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The Rockies’ Latest Missed Trade Opportunity

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Ryan McMahon should have been available at last summer's deadline. The Rockies third baseman got out to a strong start to the 2024 season. He raked in April and continued to hit well through the end of May. His production began to tail off in June, but he carried a solid .272/.350/.447 batting line into his first career All-Star Game. His exit velocities were up, and he was making contact a little more frequently, at least early in the season.

Some of McMahon's early-season results were driven by unsustainable batted ball numbers. He had a .355 average on balls in play through the first two months. Teams wouldn't have expected hits to keep falling at quite that rate, yet even slightly above-average offense would be sufficient when paired with a plus glove. The trade market was light on infield talent. McMahon would have been an attractive target for contenders. The Yankees and Blue Jays were among the teams that reportedly expressed interest.

The Rockies never seemed to consider moving him. Jon Morosi of the MLB Network reported as early as May 29 that McMahon was "highly unlikely" to be available. Three weeks later, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post confirmed there was essentially no chance of a trade. Saunders wrote that the front office was keen on a left side infield tandem of McMahon and newly-extended shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. Perhaps more significantly, he reported that McMahon was a favorite player of Rox owner Dick Monfort.

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Braves Release Chasen Shreve

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The Braves recently released Chasen Shreve from his minor league contract (h/t to Matt Eddy of Baseball America). The veteran lefty is again a free agent.

Shreve signed a non-roster deal with Atlanta in January. It was a return to the organization that drafted him in 2010 and with which he made his big league debut more than a decade ago. He received an invite to major league Spring Training but was reassigned to the minors after three appearances. Shreve has worked exclusively in relief as a big leaguer, but he pitched out of the rotation at Triple-A Gwinnett.

The 34-year-old started four of five outings with the Stripers, working four frames in each start. The results weren’t good, as he allowed 15 runs (11 earned) over 17 1/3 innings. He struck out 12 against five walks while allowing 21 hits, three of which left the yard. His fastball averaged what would be a career-low 88.8 MPH, though that’s not all that surprising with the rotation move. His fastball sat around 90 MPH during his relief work last season.

Shreve made one MLB appearance as a member of the Rockies last year. He tossed a scoreless inning. That extended his streak to 11 consecutive years logging some major league action. Shreve spent most of the ’23 season in the big leagues. He combined for 50 appearances between the Tigers and Reds, working to a 4.63 ERA across 44 2/3 frames.

While his big league appearance came with Colorado, Shreve played for a trio of Triple-A affiliates last year. He spent time in the Rangers, Yankees and Rox systems. Shreve turned in a cumulative 2.62 earned run average across 34 1/3 innings. He fanned a strong 26.7% of opponents against a slightly higher than average 9.2% walk percentage. He got swinging strikes at a near-14% clip. That could get him attention on another minor league deal from teams seeking lefty relief depth.

Tigers, Nick Margevicius Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers reached agreement with left-hander Nick Margevicius on a minor league deal, relays Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. The 6’5″ southpaw had been pitching in the Mexican League with the Tecos de los Dos Laredos.

Margevicius, 28, pitched in the majors each season from 2019-21. He suited up with both the Mariners and Padres, combining for a 6.12 earned run average in 110 1/3 innings. He split the following two seasons between the upper levels of the Seattle and Atlanta farm systems. Margevicius signed in Taiwan last year and worked to a 2.82 ERA with 86 strikeouts over 108 1/3 frames. He made the move to Mexico last winter.

The Mexican League is a tough landing spot for a pitcher. Margevicius pitched well over two starts there, though, allowing just two runs in 10 1/3 innings. While he only struck out seven of 42 opponents, he limited free passes (three walks and one hit batter) while managing solid overall results. It was enough to get him back to affiliated ball for the first time since 2023. He’ll look to improve upon a 4.55 ERA in 369 2/3 minor league innings over five seasons.

Mets’ Danny Young May Require Tommy John Surgery

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Tommy John surgery is on the table for Mets reliever Danny Young, manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including Tim Healey of Newsday). The Mets placed the left-hander on the 15-day injured list this afternoon with an elbow sprain.

