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Michael Brantley Unlikely To Be Ready For Opening Day

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Indians star Michael Brantley does not appear likely to be ready play Opening Day, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes. “I don’t think you’ll see him playing in a Major-League game this week, that’s for sure,” says manager Terry Francona. “How we go about the next three or four days, we’ll have a better idea later today.”

Brantley had labrum surgery on his shoulder in November. He was initially pegged for a May return, but he had been ahead of schedule in his rehab. He played in Spring Training games Saturday and Monday, raising hopes that he might be able to play Opening Day. He has not appeared since, however, with Francona saying that Brantley was being shut down for a short time because his shoulder was not improving as much as anticipated.

Francona seems hopeful that Brantley’s delay won’t be a long one. “It might be a week later … it might be 10 days,” he says. “But he’s going to be just fine. We just have to do it right.”

Among Indians outfielders, Tyler Naquin, Lonnie Chisenhall and Rajai Davis have made the team, Hoynes writes. If Brantley starts the season on the DL, that leaves Collin Cowgill (who is on the 40-man roster) battling with minor-league invitees Marlon Byrd, Will Venable, Shane Robinson and Robbie Grossman for two remaining outfield spots out of camp.

Orioles Continue To Look For Lefty Relief, Could Pursue Sean Burnett

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Despite the recent additions of Zach Phillips and Edgar Olmos, the Orioles continue to look for lefty relief help and could pursue veteran southpaw Sean Burnett, Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic writes. Burnett is currently with the Nationals on a minor-league deal, but has an April 1 opt-out in his contract. If the Orioles decide their interest in Burnett is serious, they could potentially either make a small trade to get him now or wait until his opt-out date. With lefties Oliver Perez and Felipe Rivero likely set to make the Nationals’ bullpen, Burnett would appear to be on the outside looking in, unless the Nats elect to carry three lefties.

Burnett did not pitch in 2015 after having Tommy John surgery, and injuries also limited him in the two seasons before that. He has been impressive this spring, however, allowing no runs and one walk while striking out four in 6 2/3 innings. The Orioles have been hunting for lefties because of uncertainty surrounding the health of Brian Matusz, who has only pitched two innings this spring while dealing with a back injury.

AL Notes: Trades, Quentin, Gretzky

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The Red Sox are unlikely to make a significant deal before Opening Day, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes. Britton notes that, since 2000, 111 trades have been made between March 25 and April 5, and almost all of them have been small. That’s because, with rare exceptions (like the Padres’ acquisition of Craig Kimbrel last April 5), most teams focus on setting their rosters and making minor deals at the end of Spring Training. If they had intended to make bigger moves, they likely would have made them earlier. That’s why the Red Sox are unlikely to acquire, say, a top starter from the Indians, or Sonny Gray from the Athletics, at this point in time. Here’s more from the American League.

  • The Twins have announced that they’ve reassigned veteran slugger Carlos Quentin. Via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter), the organization is allowing Quentin a few days to decide whether to accept a minor-league assignment. Quentin had a good spring, hitting two home runs while batting .250/.333/.500, but it’s tough to imagine him getting a big-league job without first taking a minor-league assignment, since he struggled with injury and performance in 2014 and spent most of the 2015 season away from the game after retiring last May.
  • The Angels have released outfielder Trevor Gretzky, as noted on the MILBmoves Twitter account. The release of a 23-year-old Class A player might normally pass by unnoticed, but we mention this one because of Gretzky’s background. He’s the son of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, and the Cubs drafted him in the seventh round back in 2011. The Angels then acquired him two years ago for Matt Scioscia, the son of Angels manager Mike Scioscia. Gretzky hit .242/.312/.318 for Class A Burlington last year.

