Archives for 2023

Phillies Claim Cal Stevenson

By Steve Adams | May 26, 2023 at 3:04pm CDT

The Phillies announced Friday that they’ve claimed outfielder Cal Stevenson off waivers from the Giants. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia transferred Rule 5 right-hander Noah Song from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Stevenson originally came to the Giants from the A’s, coming over in exchange for cash. He went hitless in 12 plate appearances as a Giant and has just a .145/.259/.188 slash in 83 trips to the plate at the big league level. That’s an unsightly look, of course, but it comes in a tiny sample.

Down in the minors, he’s been a much more productive hitter. Stevenson touts a .271/.382/.386 batting line with seven home runs and 21 steals in 26 attempts. He’s walked at a hefty 15% clip in Triple-A against a lower-than-average 18.2% strikeout rate. Stevenson can play all three outfield spots, though the bulk of his work has come in center field.

The Phils don’t necessarily have a dire outfield need, with Kyle Schwarber, breakout 25-year-old Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos lining up from left to right, respectively. However, with Cristian Pache on the mend from surgery to repair a meniscus tear, Philadelphia also doesn’t have a true fourth outfielder. Veteran utilityman Josh Harrison is no stranger to the outfield corners, and rookie infielder/outfielder Dalton Guthrie has spent time in center field. However, Guthrie has more experience on the infield than in the outfield. Stevenson will give the Phillies a pure fourth outfield option who carries nearly 1800 professional innings of experience in center, plus another 1300 in the corners.

Dodgers Claim Zack Burdi

By Steve Adams | May 26, 2023 at 2:04pm CDT

The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Zack Burdi off waivers from the Rays, per announcements from both clubs. Righty Tyler Cyr was transferred to the 60-day injured list in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Burdi was twice designated for assignment by Tampa Bay this season, clearing waivers and accepting an outright the first time around. He’ll be claimed this time through, however, and be placed directly onto Los Angeles’ 40-man roster. The 28-year-old tossed three shutout innings during his first stint with the Rays but was rocked for five earned runs on five hits and a walk in just one inning when the Rays were blown out by the Blue Jays by a score of 20-1.

Burdi is a former first-rounder whose results have not yet aligned with his former top prospect status. That’s due largely to injury, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and then suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee the following year. There were no minor leagues to return to in 2020, so Burdi jumped straight to the big leagues with the White Sox after pitching just 33 combined innings in 2018-19. The results weren’t good (nine runs in 7 1/3 innings) and Burdi has yet to find his footing. In 21 1/3 big league innings, he has an 8.44 ERA.

Cyr, 30, was selected to the big league roster just a week ago. The journeyman right-hander tossed 1 2/3 shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts in his brief stint with the Dodgers, but his shoulder barked following his second appearance, sending him to the 15-day injured list with what was diagnosed as an impingement. It seems that the injury is serious enough that it’ll require at least a two-month absence.

It’s a tough blow for Cyr, whose only prior MLB experience came in 2022 with the A’s and Phillies — a total of just 12 1/3 innings. He’d hoped his call to the Dodgers and a pair of scoreless outings might give him an opportunity to prove he can hold down a spot in a big league bullpen. Those hopes will be delayed indefinitely now as he battles this shoulder issue.

Cyr, who entered the season with just 34 days of MLB service time, will accrue service time and be paid at the prorated league minimum rate while he’s on the injured list. That’s a decent financial consolation prize after grinding through eight minor league seasons with scant salaries each year, but the loss of the opportunity to carve out a larger role on a big league club surely stings.

Reds Place Wil Myers On 15-Day IL, Recall Will Benson

By Nick Deeds | May 26, 2023 at 12:49pm CDT

The Reds announced a series of roster moves ahead of this afternoon’s game against the Cubs as they placed outfielder Wil Myers on the 10-day injured list due to a kidney stone and activated right-hander Fernando Cruz from the 15-day IL. In corresponding moves, the club recalled outfielder Will Benson from Triple-A and and optioned right-hander Alan Busenitz to Triple-A.

Myers, 32, signed a one-year deal with the Reds this past offseason to act as the club’s regular right fielder. That pact has hardly gone accordingly to plan so far, however, as Myers has slashed a brutal .189/.257/.283 in 141 plate appearances across 37 game this season. Prior to signing with the Reds during the offseason, Myers had spent the past eight seasons as a member of the Padres, slashing a solid .254/.330/.452 with a wRC+ of 111 in 888 games with San Diego.

