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West Notes: Gray, Darvish, Torres

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The Astros, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Blue Jays all had scouts on hand as Athletics starter Sonny Gray pitched six shutout innings against Cleveland Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. A report before the game had indicated Gray had been scratched, suggesting the possibility of an imminent trade, and Gray said he received 50 texts just before the game. That report, however, turned out to be false. Gray has also recently been connected to the Cubs and Brewers, although Brewers GM David Stearns suggested his club was merely doing “background work.” Here’s more from the West divisions.

  • The Rangers are not likely to trade or extend Yu Darvish, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. A recent report indicated the Rangers would listen to offers for Darvish and Cole Hamels, and Grant doesn’t dispute that possibility outright. But the Rangers, despite a 44-45 record, could still make a Wild Card run, and with plenty of starting pitching on the market, they aren’t likely to land a top prospect for Darvish, who would be a rental. The Rangers would also stand to receive compensation if Darvish rejected a qualifying offer and departed next winter. If they were to keep Darvish after the deadline, the Rangers could then attempt to sign him long-term, although, as Grant points out, long-term contracts for pitchers in their thirties are often risky propositions.
  • Padres lefty Jose Torres is receiving trade interest, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The 23-year-old Torres has a 4.46 ERA and eight home runs allowed in his first full year in the Padres’ bullpen, but with an impressive 9.1 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and 95.1-MPH average fastball velocity. Those factors could make him an intriguing addition to the trade market, and one might think he could come up in various scenarios in discussions with teams also interested in fellow lefty Brad Hand. There would seem to be little pressing need for the Padres to move Torres, however, since he’s not eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 season at the earliest.

Marlins Notes: Jeter, Cruz, Gordon, Ziegler, Ichiro, Rojas, Riddle

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Here are a handful of notes on the Marlins, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

  • Marlins bidders Jorge Mas and Derek Jeter won’t be joining forces, Jackson writes. Mas, the Miami billionaire, contacted Jeter weeks ago and asked him to join Mas’ ownership group (as Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman also recently noted). Jeter refused, however, because he wants to control both the baseball and business sides of the team despite only contributing a relatively modest $25MM of his own money (as Heyman also previously noted). Jeter’s desire to control all parts of the team’s operations were also an issue when Jeter was previously part of a bidding group that included Jeb Bush.
  • An earlier report indicated union executive (and former big-league outfielder) Jose Cruz Jr. would be part of the Mas group. Jackson indicates that no specific role has been outlined for Cruz, but that Mas and his group do favor him.
  • The Marlins aren’t actively looking to trade Dee Gordon, but might deal him for the right return, Jackson suggests. A recent report from Heyman named the Royals, Angels and Blue Jays as potential bidders for Gordon, but indicated that the $41MM left on Gordon’s current deal might be a sticking point. Gordon is batting .291/.338/.353 in 380 plate appearances this season.
  • Neither righty Brad Ziegler nor outfielder Ichiro Suzuki plan to retire after the season, Jackson writes. Ziegler considered retiring before signing with Miami last winter, Jackson indicates. It’s not surprising that those retirement plans are no more, however, since he’s signed for $9MM next season. The 37-year-old is, however, in the midst of a terrible year, with a 6.52 ERA, 5.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 over 29 innings. Ichiro would play in 2018 at the age of 44 and has a .220/.267/.294 line this year; Jackson suggests that Ichiro is unlikely to return to the Marlins next season, despite his plans to play.
  • Infielder Miguel Rojas is set to return soon from a thumb injury, and manager Don Mattingly says he’s open to having Rojas compete with rookie JT Riddle for the starting shortstop job. Mattingly indicates, though, that he liked using Rojas in a utility role instead. Rojas has played all four infield positions with the Marlins this season.

Diamondbacks Interested In J.D. Martinez

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The Diamondbacks have interest in Tigers slugger J.D. Martinez, Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweets. Talks between the two sides do not yet appear serious, however.

The Diamondbacks currently have a corner outfield vacancy with Yasmany Tomas on the DL with a groin injury, and Martinez would clearly be an upgrade even if everyone were healthy. Upon returning, Tomas would likely lose playing time if the Diamondbacks were to acquire Martinez, since fellow corner outfielder David Peralta is in the midst of a strong season and could move from right to left.

After starting the season late due to a foot issue, the 29-year-old Martinez has gotten off to a .298/.379/.602 start that’s terrific even by his lofty standards. He would complement a Diamondbacks offense that has rated seventh in the Majors in runs thanks in large part to contributions from corner infielders Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb. Martinez makes $11.75MM this season. He’s eligible for free agency next winter, so it seems likely the 39-49 Tigers will strongly consider moving him.

