Braves Recall Bryce Elder, Place Max Fried On IL
The Braves announced today that right-hander Bryce Elder has been recalled while left-hander Max Fried has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. Fried’s move is backdated to April 1.
Coming into the spring, Atlanta’s planned rotation has four spots taken by Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Kyle Wright. The final spot was left open for a spring battle, with the frontrunners considered to be Michael Soroka, Ian Anderson and Elder. Soroka got hurt in the spring while the other two hurlers struggled. Elder tossed 11 2/3 innings over three starts with a 6.17 ERA, striking out nine opponents while allowing five walks and 11 hits, including three home runs. Both he and Anderson were optioned in the middle of March, with rookies Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd out-pitching them and jumping them on the depth chart.
Wright also dealt with an injury in camp and eventually landed on the injured list to start the year, allowing both Shuster and Dodd to get big league opportunities alongside Fried, Strider and Morton. Fried then had to depart his Opening Day start with this hamstring issue, with manager Brian Snitker recently confirming that Fried would indeed be placed on the injured list, which is now official. It doesn’t sound like the club is expecting a significant absence, but he’ll miss at least a couple of weeks to rest up.
Shuster’s first start didn’t go especially well, as he allowed four runs in the first inning against the Nationals on Sunday. He eventually settled down and got through 4 2/3 innings but was optioned yesterday when Dodd was added to the roster.
It had been reported recently that Elder and Anderson were in contention to rejoin the rotation in Fried’s absence and Elder will get at least the first nod. Though he had a rough spring, he had an encouraging debut last year, posting a 3.17 ERA over 54 innings. His strikeout and walk rates were each a bit below average but he got ground balls at a healthy 49.3% clip.
With Wright and Fried on the IL and Shuster optioned, the club’s rotation currently consists of Strider, Morton, Dodd and Elder. The club’s next off-day isn’t until April 13, over a week away, so they will likely need to make another rotation move in the coming days or else have a bullpen day. Anderson started in Triple-A on Sunday but didn’t make it out of the first inning, allowing six runs, four earned. He tossed 37 pitches while walking two and allowing four hits, including three home runs. Soroka recently spoke about how the plan for him is to start for Gwinnett tonight but said he’ll likely be limited to three or four innings while continuing to build up from his interrupted spring. Shuster was just optioned yesterday and can’t be recalled for 15 days from that point unless another player is placed on the injured list. Wright’s 15-day IL placement was retroactive to March 27, meaning he can’t return until April 11 at the earliest.
Support MLBTR And Enjoy The Benefits Of An Ad-Free Subscription
MLB Trade Rumors has been an independent website for over 17 years, and I intend to keep it that way. That means no one can force us to put a bunch of gambling stuff on the site or run clickbait articles, among other things.
As you know, MLBTR’s primary revenue source is the banner ads you see. The pay rates of those ads fluctuate in a way that is beyond my control. I created our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription service three years ago to start reducing our reliance on banner ads a little bit, and provide something extra for interested die-hard readers.
So if you have the means, please consider supporting us with a $29.89 annual subscription, or try it out for $2.99 per month. In either case, there’s a 100% money-back guarantee.
It’s important to me that Trade Rumors Front Office stands on its own as something that provides more than $30 per year of value to our members. Based on feedback from our existing members, I believe we have accomplished that, and I continue to strive to add more benefits to the subscription. This is what you get currently:
- Exclusive weekly MLB analysis from Steve Adams and Anthony Franco, sent straight to your inbox. Our writers have impressive analytical chops, being immersed in MLB hot stove news as a full-time job in a way very few people are. Anthony is sending out an article later today with his take on Bryan Reynolds’ reported request for an opt-out in his negotiations with the Pirates.
- Exclusive weekly fantasy baseball articles from expert Brad Johnson. Brad is one of the best in the business and his fantasy advice is always illuminating. Brad also holds a fantasy baseball live chat for Front Office subscribers every other week. Please note that if you don’t play fantasy baseball, you can opt out of those emails.
- Exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony. We run plenty of live chats here on the free site, where the chances of having a question answered range from 5-15%. Since Front Office chats have fewer participants, the answer rate is in the range of 85-90%.
- Early access to our live chats with current and former MLB players and executives. If we’ve got a slate of these chats on the books, I’ll often email our subscribers with a heads-up on the timing and a link to submit questions early.
- First look at new MLBTR features and initiatives.
Check out Trade Rumors Front Office today!
MLBTR Free Agent Prediction Contest Winners Announced
Back in November, nearly 6,000 MLBTR readers attempted to predict the landing spots of 44 top free agents. Upon Jurickson Profar’s contract with the Rockies in late March, the winners were determined.
Coming in first place with 13 of 44 correct picks, a .295 batting average, was Steve Sacks. Congratulations, Steve! He’ll be receiving a check for $500 for his prognostication abilities. Steve correctly predicted the signing teams for Aaron Judge, Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson, Jacob deGrom, Brandon Nimmo, Willson Contreras, Kodai Senga, Chris Bassitt, Jose Abreu, Taylor Rogers, Andrew Chafin, David Robertson, and Adam Ottavino.
Second and third place went to Jeffery Fruge and Andrew Farroll, who also received cash prizes.
Additionally, 28 people got at least ten predictions correct and will receive a free one-year subscription to Trade Rumors Front Office. I topped the field of MLBTR writers, mustering a mediocre eight correct predictions.
The full leaderboard can be found here. All winners have been notified, so if you got at least ten correct, check your email.
Check back here in about seven months, and we’ll do it all over again for Shohei Ohtani and all the rest!
The Opener: Dodd, Cueto, MLBTR Chat
As the baseball season continues to move swiftly along, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout the day today:
1. Dodd to make MLB debut:
Braves left-hander Dylan Dodd figures to be the latest pitcher to make his MLB debut today. Dodd, a third round pick in the 2021 draft, had a 3.36 ERA with a 26.0% strikeout rate and a walk rate of just 5.3% last year across three levels of the minor leagues, though he spent most of the year at High-A and made just one appearance at the Triple-A level. Now, Dodd figures to make his first start of the season for the big league Braves two months before his 25th birthday. Dodd will look to outdo the performance of fellow left-handed prospect Jared Shuster, who struggled in his MLB debut for the Braves on Monday en route to allowing four runs in 4.2 innings while walking five and striking out just one.
2. Cueto to undergo MRI:
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker told reporters yesterday, including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, that right-hander Johnny Cueto figures to undergo an MRI following his early exit from yesterday’s game due to as right bicep tightness. Cueto allowed three hits (including two home runs) and a walk in just one inning of work yesterday, ultimately surrendering four runs before he left the game in the second inning. The club has some rotation options in the minors that are on the 40-man roster should Cueto end up missing time, though Sixto Sanchez is on the injured list and Braxton Garrett recently optioned to the minors after a three-inning relief outing on the weekend.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
If the beginning of the regular season has spurred any questions in your mind about your favorite team or the league as a whole, you’re in luck, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco is holding a live chat with readers later today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete. You can tune in at 11am CT this morning for Anthony’s chat.
Mariners Sign Pat Valaika To Minor League Deal
The Mariners signed infielder Pat Valaika to a minor league deal last week. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma, where he made his season debut over the weekend.
A right-handed hitter, Valaika has appeared in parts of six big league campaigns. He got to the highest level each season between 2016-21, suiting up for the Rockies and Orioles. Valaika set a career mark with 281 plate appearances for Baltimore in 2021 but struggled to a .201/.250/.290 slash that season. For his career, he carries a .221/.264/.378 line with 30 home runs and a lofty 27.2% strikeout rate over 864 plate appearances.
