Brewers Place Justin Wilson On Injured List
The Brewers have placed reliever Justin Wilson on the 15-day injured list due to a left lat strain. Milwaukee recalled Trevor Megill from Triple-A Nashville to take the open active roster spot. The Brewers also optioned Jahmai Jones to Nashville, as newly-acquired first baseman Carlos Santana has reported to the team.
It’s a brutal development for Wilson. The left-hander had completed a near 14-month rehab after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June. He was reinstated from the injured list to make his Milwaukee debut last night. While throwing his warm-up pitches, he sustained the lat injury.
While it isn’t clear how long Wilson is expected to be out, manager Craig Counsell said shortly after last night’s game the injury appeared “pretty significant” (link via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). His absence again leaves Hoby Milner as the only southpaw in the MLB bullpen. If the Brewers anticipate another significant IL stay for Wilson, perhaps the front office will look to add lefty relief help in the next three days.
Wilson’s contract contains a $2.5MM club option or a $150K buyout for next season. This obviously wasn’t the way in which he envisioned beginning his Milwaukee tenure as he tries to work his way to having that option picked up.
Latest On Justin Verlander
Few potential trade candidates are as notable as Justin Verlander. There are myriad complications that could stand in the way of a deal, but there’s been speculation over the past couple days about the chance of Verlander being on the move.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com suggested Thursday night there was some industry sentiment the Mets would look to move him. Feinsand listed the Astros and Rangers as potential fits. Will Sammon and Tim Britton of the Athletic also indicated that the two Texas-based franchises had expressed some interest, writing that the Mets at least appear willing to genuinely consider offers on Verlander and Max Scherzer.
Still, it remains to be seen how aggressively other teams would pursue either player. Sammon and Britton characterize Texas’ interest in Verlander mostly as due diligence as they evaluate all their rotation possibilities. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News wrote yesterday that Texas would be open to surpassing the competitive balance tax threshold in a Verlander trade. However, he similarly indicated the Rangers are checking in on virtually every pitcher on the market, with nothing to suggest Verlander talks have gotten particularly advanced. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Texas has also inquired on reliever Brooks Raley and corner outfielder Tommy Pham.
Texas has a luxury tax number around $224MM, as calculated by Roster Resource. They’re $9MM shy of the $233MM base threshold. Verlander is due around $15.4MM through season’s end, so an acquisition would push Texas past that marker unless the Mets paid down a significant chunk of the salary.
New York might be willing to do so. They paid down all of Eduardo Escobar’s deal and are reportedly willing to send cash in other trades, although they didn’t include any money in the David Robertson swap with Miami. There’s a ways to go to get to that point, though. New York would have to weigh the possible return against subtracting a key player who’s under contract for 2024, when the Mets surely envision a return to competitiveness.
That’s even before considering the players’ ability to block any deal. Both Verlander and Scherzer have complete no-trade rights. Understandably, neither has gone on record about whether they’d waive that provision. Verlander said a few days ago the Mets had not approached him about that possibility. Scherzer told the New York beat last night that he’d likely speak with the front office about the franchise’s direction over the next few days. Sherman indicates the Mets would only gauge the pitchers’ willingness to waive the no-trade clauses if they first find a potentially workable trade package.
Texas pursued Verlander as a free agent last winter. He reportedly wasn’t keen on joining the Rangers at the time, although that’s seemingly because he questioned how quickly they’d be competitive. That’s no longer in doubt with the Rangers topping the AL West by two games and motivated deadline buyers.
There’s plenty of familiarity between Verlander and the Astros, of course. Houston has been on the hunt for a starting pitcher for a few weeks. General manager Dana Brown downplayed the rotation need a bit after acquiring reliever Kendall Graveman yesterday, however. Brown indicated that while Houston was still open to adding a starter, the rotation is “not as high a priority as the bullpen was,” in part because of the loftier asking price teams are demanding to relinquish starting pitching (link via Chandler Rome of the Athletic).
White Sox Select Edgar Navarro, Activate Mike Clevinger
The White Sox announced they’ve selected reliever Edgar Navarro onto the major league roster. Chicago also reinstated Mike Clevinger from the 15-day injured list.
