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Alex Reyes

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 1/15/21

By Steve Adams and Connor Byrne | January 15, 2021 at 10:51am CDT

The deadline to exchange arbitration figures is today at 1pm ET. As of this morning, there were 125 arbitration-eligible players who’d yet to agree to terms on their contract for the upcoming 2021 season. Arbitration is muddier than ever before thanks to the shortened 2020 schedule, which most believe will lead to record number of arb hearings this winter. Be that as it may, it’s still reasonable to expect dozens of contractual agreements to filter in over the next couple of hours.

We’ll highlight some of the more high-profile cases in separate posts with more in-depth breakdowns, but the majority of today’s dealings will be smaller-scale increases that don’t radically alter a team’s payroll or a player’s trade candidacy. As such, we’ll just run through most of today’s agreements in this post.

I’ve embedded MLBTR’s 2021 Arbitration Tracker in the post (those in the mobile app or viewing on mobile web will want to turn their phones sideways). Our tracker can be sorted by team, by service time and/or by Super Two status, allowing users to check the status on whichever groups of players they like. You can also check out Matt Swartz’s projected arbitration salaries for this year’s class, and we’ll do a quick sentence on each player’s agreement at the bottom of this post as well, with the most recent agreements sitting atop the list.

Today’s Agreements (chronologically, newest to oldest)

  • Rockies outfielder Raimel Tapia avoided arbitration with a $1.95MM deal, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. The team also reached an agreement for $805K with reliever Robert Stephenson, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
  • The Tigers have deals with infielder Jeimer Candelario ($2.85MM), outfielder JaCoby Jones ($2.65MM) and righty Jose Cisnero ($970K), Chris McCosky of the Detroit News relays.
  • The Yankees and reliever Chad Green settled for $2.15MM, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
  • The Marlins and lefty Richard Bleier have a deal for $1.425MM, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets.
  • The Dodgers reached a $3.6MM settlement with lefty Julio Urias, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.
  • The Angels announced a deal with righty Dylan Bundy for $8.325MM.
  • The Tigers and southpaw Matthew Boyd have settled for $6.5MM, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweets.
  • The Yankees have deals with catcher Gary Sanchez ($6.35MM), first baseman Luke Voit ($4.7MM), third baseman Gio Urshela ($4.65MM), shortstop Gleyber Torres ($4MM) and outfielder Clint Frazier ($2.1MM), per Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
  • The Rays and outfielder Manuel Margot avoided arbitration with a $3.4MM agreement, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
  • The Padres and outfielder Tommy Pham have a deal for $8.9MM, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Reliever Dan Altavilla settled for $850K, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets.
  • The Angels and righty Felix Pena have come to terms for $1.1MM, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.
  • The Red Sox and third baseman Rafael Devers have reached a $4.575MM agreement, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
  • The Mets and outfielder Brandon Nimmo have come to a $4.7MM agreement, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets.
  • The Reds and righty Luis Castillo have settled for $4.2MM, Robert Murray of FanSided relays.
  • The Rays reached a $2.25MM agreement with infielder Joey Wendle and a $1.175MM settlement with righty Yonny Chirinos, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
  • The Cardinals and flamethrowing reliever Jordan Hicks have an agreement for $862,500, according to Heyman.
  • The White Sox and ace Lucas Giolito avoided arbitration with a $4.15MM agreement, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
  • The Pirates and righty Joe Musgrove have reached an agreement for $4.45MM, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. They also made deals with second/baseman outfielder Adam Frazier ($4.3MM), third baseman Colin Moran ($2.8MM) righty Chad Kuhl ($2.13MM) and lefty Steven Brault ($2.05MM), per reports from Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Adam Berry of MLB.com.
  • Hard-throwing right-hander Reyes Moronta agreed to a $695K deal with the Giants after missing the 2020 season due to shoulder surgery, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
  • The Tigers agreed to a $2.1MM deal with infielder Niko Goodrum, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided. They also inked lefty Daniel Norris for a $3.475MM salary, tweets Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
  • The Pirates agreed to a $1.3MM deal with catcher Jacob Stallings and a $1.1MM deal with righty Chris Stratton, per Robert Murray of Fansided (Twitter links).
  • Athletics right-hander Lou Trivino agreed to a $912,500 salary for the 2021 season, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
  • Right-hander Richard Rodriguez and the Pirates agreed to a $1.7MM deal, tweets Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Catcher Jorge Alfaro and the Marlins agreed to a $2.05MM deal, tweets Craig Mish of SportsGrid.
  • The Reds agreed to a $2.2MM deal with right-hander Tyler Mahle, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray. Cincinnati also signed lefty Amir Garrett for $1.5MM, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
  • The Indians agreed to a $2.4MM deal with newly acquired shortstop Amed Rosario and a $975K deal with righty Phil Maton, tweets Zack Meisel of The Athletic.
  • The Tigers and righty Buck Farmer settled at $1.85MM, tweets Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
  • The Marlins agreed to a $1.9MM deal with right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