The team hasn’t made the final determination, but Young is in for an extended absence. An elbow sprain involves at least some degree of ligament stretching or tearing. The damage is sufficient enough that it may require surgical repair, though it stands to reason that Young will go for multiple opinions before making a decision of that magnitude. If he does go under the knife, he’d not only miss the rest of this season but the majority of next year as well.

Young signed a minor league deal with New York during the 2023-24 offseason. They selected his contract that April. He has held his 40-man roster spot since then. Young worked as an up-and-down reliever throughout the ’24 season. He worked to a 4.54 ERA over a career-high 37 2/3 big league frames. That was Young’s final option year. The Mets have needed to keep him in the big leagues this season. He’s pitched 10 times, allowing five runs (four earned) with a strong 13:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s collected four holds.

A.J. Minter and Young have been the only left-handers in Mendoza’s bullpen this season. Within the past few days, they’ve each not only gone on the injured list but are facing potential season-ending absences. Minter sustained a severe lat strain over the weekend and is weighing potential surgery himself. They re-signed Brooks Raley, but he’s multiple months away as he rehabs last May’s Tommy John procedure. The only healthy left-handed pitchers on New York’s 40-man roster are starter David Peterson and Brandon Waddell, who was called up today for spot work as a bulk arm behind an opener.

Anthony Gose and Génesis Cabrera are the only lefties on the Triple-A roster. Both pitchers are missing bats with scattershot command, which aligns with their overall track records. Gose has had more success in terms of run prevention, but neither is well suited for a leverage role. Even with Raley hopefully serving as a late-season reinforcement, lefty relief figures to be a target area for the Mets over the coming weeks. The handful of rebuilding clubs — the Rockies, White Sox and Marlins — don’t have much to offer in that regard, so an early-season trade of significance seems unlikely.

Regardless of whether he requires surgery or “only” needs an extended shutdown, Young will probably move to the 60-day injured list at some point. If he has surgery, the Mets may look to outright him off the 40-man roster at the beginning of the offseason.

Phillies To Activate Ranger Suarez On Sunday

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Ranger Suárez has made four rehab starts since beginning a minor league assignment three weeks ago. That includes 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball for Triple-A Lehigh Valley over the weekend. After building to 78 pitches, he’ll make his return to the majors this weekend. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer) that Suárez will be activated to start against Arizona on Sunday.

That may push Philadelphia to a six-man rotation. Thomson acknowledged yesterday that the Phils were considering moving to a six-man staff rather than bumping anyone to the bullpen (link via Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia). Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, Cristopher Sánchez and Taijuan Walker have combined for every Phils start this season.

Walker was the one who would have been ticketed for the bullpen had Suárez been healthy. He’d be the candidate to move back to relief, but he has pitched fairly well through his first five starts. Walker owns a 2.78 ERA across 22 2/3 innings. His 20% strikeout rate and 10% walk percentage are each a little worse than average, but he has allowed two or fewer runs in all but one of his outings. Walker has found a little extra velocity relative to last season. He’s averaging 92 MPH on both his four-seam and sinker after sitting around 91 a year ago.

Luzardo, Wheeler and Sánchez have all been excellent. Nola has struggled while operating with diminished velocity, but his rotation spot clearly isn’t any jeopardy. The Phils have already confirmed that Suárez will return to the rotation, while Sánchez’s recent forearm soreness seemingly amounted to nothing. The question is essentially whether the Phils feel Walker will be more valuable in a long relief role or taking the ball every sixth day.

Walker will make at least one more start. He’s tabbed as the probable pitcher tomorrow against Brad Lord in their series finale against Washington. Wheeler and Sánchez have gone over the past two days. The Phils will run with Luzardo, Nola and Suárez against the D-Backs. They’re off on Monday before a stretch of nine game days.

