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Archives for September 2023

Danny Jansen Placed On 10-Day IL With Finger Fracture

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4:04pm: The Blue Jays have officially announced that Jansen was placed on the 10-day IL with a finger fracture, calling up Heineman in the corresponding move.

9:31am: Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen had to make an early exit from yesterday’s game due to what was eventually revealed as a fracture in the knuckle of his right middle finger.  During an at-bat in the sixth inning, Rockies left fielder Nolan Jones fouled a ball into Jansen’s exposed right hand, leaving the catcher in obvious discomfort.  Jansen remained behind the plate for the rest of the inning, but Alejandro Kirk pinch-hit for Jansen in the top of the seventh.

Tyler Heineman has already been called up from Triple-A as at least a precautionary measure while Jansen undergoes further imaging and tests, as manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and other reporters.  Given the nature of the injury, it’s hard to imagine that Jansen will be able to avoid the 10-day injured list, leaving the Jays without their starting catcher for at least some of their playoff push.  Kirk will take most of the starts in the interim, with Heineman perhaps getting only sparing backup duty.

Jansen has hit .228/.312/.474 with 17 homers over 301 plate appearances this season, translating to a 115 wRC+ that ranks third among all qualified Blue Jays hitters.  This adds to Jansen’s resume as one of the more quietly productive catchers in baseball, though due to injuries and splitting time with Kirk and other Toronto backstops, he has only amassed 754 PA since the start of the 2021 season.  This season, Jansen missed a few weeks due to a groin strain, and has perhaps been fortunate to avoid a hand injury until now considering how frequently Jansen is hit by pitches (10) or the natural risk and wear-and-tear of catching duty.

His injury resume includes another finger fracture last season, which kept Jansen for a little over a month.  That particular fracture was near Jansen’s left pinky finger, and given the wide variance and severity of finger-related problems, it is far to too soon to tell if Jansen’s current issue is anywhere as severe, or how long he might be out of action.

Consistency has been a problem all season for Toronto’s lineup, even before Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman went onto the IL earlier this week.  Losing Jansen would be another significant hit, though Nicholson-Smith writes that Bichette and Chapman have at least been working out on the field, creating hope that either player might be back at or shortly after the 10-day minimum absence.

Cardinals Claim Michael Siani From Reds

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Both the Reds and Cardinals have announced that St. Louis has claimed outfielder Michael Siani off of Cincinnati’s waiver waire.  Siani was designated for assignment earlier this week, as part of the 40-man roster maneuvering necessary when the Reds claimed Hunter Renfroe and Harrison Bader off waivers.  The Cards also announced that Guillermo Zuniga has been moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL, thus ending Zuniga’s season.

A fourth-round pick for the Reds in the 2018 draft, Siani is a veteran of 12 big league games — nine in 2022 and three for this year’s team, with four hits over 25 total plate appearances.  Siani is known for both his outstanding defense and speed, as he has stolen 155 bases in 200 total attempts in the minors while also showing excellent glovework in center field.  With a .228/.344/.355 slash line over 2167 PA in the minors, offense is still a work in progress for the 24-year-old, even if his other tools project him as at least a bench option at the MLB level.

While it isn’t a surprise to see another team claim Siani away, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (X link) notes that it is a bit of a curious pickup for the Cardinals in particular, given that St. Louis already has several outfielders on the 40-man roster or on the cusp of the majors.  Of course, a team isn’t just going to pass on a player it thinks has promise, and the Cardinals might clear some space anyway in the outfield this winter.  The team is widely expected to try and trade some of its current outfield mix, likely in search of some badly needed reinforcements for the starting rotation.

Zuniga was first placed on the IL on August 25, and since he is suffering from a right forearm strain, it already looked like he probably wasn’t going to make it back before the end of the 2023 campaign.  The only hope is that the 60-day IL placement isn’t a precursor to a more serious injury like UCL or elbow damage resulting in surgery, as such a procedure could potentially shelve Zuniga for just about all of the 2024 season.  Zuniga made his MLB debut this season, appearing in two games for St. Louis prior to his forearm strain.

Mets Claim Peyton Battenfield

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The Guardians announced that right-hander Peyton Battenfield has been claimed off waivers by the Mets.  Battenfield was designated for assignment earlier this week as part of Cleveland’s roster-clearing moves for waiver claims Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Matt Moore.

