Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Archives for August 2023
Athletics Claim Spenser Watkins
The A’s have claimed right-hander Spenser Watkins off waivers from the Astros, as first reported by Jessica Kleinschmidt (Twitter link). He’ll been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas for the time being. Houston designated Watkins for assignment over the weekend when Jose Urquidy was reinstated from the 60-day injured list.
Watkins, 30, has a bit of major league experience but has been stuck in the minors all year. He tossed 160 innings for the Orioles over 2021 and 2022, allowing 5.85 earned runs per nine innings in that time. He only struck out 13.7% of batters faced but his 6.9% walk rate was quite strong.
This year, the O’s optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk at the end of Spring Training. He spent about a month on the minor league injured list and had only tossed 26 innings for the Tides with a 7.27 ERA by mid-June. He was designated for assignment and flipped to the Astros for cash. He tossed 20 1/3 innings for Triple-A Sugar Land with a 9.74 ERA, before getting his second DFA of the year this past weekend.
The results this year haven’t been great, but it’s likely not quite as bad as his combined 8.35 ERA would indicate. His .386 batting average on balls in play and 55.4% strand rate are both on the unlucky side of average, leading to a 5.27 FIP that’s much more palatable. The most recent chunk of his season was also spent in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, which likely didn’t do him any favors.
The A’s are the worst team in baseball, with a 32-81 record and .283 winning percentage. Their pitching staff has a collective 5.82 ERA that’s easily the worst in the majors. Watkins can provide them with a depth arm that has a bit of major league experience under his belt. He’s in his final option year and will be out of options next season, though he’s yet to reach arbitration and can potentially be controlled for five seasons beyond this one.
Diamondbacks, Tyler Chatwood Agree To Minor League Deal
The D-backs and veteran righty Tyler Chatwood are in agreement on a minor league contract, per team’s transaction log at MLB.com. Chatwood, an Excel Sports client, signed his deal yesterday and got right to work, tossing an inning for the organization’s Rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona Complex League.
Presumably, that’ll be a short stay at that level for Chatwood as he builds up arm strength. The right-hander was with the Pirates organization earlier this year but was released in mid-June and hasn’t pitched since. Once he has a few innings under his belt, he’ll likely move up to Triple-A Reno.
Chatwood, 33, pitched ten minor league innings with Pittsburgh earlier this season but walked more batters (eight) than he struck out in that short time. A veteran with a decade-long big league career under his belt, he’s pitched to a 4.45 ERA in 878 2/3 innings at the MLB level, punching out 17.2% of his opponents against a 12% walk rate and 53.9% ground-ball rate. He hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2021, however, and he’s posted an ERA north of 5.00 in three of his past four big league seasons. From 2018-21, Chatwood worked to a combined 4.83 ERA and walked a massive 15.6% of his opponents.
While the recent track record is shaky, Chatwood averaged 96 mph on his heater from 2019-21, has a long history of inducing grounders at a high rate and upped his strikeout rate considerably in his last two big league seasons (27.3%). The D-backs shuffled their bullpen mix at the deadline, acquiring Paul Sewald but also sending veteran Andrew Chafin to the Brewers in a trade for younger righty Peter Strzelecki. Chatwood will add another fresh face to the depth chart, though there’s obviously no guarantee of him ever pitching with the big league club. He’ll need to pitch his way up to the Majors, but there’s little harm in the Diamondbacks taking a chance on a hard-throwing veteran in this manner.
Marlins Outright Devin Smeltzer
Marlins left-hander Devin Smeltzer cleared waivers following last week’s DFA and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald tweets.
This was the third time in 2023 that the Marlins have designated Smeltzer for assignment, and it’s now the third time he’s passed through waivers and been outrighted. His prior outright assignments give him the right to reject an assignment in favor of free agency, but Smeltzer accepted an outright assignment following each of his two prior DFAs in Miami.
