West Notes: Giants, Dodgers, Mariners, Rangers
Off to a major league-worst 14-24 start, the Giants look like sellers in the making. The problem is that the veterans they could attempt to move are lacking in trade value, observes Buster Olney of ESPN. The best of the bunch is Johnny Cueto, but the offseason opt-out clause in the right-hander’s contract takes away some of his appeal. Then there’s righty Jeff Samardzija, who owns a 5.44 ERA in 46 1/3 innings (albeit with a 3.43 FIP) and is due upward of $60MM through 2020, as well as aging outfielders Hunter Pence and Denard Span. The 34-year-old Pence is making $18.5MM both this year and next, while Span, 33, is on a $9MM salary through 2018 and has a $4MM buyout for 2019.
More from the West divisions:
- The Dodgers will keep left-hander Alex Wood in their rotation when southpaw Rich Hill and righty Brandon McCarthy return from the disabled list next week, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Saturday (Twitter link via Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times). Wood opened the season in the bullpen, but the results have been too good to ignore since he moved to the rotation in late April. Across four starts and 22 innings, Wood has allowed four earned runs (all in his May 2 outing), with a whopping 34 strikeouts against four walks. Given that Wood, Hill, McCarthy and Clayton Kershaw are presumably on the cusp of occupying four-fifths of Los Angeles’ rotation, either Julio Urias or Hyun-Jin Ryu will end up as the odd man out.
- The Mariners’ top four starting pitchers, James Paxton, Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma and Drew Smyly, are all on the disabled list, leading general manager Jerry Dipoto to tell Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune: “You always try to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, but this has set a new bar.” In the latest blow to Seattle’s starting depth, fill-in Ryan Weber left his season debut in the fourth inning of the club’s loss to Toronto on Saturday and is now on the DL with right shoulder tightness. While Dipoto has a reputation as a transaction-happy GM, having averaged one move every 15 hours, 45 minutes since the Mariners set their Opening Day roster (per Dutton, on Twitter), he doesn’t expect to bolster his rotation from outside the organization. “It’s a tough time of year to find external help,” he said. “Our most realistic and best options remain those in house.”
- Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre continues progressing toward a May return, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Beltre, who hasn’t played this year because of a strained right calf, took batting practice and fielded ground balls on Saturday. Manager Jeff Banister called the workout “very positive” and added, “It was as good as he has felt through this entire process.” Upon his return, Beltre will take over for Joey Gallo at third base, though the power-hitting 24-year-old should still rack up plenty of at-bats at other positions, including the corner outfield and/or first base.
Aroldis Chapman Could Miss A Month
10:51am: Chapman underwent an MRI on Saturday that didn’t show any structural damage, per ESPN’s Marly Rivera. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman expects Chapman to miss about a month, reports Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News.
9:41am: The Yankees have placed closer Aroldis Chapman on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday, with left shoulder rotator cuff inflammation, according to an announcement from the team. The club has recalled right-hander Chad Green from Triple-A to take Chapman’s roster spot.
[RELATED: Updated Yankees Depth Chart]
While the severity of the flamethrowing Chapman’s injury isn’t known, it’s obviously troubling that he’s dealing with a shoulder issue just over a month into a five-year, $86MM contract. The ailment does perhaps explain Chapman’s recent struggles, though, as he surrendered a combined four earned runs on six hits and two walks in the two outings that preceded his placement on the DL. Those showings are almost solely to blame for Chapman’s relatively underwhelming ERA (3.55) and increased walk rate (4.26 per nine innings) in 12 1/3 frames his season. In his previous 12 appearances (11 1/3 innings), Chapman yielded just one earned run and walked four.
Although Chapman hasn’t quite been himself this year, further evidenced by the second-worst strikeout percentage (36.8, down from 40.5 last year) and second-lowest swinging-strike rate (14.6, compared to 18.6 in 2016) of his career, he’s nonetheless among New York’s most important players. Thanks in part to Chapman’s seven saves in eight chances, the Yankees enter Sunday with an AL East-leading 21-12 mark. They’ll now turn the ninth inning over to lights-out setup man Dellin Betances, who had difficulty as the Yankees’ closer down the stretch last season after they traded Chapman to the Cubs, while relying on the likes of Tyler Clippard, Adam Warren and Jonathan Holder to bridge the gap to Betances. Those four have been outstanding this year for the Yankees, who own the majors’ fourth-best bullpen ERA (2.50).