Last season, the UCLA product spent the year in the Braves’ system. He got into 114 games for their top affiliate in Gwinnett, putting up a .242/.303/.368 mark with a reasonable 20.6% strikeout percentage in 466 trips to the dish. He never got an MLB call from Atlanta and returned to minor league free agency over the offseason.
Valika has extensive experience throughout the infield. He’s capable of playing anywhere on the dirt, though public metrics have been lukewarm on his shortstop performance. He’ll bring a fair bit of experience and defensive flexibility to the upper minors in Seattle and adds another righty-swinging utility bat to the mix.
Dylan Moore is on the injured list, pushing the switch-hitting Sam Haggerty into a complementary role to the lefty-swinging Kolten Wong at second base. The M’s acquired Nick Solak in a trade with the Reds last week and have him on optional assignment to Tacoma. Valaika and Mason McCoy are among the non-roster depth players in the organization.
Tommy John Surgery Among Options Under Consideration For Pirates’ JT Brubaker
The Pirates placed starter JT Brubaker on the 60-day injured list over the weekend, officially keeping him out of action through late May. The right-hander has been dealing with discomfort in his throwing elbow, a nebulous but alarming issue for any pitcher.
While the Pirates haven’t yet provided a formal diagnosis or treatment plan, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Tommy John surgery is among the considerations. That’s not to say surgery is inevitable or necessarily likely, but it affirms Brubaker is dealing with a potentially serious issue.
Brubaker had entered spring camp assured of a spot in the Pittsburgh rotation. He took the ball 28 times last year, ranking second on the team with 144 innings. He allowed 4.69 earned runs per nine. That uninspiring mark was paired with more interesting peripherals, as he posted roughly average strikeout, walk and grounder rates. Brubaker punched out 22.8% of opponents, walked batters at an 8.4% clip and kept the ball on the ground 44% of the time.
An elevated .334 batting average on balls in play contributed to Brubaker’s mediocre results. Had his ERA more closely approached his passable underlying marks, he could have generated some attention at this summer’s trade deadline. Instead, Brubaker is going to miss at least a good chunk of the first half and could wind up needing season-ending surgery. He has exactly three years of major league service and qualified for arbitration last offseason, agreeing to a $2.275MM salary. He remains controllable through 2025.
With Brubaker on the shelf, righty Johan Oviedo has stepped into the starting five. Acquired from the Cardinals in last summer’s José Quintana/Chris Stratton trade, the 25-year-old Oviedo started seven games for Pittsburgh down the stretch. In 30 2/3 frames, he put up a 3.23 ERA despite walking nearly 12% of opponents. His ’23 season debut didn’t go well, as he was tagged for five runs (including three homers) over 4 2/3 innings during tonight’s outing in Boston. Mitch Keller, Rich Hill, Vince Velasquez and Roansy Contreras round out the present starting staff.
Reds Re-Sign Hunter Strickland To Minor League Contract
The Reds recently re-signed reliever Hunter Strickland to a minor league contract. The 6’3″ righty made his first appearance of the season for their top affiliate in Louisville over the weekend, throwing a scoreless inning.
Strickland has been on and off the Cincinnati roster a few times of late. He spent the 2022 campaign with the Reds, coming out of the bullpen 66 times. Over 62 1/3 innings, he worked to a 4.91 ERA with worse than average strikeout, walk and ground-ball marks. He fanned 21.1% of opponents, walked batters at a lofty 11.6% clip and induced grounders on 38.8% of batted balls.
At season’s end, Strickland hit free agency. He re-signed with Cincinnati on a minor league deal in February. Strickland threw nine innings in as many appearances this spring. He was hit hard, surrendering ten runs (including a trio of homers). Unsurprisingly, that wasn’t enough to earn him an Opening Day roster spot. Strickland had an automatic opt-out chance on March 25, as per the collective bargaining agreement. The Reds released him, either because he triggered the opt-out or in anticipation of him doing so.