While the Reds were surely hoping for such a similar performance this season to help steady their offense, Myers’s struggles have helped contribute to an offense that ranks in the bottom five across baseball in terms of slugging percentage thanks to an offense that struggles to find production outside of TJ Friedl, Jonathan India, and Spencer Steer.

In Myers’s place, the Reds have recalled Benson, who the club acquired from the Guardians this past offseason to shore up their outfield mix. A former first round pick who turns 25 next month, Benson has a great deal of upside, though his results have not matched it to this point. in 87 MLB plate appearances so far in his career, Benson has slashed just .138/.198/.150 with a wRC+ of -1, though he sports a far more palatable .243/.396/.464 slash line in 641 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level. Benson figures to mix into the outfield for the Reds alongside Friedl, Jake Fraley, and Stuart Fairchild while Myers is on the shelf.

Joining Benson in returning to the active roster is Cruz, a 33-year-old journeyman who made his major league debut with the Reds last year. Since then, the right-hander has posted a 3.81 ERA with a 3.12 FIP in 28 1/3 innings of work, good for a 124 ERA+. That ERA is inflated by a brutal stretch of five appearances prior to Cruz’s placement on the injured list, during which he allowed eight runs on eleven hits in just 7 1/3 innings. As Cruz attempts to get back on track, he’ll join a Reds bullpen that has been a bright spot for the club this season, ranking top 10 in baseball in FIP and third in terms of fWAR.

Making room for Cruz on the roster is Busenitz, who heads to Triple-A after just pitching just four innings for the big league club. The 32-year-old righty allowed two runs in four innings of work while striking out three. Busenitz figures to act as depth for Cincinnati going forward at the Triple-A level, where he sports a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings of work.

Jake Marisnick Accepts Outright Assignment With White Sox

By Nick Deeds | May 26, 2023 at 12:41pm CDT

TODAY: As noted by Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun Times, Marisnick has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte, where he will serve as outfield depth for the White Sox going forward.

May 21: The White Sox have announced that they have designated outfielder Jake Marisnick for assignment. The move opens up spots on both the active and 40-man rosters for outfielder Clint Frazier, who’s contract has been selected as was previously reported.

Marisnick, 32, was used primarily as a defensive replacement as he appeared in nine games despite stepping up to the plate just twice during his tenure with the White Sox. Prior to his time on the south side, which began when he signed a minor league deal with the club back in January, Marisnick had already played in the majors for six organizations, with the White Sox standing as his seventh.

A third round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2009 draft, Marisnick made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 2013 before being dealt to the Astros at the 2014 trade deadline. That deal would kick off a five and a half season tenure in Houston during which Marisnick primarily played center field, slashing .232/.285/.396 with a wRC+ of 85 during 631 games with the club. Marisnick’s tenure in Houston came to an end during the 2019-20 offseason, when he was dealt to the Mets in early December.

Thanks to his superlative outfield defense, which earned him +39 Outs Above Average between the 2016 and 2019 seasons, Marisnick has found part time roles with the Mets, Cubs, Padres, and now the White Sox since departing Houston, with a .233/.288/.403 slash line that’s good for an 87 wRC+ in 316 plate appearances. Now Marisnick figures to look for his eighth club in four seasons. Assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, Marisnick will have the opportunity to elect free agency and sign elsewhere, likely on a minor league deal with a club in need of upper-level outfield depth in the minors.

The move opens up a roster spot for Frazier, who returns to Chicago after signing with the Cubs last season. The fifth overall pick by Cleveland in the 2013 draft, Frazier slashed an impressive .267/.351/.485 (123 wRC+) in 447 plate appearances between 2018 and 2020 with the Yankees, but has otherwise struggled with injuries throughout his career. Still, the 28-year-old Frazier showed the ability to be a useful bench bat in 19 games with the Cubs last year, with a .216/.356/.297 slash line that was good for a wRC+ of 97. Going forward, he figures to compete for starts in right field alongside Gavin Sheets and Adam Haseley.

Jose Iglesias Opts Out Of Padres Deal

By Nick Deeds | May 26, 2023 at 12:14pm CDT

Veteran infielder Jose Iglesias has opted out of his minors deal with the Padres, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

A veteran of 11 MLB seasons, the 33-year-old Iglesias has been a quality glove-first middle infield option for big league clubs ever since his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2011. With more than 1,000 games in the majors under his belt, Iglesias owns a career slash line of .279/.319/.382, good for a wRC+ of 87 with a career strikeout rate of just 12.4%. Most recently, Iglesias played 118 games for the Rockies in 2022, with a .292/.328/.380 slash line (85 wRC+) and 12% strikeout rate that was largely in line with his career norms.

