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Submit Your Questions For This Week’s MLB Trade Rumors Podcast!

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On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we’ll frequently answer questions submitted by our readers and listeners. With the next episode set for Wednesday, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit their questions, and we’ll pick a few to answer.

Whether it’s a trade deadline retrospective, a question surrounding postseason races, or a forward-looking question to the offseason trade and free agent markets — we’d love to hear from you! You can send your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Also, if you want to hear your voice on the podcast, send us your question in audio form and we might play it! iPhone users can find instructions on how to do so here.

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Roric Harrison Passes Away

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Former big leaguer Roric Harrison passed away last week at age 76.  Harrison was a right-handed pitcher who posted a 4.24 ERA in 140 games with the Orioles, Braves, Indians, and Twins over parts of five MLB seasons from 1972-78, and also pitched for four other organizations at the minor league level during his 14-year career in pro baseball.

Harrison’s minor league career included an memorable season with Triple-A Rochester (then the Orioles’ top affiliate) in 1971 that saw him post a 2.81 ERA over 170 innings to help lead the Red Wings to the International League title.  Though Harrison only pitched for the Wings for that one year, his big role in a championship season merited induction in the club’s Hall Of Fame in 2001.

Rochester Community Baseball Inc. CEO/COO Naomi Silver paid tribute in an official statement from the club: “It’s with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Roric Harrison, a true legend in Red Wings history.  His outstanding performance during the 1971 season remains unmatched and serves as a testament to his exceptional talent.  Beyond his athletic prowess, Roric was an invaluable part of our community and will be deeply missed.  Our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family during this difficult time.  His memory and legacy will remain an integral part of our franchise’s illustrious tapestry.”

Harrison spent the majority of his MLB career with the Braves, tossing 358 innings over 73 games with the team from 1973-75.  His debut season with Baltimore in 1972 saw the righty post a 2.30 ERA in 94 frames, and also saw Harrison achieve a unique bit of trivia.  1972 was the last season before the American League adopted the DH, so Harrison became the last AL pitcher to hit a home run in a game before Bobby Witt Sr. achieved the feat during interleague play in 1997.

We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Harrison’s family and loved ones.

Yankees Notes: Rotation, Kahnle, Bowman, Boone

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While the Yankees won’t be playing in the postseason this fall, each member of the starting staff still has something to pitch for over the final six games of the season. Gerrit Cole likely has one start remaining to bolster his Cy Young case. The six-time All-Star is the clear favorite, boasting the AL lead in innings pitched and ERA, but he could do with one more strong outing to pad his stats. Meanwhile, converted reliever Michael King has one final game to cap off his impressive transformation into a starting pitcher. If he looks like a lock for the rotation in 2024, it should increase his earning power during the arbitration process this winter.

Carlos Rodón hasn’t looked like himself in the first season of a six-year deal with the Yankees, and his last start will give him a chance to right the ship before the year is up. Similarly, Clarke Schmidt, Luke Weaver, and Frankie Montas are all looking to make a strong impression in their final outings.

Schmidt turned heads out of the bullpen in his rookie season but hasn’t looked quite as sharp out of the rotation during his sophomore campaign, especially as the year has gone on. He’ll look to improve on his 5.24 ERA since the All-Star break. Weaver and Montas will both be free agents this offseason, so it stands to reason that each would like to go out on a high note. Weaver pitched well in his second outing for New York on Friday, and he’s trying to turn things around after a disappointing season with the Reds, Mariners, and Yankees. Montas has spent the entire 2023 campaign on the injured list, but the Yankees could give him a chance to return for one appearance before he hits the open market.

In other Yankees notes…

  • The Yankees placed right-hander Tommy Kahnle on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation, ending his 2023 season. The oft-injured reliever missed the first two months of the year with biceps tendinitis but pitched well from June to September, posting a 2.66 ERA and 3.68 SIERA in 42 games. He is under contract through 2024, and barring a setback, there is no reason to believe he won’t be back on the mound next spring.
  • To replace Kahnle on the active roster, the Yankees recalled Matt Bowman from Triple-A. This will be the righty’s second stint with the big league team, after a brief call-up earlier this month. Following his selection in the 2012 draft, Bowman spent time with the Mets, Cardinals, and Reds before signing a minor league deal with the Yankees after the 2020 season. He missed the next two years recovering from Tommy John surgery but re-signed with New York this past winter. He has a 3.99 ERA in 49 games at Triple-A this year.
  • With the Yankees officially eliminated from postseason contention and facing their first losing season since 1992, it’s fair to wonder if manager Aaron Boone is on the hot seat. Steve Adams addressed that very issue earlier today, wondering if the Yankees will (and if they should) fire their skipper.