Navarro, 25, gets his first major league call. The Venezuela native signed with Chicago as an amateur free agent late, beginning his professional career at age 20. (Most Latin American amateurs sign at 16). Predictably, Navarro didn’t generate much prospect attention given his late-blooming background. He combined for a 3.64 ERA in 54 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A last season to put himself somewhat on the radar.
Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs named him an honorable mention on his write-up of the Sox’s farm system last winter, pointing to a traditional sinker/slider combination. Navarro has indeed racked up plenty of grounders between the top two minor league levels this year, including a 60% grounder rate in 34 1/3 Triple-A frames. That has contributed to a reasonable 4.19 ERA despite a below-average 21.2% strikeout percentage and particularly alarming 16% walk rate.
Clevinger is back after a six-week absence due to biceps inflammation. He’ll take the ball this evening against the Guardians in what’ll be his last start before Tuesday’s trade deadline. It’s not much time to drum up interest, though it stands to reason some other clubs will send evaluators to keep an eye on his form. There’s little reason for the White Sox to hold Clevinger past the deadline if they can find a trade partner.
The righty has a 3.88 ERA over 12 starts, though his 19.3% strikeout percentage and 9.3% walk rate are each a bit worse than average. Clevinger’s average fastball velocity was above 94 MPH before the injury, but his 9.2% swinging strike percentage was the lowest of his career. Clevinger is owed around $2.8MM in salary through season’s end. That’s a reasonable amount, but he’ll also be due a $4MM buyout on next year’s mutual option at the start of the offseason, which could be the biggest impediment to a trade.
Marcos Grunfeld of El Emergente first reported Navarro’s call-up last night.
Max Scherzer Discusses Future With Mets
The Mets kicked off what’s likely to be a deadline sell-off last night, sending David Robertson to Miami. It’d seemed a long time in the making with New York unable to get above .500 but still marked a symbolic blow for a team that entered the year with championship aspirations.
How aggressively New York will retool the roster remains to be seen. Short-term veterans like Tommy Pham, Brooks Raley and Mark Canha seem likely to move within the next few days. There’s been increasing chatter about a pair of much bigger names: Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
After his start tonight, Scherzer spoke with the New York beat about his future (relayed by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). While he conceded the roster “put (itself) in this position” by not playing up to expectations, he noted his disappointment with the club’s situation. Regarding both whether he still had confidence in the team to compete in 2023 and his longer-term future with the organization, Scherzer said he was likely to speak with the front office about the club’s direction.
Scherzer declined to say whether he’d be willing to waive his no-trade rights. However, he seemed to tip his hand regarding the $43.333MM player option in his contract for next season. The three-time Cy Young winner said he’s “not going to be a free agent,” distinguishing this from the 2021 deadline when Scherzer waived his no-trade clause to go from the Nationals to the Dodgers three months before free agency.
The star hurler didn’t directly say he was a lock to opt in to next season. His contract with Washington didn’t have any option years, so there was no question he was headed to free agency that winter. Between his no-trade rights and player options, Scherzer has the ability to ensure he’s a Met in 2024. He added he “can see a path to contend next year” with New York but noted that’s pending a conversation with team brass.
Scherzer’s comments surely won’t quiet speculation about the chances of another deadline blockbuster. Yet they’re far from ensuring a move will happen. Even if Scherzer were willing to waive his no-trade rights, the Mets would need to find a deal they consider tenable. Andy Martino of SNY wrote this afternoon the Mets were finding more interest in Verlander of the two pitchers.
Both are making a record annual salary north of $43MM. Verlander is under guaranteed contract next season and has a vesting player option for 2025. Scherzer owns a 4.01 ERA through 107 2/3 innings. He’s striking hitters out at a quality 27.3% clip and limiting walks but has struggled with home runs.
Mike Brosseau Signs With NPB’s Chiba Lotte Marines
Infielder Mike Brosseau has signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, the team announced this evening. He’s a client of Icon Sports Management.
Brosseau, 29, has played in the majors in five consecutive seasons. That includes 29 games for the Brewers this year. Acquired in a trade with the Rays over the 2021-22 offseason, Brosseau had a solid .255/.344/.418 showing over 69 contests in his first year as a Brewer. He and the club agreed to a $1.4MM salary for this season to avoid arbitration.
