Added To The 40-Man Roster: Hoover, Diaz, Martinez, Nava, Stassi, Stammen
We’ll use this post to track any notable 40-man roster additions that crop up as teams settle upon their Opening Day rosters:
- The D-backs announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-handed reliever J.J. Hoover. He’ll fill the 40-man spot that was vacated earlier today when Christian Walker was sent outright to Triple-A. Hoover, 29, inked a minor league deal with the Snakes this offseason after spending parts of the past five seasons — the entirety of his Major League career — with the Reds. Hoover opened the 2016 season as Cincinnati’s closer but quickly lost that job and experienced a rapid decline that ultimately led to his outright off the 40-man roster. As recently as 2015, however, the righty tossed 64 1/3 innings of 2.94 ERA ball with 7.3 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9. Hoover will walk his fair share of batters (career 4.2 BB/9 rate), but he’s also punched out 240 hitters in 242 1/3 Major League frames. As a rather extreme fly-ball pitcher, he may find Chase Field more problematic than some pitchers, though he’s no stranger to homer-friendly parks, thanks to his time in Cincinnati.
Earlier Moves
- The Indians are set to select the contracts of infielders Yandy Diaz and Michael Martinez, per a club announcement. Diaz, 25, enjoyed a strong season split between Cleveland’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, hitting .318/.408/.446 with nine homers and 11 stolen bases. The third baseman/second baseman/outfielder was terrific in Spring Training, hitting .429/.529/.667 with a pair of homers and four doubles during Cactus League play. The 34-year-old Martinez, no stranger to the Indians organization after spending 59 games and the postseason with Cleveland last year, had a similarly strong Spring Training. The veteran utility man batted .357/.379/.536 in 21 spring contests. In parts of six big league seasons, Martinez is a .197/.241/.266 hitter.
- The final two spots on the Phillies‘ bench have been won by the well-traveled Daniel Nava and veteran minor leaguer Brock Stassi, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link). Nava hit .362/.455/.489 this spring and can serve as a backup to corner outfielders Michael Saunders and Howie Kendrick in the Phillies’ new-look outfield. He also has some experience at first base and could serve as a left-handed complement to Tommy Joseph at times, though the same could be said of the 27-year-old Stassi. A veteran of six minor league seasons and the older brother of Astros backstop Max Stassi, Brock Stasi was emotional in discussing what will be his MLB debut (Twitter video link via Philly Voice’s Ryan Lawrence). A former 33rd-round selection, Stassi reached Triple-A for the first time last season and hit .267/.369/.437 before posting an outstanding .333/.397/.702 batting line and six homers this spring.
- Righty Craig Stammen is back in the majors after being selected to the Padres‘ 40-man, per a team announcement. The 33-year-old had long been a steady reliever for the Nationals before he required flexor tendon surgery early in the 2015 season. He didn’t earn a return last year after joining the Indians on a minors deal, but did show he was healthy in throwing 27 1/3 innings of 3.62 ERA ball. Stammen turned things up a notch this spring, allowing just a single earned run on nine hits and five walks over 11 2/3 innings, recording a dozen strikeouts along the way.
Diamondbacks Outright Christian Walker
The Diamondbacks have outrighted first baseman/corner outfielder Christian Walker to Triple-A, the team announced via press release. The former Orioles prospect has had an active offseason, going from Baltimore to Atlanta to Cincinnati to Arizona on waivers before clearing waivers this time around. Now that he’s cleared waivers, Walker is no longer on Arizona’s 40-man roster but will remain in the organization and be assigned outright to Triple-A Reno.
Walker, 26, saw brief cups of coffee with Baltimore in both 2014 and 2015, hitting just .148/.258/.296 in a minuscule sample of 31 plate appearances. The former fourth-round pick (2012) has turned in solid overall numbers across parts of three Triple-A campaigns, but he’s never exhibited a mastery of upper-level minor league pitching. In 1332 plate appearances with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, Walker carried a .260/.324/.429 batting line to go along with 42 homers and 72 doubles.
There was no longer a long-term fit for Walker in Baltimore, with the Orioles having both Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo signed for at least the next three seasons. Beyond that, Trey Mancini had leapfrogged Walker on the Orioles’ depth chart and was viewed as a superior prospect that is limited to the same positions.
