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Nick Ahmed To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed will undergo season-ending hip surgery, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (Twitter link). Ahmed has been on the disabled list since July 23 with a hip impingement, an issue that sprung up in June.

The 26-year-old Ahmed, whom Atlanta chose in the second round of the 2011 draft, joined the Diamondbacks organization in a 2012 trade involving Justin Upton and has been a regular in the majors since last season. Ahmed has been a drain on Arizona’s offense during that time, though, with a .223/.271/.335 batting line in 767 plate appearances. Among hitters with at least 750 PAs dating back to 2015, Ahmed ranks last in the majors in wRC+ (57).

While Ahmed’s work at the dish has left much to be desired, his defense has been a completely different story. Advanced metrics have assigned him excellent marks over the past year-plus. He ranks 13th out of all major league position players this season in Defensive Runs Saved (12), 22nd in Ultimate Zone Rating (7.9) and 19th in UZR/150 (13.2). It was a similar situation last year for Ahmed, who was sixth, 11th and seventh in those three categories.

The D-backs’ current shortstop, Chris Owings, doesn’t bring Ahmed’s defensive chops to the table, but he has hovered around the league-average mark offensively in two of the past three seasons (though he wasn’t nearly as effective in 2015). Owings’ current line of .283/.331/.413 (he’s also 12 of 12 on stolen base attempts) makes him a significant offensive upgrade over Ahmed.

Diamondbacks Still Weighing Front Office Decisions

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With contract decisions fast approaching on chief baseball officer Tony La Russa, GM Dave Stewart, and VP of baseball operations DeJon Watson, the Diamondbacks have yet to make a final call on their front office moving forward, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports.

The contracts originally signed by the three top members of the organization’s baseball decisionmaking structure are all nearly due for a decision. La Russa’s runs out at the end of the year, while Stewart and Watson both have deals that include options which must be exercised

“Nothing’s been decided. It will be an evaluation,” said club president Derrick Hall. He did speak positively of the dedication and attitude of his top baseball executives, but had to admit that “it hasn’t gone well” this year for the Snakes.

Indeed, managing general partner Ken Kendrick is understandably said to be rather unhappy with the way things have played out in 2016. It’s hard to see how he’d feel otherwise with the team buried in last place after an offseason in which it spent huge money on aging-but-excellent hurler Zack Greinke and parted with a major haul of young talent to acquire foundering righty Shelby Miller.

Though there are whispers (see here and here) that skipper Chip Hale could be in danger of losing his job, it seems hard to lay too much of the blame at his feet. That’s true to some extent of the front office personnel, too — the loss of A.J. Pollock crippled the team before the season even started, for instance — but the D-Backs’ roster construction efforts are ripe for second-guessing. Indeed, the underlying decisionmaking process has come under fire since the very inception of the La Russa/Stewart regime, with the chorus of criticism only growing louder of late.

Most notably, ESPN.com’s Keith Law recently offered a withering assessment of the front office’s work since taking charge. Among other things, he reports that the D-Backs were entirely unaware of the way the international signing rules work when they inked Yoan Lopez (while also mis-assessing his talent and market value). Other embarrassing episodes include an apparent attempt by Stewart to engineer a trade that wasn’t permissible under MLB rules and a glaring mismanagement of last year’s draft bonus pool allotment. You’ll want to read the entire piece for a full understanding of the wide-ranging critique.

Stewart has pushed back against the critics, telling Heyman that he thinks he has performed well in his two seasons at the helm. “We’ve done a pretty good job of putting players in our system,” says Stewart. “When we came in the major-league team was not very good and the minor-league system was not very good.” Even while defending his record, Stewart did insist that he isn’t focused at all on his own contract situation; to the contrary, he says he isn’t even aware of when the option is due to be decided upon.

That Stewart evidently isn’t concerned with the timeline for assessing his future may actually coincide with upper management’s own preferences for dealing with their baseball operations department. “Our preference is to wait until the end of the year, if we can,” Hall said of making a final call on whether to retain some or all of the trio. It’s not immediately clear how that would occur, but presumably Arizona could simply decline to pick up the options and then attempt to work out new contracts if the decision was made to retain Stewart and/or Watson.

