NL Notes: Greinke, Dodgers, Cardinals
In a data-driven piece, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic examines some of the reasons behind Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke‘s early season difficulties. Greinke’s ERA through three starts (6.75) is more than five runs worse than the league-best 1.66 he put up as a Dodger last season, and ERA estimators like FIP (4.52) and xFIP (4.30) also aren’t particularly bullish on his performance. Part of the reason, as Piecoro details, is that Greinke is finding too much of the plate. Only 111 of Greinke’s 3,239 pitches were center-cut (roughly belt-high over the middle) last season, while he has already thrown 14 such pitches this year, Piecoro found from Pitch-f/x data at BrooksBaseball.Net. Further, 11 of Greinke’s pitches have gone over the center of the plate and up in the zone, and 10 more have traveled over the plate and just above the strike zone. Greinke has therefore put himself in position to get hit harder than usual, which is exactly what has happened. In fact, 6.5 percent of balls hit off Greinke this year have carried exit velocities of at least 95 mph compared to 5.3 percent in 2015, per Statcast. Greinke is fresh off his best start as a Diamondback (seven innings, two earned runs, five strikeouts, one walk in San Diego), but Padres hitters swung at just 39 percent of his change-ups, the lowest rate in his last 18 starts, according to Piecoro. As a result, both the D-backs and Greinke wondered if he or someone else was tipping his pitches, manager Chip Hale said after the game.
More from the National League…
- Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman doesn’t believe the major leagues have properly welcomed Cuban-born players in the past. “We as an industry, in my opinion, have failed our Cuban players,” Friedman told Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller. “We sign them for big money and rush them to the big leagues.” Friedman certainly has a point about the league having failed Cubans, as it only began assigning Latin players translators this year, which Miller notes. On the other hand, pricey free agents who arrive from Japan have been given translators immediately. Considering Friedman’s thoughts, it’s no surprise that he and the Dodgers are putting forth an effort to help star Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig fit in better in his fourth year. Friedman said earlier this spring that first-year manager Dave Roberts and his staff were doing “a great job creating a relationship” with Puig, who stated over the winter that he wanted to be a better teammate. “It showed a level of vulnerability to me,” commented Friedman. Puig had a down year in 2015, but his performance has been sensational early this season, as indicated by a scorching .357/.449/.548 line in 42 plate appearances.
- Former Korean and Japanese league reliever Seung-hwan Oh has made a seamless transition to the Cardinals’ bullpen in his first year in the majors and is primed to earn more responsibility, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. The South Korea native has allowed a mere one hit in 6 2/3 scoreless innings, adding a whopping 11 strikeouts against five walks. The righty threw two shutout frames Saturday and successfully retired one of the game’s premier left-handed hitters, the Reds’ Joey Votto. With first base open, Oh could’ve pitched around Votto, but he challenged the first baseman and ultimately retired him on a fly out. “We like his stuff against lefties,” manager Mike Matheny said. “We’re going to get more opportunities to see (it).” More Oh could mean less Seth Maness, who has an unimpressive K/BB (1.5) and bloated 8.31 ERA in 4 1/3 innings this year.
- After beginning the season in a 1-for-15 funk with eight strikeouts and no walks, Cardinals center fielder Randal Grichuk has since gone 6 of 17 with four extra-base hits (two home runs, two doubles), eight walks and four K’s. Thanks in part to his work with a pitching machine called a Hack Attack, Grichuk is now seeing pitches better. Prior to his turnaround, Grichuk stood in the cage at Turner Field last week and watched nearly 50 sliders from the machine. “The first few, maybe five to 10, I just took. The last 30 to 40 I would call out if it was a ball or strike as soon as I could pick it up,” he told Goold. Said assistant hitting coach Derrick May, “Just seeing pitches and building the strength of their eyes with work. What better to do it than with a slider machine?”
D-Backs Unlikely To Add Michael Bourn
APRIL 15: The D-backs are passing on Bourn for the time being, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal does add “at least for the moment” to his report, indicating that the club could circle back down the line (presumably, if internal options struggle).