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  • The Mariners confirmed their deal with Crawford and announced that catcher Tom Murphy and righty Rafael Montero also agreed to one-year deals. Terms weren’t disclosed, though MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that Montero will be paid $2.25MM.
  • The Phillies and first baseman Rhys Hoskins are in agreement on a $4.8MM salary for the 2021 season, tweets Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
  • The Royals got deals done with shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and right-hander Brad Keller, tweets Alec Lewis of the The Athletic. Mondesi will earn $2.525MM, while Keller gets $3.35MM.
  • The Padres agreed to a $4.2MM deal with breakout starter Dinelson Lamet, tweets Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
  • The Brewers announced that they’ve agreed to one-year deals with starter Brandon Woodruff and closer Josh Hader. Hader’s deal pays him $6.675MM, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Woodruff will earn $3.275MM, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • The Rockies and reliever Carlos Estevez agreed to a $1.45MM deal, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
  • The D-backs avoided arb with all three of their eligible players, per The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (Twitter link). They have deals with catcher Carson Kelly, lefty Caleb Smith ($1.465MM) and righty Luke Weaver ($1.950MM).
  • The A’s have agreed to a $6.925MM deal with first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray. They also signed right-hander Frankie Montas at $1.8MM, Murray adds.
  • Rangers shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa agreed to a $2MM deal for the 2021 season, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
  • Righty Kyle Crick will earn $800K next season with the Pirates, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
  • The Tigers agreed to a $1.5MM deal with right-handed reliever Joe Jimenez, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray.
  • The Angels settled at $6.75MM with left-hander Andrew Heaney, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray. The Halos also inked catcher Max Stassi at $1.6MM, per Murray.
  • The Braves and lefty A.J. Minter agreed to a $1.3MM deal for 2021, tweets David O’Brien of The Athletic. Lefty Max Fried also inked a $3.5MM deal, tweets O’Brien.
  • The Phillies and newly acquired southpaw Jose Alvarado settled at $1MM, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
  • The Indians avoided arbitration with catcher Austin Hedges on a $3.28MM deal, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • The Athletics and third baseman Matt Chapman agreed at $6.49MM, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • Marlins third baseman Brian Anderson agreed to a $3.8MM salary, tweets SportsGrid’s Craig Mish.
  • Astros righty Lance McCullers Jr. will earn $6.5MM in 2021, tweets Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
  • The Athletics agreed to a $5.95MM deal with lefty Sean Manaea, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • Cardinals center fielder Harrison Bader agreed to a $2MM deal, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • The Rangers and slugger Joey Gallo settled on a $6.2MM salary, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • Athletics righty Chris Bassitt has agreed to a $4.9MM salary for the 2021 season, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • The Rockies and infielder Ryan McMahon settled at $2.375MM, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
  • The Orioles and Trey Mancini avoided arb by agreeing to a $4.75MM salary, tweets MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko.
  • The Rays and ace Tyler Glasnow have agreed to a $4MM salary for the 2021 season, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez and the White Sox agreed to a $2.1MM salary, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray.
