Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rangers To Select Ian Gibaut, Rob Refsnyder; Leody Taveras Makes Team

By | at

The Rangers have finalized their 30-man roster for the start of the season, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Right-handed relievers Edinson Volquez and Ian Gibaut and infielder/outfielder Rob Refsnyder have all made the club, per Grant. Nobody from that trio is on the Rangers’ 40-man roster, which has only one opening at the moment. Outfield prospect Leody Taveras, who is on the 40, has also earned a spot in Texas.

It was already known that the Rangers would select Volquez’s contract, but the same wasn’t true for either Gibaut or Refsnyder. The team signed both players to minor league deals last offseason, but Gibaut does have previous experience with the Rangers. They acquired the 26-year-old Texas native from the Rays last July and he went on to throw 12 1/3 innings with a 5.11 ERA and 10.2 K/9 against 5.8 BB/9 in his Rangers debut. He’s the owner of a much more palatable 2.75 ERA with 12.1 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 72 Triple-A innings.

Refsnyder has also fared nicely in Triple-A, having slashed .296/.372/.436 in 1,804 plate appearances. However, the 29-year-old – once a promising prospect – hasn’t been able to put it together in the majors. As a Yankee, Blue Jay and Ray from 2015-18, he batted .218/.308/.302 with just four homers in 423 PA. Now, after spending last season with the Reds’ and Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliates, he’ll get another shot in the bigs.

Taveras has been in the Rangers organization since they signed him out of the Dominican Republic for a $2.1MM bonus in 2015. So far, the switch-hitter hasn’t played above Double-A, where he batted .265/.320/.375 in 293 trips to the plate last season. While that’s not earth-shattering production, Taveras is still just 21 years old, and he’s widely regarded as one of the Rangers’ top prospects. MLB.com ranks Taveras third in the Texas system and likens him to Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte, who has carved out a nice career.

Latest On Aroldis Chapman

By | at

The Yankees will enter their season Thursday missing their top reliever, closer Aroldis Chapman, who tested postive for the coronavirus July 11. Almost two weeks later, it remains unclear when Chapman will be able to debut in 2020, as general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday (via Dan Martin of the New York Post) that the left-hander has “been testing positive since he’s been diagnosed.” Chapman has been “mostly symptom-free,” according to Cashman, but he’ll need two negative tests before he’s eligible to rejoin the club.

One of the most dominant relievers in baseball history, the 32-year-old Chapman held his own yet again in 2019 with 57 innings of 2.21 ERA/2.28 FIP ball and 13.42 K/9 against 3.95 BB/9. He also racked up 37 saves, giving him 273 since his career began with the Reds in 2010. Chapman could have opted out of the last two years and $30MM of his previous contract over the winter, but the Yankees prevented him from leaving by tacking on an extra season worth $18MM.

With Chapman unavailable for the time being, Cashman admitted the Yankees’ depth “is gonna be tested once again right out of the gate.” The World Series hopefuls do have at least a few other capable late-game options, though. That includes Zack Britton, who has accumulated 145 career saves and will fill in for Chapman. The Yankees also boast accomplished setup men in Adam Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle and Chad Green.

Jake Odorizzi To Begin Season On Injured List

By | at

The Twins will open their season without right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who’s headed to the injured list with upper back soreness, Dan Hayes of The Athletic was among those to report. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem that Odorizzi will be on the shelf for long.

If healthy, the 30-year-old Odorizzi should once again be a key part of the Twins’ rotation in 2020. He helped the club to an AL Central title last season, his first All-Star year, with 159 innings of 3.51 ERA/3.36 FIP ball and 10.08 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9. Odorizzi may have been able to secure a multiyear deal as a free agent after that, though he instead chose to stay in Minnesota when he accepted the team’s $17.8MM qualifying offer. But that means Odorizzi is once again set for a platform season, and beginning the 60-game campaign on the IL makes for an inauspicious start for him and the Twins.

With Odorizzi unavailable for now, the Twins will head into the year with Jose Berrios and three offseason acquisitions – Kenta Maeda, Homer Bailey and Rich Hill – as the top four in their rotation. Matt Wisler, Devin Smeltzer and Randy Dobnak, who are in the Twins’ 60-man player pool, are also among their hurlers who have logged starts at the MLB level.

Eduardo Nunez Makes Mets’ Roster

By | at

Infielder Eduardo Nunez has earned a spot on the Mets’ season-opening roster, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Meanwhile, right-hander Erasmo Ramirez will head to the Mets’ taxi squad instead of their 30-man roster.

The 33-year-old Nunez has been a successful big leaguer in the past (especially with the Giants and Red Sox from 2016-17), but a significant decline in production over the previous two seasons stopped him from landing a guaranteed contract over the winter. After batting an unsightly .255/.277/.366 (67 wRC+) in Boston from 2018-19, he settled for a minor league deal with the Mets. Now, as someone with extensive experience at every infield position but first base, he could serve as a backup to second baseman Robinson Cano, shortstop Amed Rosario and third baseman Jeff McNeil. Of course, the Mets will first have to add Nunez to their 40-man roster, which is at capacity right now.