APRIL 14: The Diamondbacks have held “some discussions” with the representatives of free agent outfielder Michael Bourn, GM Dave Stewart tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Bourn was just released by the Braves, who will combine with the Indians to cover all of the veteran’s $14MM salary this year — less a pro-rated portion of the league minimum for whatever time he spends with another organization.
Arizona hasn’t yet decided whether it wants to add Bourn, Stewart said. The club is still sorting out its outfield situation after receiving the devastating news that standout center fielder A.J. Pollock will miss much or all of the coming season. As things stand, the D-Backs are relying on infielder Chris Owings and youngster Socrates Brito up the middle, with somewhat less-than-promising results thus far.
“We’ve talked about it internally and haven’t really made any decision which direction we’re going to go and what we’re going to do,” said Stewart. “We’re kind of on hold right now.”
The Diamondbacks will likely look to move quickly if they choose to pursue Bourn, said the GM, as there are other organizations in the mix. He explained: “If we’re going to have an opportunity to get the player – and, believe me, I don’t think we’re the only fish in the water – if we want to have a chance to get the player we’re going to have a make a decision pretty swiftly.”
Bourn was one of the game’s most productive center fielders from 2009-12, but age and injury have slowed him quite a bit in recent years. He had already been reduced to being a below-average performer at the plate in his first two years in Cleveland, but fell off even further to a .238/.310/.282 slash over 482 plate appearances in 2015. Bourn has also declined precipitously on the bases and with the glove — where he once excelled — and hasn’t done enough in those areas to make up for his failing bat in recent seasons.
All said, Bourn isn’t the most exciting choice and could hardly be expected to make up for the loss of Pollock, but there’s not much hope of doing better at this stage of the season. The 33-year-old holds the promise of at least providing a solid defensive presence to go with good baserunning, and could again be a useful player if he can turn things up at the plate.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/11/16
Here are the day’s minor transactions, with the newest moves at the top of the post…
- The Pirates have placed John Holdzkom on release waivers, a week after the righty was designated for assignment. Holdzkom went from independent baseball to a key role in the Bucs’ bullpen in 2014, recording a 2.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts in nine relief innings (his first and, to date, only taste of MLB action) to help Pittsburgh reach the postseason. Holdzkom battled injuries, a loss of velocity and control issues in 2015, however, and he pitched only 24 1/3 innings of minor league ball.
- The Angels selected the contract of left-hander Greg Mahle and optioned A.J. Achter to Triple-A in a corresponding move, the club announced. (The Angels already had a 40-man roster spot open, so no further transactions were necessary to add Mahle.) A 15th-round draft pick in 2014, Mahle has a 2.97 ERA, 10.8 K/9 and 4.00 K/BB rate over 97 career minor league relief innings. The 2016 Baseball America Prospect Handbook ranked him as the 13th-best prospect within the Halos’ thin farm system, noting that Mahle delivers his pitches from three different arm angles, including a sinking fastball that ranges from 85-94mph depending on from where Mahle is throwing it. He also has a plus changeup.
- The Diamondbacks outrighted Kyle Drabek to Triple-A after the righty went unclaimed, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports (via Twitter). Drabek signed a minor league deal with the D’Backs during the offseason and pitched in one game for the club before being designated for assignment last Friday. The 18th overall pick of the 2006 draft, Drabek has struggled at the big league level and also battled injuries, most notably two Tommy John surgeries. Drabek has only thrown 12 2/3 innings over the last four seasons.
- The Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League have signed left-hander Phil Coke and right-hander Ryan Kelly, Jason Bristol tweets. Coke threw 12 2/3 innings with the Cubs and Blue Jays last season, and has also since signed minor league deals with the A’s and Braves. The veteran southpaw was released by Atlanta during Spring Training. Kelly was also released by the Braves during the offseason, ending a three-year stint in the organization. Kelly made his Major League debut last season, posting a 7.02 ERA over 16 2/3 innings out of Atlanta’s bullpen.
Stewart: D-Backs “Not In A Position To Take On More Salary”
The loss of A.J. Pollock for what could be the entire season rocked the D-backs late in Spring Training, but while there’s been talk of potentially adding some help from outside the organization, it doesn’t sound as if the Diamondbacks will spend any significant money to make an upgrade in center field, writes Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. In fact, GM Dave Stewart tells McManaman that the D-backs aren’t likely to make any significant payroll increases at any point this season.