The majority of Iglesias’s value throughout his career has come from his glove, however, as Iglesias has ranked as one of the top defensive shortstops in the league since his debut in 2011 according to both UZR and OAA, with the fourth-most UZR and ninth-most OAA, minimum 1,000 innings at the position. That being said, metrics have soured on Iglesias’s glovework in recent years, with Statcast considering him a roughly league average defender over the past two seasons while Defensive Runs Saved considers him a whopping 26 runs below average over that same timeframe.

Still, as a veteran capable of solid defense up the middle with a decent bat, Iglesias could make a solid bench contributor for teams in need of infield help. That’s allowed him to secure minor league pacts with both the Marlins and the Padres since the end of the 2022 campaign, though neither club ultimately made the decision to promote him to their big league roster. Now back on the open market, Iglesias will look for a third organization to offer him a role, presumably on another minor league deal.

As for the Padres, Iglesias’s decision represents another blow to the club’s infield depth after Manny Machado hit the injured list with a fracture in his hand earlier this month and Ha-Seong Kim left yesterday’s game after taking a pitch off his knee. That being said, the club still sports Roughned Odor, Brandon Dixon, and Jake Cronenworth among their capable infield options alongside Xander Bogaerts, to say nothing of Fernando Tatis Jr. who converted to outfield work this season following the acquisition of Bogaerts.

West Notes: Buehler, Rockies, Blackburn

By Nick Deeds | May 26, 2023 at 10:51am CDT

Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery last August, and recently told reporters that the date he’s targeting for a return to action this season is September 1. While not unheard of, a 12-month recovery timeline from Tommy John surgery is a rare feat for pitchers, particularly those rehabbing from the procedure for a second time, as Buehler is.

Despite the seemingly long odds, Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted yesterday that the possibility remains on the table, with one notable caveat: Buehler’s return to the Dodgers could come out of the bullpen rather than as a member of the starting rotation. If Buehler indeed makes his return later this season as a reliever, it would be a notable change of pace for the 28-year-old righty. 106 of Buehler’s 115 appearances in the majors have come as a starter, and he has come out of the bullpen just once since the start of the 2018 campaign.

In those 10 1/3 innings of work out of the bullpen so far in his career, Buehler has struggled to a 11.32 ERA. Of course, such a small sample that’s over half a decade old at this point matters far less than Buehler’s more recent work, which has been nothing short of dominant. Since the start of the 2018 campaign, Buehler has posted a phenomenal 2.95 ERA that’s 40% better than league average by measure of ERA+ with an equally strong 3.22 FIP in 629 innings of work at the front of the Dodgers’ rotation. The highlight of his career to this point came in 2021, when he made an MLB-leading 33 starts while posting a phenomenal 2.47 ERA (171 ERA+) with a 3.16 FIP that earned him a top-4 finish in Cy Young Award voting.

Whether as a starter or a reliever, a pitcher of Buehler’s caliber would surely be an asset to the Dodgers both down the stretch and as they gear up for a hypothetical playoff run. While the Dodgers have a plethora of viable rotation options, Dustin May, Julio Urias, Michael Grove, and Ryan Pepiot are all currently on the injured list alongside Buehler, and both Noah Syndergaard and Tony Gonsolin have spent time on the shelf previously this season as well. Given the number of options that could be at the club’s disposal, and the number of injuries they’ve suffered already this season, it’s near impossible to predict what LA’s rotation could look like come September, whether Buehler is ready for a return or not.

More from around the West divisions…

In the same article, Heyman also notes that the Rockies have interest in former Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore for a high-ranking front office role, though the club appears to be content with Bill Schmidt as GM. Heyman notes that Moore expressed he hadn’t heard about Colorado’s interest in his services. Nonetheless, it’s notable that the Rockies, a club that has typically been known for hiring within the organization for their front office, would seek the services of an external candidate. Moore was fired by the Royals last season after sixteen years at the helm of the organization, during which he oversaw the club’s 2015 World Series championship. Moore was hired by the Rangers as a senior advisor to the baseball operations department in November.
Athletics right-hander Paul Blackburn is poised to make his first start of the 2023 campaign sometime next week, as noted by Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Blackburn started the season on the injured list with a torn fingernail and had the start of his season delayed further by a blister on his pitching hand, but now appears to be close to a return. The 29-year-old Blackburn got his first extended look in the rotation last season, when he posted a solid 3.62 ERA in the first half en route to becoming a 2022 All-Star. Unfortunately, Blackburn would pitch just 14 1/3 innings in the second half, allowing 14 runs in three starts before heading to the IL with finger inflammation. Upon his return to the A’s rotation, Blackburn figures to help steady a group that has featured little certainty beyond JP Sears.