The 27-year-old Smeltzer’s most recent stint with the Fish was his most successful of the season. He appeared in two games and fired three shutout innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Overall, he’s pitched to a 5.79 ERA with an 18.1% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk rate through 18 1/3 innings since signing with Miami on a minor league contract over the winter. He’s spent the bulk of the season in Jacksonville, where he’s worked out of the rotation but turned in a shaky 5.95 ERA with an 18.4% strikeout rate and an uncharacteristically high 12.6% walk rate.
Smeltzer spent the four prior season in Minnesota, pitching to a 3.99 ERA in 140 innings between the Twins’ rotation and bullpen, fanning a well below-average 16.6% of his opponents against a strong 6.4% walk rate.
The Opener: Ryu, Story, MLBTR Chat
As MLB’s 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Ryu undergoing x-rays:
In a brutal turn of events yesterday, veteran left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu left his start against the Guardians yesterday after being struck in the right knee by a comebacker. Ryu, who finished top-3 in Cy Young award voting in back-to-back seasons 2019-20, missed the last 13 months of action after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. Yesterday was just the second start of his return to big league action. Looking ahead, MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson notes that the 36-year-old hurler will undergo x-rays to determine the severity of his injury. Should Ryu require a return to the injured list, Toronto won’t need to replace him in the rotation, as they’re currently utilizing a six-man unit and could simply downsize to a group of five containing right-handers Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Alek Manoah, and Jose Berrios along with lefty Yusei Kikuchi.
2. Story to return:
Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story is expected to be activated from the injured list prior to this evening’s game against the Royals. Story has yet to play in the majors this season, the second of his six-year, $140MM pact with Boston, after undergoing an offseason internal brace procedure in his throwing elbow. Story is on the 60-day injured list, but the club already has a spot on the 40-man roster, meaning only an active roster move will be necessary to activate the two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner.
Story won’t return to everyday play right away, as noted Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, as player and club agreed that Story would play just every other day in his first week back in the majors as he continues to build back to full strength. That Story is returning today is a reversal from the plan outlined as recently as this weekend, which would have left the 30-year-old in the minors through the end of a maximum 20-day rehab assignment. Story’s return presumably ends Yu Chang’s run as the club’s starting shortstop.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
MLB’s trade deadline has come and gone, and the league’s 30 clubs are all pushing full steam ahead into the stretch run. Although we’re fairly deep into the season at this point, nearly two thirds of the league still has 10% or better odds at a playoff spot, per Fangraphs. If you’re curious how your team will hold up over the season’s final months, what their plan for the future is, or have a question about one of the many deals that went down at the deadline last week, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is hosting a live chat with readers at 1pm CT 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.
White Sox Acquire Tyler Naquin
The White Sox acquired veteran outfielder Tyler Naquin from the Brewers in exchange for cash, the teams announced. Naquin will head to the White Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte and is expected to be in the Knights’ lineup tomorrow, tweets Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
[Related: How to acquire players after the trade deadline]
Naquin, 32, was eligible to be traded by virtue of the fact that he hasn’t been on a 40-man roster or major league injured list at any point this season. He signed a minor league pact with Milwaukee back in March and has spent the entire season to date with their Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. The seven-year big league veteran has slashed .284/.333/.432 with six homers in 160 plate appearances this season. He’s been on and off the active roster a few times due to injury — most recently some minor shoulder troubles.
A first-round pick back in 2012, Naquin made his big league debut in 2016 with Cleveland. He’s logged Major League time each season since, also making stops in Cincinnati and Queens, hitting at a .264/.318/.444 clip in 1811 MLB plate appearances. Naquin has experience in center field but is better suited to play a corner. He’s a left-handed hitter who’s been held to a meager .210/.272/.339 slash against lefties but has tagged righties for a much heartier .274/.326/.468 slash in his career.