“We’re not in a position to take on more salary,” Stewart explained. “We are where we are when it comes to salary and taking on more money. We can’t do that.” The D-backs opened the season a payroll just under $100MM — the second-largest Opening Day mark in franchise history. Some fans might wonder, then, whether Stewart would make potential trade deadline upgrades by parting with more young talent, but the GM also downplayed the possibility of further depleting his farm system after already having traded Dansby Swanson, Aaron Blair, Isan Diaz and Touki Toussaint within the past year.
“You can’t sell the organization,” said Stewart. “There have been a lot of organizations that have gone out and thought they were in a position to win and they get rid of prospects, then you look at your minor-league system and all of a sudden you have nothing.” Stewart said he dislikes the notion that he doesn’t care about trading prospects, explaining to McManaman that it was difficult to part with each promising young player he’s traded away.
The actions of the Diamondbacks late in the offseason exemplified those lines of thinking; Arizona only sprung to sign right-hander Tyler Clippard to a two-year deal after saving about $4MM in the trade that sent Diaz, Chase Anderson and high-priced veteran Aaron Hill to the Brewers. And while the club took a long look at signing Howie Kendrick, the D-backs ultimately neglected to commit the money that was necessary or surrender the required draft pick in order to add Kendrick. As Stewart explained to Brett Ballantini in a recent MLBTR interview, the decision not to sign Kendrick, though, was motivated largely by the belief that Chris Owings would rebound after battling through shoulder problems in 2015. Owings, of course, has now been playing some center field in Pollock’s absence.
Circumstances, of course, can change quickly. Stewart also noted to Ballantini in the aforementioned interview that he never dreamed that ownership would give him the green light to pursue Zack Greinke this winter — even as the early stages of free agency began to play out. And, as McManaman’s colleague, Nick Piecoro, explained to Jeff Todd on a recent edition of the MLBTR Podcast, owner Ken Kendrick is typically open to expanding the budget a bit if it appears that the club has a chance to win as the trade deadline nears. That said, it would seem that Stewart is operating under the assumption that he’ll have to ride out the remainder of the season with what the club has in house. A small addition (e.g. Michael Bourn, who would only be owed the pro-rated league minimum if and when he is released by the Braves) still seems plausible even in light of Stewart’s comments, but for the time being it appears that the D-backs’ extravagant dealings will be limited to the right-handers that they acquired this offseason.
Latest On Diamondbacks’ Stadium
Diamondbacks chief executive Derrick Hall is lobbying for the city of Phoenix to take over for Maricopa County as Chase Field’s landlord, reports Craig Harris of the Arizona Republic. Hall says the switch would ensure the club’s long-term future in downtown Phoenix. That became a public issue last month when Hall threatened to “pursue other stadium options” because of the county’s failure to honor its alleged obligation to handle $187MM-plus in maintenance and repair costs through 2027.
Should the Diamondbacks swap landlords, it would enable them to potentially secure a Chase Field renovation or even a new ballpark “by taking advantage of the stadium’s municipal authority,” as Harris writes. The Maricopa County Stadium District doesn’t have the authority to raise taxes as a way to aid the Diamondbacks.
Phoenix nearly took the reins as the landlord four years ago, according to Hall, but he said the county put the kibosh on the idea because its officials didn’t want to lose the tickets, suites and free parking they enjoy. Maricopa County spokesman Fields Moseley confirmed that a deal for Phoenix to become the Diamondbacks’ landlord was on the table four years ago, but the county wasn’t interested in giving away a ballpark that cost $238MM in sales tax to build and has no mortgage. Moseley added that the potential loss of a stadium suite isn’t an issue to the county.
“We don’t even use the suite. It’s continually given to non-profits to use. Politicians and management don’t use the suite. We seek out non-profits to benefit,” he said.
In Hall’s plan, the Diamondbacks would pay for the projected $187MM in repairs and renovations at the ballpark over the next 12 years, which would take them to the end of their 30-year Chase Field lease. In return, the D-backs would pay less in rent than their current $4MM-plus per year, control the bookings of non-baseball events, and collect the revenue from those events. For its part, the County Stadium District wouldn’t have to assist in paying for Chase Field improvements. Phoenix, meanwhile, would oversee the property and receive rent from the team. Further, the city would be able to build a major sports facility downtown and expand CityScape, in which Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick is a significant investor. CityScape is a high-rise development that features residential, retail and hotel components.