  • The Reds and outfielder Jesse Winker are in agreement on a $3.15MM deal for the 2021 season, tweets the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale.
  • Left-hander Kyle Freeland and the Rockies agreed to a one-year deal worth $5.025MM, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
  • The Padres and newly acquired catcher Victor Caratini settled at $1.3MM, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray.
  • The Reds and right-hander/center fielder Michael Lorenzen settled at $4.4375MM, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
  • The Blue Jays inked right-hander Ross Stripling to a $3MM deal, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
  • Righty Alex Reyes and the Cardinals agreed at $900K, tweets Robert Murray of Fansided.
  • The Astros agreed to a one-year, $3MM deal with utilityman Aledmys Diaz, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray.
  • Rockies right-hander Jon Gray has agreed to a $6MM contract, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • The Blue Jays and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez agreed to a $4.325MM salary for 2021, tweets Fansided’s Robert Murray.
  • The Padres and right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan settled at $1.57MM, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
  • Shortstop J.P. Crawford agreed to a $2.05MM contract with the Mariners, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
  • The Angels and right-hander Mike Mayers settled on a one-year, $1.2MM salary, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
  • Right-hander Vince Velasquez and the Phillies have agreed to a one-year, $4MM contract, tweets Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
  • The Mets signed righty Robert Gsellman to a one-year, $1.3MM contract to avoid arb, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
  • The Reds agreed to a one-year, $1.175MM deal with right-hander Noe Ramirez, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
  • The Mets and first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith are in agreement on a one-year, $2.55MM contract, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.s
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A.J. Minter Adalberto Mondesi Adam Frazier Aledmys Diaz Alex Reyes Amed Rosario Amir Garrett Andrew Heaney Atlanta Braves Austin Hedges Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Brad Keller Brandon Nimmo Brandon Wood Brandon Woodruff Brian Anderson Buck Farmer Caleb Smith Carlos Estevez Carson Kelly Chad Green Chad Kuhl Chicago White Sox Chris Bassitt Chris Stratton Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians Clint Frazier Colin Moran Colorado Rockies Dan Altavilla Daniel Norris Detroit Tigers Dinelson Lamet Dominic Smith Dylan Bundy Emilio Pagan Evan Grant Felix Pena Frankie Montas Giovanny Urshela Gleyber Torres Harrison Bader Houston Astros Ian Anderson Isiah Kiner-Falefa J.P. Crawford Jacob Stallings JaCoby Jones Jeimer Candelario Jesse Winker Joe Jimenez Joe Musgrove Joey Gallo Joey Wendle Jon Gray Jordan Hicks Jorge Alfaro Jose Alvarado Jose Cisnero Josh Hader Julio Urias Kansas City Royals Kyle Crick Kyle Freeland Lance McCullers Jr. Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers Lou Trivino Lucas Giolito Luis Castillo Luke Voit Luke Weaver Manuel Margot Mark Canha Matt Boyd Matt Chapman Max Fried Max Stassi Miami Marlins Michael Lorenzen Mike Mayers Milwaukee Brewers New York Mets New York Yankees Niko Goodrum Noe Ramirez Oakland Athletics Oscar Hernandez Phil Maton Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates Rafael Devers Rafael Montero Raimel Tapia Reynaldo Lopez Rhys Hoskins Richard Bleier Richard Rodriguez Robert Gsellman Ross Stripling Ryan McMahon San Diego Padres Sean Manaea Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Steven Brault Tampa Bay Rays Teoscar Hernandez Texas Rangers Tom Murphy Tommy Pham Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Trey Mancini Tyler Glasnow Tyler Mahle Victor Caratini Yimi Garcia Yonny Chirinos

