As an eventful week draws to a close, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the weekend:
1. Lucchesi, Musgrove set to make 2023 debuts:
A pair of starters figure to take the ball this weekend for the first time this season. Mets left-hander Joey Lucchesi is lined up to start tonight in San Francisco in place of the recently-injured Carlos Carrasco. Lucchesi will be taking the mound in the majors for the first time since 2021, when he posted a 4.46 ERA (90 ERA+) with a 3.40 FIP in 38 1/3 innings across eleven appearances. Lucchesi underwent Tommy John surgery partway through the 2021 season and missed the entire 2022 season. He’s looked good in the minors since returning from surgery, posting a 2.22 ERA in 28 1/3 innings of work with a 23.9% strikeout rate.
Meanwhile, Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove is set to make his season debut tomorrow evening against the Diamondbacks. Musgrove fractured his toe during spring training, and his return was slightly delayed after he landed awkwardly on his shoulder while making a play in the field during a minor league rehab start. He received a cortisone shot and has since made a five-inning rehab start in High-A. With a 3.06 ERA (125 ERA+) in 362 1/3 innings of work since joining the Padres ahead of the 2021 season, Musgrove is perhaps the club’s best pitcher and will be a welcome addition to a pitching staff that’s struggled a bit to start the season.
2. O’Hoppe to be re-evaluated:
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe is set to be re-evaluated today after leaving yesterday’s game with a shoulder injury, as noted by The Athletic’s Sam Blum. At this point, it’s unclear if O’Hoppe will miss any time, but if that’s the case, the club will have to add another catcher to the 40-man roster to play alongside Matt Thaiss. The only other catcher currently on the 40-man is Max Stassi, who has yet to play this season due to a hip injury. The Angels have an open 40-man spot, and Blum points out that Chad Wallach is on the team’s taxi squad. Any missed time for O’Hoppe would be a blow to the Angels; he’s slashed .283/.339/.547 in 16 games this season, good for a 143 wRC+.
3. Where will Iglesias, MadBum land?
Infielder Jose Iglesias is back on the free agent market after opting out of his minor league deal with the Marlins, leaving him as the best available option for clubs in need of infield depth at this point in the season. One such club is the Dodgers, who started Luke Williams at shortstop last night and gave Mookie Betts three innings late in the game, thanks to injuries to both Miguel Rojas and utility player Chris Taylor. The Red Sox are another team that could potentially look to add depth to their infield, with second baseman Christian Arroyo battling a hamstring issue and Adalberto Mondesi on the 60-day IL.
Iglesias isn’t the only player who’s expected to be looking for work going forward, as the Diamondbacks designated veteran lefty Madison Bumgarner for assignment yesterday. Bumgarner has struggled to a 5.23 ERA in 363 1/3 innings in three-plus seasons with the club, which registers 20% below average by measure of ERA+. His 2023 season has been particularly alarming. He’s allowed 19 earned runs on 25 hits (four homers) and a staggering 15 walks (plus a hit batter) in just 16 2/3 innings. Bumgarner’s formerly elite command is nowhere to be seen, and he’s averaging a diminished 89.6 mph on his fastball. He won’t be claimed on waivers with $34MM+ remaining on his contract through the 2024 season. Once he clears, he’ll be available to sign with another club for the prorated league minimum.
I support the Owners and I support the Umpires. #PermanentLockout
There is nothing about umps/owners in this article. So why?
#PermanentTrashComments
bum gotta be going home to SF
MadBum release is just in time for Rodeo Season. Probably loading his truck this Morning.
I still love me sum Mad Bum. He’s given me hundreds of goosebumps in the last 7+ yrs and memories don’t die that quickly.
“Can you remove those chicken crates?”
“What are you talking about?”
Not unless SF has thrown in the towel on the season.
While not disliked in SF, he can’t really help us. He’d only weigh us down more
“Blum points out that Chad Wallach” What does he point out? I think you forgot to finish that thought.
Yeah, and for the second time the writer of the article wrote that no one would take on Bumgarner’s remaining $34m+ salary, only to contradict himself by saying the team that claims him would only have to pay the league minimum. Confusing.
“He won’t be claimed on waivers with $34MM+ remaining on his contract through the 2024 season. Once he clears, he’ll be available to sign with another club for the prorated league minimum.”
Seems pretty self-explanatory.
Get help (from grownups) with the big words.
Reading comprehension is your friend.
Something missing in that Chad Wallach sentence…maybe “is available”, or is in the minors and can be added?
He’s on the taxi squad and with the team.
If he’s been on the taxi squad, maybe he meant to say he has a checkered past.
):>0
ba-dump-bump
;^)
Iglesias to the Red Sox, no-brainer.