As of now, there are no negotiations taking place for Phoenix to become the Diamondbacks’ landlord, Hall said, and city mayor Greg Stanton wasn’t available for comment Sunday, per Harris.
On the prospect of the Diamondbacks suing the county to break their lease, Hall stated, “If there is a lawsuit, it’s to find another partner to keep us here. It’s not about greed. It’s about staying here.”
The Diamondbacks have called Chase Field home since their inception in 1998. Only 15 ballparks are newer.
D’Backs Notes: Pollock, Corbin
Here’s the latest out of Arizona:
- Star Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock won’t begin baseball activities for another three months, Dr. Don Sheridan told reporters including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter). As was initially suspected, Pollock may miss the entire season, although there’s at least a chance he’ll return to action late in the year. For those interested, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (tweet) has an image of the bracket and screws inserted into his elbow.
- Pollock sustained the same injury back in 2010 and had a similar plate installed at the time. The previous plate broke early this spring, tweets Gilbert. The club caught the issue via X-Ray at the time meaning they were aware of the risk. As Piecoro notes (Twitter), the club told reporters there was no issue with Pollock’s elbow despite being well aware of the broken screw. Teams have plenty of incentives to be tight-lipped about injury-related findings. Union chief Tony Clark has also talked about implementing news rules to further privatize player health.
- Patrick Corbin has the stuff to be a top of the rotation pitcher, writes Piecoro. While offseason moves for Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller are the top talking points in Arizona, Corbin’s success will be critical to Arizona’s ability to contend. Piecoro provides a nice description of Corbin, highlighting a new changeup. PITCHf/x data from Spring Training and his first start suggests his changeup may need further refinement. His best offering is a plus-plus slider.
Diamondbacks Designate Kyle Drabek, Select Matt Buschmann
The Diamondbacks have designated right-hander Kyle Drabek for assignment, per a team announcement (and as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic said was in the works, on Twitter). His roster spot will go to fellow righty Matt Buschmann.
Drabek ended up making just one appearance in a quick stint, but he did provide two much-needed innings in relief last night. He owns a 5.26 ERA over 179 2/3 career MLB frames, but has never made good on his former promise. Drabek, who entered the professional ranks as a first-round pick, once rated as one of the game’s very best pitching prospects.
As for Buschmann, he’ll get his first crack at the majors after ten years of minor league action. The 32-year-old signed a minor league deal with Arizona this winter, and obviously picked the right organization. Working at Triple-A last year as a starter with three different clubs, Buschmann ran up a 4.14 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over 134 2/3 innings.
MLBTR Podcast: Nick Piecoro on the Diamondbacks, Charlie Wilmoth on the Pirates
On this week’s podcast, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic joins host Jeff Todd to talk about A.J. Pollock‘s injury, finding playing time for the D-backs’ glut of infielders, the possibility of adding to the payroll via the summer trade market, and the recent chatter about a new stadium. Following that, MLBTR’s Charlie Wilmoth hops on to discuss Gregory Polanco‘s five-year, $35MM extension with the Pirates, his long-term upside, and Juan Nicasio‘s 2016 outlook on the heels of a dominant spring and first start.
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The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.
Betts, Schoop, Ray, Others Move To The Legacy Agency
Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts has changed agencies, staying with his representative — Steve Veltman — as he moved to The Legacy Agency, as Robert Murray of Baseball Essential was first to report (via Twitter). He’s not alone, as players including Jonathan Schoop of the Orioles and Robbie Ray of the Diamondbacks are also making the move, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports, with player rep Ed Cerulo accompanying Veltman to a new home.
Betts, still just 23, has emerged as one of the game’s most exciting young talents. He followed up a highly promising partial season in 2014 with an outstanding campaign last year in which he put up a .291/.341/.479 slash over 654 plate appearances with 18 home runs and 21 steals. Of course, Betts is also a high-quality and versatile fielder and excellent baserunner.