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Cardinals Purchase Contracts Of Max Schrock, Roel Ramirez

By Jeff Todd | August 5, 2020 at 2:16pm CDT

The Cardinals announced four new additions to the active roster. Two of those players, infielder Max Schrock and righty Roel Ramirez, first had to be selected to the 40-man roster. Also coming up are righty Alex Reyes and southpaw Genesis Cabrera.

Each of these moves, excepting that of Ramirez, was already known to be in the works. Some had hoped the team was also plotting the arrival of top prospect Dylan Carlson, but it seems that’ll have to wait a while longer.

Ramirez, 25, came to the Cards with Cabrera in the Tommy Pham swap. He worked to a 4.78 ERA in 75 1/3 upper-minors innings last year, carrying 10.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Ramirez went on to have a nice run in the Arizona Fall League, allowing only three earned runs with a 16:3 K/BB ratio over 13 1/3 frames.

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Latest On Cardinals’ Potential Roster Additions

By Steve Adams | August 5, 2020 at 9:56am CDT

The Cardinals placed six players on the injured list yesterday following the team’s Covid-19 outbreak, and they’ll likely be adding infielder Rangel Ravelo to the IL as well. The team confirmed yesterday that he is also among the current players to have tested positive (but did not formally place him on the injured list).

That drops the Cardinals’ roster to 23 players, meaning they’ll still need to make five additions between now and Friday. (Rosters reduce from 30 to 28 players for the remainder of the season tomorrow.) To this point, only one spot has been formally filled: infielder/outfielder Brad Miller was activated from the injured list yesterday. Four more players will still need to be added to the roster between now and Friday.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch runs through many of the possibilities, reporting within his morning column that infielder Max Schrock will likely be selected to the active roster. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News points out on Twitter that lefty Genesis Cabrera has already revealed via Instagram that he’s in St. Louis, so he’ll fill another of the spots. Alex Reyes will also be called up, per Goold. Jones adds that Cabrera and Reyes are likely to be the only two pitchers added to the roster. Those additions have not yet been announced by the club.

The Cards’ final open roster spot figures to be of particular intrigue among fans — and with good reason. Top prospect Dylan Carlson is among the names available within the 60-man player pool for St. Louis, and at this point in the season, the Cardinals have already delayed his path to free agency by a year. He’d need to be added to the 40-man roster, but the team can easily accommodate some additions due to the fact that players on the Covid-19 injured list don’t count against the 40-man.

Carlson has been widely expected to debut at some point in 2020, and considering that the Cardinals were struggling to score runs even before losing Paul DeJong and Yadier Molina, there is (on paper, at least) some extra incentive to get his bat into the lineup. It’s a small sample, clearly, but St. Louis has batted just .217/.281/.382 as a team through five games. Carlson, meanwhile, raked at a .292/.372/.542 clip with 26 homers, 28 doubles, eight triples and 20 steals in 562 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last year.

Jones tweets that the final spot could well come down to Carlson, fellow outfielder Justin Williams and infield prospect Elehuris Montero. Both Williams and Montero have been ranked among the organization’s top 20 or so farmhands for the past couple seasons, though neither has generated the expectations associated with Carlson, who entered the season as a consensus Top 25 league-wide prospect. It’d be the first real look in the Majors for any of that trio, and all three would be controllable all the way through the 2026 season should the stick in the Majors following their promotion. Carlson and Montero have yet to appear in the big leagues, while Williams received just a single plate appearance with the 2018 Rays.

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COVID News & Notes: Freeman, Paredes, Cardinals

By Mark Polishuk | July 18, 2020 at 10:04pm CDT

COVID-19 has taken its toll on the baseball world, with Freddie Freeman being one of the most prominent names to test positive for the virus.  Now recovered and back at the Braves’ camp, Freeman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Gabriel Burns and other reporters about his experience, which included a week of symptoms that even left Freeman fearful for his life on the evening of July 3 when he ran a fever of 104.5 degrees.  “I said a little prayer that night.  I’ve never been that hot before.  My body was really, really hot,” Freeman explained.  “So I said, ’Please don’t take me.’  I wasn’t ready.  It got a little worrisome that night for me.”

Fortunately, Freeman’s decreased to 101 degrees the following morning, and three days of fever gave way to four days where “it almost felt like I had a sinus problem.  I’d stand up, get dizzy and I’d have to sit back down.”  After that, however, Freeman went nine days without any other symptoms.  After getting word yesterday that he had tested negative on two consecutive coronavirus tests, Freeman received full clearance at a local hospital and was at training camp that same afternoon.  While “we’re going to take it day by day” in terms of getting into game shape, Freeman will try to pack as much work as possible over what remains of training camp: “That’s the whole goal, for me to be ready Opening Day.”