With the D-backs, he’ll serve as a depth piece, as the Snakes have their own long-term option at Walker’s primary position of first base: Paul Goldschmidt. The corner outfield slots are presently occupied by Yasmany Tomas and David Peralta, with Socrates Brito on hand to represent another option. However, a strong performance in the Pacific Coast League could allow Walker to work his way back onto the Major League scene with his new organization.
West Notes: Giants, Halos, D-backs, Dodgers, Mariners
The Giants have informed 38-year-old shortstop Jimmy Rollins that he won’t make their roster, Andrew Baggarly of the East Bay Times was among those to report. San Francisco is now awaiting word on whether the longtime Phillie and 2007 NL MVP will accept a minor league assignment, per manager Bruce Bochy, but Baggarly notes that Rollins has a Thursday opt-out in his contract. This could conceivably be the end of the line for Rollins, who posted subpar seasons with the Dodgers and White Sox over the past two years. Chicago released him last June after a 41-game stint on the South Side, and he went on to ink a minors pact with the Giants in December.
More from the West divisions:
- Angels utilityman Dustin Ackley will not opt out of his minor league deal, reports Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The former star prospect will instead go to Triple-A. Ackley, 29, is still recovering from the shoulder surgery he underwent as a Yankee last June; consequently, he hasn’t played the field this spring.
- The Diamondbacks optioned Ketel Marte to Triple-A on Tuesday, meaning they’re primed to divide shortstop between Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings. Manager Torey Lovullo isn’t sure which of the two will get the lion’s share of playing time at short, though “he sort of intimated” Owings will be in the lineup everyday at various positions, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). Since debuting in 2013, Owings has seen action at both middle infield spots and center field.
- It’s clear that the Dodgers will go with right-hander Brandon McCarthy over southpaw Alex Wood for the fifth spot in their rotation, writes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Wood seems resigned to the idea that he’s headed to the bullpen, observes Plunkett. While the 26-year-old Wood isn’t thrilled, he’s staying upbeat. “If I were anywhere else, I don’t think we’d be having this discussion,” he said. “You can look at it as the glass being half empty or glass half full. It’s one of those things where I’m excited because this is the best team I’ve ever been on. Whatever they want me to do, that’s where we’ll go.” Wood isn’t new to the bullpen, having totaled 35 of 112 career appearances as a reliever, and he could return to the rotation if the injury bug once again bites McCarthy. For now, it appears McCarthy will slot in behind Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and Hyun-jin Ryu.
- Mariners reliever Shae Simmons is progressing in his recovery from the forearm strain he suffered March 11, relays Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. An MRI on Tuesday confirmed no ligament damage, but the righty will still go at least a few more days without throwing. As Dutton notes, the 26-year-old Simmons missed almost all of the previous two seasons with the Braves while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so the latest development is an encouraging one.
Article XX(B) Free Agent Decisions
With five days to go until Opening Day, decisions are due at noon eastern on players who qualify as Article XX(B) free agents. The rule applies to players who a) have six or more years of service; b) finished the prior season on a 40-man roster or on the 60-day DL; and c) signed Minor League deals over the offseason. If a team does not release such a player prior to the deadline, then they must either put the player on the active roster (or DL) to start the year or be on the hook for some extra benefits — a $100K retention bonus and June 1st opt-out date (at a minimum).
Here are updates on players who’ll be paid the bonus or have instead learned that they’ve made their respective teams …
- Righty Brandon Morrow will not make the Dodgers roster, but he will remain in the organization, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. Morrow will take a minor-league assignment, and his $100K retention bonus, to open the season.
- Giants minor-league signee Aaron Hill is set to receive his $100K bonus, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News tweets, though that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to take an active roster spot to open the year. Baggarly suggests the veteran still has an excellent chance of earning an Opening Day nod after his solid performance in camp.
- The Angels have informed righty Yusmeiro Petit that he’ll be added to the roster for Opening Day, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times was among those to tweet. He figures to work as a long reliever and swingman in Los Angeles. Petit struggled in the second half last year for the Nationals, ending the year with a 4.50 ERA over 62 innings.
- Righty Tom Wilhelmsen and lefty Jorge De La Rosa have both been added to the Diamondbacks‘ 40-man roster, the team announced, though only the latter is an Article XX(B) player. They’ll both join the bullpen for the start of the season. Wilhelmsen posted better numbers in the second half of 2016, but still wasn’t quite his former self. Meanwhile, De La Rosa is set to transition to the bullpen after serving mostly as a starter over his 13-year MLB career.