Kyle Wright Could Pitch Out Of Braves’ Bullpen In The Playoffs

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The last time Kyle Wright pitched out of the bullpen in the regular season was 2019. After four disastrous starts earlier in the year, the then-23-year-old rookie made three appearances out of the bullpen in September, giving up just one run while striking out four.

The last time Wright pitched out of the bullpen in the playoffs was during the 2021 World Series. He threw 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run and striking out six. Despite spending most of the season in the minors, he played a pivotal role in the closest game of a close-fought Fall Classic.

On Sunday afternoon, Wright emerged from the Braves’ bullpen once again. He threw three innings in relief of Allan Winans, giving up one run on three hits. He struck out two. It was, potentially, a preview of what’s to come in October. After the game, the 27-year-old right-hander told reporters (including Mark Bowman of MLB.com) that he could pitch out of the ’pen in the playoffs. “I’ve done it before, and I’ve pitched pretty well,” he explained. “I’m open to anything and whatever I can do to help us win.”

In 2022, Wright was one of the most reliable starting pitchers in the National League, finishing with a 3.19 ERA and a league-leading 21 wins. He took the ball in game two of the NLDS against the Phillies, throwing six scoreless frames and collecting the win in what would turn out to be the Braves’ only victory of the series. Unfortunately, his follow-up campaign has been marred by injury and ineffectiveness. Wright dealt with shoulder soreness during spring training, pushing back his season debut. Then, he pitched to a 5.79 ERA in his first five starts before his shoulder landed him back on the IL. Although he returned to the rotation in mid-September, he continued to struggle, giving up ten runs across seven innings in two starts. Simply put, he didn’t look ready to ramp back up to a starting job in time for the NLDS. Thus, his best opportunity to help his team will be in a bullpen role.

No one could accuse the Braves of making this decision lightly. Indeed, they could certainly use another healthy arm in the rotation. Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder make for a reliable top two, but things get shaky after that. Winans is holding down a spot in the rotation, but it’s hard to believe Atlanta will give the 28-year-old rookie a start in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Max Fried and Charlie Morton are both on the 15-day IL. Fried is nursing a blister, and he is expected back in time for the NLDS, but Morton is dealing with inflammation in his right index finger and won’t be ready until at least the NLCS. That means that even if Fried returns on time, the Braves will only have three starters for their first postseason matchup. If the series goes five games, they’ll need to have two of Strider, Elder, and Fried make multiple starts. That should be possible, given the off days in the schedule, but it’s still a lot to ask of the youngsters or the injury-plagued ace.

In such a case, Wright could serve a valuable multi-inning role out of the bullpen. Not only can he provide length behind the starters, thereby lightening their workload, but he could also pitch multiple innings in a potential bullpen game. Atlanta’s other long relievers have struggled lately; Michael Tonkin has a 7.07 ERA over the past month, while Collin McHugh had a 5.93 ERA in the month before he hit the injured list with shoulder inflammation.

Wright has not yet earned a spot on the Braves’ postseason roster. After such a difficult season, he’ll need more than one solid relief appearance to demonstrate he’s ready for October. Yet considering his high ceiling, manager Brian Snitker should give the righty every chance to prove himself before the regular season wraps up.

Poll: Aaron Boone’s Future

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Aaron Boone’s future with the Yankees has been a talking point among Yankees fans throughout the season. He’s wrapping up his sixth season as the team’s manager and is signed through the 2024 campaign — with a club option for the 2025 season. The Yanks have had plenty of regular-season success under Boone, including a pair of 100-win seasons (100 and 103) in 2018-19 and a 99-win campaign just last year.

However, the 2023 season will be the first under Boone in which the Yankees don’t reach the postseason. They’ve gone to the ALCS twice under his leadership but haven’t advanced to the World Series.

A string of five consecutive postseason appearances followed by one miss generally wouldn’t be viewed as grounds for a potential managerial change in most markets, but the Yankees perennially operate on one of the sport’s largest payrolls and have higher expectations than just about any club in the sport. Add in the possibility that this could be the team’s first sub-.500 season way back in 1992 — a stunning statistic in and of itself — and the calls for a managerial change among the fan base only become louder.