Some more on other pending and cleared COVID-19 cases from around baseball…

  • A positive coronavirus test delayed Isaac Paredes’ arrival at the Tigers’ camp until yesterday, but the prospect is now feeling healthy, he told MLB.com’s Jason Beck.  Paredes wasn’t asymptomatic, though he was feeling better even before traveling to the United States from his home in Mexico.  One of the top prospects in Detroit’s farm system, Paredes is only 21 years old and has yet to play any Triple-A ball, though he could have potentially been a candidate for the Tigers’ Opening Day roster had he been healthy.  Instead, Paredes will be assigned to the taxi squad and is “ready and willing to do whatever the staff and the manager want me to do.  I’m ready to play whatever position they want me to.“
  • The Cardinals provided updates on some of their COVID-positive players (MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold were among those to report the news.)  Left-handers Genesis Cabrera and Ricardo Sanchez were both cleared to participate in training, and Cabrera was at Busch Stadium today to play catch while Sanchez will join the Cards’ taxi squad at their minor league training site.  Alex Reyes, meanwhile, confirmed that his delayed arrival to training camp was indeed due to the coronavirus, though Reyes was asymptomatic.  Once one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, Reyes has been limited to only seven MLB innings over the last three seasons due to various injuries, so the Cardinals weren’t likely to rush him to the Opening Day roster even had he been healthy.  It isn’t out of the question that Reyes will emerge at some point in the 2020 season as a hard-throwing relief option.
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Cardinals Option 4 Players To Triple-A

By Connor Byrne | March 26, 2020 at 6:24pm CDT

St. Louis is among many teams that has trimmed down its roster Thursday. The team announced that it has optioned four players – right-handers Alex Reyes and Junior Fernandez, lefty Genesis Cabrera and catcher Andrew Knizner – to Triple-A Memphis.

Reyes, once among the highest-rated prospects in the game, is the most recognizable name in the group. Thanks in large part to a variety of injuries, the 25-year-old hasn’t been able to live up to the vast hype he generated in his younger days. As of a couple months ago, the hope was that he’d at least emerge as a quality bullpen piece this season for the Cardinals. Perhaps that will indeed happen, but he’ll have to work his way back from the minors first. Thus far, Reyes has endured his fair share of difficulty in Triple-A, including during a 2019 showing in which he stumbled to a 7.39 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 7.7 BB/9 in 28 innings.

The hard-throwing Cabrera, 23, wasn’t a great deal more successful at preventing runs than Reyes last year in Memphis, where he put up a 5.91 ERA with 9.64 K/9 and 3.55 BB/9 over 99 innings. But Cabrera, like Reyes, still counts as one of the Cardinals’ most promising young arms. Baseball America ranked Cabrera as the Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect after last season, when he totaled 20 1/3 major league innings with a 4.87 ERA and 8.41 K/9 against 4.87 BB/9.

BA also has favorable opinions of Fernandez (the Cardinals’ No. 13 prospect) and Knizner (No. 8). The 23-year-old Fernandez debuted at both the Triple-A and major league levels last season. He was especially strong in 24 1/3 frames as a member of Memphis, with which he logged a 1.48 ERA, induced grounders at a 61.7 percent clip and struck out 9.99 batters per nine with 4.07 BB/9.

Knizner batted .276/.357/.463 with 12 home runs in 280 Triple-A plate appearances a year ago, though the .226/.293/.377 line he registered in his first 58 PA in the majors fell well short. He’ll continue to remain behind Yadier Molina and Matt Wieters in the Cardinals’ pecking order at catcher.

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Cardinals Likely To Use Alex Reyes In Bullpen Role

By Steve Adams | January 24, 2020 at 7:46am CDT

It wasn’t that long ago that Alex Reyes was arguably baseball’s best pitching prospect — a power right-hander heralded as the Cardinals’ ace of the future, Injuries, however, have decimated Reyes’ past few years. Tommy John surgery plus lat and pectoral strains have limited him to a combined 195 2/3 innings in the past four seasons (despite working almost exclusively as a starter in that time). Still just 25 years of age, Reyes tells Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he hopes to continue as a starter now that he’s healthy, but president of baseball operations John Mozeliak suggests that’s not likely — at least this season.

“It’s going to be tough for him to break our rotation given the talent and the names we have in it,” Mozeliak tells Hummel. “We are going to bring him to camp and stretch him out the best we can. But I think the likelihood of how he most likely contributes to the Cardinals in 2020 is in the bullpen.”