Brewers Sign Jeanmar Gomez

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The Brewers have announced that they’ve signed righty reliever Jeanmar Gomez, presumably to a minor-league deal. (They also announced that they’ve signed righty and former Rockies farmhand Alec Kenilvort and released righty Stephen Kohlscheen.) Gomez is a client of Magnus Sports.

The Phillies designated Gomez for assignment and then released him last month after he posted a 7.25 ERA and and seven home runs allowed over 22 1/3 innings, albeit with a decent 8.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. Gomez recorded 37 saves for Philadelphia in 2016 (a performance that earned him a $4.2MM deal as an arbitration-eligible player last winter) but was quickly replaced in the closer’s role after getting off to a bad start this April. It’s perhaps also worth noting that Gomez doesn’t have archetypal closer stuff — he’s a groundball pitcher with a low-90s fastball. He has, however, previously proven fairly useful in parts of eight big-league seasons, particularly given his ability to pitch in multi-inning stretches (and even start as needed, although he hasn’t done so since 2013). For his career, Gomez has a 4.39 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 515 innings.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/15/2017

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the game.

  • The Orioles have announced that they’ve outrighted outfielder Craig Gentry to Triple-A Norfolk. The 33-year-old Gentry has batted .175/.273/.263 in 68 plate appearances spanning two stints with the Orioles this season after signing a minor-league deal with the club last winter. Gentry was once a valuable contributor in Texas, thanks largely to his fine center field defense, but he has struggled to stick in the Majors in the past couple seasons as his offense has slipped.
  • The Dodgers purchased the contract of lefty reliever Brian Moran from the the Atlantic League’s Bridgeport Bluefish, the Bluefish have announced. Moran will report to Double-A Tulsa. The 28-year-old Moran posted a 2.32 ERA over 19 1/3 innings with Bridgeport, striking out a terrific 33 batters and walking nine. He was also throwing 93 MPH there, Driveline Baseball’s Kyle Boddy recently tweeted. Though Moran has never pitched in the Majors, this won’t be his first stint in affiliated ball — he was a seventh-round pick by the Mariners in the 2009 draft and spent several years in Seattle’s system, then briefly pitched for the Braves’ Triple-A team in Gwinnett last year. Overall, Moran has fared well at the Triple-A level, with a 3.69 ERA, 2.7 BB/9 and a tremendous 11.9 K/9 over 105 innings spanning three seasons.

Athletics Release Ryan LaMarre

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JUNE 21: The A’s announced that LaMarre has been released. He’s now a free agent.

JUNE 17: The Athletics have designated outfielder Ryan LaMarre for assignment, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group tweets. The move clears 40-man space for righty Michael Brady, who had his contract selected today.

The 28-year-old LaMarre began the season in the Angels organization, then headed to the A’s in a minor trade after the Halos designated him for assignment. He briefly played for the Athletics in late April before being optioned to the minors. He’s played briefly in parts of three big-league seasons, also suiting up with the Reds and Red Sox, and he’s mostly played center field in his stops in the Majors. He has struggled at the Triple-A level this year, batting .247/.328/.300 in stops with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake and the Athletics’ in Nashville.

AL East Notes: Plouffe, Davis, Smith, Red Sox

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The Rays see newly acquired Trevor Plouffe helping them against left-handed pitching, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. He’ll be used to spell Evan Longoria at third base and Logan Morrison at first, and the Rays could also consider using him in the corner outfield spots, manager Kevin Cash tells Topkin. Cash also says the organization had talks with Plouffe last winter before he ultimately signed with the Athletics. “For us to be able to get him here two months, three months, in is a good thing for us,” Cash says. Here’s more from the AL East.

  • Chris Davis’ oblique strain could keep him out of the Orioles’ lineup until after the All-Star break, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. This season’s break begins July 10. Davis reports improvement in the injury but says he’s still having trouble moving and sleeping. “I was basically told it’s sensitive,” says Davis. “It’s one of those things you don’t want to rush because if you have a setback, it makes things that much harder.” This isn’t Davis’ first oblique strain — he landed on the disabled list with one in 2014, although that one was on his left side, and his current injury is on his right.
  • Red Sox reliever Carson Smith has been shut down for four or five days with a shoulder inflammation, meaning he won’t be able to begin his rehab assignment as planned, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal tweets. Smith had Tommy John surgery last year and hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since last May, so this setback, even if it proves to be a minor one, must be frustrating for him.
  • Trades for Smith and another injured reliever, Tyler Thornburg, demonstrate a failure in approach, Evan Drellich of CSNNE.com writes. It’s not the Red Sox’ fault Smith and Thornburg got hurt, but reliever performance tends to be mercurial, and the Red Sox have gotten good results this season from players like Matt Barnes and Robby Scott, for whom they didn’t have to part with significant assets. Of course, as Drellich also notes, the team’s trade for Craig Kimbrel has been a great success thus far.