Could Chip Hale Be On Hot Seat?

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Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports kicks off his weekly Inside Baseball column with a look at the job security of a number of managers, noting that Mets skipper Terry Collins, D-backs manager Chip Hale and White Sox manager Robin Ventura could all be on the hot seat, while Braves interim manager Brian Snitker doesn’t seem especially likely to shed the interim label and keep his post. Other names mentioned include Mike Scioscia (Angels), Brad Ausmus (Tigers), Kevin Cash (Rays), Paul Molitor (Twins), Bryan Price (Reds) and Walt Weiss (Rockies), but none from that group seems to be eminently in danger of losing his job even at season’s end, per Heyman.

[SOURCE LINK]

Diamondbacks Considering Welington Castillo Extension

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The Diamondbacks have had internal discussions about approaching catcher Welington Castillo about a contract extension, Arizona GM Dave Stewart tells Jack Magruder of Fan Rag. It doesn’t appear as if talks have begun, however, as Stewart suggests that the team hasn’t yet decided on its course of action.

Castillo, 29, is playing out his second-to-last season of team control on a $3.7MM arbitration agreement. He’s arb-eligible a final time this winter, and will reach the open market after the 2017 campaign — unless a new deal can be struck. The sides will already be at the bargaining table to hammer out a new arbitration number, which could provide an opportune time at least to lay the groundwork for a broader agreement.

The backstop bounced around last year from the Cubs to the Mariners before landing in Arizona as part of the deal that sent Mark Trumbo to Seattle. That swap has worked out quite nicely for both the D-Backs and Castillo, as he turned things around immediately upon arriving in his new home.

Over his 625 plate appearances with the Snakes, Castillo owns a .260/.315/.468 batting line with 29 home runs. Though he did more damage at the plate last year than he has thus far in 2016, he carries far more punch than your average receiver and has been a very useful pick-up.

Notably, Castillo has made strides with his defensive work this year, according to Baseball Prospectus’s catcher ratings (subscription required and recommended). He has typically graded as a solid blocker while registering good marks with his arm. And Castillo has also improved greatly as a pitch framer; once one of the game’s least-regarded framers, he now registers as average to slightly below-average (with StatCorner valuing him higher than does BP) at winning strikes for his pitchers.

Skipper Chip Hale also adds that Castillo has worked hard at handling the Arizona staff. “Welington has been an unbelievable studier this whole year,” says Hale. “He’s improved every month. You watch him, he’s in there whether it’s with pitchers, with coaches, on his own.”

The D-Backs will obviously need to weigh organizational need in addition to valuing a player who would be entering his age-31 campaign in any new years of control that might hypothetically be added. Looking at the rest of the depth chart, though, it’s easy to see how Castillo could make for a longer-term fit.

Chris Herrmann has put together 161 surprisingly excellent plate appearances this year while playing catcher and a variety of other positions, but it would be hard to rely on that continuing. Tuffy Gosewisch still provides a depth option. And 2015 Rule 5 pick Oscar Hernandez is still in the organization, though he has struggled at the Double-A level after earning a promotion with a strong batting line in High-A action earlier this year. Otherwise, only one of Arizona’s top thirty prospects (as ranked by MLB.com) is a catcher, and Andy Yerzy is an 18-year-old who is struggling to hit in Rookie ball.

Diamondbacks Designate Adam Loewen

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The Diamondbacks have designated lefty Adam Loewen for assignment, per a club announcement. Arizona has also activated catcher Welington Castillo and recalled southpaw Edwin Escobar.

Loewen, 32, has seen big league action as a starter, an outfielder, and — most recently — a reliever. He struggled through six innings for the D-Backs during a brief stint, allowing ten earned runs while issuing six walks and recording only three strikeouts.

The multi-functional ballplayer had been much more effective at Triple-A this year, where he recorded a 3.52 ERA in 38 1/3 innings and racked up 9.6 K/9. On the other hand, he also handed out a troubling 28 free passes in that span, continuing a longstanding battle with control.