The Cardinals’ rotation consists of Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Dakota Hudson and Adam Wainwright. Fifth-starter candidates include Carlos Martinez (who was forced into a relief role by injuries in 2019) and winter pickup Kwang-Hyun Kim, who could work in either the rotation or the ’pen. Right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon and lefties Genesis Cabrera and Austin Gomber are depth options on the 40-man roster. One would imagine that a healthy Martinez is the best option, but he did excel in a relief capacity in 2019 (3.17 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 9.9 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.37 HR/9, 56.5 percent ground-ball rate).

Turning back to Reyes, it’s indeed difficult to see how the club could expect him to function as a starter in the short term. He’s thrown just 84 1/3 innings in the past three seasons, including just 40 1/3 frames in 2019. Dropping him back into a starter’s workload would necessitate an enormous increase in his total innings and pitches thrown — and that’s particularly problematic for a pitcher who has never even tossed 120 frames in a single season; Reyes’ career-high innings total is 115 1/3 all the way back in 2015.

That’s not to say that the talented righty doesn’t have any sort of future in the rotation, but between the organization’s pitching depth and Reyes’ injury history, it’s easy to see why the club has its sights set on a relief role in 2020. Looking down the line, Wainwright is only playing on a one-year deal, while Kim is being paid $4MM in both 2020 and 2021. A strong relief effort for Reyes this coming season could well lead to a look as a starter in 2021, but he’ll first need to prove his arm can hold up. The Cardinals control Reyes through the 2023 season.

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Cardinals Notes: Ozuna, Ravelo, Wieters, CarMar, Reyes

By Mark Polishuk | January 19, 2020 at 7:14am CDT

Some tidbits from the Cardinals as the team holds its Winter Warm-Up fan event this weekend…

  • Marcell Ozuna continues to linger as a possibility to rejoin the team, though Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears from a source that the Cardinals will “have to up their offer for him to return.”  Ozuna recently hinted that the Cards and Rangers were his two top suitors, and reports from earlier this month suggested that the Reds were also still in the mix.  That said, there have also been rumblings that the Rangers’ top outfield (and first base) target might be Nicholas Castellanos rather than Ozuna, and it remains to be seen if Cincinnati will further add to its rather crowded outfield after signing Shogo Akiyama.  The Cardinals themselves have quite a few outfield options to juggle, of course, and between that depth and potentially the lack of a strong bidding war for Ozuna’s services, the club may not see a reason yet to offer him a larger contract.
  • Reports from last week indicated that Rangel Ravelo was receiving interest from a KBO League team, though Cardinals president John Mozeliak told Goold and other media members that a trade was apparently very close to fruition.  Trading Ravelo to South Korea would have lessened the outfield surplus, though St. Louis instead addressed that issue by dealing Jose Martinez and Randy Arozarena to the Rays as part of a swap that involved four players and two draft picks.  As Mozeliak put it, “that’s when I took the toothpaste and tried to jam it back in the tube” in terms of walking back the Ravelo trade with the unnamed KBO team.  Since Ravelo is still somewhat buried on the Cardinals’ long list of outfield candidates, one wonders if those trade talks could be revisited (assuming the Korean team is still interested) should the Cards make another addition, such as perhaps an Ozuna signing.
  • Mozeliak told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) that he is “hopeful” that Matt Wieters will return as the St. Louis backup catcher.  As of last week, the Athletics were also known to have interest in Wieters’ services, though Mozeliak said that “I’m hoping we’ll get Wieters done, I really am.  Still need to dot i’s and cross the t’s on that.”  Wieters hit .214/.268/.435 with 11 home runs over 183 plate appearances for the Cards last season, with positive grades as a pitch-blocker from Baseball Prospectus even while ranking near the bottom of the league in framing.  The fact that Mozeliak directly mentioned Wieters perhaps hints at a deal being close, Rogers noted, as the executive rarely names specific targets.
  • “It feels great to be a starter again,” Carlos Martinez told reporters (including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Rick Hummel) at the Winter Warm-Up event.  Martinez has pitched well as the Cardinals’ closer in each of the last two seasons, and the right-hander said he prefers to start, though he likes both starting and relieving — “Whatever situation they put me in, I’m going to help the team.”  Shoulder problems necessitated Martinez’s shift to the bullpen, though he is now eager to get back to the rotation after claiming “100 percent” health following a minor shoulder surgery and a PRP injection in October.  The St. Louis rotation already features Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, Dakota Hudson, and newly-signed Kwang-Hyun Kim, though needless to say, Martinez won’t have any trouble regaining a slot if he returns to his 2015-17 form.
  • Alex Reyes is another Cardinals pitcher that sees himself eventually as a starter, though for now, the young righty is just happy to finally be healthy.  “Mentally, I think what helped the most is just not being around rehab, rehab, rehab. It’s been three years of strictly rehab for me…I thought it was huge for me to be able to be with my family,” Reyes told Rogers and other reporters.  Once considered one of the sport’s top prospects, Reyes has been limited to just seven MLB innings over the last three seasons due to Tommy John surgery, lat muscle surgery, a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, and a pec injury.  If Reyes can finally stay on the field, he will likely be pitching out of the Cards’ bullpen as the team gets him re-acclimated to a regular pitching schedule.
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Alex Reyes Headed For Additional Testing, May Not Pitch Again In 2019

