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Diamondbacks Sign Aaron Cunningham

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Here are the day’s minor moves …

  • The Diamondbacks have inked outfielder Aaron Cunningham to a minor league deal, according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 28-year-old has seen 501 career MLB plate appearances, all of those coming between 2008-12. Once a well-regarded prospect, Cunningham was never able to sustain production at the major league level. Arizona previously released Cunningham in mid-August after he put up a .255/.342/.346 slash in 281 plate appearances at Triple-A Reno.

NL Notes: Bailey, Gray, Diamondbacks

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Here’s the latest out of the National League …

  • The Reds are discussing the possibility of a surgical option for injured hurler Homer Bailey, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. Bailey, playing out the first year of a six-year, $105MM extension, is dealing with a flexor mass tendon strain in his right forearm. It appears that a surgery would have a shorter recovery time than would, say, a UCL replacement, but manager Bryan Price emphasized that the decision would likely be made in relatively short order to avoid undue delay.
  • Top Rockies prospect Jon Gray has been shut down after experiencing shoulder fatigue, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. An MRI came back clean, and Gray says that he has felt good in bullpen sessions, which certainly reduces concern. It seems, however, that Colorado is likely to hold their prized righty out of game action until next spring. Presumably, Gray — and fellow top young arm Eddie Butler — will have a chance to join the Rockies rotation early next year.
  • Results on recent trades have not favored the Diamondbacks, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Though most of the deals have not been disastrous, in Piecoro’s estimation, the failed Justin Upton swap has had lingering negative effects — and now looks worse than it did after the one-year mark. At present, the Braves have achieved an additional 5.3 rWAR and 7.3 fWAR from their end of the deal (Upton and Chris Johnson), as against the production of the since-traded Martin Prado and Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill, and Nick Ahmed. As Piecoro notes, there is still some time for the tally to creep back in Arizona’s favor, particularly since prospects Brandon Drury and Peter O’Brien (the latter of whom was obtained for Prado) still could provide value.

NL West Notes: Hanley, Kemp, Ross, Rosario

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It was on this day in 1890 that the Dodgers (then playing in Brooklyn and using the rather non-intimidating “Bridegrooms” nickname) swept a triple-header over the Pirates.  This was one of the season’s many highlights for the Dod..er, Bridegrooms as they went on to win the franchise’s first National League pennant.

Here’s some news from around the NL West…

  • If Hanley Ramirez leaves the Dodgers in free agency, it could be for an American League team that could give him the occasional rest day at DH, Peter Gammons writes.  Ramirez could also go to a team in need of third base help if he’s willing to switch positions.  As recently reported, the Dodgers are wary of giving Ramirez a long-term contract due to concerns about his durability and defense.
  • Ramirez’s departure would also make it very unlikely that the Dodgers would trade Matt Kemp, Gammons adds.  Without Ramirez, the Dodgers will need Kemp to help balance a lineup that would have only one other notable right-handed bat in Yasiel Puig.
  • Cody Ross knows he’ll be fighting for playing time with the Diamondbacks next season, but the veteran outfielder tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he plans to be fully recovered from the career-threatening hip fracture he suffered in August 2013.
  • The Rockies could use an upgrade at catcher next season, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post opines.  Wilin Rosario has struggled with injuries and performance this season, plus his defense is still a work in progress; Saunders thinks that Rosario’s focus on his glovework may have also been a reason for his dropoff at the plate.  Rosario will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason.

Diamondbacks Release Xavier Paul

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The Diamondbacks announced that they have released outfielder Xavier Paul in order to clear a roster spot for Nolan Reimold, who was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays yesterday.

Paul inked a minor league deal with the D’Backs earlier this month, as MLBTR’s Zach Links reported, and his contract was promptly selected from Triple-A Reno. The veteran outfielder picked up 21 plate appearances with Arizona, collecting a pair of singles and a walk along the way.

Paul’s best seasons at the plate came with the Reds from 2012-13, when he batted .264/.350/.420 with nine homers in 334 plate appearances in a part-time role. Overall, he’s a lifetime .250/.311/.368 hitter in 767 PA with the Dodgers, Reds, Pirates and D’Backs.

NL West Notes: Petit, Lincecum, D’Backs, Bradley, Hoffman

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There have been plenty of historic moments this season, but one under-the-radar chase of an MLB record came to a close today, as Giants right-hander Yusmeiro Petit set a new Major League record by retiring his 46th consecutive batter (video link). Petit’s 46 batters came over a span of eight appearances and included an impressive 26 strikeouts. The 29-year-old will make for an interesting arbitration case this offseason if he remains in the San Francisco rotation going forward, as he’s quietly strung together a pair of excellent seasons after pitching just 4 2/3 innings in the Majors from 2010-12.