Loewen was taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Orioles. He showed promise as a starter in the Baltimore farm system, but was never able to stick at the major league level. Loewen switched to the position-player side in 2009, and again moved through the minor league ranks — this time with the Blue Jays. Despite posting a .306/.377/.508 slash in 585 Triple-A plate appearances in 2011, though, he earned only a brief big league cameo as a hitter that year and eventually moved back to the rubber.

Diamondbacks Release Matt Railey

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  • The Diamondbacks have released 2014 third-round outfielder Matt Railey, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Railey batted just .136/.246/.136 without an extra-base hit in 169 A-ball plate appearances this year before his release. In his time with the D-backs organization, Railey hit .205/.324/.311 in 225 PAs. He also served a 50-game suspension last year after testing positive for an amphetamine.

D-backs Demote Patrick Corbin To Bullpen

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  • The Diamondbacks have removed left-hander Patrick Corbin from their rotation in favor of right-hander Zack Godley, tweets Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Corbin’s demotion to the bullpen comes on the heels of a Thursday start in which he surrendered eight runs (four earned) on nine hits in 1 2/3 innings of a 9-4 loss to Boston. With a 5.58 ERA through 132 1/3 innings, Corbin has unexpectedly produced poor results this year. The 2014 Tommy John surgery recipient combined to throw 293 1/3 frames of 3.47 ERA ball in 2013 and ’15, adding a 46.7 percent ground-ball rate and 7.85 K/9 against 2.18 BB/9. Although Corbin’s strikeouts (7.18) have remained in a similar range and his grounders (52.6) have increased, both his walk rate (3.88) and home run to fly ball rate (18.5 percent) have spiked. Godley, who has thrown 44 2/3 innings this year, hasn’t fared much differently than Corbin (5.24 ERA, 7.05 K/9, 2.62 BB/9, 53.5 grounder rate).

D-backs Have Decisions To Make On Key Execs

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The last-place Diamondbacks have until Aug. 31 to decide whether to exercise 2017 options for general manager Dave Stewart and senior vice president of baseball operations De Jon Watson, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Chief baseball officer Tony La Russa told Piecoro that he expects owner Ken Kendrick and CEO Derrick Hall to retain Stewart and Watson. However, La Russa doesn’t seem aware of his own job security going forward.

“There has not been one conversation, not one, between Derrick and Ken, the three of us, having to do with front office contracts, not one, because what’s dominating us is the disappointing season and that’s where our concentration and energy are going,” said La Russa, who’s unsure of whether his three-year contract began in 2014 – when the team hired him, Stewart and Watson – or in 2015.

Regardless, if the Diamondbacks let go of the 71-year-old La Russa, the longtime manager won’t collect any of the money still owed to him, he informed Piecoro.

“If they like what I’m doing, then I’m here,” the three-time World Series winner stated. “If they don’t, then I’ll leave knowing that right now I’m not very happy with the job that I’m doing. So I’m determined to do better.”

After posting 79 wins and a plus-7 run differential last year, the Diamondbacks’ first full season under La Russa, Stewart and Watson, the club has gone backward in 2016. Those three are currently at the helm of a 48-68 team despite aggressively trying to turn it into a contender in the offseason. Not only did Arizona commit $206.5MM to right-hander Zack Greinke, but it famously dealt 2015 No. 1 pick and top shortstop prospect Dansby Swanson, outfielder Ender Inciarte and young righty Aaron Blair to Atlanta for Shelby Miller.

Greinke has pitched well in his first season with the Diamondbacks, though it’s too early to assess whether their long-term investment in him was wise. On the other hand, Miller’s 2016 has been an unmitigated disaster. The decision to trade such a significant haul for the righty was widely pilloried from the get-go, but no one expected the 25-year-old to regress from a quality starter to someone incapable of holding a spot in a major league rotation. Miller, who has registered a 7.14 ERA, 6.49 K/9 and 4.41 BB/9 across 69 1/3 innings with the Diamondbacks, has been with Triple-A Reno since mid-July.

After acquiring Miller, Greinke, shortstop Jean Segura and reliever Tyler Clippard (who is now a Yankee after a July trade) during the winter, D-backs brass expected to field a postseason-caliber squad. Prior to the season, Stewart called the idea of the club winning fewer games than last year “a joke” and referred to it as “impossible” (via Jack Magruder of Today’s Knuckleball). Unfortunately for Stewart, that impossibility is going to become a reality.