By Steve Adams | August 7, 2019 at 2:17pm CDT

It appears that Cardinals righty Alex Reyes is once again threatened by the potential of a season-ending injury. Mark Saxon of The Athletic tweets that Reyes is heading to St. Louis for another round of imaging and examinations on his ailing right pectoral muscle, adding that it “appears as if his 2019 season is over.”

Reyes, 25 later this month, has been limited to just 40 1/3 innings in 2019 — only three of which came at the MLB level. He hasn’t pitched in a game since a June 23 outing and hasn’t appeared in the Majors since April 5. At the time of the injury, it was announced as a pectoral strain that was only expected to cost Reyes two to three starts, but manager Mike Shildt said Wednesday that Reyes’ arm didn’t respond well to a bullpen session this week (Twitter link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

If Reyes is indeed shut down for the season, it’ll mark a third straight season for Reyes that has been virtually wiped out by injury. He didn’t pitch at all in 2017 due to Tommy John surgery, was limited to 26 innings last year thanks largely to surgery to repair a tendon in his lat muscle and has now only totaled 40 1/3 frames in 2019. Reyes is among the most highly touted pitching prospects in recent memory and was at one point hailed as a potential ace in the making, but he’s never even reached a total of 115 innings in a season between the Majors and minors combined.

The latest setback for Reyes comes at a poor time, as St. Louis has dropped four consecutive games after choosing not to add to its rotation at the trade deadline. Michael Wacha is currently holding the fifth spot in the rotation, but he’s lost that job twice already in 2019 and pitched poorly in his return to a starting role in his last outing.

Among internal alternatives, lefty Genesis Cabrera has struggled in the upper minors and in a pair of MLB starts. Right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon made a handful of solid outings earlier this season but didn’t complete four innings in any of his three most recent starts. Lefty Austin Gomber, also on the 40-man roster, has been sidelined since mid-May. Adding depth in August is harder than ever before, and the Cardinals’ record is better than that of fellow postseason hopefuls in Milwaukee, New York, Arizona, San Francisco and Cincinnati, which lessens the likelihood of a palatable option making it to St. Louis on outright waivers.

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Injury Notes: Astros, A. Reyes, Cain, Dodgers, Lamet

By Connor Byrne | June 25, 2019 at 9:18pm CDT

Astros right-hander Corbin Martin is dealing with “a potentially serious elbow injury,” Brian McTaggart of MLB.com writes. Martin suffered the injury during a start for Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday. MLB.com’s 48th-ranked prospect, Martin made his major league debut earlier this season when the Astros were looking for a fifth starter, though he wasn’t able to lay claim to the spot. The 23-year-old made five starts and posted a 5.59 ERA with 8.84 K/9 and 5.59 BB/9 in 19 1/3 innings before the Astros optioned him back to the minors.