While Naquin won’t immediately jump onto Chicago’s big league roster, the uncertain state of the South Siders’ outfield could get him a look at some point. Top prospect Oscar Colas struggled considerably in right field early in the season before being optioned to Triple-A, and he hasn’t improved in a month since his recall. Dating back to July 4, Colas has hit .229/.253/.289 with a 29.9% strikeout rate and 3.4% walk rate in 87 plate appearances. The White Sox do have some outfield alternatives in Triple-A who are already on the 40-man roster — Clint Frazier, Adam Haseley — but both have been in the minors for more than a month now.
If the Sox ultimately feel there’s no spot on the big league roster for Naquin, they could still trade him a second time this month. They’d likely only pick up cash in return, as is common in post-deadline swaps of this nature.
White Sox Sign Chris Muller To Minor League Contract
The White Sox signed righty Chris Muller to a minor league deal over the weekend, according to an announcement from their Triple-A team. He’s been assigned to their top affiliate in Charlotte.
Muller, 27, has yet to make his big league debut. He received his first major league call from the Rays in May but was optioned back out without making an appearance. After he suffered an injury in Triple-A, Tampa Bay released him. The Rays brought him back on a minor league pact but released him again last week.
A former 17th round pick, Muller is strictly a bullpen option. He’s worked 20 innings across 16 appearances with the Rays’ top minor league club this season, posting a 4.95 ERA. His 24.4% strikeout rate was solid, but he walked a lofty 12.2% of batters faced. It was a similar story the year before, when Muller fanned 28.1% of opponents against a 12.7% walk percentage en route to a 4.91 ERA in 58 2/3 Triple-A frames.
Chicago traded away a number of relievers at the deadline, leading to MLB calls for the likes of Declan Cronin, Bryan Shaw, Edgar Navarro and Lane Ramsey. That thinned the Triple-A depth, making it a fairly sensible landing spot for Muller to look for his initial MLB appearance.
Big Hype Prospects: Gilbert, Eder, Clifford, Watson, Made
Last week, we broke down the early trade deadline deals. Let’s finish things up. For the smart alecks in the audience, we are relaxing our definition of “big hype” to accommodate timely analysis.
Five Big Hype Prospects
Drew Gilbert, 22, OF, NYM (AA)
(A+/AA) 321 PA, 12 HR, 10 SB, .277/.367/.461
Acquired in the Justin Verlander trade, Gilbert looks the part of a future core-performing outfielder. The Astros took him with the 28th pick of the 2022 draft, and he’s already within spitting distance of the Majors. The overall profile doesn’t read as particularly impactful, instead filling a high-floor, modest-ceiling bucket. While that isn’t an exciting review of Gilbert’s skills, he’s still viewed as a Top 100 prospect with some support for a Top 50 ranking. High-probability 2-WAR athletes are widely coveted around the league. Defensive reviews vary. Some evaluators prefer him in a corner, but he seemingly has the skills to stick in center if a better defender isn’t already on hand.
Jake Eder, 24, SP, CWS (AA)
(A/AA) 41.1 IP, 10.9 K/9, 5.4 BB/9, 4.35 ERA
The return for Jake Burger, Eder was on the fast track in 2021 before requiring UCL replacement. He was well on his way to a Top 25 prospect ranking. Alas, his stuff has backed up since returning, and his command shed a grade as well. At his best, the southpaw had a carrying fastball, a lethal slider, and a show-me changeup. Reports indicate he’s lost his arm slot which affected his stuff. He’s also lost velocity, further diminishing his stuff. More distance from surgery could be the cure.
If he’s in search of development, my contacts recommend he follow Lucas Giolito’s lead and seek help from a third party. His new org is not well-regarded by outside evaluators. There’s now considerable relief risk – and not necessarily sexy high-leverage kind. Still, he was among the best pitchers on the planet only a few years ago. He could yet recover.