Ramirez, another offseason minor league pickup, looked like a logical candidate to earn a spot in New York after the club placed No. 2 starter Marcus Stroman on the injured list Wednesday. Now that the once-effective swingman won’t begin the year with the Mets, it remains unclear how they’ll fill out their rotation behind Jacob deGrom, Rick Porcello, Steven Matz and Michael Wacha. Walker Lockett’s on the IL, but David Peterson, Corey Oswalt and Stephen Gonsalves could represent a few options from their 60-man player pool.

Latest On Mariners’ Roster

By | at

9:24pm: Dipoto announced that Murphy has a broken bone in his foot, Jen Mueller of ROOT Sports reports. The team’s optimistic it won’t take long for Murphy to heal, but he’ll start the season on the injured list.

7:15pm: The Mariners are in the process of finalizing their 30-man roster for their season opener, but it appears they’ll begin without a couple notable players, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3).

Reliever Austin Adams won’t be available when the Mariners’ season kicks off Friday, as he’s still working back from the right knee surgery he underwent last September. Meanwhile, catcher Tom Murphy is battling a left ankle problem that hasn’t responded well to treatment, and the Mariners won’t know until Thursday morning whether he or reliever Bryan Shaw (whom they agreed to sign this week) will be immediately available. As Divish writes, Shaw has to pass coronavirus intake requirements before he’s able to join the team.

Both Adams and Murphy proved to be worthwhile scrapheap pickups for the Mariners last year. The club landed the right-handed Adams in a minor trade with the Nationals, and as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained in April, it paid dividends. In his first season in Seattle, Adams posted a 3.77 ERA/2.96 FIP with 14.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 31 innings.

Murphy, acquired from the Giants heading into last season, also emerged as a shrewd addition, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco noted this past spring. He slashed an impressive .273/.324/.535 with 18 home runs and 3.2 fWAR in just 76 games and 281 plate appearances while backing up Omar Narvaez. Now that Narvaez is a member of the Brewers, Murphy’s in line to get the lion’s share of playing time at catcher, but that will obviously depend on his health.

If Murphy’s unable to start the season, the Mariners are likely to turn to Austin Nola and Joe Hudson behind the plate, but Divish reports that general manager Jerry Dipoto is keeping an eye on the free-agent and waiver markets for outside help. Russell Martin is easily the best free-agent backstop available, but there’s no word on whether the M’s are interested in him or if the 37-year-old wants to play this season.

Reds Add Hunter Greene, Mark Kolozsvary To 60-Man Player Pool

By | at

The Reds have announced a few roster moves, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic was among those to report. They have two new additions to their 60-man player pool in right-hander Hunter Greene and catcher Mark Kolozsvary. The club also selected the contract of reliever Nate Jones, who will make its season-opening roster, and optioned infielder Alex Blandino.

Greene may be the most notable name in the group, as he went second overall in the 2017 draft and then signed with the Reds for a record-setting $7.23MM bonus. Unfortunately, though, Greene’s coming off a major injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2019, thereby preventing him from pitching at all last season and building on his 2018 effort. While the hard-throwing Greene only pitched to a 4.48 ERA across 68 1/3 innings in Single-A ball that year, he did notch a 3.29 FIP with 11.72 K/9 and 3.03 BB/9.

Kolozsvary, 24, was also part of the Reds’ 2017 draft class. The former seventh-rounder has topped out so far in High-A ball, where he put up an unconventional line of .188/.341/.321 with six home runs in 291 plate appearances last season.

Mike Trout On 2020 Season: “I’m Playing”

By | at

Several notable players have opted out of the season because of the coronavirus, and superstars such as Mike Trout and Kris Bryant have expressed concern over playing in 2020. Trout, whose wife is pregnant, said July 3, “Honestly, I still don’t feel comfortable with the baby coming.” But the center fielder erased any doubts about his status for this season on Wednesday (Twitter links via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic).

“I’m playing,” said the three-time American League MVP.

Trout’s biggest worry is that the league will experience a COVID-19 outbreak, though he has approved of MLB’s health and safety protocols thus far, per Ardaya. Notably, the latest coronavirus test results the league and the union released last week offered encouraging news.

The fact that Trout plans on taking the field this year is not only great for the Angels, who will need their best player if they’re going to snap a five-year playoff drought, but the sport as a whole. Trout has been the game’s foremost player throughout his career, and at just 28 years old, he’s already an eight-time All-Star who looks like a lock to eventually enter the Baseball Hall of Fame. He turned in otherworldly production yet again last season with a .291/.438/.645 line and 45 home runs in 600 plate appearances.

White Sox Place Nomar Mazara On Injured List

By | at

3:15pm: The club has formally announced that Mazara is on the injured list and expected to miss the beginning of the season. An official reason for the placement was not given.

6:25am: The White Sox appear to be in need of an alternative plan in the outfield. They have placed Nomar Mazara on the 10-day injured list, according to their transactions page, though manager Rick Renteria insisted yesterday that a final decision on his availability had not yet been made.