In fairness to Stewart and the rest of the Diamondbacks’ front office, injuries haven’t helped the team’s cause. Most notably, Arizona has been without star center fielder A.J. Pollock all season because of a fractured elbow. Plus, the 26-year-old Segura – whom the Diamondbacks acquired from the Brewers for righty Chase Anderson, infielder Aaron Hill and shortstop prospect Isan Diaz – has been quite effective. Moreover, lefty Robbie Ray, righty Rubby De La Rosa and outfielder Yasmany Tomas, all of whom were picked up after La Russa, Stewart and Watson took the helm, have shown promise. But, despite Tomas’ offensive strides, the big-bodied 25-year-old has minimal upside because of his limitations as a defender and base runner. Thus, the Diamondbacks’ $68.5MM investment in him looks questionable at best.

Arizona’s other noteworthy Cuban signing, 2014 addition Yoan Lopez, has scuffled in the minors during his tenure in America and the righty hasn’t pitched since June 29 because he’s contemplating leaving the sport. Signing Lopez, then an international free agent, for a record $8.27MM bonus took Arizona out of the running to land any other international amateurs for more than $300K during both the 2015 signing period and this year’s.

The era of La Russa, Stewart and Watson has clearly produced more negatives than positives for the Diamondbacks, who enter play Sunday with the fourth-worst record and third-worst run differential (minus-114) in the majors. While La Russa expects his cohorts to return next season, the fact that there’s uncertainty regarding their statuses obviously wasn’t what they or the franchise had in mind at the beginning of the year.

Injury Notes: Harper, De La Rosa, Rasmus, Bour, Gray, Cishek, Zych

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A slumping Bryce Harper was out of the lineup again tonight for the Nationals owing to a seemingly minor neck issue, but the precise nature of his injury has been the subject of some debate. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post breaks down all the back-and-forth on the topic. In essence, Nats GM Mike Rizzo strongly denied a report from SI.com’s Tom Verducci indicating that Harper may have been playing through a shoulder injury for some time. Rizzo insists that Harper simply has a stiff neck that has not yet required a DL placement.

Here’s more on some injury situations around the game:

  • Diamondbacks righty Rubby De La Rosa has suffered a setback in his efforts to come back from a forearm injury, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. He’s headed for an MRI to see where things stand. It seems as if there’s little reason to expect the 27-year-old to return to the majors this season. That’s a tough blow for the D-Backs, who surely would like to get a longer look at a pitcher who showed a fair bit of promise this year. Over 47 2/3 innings earlier in the season, De La Rosa worked to a 4.15 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9.
  • The Astros will be without Colby Rasmus for a month or more after he underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his ear, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Rasmus has been struggling for some time, and it’s fair to wonder whether the issue may have played a significant role. He’ll need to return in good form to provide a boost to the ’Stros — and to bolster his fading free agent position.
  • Marlins first baseman Justin Bour isn’t progressing in his attempt to return from an ankle injury, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports on Twitter. In fact, manager Don Mattingly says that Bour “went backwards” of late, with the team’s expectation now being that he won’t return until at least early September. That certainly seems to open some room for Miami to look into adding a bat to chip in down the stretch.
  • Athletics righty Sonny Gray only just began forearm exercises today, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports. He won’t begin throwing again unless and until the inflammation subsides. At this point, it seems far from certain whether he’ll make it back to a major league hill this season.
  • The Mariners may soon send reliever Steve Cishek out on a rehab assignment, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. It appears that his hip labrum issue is indeed as minor as the team had suggested. Meanwhile, fellow pen righty Tony Zych is also finally making some progress and will begin a rehab assignment on Friday. Adding those two arms down the stretch would provide a significant boost to Seattle’s late-inning mix.

Braves Asked About Shelby Miller

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  • The Braves also were one of the teams to ask the Diamondbacks about struggling righty Shelby Miller, who famously changed hands between those teams before the season. That deal seemed favorable to the Braves at the time, and looks even better for them now. Arizona was prepared to move Miller, Heyman notes, but never was offered anything close to what was deemed needed to make a deal.

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