If there were unlimited roster spots sure. Unfortunately that isn’t the case.
If they dump Chang there will be space
Don’t dump Chang.
It runs all over.
After what he did down the stretch for the Sox in 2021, they should never have let him go.
Ramiel Tapia, You in love with his 80 OPS+? Im not. — Kiki moves to OF, Iglesias is added to the mix of Arroyo, Chang. Maybe, Tapia slides thru waivers to Worcester.
Greatly improved Defense. Kiki’s our best CF and worst SS.
But if Tapia were to go, I’d miss ‘The Hair’ : (
I was in the play “Hair”.
I had a part in the middle.
Elbo:
It makes no sense to dump Chang.
Red Sox Offense: 3rd most runs scored in baseball
espn.com/mlb/stats/team/_/table/batting/sort/runs/…
Red Sox Defense: 22nd worst overall with SS being the worst position on the team.
fieldingbible.com/TeamDefensiveRunsSaved
Kiki’s fielding at SS is killing the Sox. Put him in the OF where is defense can be a positive. Subtracting your best defensive SS, because you want a little more offense from your Utility Infielder doesnt make much sense.
Lol you keep calling him Kiki, it’s Kike. Kiki is a girl’s name, Kike is short for Enrique in Spanish.
Avoiding the slur, you post the way you want to post, Ill post the way I want to post.
Great baseball insight there. Really said a lot. Dont like the logic, so nitpick a word. Wow.
Slur? Okay, my comment was meant to be light hearted but you do you booboo…
Are we here to point out everyones spelling or talk baseball?
Settle down I never even attacked you. Save it for when you’re actually under attack. Jesus…
“settle down” what? Is this your sctick.
I think your a complete clown. But I mean that in a light hearted way. Booboo…
Well Iglesias has only managed a 90 OPS+ the past couple of years so it’s not like he’d be a huge improvement offensively over Tapia. But overall it’s not a horrible suggestion given Duran is up now and likely to take PT away from what Tapia would get anyway.
1) Iglesias is a better hitter than Tapia. Tapia has a career OPS+ of 82, in 1800 PAs.
2) Iglesias is a better defensive SS (even at his age) than Tapia is a defensive OFer.
3) Red Sox need a SS, not another redundant OFer. If Iglesias produces an OPS+ of 90, it would lead the middle infielders in that department.
Oh, the fun of signing guys long-term and finding out once again, that they don’t usually work out.
Pablo Lopez got 4 years. What could possibly go wrong?
The O’s should have beat the Cubs offer to Jameson Taillon of 4 years / $68m. Now they have to go with one of their starters that’s healthy.
Medium was so young to go bad early…..
O hoppe looked like he’s going to be out for while, hopefully stassi can come back soon.
I see Texas possibly for Iglesias as well
With Tim Anderson taking a break, the Sox moved Andrus to his natural position at SS. That leaves a hole at 2b. Iglesias would be a perfect fit. Oh, wait. This is the White Sox. If a player won’t play for free, they won’t sign him.
That makes too much sense for the White Sox. Get out of here with your common sense!
I can’t envision anyone picking up Bumgarner. He had the benefit of working with pitching coach Brent Strom and still struggled mightily dating back to last August. That said, I didn’t think anyone would sign Albert Pujols after the Angels released him so I may not be the best source.
Maybe the Cardinals, so Bum could work with Contreras.
Watch the lonely Giants pick him up. Maybe make a deal for bullpen work, and let him retire a Giant.
O’Hoppe looked like he did something to his shoulder on a swing where he pulled a foul ball during the Monday Angels/Red Sox game. It was surprising to see him stay in the game. He grabbed at his shoulder as soon as he followed through with the swing and then needed a couple minutes with the trainer. He did end up singling in that at bat IIRC.
I was listening to the game on KLAA. Even as a Yankees fan, I felt terrible. Langston said the kid had tears. Sounded painful. I think he dislocated his shoulder. The kid sounds like the real deal, though.
You missed a perfect opportunity to point out that Musgrove and Lucchesi were once traded for each other.
Bumgarner probably never pitches again. He’ll go back to his ranch, ride dirt bikes, compete in rodeos, activities he couldn’t do as a MLB pitcher.
This narrative that Bum is looking for work is wrong. He’s basically retired now, why go back to work? Still has $34M coming his way.
I wish him the best and am forever grateful for the 3 rings he helped bring to SF.
you might have a different opinion if he was still under contract for your current team.
Three rings in SF..
Three-ring circus in AZ.