It didn’t take long for him to circle back to Cincinnati on a new minor league pact. That’s not an uncommon course of action for veterans in that situation. It’s possible the new minor league deal contained altered opt-out dates or tweaked his salary while guaranteeing the Reds some experienced bullpen depth headed into the season.
Strickland has pitched in parts of nine MLB campaigns. He owns a 3.41 ERA in 374 2/3 innings, striking out 22.2% of batters faced in his career. The Reds are one of eight teams for which he has suited up at the highest level.
Submit Your Questions For The MLBTR Podcast
We’re re-launching the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, with the first episode due out on Wednesday morning. The weekly show will be hosted by myself, Simon Hampton, and feature analysis and insight from our writers at MLBTR, as well as guests from around the baseball industry. On the first episode I’ll be joined by MLBTR’s Anthony Franco.
We want to have our readers involved as much as possible, and so each week we’ll look to answer three reader-submitted questions. It’s a good chance to talk about the issues and topics in baseball that you want to hear about. We’ll aim to keep the podcast pretty hot stove centric, but feel free to ask away and Anthony and I will pick three questions to answer on this week’s podcast.
You can submit your questions by sending an email to mlbtrpod@gmail.com, we look forward to hearing from you!
MLB, MLBPA Agree To Four-Game Suspension For Anthony Rendon
6:51pm: MLB and the Players Association have negotiated the suspension down to four games, González reports (Twitter link). Rendon has dropped his appeal and will be out for the set in Seattle, as well as Friday’s series opener with the Blue Jays.
6:11pm: The Halos have informed reporters that Rendon is appealing the ban, tweets Sam Blum of the Athletic. He’ll continue playing while that process plays out. Rendon is starting at third base and hitting cleanup tonight against George Kirby.
5:05pm: Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has been handed a five-game suspension, Major League Baseball announced Monday afternoon. He has also been fined an undisclosed amount.
The discipline arises out of an Opening Day incident in Oakland. Rendon got into an argument with an A’s fan, whom he said had called him a “b****.” Rendon was holding the fan’s shirt through the guardrail during that spat, in which he called the fan “a motherf*****.” Rendon then swiped towards the fan’s head with his left hand, although it didn’t appear he made contact on that swing. The All-Star infielder then walked down the dugout.
Video of the incident circulated on Twitter the following day. MLB and the Oakland Police Department both opened investigations. The OPD hasn’t provided any further update beyond initially noting they’ve created a case file and were “actively investigating” the matter. Rendon and the Angels both declined comment over the weekend.
Rendon has the right to appeal the suspension. It isn’t yet clear whether he’ll do so. If he declines to appeal, he’d begin serving the ban during tonight’s game against the Mariners.
Alden González of ESPN reported the suspension shortly before the league announcement.
Cardinals Place Lars Nootbaar On Injured List
The Cardinals have placed outfielder Lars Nootbaar on the 10-day injured list. The placement, which is retroactive to March 31, is due to a left thumb contusion. Outfielder/designated hitter Juan Yepez has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take the vacant active roster spot.
Nootbaar suffered the injury diving into a base on Opening Day. He’d been testing the issue for the past few days but ultimately will require at least another week to recover. Nootbaar tested the thumb today while shagging fly balls during batting practice. He’s apparently still dealing with too much discomfort to play.
The Cards had given Nootbaar the Opening Day start in left field. He’d secured a regular lineup spot after breaking out with a .228/.340/.448 showing over 347 plate appearances last season. Paired with the promotion of top prospect Jordan Walker, the Cards relegated last year’s center fielder Dylan Carlson to the bench. One of Carlson or rookie Alec Burleson can step into the outfield alongside Walker and Tyler O’Neill while Nootbaar rehabs.
In other injury news out of Busch Stadium, the club informed reporters that starter Adam Wainwright threw his first bullpen session this afternoon (link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). The staff ace opened his final season on the injured list after straining his groin in late March. His timetable for a return to MLB action remains unclear, but getting back onto a mound marks a small step forward in the process.