Here’s more from the NL West…

  • The man that Petit replaced in the Giants rotation, Tim Lincecum, is perhaps best suited to become a closer at this point in his career, writes Dave Cameron of Fangraphs. Cameron notes that the move to the bullpen would likely restore some of Lincecum’s lost velocity, but more importantly, he points out the stark contrast between Lincecum’s numbers with the bases empty and with men on base. Because of his struggles pitching from the stretch, Lincecum wouldn’t be a great fit to be a middle reliever that would inherit runners. Rather, pitching the ninth inning would give him as many opportunities to begin an inning with a clean slate as possible, Cameron writes.
  • Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall was a guest of Jim Duquette and Mike Ferrin on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM today (audio link), and the Arizona executive discussed the hiring of Tony La Russa: “Tony’s been terrific.  I’ve really enjoyed being with him every day and he’s put a lot of work into this and he’s motivated and he’s so competitive it is fun to watch each and every day.  But I think his assessment, his evaluation is very close to being complete.”
  • Hall also discussed the future of GM Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson, telling Duquette and Ferrin that the organization was getting close to deciding on the future of each. “…when we make those decisions, the sooner the better.  … It doesn’t make sense to go into the offseason, when we already have so many decisions to make with our player personnel, to still be wondering what we’re going to do in the front office. … So I think we’re getting close to the point of knowing what we’re going to want to do and act swiftly so that when the season does end we’re ready to go and get ready for 2015.”
  • Speaking of Towers, the longtime GM participated in a Q&A with Steve Gilbert of MLB.com earlier this week and discussed his recent scouting trip of the team’s minor league system as well as his relationship with La Russa: “It’s nice to have a guy that’s been as successful in uniform around. … It’s nice to be able to pick his brain. I always wanted to pick his brain when he was in the other dugout with the Cardinals. Now when you have him on the same team, it’s very valuable.” Also of note is the fact that Towers said to Gilbert that it was unlikely that top prospect Archie Bradley would be receiving a September callup.
  • Trevor Hoffman will be inducted into the Padres’ Hall of Fame on Saturday, and to commemorate his historic career, MLB.com’s Corey Brock spoke to a number of catchers that had the privilege of catching the likely Hall of Famer. Brock’s story is full of excellent stories from a number of catchers, including current Brewers backstop Jonathan Lucroy, who recalls catching Hoffman’s 600th career save as a rookie in 2010. In describing the legendary closer, Lucroy states: “I always reference Trevor Hoffman when I talk about the kind of guy I want to be.”

Diamondbacks Claim Nolan Reimold From Blue Jays

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The Diamondbacks announced, via press release, that they have claimed outfielder Nolan Reimold off waivers from the Blue Jays. CompletePhillyCoverage.com writer Seamus Doyle, who is Reimold’s cousin, first tweeted the claim.

The 30-year-old Reimold, a long-time member of the Orioles, was designated for assignment by Baltimore in early July after spending the entire season prior to that point on the disabled list. The Blue Jays claimed him in hopes of receiving an offensive boost with Edwin Encarnacion on the shelf, but Reimold struggled in his time with Toronto, slashing just .212/.283/.404.

Reimold has undergone two neck surgeries in addition to ankle operation in an injury-plagued career, and he’s also spent time on the DL with calf and hamstring injuries in the past two seasons. He owns a career .250/.324/.437 batting line, however, which translates to an OPS+ of 103, indicating that he’s been about three percent better than a league-average hitter when healthy.

Reimold can be controlled through the 2015 season via arbitration and earned just $1.03MM in 2014, so the D’Backs likely view him as a contributor next season as well.

West Notes: Darvish, Giants, Athletics, Diamondbacks

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The Rangers and Yu Darvish would be wise to shut down the prized righty, opines Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, who says that the “macho baseball culture” that would suggest otherwise is simply wrong. As Passan rightly notes, minor injuries (like Darvish’s, according to reports) can often be a precursor to a more significant problem, and that risk is simply not worth it with Texas playing out a clearly lost season.