  • Cardinals righty Alex Reyes has been diagnosed with a strained pectoral muscle that will cost him to two to three starts, according to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak (via Mark Saxon of The Athletic). It’s the latest in a growing line of injuries for the touted Reyes, who, largely because of health issues, hasn’t been able to stay in the majors since his 2016 debut. The 24-year-old has spent almost all of this season at Triple-A Memphis, where he has recorded a 7.39 ERA with 12.21 K/9 and 7.71 BB/9 in 28 innings (10 appearances, seven starts).
  • Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain underwent cryptotherapy on his right thumb Tuesday, but it should only keep him out a couple days, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com relays. Cain has undergone the procedure on a few occasions during his career, per McCalvy, who notes the 33-year-old has been battling pain for weeks. That likely helps explain Cain’s surprising decline in production. One of the majors’ most valuable players from 2017-18, Cain’s off to a .253/.314/.357 start in 331 plate appearances this year.
  • The Dodgers are hopeful shortstop Corey Seager will return immediately after next month’s All-Star break, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday (via Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times and Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Seager would end up missing about a month in that scenario, having gone to the IL with a left hamstring strain June 13. Meanwhile, fellow Dodgers infielder David Freese’s injured hamstring is “not responding like we’d hoped,” Roberts revealed. Nevertheless, the Dodgers are optimistic Freese – who just hit the shelf over the weekend – will come back prior to the break.
  • The Padres could soon have “a serious conversation” about whether to add rehabbing righty Dinelson Lamet to their rotation, per manager Andy Green (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). The team’s “getting more and more excited about that concept” of plugging in Lamet, who’s mending from April 2018 Tommy John surgery and may only be one more rehab start from heading back to San Diego. The 26-year-old’s first major league start of the season could come as early as July 4, Cassavell reports. Lamet showed promise in his only big league season, 2017, during which he logged a 4.57 ERA with 10.94 K/9 and 4.25 BB/9 in 114 1/3 innings.
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Jordan Hicks, Alex Reyes Undergoing Medical Evaluations

By Steve Adams | June 24, 2019 at 3:15pm CDT

Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks and oft-injured prospect Alex Reyes are both undergoing tests today to determine the severity of a pair of potential injuries, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hicks is having an MRI after being slowed by triceps tightness in recent days and could potentially land on the injured list. Reyes, meanwhile, exited yesterday’s Triple-A outing due to right pectoral discomfort and is being reevaluated today.

Were Hicks to require a stint on the injured list, the Cardinals could turn to either Andrew Miller or John Gant for ninth-inning work in his absence. Miller struggled terribly through his first 13 games this year but has rebounded with a 2.70 ERA and, more importantly, a 25-to-4 K/BB ratio over his past 16 2/3 innings. That sterling ratio comes after the lefty issued eight walks and hit three batters in his first 9 1/3 innings of action as a Cardinal. Gant, meanwhile, boasts a 2.40 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 0.65 HR/9 and a 47.1 percent grounder rate in 41 1/3 innings of relief.

That’s not to say that the loss of Hicks wouldn’t sting, of course. The 22-year-old has improved in every meaningful category in 2019. At present, he has a 3.14 ERA with 9.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a superlative 67.2 percent ground-ball rate. He’s upped his swinging-strike rate and opponents’ chase rates from 9.4 percent and 26.1 percent to 11.9 percent and 29.5 percent, respectively. Even Hicks’ otherworldly heater has taken a step forward in 2019; after averaging a blazing 100.5 mph on the pitch in 2018, he’s upped his average fastball velocity to 101.2 mph this year.

The news on Reyes, 24, is more concerning not necessarily because of the specific nature of his injury but because the vaunted right-hander has an already lengthy injury history that has led to concerns about his ability to remain on the field. Reyes has thrown  just 64 1/3 innings from 2017-19 combined and has never reached 120 innings in a single season. He’s previously undergone Tommy John surgery as well as surgery to repair a tendon in his lat muscle last season.

The Cardinals’ pitching staff has received a boost in recent weeks. Carlos Martinez returned to bolster the bullpen and has turned in 15 innings of 3.00 ERA ball. Michael Wacha tossed two quality starts (albeit against one clunker) upon rejoining the rotation following a bullpen sojourn. Miller’s resurgence, too, has been a vital development. The club looks better equipped to handle absences for Hicks and/or Reyes with that trio looking mostly sharp, but a significant absence for either pitcher could of course impact the manner in which the Cards operate in the weeks leading up to next month’s trade deadline.

St. Louis currently looks like a buyer, as the Cards are in a tie for an NL Wild Card spot and just two games behind the division-leading Cubs. That stance isn’t likely to change, but their area of focus and level of urgency to make a deal will undoubtedly be impacted by health throughout the roster.

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