While the rotation has been a strength, Philadelphia’s relief group has struggled. Their bullpen entered play Wednesday with a 5.25 ERA that was better only the Nationals’ 7.47 mark. No bullpen has blown more leads than Philadelphia’s eight. José Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks (to a lesser extent) are the only Phils relievers who have pitched well. Righties Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano, both of whom have worked in high-leverage spots, have each had particularly poor starts. Walker is unlikely to be an impact relief weapon, but he’d give Thomson another option in the middle to late innings if they move him back to the bullpen after tomorrow.

Reds Promote Chase Petty, Tyler Callihan

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April 30: The Reds announced earlier today that Callihan has been recalled. As a corresponding move, Candelario was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lumbar spine strain, retroactive to April 28th. Petty was officially selected to the 40-man between games and will be the 27th man for the twin bill.

April 29: A pair of Reds prospects will receive their first major league calls. C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports that right-hander Chase Petty will be tabbed to start the second game of tomorrow’s doubleheader against the Cardinals. He’ll go opposite Steven Matz in his major league debut. Meanwhile, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reports that infielder Tyler Callihan is also coming up.

Cincinnati will not need an active roster spot for Petty, who can serve as the allotted 27th man in the doubleheader, but they will need to formally select him onto the 40-man roster. They already have an opening after waiving Randy Wynne last week. Callihan is on the 40-man, but they’ll need to make an active roster move to accommodate his promotion.

Petty, 22, was Minnesota’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft. He didn’t spend a whole lot of time in the Twins’ farm system. Minnesota shipped him to the Reds the following spring in a one-for-one trade that netted Sonny Gray. It worked out well for both clubs. Gray had a fantastic two-season run in the Twin Cities, while Petty has become one of the better pitching prospects in baseball.

As a high schooler, Petty received plenty of attention for a fastball that ran into the triple digits. He’s not throwing quite as hard in pro ball, but he’s still averaging 95-96 MPH on his four-seam and sinker. Prospect evaluators credit him with a plus slider that serves as his best secondary offering. He rounds out a four-pitch mix with a cutter and changeup that’ll hopefully allow him to handle left-handed hitters multiple times through a lineup.

Baseball America ranked Petty third among Cincinnati prospects and among the back 10 of their overall Top 100 over the offseason. He landed among the sport’s Top 50 prospects at FanGraphs, while ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel had him in the back half of his Top 100. Keith Law of The Athletic had him outside his overall 100 but slotted him among the 10 best minor league talents in the Cincinnati system.

Petty spent most of last season in Double-A, where he turned in a 4.39 earned run average across 127 innings. He earned a late-season promotion to Triple-A Louisville, where he’s spent the first month of the ’25 campaign. Petty has pitched well through five starts. He carries a 3.52 ERA with a plus 27% strikeout rate. That includes six scoreless frames with seven strikeouts in his most recent outing last Wednesday.

Tomorrow’s appearance may simply be a spot start. Players promoted as the 27th man in a doubleheader are usually sent back to the minors the following day. Still, it’s unlikely to be the only time Petty gets the call this season. He’ll remain on the 40-man roster even if he’s returned to Louisville postgame. The Reds wouldn’t have made that move unless they anticipated Petty factoring in as rotation depth throughout the season.

The Reds added Callihan to the 40-man roster last November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. The left-handed hitting infielder has been on optional assignment to Louisville all season. He has raced out to a strong start to the season, batting .303/.410/.528 with four homers and six stolen bases in 24 games. Callihan has walked 16 times in 106 plate appearances, though he’s also punched out on 29 occasions.

Cincinnati’s third-round pick in 2019, Callihan has battled injuries (including a 2021 Tommy John surgery) during his pro career. He’s generally regarded as a bat-first infielder. Inconsistent minor league production had dropped him to 21st among Reds prospects on BA’s offseason list, but the Reds liked him enough to ensure they didn’t lose him in the Rule 5 draft. The hot start at Louisville earns him an opportunity to contribute to an infield facing some injury questions.