Indians Designate Michael Martinez For Assignment
The Indians have designated utilityman Michael Martinez for assignment and selected the contract of outfielder Dan Robertson from Triple-A Columbus, per a team announcement.
[RELATED: Updated Indians Depth Chart]
The 34-year-old Martinez is in the midst of his third season as a member of the Cleveland organization, which briefly separated from in 2016 by way of a July trade with Boston. Martinez ended up returning to the Indians via waivers in August, and he went on to make the final out in the club’s Game 7 World Series loss to the Cubs. While Martinez is versatile in the field, having appeared at six defensive positions in his career (he even pitched earlier this season), he has been an especially poor offensive player in the majors. Martinez owns a .200/.246/.270 line in 592 plate appearances, though he has performed well in an extremely small sample this year (.364/.462/.455 in 14 PAs).
Robertson, 31, made his major league debut with the Rangers in 2014 and has also seen action with the Angels and Mariners, hitting .273/.322/.325 with no home runs in 298 PAs. He has been far more successful at the Triple-A level, having slashed .290/.365/.393 in 1,929 trips to the plate.
Garrett Richards Aiming For Late-Season Return
Angels right-hander Garrett Richards is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list sometime in June, but that’s not going to happen. Richards, who hasn’t pitched since April 5 because of an irritated cutaneous nerve in his right biceps, isn’t healing particularly quickly and probably won’t return to action until at least August.
“Looking at the schedule right now, I think that’s realistic,” he told Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times. “I think that’s all going to depend on when I start throwing again. But with the past cases, this was like a one-time thing for these guys. So I’m hopeful on that, too, that this might just be a fluke thing and I just continue on.”
Pitchers who have dealt with Richards’ injury in the past include then-Dodger Brad Penny in 2004 and former Cardinal Chris Carpenter in the same year, as Moura writes. Penny missed two months, and Carpenter sat out the final two weeks of the regular season and the Cardinals’ World Series-winning playoff run. Angels doctors told Richards that his injury isn’t as severe as theirs were, leading to hope that he’ll pitch again this year. And while Richards doesn’t feel any pain in his biceps, the 28-year-old noted that “if it isn’t strong, the elbow is just gonna be shredded, especially with my velocity and my arm speed.”
Richards, of course, missed most of last season with an elbow issue, though he was able to avoid Tommy John surgery by successfully undergoing stem-cell therapy treatment. Unlike last year, though, the Angels haven’t found an alternative recovery method for Richards, whose only hope is to wait for his biceps strength to return to normal. Fortunately, if Richards is able to throw again this season, the Angels are optimistic he won’t need to embark on a long program before returning to the mound.
“Once he’s 100%, he’s probably already gotten some of the legwork and questions out of the way, compared to where he was in the spring,” manager Mike Scioscia told Moura. “Hopefully that build-up will happen in a more timely fashion than our seven-or-eight week spring training.”
As was the case during a 74-win campaign last year, the Angels have stumbled this season without Richards, having posted an 18-21 record to fall 8.5 games behind the AL West-leading Astros. The Halos’ rotation, which is also without the injured Tyler Skaggs – who, like Richards, missed the bulk of 2016 – has been a mixed bag, ranking 11th in the majors in ERA (4.16) but only 23rd in FIP (4.56).
NL Notes: Nationals, Mets, D-backs, Cards
The Nationals and Bryce Harper began working toward the one-year, $21.625MM extension the right fielder signed Saturday over the winter, general manager Mike Rizzo told Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (all Twitter links). The deal could end up as a slight discount for the Nationals, who believe Harper would have pushed for $25MM in arbitration next offseason if he were to win his second National League MVP this year, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
Looking ahead, Rizzo revealed that there haven’t been any discussions about Harper’s status beyond next season, when he’s scheduled to become a free agent. In the meantime, by settling Harper’s salary for next year, the Nationals ensured that he’ll be “comfortable” and won’t have to worry about it this season, Rizzo added. Harper agrees, saying: “It’s huge. We’re able to go into the offseason and worry about other things.” The 24-year-old also noted that anything past the 2018 campaign is “still a long way away.”
