Nationals Outright Grant Green
The Nationals announced that they have sent infielder Grant Green outright to Triple-A Syracuse. Washington designated the out-of-options Green for assignment on Friday, and he subsequently cleared waivers.
Green’s stay with the Nats this month lasted just over a week, aligning with the DL placements of shortstops Trea Turner and Stephen Drew. Once Turner came back, there was no longer a need for Green, who only appeared in two games and collected three plate appearances. A first-round pick of the Athletics in 2009 (No. 13 overall), Green has has cracked the majors in five straight seasons, but the journeyman has hit just .248/.283/.336 in 353 trips to the plate.
The 29-year-old Green spent last season with the Giants organization and slashed a respectable .319/.336/.454 in 364 PAs with their Triple-A club. Overall, he has hit an impressive .309/.351/.466 in 3,223 Triple-A PAs.
Brewers Outright Kirk Nieuwenhuis
The Brewers have outrighted outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis to Triple-A Colorado Springs, per a team announcement. Nieuwenhuis, whom the Brewers designated for assignment Friday, cleared waivers, though he could have elected free agency. He’ll instead stay with the organization and earn a $257K salary in the minors.
Niewenhuis was a useful reserve for the Brewers last season, when the lefty-swinger hit .209/.324/.385 with 13 home runs and eight steals across 392 plate appearances. He also saw time at all three outfield spots and graded well in the field, registering one Defensive Runs Saved and a 5.4 UZR/150. Despite that output over a much larger sample size than this season’s, the Brewers booted the 29-year-old from their 40-man roster after he opened 2017 with a horrid .080/.233/.240 batting line in 30 PAs. Niewenhuis struck out in half of those plate trips – a vast increase over the high K rate (33.9 percent) he posted last year.
In the wake of Starling Marte‘s suspension, the NL Central rival Pirates at least discussed swinging a trade for Nieuwenhuis, but they’ll instead look elsewhere for outfield help. The Brewers, meanwhile, have two outfield-capable reserves, Nick Franklin and Hernan Perez, on their 25-man roster behind starters Ryan Braun, Keon Broxton and Domingo Santana. Slugging first baseman Eric Thames is also an option, while Lewis Brinson, Brett Phillips and Ryan Cordell represent minor league outfielders on Milwaukee’s 40-man. However, a promotion for Brinson, one of the game’s top prospects, isn’t imminent, as Adam McCalvy of MLB.com wrote Saturday.
West Notes: Giants, Rockies, Angels, A’s
Although the Giants have a good relationship with left-hander Madison Bumgarner, their front office isn’t going to forget his dirt bike accident if the two sides negotiate a new contract in the future, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Bumgarner is controllable via eminently affordable team options for both the 2018 and ’19 seasons, after which the three-time World Series champion should be in line to become one of the majors’ richest pitchers. In the meantime, it’s possible the Giants could look to recoup some money from Bumgarner’s current deal in the wake of the off-field shoulder injury that will keep him out for two-plus months; however, Shea notes that doing so would look terrible from a public relations standpoint and could damage the team’s relationship with Bumgarner. Unsurprisingly, general manager Bobby Evans doesn’t seem inclined to quarrel with Bumgarner over money, telling Shea that the 27-year-old ace’s contract is “the least of our concerns.” Rather, the Giants’ “focus is trying to take care of Madison and get him healthy and support him any way we can,” per Evans.
More from the majors’ West divisions:
- The Rockies’ plan when they signed Ian Desmond during the winter was to play him exclusively at first base this year, but Mark Reynolds‘ hot start has them rethinking that idea, Owen Perkins of MLB.com suggests. Desmond hasn’t debuted yet this season because of a fractured left hand, but when the shortstop/outfield option does come back (likely sometime in May), the Rockies might take advantage of his ability to handle multiple positions. When asked if that’s the case, manager Bud Black said “yes,” but he noted that using Desmond at short isn’t under consideration. Colorado has a young starter there in second-year man Trevor Story, though he’s hitting a mere .156/.260/.406 in the early going.
- Angels No. 1 starter Garrett Richards insists there’s no correlation between the elbow injury that kept him out for most of last season and the biceps problem that forced him to the 60-day disabled list Saturday, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. “My elbow and my shoulder have never felt any better,” Richards said. “Why wouldn’t it, with all the rest I’ve had? I am disappointed with how I feel physically. This is like a nagging thing, I guess. We’re going to deal with it as it comes, a day and a time and hopefully come back sooner than later.” Richards has undergone two MRIs, neither of which has shown any structural damage, but the irritated nerve that has caused his biceps issue has healed so slowly that he’ll be on the shelf until at least June. “Nerves have a mind of their own,” he noted. “They regenerate at their own pace.”
- Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray could be one more rehab start away from making his 2017 big league debut, relays Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California (video link). According to manager Bob Melvin, the A’s will “have a decision to make” on Gray after he takes the mound for Triple-A Nashville on Thursday. Gray, who’s on the mend from a lat strain, threw five scoreless, one-hit innings Saturday for Single-A Stockton, saying afterward that he had “no limitations” (Twitter link via Shea).
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pirates, Jays, J. Hamilton, Astros, Tribe
This week in baseball blogs:
- Jays From the Couch interviews Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and Pirates general manager Neal Huntington.
- The Point of Pittsburgh doesn’t expect Pirates outfielder Starling Marte‘s 80-game suspension to affect the futures of Andrew McCutchen or Austin Meadows.
- Off The Bench Baseball ponders Marte’s future (or lack thereof) in Pittsburgh.
- The Unbalanced, in the wake of Marte’s ban, questions Major League Baseball’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
- theScore salutes Josh Hamilton, whom the Rangers released Friday.
- Climbing Tal’s Hill suggests Astros southpaw Dallas Keuchel is returning to ace form.
- Cleveland Indians Perspective wants the Tribe to sign Cuban outfield prospect Luis Robert.
- Camden Depot argues that WAR underrates great relievers.
- Call To The Pen ranks the top 30 second basemen in the majors.
- Chin Music Baseball focuses on the contrasting strikeout numbers of Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts and Twins center fielder Byron Buxton.
- District On Deck writes about resurgent Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman.
- Inside the ‘Zona praises the early season output of the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.
- Pirates Breakdown addresses McCutchen’s return to center field.
- Bunt to the Gap searches for the positives in what has been a dreadful season thus far for the Blue Jays.
- MLB451 looks at the Hall of Fame cases of Bobby Abreu and Lance Berkman.
- The 3rd Man In offers a mock amateur draft.
- Mets Daddy focuses on how first baseman Lucas Duda and second baseman Neil Walker have fared returning from 2016 back injuries.
- MetsMind wonders if the club should sign Walker to an extension.
- Notes From the Sally scouts Braves southpaw pitching prospect Joey Wentz.
- The Runner Sports delves into Yankees left-hander C.C. Sabathia‘s solid start to the season.
- Outside Pitch MLB asks if Madison Bumgarner‘s injury will torpedo the Giants’ season.
- Jays Journal scolds Toronto fans for booing Jose Bautista.
- Sports Talk Philly is pleased with the Phillies’ organizational depth at second base.
- Think Blue Planning Committee takes a look at the Dodgers’ organizational bullpen depth.
- Real McCoy Minor News scouts some of the Athletics’ prospects.
- When Sid Slid has updates on recent performbuances by several of the Braves’ prospects.
- That Ball’s Outta Here says it’s too early to draw conclusions about the Phillies.
- Pinstriped Prospects reports on Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius‘ first rehab game.
- Clutchlings profiles Blue Jays infield prospect Bradley Jones.
- The Runner Sports revisits the injury that derailed then-Astro shortstop Dickie Thon‘s career in 1984 and checks in on Thon’s son, Dickie Joe Thon, who’s an infield prospect with the Cardinals.
- rascalsoftheravine has some uniform change ideas for the Dodgers.
- Rotisserie Duck looks back back on a 1968 set of Topps baseball cards featuring a slew of legends.
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Quick Hits: Cutch, Nats, Pirates, Crisp, Dodgers, Soler, Rangers
Financial reasons played a key role in the Nationals’ offseason decision to trade for then-White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton instead of the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). With his $4MM salary this year, Eaton is much cheaper than McCutchen ($14MM), and acquiring the latter would have forced the Nationals to jettison left-hander Gio Gonzalez and his $12MM price tag in a separate deal, says Rosenthal. In addition to having concerns over how their payroll would have looked with McCutchen, the Nationals had no interest in meeting Pittsburgh’s lofty demands for the five-time All-Star. Washington bought high on Eaton, whose excellent 2016 helped convinced the club to give up high-end pitching prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning for him. McCutchen, on the other hand, had a career-worst season last year, yet the Pirates wanted an even more impressive package for him than the Nationals sent the White Sox, according to Rosenthal. Pittsburgh held out for both pitching prospects and major leaguers, leading the Nats to go in another direction.