Ryan Clifford, 19, 1B/OF, NYM (A+)
(A/A+) 320 PA, 19 HR, 4 SB, .284/.394/.513
The other piece of the Verlander trade, Clifford might turn out to be the best hitter dealt at the deadline – assuming he connects enough to catch on at higher levels. He’s a slow runner, and he struggles against fastballs at the top of the zone. Considering even most sinkerballers have a high fastball in their repertoire these days, it’s not a great time to bring that Pat Burrell swing back to the Majors. That said, he punishes anything low in the zone, including breaking balls. Power is Clifford’s carrying trait. If he ever maintains a permanent Major League role, it will be on the back of 30-homer power.
The Astros had him working on his passivity at High-A, and it seemed to be going well. We’ll see how the Mets approach his development.
Kahlil Watson, 20, SS, CLE (A+)
255 PA, 7 HR, 14 SB, .203/.333/.364
One of the top prep shortstop prospects in the 2021 draft, Watson’s development has stagnated in the Marlins system. Inconsistent strike zone judgment and a 12.5 percent swinging strike rate are to blame. The Guardians are known for their love of disciplined, contact-oriented athletes. Ostensibly, they know how to train these traits. There are fully substantiated reports regarding his makeup – you can google them if you want – which the Guardians will need to address. It’s fair to remember not every 20-year-old athlete is an old soul with a zen attitude. Some guys are fiery and later learn to channel it. In any event, Watson’s athleticism remains on display. He should be considered extremely raw.
Kevin Made, 20, SS, WSH (A+)
300 PA, 3 HR, 3 SB, .240/.328/.355
In recent years, we’ve gotten used to watching meteoric rises within every farm system. The business of prospecting is booming. Still, some guys take a longer path to the bigs. Made looks like one of these. He’s an able defensive shortstop who should remain at the position. Tool grades on his bat generally come in around the 45- to 55-grade range. He has plus discipline without the usual case of passivitis. There’s a high probability utility man floor here with potential for a starting role – likely of the second-division variety. For now, he needs to mature into more physicality without losing a step.
Three More
Nick Nastrini, CWS (23): Sent to the White Sox in the Lynn/Kelly trade, Nastrini features two above average breaking balls and a quality heater. He’s a fly ball pitcher with below average command. I view him as a future reliever, but plenty of better evaluators give him a shot at sticking in the rotation.
Hao-Yu Lee, DET (20): Lee has hit at every stop. His defensive limitations – he’s a second-baseman only – and modest pop lead to an awkward fit in the current meta. At the top end of the spectrum, comparable defenders like Luis Arraez and Edouard Julien hit enough to force their way into the lineup. By the time Lee is ready, Detroit will have some practice with this defensive profile courtesy of Colt Keith.
Sem Robberse, STL (21): Robberse doesn’t turn heads, but he has all the traits teams look for in under-the-radar innings eaters. He features a plus changeup and a deep repertoire of otherwise slightly below average offerings. His command has potential to be plus and will help decide how far he travels along a Zach Eflin-like path.
Did I miss a detail or nuance? DM me on Twitter @BaseballATeam to suggest corrections.
Keynan Middleton Criticizes White Sox’s Clubhouse Culture
The White Sox have been among the most disappointing teams in MLB this season. While Chicago entered the year with a top-heavy roster, they expected to compete with Minnesota and Cleveland in a lackluster AL Central. The division has been as bad as expected, but Chicago started slowly and never looked like a viable playoff team.
As a result, the Sox moved a number of veterans before last week’s deadline. One of the players shipped off — middle reliever Keynan Middleton — criticized Chicago’s clubhouse culture after being traded. The now-Yankees righty told Jesse Rogers of ESPN last night that players “came in with no rules.”
“I don’t know how you police the culture if there are no rules or guidelines to follow because everyone is doing their own thing. Like, how do you say anything about it because there are no rules,” Middleton continued. “You have rookies sleeping in the bullpen during the game. You have guys missing meetings. You have guys missing (pitcher fielding practices), and there are no consequences for any of this stuff.”
Middleton first joined the organization on a minor league deal in January. He’d bounced between the Angels, Mariners and Diamondbacks over parts of six MLB seasons before signing with Chicago. While Middleton participated in big league Spring Training, he wasn’t on the MLB roster until the Sox selected his contract in mid-April.