The Opener: Glasnow, Vasquez, Rockies

By Nick Deeds | May 26, 2023 at 8:13am CDT

As the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout Memorial Day weekend:

1. Glasnow to return this weekend:

The Rays pitching staff is set to get a significant boost this weekend with the return of oft-injured ace Tyler Glasnow, who has been on the injured list with an oblique issue all season. Glasnow’s return could transform an already-dominant Rays pitching staff, helping to make up for the losses of Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen earlier this season. Since the start of the 2019 season, Glasnow’s 2.87 FIP ranks third among all starters with at least 200 innings of work, only behind Carlos Rodon and Jacob deGrom. Of course, that dominance is coupled with frequent injuries that have limited Glasnow to just 212 2/3 innings during that timeframe. Glasnow figures to return to the mound for the Rays on Saturday against the Dodgers. A corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Glasnow on the active roster.

2. Vasquez to make MLB debut:

The Yankees are expected to call up right-hander Randy Vasquez to start this evening’s game against the Padres. A corresponding move will be necessary before tonight’s game, which begins at 6:05pm CT, to make room for Vasquez on the active roster. The start will be the 24-year-old Vasquez’s MLB debut. The young righty came into the 2023 campaign with an impressive 3.10 ERA in 307 2/3 career minor league innings, including an excellent 2021 season where he pitched to a 2.52 ERA in 107 1/3 innings split between the Single-A, High-A, and Double-A levels. Vasquez has struggled so far in 2023, however, with a 4.85 ERA through nine starts in his first taste of the Triple-A level.

Despite Vasquez’s struggles to open the season, the Yankees will nonetheless lean on their youngster for tonight’s game thanks in part to a lack of options in the rotation. Frankie Montas and Carlos Rodon are both on the injured list, and while the club recently welcomed Luis Severino back from his own injury, right-hander Domingo German is still serving a suspension for violation of the league’s foreign substance policy. That leaves the club in position to turn to Vasquez, who will be tasked with handling a Padres lineup that has under performed in the early going this season, ranking in the bottom ten of both runs scored and team OPS this season despite featuring big names like Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis Jr.

3. Rockies waiting on injury updates:

The Rockies currently have a whopping twelve players on the injured list at the moment, and it appears the injury bug is continuing to haunt the team. Both outfielder Brenton Doyle and right-hander Luis Cessa left games last night (Doyle with the big league club, Cessa at the Triple-A level) with apparent injuries. Doyle is set to undergo further testing to determine the severity of his injury, though slugger Nolan Jones is poised to join the roster in his place if necessary, per MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. The situation regarding Cessa is murkier, though any missed time for the 31-year-old righty would be a blow to the depth of a pitching staff that has already lost German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela, Noah Davis, and Ryan Feltner.

Mets Designate Gary Sánchez For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | May 25, 2023 at 11:02pm CDT

The Mets announced that they have reinstated catcher Tomás Nido from the injured list and designated fellow backstop Gary Sánchez for assignment in a corresponding move.

Sánchez, 30, was selected to the Mets’ roster less than a week ago. He received seven plate appearances in three games, striking out in three of them and producing a slash of .167/.143/.167 in that tiny sample size. He wasn’t likely to stick around for very long anyway, since both Nido and Omar Narváez have been working their way back from injuries while rookie Francisco Álvarez is thriving with a .253/.316/.506 batting line.

Prior to joining the Mets, Sánchez had just become a free agent for the first time this past winter. However, he lingered on the open market until April, when he signed a minor league deal with the Giants. That deal came with an opt-out on May 1, which he eventually triggered after hitting just .164/.319/.182 for their Triple-A club. He fared much better after signing a minor league deal with the Mets, hitting .308/.514/.500 in Syracuse before getting called up and scuffling in the majors.

At this point, it’s tough to figure out what to make of Sánchez. He was once arguably the best offensive catcher in the league, hitting 53 home runs over 2016 and 2017 and slashing .283/.353/.567 for a wRC+ of 142. However, that came with concerns about his defense, tying for the lead league in passed balls with 16 in 2017 and then taking sole possession with 18 in 2018. More recently, his offense has fallen off but his defense has improved. With the Twins last year, he allowed just four passed balls and had roughly average defense but hit just .205/.282/.377 for a wRC+ of 89. This year, he’s been inconsistent, but it would be fair to wonder if all the bouncing from club to club made it hard for him to get into a consistent rhythm.