- The Padres will add shortstop Erick Aybar to their roster, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). The expectation is that Aybar will be the team’s regular at short to open the season. Clearly, that could change either now or in the future if the organization is able to pick up a somewhat younger player deemed worthy of a shot at a significant MLB opportunity. The 33-year-old Aybar has struggled badly in the past two seasons, though he was a productive, everyday player for years before that.
- Utilityman Emilio Bonifacio and lefty Eric O’Flaherty have been informed they’ll be on the Braves‘ Opening Day roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com was among those to report (Twitter link). The 31-year-old Bonifacio has struggled badly in his limited big league time over the past two seasons, though he had been a regular contributor before that. Never much with the bat, Bonifacio has long earned his keep through defensive versatility and excellence on the bases. Meanwhile, O’Flaherty has struggled to rediscover his form from his first stint in Atlanta. But he’ll receive another shot after a strong showing this spring; over 10 2/3 innings, O’Flaherty racked up 14 strikeouts and allowed just two earned runs on eight hits and three walks.
- The Rays have informed both infielder Rickie Weeks and righty Tommy Hunter that they will be on the active roster to open the season, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Weeks is expected to function as a righty bench bat, perhaps spending some time at both first base and DH, while Hunter will take up a spot in the Tampa Bay bullpen. Both players enjoyed productive Grapefruit League stints, with Weeks posting a .999 OPS and Hunter allowing just one earned run (with nine strikeouts against three walks) in his eight innings. Both will require 40-man spots, once the moves are made official. Meanwhile, it’s not yet clear whether the team will commit to doing the same with just-acquired outfielder Peter Bourjos. Topkin tweets that he may instead be paid the roster bonus, though the team’s final decision isn’t yet known.
D-Backs Claim Christian Walker, Designate Evan Marshall
The Diamondbacks have claimed first baseman/outfielder Christian Walker off waivers from the Reds, as Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer was among those to tweet. The move opens a roster spot for the Reds’ addition of infielder Scooter Gennett. Arizona has designated reliever Evan Marshall to create roster space, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets.
It’s not the first time that Walker has changed hands over the offseason. He bounced previously from the Orioles to the Braves before moving to Cincinnati. Though he hasn’t seen much MLB time, Walker has hit fairly well at Triple-A. In what amounts to about two full seasons at the highest level of the minors, he owns a .260/.324/.429 slash with 42 home runs.
The trouble is, Walker hasn’t quite hit enough to push out an established big leaguer from a first base job. And he is new to the outfield, leaving it unclear just how he’ll fit on a National League roster. While Arizona had previously parted with a similarly hard-to-fit player in Peter O’Brien, the club now evidently felt there was roster space to spare.
As for Marshall, who’ll soon turn 27, the results have just not been there over the past two seasons. He turned in a high-quality 2014 season (2.74 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9) that seemingly made him a long-term piece. But while his velocity has largely stayed consistent, he tumbled to an 8.8% swinging-strike rate in 2016 and was hardly dominant during his time at Triple-A. In his 5 1/3 spring innings, Marshall had permitted only two earned runs, but did allow nine base hits while compiling three strikeouts to go with one free pass.
Diamondbacks Release, Re-Sign Gregor Blanco
TODAY: The D-Backs have indeed re-signed Blanco to a new minors deal, per a club announcement. It contains the same terms — a $1MM potential base salary and $2.7MM in available incentives — as the old one, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
YESTERDAY, 9:29pm: Arizona would like to re-sign Blanco, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). With an oblique injury slowing Blanco, the club wasn’t “comfortable making the call on him for the Opening Day roster tomorrow” (the Article XX(B) deadline), thus leading to tonight’s move.
9:11pm: The Diamondbacks have released veteran outfielder Gregor Blanco, per a team announcement. He’ll return to the open market in search of another opportunity after failing to crack the team’s Opening Day roster.
The 33-year-old Blanco was an Article XX(B) free agent, meaning the club would have had to pay him a $100K roster bonus to keep him in the minors (assuming he’d not have opted out at that point). Though it seemed entering camp that Blanco would have a reasonable shot at making the team, he hit just .225/.295/.400 in spring action.