If a change is made, it seems likely it’ll be the result of a decision directly from ownership. SNY’s Andy Martino reported late last month that the only way Boone would be ousted would be if managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner overruled general manager Brian Cashman on a managerial decision — which he has not done before. Boone told Yankees beat writers within the past hour that he has not yet been definitively told whether he’ll return for the 2024 season or not (link via The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner). Any such decision seems unlikely to come prior to the end of the regular season, though USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote this weekend that the club now expects to retain Boone.

On the one hand, it’d be unfair to lay the blame squarely at Boone’s feet, as is the case with any manager and a team that underperforms expectations. Boone has been hamstrung by significant injuries to Carlos Rodon, Frankie Montas, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Lou Trivino, among others, on the pitching side of things. Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge spent nearly two months on the injured list this summer, while first baseman Anthony Rizzo’s season will finish at 99 games due to concussion issues and Jose Trevino’s season will end at just 55 games due to wrist surgery. The club also entered the season with several question marks around the roster, most notably in left field, where they’ve cycled through a carousel of journeyman options including Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun and Billy McKinney.

On the other, those injury troubles and some roster shortcomings don’t entirely absolve Boone of any and all blame, of course. All managers deal with injuries to star players, and every club has its share of roster imperfections to navigate. Boone is still the one filling out the lineup card and pulling the strings with regard to bullpen and bench decisions. The composition of the team’s coaching staff, any sloppy play or questionable effort, and any other number of tougher-to-quantify shortcomings tend to fall at a manager’s feet as well.

The Yankees have only had three managers in the past 28 years. Joe Torre helmed the club from 1996 through 2007, capturing four World Series titles and another pair of AL pennants along the way. Torre gave way to Joe Girardi, who skippered the club from 2008-17. Girardi won a World Series title himself in 2009.

Boone made the playoffs in each of his first five seasons on the job but will fall short in 2023. That in and of itself isn’t necessarily grounds for an immediate dismissal in the Bronx; Girardi’s Yankees missed the playoffs entirely in three of his final five seasons. Boone hasn’t advanced to a World Series in any of his six seasons in the manager’s chair, though his predecessor also missed the World Series in his final eight seasons on the job.

At the same time, that increasingly lengthy layoff from appearing in a Fall Classic surely leads to mounting frustration both among fans and the team’s ownership. The lowest payroll the Yankees have had relative to the rest of the league since their last World Series appearance came in 2018, when they opened the season with the sixth-largest mark in baseball. They’ve ranked higher than that every year since 2009 — including seven seasons with the game’s second-largest payroll and four with the largest. That level of investment inherently comes with lofty expectations, and they’re now up to 14 seasons without a World Series appearance — let alone a title.

Time will tell whether Boone returns for a seventh season at the helm. If he does, with no additional guaranteed years on his contract beyond the ’24 season, his job status will be a hot-button issue for the Yankees throughout the upcoming season (even more so than it is now).

It’s generally clear where the majority of Yankees fans land on this issue, but let’s open it up for MLBTR readers to weigh in, asking both if the Yankees should move on and whether they actually will (which, of course, are two very different questions):

 

Fantasy Baseball Chat with Brad Johnson

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Brad Johnson is a veteran of the fantasy baseball industry with a decade of experience in Roto, H2H, dynasty, DFS, and experimental formats. As an expert in the field, Brad participates in the Tout Wars Draft and Hold format and was crowned the league’s winner in 2020. Brad’s writing experience includes RotoGraphs, NBC SportsEDGE, and right here at MLB Trade Rumors. He’s also presented at the First Pitch Arizona fantasy baseball conference.

Click here to read the transcript of today’s fantasy baseball chat with Brad!

Brad will also be holding fantasy baseball chats exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, where he’ll be able to answer a much larger percentage of questions asked. Click here to learn more about Front Office.

Offseason Outlook: Colorado Rockies

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As has been the case for a few seasons, the Rockies underperformed internal expectations. While owner Dick Monfort said before Opening Day he felt the team could hover around .500, they’re instead headed for the first 100-loss season in franchise history. It can’t be fixed in one offseason, though Colorado will at least need to patch together a more competitive pitching staff if they’re to improve on this year’s NL-worst showing.