More from the NL:
- Both left-hander Steven Matz and right-hander Seth Lugo threw 30 pitches in an extended spring training game Saturday and could return to the Mets by late May or early June, manager Terry Collins indicated (via MetsBlog). Matz has dealt with an elbow issue that has prevented him from pitching this season, while a partially torn UCL has sidelined Lugo. The two were quality starters last year for the Mets, whose rotation has declined significantly this season for both injury- and performance-related reasons.
- Diamondbacks catcher Chris Iannetta took a 93 mph fastball to the face from the Pirates’ Johnny Barbato on Friday, but he’s “doing OK,” according to manager Torey Lovullo (via the Associated Press). Despite suffering a couple fractured teeth and a broken nose, Iannetta is “eager to play,” per Lovullo. However, the team is understandably taking a careful approach with Iannetta and is still deciding whether to place him on the disabled list.
- In another scary situation, Cardinals Triple-A pitching prospect Daniel Poncedeleon took a line drive off the head Tuesday and then underwent surgery Wednesday to relieve pressure around his brain. Poncedeleon has been in the intensive care unit of an Iowa hospital over the past few days, though doctors are “very encouraged by how things are progressing,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Saturday (per Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com). “Right now, everything is going in a very positive direction,” continued Mozeliak. “You don’t want to speak in absolutes. You don’t want to draw conclusions. But we’re very encouraged with where he’s at.”
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yankees, Mets, Bucs, Aces, Phillies
This week in baseball blogs:
- Minor League Ball uses advanced stats to evaluate Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge.
- Baseball Hot Corner argues that the Mets should trade Matt Harvey.
- The Point of Pittsburgh and Pirates Breakdown each have pieces on Bucs right-hander Gerrit Cole.
- Camden Depot, using wins above replacement, names four ways to define an ace.
- Notes From The Sally scouts Phillies Single-A outfield prospect Mickey Moniak, the top pick in last year’s draft.
- Big Three Sports explains why Red Sox ace Chris Sale can save Cy Young voting.
- Now On Deck contends that Trey Mancini is vital to the Orioles’ future.
- The 3rd Man In interviews and profiles one of the best prospects in this year’s draft, left-hander MacKenzie Gore.
- BP Toronto believes the Blue Jays’ Roberto Osuna is back in elite closer form.
- Bronx Bomber Ball and Call To The Pen each pay tribute to Derek Jeter.
- District On Deck wants the Nationals to give Jayson Werth a contract extension.
- A’s Farm talks with right-handed prospect Logan Shore, who was the team’s second-round pick in last year’s draft.
- Outside Pitch MLB analyzes the Brewers’ rotation.
- Call To The Pen (links: 1, 2) applauds the Tigers’ decision to pull Francisco Rodriguez from the closer role and looks ahead to 2018 for the Phillies.
- Jays Journal wonders what Toronto should do with out-of-options infielder Ryan Goins once Troy Tulowitzki comes off the disabled list.
- Pinstriped Prospects ranks the Yankees’ top 50 prospects.
- Clubhouse Corner focuses on the Mets’ injury woes.
- Everything Bluebirds writes about the possibility of the Blue Jays signing Doug Fister.
- Mets Daddy points out that, despite all the turmoil, the Mets have played better of late.
- The Tenth Inning Stretch profiles newly acquired Twins left-hander Kevin Chapman.
- The Runner Sports spotlights Astros right-handed prospect Trent Thornton.
- When Sid Slid shares its latest Braves prospect hot sheet.
- Die Hard NYY suggests the Yankees can solve their first base problems from within.
- Clutchlings regards Danny Jansen as the Blue Jays’ catcher of the future.
- Rotisserie Duck presents “71 Reasons I Love Baseball.”