Indians Roster Notes: Thatcher, Gorzelanny, Joba, Urshela

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Here are a few quick notes on recent Indians roster decisions:

  • The Indians have told veteran lefty Joe Thatcher that he will not make the team, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian writes. Thatcher was an Article XX(B) free agent, so he will get a $100K retention bonus and a June 1 opt-out date if he accepts a minor-league assignment. He has until Tuesday to decide if he’ll do so. Thatcher allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings in Spring Training and also got fairly good results in a partial season with the Astros last year, but that apparently wasn’t enough to earn a spot.
  • The Indians have also told one of Thatcher’s competitors for a bullpen job, Tom Gorzelanny, that he won’t make the team either, Bastian tweets. Gorzelanny, too, was an Article XX(B) free agent, but as the Akron Beacon Journal’s Ryan Lewis tweets, the Indians are hoping he winds up with them at Triple-A. The 33-year-old Gorzelanny was coming off a rough season in Detroit and struck out only three batters in 7 2/3 innings in Spring Training, during which he allowed three runs. If the Indians do carry a bullpen lefty, it appears it will be either Kyle Crockett or Ross Detwiler.
  • One veteran reliever who has made the team is righty Joba Chamberlain, Bastian tweets. The Indians signed Chamberlain to a minor-league deal in December after a mediocre 2015 season in which he posted a 4.88 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 27 2/3 innings with the Tigers and Royals. Chamberlain also walked five batters in eight Spring Training innings this season. At 30, though, he’s fairly young, and he’s demonstrated mid-90s velocity.
  • The team also optioned infielder Giovanny Urshela, pitcher Austin Adams, outfielder Joey Butler and infielder Erik Gonzalez. The most notable of those is Urshela, who played in 81 big-league games last season and hit well this Spring but didn’t figure to make the team thanks to the presence of Juan Uribe and Jose Ramirez.

Reds Sign Ross Ohlendorf To Big-League Deal

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The Reds have signed righty Ross Ohlendorf to a Major League deal, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. The Reds have announced that it’s a one-year deal. Ohlendorf is a client of Jon Fetterolf.

The 33-year-old Ohlendorf opted out of his minor-league deal with the Royals earlier this week. He figures to provide help for a Reds bullpen that lacked stability behind closer J.J. Hoover.

Ohlendorf missed a chunk of the 2015 campaign due to a groin injury but pitched decently when healthy, posting a 3.72 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 19 1/3 innings with the Rangers and also showing a good strikeout rate in 36 2/3 innings in Triple-A. It was his first big-league season since 2008 spent primarily in the bullpen, and he experienced the bump in velocity typical of starter-to-reliever conversions, throwing his fastball at an average of 93.8 MPH. Ohlendorf has played parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, also appearing with the Yankees, Pirates, Padres and Nationals.

Will Smith Has Torn LCL

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Brewers reliever Will Smith has a torn lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, and it’s unclear whether he’ll opt for rehab or surgery, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel writes. In a freak occurrence, Smith suffered the injury while taking off his shoe in the clubhouse.

“I was standing on one leg, trying to take the shoe off and I pulled hard and it stayed on. My knee just went up and popped,” Smith says.

Whether or not Smith’s injury requires surgery, it appears he’s in for a significant stay on the Brewers’ disabled list. Smith figured to be part of the Brewers’ mix at closer, along with Jeremy Jeffress. The injury likely means that Jeffress will have the role to himself, at least for awhile.

Smith has been one of the better lefty relievers in baseball the past three seasons, and he was terrific in 2015, with a 2.70 ERA, 3.4 BB/9 and an impressive 12.9 K/9 in 63 1/3 innings working in a setup role. He figured to become a trade candidate for Brewers at some point, since an electric lefty reliever seems like a luxury for a rebuilding team, although his current injury could delay that possibility. Smith is making $1.475MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility in 2016 as a Super Two player.

Astros Likely To Acquire Backup Catcher From Outside

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The Astros are looking for a backup catcher, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Drellich suggests there’s a 60% chance the Astros will find that catcher outside the organization.

The Astros have recently been connected to Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy in trade rumors, although he would obviously be a starter if they acquired him. It appears their current focus is more on catchers to back up Jason Castro.

Max Stassi is out for six weeks after having hamate surgery, leaving minor leaguers Tyler Heineman and Roberto Pena as the Astros’ top backup catching options. The Astros have shown at least some interest in Bryan Holaday of the Tigers and A.J. Jimenez of the Blue Jays, both of whom are out options. There could be other, more speculative possibilities as Spring Training reaches its end as well. The Rays, for example, have two out-of-options catchers in Rene Rivera and Curt Casali, in addition to Hank Conger. Red Sox veteran Ryan Hanigan could be another potential option (although perhaps not a terribly likely one now that Sox manager John Farrell has said Christian Vazquez isn’t likely to start the year with the big club).