From a performance perspective, the 29-year-old had one of the better stretches of his career in Chicago. He worked to a 3.96 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate over 36 1/3 frames, allowing the Sox to flip him to New York for minor league righty Juan Carela even though he’s an impending free agent. However, Middleton was clearly displeased with the culture, which he said predated his arrival.
“When I got to spring training, I heard a lot of the same stuff was happening last year,” Middleton told Rogers. “It’s happening again this year, so not sure how I could change it. They don’t tell you not to miss PFPs. They don’t tell you not to miss meetings, and if it happens, it’s just, ’OK.”
He directed his criticism primarily at the team’s position players, saying that while the pitching staff “went about our work the right way … the rest of the team struggled to do the right thing.” Of course, the mention of skipped pitcher-fielding practices would only be a problem for the pitching staff.
One of Middleton’s former teammates backed up his assertions. Veteran starter Lance Lynn — who spent two and a half seasons with the Sox before being traded to the Dodgers last month — briefly addressed Middleton’s comments this afternoon (relayed by Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). “I was (with the White Sox) a lot longer than Key was. He’s not wrong,” Lynn stated.
Chicago has a first-year manager in Pedro Grifol. Hired last offseason after Tony La Russa resigned because of health concerns, Grifol had no previous MLB managerial experience. Middleton’s and Lynn’s comments imply that what they perceived to be a lack of accountability began during the La Russa era and has continued under Grifol’s leadership.
General manager Rick Hahn defended Grifol this afternoon. “It does take a manager a certain amount of time to implement the culture that they want,” Hahn said (link via Bruce Levine of 670 The Score). “I know early on Pedro wanted to observe and follow what the culture was in the clubhouse before he started putting thumbprints all over it.”
However, Hahn pushed back at the extent of Middleton’s criticism, taking a swipe at the reliever in the process. “Quite frankly, it’s a little bit ironic that Keynan’s the one saying this because my last conversation with him face to face was a week ago in this clubhouse where he sought me out to apologize for his unprofessional behavior – unprofessional behavior that Pedro had called him out on and had an individual meeting with him about, and Keenan wanted to apologize for,” Hahn said (link from Tori Rubinstein of NBC Sports Chicago). “I told him at the time I figured that was a one off and not something that anyone need to get into greater detail of. And he shared that he understood there was a trade deadline coming up and that if we moved him, he would be very interested in returning to us as a free agent.”
Hahn conceded the club has unspecified “cultural issues” and admitted “we need to improve the leadership in that room.” However, he denied the assertion that any player fell asleep in the bullpen mid-game or that players were free to skip meetings. “One thing we’re not going to do is stand idly by while false reports are put out there about the character of the men that remain in that room,” Hahn said.
The White Sox host Middleton’s new club for a three-game set this week. They entered tonight’s game with a 45-68 record, the third-worst mark in the American League.
Brewers Reinstate Bennett Sousa
The Brewers reinstated reliever Bennett Sousa from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Nashville, per the transaction log at MLB.com. Milwaukee transferred Justin Wilson from the 15-day to the 60-day IL to clear the necessary 40-man roster spot.
Sousa missed a couple months with a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder. Acquired from the division-rival Reds in April, the 28-year-old southpaw has made a pair of appearances for the Brew Crew this season. He’s logged 16 innings with Nashville, allowing 10 runs (nine earned). He’s fanned 22 hitters at the top minor league level. Milwaukee acquired Andrew Chafin at the trade deadline to pair with Hoby Milner as left-handed options for Craig Counsell. Now that he’s healthy, Sousa is in the mix behind them.
Wilson’s brutally-timed injury could well have increased Milwaukee’s urgency to trade for Chafin. The veteran lefty strained a lat while warming up for what would’ve been his first appearance after a Tommy John rehab. He’ll miss the remainder of the season and seems quite likely to be bought out next winter, meaning he might never make an appearance as a Brewer.