- Baseball Hot Corner opines that the impatience of fans, not pace of play, is the sport’s problem.
Please send submissions to ZachBBWI @gmail.com.
Marlins’ Wei-Yin Chen Out Indefinitely
When the Marlins placed left-hander Wei-Yin Chen on the disabled list with a tired arm last Saturday, their hope was that he’d only miss one start. Now, after Chen suffered a setback during a bullpen session Saturday, the Marlins are unsure when (or if) he’ll pitch again this year, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
Chen’s arm “just doesn’t feel right,” according to manager Don Mattingly, who added: “At this point, you feel like you really can’t count on him in the near future when it happens like this. Obviously, this is turning into more than what we thought it was going to be.”
Rays Demote Blake Snell To Minors
The Rays have optioned left-handed starter Blake Snell to Triple-A Durham, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The club will recall reliever Ryne Stanek to take Snell’s roster spot, Topkin adds (on Twitter).
Tampa Bay elected to demote Snell after he turned in arguably his worst start of the year in a 6-3 loss to the Red Sox on Saturday. The 24-year-old went 5 2/3 innings, marking the seventh time in eight starts this season that he hasn’t completed at least six frames, and yielded six earned runs on six hits and three walks, with five strikeouts. In 42 innings this year, Snell has logged a bloated 4.71 ERA with a disappointing strikeout rate (7.29 per nine innings) and a horrid walk rate (5.36).
Snell also struggled with control as a rookie last season (5.16 BB/9), but the former top prospect managed to offset that to a degree with a stellar 9.91 K/9, which helped him post a quality ERA (3.54) in 89 innings. Since then, though, Snell has lost some fastball velocity and generated fewer swinging strikes, as his rate has fallen from 10.9 percent in 2016 to 8.8 percent this year. Overall, Snell has been the weak link in a Rays rotation that has otherwise been a strength in 2017, with Chris Archer, Alex Cobb, Matt Andriese and Jake Odorizzi having recorded positive results.
With Snell returning to the minors, veteran swingman Erasmo Ramirez is likely to take his rotation spot, per Topkin, though he notes that the Rays might not need a fifth starter imminently. Snell’s demotion shouldn’t affect his long-term control, as he entered the season with 110 days of service time and is now closing in on the 172 necessary to accrue a full year. Thus, assuming Snell returns to the majors this season, he should still remain on track to reach free agency after the 2022 season.
Minor MLB Transactions: 5/7/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Astros have released righty Edison Frias, the Houston Chronicle’s Jake Kaplan reports (Twitter link). The 26-year-old Frias has some respectable numbers (4.07 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 2.71 K/BB rate) over 425 career innings in Houston’s farm system, though he has been hit hard at the Triple-A level this year, with a 7.71 ERA in 23 1/3 frames. Pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League is likely a factor, though Frias hasn’t helped himself with a 5.8 BB/9 that is more than double his career average.
Earlier today
- In a surprising development, the Reds announced Sunday that they’ve optioned left-hander Amir Garrett to Triple-A Louisville. Aside from one poor start on April 24, when the Brewers teed off on Garrett for nine earned runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings, the 25-year-old has pitched well enough to remain in the majors. The rookie surrendered two or fewer earned runs in his other six starts, all of which lasted at least six frames. All told, Garrett has recorded a 4.25 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 44.7 percent ground-ball rate in 36 innings. The Reds are entering a stretch in which they will only need four starters, which will give them an opportunity to manage Garrett’s workload, tweets Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Service time considerations may have also factored into this decision, as the Reds will only need to keep Garrett in the minors for about two weeks to control him through 2023 instead of 2022. For now, right-hander Barrett Astin is up from Triple-A to take Garrett’s place on the Reds’ roster.
- The Padres have sold corner infielder/outfielder Jamie Romak‘s contract to SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization, report Sung Min Kim of River Ave Blues and Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter links). Romak, a fourth-round pick of the Braves in 2003, saw brief major league action with the Dodgers in 2014 and the Diamondbacks in 2015. For the most part, the 31-year-old has played at lower levels, including a stint in the Japan Central League. Romak has spent the majority of his career at the Triple-A level, where he has slashed an impressive .271/.340/.516 line in 1,800 plate appearances.