Blanco’s offensive production tanked last year, as he scuffled to a .224/.309/.311 slash. But he had been quite a steady performer over the four preceding seasons with the Giants, often as a semi-regular player. Blanco slashed a solid .264/.343/.367 with 18 homers and 69 stolen bases in 1,565 trips to the plate from 2012 through 2015.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Lucroy, Lindor, Ahmed, D’backs, Ryu
Here are highlights from the latest column by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:
- Catcher Jonathan Lucroy and the Rangers recently shelved talks about an extension. It’s not entirely clear what happened, but one possibility could be that Lucroy is waiting for a new Yadier Molina deal with the Cardinals, a contract that would help set his value. Molina could receive $17MM to $18MM a season, Rosenthal writes, and Lucroy would probably receive only a bit less.
- An extension for Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor appears unlikely unless the team is willing to pay him at elite rates, Rosenthal opines. Lindor is on track to become a free agent at 28, and he has an endorsement deal with New Balance that provides him with extra funds during these early-career seasons during which his pay is relatively minimal.
- The Diamondbacks do not have shortstop Nick Ahmed on the market, Rosenthal reports. Ahmed has two minor-league options and is therefore useful to a Diamondbacks team that faces a reasonable amount of uncertainty at the shortstop position, where they also have the largely unproven Chris Owings and Ketel Marte. The Yankees, meanwhile, feel they don’t need Ahmed — Didi Gregorius is set to begin the season on the DL with a shoulder injury, but the Yankees prefer to get through the first several weeks of the season with a combination of Ronald Torreyes, Pete Kozma (a somewhat similar player to Ahmed, Rosenthal points out) and Tyler Wade at short.
- The Diamondbacks will keep an eye out for bullpen help as Opening Day approaches, perhaps pursuing players who don’t make other clubs’ 25-man rosters. In the meantime, though, the Snakes like what they see in Tom Wilhelmsen and J.J. Hoover, both of whom they signed to minor-league deals.
- The White Sox do not seem likely to deal Jose Quintana now when interest in him could ramp up at the deadline, but the Astros, with their strong farm system and rotation needs, seem likely to eventually acquire Quintana or another good starter.
- Dodgers lefty Hyun-jin Ryu, who has missed almost all of the past two seasons to injury, looks “like he hasn’t skipped a beat,” in the words of one scout. Ryu is competing for one of the Dodgers’ final two rotation spots.
NL Notes: Diamondbacks, Braves, Mets, Stubbs
The Diamondbacks drafted both Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock in 2009 and the two have been teammates for years, but they might not remain in the same organization for long, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. If the Snakes don’t contend this season — and that doesn’t appear particularly likely after a disappointing 2016 — the team could begin considering dealing Goldschmidt, Pollock or Zack Greinke. Dealing Goldschmidt or Pollock would give the Diamondbacks a head start in a rebuild, an organizational route of which new GM Mike Hazen seems to see the benefits. “Picking first is a lot better than picking fifth,” Hazen said earlier this month. “From a long-term building standpoint, there are clear advantages to being in those positions over a period of time. The majority of your superstars, by and large, are going to come in those areas of the draft and the international market.” Here’s more from the National League.
- Much of the Braves‘ Opening Day roster is set, but there are still jobs available on the bench and in the bullpen, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes. Chaz Roe, who is out of of options, has the inside track on one of the remaining bullpen jobs, although fellow righty David Hernandez (who the Braves recently added on a minor-league deal) is another possibility. Paco Rodriguez and Kevin Chapman are competing to join the ‘pen as lefties, while veteran hitters Matt Tuiasosopo and Mel Rojas Jr. could also have shots at making the team, particularly, it would seem, if the Braves opt to go with five bench players instead of four. The Braves will also keep an eye on the trade and free-agent markets.
- The Mets are hoping for fourth outfielder Juan Lagares to soon recover from the oblique strain he suffered this weekend, and therefore do not seem overly interested in Drew Stubbs, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. The veteran Stubbs opted out of his minor-league deal with the Twins yesterday. Assuming he’s healthy, Lagares seems set to back up a Mets outfield of Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce.
Diamondbacks Release Kevin Jepsen
The Diamondbacks have released right-hander Kevin Jepsen, as per a club press release. Jepsen signed a minor league deal with Arizona last month that would have paid him $2.25MM in base salary if he reached the big league roster.