Guaranteed Contracts

Additional Financial Commitments

  • Owe Cardinals $5MM annually through 2025 as part of the Nolan Arenado trade
  • Owe $500K buyout to released RHP José Ureña

Option Decisions

  • None

Total 2024 commitments: $98.3MM
Total future commitments: $321.05MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players

Non-tender candidates: Wynns, Castro, Lambert, Blach

Free Agents

The Rockies have missed the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. They’re on their way to a bottom-three record in the majors, which will tie them with Oakland and Kansas City for the highest odds of securing the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. Colorado hasn’t chosen to rebuild in the same way as some of the other worst teams in the majors, but they’ve had rebuilding results.

On any team that loses 100 games, there are a lot of weak points on the roster. None is quite as stark as the rotation. Colorado has had seven starters log 50+ innings this season. Only Peter Lambert (4.50 ERA) has allowed fewer than five earned runs per nine in that time, and he has struggled as a reliever. Even in the context of Coors Field, that’s untenable.

Kyle Freeland is assured of a spot in next year’s rotation. It’s hard to lock in anyone else. Austin Gomber logged 27 starts and 139 innings but posted a 5.50 ERA with a well below-average 14.4% strikeout rate. Antonio Senzatela underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-July and could miss the entire 2024 season.

Germán Márquez also underwent TJS midway through the ’23 campaign. Colorado and Márquez agreed to a two-year, $20MM extension last month that’ll keep him from hitting free agency. That’s a sensible move for the team — if Márquez recaptures his pre-surgery form, he’d be a strong bargain on a $10MM salary in 2025 — but it won’t help the rotation until at least late into next season.

Colorado has relied on a host of depth call-ups and journeymen to plug the back end of the staff with predictable results. Chris Flexen (6.46 ERA) and Chase Anderson (6.13) will be free agents. The Rox could bring either player back at little financial cost, though neither should be guaranteed a spot in the season-opening starting five. Noah Davis, Connor Seabold, Ryan Feltner and Lambert are under club control but better suited for depth roles. Former first-round pick Ryan Rolison has yet to make his MLB debut because of persistent shoulder injuries.

The Rox will need to turn to various avenues of acquisition to add competition. They’re unlikely to play at the top of the free agent market but could target the third or fourth tier — names like Kyle Gibson, Wade Miley or Martín Pérez. Pitching at Coors Field would be a tough sell for a pitcher trying to rebuild his value, but they could try to dangle a guaranteed rotation spot and a decent one-year salary for a rebound flier like Jake Odorizzi or Noah Syndergaard.

It’s a similar story on the trade market. Colorado is in no position to deal controllable talent for shorter-term MLB help. They could still roll the dice on a depth option or two who are squeezed out of another organization, as they did in sending cash to the Red Sox for Seabold last winter.

The bullpen isn’t good, though it’s in comparatively better shape than the rotation. Grounder specialist Jake Bird and hard-throwing righty Justin Lawrence have had impressive 2023 campaigns. Former closer Daniel Bard, whose ’23 season has been derailed by anxiety issues that contributed to significant strike-throwing woes, will probably get a middle innings spot since he’s under contract for $9.5MM.

They’ll count on a full season from Tyler Kinley, who has been limited to 15 appearances after rehabbing from last year’s elbow surgery. While Kinley’s ’23 results are middling, he had a 0.75 ERA in 25 outings before the injury a season ago. He clearly won’t maintain that pace over a full season, but the Rockies can expect better numbers than he has managed in his limited work this year after a healthy offseason.

That group skews heavily toward the right side. Brent Suter, the only southpaw in the late-season bullpen, is an impending free agent. Suter has acclimated well to Coors Field after being claimed off waivers last November, turning in a 3.51 ERA across 66 2/3 frames. General manager Bill Schmidt said before the trade deadline the team could try to keep Suter around for another season or two on an extension. If Suter signs elsewhere, they’ll likely bring in a similar low-cost southpaw via free agency.

Schmidt has also expressed interest in a new deal with Colorado’s top impending free agent: Charlie Blackmon. The 37-year-old indicated last month he was interested in returning for a 14th big league season. The career-long Rockie suggested his preference was to stick in Colorado despite leaving open the possibility of playing elsewhere if the Rox didn’t reciprocate that interest.

Blackmon is no longer an everyday outfielder. He’s still a solid role player who contributes in a right field/designated hitter capacity. The left-handed hitter owns a .276/.367/.432 line across 387 trips to the plate. While his power numbers are down, he’s very tough to strike out and has walked at a career-high 10.1% clip. If Blackmon is willing to accept a pay cut from $15MM to around $5-7MM, the Rockies could try to keep him around.