Perhaps something of an overlooked arm within a Cleveland system deep in pitching prospects, Battenfield made his Major League debut this season, called into action to help eat innings amidst some injuries within the Guardians’ rotation.  The results weren’t great, as Battenfield posted a 5.19 ERA, 18.5% strikeout rate, and 8.2% walk rate over 34 2/3 innings (starting six of his seven games).  The righty was then injured himself, as shoulder inflammation sent Battenfield to the 60-day IL from mid-May until the start of August, when he was activated and then optioned back to Triple-A Columbus.

A ninth-round pick for the Astros in the 2019 draft, Battenfield was dealt to the Rays during the 2019-20 offseason before heading to Cleveland in the 2021 deadline deal that sent Jordan Luplow and DJ Johnston to Tampa.  He’ll now find himself on the move again to a Mets team that might have some competition for a rotation job next spring, given how only Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana look like sure bets to be part of the starting five.  At worst, Battenfield looks he can be a depth option for New York, and might have some further upside considering that he is just a year removed from a solid performance with Columbus in 2022.

Nationals Release Rico Garcia

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TODAY: Garcia is now a free agent after clearing release waivers, the Nationals announced.

SEPTEMBER 1: The Nationals announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Travis Blankenhorn, a move that was reported on yesterday. They also recalled right-hander Amos Willingham, with he and Blankenhorn taking the two extra spots on the expanded roster. To make room on the 40-man for Blankenhorn, the club has requested unconditional release waivers on righty Rico Garcia.

Garcia, 29, began the year with the A’s on a minor league deal, getting selected to the major league club in May. He was designated for assignment in July, cleared waivers and elected free agency. He then signed a minor league deal with the Nats and was added to their roster in mid-July. Between the two clubs, he has an earned run average of 9.26 in 11 2/3 major league innings this year. But in 27 2/3 Triple-A innings, he has an ERA of 2.93, striking out 29.5% of hitters though also walking 17.2%. He was placed on the injured list July 30 due to biceps tendinitis.

Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reported in early August that Garcia was headed to Florida to rehab. He hasn’t appeared in a rehab game yet but was perhaps nearing a return in the coming weeks. The Nats could have transferred him to the 60-day IL, but doing so would have effectively ended his season. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, so the Nats have placed him on release waivers instead.

Orioles Claim Jorge Lopez From Marlins

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The Orioles have reunited with Jorge Lopez, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post (X link) reports that Baltimore has claimed the right-hander off waivers from the Marlins.  Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reported earlier today that Lopez looked like the odd man out on the Marlins’ roster in some capacity, as the Fish needed to create roster space for Johnny Cueto’s activation from the 15-day injured list.  The Orioles designated right-hander Logan Gillaspie for assignment to create a spot for Lopez on the 40-man roster.

Lopez’s tenure in Miami ends after a little more than two months, as the Fish acquired the righty from the Twins in late July in a one-for-one swap for Dylan Floro.  In hindsight, it was a deal that hasn’t really worked out for either club, as neither reliever recaptured their old form after donning a new uniform.  Floro has posted a 6.30 ERA over 10 innings in Minnesota, while Lopez had even greater struggles, delivering only a 9.26 ERA in 11 2/3 innings for Miami.

It was a little over a year ago that Lopez was an All-Star, by dint of his outstanding 1.68 ERA over his first 48 1/3 innings pitched of the 2022 season as a member of the Orioles.  Given Lopez’s unimpressive career track record prior to 2022, however, Baltimore saw him less as a breakout star and more as a sell-high trade chip, so the O’s moved Lopez to the Twins at last year’s trade deadline.  Speaking of trade hindsight, that swap has already become an infamous move for Twins fans, as Yennier Cano was one of the four prospects sent back to the Orioles in return for Lopez.

While the Orioles front office took some heat at the time for dealing an All-Star closer (or being deadline sellers in general) when the club was contending for a playoff spot, those criticisms have certainly diminished given Cano’s breakout and Lopez’s lack of success basically since the moment he left Camden Yards.  The O’s now hope that Lopez can rediscover some of his 2022 magic to help a bullpen trying to get by without injured closer Felix Bautista.  Lopez isn’t going to step back into a ninth-inning role, of course, but he could provide some depth behind Cano and Danny Couloumbe as the temporary late-game closing duo.  The Orioles will be using Lopez for the stretch drive alone, as he isn’t eligible for postseason play since he was acquired after September 1.