Twins Sign Royce Lewis

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5:50pm: The Twins have announced the signing. Lewis’ deal is worth $6.725MM, per Heyman, who notes that it’s a record for a high school player in the new system (Twitter links).

4:34pm: The Twins have agreed to a deal with first overall draft pick Royce Lewis, Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman tweets. Lewis will receive a bonus of a bit over $6.7MM. Lewis, a high school shortstop from California, will forgo his commitment to UC-Irvine, as expected.

It was reported late last week that Lewis would soon take a physical with the Twins and that he was expected to receive a bonus slightly higher than the $6.5MM 2015 first overall pick Dansby Swanson got from the Diamondbacks, so today’s news does not come as a major surprise. It appears Lewis’ bonus will not be the biggest overall in this year’s draft, however — that honor could go to Braves No. 5 overall pick Kyle Wright, who received $7MM, or Rays No. 4 overall selection Brendan McKay, who could receive slightly more.

The first overall pick had a pool value of $7,770,700 this year, so it appears that when Lewis’ signing is complete, the Twins will save around $1M against their total draft pool of $14,156,800. Notably, they’ve already struck a deal with third-rounder Blayne Enlow for $2MM, a little over $1.2MM more than the value of the No. 76 pick. The Lewis and Enlow deals, then, will essentially balance one another out.

The Twins were reportedly interested in both Lewis and McKay with the first overall pick, and Lewis’ willingness to accept the Twins’ bonus offer was reportedly a key factor in their decision to select him. Lewis, though, did rate as one of the premium talents in this year’s draft. MLB.com rated him the No. 5 prospect available, noting that he has excellent athleticism and good range either in the infield or center field. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen rated Lewis similarly, noting his feel for hitting, projectable body and the likelihood he could become a plus center field if he’s eventually moved off shortstop. Baseball America (subscription required) noted Lewis’ plus makeup, speed and raw power.

Lewis will join a collection of young Twins talent that includes big-leaguers Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios, along with prospects Nick Gordon, Stephen Gonsalves and Enlow. Lewis only turned 18 the week before the draft and could require ample time to develop, but he’ll immediately become one of the crown jewels of the Twins’ system.

Twins Designate Adam Wilk For Assignment

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The Twins have designated lefty Adam Wilk for assignment and selected the contract of righty Alan Busenitz from Triple-A Rochester, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune tweets.

Wilk joined the Twins last month as a waiver claim from the Mets and has since made three big league appearances, including a start against the Indians on Saturday. That didn’t go well for Wilk, who lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed six earned runs on eight hits and three walks, with two strikeouts, in a 9-3 loss. The 29-year-old has struggled in general in the majors this season, having pitched to a 9.00 ERA, with 5.14 K/9 against 5.79 BB/9, across 14 combined innings with the Mets and Twins. He has been better, albeit not great, with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, logging a 4.38 ERA, 4.38 K/9 and 2.19 BB/9 in 12 1/3 frames.

The 26-year-old Busenitz, a 25th-round pick of the Angels in 2013, is now in position to make his major league debut. He’s in his first full season with the Minnesota organization, which acquired him last August in a deal involving Hector Santiago, Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer. Busenitz has impressed in relief in Triple-A this season, recording a 2.15 ERA, 9.82 K/9 and 2.76 BB/9 in 19 appearances and 29 1/3 innings.

Mariners Claim Pat Light From Pirates, Outright Ryne Harper

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The Mariners have announced they’ve claimed righty Pat Light from the Pirates and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma. They’ve also outrighted righty Ryne Harper to Triple-A Tacoma.

The Pirates designated Light for assignment last Saturday. The reliever is a former first-round pick of the Red Sox and has tantalizing velocity, but he has long struggled with his control, as his 5.1 BB/9 this year for Triple-A Indianapolis suggests. The 26-year-old pitched briefly in the big leagues for the Red Sox and Twins last season and allowed 22 runs in 16 2/3 innings, though he did average 95 MPH with his fastball.

The Mariners selected the 28-year-old Harper’s contract late last month, then optioned him to Tacoma before he threw a pitch for them. He has pitched parts of seven seasons in the minors but has never appeared in a big-league game despite having been on a big-league roster and being part of a trade for a big-leaguer (the 2015 deal that sent Jose Ramirez to Atlanta). He has, however, fared well this season for Tacoma, posting a 3.00 ERA, 10.9 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 24 innings there.

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