They’ve been without Christian Encarnacion-Strand for a couple weeks, while Jeimer Candelario is day-to-day with lower back soreness. Candelario went for an MRI today, according to the MLB.com injury tracker. A trip to the 10-day IL doesn’t seem out of the question. Callihan is primarily a second baseman and has experience at both corner infield spots (and in left field). Candelario had already ceded the starting third base job to Noelvi Marte, but Callihan could replace him as a bench bat.

Image courtesy of Imagn Images.

Astros Select AJ Blubaugh

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April 30: The Astros have made Blubaugh’s promotion official. His contract has been selected to the 40-man roster, which is now at capacity. Righty Bryan Abreu has been placed on the paternity list to clear a spot on the active roster.

April 29: The Astros are tabbing AJ Blubaugh to start tomorrow against the Tigers, the team announced to reporters (including Chandler Rome of The Athletic). The righty will go opposite another rookie, Jackson Jobe, in his major league debut. Houston already has an opening on the 40-man roster; they’ll only need to make an active roster move involving a pitcher.

Blubaugh, 24, is one of the top pitching prospects in a Houston system that is light on arms. A seventh-round pick from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the 2022 draft, he has turned in a 4.02 ERA over 268 1/3 minor league innings. Drafted as a reliever, Blubaugh began a rotation move in 2023. He worked as a full-time starter a year ago, pitching to a 3.71 ERA in 28 appearances between the top two minor league levels. Blubaugh recorded a solid 24.5% strikeout percentage against a 9.4% walk rate.

The 6’2″ righty pitched in the Futures Game a season ago. He ranked among the top 10 prospects in the Houston system at both Baseball America and The Athletic (via Keith Law) over the offseason. He’s generally viewed as a likely back-end starter who has decent command of a fringe-average pitch mix. Blubaugh’s fastball velocity has ticked up early this year. He’s averaging 93.8 MPH on the pitch after sitting at 92.5 during his Triple-A work last season. He’s mixing five pitches (four-seam, cutter, slider, curveball and changeup) with regularity.

Blubaugh has found early success in a tough pitching environment in the Pacific Coast League. He carries a 3.86 ERA over 21 innings spanning five appearances. He has punched out 30% of opponents while walking batters at an elevated 10.8% rate. Blubaugh joins Colton Gordon as rotation depth options who occupy a 40-man roster spot.

It’s unclear if his first appearance will simply be a spot start. Hayden Wesneski would have been lined up on Wednesday. Manager Joe Espada said on Tuesday afternoon that the righty’s start would be skipped after he was pitching with diminished velocity during his start last Friday (link via Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle). Espada downplayed the notion that Wesneski was injured, though it’s worth nothing the Astros provide less in the way of health specifics than any other team. In any case, Blubaugh will get the ball at least once in his initial call to the big leagues.

Royals Recall Noah Cameron For MLB Debut

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April 30: The Royals have formally announced Cameron’s recall from Omaha. They’ve also reinstated infielder Tyler Tolbert from the bereavement list. Righty Jonathan Bowlan and infielder Nick Loftin were optioned to Triple-A in a pair of corresponding moves.

April 29: Left-hander Noah Cameron is listed as the Royals’ probable starter for Wednesday evening’s game against the Rays. He’ll go opposite Drew Rasmussen in his major league debut. Cameron was added to the 40-man roster last November, but Kansas City will need to recall him while making a corresponding active roster move involving a pitcher.

This would have been Cole Ragans’ turn through the starting five. The star southpaw was pulled early from his most recent start with left groin tightness. He’s evidently not ready to go on normal rest, but the Royals haven’t placed him on the injured list. Jaylon Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports that the team is optimistic that Ragans will not require an IL stint. He’s scheduled for a bullpen session in the coming days and could start one of the games during the weekend series against the Orioles.

The delay opens the opportunity for Cameron’s first major league call. The 6’3″ lefty was a seventh-round pick in 2021. He hadn’t pitched during his draft year at the University of Central Arkansas because of Tommy John surgery. Cameron has impressed since entering professional ball, emerging as one of the team’s better pitching prospects in the process. Baseball America ranked him eighth overall in the K.C. system during the offseason. BA credits Cameron with a plus changeup as the headliner of a solid, if not overpowering, four-pitch arsenal.

