Diamondbacks Designate Jason Kubel
The Diamondbacks tweet that they have designated outfielder Jason Kubel for assignment. The move clears space on their 25-man roster for pitcher David Holmberg.
Kubel has hit poorly in 2013, posting a .220/.288/.324 line in 267 plate appearances after posting an .833 OPS in 2012. He is also a weak defensive player, making his lack of offense that much harder to take.The Diamondbacks were reportedly shopping Kubel before the July trade deadline, but did not trade him.
Kubel is in the final year of a two-year, $16MM deal. He is making $7.5MM in 2013, and his contract also calls for a $1MM buyout of his mutual option for 2014.
Placed On Waivers: Gallardo, Morse, Bell, Lopez
Here's Monday's list of players that have been placed on revocable trade waivers…
- Yovani Gallardo — Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter) reports that Gallardo has been placed on waivers by the Brewers. The starter drew interest this summer as a player who could help not just for 2013, but beyond, as he is under contract for $11.25MM next season with a $13MM club option for 2015. Gallardo is having a down year, but he has had two strong starts against the Reds this month since coming off of the DL. For his career, Gallardo owns a 3.76 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.
- Mike Morse — Rosenthal also reports that Morse was placed on waivers by the Mariners. Morse's teammate, Kendrys Morales, was claimed off of waivers earlier today, giving Seattle two bats to dangle to interested clubs. Will either player be moved? We can surmise that the M's held on to impending free agents like Morse, Morales, and Raul Ibanez with the idea of retaining them beyond this season. On the year, Morse owns a .227/.282/.414 slash line with 13 homers in 301 plate appearances – down from his career line of .285/.338/.480.
- Heath Bell — Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Bell, 35, has been placed on waivers. He came to the Diamondbacks from the Marlins this offseason in a three-team trade that also included the A's. Bell has rebounded, to an extent, from a rough 2012 season that saw him post a 5.09 ERA in his only season with the Marlins. He's pitched to a 3.88 ERA with 10.0 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 41.9 percent ground-ball rate. His HR/FB ratio is at a sky-high 17.2 percent, which has bloated his ERA. xFIP predicts that with a league-average HR/FB rate (roughly 11 percent), Bell would have an ERA of 3.05. His K/BB numbers and the fluky nature of high HR/FB rates suggest he's in for some improvement in the ERA department, but he's under contract for $9MM this season and again in 2014. The Marlins are picking up $8MM of that salary, but he'd be an expensive acquisition. I'd expect Bell to clear waivers.
- Javier Lopez — Heyman also tweets that the 36-year-old Lopez has been placed on waivers by the Giants. Lopez has a masterful 1.99 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a monstrous 64 percent ground-ball rate. He drew significant interest from multiple teams prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. San Francisco GM Brian Sabean reportedly had exorbitant asking price at the time, seeking top prospect Danny Salazar from the Indians in exchange for Lopez. A free agent at season's end, Lopez is owed roughly $813K over the remainder of the year and seems likely to be claimed.
For a reminder on how revocable trade waivers and August trades work, check out MLBTR's August trades primer. You can see who is available to be traded to any team by checking MLBTR's list of players who have cleared waivers. Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Marlins, Red Sox, Mortensen, Mock
Here are today's minor moves from around the league…
- The Marlins announced (via Twitter) the transfer of Marcell Ozuna to the 60-day disabled list. This frees up a roster spot for Gil Velazquez, called up from Triple-A to take the place of Placido Polanco, who is going on the seven-day DL for concussion issues.
- The Red Sox announced that they have moved Clay Buchholz and Andrew Bailey to the 60-day DL and sent Rubby De La Rosa, Ryan Lavarnway and Brock Holt to Triple-A in order to create roster spots for David Ross (activated from the 60-day DL) and call-ups Xander Bogaerts and Brayan Villarreal. Bailey is out for the season but Buchholz may soon return from a neck/shoulder issue that has kept him sidelined since June. Steve Adams examined the Bogaerts promotion earlier today on MLBTR.
- The Rays signed right-hander Jared Mortensen to a minor league contract and assigned him to High-A Charlotte last week, according to a release from the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Mortensen, 25, went undrafted out of LSU-Shreveport and had been pitching for the American Association's Grand Prairie AirHogs. In 100 1/3 innings for the AirHogs (15 starts), he posted a 3.77 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. Mortensen has made one relief appearance since reporting to the Florida State League, firing a pair of scoreless innings.
- The Diamondbacks released right-hander Garrett Mock from Triple-A Reno, according to the Pacific Coast League Transactions page. The 30-year-old Mock posted a 6.72 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 75 innings for the Aces this season. Mock spent parts of three seasons with the Nationals from 2008-10, posting a 5.17 ERA in 135 2/3 innings, but he hasn't pitched in the big leagues since. The D-Backs are his third organization since the Nationals, as he's also spent time with the Astros and Red Sox.
- Following the releases of Luis Cruz and Elliot Johnson earlier today, Sean O'Sullivan is the only player in DFA limbo at this time. O'Sullivan was designated for assignment by the Padres earlier today.