Renteria did not give much in the way of detail, but did explain that Mazara has been “under the weather,” per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. That’s the same status that was provided a few days ago when Mazara’s absence was noted. It’s a bit of an ominous statement in the age of the coronavirus, since the league’s protocols could mandate a reasonably lengthy absence, though there’s no indication as of yet that covid is involved.

If indeed the team has made an IL placement — the transactions pages have been mistaken in the past — it’ll delay Mazara’s debut with the South Siders, who acquired him from the Rangers during December’s Winter Meetings. Mazara’s a former standout prospect who never matched the hype as a member of the Rangers, with whom he slashed an underwhelming .261/.320/.435 (92 wRC+) and racked up 79 home runs in 2,189 plate appearances from 2016-19.

Based upon his track record alone, there’s not much cause for lofty expectations. But Mazara is still just 25 years old and has long been considered a major talent. As MLBTR’s George Miller explained during the spring, it’s probably too soon to say he has maxed out his potential in the majors.

In a best-case scenario for the White Sox, Mazara will form an enviable outfield trio with Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert as early as this year. As long as Mazara is on the shelf, though, Chicago may turn to some combination of Adam Engel and Leury Garcia in right field. The only other outfielders in the player pool with 40-man roster spots are Micker Adolfo, Luis Alexander Basabe, and Blake Rutherford, none of whom has yet reached the big leagues. Nicky Delmonico and Luis Gonzalez are non-roster options.

Injury Notes: Rendon, Altuve, Hamels, Cubs, Orioles

By | at

The Angels aren’t sure whether third baseman and top winter acquisition Anthony Rendon will be ready when they open their season Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com relays. Rendon, a former Nationals star whom the Angels signed to a seven-year, $245MM contract in free agency, has been dealing with oblique soreness since last week. If he’s not able to take the field in a few days, the Angels are expected to use David Fletcher and Matt Thaiss at the hot corner, per Bollinger. The Angels’ infield could also be missing Luis Rengifo, who Bollinger writes stands a “strong chance” of sitting out the opener on account of hamstring soreness.

  • Astros second baseman Jose Altuve left the team’s preseason game against the Royals on Tuesday with a left leg contusion, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. There’s now some question as to whether the former MVP will be healthy enough to go when the Astros’ season starts. “We’re hopeful he’ll be ready on Friday,” manager Dusty Baker said. “We’ll analyze him tomorrow and see where he is in the morning. Usually the day after that, you’re pretty sore.”
  • “It’s going to be a while” before left-hander Cole Hamels debuts in 2020, Braves manager Brian Snitker said Tuesday (via Mark Bowman of MLB.com). Hamels dealt with shoulder inflammation during spring training and has recently battled triceps tendinitis, thereby preventing him from facing live hitters over the past several months. Considering how short this season will be, the Braves may have trouble getting much bang for their buck out of Hamels. They inked the longtime workhorse to a one-year, $18MM contract over the winter. That guarantee turned into approximately a prorated $7MM when the season went from 162 games to 60.
  • Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who has been fighting rib and back issues, seems to be progressing. Manager David Ross said Tuesday (via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com) that it “looks like all thumbs up from today” in regards to Rizzo. He’s slated to start the team’s exhibition game against Minnesota on Wednesday. Meanwhile, southpaw  Jose Quintana – who underwent surgery on his left thumb three weeks ago – issued an encouraging update on his status (per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune), saying he’s not feeling any pain. It remains unclear when he’ll be able to take the mound this season, though.
  • Orioles left-hander John Means will miss Opening Day because of arm fatigue, Joe Trezza of MLB.com tweets. As a result, offseason minor league signing and fellow southpaw Tommy Milone will start the Orioles’ opener against Boston on Friday. It’s not known when Means will be able to debut in 2020, but the Orioles are surely hoping it will be sooner than later. The 27-year-old Means was one of the few bright spots on Baltimore’s talent-deprived roster last season, after all, as he logged a 3.60 ERA/4.41 FIP with 7.03 K/9 and 2.21 BB/9 across 155 innings.

Amateur Draft Signings: 7/21/20

By | at

Here are the game’s latest draft signings, courtesy of Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter links):

  • The Cubs have signed third-round outfielder and No. 88 overall pick Jordan Nwogu for the full slot value of $678,600. Nwogu played college ball at Michigan, where he slashed .334/.430/.545 with 20 home runs in 525 plate appearances. Prior to the draft, Keith Law of The Athletic ranked Nwogu as the 68th-best prospect available, calling him “a plus runner with plus raw power” and declaring he could be a 20-20 type in the majors if everything comes together.
  • The Marlins have inked fifth-round right-hander Kyle Hurt for $300K, way down from the $418,200 slot value of the 134th overall selection. Hurt posted uninspiring results at USC, where he pitched to a 5.06 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9 in 172 2/3 innings. But Law rated Hurt as the No. 96 prospect in the draft, thanks to a repertoire that includes a 96 mph fastball, an “above-average changeup” and a “12/6 curveball.”

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top