Here’s more from the game’s western divisions …

  • Looking ahead to the offseason, the Giants face many impactful and emotionally difficult decisions on pending free agents, GM Brian Sabean said in an interview on The Sports Virus podcast. Emphasizing the club’s oft-noted loyalty, Sabean indicated that monetary constraints would play an important role in how the offseason unfolds (while also seemingly to imply that he could make a run at bringing back Michael Morse). “[A]t the end of the year, your starting third baseman, your closer, one of your starters, and your left fielder that you’ve fallen in love with has got a chance not to be back with the team, or you may have to pick and choose due to budget considerations,” he said. “… I don’t remember a year about to end … with those kind of decisions at hand, including keeping it all within a manageable budget.”
  • Athletics GM Billy Beane said that his club’s recent struggles do not change the considerations that led him to deal away Yoenis Cespedes for Jon Lester, as John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group writes. “I’m happy to have Lester’s three wins,” said Beane. “Those are three wins I don’t know we’d have without him.”
  • Diamondbacks hurler Patrick Corbin is likely not to return until June of next year, at the earliest, as Adam Lichtenstein of MLB.com writes. The club is taking a fairly conservative approach with its prized young lefty.
  • Though Arizona surely has plenty of needs to address after a fairly miserable 2014 campaign, one fairly specific desire is to add an on-base machine to the lineup, GM Kevin Towers tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. “It would be nice to have another bat that was not only an offensive player, but somebody who works the count, gets on base and can create more scoring opportunities,” said Towers. The club is looking to find that package in an outfielder, Towers added, and has already begun scouting possible free agent or trade targets. Players like Nori Aoki and Chris Denorfia could fit the profile, says Piecoro.

Quick Hits: AFL, Sanchez, Breakouts, Prado

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Earlier today, the league announced the Arizona Fall League contributions of every MLB team. Ben Badler of Baseball America has broken the players out by roster and made note of some of the most interesting ones to track.

Here’s more from around the league …

  • Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez said today that he is worried he may not be able to return to the rotation during the regular season, as Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. The club’s rotation already looked in need of depth, with Justin Verlander still a question mark, but it remains to be seen whether Detroit will have the means and motivation to make yet another significant addition.
  • Often times, the most interesting free agency, arbitration, and extension cases involve players who have just posted breakout years. But it is difficult to know which ones are the product of luck and opportunity, and which are a result of real skill development or adjustments. ESPN.com’s Keith Law provides a list (Insider link) of the ten players whose breakthroughs are, in his view, likely to be sustainable.
  • Martin Prado has been vital to the Yankees, but the deadline deal to bring him in came together in hectic fashion, GM Brian Cashman tells John Harper of the New York Daily News. The Yanks and Diamondbacks had talked over a deal heading into July 31, but seemed to be at a standstill over the prospect return. Arizona GM Kevin Towers ultimately called to say that he would lower his asking price, but Cashman had just agreed to take Stephen Drew (and, more importantly, $3MM in salary) from the Red Sox. “It was a crazy, pressure-filled time frame,” said Cashman. “I had my entire scouting crew and my analytics staff in the office all day, trying a lot of different ideas.”

Latest On Angels’ Search For Starter

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With injuries piling up, and just a week before the deadline to acquire players with post-season eligibility, the Angels are expected to look hard at adding another starter. Here’s the latest:

  • The Halos are pursuing a wide variety of possible approaches to making a deal, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. But GM Jerry Dipoto indicated that the club may end up cobbling together internal options to fill the void. “I’m not particularly hopeful,” he said. “It’s possible the best we can do is piece it together. … Teams that are willing to pay down a contract usually want some kind of talent in return, and that’s where we may have a problem.”
  • Conflicting reports have emerged as to the viability of talks for Trevor Cahill of the Diamondbacks, who Heyman says has now cleared waivers. The Angels could be targeting Cahill, according to a report from Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (behind a paywall). Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the sides have not discussed the hurler in weeks, and that no deal is expected.
  • As we just covered, a report indicates that a deal for Bartolo Colon of the Mets appears rather unlikely at this point.

Diamondbacks Release Lucas Harrell

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The Diamondbacks have released starting pitcher Lucas Harrell, according to the PCL transactions page. Arizona acquired Harrell from the Astros for a PTBNL in April, and he’s spent most of the season with Triple-A Reno, posting a 5.15 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 in 106 2/3 innings.

Harrell was an Astros rotation staple as they struggled through the 2012 and 2013 seasons, and once seemed to have a fair amount of trade value. (The Astros reportedly asked the Nationals for top prospect Lucas Giolito for him in 2013.) Harrell pitched well in 193 2/3 innings in 2012, posting a 3.76 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and plenty of ground balls. He went way downhill in 2013, however, leading the American League in walks. The righty made three starts for the Astros this April before being designated for assignment.

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