Is there hope for a Lopez bounce-back?  Unsurprisingly, his metrics have dropped off sharply in most categories from 2022 to 2023, as his big advances in strikeouts and limiting hard contact have both fallen back to earth.  Lopez threw his sinker 50.5% of the time in 2022 and got plus results, though the pitch has now become much less effective, with Lopez throwing it only 34% of the time this season.  The righty has instead increased the use of his four-seamer to pretty disastrous results, as opposing batters have been teeing off on the pitch to the tune of a .400 batting average.

Rediscovering the All-Star version of Lopez may not be as simple as a change in pitch arsenal, but the Orioles are taking a relatively inexpensive plunge in hoping that he can provide at least adequate relief.  In making the waiver claim, the O’s pick up the roughly $578K remaining on Lopez’s $3.525MM salary for 2023.  The 30-year-old is also eligible for arbitration one final time this winter, though it seems likely that he’ll be non-tendered.  The fact that the Orioles (who have one of baseball’s best records) were even able to claim Lopez is a further sign of how his star has fallen in a year’s time, as it means that just about every other team in the league passed on Lopez before he was available for Baltimore to claim.

Since Lopez surely wouldn’t have been tendered a deal from the Marlins, the move provides a bit of salary relief for the Fish as they get an early jump on some offseason business.  It also allows Cueto to return without any further roster maneuvering, as Cueto is set to start today against Washington in his first outing since August 15.  The veteran righty has been sidelined due to a viral infection that scratched him from his previous start, and eventually required a 15-day IL stint to give Cueto time to fully recover.

Gillaspie made his MLB debut in May 2022, and has since been shuttled back and forth several times between the Orioles’ big league roster and Triple-A Norfolk.  The right-hander had a 3.12 ERA over 17 1/3 innings in 2022 but only a 6.00 ERA in nine frames of action this year, and his career Triple-A line sits at a 4.90 ERA over 71 2/3 innings, with a 23.08% strikeout rate and an 8.01% walk rate.  An undrafted player who broke in with the Brewers’ farm system in 2018, Gillaspie has been a member of Baltimore’s farm system since 2021.

Athletics Claim Devin Sweet From Mariners

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The A’s have claimed right-hander Devin Sweet off waivers from the Mariners.  Sweet was designated for assignment earlier this week.

The 26-year-old made his Major League debut this season, appearing in two games with Seattle and posting two innings (with a 9.00 ERA).  An undrafted free agent in 2018, Sweet is changing teams for the first time in his pro career, as he has a 3.67 ERA over 326 1/3 career innings in the Mariners’ farm system.

Those numbers include only seven innings at the Triple-A level, as Sweet was actually promoted to the majors from Double-A Arkansas for his two MLB games before he ever pitched for Triple-A Tacoma.  He got the Mariners’ attention with a 1.54 ERA, 34.6% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate over 35 innings of Double-A ball, a decided step up from his work in Arkansas in 2021-22.  Most prominently, Sweet showed great improvement at keeping the ball in the park, as he gave just one homer over those 35 frames at Double-A this year after allowing 27 homers over 137 2/3 innings in 2021-22.

It makes for some interesting potential, and it isn’t surprising that the rebuilding Athletics would want to take a look at a young and controllable arm.  Oakland has optioned Sweet to Triple-A for now, but might very well call him up for some more Major League action before the season is over.

Nationals Assistant GM Johnny DiPuglia Resigns

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Nationals assistant GM and international scouting director Johnny DiPuglia has resigned from his position, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.  DiPuglia had run the club’s international scouting operations since 2009, and was promoted to assistant GM and a VP role in the wake of the Nats’ World Series title in 2019.

Neither DiPuglia or the team publicly commented on the news, though Dougherty notes that “DiPuglia was one of [GM Mike] Rizzo’s closest confidants in the organization.”  It isn’t known if DiPuglia’s status might be related to Rizzo’s own ongoing negotiations about a contract extension, though reports from a couple of weeks ago suggested that Rizzo and the Nationals were pretty close to a new agreement.

DiPuglia’s departure could also be part of Rizzo’s ongoing efforts to overhaul the player development staff which began in earnest during the 2021-22 offseason.  While the 2019 championship was the peak of a successful decade for the franchise, the fall has been precipitous, as Washington is on pace for its fourth consecutive losing season.  The rebuild has been apparent with the on-field product, and Rizzo has also been taking measures to improve how the Nationals operate behind the scenes, particularly in the scouting and development of its young prospects.  To this end, the international scouting division has also faced difficulties in recent years, as Dougherty notes that the Nats haven’t gotten a lot of great returns from recent int’l signings.