O’Hoppe is a stud. His approach is absolutely sustainable. He’s hitting breaking balls just as well as the straight stuff
Interesting that the Diamondbacks can DFA MadBum with $34M left to pay and the Yankees can’t let go of Aaron HIcks with less than $30M. Come on, Cashman, Hicks was a mistake, just admit it and move on.
MadBum left SF for a reason. He doesn’t want to go back there. And I believe his reason has nothing to do with baseball and everything to do with politics. He’s a gun-toting, deer hunting, PBR drinking Good Ol Boy from SC. San Fran is a GIANT homeless camp with an atrocious tax problem. He may be a legend there but they were never a good fit.
Interesting…..
He missed almost 30% of his starts his last 3 years with SF and his peripherals were starting to slip. I don’t know how ARI missed that but SF new better….
SF is one of the most beautiful cities in the country, if not the most. The “tax problem” is obviously not much of problem since so many people have moved there in the past several decades that real estate prices are through the roof, discrediting your lame assessment. People are leaving at the moment for that very reason, but the excess housing inventory will be snapped up if prices drop a bit. Meanwhile, Houston, for example, is finally seeing its real estate prices creep up. That and the horrible, worsening climate will drive a lot of the new (and old) residents right the heck out over the next couple of decades. They’ll be moving north to the Great Lakes region and New England, a trend which is has already begun. Don’t worry about SF, though. Its climate will do fine, and it is west of CA’s growing fire problem, which is the other reason people are leaving (in additon to real estate prices).
Utah, I’m sorry bud, and I’m a Giants fan but people are fleeing San Francisco faster than people are moving in. 500,000 people have left that state the past two years alone. It’s a homeless camp. I couldn’t take my young kids to the beach without seeing a needle sticking up out of the sand two years ago.
MadBum will be in STL as he learn from Wainwright on how to resurrect a career when you throw 90mph heaters.
Arroyo pinch-hit and finished the game at 3B yesterday so it seemes like he’s over whatever was wrong with the hamstring.
Chang has been brutal at the plate but he’s hit better his last 4 games and is probably the best defensive player on the team (which explains a lot about being ranked 22nd in defense).
Refsnyder’s not going anywhere, at least not until Duvall comes back.
Jarren Duran looks like a completely different hitter this season so it would make sense that Tapia should be the odd man out as he hasn’t hit, rarely starts, and is redundant having 2 LH hitting Outfielders on the bench
Can’t see Bumgarner netting an MLB contract anywhere at this point. If he had been a free agent, I don’t think he would have ranked higher than Chris Archer or Dylan Bundy and neither of those guys was able to secure an MLB contract this offseason. Archer is still a free agent and Bundy is in AAA for the Mets.
If Bumgarner still wants to play, he’ll need to take a MiLB contract or something unaffiliated with MLB like Japan.
For a team like the Mets or Dodgers (not likely on this one) that need someone to take the ball a couple of times there is no harm on taking a flier as Bumgarner can step right onto the roster and not need any minor league time. I don’t know if Bumgarner will want to continue or not but being that there was a story about Dallas Keuchel garnering interest not that long ago someone will be interested
@Rsox – No team is offering Bumgarner more than a MiLB contract with an opt out date if not added to the 26 man. There’s no good reason to add a pitcher who’s been shelled on a regular basis and been ineffective for years prior on an MLB contract to see if he’s any good when there’s a good chance he’s going to cost you a few games while you figure that out.
Keuchel may be generating interest as MiLB depth the same way Tommy Milone is with the Mariners. Keuchel’s been on 2 MiLB contracts in a row, no team is giving him an MLB contract either.
Does Bum even want to pitch anymore? I’d guess he’s ready to move on with the rest of his life – with good reason.
He has 34 million reasons to not retire quite yet.
“He won’t be claimed on waivers with $34MM+ remaining on his contract through the 2024 season.”
That means he’s going to collect every single one of those “34 million reasons” whether he decides to keep pitching – or not.
I wonder if the owners should propose a 3 week DFA option in the next CBA. Player has 3 weeks to spend in aaa – be recalled or released.
Diamondbacks want a GTFO option for MadBum. Not three weeks. Three hours.
Iglesias wouldn’t be a bad option for Pittsburgh with Cruz out for most of the summer. I’d rather see him on the roster than Mark Mathias.
Juan Soto continues his “tank” in San Diego struggling to hit 170?!
Last year, Soto “tanked” after the trade to San Diego…was terrible in the 2nd
half hit 230 with 6 home runs at what 16 RBI?
Was bad in the playoffs also.
Cost the Padres a World Series title.
Soto is looking like a 5M per year player instead of 30-40M per year
that his agent is looking for in free agency.
Memo to the Padres: don’t waste 300 or 400M per year on Soto!
Soto is the most over rated player in MLB!