West Notes: Ramirez, Giants, Zito, D’Backs
Earlier today a pair of AL West clubs made a small trade when the Astros shipped Travis Blackley to the Rangers for cash and a player to be named later. Blackley, who was recently outrighted by Houston, was assigned to Triple-A Round Rock. Here's a look at the latest out of the AL and NL West..
- Manny Ramirez tells Hector Cruz of ESPNDeportes (via Twitter, Spanish link) that he won't retire from baseball and will seek out a new opportunity. The slugger was released by the Rangersyesterday.
- Barry Zito's large home/road split is an obstacle to an August trade, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com says. The Giants hurler has a 3.01 ERA in 71.2 innings at home this year, but a 9.50 ERA in 41.2 innings on the road. However, the lefty is now in the final guaranteed months of his contract, so it could be "more than just a formality" that he cleared waivers, sources told Knobler. Zito is owed $20MM this season, with a $7MM buyout for 2014.
- The Diamondbacks won't rush to promote top prospect Archie Bradley this season unless they're in the thick of things and he can make a difference, writes MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Diamondbacks Sign Joash Brodin
We'll keep track of tonight's minor moves here..
- The Diamondbacks have purchased the contract of outfielder Joash Brodin from the independent league Long Island Ducks, the Ducks announced. Brodin, 26, hit .307/.376/.441 in 106 games for Long Island this season and will report to the D-Backs' Class-A affiliate. He is the fourth Ducks player to be signed by a big-league team this year.
Transaction Retrospection: The Mark Reynolds Trade
It's been more than two and a half years since Mark Reynolds was traded to the Orioles from the D'Backs, but it was interesting to see each of the key players in the trade pop up in headlines last week. Reynolds was designated for assignment by the Indians, while setup man David Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A Reno by the D'Backs.
Those weren't the only names involved in the trade, of course. Arizona also sent backstop John Hester to Baltimore, who sent right-hander Kameron Mickolio to the D'Backs as well. Let's take a look at each player in the deal and how they panned out with their new teams…
- Mark Reynolds: Reynolds was 27 at the time of the trade and just a season removed from the finest year of his Major League career. In 2009, he hit .260/.349/.543 with 44 homers and 24 stolen bases in 155 games.
While he led the NL in strikeouts, the breakout campaign led to lofty expectations, of which Reynolds fell very short in 2010. Reynolds followed up his monster season by hitting .198/.320/.433, prompting GM Kevin Towers to ship him to Baltimore. With the O's, Reynolds hit .221/.328/.458 with 60 homers in two seasons before being non-tendered last November. He hit a blistering .247/.352/.532 with 15 homers in the season's final 52 games last year, helping the O's stave off the Rays and earn a Wild Card berth. But in 22 postseason at-bats, he collected just three hits and struck out 10 times. Reynolds' defensive limitations outweighed his power, as Fangraphs pegged him as a below-replacement-level player in Baltimore (-0.2 WAR). - John Hester: Hester never appeared in a game for the O's, who ultimately released him last season. He batted .254/.324/.341 in 82 games for Triple-A Norfolk in 2011 and appeared in 10 more for Norfolk before his release and subsequent signing with the Angels.
- David Hernandez: Hernandez was outstanding for the Snakes in 2011-12, posting a 2.94 ERA with 11.4 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 137 2/3 innings. He picked up 15 saves while filling in as the closer as J.J. Putz was on the DL in those seasons as well. However, Hernandez has seen his command worsen and his swinging-strike rate drop in 2013, leading to a drop in strikeouts. He's also become increasingly homer-prone, which explains the large discrepancy between his 5.59 ERA and 4.17 xFIP. He's controlled for two more seasons after this one, so he has time to sort things out and return to his status as one of the game's best setup men. Hernandez's 3.5 fWAR from 2011-12 ranked seventh among MLB relievers.
- Kam Mickolio: Mickolio was one of the pieces that Baltimore received in the Erik Bedard heist with Seattle, but he never caught on in Baltimore and didn't fare any better with the Diamondbacks. He appeared in just six games for Arizona in 2011, allowing five runs on 10 hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings. He was slightly better at Triple-A, where he posted a 4.97 ERA in 58 innings with the Reno Aces. Mickolio, now 29 years old, has potentially revived his career by posting a 2.65 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over his past 98 1/3 innings of relief. The only problem for Arizona is that he's done it for the Hiroshima Carp of Nippon Pro Baseball, as he was released following the 2011 season and signed in Japan.
Overall, the trade looks better for the Diamondbacks than it does the Orioles, even if neither of the key components is a factor in the clubs' current playoff pushes. Baltimore received some added pop to its lineup, but that power came at the expense of Reynolds' poor defense, limiting his overall value to the team. Shedding Reynolds' remaining $13MM in salary was a win for Arizona looks now to have been a victory in its own right, and Hernandez's presence tips the scale in their favor rather decisively, even if he never regains the form he showed in his age 26-27 seasons.