The right-handed hitter didn’t find the same level of success in a relatively brief look in 2023. He’d hit .205/.256/.397 through 78 trips to the plate. Milwaukee designated him for assignment during the first week of July and passed him through outright waivers a few days later.
Brosseau made two appearances for Triple-A Nashville after the outright. He’s apparently found an offer more to his liking in Japan, with the Brew Crew granting him his release to pursue it. He joins the Marines with a career .242/.313/.428 batting line in 647 major league plate appearances. The bulk of that production has come with the platoon advantage, as Brosseau carries a robust .265/.326/.464 mark against left-handed pitching.
Rays, Diamondbacks Showing Interest In Jordan Hicks
The D-Backs and Rays are among the clubs with interest in Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). The Rangers were tied to the hard-throwing righty this afternoon. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote this afternoon that the Yankees also had some interest in Hicks.
Hicks has seemed a likely trade candidate for a while. He’s an impending free agent on a St. Louis club that is openly turning its attention to 2024. He’s having a good season, posting a 3.67 ERA through 41 2/3 innings and climbing back to a high-leverage role. Hicks offers a rare blend of strikeouts (31.2%) and grounders (58.3%). Even with below-average control, his power arsenal is obviously appealing to clubs.
A few days ago, it seemed as if Hicks might surprisingly come off the market. The Athletic’s Katie Woo reported that his camp was in talks with the Cardinals about a potential multi-year extension. However, Goold reported yesterday those conversations hadn’t gained much traction.
Feinsand suggests an extension hasn’t entirely been ruled out. However, Woo echoed Goold’s reporting this afternoon, writing that talks have stalled and a trade seems probable.
Virtually any team with postseason aspirations this season could be a viable suitor. Even clubs that don’t need back-end bullpen help could add a reliever to the middle innings. Arizona has a stronger need than Tampa Bay on paper. The D-Backs rank 23rd in bullpen ERA (4.57) and 19th in strikeout rate (23.2%). The Rays are seventh in ERA (3.74) and 26th in strikeout percentage (22.1%). The Rays’ overall bullpen numbers are dragged down a bit by how often they rely on relievers and bulk pitchers following openers. Only the A’s and Giants have used their bullpen for more innings, which will naturally weigh down their dominance on a rate basis.
Of course, there’s no indication the bidding for Hicks is down to Texas, New York, Arizona and Tampa Bay. The Cardinals’ front office is presumably in conversations with a number of clubs about their trade candidates. Hicks joins Chris Stratton as impending free agent relievers on the St. Louis roster. Starters Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty are also headed to the open market and likely to be dealt this summer. Their markets are mostly unreported, but each of Texas, Arizona and Tampa Bay is also known to be looking for rotation help. Shortstop Paul DeJong figures to move as well.
Those short-term assets — paired with Dylan Carlson, who has gotten increasingly squeezed out of the outfield picture — have seemed St. Louis’ most likely trade pieces. Brendan Donovan and Tommy Edman have drawn interest from other clubs, but Woo unsurprisingly writes the Cardinals aren’t interested in trading them. That’s also true of power-hitting second baseman Nolan Gorman, who has five seasons of club control beyond this one.
Reds Sign Manager David Bell To Three-Year Extension
The Reds have signed manager David Bell to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2026 season, the team announced. His current two-year deal was set to expire at the end of this season.
Bell, 50, is in his fifth year at the helm in Cincinnati. The club went 75-87 in his first season before posting a slightly above-average showing (31-29) in the shortened 2020 schedule. Cincinnati made the expanded postseason that year but was promptly swept in the opening round without scoring a run.
It was a similar situation over a full season in ’21. The Reds hovered around .500 for the majority of the year. They were in possession of a Wild Card spot as late as mid-September but ultimately came up a bit shy of the postseason. After finishing 83-79, Cincinnati cut payroll and kicked off a retool.
The Reds dealt away a number of veterans both leading up to and immediately out of the lockout. A disastrous April portended a brutal 2022 season that saw Cincinnati lose 100 games for just the second time in franchise history. The Reds continued to deal away veterans at the deadline. After another relatively quiet offseason, few expected Cincinnati to make much noise coming into 2023.
After a middling first six weeks, the Reds have gotten hot. They’re 30-19 since the start of June, entering play Friday. They sit eight games above .500 overall and are firmly in the mix for a playoff spot. The Reds are just a game and a half behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They’re in possession of a spot in a tightly-contested Wild Card picture.