Cuba Could Consider Adding Defectors To National Team

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Cuba could at some point consider adding famous defectors to its national team to play in the World Baseball Classic, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi writes. “Everything is on the table,” says Cuban baseball commissioner Heriberto Suarez, in Spanish.

“There’s a set of rules as to who can play for whom. Federations ought to put the best teams out there . . . That serves to make the event the best it can possibly be,” says MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. “That’s a decision they have to make. We certainly would be open to it.”

The potential inclusion of Jose Fernandez, Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Abreu, Aroldis Chapman, Yasiel Puig and other high-profile players — many of whom left Cuba under incredibly dangerous conditions — to Cuba’s national team would be hugely important for the WBC and for baseball, and would also be important symbolically for US-Cuba relations. Morosi points out, however, that there would be significant obstacles to those players’ participation. There would need to be a working agreement between MLB, the players association, and the Cuban and American governments, with Cuba receiving some sort of posting free allowing Cuban players to sign MLB contracts while remaining Cuban citizens.

Manfred has said that it’s likely some sort of agreement on Cuban players would be reached in talks for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. But the current CBA expires in December, when the US embargo against Cuba (which would prohibit posting fees) will likely still be in place. MLB is reportedly working with the White House to find a solution that allows the movement of players from Cuba to MLB.

Week In Review: 3/19/16 – 3/25/16

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Here’s a look back at the past week at MLBTR.

Key Moves

  • The Cardinals signed shortstop Ruben Tejada to a one-year deal.
  • The Phillies extended manager Pete Mackanin.
  • The Blue Jays restructured manager John Gibbons’ contract to guarantee his salary through 2017.

Trades

Claimed

Outrighted

Released

Retired

Offseason In Review: Pittsburgh Pirates

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This is the latest entry in MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series. The full index of Offseason In Review posts can be found here.

The Pirates’ offseason didn’t feature the kinds of decisive signings or trades that might convince fans the Bucs are ready to follow up on their terrific 98-win 2015 season, but that’s par for the course for an organization whose recent successes have been built more on sly under-the-radar moves than on heavy spending.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades And Claims

Extensions

Notable Losses

Needs Addressed

Critiquing a Pirates offseason is intimidating, because you feel like the team is daring you to admit you don’t really know what you’re talking about. Many commentators greeted recent past Pirates offseasons with ambivalence or even derision for being built around seemingly off-brand additions of players like A.J. Burnett, Russell Martin, Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon and Francisco Cervelli … who then turned out to be core members of excellent teams. Whoops.

So what to make of the Pirates’ past winter, which featured the departures of key players like Burnett, Neil Walker and J.A. Happ and additions of a slew of low-cost replacements like Ryan Vogelsong, Juan Nicasio and John Jaso? Your guess is as good as mine. On the surface, it doesn’t look like the Pirates did nearly enough. But then, that’s how previous offseasons have looked too, and the last several have mostly turned out brilliantly.

The 2016 Bucs will have a new-look infield, with Pedro Alvarez and Walker departing to make room for Jaso and Josh Harrison (who will take over for Walker at second). Alvarez hit 27 home runs in 2015, but the Pirates non-tendered him anyway, a move that was entirely justified — Alvarez struck out frequently and hit for low batting averages, and his defense was inexplicably awful after moving across the diamond to first base. He was unlikely to produce enough value to earn the $8.1MM he was set to make in arbitration, so he had no trade value, and it’s not surprising the Bucs opted to let him depart.

To replace him, they signed Jaso to a cheap two-year deal. Like Alvarez last year, Jaso will be new to first base, but most players’ efforts to move to first from another position go better than Alvarez’s did. Also, as FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan has pointed out, catchers have generally fared well in transitioning to first base — think of Scott Hatteberg, Jason Phillips or Joe Mauer. Jaso doesn’t have nearly the power Alvarez did, but he does have a career .361 on-base percentage that should play well at first, particularly at just $4MM per season. Jaso, a left-handed hitter, needs to be platooned, but the Pirates already had righty first baseman Michael Morse under contract and top prospect Josh Bell in the minors, and their acquisitions of David Freese and Jason Rogers this offseason give them plenty more righty first base depth should Morse falter.