Colorado already has a few corner outfield/DH hybrids on the roster. Rookie Nolan Jones has arguably been the team’s best performer this season. Acquired from the Guardians for middle infield prospect Juan Brito last November, the lefty-swinging Jones has 17 homers with a .286/.382/.531 slash through 393 trips to the plate. He’s unlikely to continue hitting over .280 unless he cuts his strikeouts from the current 29.8% rate. Still, Jones has demonstrated that his power and plate discipline can play against big league pitching. He’ll be an everyday player, likely in left field.

That’s where Kris Bryant began the season. Colorado’s $182MM signee again suffered through an injury-plagued year, getting into 77 games to date. He has mostly played first base since returning from a broken finger a couple weeks ago. There’s no question Bryant will get a chance to play regularly at the start of next season. Whether that’s at first base or in right field could be determined by whether they retain Blackmon.

Colorado could look for a short-term upgrade in center field. Brenton Doyle has played stellar defense but hasn’t hit at all as a rookie. The 25-year-old has a .198/.249/.322 line while striking out almost 35% of the time in his first 119 contests. Most of the free agents at the position are glove-first veterans, which could be redundant given Doyle’s skillset. Someone like Adam Duvall or Joey Gallo would offer more offensive upside than Doyle and could kick over to right field when the club wants a defense-heavy alignment.

The infield is more set in stone, at least aside from first base. Brendan Rodgers should get another chance at second base after his ’23 campaign was derailed by a Spring Training shoulder dislocation. Ryan McMahon is locked in at third base, where he’s an elite defender. McMahon pairs that with decent offense and is arguably the Rockies’ best overall player.

Ezequiel Tovar will be back at shortstop after a mixed rookie season. He’s one of the most aggressive hitters in the majors, with his swing-heavy approach keeping him to a meager .293 on-base percentage. Yet Tovar has rated as an excellent defensive shortstop and has connected on 15 home runs. He just turned 22 and is surely still seen as a key piece of the future. Aside from perhaps upgrading on Harold Castro as the utility option, the bulk of the infield is established.

First base could be the exception, depending upon the club’s plans with Bryant. Neither Elehuris Montero nor Michael Toglia took hold of the job. If they wanted to add to the mix, they could turn to a rebound free agent (e.g. Ji Man Choi or Garrett Cooper) or look into a non-tender candidate like Rowdy Tellez.

All-Star Game MVP Elias Díaz has held the primary catching job. While his production has dropped off since the Midsummer Classic, the Rox probably have bigger concerns elsewhere. Díaz is due a $6MM salary in the final year of his contract next season. With a thin free agent class at the position, the Rockies could field some trade interest, though it’d probably be modest enough they won’t be motivated to make a move.

Players like McMahon and Rodgers have more appeal. There’s no indication the Rockies want to entertain moving either. McMahon is a key contributor who is signed for four more seasons. Rodgers has had a rough 2023 due primarily to those previously mentioned shoulder troubles, and to move him now would be selling low. With two seasons of remaining arbitration control, Colorado should probably hold him in hopes of a rebound year.

Colorado was a little more willing than they had been previously to deal off short-term assets at the trade deadline, moving impending free agents Pierce Johnson and Brad Hand. They’ve remained steadfastly opposed to a broader teardown. Their resolute belief the organization doesn’t need a major overhaul has extended to the manager chair. Colorado signed Bud Black to an extension in February; he’s under contract through 2024, which would be his eighth season at the helm.

The major league roster doesn’t offer much reason for optimism. No matter what they do this winter, they’re going to enter 2024 as the likely last-place team in the NL West. Hope for the longer-term outlook is rooted in a farm system that has improved in two-plus years under Schmidt.

Colorado has three prospects who appeared among Baseball America’s recent Top 50 minor league talents. Middle infielder Adael Amador and corner outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez have each reached Double-A at age 20. Ninth overall pick Chase Dollander is the highest-upside arm to enter the farm system in some time. They’ll secure another high draft choice next summer.

None of that group is likely to make much of an impact in 2024 and Colorado’s farm system is still middle-of-the-pack unit overall. Yet it’s at least possible to envision a competitive group of position players emerging within the next few seasons, particularly if Tovar takes a step forward in his second big league campaign. On the other hand, the long-term pitching outlook is still very questionable.