Whether this’ll result in the second playoff appearance of Bell’s tenure is to be determined. Yet it’s hard not to view the first four months of this season as anything other than a strong success. Cincinnati has graduated a number of young players from the farm system. The likes of Matt McLain, Andrew Abbott and Spencer Steer have been excellent from the jump. Elly De La Cruz has had an inconsistent first month in the majors but is one of the sport’s most talented young players. Injuries to Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo have forced Cincinnati to use a patchwork rotation for most of the year, but they’ve managed to overcome that.
Now, the club finds itself in position to add to the roster within the next five days. Unsurprisingly, ownership and the front office appear pleased with the organization’s progress. They’ll ensure continuity atop the dugout by keeping their skipper from starting the offseason unsigned. Bell is the seventh-longest tenured active manager in the National League. The Reds have a 307-343 regular season record since he was hired but are trending towards a third above-.500 showing out of five.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Reds’ Reiver Sanmartin Undergoes UCL Surgery
Reds reliever Reiver Sanmartin underwent surgery to repair his UCL earlier this month, the team informed reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic). It isn’t clear if he underwent a full Tommy John procedure or something like the modified internal brace surgery, but it appears as if his season is over.
Sanmartin is already on the 60-day injured list. He landed on the shelf at the start of May with a stress reaction in his elbow. Apparently, there was also ligament damage that needed to be corrected. Assuming he’s done for the season, he’ll remain on the 60-day IL through year’s end.
The 27-year-old has pitched in parts of three seasons with Cincinnati. He owns a 5.77 ERA through 82 2/3 career frames. Sanmartin has induced grounders at a lofty 53.5% clip but posted worse than average strikeout and walk numbers. He’s controllable through 2028, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cincinnati waived him at the start of the offseason rather than carry him on the 40-man roster throughout the winter.
The Reds provided updates on a few other injured pitchers (via Rosecrans). Hunter Greene will begin a minor league rehab stint next weekend; the club hopes he’ll be ready for the majors by August 20. Nick Lodolo is targeting an MLB return at the end of next month, beginning a rehab stint at a similar time as Greene. Vladimir Gutierrez and Tejay Antone are each beginning rehab work of their own after missing the entire season to date.
White Sox Select Bryan Shaw
The White Sox selected the contract of veteran reliever Bryan Shaw before this evening’s game against the Guardians, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He’s in the majors within a few days of being outrighted off the roster.
Shaw returns to backfill a bullpen that has had a few notable subtractions. Reynaldo López, Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman were all dealt away within the past 48 hours. Keynan Middleton seems likely to follow them out the door, while Aaron Bummer has been the subject of trade attention himself. Chicago will need to cover that lost middle relief work.
The 35-year-old righty has pitched in six games for the ChiSox this year. He’s allowed eight runs in 7 2/3 frames. Shaw has spent the bulk of the season with Triple-A Charlotte, tallying 23 2/3 innings over 23 outings. He carries a 4.94 ERA there, striking out more than a quarter of opponents but issuing walks at a massive 16.5% clip.
Padres Outright Domingo Tapia
The Padres have sent reliever Domingo Tapia outright to Triple-A El Paso, according to the transactions log at MLB.com. He cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last weekend.
San Diego signed Tapia to a minor league contract last winter. He had an excellent Spring Training and secured a spot on the 40-man roster out of camp. The Friars bounced him between the majors and El Paso for a few months. He’s gotten into 15 big league games, allowing eight runs in 17 2/3 innings. Tapia has walked 12 while striking out 14.
He has missed more bats in Triple-A, striking out 16 over 14 2/3 frames. He’s dished out 10 free passes at the top minor league level, though, continuing the control issues that have plagued him throughout his career. Tapia has walked upwards of 13% of opponents in parts of four big league campaigns. He has huge arm strength, averaging around 98 MPH on his fastball, but has a below-average 17.6% strikeout rate at the MLB level.
Tapia was outrighted off the A’s roster last September. Players who have been outrighted multiple times in their careers have the right to free agency. It’s unclear whether Tapia will accept the assignment or head back to the open market in search of a minor league opportunity elsewhere.