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Rangers Release Blake Swihart

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The Rangers announced that they’ve released catcher/outfielder Blake Swihart. He had been at the Rangers’ alternate training site as part of their 60-man player pool.

Formerly a high-end prospect with the Red Sox, Swihart appeared in the majors with the club from 2015-19 before it traded him to Arizona last year. The Diamondbacks outrighted Swihart late in the summer, but he stayed with the organization through the end of the season. Swihart then elected free agency over the winter and wound up with the Rangers on a minor league contract.

Back when the Rangers signed Swihart, they were coming off a year in which their catchers were perhaps the least productive in the majors. Their backstops have continued to struggle this season, but Swihart still wasn’t able to make his way to their big league roster. The 28-year-old will return to the open market as the owner of a .243/.301/.355 line with 12 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 696 plate appearances.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/25/20

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Checking in on the latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Phillies announced that they’ve outrighted reliever Deolis Guerra. The 31-year-old righty had been in limbo since the Phillies designated him for assignment last Saturday. Guerra threw 7 1/3 innings and allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits, two walks and eight strikeouts from Philly’s bullpen this season before the club booted him from its roster. In all, Guerra has combined for 103 major league frames with a few teams and put up a 4.81 ERA/4.78 FIP with 7.25 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.

Earlier:

  • The Giants have added first baseman/outfielder Chris Shaw to their 60-man player pool, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. Shaw was a 2015 first-round pick (No. 31) who spent the subsequent few seasons as one of the Giants’ top prospects, but the 26-year-old hasn’t made a mark in the big leagues yet. Across 82 plate appearances at the game’s highest level, Shaw has batted .153/.244/.222 with one home run. But Shaw did enjoy a productive 2019 between Double-A and Triple-A, where he combined for a .294/.360/.559 line and 28 homers in 492 trips to the plate.
  • The Marlins have outrighted catcher Ryan Lavarnway to their alternate site, per a team announcement. Lavarnway got off to a 4-for-11 start at the plate this year, but the Marlins designated him for assignment last week to make room for the return of starting backstop Jorge Alfaro from the injured list. The 33-year-old Lavarnway has now seen regular-season action with seven teams since his career began in 2011.
  • The Brewers announced that left-hander Aaron Ashby is now part of their player pool. Ashby, a 2018 fourth-rounder, posted a 3.50 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 126 innings between Single-A and High-A last season. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranks Ashby as the fifth-best prospect in Milwaukee’s system, writing that the 22-year-old has “nasty” stuff that could work out of the team’s rotation or bullpen down the line.
  • The Rays have outrighted southpaw Sean Gilmartin, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. This is the second time this year the Rays have outrighted Gilmartin, who will head back to their alternate site. He has thrown 4 1/3 innings of four-earned run ball this season with seven hits and four walks (five strikeouts).

Rangers Reportedly “Entertaining” Offers For Lance Lynn

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The Rangers began 2020 with playoff aspirations, but almost halfway through the campaign, it appears they’ll fall short of their goal. Texas will enter Tuesday’s action a dismal 11-17, 3 1/2 games out of wild-card position and well on its way to a fourth straight season without a playoff berth. Consequently, the Rangers could end up as sellers prior to the Aug. 31 trade deadline. If that’s the case, they may have one of the game’s most appealing trade chips in right-hander Lance Lynn. Although he still has another year of control left after this one, the Rangers are at least “entertaining” offers for Lynn, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes (subscription link).

Of course, just because the Rangers are willing to listen to teams’ proposals for Lynn doesn’t mean they’re ready to move him. However, there’s a case the Rangers should sell high on Lynn, a former Cardinal, Twin and Yankee who has been brilliant in Texas.

Since signing a three-year, $30MM contract with the Rangers before 2019, Lynn has pitched to a 3.30 ERA/3.17 FIP over 253 2/3 innings. Lynn was an American League Cy Young contender during his first season in Texas, and it appears he’ll be in the thick of the race this year. Through a major league-leading 45 1/3 innings in 2020, Lynn has recorded a 1.59 ERA/3.35 FIP with 9.93 K/9 and 2.78 BB/9.

With only a few weeks left in the regular season, teams may be loath to surrender significant value for most players available around the deadline, as the majority are pending free agents who aren’t vying for major awards. But Lynn’s a Cy Young hopeful who would be able to help a team this year and next, when he’ll be due an affordable $8MM salary, so the Rangers should be in position to land a quality haul for the 33-year-old if they do part with him in the next several days.

Reds Select Jesse Biddle

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The Reds have selected left-hander Jesse Biddle’s contract, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic tweets. The team also placed right-hander Anthony DeSclafani on the paternity list and put infielder Jose Garcia on its taxi squad.

Biddle was a Reds offseason minor league signing who divided 2018-19 among the Braves, Mariners and Rangers. His career began quite well during his first year, in which Biddle tossed 63 2/3 innings of 3.11 ERA/3.88 FIP ball with 9.47 K/9, 4.38 BB/9 and a 55.6 percent groundball rate. But things went south last year for Biddle, who could only muster an 8.36 ERA/6.46 FIP in 28 innings, owing largely to a horrid 7.07 BB/9 and an almost 10 percent drop in grounder rate.