Colorado’s payroll picture isn’t quite as bleak as it was six months ago. The bulk of the money in the Nolan Arenado trade has finally been paid out, with Colorado’s remaining commitments consisting of $5MM annually over the next two seasons. Blackmon’s salary would drop if he returns; C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk are off the books.

The organization looks a little better off than it did at this time last winter. It’s a slow process, though, one that looks likely to lead to a modest offseason and another poor record in 2024.

In conjunction with this post, Anthony Franco held a Rockies-centric chat on 9-25-23. Click here to view the transcript.

The Opener: Robert, Cy Young, Astros/Mariners

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On the final Monday of the 2023 regular season, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Robert being re-evaluated:

White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. exited yesterday’s game against the Red Sox in just the second inning after pulling up uncomfortably while stealing his 20th base of the season. He’s expected to be re-evaluated today as the club arrives back in Chicago before their final homestand of the season. Robert’s brilliant season has been one of the few positive things to come out of an otherwise dismal White Sox campaign that’s seen them go from expected playoff contenders to deadline sellers and flirting with a 100-loss season.

None of that downturn in production can be attributed to Robert, however, as the star has combined excellent center field defense with a .264/.315/.542 slash line in 595 trips to the plate. The 25-year-old phenom’s 75 extra base hits rank second behind only Shohei Ohtani in the AL this year. With the club long since past the point of playing for the playoffs, it would hardly be a shock to see the club shut Robert down for the rest of the year. If he does miss additional time, Trayce Thompson appears to be the leading candidate to cover for him in center field.

2. Pitcher’s duel in the NL Cy Young race:

The Padres and Giants are set to play in San Francisco tonight, and the loser of the game could very well wind up mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. If the Diamondbacks manage to take the final game of their road series against the Yankees earlier in the night, the loser of today’s matchup in Oracle Park will be officially eliminated from postseason contention. Given the extreme long-shot postseason odds for both San Diego and San Francisco, the pitching matchup is the more intriguing storyline to follow anyhow.

Right-hander Logan Webb will take the mound for the Giants, while San Diego will counter with lefty and likely Cy Young front-runner Blake Snell. The 30-year-old Snell is the NL’s ERA leader with a 2.39 figure with a strong 31.7% strikeout rate, though his whopping 13.5% walk rate and average of under 5 2/3 innings per start are less formidable numbers. Webb will likely find himself on plenty of Cy Young ballots as well. The 26-year-old leads all of Major League Baseball with 207 innings pitched, his 3.35 ERA is the fourth-best figure in the NL, and he sports the only groundball rate above 60% among qualified starters, with a 61.6% figure.

3. Series Preview: Astros @ Mariners

With the postseason race coming down to the wire for both clubs, the Astros head to Seattle to take on their division-rival Mariners in a three-game set that will have major implications on the races for both the final AL Wild Card spots and the AL West crown. For the division, the Rangers have ridden a five-game winning streak — including a three-game sweep of the Mariners this weekend — to the top of the AL West standings. They currently sit 2.5 games ahead of the Astros and three games up on the Mariners. Meanwhile, both Houston and Seattle are mired in the midst of rough stretches. The Astros have just an 8-16 record in September, including losses in nine of their last 12. By contrast, the Mariners have gone 5-7 over their last 12 games with a 8-14 September record.

Even in spite of Seattle’s struggles, they’ve managed to make up ground on Houston, sitting just half a game back of the Astros for the final AL Wild Card spot. The set will kick off this evening with a pitcher’s duel on the mound: future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander (3.44 ERA) will take on Mariners ace Luis Castillo (3.06 ERA). Tomorrow’s game will feature young righties Cristian Javier (4.64 ERA) and George Kirby (3.58 ERA), and the series will close with a contest between Houston lefty Framber Valdez (3.39 ERA) and Seattle rookie Bryce Miller (4.17 ERA).

Braves Place Charlie Morton On 15-Day Injured List

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The Braves announced today that veteran right-hander Charlie Morton had been placed on the 15-day injured list with right index finger inflammation. Fellow righty Allan Winans was called up in the corresponding move. The move not only ends Morton’s regular season, but also means that he will likely be unable to pitch in the NLDS as well, as he won’t be eligible to be activated until after rosters are set for the series. That said, if the Braves need to make an IL move midway through the series, it’s possible that they could activate Morton as a corresponding move when replacing the hypothetical injured player.