It may be that DiPuglia’s resignation prior to the end of the season gives him more time to seek out his next job, and he’ll hit the open market with a strong resume.  As Dougherty put it, DiPuglia “had to basically start from scratch” in reviving the Nats’ international department in 2009, and he “has often been credited with rebuilding the Nationals’ Latin American presence from the ashes.”  The signing of Juan Soto was the crown jewel of DiPuglia’s era, as Soto’s immediate rise to superstar status was a huge reason for Washington’s breakthrough title in 2019.  Before coming to the Nationals, DiPuglia’s work as the Red Sox scouting director for Latin America produced such notable players as Xander Bogaerts, Hanley Ramirez, and Anibal Sanchez.

Mets Notes: Alonso, Front Office, Carrasco

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Pete Alonso’s future in Queens has been the subject of speculation ever since the first baseman was at least discussed with other teams prior to the trade deadline.  Since Alonso is a free agent after the 2024 season, there is a possibility he isn’t a long-term concern for a Mets team that is taking some degree of step back next year, which makes him perhaps the most intriguing trade candidate available this offseason.

That is, if Alonso is available at all.  SNY’s Andy Martino threw some cold water on the idea of a blockbuster trade, reporting that unnamed Mets executives were “surprised and confused” at the public perception that Alonso will be dealt at all.  The Mets don’t intend “to actively shop Alonso,” and would only be open to a deal in the event of a huge offer from a rival club.

As Martino notes, much could change between now and the offseason, so this isn’t exactly an absolute declaration that Alonso won’t moved.  Of course, it also helps New York’s leverage in trade negotiations to appear as though Alonso isn’t for sale, in order to up the bidding for potential suitors.  Given how much league-wide interest there is in Alonso’s services, the Mets probably won’t need “to actively shop” such a top-tier hitter anyway.

It seems likely that Alonso trade rumors will persist in some fashion either until a deal actually happens, or if Alonso signs an extension to remain in New York.  For now, Martino writes that the club’s plan is to let Alonso play out the 2024 season and then pursue a new contract, as they did with other recent pending free agents like Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, and Jacob deGrom.  It is a bit of a risky gambit since it assumes the Mets won’t be outbid for Alonso’s services, though the club was able to re-sign both Nimmo and Diaz, with the latter locked up to a new deal just before the free agent market officially opened last November.

All of this could remain theoretical until the Mets hire their new president of baseball operations, who could bring some new ideas and plans into the organization.  A new PBO isn’t expected to be hired until after the season, but some key front office personnel are already on the way out.  The Mets have parted ways with director of player development Kevin Howard (as per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized), director of pro player evaluation Jeff Lebow (according to reporter Michael Marino), baseball development director Bryan Hayes and performance director Jim Cavallini (as per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo).  It is probably safe to assume that the new hires won’t be announced until the new PBO is in place, as the incoming president will want some say in installing their own staff.

Lebow and Hayes had both been with the Mets in various roles for over a decade, while Cavallini had been with the team since 2018 and Howard since 2021.  Howard might be best known by casual fans, as he briefly served as the Mets’ interim assistant hitting coach during the 2021 campaign before turning to his player development position after the season.

In other Mets news, Carlos Carrasco has at least temporarily been moved to a relief role.  As manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News), Carrasco suggested the move himself, as a nod to throwing only 49 pitches over 1 2/3 innings in his last start on August 26.  The veteran righty’s last turn in the rotation was skipped, and it isn’t clear when he might start again, as the Mets’ rotation plans will be shuffled due to a pair of off-days this upcoming week.

It’s been a tough year overall for Carrasco, who missed about a month due to elbow inflammation and hasn’t looked right all season, posting a 6.80 ERA over 90 innings.  Carrasco will be a free agent this winter and New York already looked into an early parting of the ways by placing him on waivers last week, though since Carrasco cleared waivers, the Mets will remain on the hook for the $2.33MM still owed in salary between now and the end of the season.

Carrasco’s struggles and salary made it quite likely that he wouldn’t be picked up another team, so September now looks to be his final month in a Mets uniform.  He could end up making another start or two down the stretch, though with the Mets out of contention, the priority is likely to give innings to younger arms as an audition for 2024.  Carrasco’s relief efforts could hint at a new career direction as he approaches his age-37 season, yet since Carrasco was still an effective starter as recently as 2022, he is likely to head into free agency still marketing himself as a rotation arm.