The 32-year-old suffered through a rough 2016 season with the Twins and Rays, posting a 5.98 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 1.67 K/BB rate (career worsts in all three categories over a full season) in 49 2/3 innings. A big spike in home runs allowed and a .321 BABIP contributed to the problems, though Jepsen’s peripherals numbers also weren’t strong, including a 37.5% hard contact rate that was way above his 28.8% career average.
Jepsen’s struggles continued into the Diamondbacks’ spring camp, as he owned an ugly 12.27 ERA over 3 2/3 innings. Despite the recent downturn in form, Jepsen isn’t far removed from a solid track record as a bullpen arm, posting a 2.93 ERA over 215 1/3 innings for the Angels, Rays and Twins from 2012-15. One would think he’d get some looks on another minor league contract from other teams looking for relief help as Opening Day approaches.
NL Notes: Peralta, Aybar, Padres’ Pen, Bradley, Goeddel, Susac
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny suggested Friday that Jhonny Peralta, not Jedd Gyorko, will win the team’s third base job, according to Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s looked as good as we had hoped,” Matheny said of the 34-year-old Peralta, who dealt with a thumb injury last season and slashed a modest .260/.307/.408 in 313 plate appearances. Gyorko posted far superior production last year, when he hit .243/.306/.495 with a team-high 30 home runs in 438 PAs. Nevertheless, it appears he’ll open 2017 as a frequently used utilityman — a role he’s better suited for than Peralta.
Here’s more on some roster situations around the National League:
- It seems that Erick Aybar currently holds the inside track to the Padres‘ starting shortstop job, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. Aybar hasn’t hit much this spring — he’s slashing .273/.319/.318 through 16 games — but seems to be the logical solution barring a trade. Luis Sardinas, meanwhile, is competing for a spot as a utility player, per manager Andy Green. He has spent some time in left field in a bid to enhance his versatility, and will seemingly be jockeying with options such as Cory Spangenberg and Rule 5 pick Allen Cordoba.
- Meanwhile, the Padres are still sorting through a variety of bullpen options, as AJ Cassavell of MLB.com writes. Rule 5’er Miguel Diaz seems to be well-positioned, while either Trevor Cahill or Jarred Cosart will also likely crack the pen if either fails to make the rotation. (The odds of both functioning as starters increased, it seems, with an injury to Christian Friedrich.) Veterans Craig Stammen, Carter Capps, and Kevin Quackenbush are among the notable names also in the running. Capps seems unlikely to be ready in time, per Cassavell, while Quackenbush’s poor showing in camp could result in an assignment to Triple-A.
- The division-rival Diamondbacks have settled on their own starting five, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports. That grouping — Zack Greinke, Taijuan Walker, Robbie Ray, Shelby Miller, and Patrick Corbin — contains no surprises, but manager Torey Lovullo did note an interesting decision on another hurler. Former top prospect Archie Bradley will open the year in the major league bullpen. The 24-year-old has struggled in his MLB opportunities over the past two seasons and has allowed 13 earned runs on 23 hits over 14 2/3 innings this spring. While he could still factor as a long-term rotation possibility — Bradley has produced quality results of late at Triple-A — the club will see whether the move to a relief role helps spur some positive momentum.
- When the Phillies optioned outfielder Tyler Goeddel to minor league camp Friday, they informed him he’d likely start 2017 at the Double-A level, writes Matt Breen of Philly.com. Considering he spent all of last season in the majors, Goeddel isn’t thrilled with his multi-level demotion. “I’m not too happy about that but you can’t control it,” said Goeddel, who hit a meager .192/.258/.291 in 234 PAs as a Rule 5 pick in 2016. With Nick Williams, Roman Quinn and Dylan Cozens set to comprise the Phillies’ Triple-A outfield, there aren’t any openings for Goeddel at that level. Regarding those three, Goeddel stated: “I know who’s at Triple-A with Cozens, Williams and Quinn. But I was still surprised. They hadn’t really told me anything so it was definitely surprising.”
- A neck issue has kept Brewers catcher Andrew Susac out of action for the past week-plus, but an MRI on Friday revealed no structural damage to his trapezius, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Susac will be able to ramp up his rehab as a result, though he’ll still start the year on the disabled list. Milwaukee will open with Jett Bandy and Manny Pina as its top options behind the plate.