In any case, the loss of Morton is a major blow to a Braves team that has reigned as baseball’s best club throughout most of the 2023 campaign. Slated to be the club’s Game 3 starter this postseason behind the club’s dual aces Max Fried and Spencer Strider, the 39-year-old hurler has put together a vintage season for the Braves this year with a 3.64 ERA that’s 21% better than league average by measure of ERA+ and is backed up by a solid 3.88 FIP. Morton boasts a solid 25.6% strikeout rate and has generated groundballs at a solid 43.3% clip this season.

With Morton likely out for the NLDS, the club figures to turn to right-hander Bryce Elder to take the ball behind Fried and Strider. Elder was nothing short of incredible in the first half with a 2.97 ERA in his first eighteen starts, but the young righty has struggled badly in recent months with a 5.40 ERA and a nearly matching 5.37 FIP in his last 13 appearances. Another possibility would be right-hander Kyle Wright, who posted a 3.19 ERA en route to a MLB-leading 21-win campaign last year, but the 27-year-old hurler has battled injuries and ineffectiveness throughout the year, posting a brutal 7.71 ERA across just 25 1/3 innings of work. With limited time remaining for Wright to right the ship, it seems likely Atlanta will opt to utilize Elder to round out the playoff rotation until Morton is eligible to return.

In the meantime, replacing Morton on the roster is Winans, a 27-year-old rookie who sports a 4.50 ERA and 2.76 FIP across four spot starts this season. He’ll make another start this afternoon in game one of the club’s doubleheader against the Nationals opposite right-hander Jackson Rutledge.

Quick Hits: Moore, Astros, Senga, Royals

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The Astros had some interest in Matt Moore when the southpaw was a free agent last winter, and it looks like that interest extended into Moore’s recent visits to the waiver wire.  According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Astros put claims on Moore when he was put on waivers by both the Angels and Guardians, only to be beaten to the punch both times by Cleveland and then Miami, Moore’s current team.  A claiming team was only responsible for the relatively small amount of salary remaining from the one-year, $7.55MM deal Moore signed with the Halos last winter, so it’s safe to assume that most contending teams put in claims on the lefty’s services, so the Astros were maybe a longshot to have Moore fall to them in the waiver order.  Houston had has one of the better records in baseball for most of the season, thus putting them behind all the clubs with lesser records (like the Guardians and Marlins) in terms of claims.

It stands to reason that Houston might also look into finally landing Moore when he returns to the free agent market this offseason.  In the near-term, however, it is fair to wonder if adding Moore might have helped the Astros avoid their suddenly late-season slump.  Houston has lost nine of its last 12 games, dropping the club from first place in the AL West to fighting just to make the playoffs altogether.

Some more items from around baseball as head into the last week of the regular season…

  • Kodai Senga has been a major bright spot within a disappointing Mets season, as the right-hander has delivered a 2.96 ERA over 161 1/3 innings in his first year of Major League action.  Now that Senga is better adapted to North American baseball, the question is whether or not he might be deployed somewhat differently in 2024, as this season saw the Mets often give Senga extra rest between starts as a way of easing him in from Japanese baseball’s routine of starting pitchers once per week.  “It’s a very fluid situation.  It’s not just, ‘We want you to go on four days’ rest or not.’ There is a lot of thought that goes into that decision on the team’s end too,” Senga told the New York Post’s Mike Puma, via interpreter.  “So I think they will prioritize my health as they did this year. We’ll do my measurements between starts as we did this year, and if everything looks good sometimes it will happen, sometimes it won’t.”  Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner also noted that Senga’s usage could also be determined by what other pitchers join the rotation next year, as New York is thin in proven starting pitching depth.
  • The Royals announced some front office changes earlier this week, with some in-house promotions and an intriguing new hire of Brian Bridges as the club’s new scouting director.  Bridges has worked as a national crosschecker with the Giants for the last few seasons, and previously worked with the Braves from 2006-18 as first a scout, and then the scouting director for the last four years of his Atlanta tenure.  Speaking with MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, Royals GM J.J. Picollo said Bridges “is widely regarded as one of the best evaluators in the game.  His handprints are kind of all over the Braves right now, with players that are still there and players they moved to acquire other pieces to help them win.”  Homegrown talent has been a key plank of the Braves’ success in recent years, whereas the Royals are seemingly taking a new approach to their development process, as their post-2016 rebuild has yet to deliver much in the way of quality at the MLB level.

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