Cameron doesn’t have huge velocity. His fastball averaged 92 MPH during his Triple-A work last year. It’s closer to 93 this season. Cameron mixes his pitches fairly regularly. It has worked against minor league competition. He turned in a 3.08 earned run average with a near-28% strikeout rate between the top two minor league levels last season. He has been similarly effective through five starts with Triple-A Omaha this year. Cameron has fanned 30.3% of opponents while working to a 3.22 ERA across 22 1/3 frames. He has gotten ground-balls at a career-high 58.5% clip.

If Ragans does require an injured list stint, Cameron would probably be the top choice to step into the rotation. Assuming Ragans can avoid the IL, Cameron will likely head back to Omaha after the spot start. Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Michael Lorenzen round out the rotation. The Royals have been without Alec Marsh and Kyle Wright all season. Wright, who missed all of last season rehabbing shoulder surgery, is the closer of that duo to a return. Anne Rogers of MLB.com relays that Wright will begin a minor league rehab stint this week.

A.J. Puk Shut Down With Flexor Strain, Not Expected To Require Surgery

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D-Backs southpaw A.J. Puk has been diagnosed with a flexor strain, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. He’ll remain shut down from throwing for 2-3 weeks before going for reevaluation. Fortunately, the team does not believe the injury will require surgery.

It’s moderately encouraging news after last week’s revelation that Puk was seeking multiple opinions on his elbow injury. He went on the 15-day injured list on April 19 and almost immediately went for imaging. That obviously raised the possibility of surgery, but it seems he’ll avoid the worst-case scenario.

That said, he’s clearly going to be out for an extended stretch. Puk will not resume throwing until the middle of May at the earliest. He’ll surely require a multi-week build from there. He won’t be back on an MLB mound before June, and there’d seem to be a decent chance he’s out beyond the All-Star Break. Puk has a previous Tommy John procedure on his medical chart. He underwent the surgery while he was a prospect in the A’s system back in 2018.

Acquired from Miami at last year’s deadline, Puk has been brilliant for the Diamondbacks. He posted a 1.32 ERA with 43 strikeouts in just 27 1/3 innings down the stretch. He’d reeled off another eight frames of three-run ball with 12 punchouts this season. He recorded four saves and two holds without surrendering a lead over the first three weeks.

Puk’s absence puts greater pressure on Justin Martinez to cement himself as Torey Lovullo’s top late-game weapon. The fireballer has worked 10 innings of two-run ball with 11 punchouts and a massive 61.9% grounder rate. Shelby Miller, Kevin Ginkel, Jalen Beeks and Ryan Thompson are among the setup group.

Giants Sign Cal Mitchell To Minor League Contract

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The Giants signed outfielder Cal Mitchell to a minor league deal. He was assigned to Double-A Richmond, where he’s making his organizational debut tonight. Mitchell was released from a minor league contract with the White Sox over the weekend.

A second-round pick by the Pirates in 2017, Mitchell reached the majors five years later. He hit .226/.286/.349 with five homers over 69 games as a rookie. Mitchell spent most of the following season on optional assignment to Triple-A before being designated for assignment that September. He cleared waivers and elected minor league free agency during the 2023-24 offseason. The San Diego native signed a minor league deal with his hometown club.

Mitchell spent all of last season with the Friars’ top farm team in El Paso. He had a good year, batting .277/.359/.512 with 22 home runs and 26 doubles across 469 plate appearances. Mitchell walked at a strong 11.7% clip against a serviceable 20.3% strikeout percentage. The Padres nevertheless didn’t bring him up.

The 26-year-old signed with the White Sox early last offseason. He struck out 11 times in 28 Spring Training plate appearances. The whiffs remained an issue in the minors. Mitchell fanned 14 times without drawing a walk over 10 Triple-A games. He hit .111 in 27 plate appearances, leading to his release. Mitchell now drops back a minor league level but gets a change of scenery to try to find his groove offensively.

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