Click here for more entries in the Transaction Retrospection series, and remember that you can use MLBTR's Transaction Tracker to look back on trades and analyze them at any time. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor Moves: Jake Fox, Francisley Bueno
Here are Sunday’s minor moves from around MLB:
- The Diamondbacks have signed 1B/OF/C Jake Fox, Fox writes on Facebook. Fox has been assigned to Triple-A Reno. He had been playing for the independent Somerset Patriots, for whom hit .310/.387/.572 in 2013, with 25 home runs in 374 at bats. Fox played in the Pirates and Phillies systems in 2012, and last appeared in the Majors with the Orioles in 2011.
- The Royals have announced, via Twitter, they have optioned left-hander Francisley Bueno to Triple-A Omaha. The 32-year-old was designated for assignment yesterday less than 24 hours after making his season debut with 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief against the Red Sox. Bueno has excelled at Triple-A this year posting a 2.93 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 31 games (one start) covering 58 1/3 innings.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Diamondbacks Promote Matt Davidson
The Diamondbacks have promoted third baseman Matt Davidson, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The California native, who has been considered a top prospect for the last few years, was taken with the 35th overall pick in the 2009 draft by Arizona.
Davidson was ranked as the 70th best prospect heading into 2013 by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, No. 75 by Keith Law of ESPN.com, and No. 88 by Baseball America. This season was Davidson's first at the Triple-A level and he has looked strong thus far, hitting .278/.348/.484 with 16 homers in 466 plate appearances.
The 22-year-old was rated as the top power hitter in the D'Backs' system and their fifth best prospect overall. BA notes that while he has an issue with strikeouts and probably won't blossom into a high average hitter, he has the ability to drive the ball deep and to all fields when he isn't pressing.
As an August promotion, Davidson will be clear of the Super Two cutoff, meaning he will only be eligible for arbitration three times if he sticks with the varsity squad. Staying with the big league club would mean that he will be controlled through the 2019 season.
Poll: How Will The D’Backs Finish?
You may remember the Diamondbacks' last trip to the postseason in 2011 when they finished with a 94-68 mark and took the division before getting bounced in five games by the Brewers. Their last playoff cameo before that? It was in 2007 when they captured the NL West crown and made quick work of the Cubs in the opening round before they got the favor returned to them by the Rockies in the NLCS. As it stands in 2013, the Diamondbacks are a 6.5 games back of the red-hot Dodgers and are 4.5 games back of the Reds for the final Wild Card spot.
Arizona was in need of a bullpen boost heading into the trade deadline this year and while they got themselves a left-hander in Joe Thatcher, it didn't come cheap. Landing the LOOGY from San Diego meant parting ways with 28-year-old Ian Kennedy, a starter who is under club control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player. Whether you like that deal for the D'Backs in the long-term (many don't), it should only help improve things for them this year as their rotational depth made Kennedy fairly expendable. So far, Thatcher has surrendered just one hit across four relief appearances for Arizona.
If the playoffs started today, the Diamondbacks would be the best National League club to be left on the outside looking in. Of course, there's still plenty of time left for the Diamondbacks to make up ground as well. How do you see the rest of this season playing out for Arizona?
Poll: How Will The D'Backs Finish?
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Above .500 but no playoffs 74% (5,290)
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Below .500 14% (1,005)
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Playoff berth 12% (826)
Total votes: 7,121
Rosenthal On Norris, Lincecum, Rios, Utley
Let's take a look at the latest from FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal in this week's edition of Full Count:
- The Diamondbacks were the runner-up among teams vying to acquire Bud Norris from the Astros. The Snakes planned to keep Norris in the rotation for the remainder of the season, then shift him to the bullpen through the end of his contract, Rosenthal says, noting the team's wealth of young starting pitching and contracts for relievers Heath Bell and J.J. Putz that will expire after 2014. However, the Orioles were able to offer Houston the superior compensation pick.
- Tim Lincecum is pushing his free agent stock up with his recent run of strong starts, but the Giants haven't initiated contract talks yet with the hurler. An executive cited by Rosenthal pegged a potential deal for Lincecum in the three-year range with a $13MM-14MM annual salary. Though that initially appears high considering the right hander's poor performance last year and at the beginning of this one, the qualifying offer the Giants are likely to extend will probably be in the same $13MM-14MM range.
- Though the White Sox weren't able to find a taker for Alex Rios' contract before the deadline, Nelson Cruz's suspension changed the thinking in the Rangers' front office, according to Rosenthal. Texas was previously asking for significant cash back in any trade, while the Pirates weren't even interested enough to discuss specific names, Rosenthal reports. However, the Sox will likely eventually get infielder Leury Garcia from their deal with the Rangers, which could give them the flexibility to trade either second baseman Gordon Beckham or shortstop Alexei Ramirez.
- The dearth of hitters reaching the open market could have made Chase Utley quite popular in free agency. Rosenthal cites the Dodgers, Athletics and Orioles as potential suitors. The two years and $27MM of guaranteed salary that Utley received from the Phillies is comparable to guarantees that David Ortiz, Torii Hunter and Carlos Beltran got in free agency, Rosenthal notes.