The Bucs then sent Walker to the Mets for Jon Niese. At first glance, this move makes less sense than the Alvarez/Jaso swap did. Walker, unlike Alvarez, is a genuinely good player, a consistent hitter with a broad offensive skill set who will generally produce two to three wins per season. (As a Pittsburgh native, he was a fan favorite to boot.) Niese, meanwhile, is a competent but uninspiring lefty whose strikeout rate dropped to 5.8 batters per nine innings last season. Walker and Niese also have similar salaries, so the Pirates didn’t even really save money in the deal.

Walker, though, was a below-average defender, and was only one year from free agency. Niese, meanwhile, gets ground balls — a skill the Pirates love — and has two options at the end of his contract, potentially allowing the Bucs to keep him for two more years than they could have kept Walker. The Pirates’ acquisitions of starting pitchers have generally gone quite well in recent years, so if pitching coach Ray Searage and company are able to rejuvenate Niese, the Bucs will be able to keep him through 2018 — but also aren’t required to guarantee those seasons if it doesn’t work out.

The long-term plan in Walker’s absence is to use Harrison (who played five positions in 2015) as their regular second baseman and Jung-Ho Kang at third. That plan set them up well defensively, but reduced their depth and wouldn’t work in April, when Kang figured to be battling back from a knee injury he suffered late last season. And so, in a late-breaking move, the Bucs signed Freese to a cheap contract. He’ll man third base until Kang returns, and will likely occupy a variety of roles after that, perhaps eventually displacing Morse as Jaso’s platoon partner. Freese, who’s been an average or better player in five of the last six seasons, was a bargain at $3MM.

The same can’t necessarily be said of some of the Pirates’ other cheap contracts. Sean Rodriguez can, at least theoretically, play seven different positions, but he hits so poorly that his versatility is of limited use. It would have been easy to imagine him signing a minor-league deal this offseason, rather than a $2.5MM Major League contract. Perhaps Rodriguez has value in the clubhouse that isn’t easy for outsiders to see.

Ryan Vogelsong, too, was a questionable use of funds, even though he’ll only make $2MM this season. Vogelsong is 38, has been replacement-level or below in two of the last three seasons, and was demoted to the bullpen last year. He’s in competition for one of the Pirates’ last two rotation jobs, and perhaps with some attention from Searage, he can improve upon his 4.67 ERA last season. Given his age and recent history, however, his upside appears limited.

The Bucs also signed Neftali Feliz for $3.9MM, which seems like a lot to pay a reliever who flamed out badly last season, has persistent control issues and hasn’t had an unambiguously good season (with both good results and good peripherals) since 2010. Feliz is just 27, though, and has good velocity working for him (although he doesn’t throw quite as hard as he did in his first few seasons with the Rangers). He’s also done well in Spring Training thus far, so perhaps he can be a Pirates reclamation project.

USATSI_9148570_154513410_lowresA more interesting cheap pitching deal was that of Juan Nicasio (pictured), who has a good fastball and slider (although not much of a changeup) and whiffed 10.0 batters per nine innings in the Dodgers’ bullpen last year. Given his stuff, age (29), service time (4.084 years, allowing the Pirates to control him for 2017 if they like) and ability to start, $3MM for Nicasio seemed like a reasonable gamble, and there are already signs it could pay off, with Nicasio whiffing 24 batters in 15 shutout innings so far in Spring Training. He’s still in competition for a job in the back of the rotation.

The Pirates also made a number of even less costly depth acquisitions. They got starting pitching prospect Trevor Williams in a lopsided, but minor, deal with the Marlins compensating the Bucs for the Marlins’ hires of Pirates executives Jim Benedict and Marc DelPiano. (In particular, the loss of Benedict, who was widely credited with helping many of the Bucs’ pitchers, could potentially be significant for the organization.) A reliever, Trey Haley, arrived from the Indians on a big-league deal but is likely to begin the season in the minors, where he’ll hone his mid-90s fastball, with the Pirates hoping he can improve his control enough to eventually contribute. There’s still some hope that Cory Luebke (who was signed to a minor league deal) can regain his former promise after a long battle with injuries. And fellow lefty Kyle Lobstein, acquired in a minor trade after the Tigers designated him for assignment, could serve as rotation depth or as a lefty out of the bullpen.

More analysis after the break …

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