The Mets will now have a week to trade Sánchez or pass him through waivers. The deal they signed him to came with a prorated $1.5MM salary for the year, which amounts to about $1.1MM from his selection to the end of the season. They could try to eat some of that in order to facilitate a trade but he will most likely end up released, with the Mets still on the hook for that money. If that comes to pass, any of the 29 other clubs would be free to sign him and pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the active roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Mets pay.

It’s been a while since Sánchez has been in peak form but there are plenty of teams throughout the league dealing with injuries to their catchers. Perhaps one or a few of them will be intrigued by the possibility of taking a chance on a Sánchez bounceback with essentially no financial risk.

For the Mets, this settles their catching situation for the time being. However, Narváez has recently started a rehab assignment and the club will have to decide what to do when he’s ready to return.

NL West Notes: Kim, Doyle, Cessa, McCarthy, Fletcher

By Mark Polishuk | May 25, 2023 at 10:16pm CDT

X-rays were negative on Ha-Seong Kim’s left knee, Padres manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune) after Kim had to be helped off the field during today’s game. In the second inning of the Padres’ 8-6 win over the Nationals, Kim fouled a pitch off his knee, knocking him to the ground in obvious pain. Despite the relatively good news from the imaging, Kim isn’t expected to play on Friday and might end up on the 10-day injured list unless the swelling and discomfort subsides quickly.

Now in his third season with the Padres, Kim is hitting a modest .237/.316/.382 over 172 plate appearances, which works out to a 97 wRC+. Even this slightly below-average number might be generous considering that Kim’s 22.3% hard-hit ball rate is among the lowest in the league, though he has provided a lot of defensive value to San Diego as a second baseman and, more recently, as a third baseman in place of the injured Manny Machado. The Padres’ depth would take another hit if both Machado and Kim are out, and Rougned Odor (whose bat has been on fire as of late) would be the likeliest candidate for regular time at third base. Odor and Brandon Dixon could split time between second and third, Jake Cronenworth could also play second base, and Matt Carpenter could see more time as a first baseman.

Manfred “Optimistic” About Athletics/Las Vegas Agreement, Relocation Vote Could Happen In June

By Mark Polishuk | May 25, 2023 at 9:19pm CDT

Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke with reporters (including Susan Slusser and Tim Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle) today about several topics, including the Athletics’ ongoing plans to build a new ballpark in Las Vegas and move the franchise from Oakland. Over the last two days, the planned move seemingly took a notable step forward, as the A’s and Nevada state officials reached a tentative agreement on a plan to provide $380MM of public money towards the construction of a new ballpark (worth roughly $1.5 billion) on the site of the Tropicana hotel in Vegas.

Though the Tropicana location is the second Las Vegas site the A’s have pursued in under two months, “I think they’re pretty settled on a site [now],” Manfred said. Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal also reports that the A’s are solely looking at the Tropicana site and not considering other options.

As to whether or not the Athletics’ plan will come to fruition, Manfred said that he is “optimistic about [a move] happening,” but “It’s very difficult to have a timeline for Oakland until there’s actually a deal to be considered. There is a relocation process internally that they need to go through and we haven’t even started that process.…I don’t have a crystal ball as to where anything’s going. There is not a definitive deal done in Las Vegas and we’ll have to see how that plays out.”

The most obvious roadblock at this point is the fact that the state of Nevada’s contribution to the ballpark is one of many items that hasn’t been approved as part of the state budget. As outlined by Taylor R. Avery of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s Senate and Assembly haven’t been able to agree with Governor Joe Lombardo on several aspects of the budget, with Lombardo threatening to veto the Nevada Legislature’s budget proposal “until the policy priorities that I spelled out on day one are on my desk.” The Athletics’ proposal is naturally one of the newer elements to Lombardo’s spending plans, and likely not even the most controversial, as Avery notes that there is a great deal of controversy of several education-related spending priorities that are or aren’t included in the budget to date.

It remains to be seen exactly when or how the budget impasses could be resolved, though Nevada’s legislative session ends on June 5. However, if the ballpark funding issue is solved by then, Manfred said that it is “possible that a relocation vote could happen as early as June,” presumably during the upcoming owners’ meetings. Seventy-five percent of MLB owners would have to vote in favor of the proposal in order for the A’s to officially set their sights on Las Vegas, and a departure from Oakland that would coincide with the end of their lease at the Coliseum following the 2024 season.

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