Boston has plenty of cheap control remaining, as Betts won’t even reach arbitration eligibility until 2018 and doesn’t stand to hit the open market until 2021. He certainly profiles as an extension candidate, though, and his new agency will quite possibly field interest from the Sox.
Other quality 1+ outfielders have signed lengthy deals — including, recently, Gregory Polanco ($35MM) and Christian Yelich ($49.57MM) — but it seems fair to expect that Betts would command a good bit more given the floor and ceiling he’s shown to this point. And the price will likely only rise, as his service clock continues to run and he pads the stat sheet.
Schoop and Ray also rate as promising young players, but have more to prove at this stage than Betts. Other big leaguers joining The Legacy Agency, per Rosenthal, include Cody Anderson and Rajai Davis (Indians), Trevor May (Twins), Kevin Siegrist (Cardinals), Carter Capps (Marlins), Jerad Eickhoff (Phillies), and Tony Wolters (Rockies). Several unnamed prospects are also changing agencies.
As always, you can find reported player representation in MLBTR’s Agency Database.
A.J. Pollock Undergoes Elbow Surgery
APRIL 5: The D-backs announced that Pollock underwent surgery today and had a plate placed at the tip of his right elbow as part of the procedure (links to Twitter). Per the announcement, there is no projected timetable for Pollock’s return.
APRIL 2: There hasn’t been any timeline provided on Pollock’s return, but Pollock himself says he hopes to come back at some point this season, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert writes (Twitter links). Also, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale says Owings will likely start in center field on Opening Day.
APRIL 1: Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock will undergo surgery for a fractured right elbow, the club announced. Pollock suffered the injury sliding into home in tonight’s spring action.
Pollock has emerged as one of the game’s least-known premium performers, and his loss represents an enormous blow to the organization’s hopes to challenge for a division title in 2016. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but any significant stretch would be nothing short of devastating for a club that had pushed in its chips but still needed some things to go its way to contend.
The 28-year-old had already dealt with some elbow issues this spring, but seemed to be on track for Opening Day. But the injury is all the more concerning given that Pollock missed all of 2010 with a fractured growth plate in the same elbow, back when he was still a rising prospect.
Pollock had a short but highly promising 2014 season, and followed up with an outstanding campaign last year. He ended the season with a .315/.367/.498 slash over 673 plate appearances while contributing twenty home runs and 39 steals. And Pollock also rated as a top-notch defender, making for an overall package — valued last year at 7.4 rWAR and 6.6 fWAR — that is all but impossible to replace, particularly with the season set to begin in a matter of days.
Even as the D-Backs set out to re-make their rotation this winter, they understandably remained entirely unwilling to part with Pollock. Instead, the club explored long-term extension talks before ultimately settling on a two-year, $10.25MM pact. He is still controllable for one more season after that contract concludes.
While the club held onto Pollock, it parted with the emergent Ender Inciarte (and other notable assets) to acquire Shelby Miller. Certainly, Inciarte would be an invaluable depth option to have on hand now, though the club does have interesting youngster in Socrates Brito on hand. He had already challenged for a roster spot and looked to be an option if Yasmany Tomas does not take a step forward, but may need to take on a bigger role while Pollock recovers.
Other options for playing time include young slugger Peter O’Brien and even infielder Chris Owings — who slid into the corner outfield for some action tonight. Utilityman Rickie Weeks and backup catcher/outfielder Chris Herrmann could also help carry the load. Of course, none of those players look like options in center, and Tomas is already stretched in the corner outfield. Presumptive left fielder David Peralta has played in 15 MLB games up the middle over the last two years, though he was almost exclusively a corner option in the minors; he could conceivably take over if the team isn’t confident enough in Brito, or at least make some starts there in some kind of timeshare.
Of course, a veteran addition of some kind can’t be ruled out, and plenty of players could be available as rosters continue to be trimmed. (Veterans in the mold of Sam Fuld and Drew Stubbs come to mind; Alejandro De Aza of the Mets seems at least a hypothetical option, though Arizona may already have pushed its payroll to the max.) Trade efforts at this stage are not terribly likely to result in a high-quality solution, but the right player could at least help hold down the fort while the D-Backs await Pollock’s return.