Angels Remain Narrowly Above Luxury Tax Threshold

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The Angels’ competitive balance tax number still sits narrowly above the $233MM base threshold, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Los Angeles attempted to shed enough salary via waivers this week to limbo below that number but was unsuccessful.

On Tuesday, the Angels placed six players on waivers. Five of them — Lucas Giolito, Hunter Renfroe, Dominic Leone, Reynaldo López and Matt Moore — were claimed, with the other teams absorbing their salaries. Outfielder Randal Grichuk cleared waivers, however, as no team wanted to take what remained of the $1.7MM that the Halos had assumed on Grichuk’s contract when acquiring him from Colorado.

That’ll apparently be the difference, as Fletcher adds that the Halos would’ve indeed gotten under the threshold had Grichuk been claimed. The Angels could theoretically still try to cut some spending by placing someone else on waivers. Players claimed after August 31 wouldn’t be eligible for postseason work with an acquiring team, but the Halos have more controllable players making above-minimum salaries (e.g. Luis Rengifo or Carlos Estévez) who’d likely be claimed with an eye towards next season if the Angels simply wanted to clear them off the books.

It doesn’t seem that’s the plan though. Minasian told Fletcher he doesn’t believe that paying the CBT this year will affect the club’s budget during the upcoming offseason. The team will barely pay any extra money this year, as they’ll only be taxed at a 20% rate on the minimal amount on which they surpassed the threshold. Nevertheless, it’ll have an impact in a few ways.

Most notably, it subjects the organization to higher fees in the event they exceed the threshold in consecutive seasons. Teams that pay the tax for a second straight year are charged a 30% fee (higher than the 20% standard rate) on their first $20MM of overages the following season. The fees continue to escalate for clubs that exceed the tax for a third straight year and/or surpass the threshold by upwards of $20MM.

CBT payors also receive reduced compensation for losing qualified free agents. The Angels are going to make a qualifying offer to Shohei Ohtani, which he’ll decline. If he subsequently signs elsewhere, the Halos would receive a compensation pick after the fourth round in the 2024 draft. That’s typically around the 140th overall selection. Had the Angels gotten under the threshold, the compensatory pick would’ve landed between Competitive Balance Round B and the third round — approximately 70th overall.

The Angels will hope that latter point is irrelevant because they re-sign Ohtani. (None of their other impending free agents are candidates for the QO.) That won’t be known until the offseason, though an Ohtani deal would likely mean they’re nearing luxury tax territory yet again. Roster Resource projects the Halos’ 2024 CBT number around $131MM. That’s well shy of next season’s $237MM base threshold, but it doesn’t include arbitration estimates. Ohtani’s contract alone figures to tack on at least $40-45MM and could well pay north of $50MM per season. The Angels would obviously need to supplement the roster around Ohtani if they retain him, likely by adding infield depth, at least one starting pitcher and multiple bullpen arms.

Astros Outright Jake Cousins

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The Astros have sent right-hander Jake Cousins outright to Triple-A Sugar Land, tweets Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Houston had designated him for assignment earlier in the week upon reinstating Michael Brantley from the injured list.

Cousins spent a month on Houston’s 40-man roster. The Astros claimed him off waivers from the Brewers shortly before the trade deadline. The 29-year-old didn’t pitch for Houston at the big league level. He was on optional assignment to Sugar Land, allowing eight runs in as many innings with eight walks and seven strikeouts.

The right-hander had far better strikeout and walk rates with Milwaukee’s top affiliate earlier in the year. He punched out almost 38% of batters faced while keeping his free passes below a 7% clip in 12 1/3 frames. Cousins had struggled in 9 1/3 MLB innings for the Brew Crew this year but was quite effective at the MLB level from 2021-22.

Over his first two seasons, Cousins pitched to a 2.70 ERA while fanning more than 35% of opposing hitters through 43 1/3 frames. A near-15% walk rate pointed to alarming control issues, but he showed rare ability to miss bats. Cousins clearly hasn’t found much rhythm this year, perhaps in part related to shoulder inflammation that sent him to the injured list for a month between June and July.

It’s the first outright for Cousins, who has less than three years of major league service. He doesn’t have the right to become a free agent. He’ll stick at Sugar Land and try to pitch his way back onto the roster by season’s end. Cousins would qualify for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason if Houston doesn’t reselect his contract.

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