and is widely regarded as a strong defensive backstop. He routinely posts strong framing marks in the minors and boasts a huge 39 percent caught-stealing rate in those 11 seasons. In 678 Triple-A plate appearances, Baron is a .237/.299/.313 hitter.

MLB Cancels 2020 All-Star Game; Dodgers To Host In 2022

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Major League Baseball announced this morning that the 2020 All-Star Game, which the Dodgers were slated to host, has been canceled. The Dodgers will now host the 2022 All-Star Game, as the Braves are already lined up to host next year’s Midsummer Classic.

“Once it became clear we were unable to hold this year’s All-Star festivities, we wanted to award the Dodgers with the next available All-Star Game, which is 2022,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in today’s press release announcing the news. “I want to thank the Dodgers organization and the City of Los Angeles for being collaborative partners in the early stages of All-Star preparation and for being patient and understanding in navigating the uncertainty created by the pandemic.  The 2022 All-Star celebration promises to be a memorable one with events throughout the city and at picturesque Dodger Stadium.”

The Dodgers haven’t hosted an All-Star Game since way back in 1980, so the cancellation is surely a tough pill to swallow for the club. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the unlikelihood of mass gatherings and capacity stadiums anywhere on the horizon, however, today’s news was surely not a surprise. The Dodgers will instead extend a four-decade wait by another two years.

“As excited as we were to host this year’s All-Star Game, we know that it will be worth the wait and that Dodger Stadium and Los Angeles will host a world-class event in 2022,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in today’s release. “We’d like to thank Commissioner Rob Manfred for re-awarding All-Star Week to Los Angeles so quickly, as well as Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Gil Cedillo for their continued support of this premier sporting event, which will have lasting benefits for our community.”

Delino DeShields Jr. Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Indians outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. has tested positive for COVID-19, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters this morning at the team’s summer camp (Twitter link via Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal). DeShields is experiencing some symptoms, though they’re thankfully said to be mild in nature at this point. For the time being, he remains at home and will need a pair of negative tests before he can travel and join the club in Cleveland.

DeShields, 27, was acquired alongside right-hander Emmanuel Clase in the trade that sent two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber from Cleveland to Texas over the winter. He’s part of a crowded Indians outfield mix that currently has plenty of options but lacks much definition outside regular playing time for impressive young center fielder Oscar Mercado. In 408 plate appearances with the Rangers last year, the fleet-footed DeShields hit .249/.325/.347 with four homers, 15 doubles, four triples and 24 stolen bases.

Alex Bregman Hires Scott Boras

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Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has hired Scott Boras as his new agent, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Reports that Bregman was seeking new representation emerged back in May, after he parted ways with longtime representative Brodie Scoffield, who had recently joined Klutch Sports’ fledgling baseball division. Klutch, a powerhouse NBA firm led by agent Rich Paul, represents the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, John Wall and Draymond Green but expanded into baseball in early April by acquiring Scoffiled’s Tidal Sports firm.

Unfortunately for all parties involved, it was only a few weeks later that James’ film company, Uninterrupted, announced plans to produce a docu-series on the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal. That indeed played a role in Bregman’s decision to jump ship, Rome writes, adding that Bregman had no ill will toward Scoffield.

The Boras Corporation won’t be negotiating a new contract for Bregman anytime soon, barring an uncharacteristic extension. (Notably, Boras did negotiate Jose Altuve’s $151MM extension with Houston.) Bregman is already under contract through the 2024 season after signing a five-year, $100MM contract in March 2019. That pact, which begins with the 2020 season, bought out Bregman’s three arbitration campaigns and two would-be free-agent seasons. Absent that long-term deal, Bregman would’ve been poised to reach the open market heading into his age-29 season, but he’ll instead become a free agent heading into his age-31 campaign.

The 2019 season was Bregman’s best to date. After a strong rookie showing in 2016 and an even better year in 2017, Bregman has only seen his stock rise. He erupted with a .286/.394/.532 slash and 31 home runs in 2018, and the former No. 2 overall pick took his game to even loftier heights with last year’s .296/.423/.592 slash (168 wRC+, 162 OPS+). Bregman was an All-Star in both 2018 and 2019, finishing fifth and second, respectively in MVP voting those years as well.

Bregman’s change in representation will be reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains representation information on more than 2,500 players. If you see any errors or omissions, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Blue Jays Heading To Toronto For Summer Camp

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The Blue Jays have received authorization to hold Summer Camp in Toronto. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca first reported the news on Twitter; his colleague Ben Nicholson-Smith has further details (Twitter link). They broke things down in a chat with Hazel Mae (video link).

This was the anticipated outcome, but it didn’t come easily. The relevant Canadian authorities waited until the last moment to give the nod of approval to a quarantine plan that the team will utilize.

For the July training period, the Jays will only bring players that have tested negative for COVID-19 infection. The whole team and key personnel is presently gathered at the organization’s spring facility in Dunedin, Florida.

Once the club is brought by charter up to Toronto, it’ll be limited to Rogers Centre grounds. They’ll stay in the adjacent hotel, with food and other necessities brought into the facility. In addition to regular testing of players and personnel, they’ll be isolated even from hotel staff to the extent possible.

 

As the Sportsnet crew discusses, this is in many respects a dry run for the forthcoming regular season. The Jays are hoping to utilize their usual home park to host games, but convincing the relevant authorities that it’s wise could represent a significant challenge. That would require comfort with the idea of the Blue Jays and their competitors criss-crossing the border.

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