The 28-year-old Biddle will now join a Reds bullpen that, like the team itself, has underwhelmed this season. Reds relievers will go into Tuesday 26th in the majors in ERA and 23rd in FIP.

Braves Activate Nick Markakis, Option Cristian Pache

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The Braves have activated outfielder Nick Markakis from the COVID-19 injured list and optioned fellow outfielder Cristian Pache, David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets.

Markakis is back after missing week of action because he may have come into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. That interrupted an excellent start to the season for Markakis, who has slashed .353/.421/.616 in 38 plate appearances. He’ll now rejoin the just-reinstated Ronald Acuna Jr., Marcell Ozuna and Ender Inciarte as the Braves’ top outfield options.

Pache, whom the Braves promoted the same day Markakis landed on the IL, only totaled four plate appearances in his first major league experience. But as a 21-year-old who ranks among the sport’s premier prospects, it shouldn’t be long before Pache gets a legitimate chance to prove himself in the majors.

Cubs Activate Jose Quintana, Tyler Chatwood

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The Cubs announced that they have activated left-hander Jose Quintana and righty Tyler Chatwood from the injured list. The club optioned righty Jason Adam and outfielder Ian Miller to its alternate site in corresponding moves.

Quintana hasn’t pitched this season after undergoing left thumb surgery in early July, though he’s known for consistently providing solid production over a large number of innings. The 31-year-old will head into this season with a 3.72 ERA/3,65 FIP in 1,485 innings divided between Chicago’s two teams. While 246 of Quintana’s lifetime 250 appearances have come as a starter, he seems likely to function as a reliever this year, at least in the early going.

Chatwood, meanwhile, will rejoin the Cubs’ rotation after missing a couple weeks with a back strain. The former Rockie has largely been a disappointment since he signed a three-year, $38MM contract with the Cubs before 2018, but his platform season has brought some encouraging signs. Chatwood’s 5.40 ERA through 15 innings is unsightly, though he has turned in two very good starts versus one clunker this season. He has so far logged an excellent 13.8 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9, and put up a 2.60 FIP/2.71 xFIP/2.91 SIERA.

The Cubs will give Chatwood another chance to hang on to a rotation spot alongside Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Alec Mills. However, if he flops upon his return, Quintana could move back into their starting five.

Blue Jays Reportedly Considering Trevor Williams, Chad Kuhl

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The Blue Jays picked up another victory Monday, defeating the Rays by a 6-4 count to improve to 14-13 at almost the halfway point of the season. Few expected the Blue Jays to push for a playoff spot this season, but they’re a mere two games back of wild-card position in the American League. With the trade deadline just a week away, Toronto could wind up as a buyer. Indeed, general manager Ross Atkins said last week that the Jays are aiming to improve their rotation, and Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that the team’s “considering” a pair of Pirates right-handers in Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl.

Toronto’s rotation has taken multiple hits in recent days, as Nate Pearson, Matt Shoemaker and Trent Thornton have gone on the injured list. As a result, Hyun Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson are the only sure things in the club’s rotation, though Ryu’s the lone member of the trio who has offered a blend of strong bottom-line production and encouraging peripherals so far this season.

In Williams or Kuhl, the Blue Jays would land a hurler capable of contributing to their rotation beyond this season. Both are controllable for multiple years, but Williams is the more proven of the pair. The 28-year-old was a solid starter for the Pirates from 2017-18 before falling off last year, when he logged 145 2/3 innings of 5.38 ERA/5.12 FIP ball, but seems to be amid a rebound campaign. Williams has made five starts in 2020 and posted 24 1/3 innings of 3.70 ERA/4.21 FIP ball with 8.51 K/9 and 2.96 BB/9. He’s on a prorated $2.825MM salary this year and has another two arbitration-eligible seasons remaining.

Kuhl also has two arb years left after 2020, though he’s currently earning a less expensive salary than Williams (a prorated $840K). The 27-year-old is off to a decent start this season after missing all of 2019 as a result of Tommy John surgery. Kuhl has made five appearances (three starts) in the early going, averaged upward of 94 mph on his fastball and registered a 2.84 ERA/4.98 FIP with 9.0 K/9 and 3.32 BB/9 over 19 innings.

Neither Williams nor Kuhl would command a haul for the Pirates, who are well out of playoff contention. As Morosi notes, though, the Blue Jays could make for a logical trade partner because of the familiarity first-year Bucs general manager Ben Cherington has with Toronto’s farm system. Before taking over the Pirates, Cherington was a promiment part of the Jays’ front office.