- The Mariners have made a few pitching changes, selecting Christian Bergman‘s contract from Triple-A Tacoma, optioning Rob Whalen to Triple-A and moving Shae Simmons to the 60-day disabled list, per an announcement from general manager Jerry Dipoto. Bergman, who signed a minor league deal with the Mariners over the winter, spent 2010-16 with the Rockies organization. The swingman debuted in the majors in 2014 and has since posted a 5.79 ERA, 5.49 K/9 against 1.89 BB/9, and a 36.7 percent ground-ball rate in 147 2/3 innings. He got off to a strong start this year with Tacoma, tossing 29 innings from the Rainiers’ rotation and logging a 2.17 ERA. Simmons has been dealing with a right forearm strain since March, which has prevented the offseason trade acquisition from taking the mound this year. The Mariners acquired Simmons, a hard-throwing reliever, from the Braves in a January deal that also included Mallex Smith and Luiz Gohara.
- The Rangers have purchased righty Austin Bibens-Dirkx‘s contract from Triple-A Round Rock and optioned lefty Dario Alvarez in a corresponding move, according to the club. The 32-year-old Bibens-Dirkx has never pitched in the majors, having spent the first 11-plus years of his career in the minors with several teams, including Seattle, which selected him in the 16th round of the 2006 draft. Bibens-Dirkx owns a lifetime 5.16 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 383 2/3 Triple-A frames.
Mets Suspend Matt Harvey
4:22pm: It’s possible Harvey will file a grievance over the suspension, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. “This will end up in a grievance,” one source told Heyman. However, other sources Heyman spoke with indicated that Harvey’s unsure if he’ll contest the ban.
1:20pm: Harvey did not show up at Citi Field for the Mets’ game Saturday, per FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, with a source telling him that Harvey had a migraine. The source also cited a potential miscommunication issue between Harvey and the Mets, but the club “evidently saw it differently,” writes Rosenthal (Twitter links).
12:47pm: Harvey’s suspension is the result of “a compilation of issues” going back to last season, report Seth Walder and Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. Prior to Saturday’s game, Mets owner Fred Wilpon and COO Jeff Wilpon engaged in a “heated” on-field conversation that was believed to be about Harvey, an industry source told Walder and Ackert.
9:40am: The Mets have suspended right-hander Matt Harvey three days without pay for a violation of club rules, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (Twitter links here). The ban began Saturday and will run through Monday, meaning Harvey won’t make his scheduled start Sunday against the Marlins.
With Harvey temporarily unavailable, the Mets have selected the contract of Triple-A left-hander Adam Wilk, who will start against Miami. To create room for Wilk on the 40-man roster, the Mets have moved injured ace Noah Syndergaard from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day DL, which had been expected to happen.
The Mets are unwilling to reveal the reason for Harvey’s brief suspension, per DiComo, with manager Terry Collins saying, “We’ll keep it in-house, the way it’s supposed to be.”
Sunday’s development continues a less-than-ideal year-plus for Harvey, who hasn’t resembled his previous top-of-the-rotation form since the beginning of last season. Harvey logged a 4.86 ERA over 92 2/3 innings in 2016, and then underwent season-ending thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in July. In his return this season, the 28-year-old has continued to throw hard, yet his once-high strikeout rate has dropped to 5.14 per nine innings and he has posted a career-worst walk rate (3.34 per nine) over 35 frames. Thanks in part to his declining K/BB ratio and swinging-strike percentage (7.4, down from 11.7 from 2012-16), not to mention a sky-high home run-to-fly ball ratio (21.2 percent), Harvey’s ERA sits at a lofty 5.14 through six starts.
As of now, the only Mets starter who has gone through 2017 without any real issues is Jacob deGrom. Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Seth Lugo are all shelved with injuries, while Robert Gsellman and Zack Wheeler haven’t been as effective as they were previously (though it’s understandable in Wheeler’s case, as he’s returning from Tommy John surgery).