Pitching Notes: D-backs, Cubs, Verlander

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Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray is drawing interest from “a few teams” as a bullpen possibility, Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes. The 28-year-old left-hander has only made three relief appearances in his career (none since his first season in 2014); however, after several respectable seasons as a starter, the soon-to-be free agent has tanked in 2020. He owns an awful 8.33 ERA/7.77 FIP with 8.33 BB/9 across 27 innings this year, though some clubs may have hope that Ray’s high-strikeout ways will lead to success in the bullpen during the stretch run of the season. That said, there’s no guarantee the Diamondbacks will move Ray before the Aug. 31 deadline, as they entered Monday a manageable two games back of a wild-card spot.

  • More on the Diamondbacks, who made righty Merrill Kelly a late scratch before his start Monday. It was easy to speculate on a potential trade when that happened, but it turns out Kelly is dealing with a nerve impingement in his pitching shoulder, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. The club has placed Kelly on the 10-day injured list as a result and recalled righty Riley Smith. Kelly has been quite effective this season, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained Monday, so losing him is a blow to the D-backs’ playoff hopes and perhaps a less-than-ideal development heading into the deadline.
  • Cubs southpaw Jose Quintana and righty Tyler Chatwood will come off the injured list Tuesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports. Quintana, who has been out all season after undergoing left thumb surgery, will work from the bullpen upon his return. That’s relatively new territory for Quintana, who has totaled just four relief appearances out of 250 in his career. As Wittenmyer notes, though, Quintana could find himself back in a starting role soon if Chatwood or Alec Mills falters (Mills didn’t in a win over Detroit on Monday). Chatwood, who will start Tuesday, turned in a pair of great outings to open the season, but he went on the IL with a back issue after the Royals shellacked him for eight earned runs on 11 hits in 2 1/3 innings on Aug. 6. He’s now set to rejoin Mills, Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester in the Cubs’ rotation.
  • It has been nearly a month since the Astros shut down ace Justin Verlander because of a right forearm strain, but the reigning AL Cy Young winner continues to make progress in his recovery. Manager Dusty Baker issued an update on Verlander on Monday, saying to Mark Berman of Fox 26 and other reporters: “I think he threw 20 pitches yesterday. He said he felt pretty good. That’s a positive sign.” It’s still unknown whether Verlander will make it back this year, especially with only about a month remaining in the regular season. Houston has started 15-13 despite only one appearance from Verlander (and several other notable injuries), putting the team two games back of a wild-card spot.

White Sox Release Bryan Mitchell, Adalberto Mejia

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The White Sox made a few moves Monday, James Fegan of The Athletic relays. The club released right-hander Bryan Mitchell and lefty Adalberto Mejia, and it added southpaw Kodi Medeiros and RHP Danny Dopico to its 60-man player pool. Medeiros and Dopico will report to Chicago’s alternate training site.

Mitchell and Mejia were fairly notable prospects in the past (the latter cracked top 100 lists), but neither has made much of a mark in the majors thus far. The 29-year-old Mitchell logged a 5.15 ERA/5.05 FIP with 5.36 K/9 and 4.57 BB/9 across 171 1/3 innings between the Yankees and Padres from 2014-18. After spending all of last season with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, Mitchell joined the White Sox on a minor league contract in January.

Mejia, 27, was another January minor signing for Chicago. He combined for 154 innings among the Twins, Angels and Cardinals from 2016-19, during which he recorded an identical 4.62 ERA/FIP and notched 7.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.

Medeiros, whom the Brewers took 12th overall in the 2014 draft, became a member of the White Sox when they acquired him for reliever Joakim Soria in 2018. The 24-year-old Medeiros struggled last season in Double-A, where he recorded a 5.10 ERA/5.45 FIP and walked 5.53 batters per nine in 83 frames.

Dopico was an 11th-rounder of the White Sox in 2015 who spent all of last season at Double-A and fared rather well. Despite an ugly walk rate (5.03 BB/9), he wound up tossing 62 2/3 innings with a 2.59 ERA/2.98 FIP, 10.48 K/9 and a 51.5 percent groundball rate.

Reds Designate Cody Reed

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The Reds have designated left-hander Cody Reed for assignment, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer was among those to report. The club reinstated righty Robert Stephenson in a corresponding move.

Reed, now 27, joined the Reds in the team’s 2015 trade with the Royals centering on righty Johnny Cueto. Reed debuted in the majors the next season, but he didn’t begin truly making his mark in the bigs until 2018. Between then and last season, Reed tossed 49 1/3 innings of 3.65 ERA/3.59 FIP ball with 8.94 K/9, 2.92 BB/9 and an exemplary 63.2 percent groundball rate. Reed wasn’t able to carry that success into this season, though, as he allowed six earned runs on 10 hits and eight walks (10 strikeouts) in 9 1/3 frames before the Reds jettisoned him. They’ll have a week to trade, release or send Reed through waivers, though he’s out of minor league options.

Stephenson, 27, made his sole appearance of the year July 25 before landing on the IL with a back injury. He was a key part of the Reds’ bullpen last year, when he amassed 64 2/3 frames of 3.76 ERA/3.63 FIP ball with 11.27 K/9 and 3.34 BB/9.

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