More from around the sport:
- Outfielder Coco Crisp said during the winter that he wasn’t ready to retire, and even though he still hasn’t landed a contract, the 37-year-old wants to continue playing, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Crisp hasn’t been able to find work on the heels of a season in which he hit an underwhelming .231/.302/.397 with 13 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a combined 498 plate appearances with the Athletics and Indians. He was worse in the field, accounting for minus-10 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-11.1 Ultimate Zone Rating.
- Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias “might” make his first big league start of 2017 in the coming week, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday (via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). Urias would step in for Alex Wood, who Gurnick notes would return to the bullpen after making a start in place of the injured Rich Hill on Friday. The 20-year-old Urias tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings and 93 pitches Friday with Triple-A Oklahoma. As for Hill, who has dealt with chronic blister issues since last year, he has “tinkered” with a new grip during his latest DL stint, per Roberts. Hill has also tried to cure his problems with pickle juice and rice, among other methods mentioned by Gurnick. It seems the 37-year-old has made progress in his recovery. “It’s toughened up for sure,” Hill said of the blister.
- Jorge Soler is getting closer to making his Royals debut. The outfielder, on the shelf since March with an oblique injury, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday, relays Dave Sessions of MLB.com. The Royals are unsure when they’ll call up Soler, whom they acquired from the Cubs for closer Wade Davis over the winter. When Soler is healthy enough to return, his bat “could be a big boost,” manager Ned Yost said. Kansas City’s offense entered Saturday dead last in the majors in both runs and wRC+, so its lineup certainly needs a jolt.
- Rangers minor league left-hander Joe Palumbo will undergo Tommy John surgery during the upcoming week, tweets TR Sullivan of MLB.com. Palumbo, one of the Rangers’ 10 best prospects, will now lose a year of development as a result of a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The 22-year-old was extremely impressive this season at the High-A level, where he recorded a 0.66 ERA, 14.49 K/9 and 2.63 BB/9 in 13 2/3 innings.
Blue Jays Place Troy Tulowitzki On 10-Day DL
April continues to be a nightmare for the 4-12 Blue Jays, who have lost another regular to the disabled list. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will miss at least 10 days on account of a strained right hamstring, per the Associated Press. Tulowitzki joins third baseman Josh Donaldson, right-hander Aaron Sanchez and left-hander J.A. Happ on the shelf.
Injuries have long been an issue for Tulowitzki, who missed between 31 and 115 games in each of the previous six seasons. Tulowitzki used to make up for lost time with elite-level production as a Rockie, but his offensive performance has dropped off since he joined the Blue Jays via trade in 2015. The 32-year-old has batted a roughly league-average .251/.316/.424 in 788 plate appearances with the Jays, including a .263/.295/.386 line in 61 PAs this season, after slashing a Coors Field-inflated .299/.371/.513 in 4,415 trips to the plate with the Rockies. Tulowitzki has continued to serve as an above-average fielder, though, having tallied 16 Defensive Runs Saved and an 8.8 Ultimate Zone Rating since 2015.
The Tulowitzki-less Jays will go forth with Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney as their most experienced shortstop options. For now, they’ll use Tulowitzki’s roster spot on reliever Leonel Campos, whom they recalled from Triple-A on Saturday. They announced a couple other changes to their pitching staff, too, sending Danny Barnes to Buffalo and calling up Casey Lawrence.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/22/17
Saturday’s minor moves from around baseball:
- The Giants have outrighted catcher Tim Federowicz to Triple-A, tweets Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The club designated Federowicz for assignment Tuesday, and he subsequently cleared waivers. San Francisco no longer had a need for Federowicz after Buster Posey returned from the seven-day concussion DL. Federowicz appeared in two games during Posey’s weeklong absence.
- The Tigers have placed center fielder JaCoby Jones on the 10-day disabled list and selected the contract of first baseman/outfielder Jim Adduci from Triple-A Toledo. Jones took a 90 mph fastball to the mouth from Twins reliever Justin Haley on Saturday, after which he received nine stitches and underwent a CT scan, per Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. The scan ruled out a major injury for Jones, who will nonetheless miss at least a week and a half. The 24-year-old has batted a subpar .150/.244/.300 with 18 strikeouts in 45 plate appearances this season. Jones’ absence should leave center to Andrew Romine, who has fared somewhat better despite not having drawn any walks in 40 PAs (.231/.250/.410). The 31-year-old Adduci’s only big league action came as a Ranger from 2013-14, when he combined to hit .189/.259/.242 in 148 trips to the plate. Adduci owns a respectable .283/.352/.401 line in 1,203 Triple-A PAs.
Angels Place Cam Bedrosian On DL, Select Kirby Yates
The Angels have placed closer Cam Bedrosian on the 10-day disabled list with a right groin strain, according to an announcement from the club. The Halos, as a result, have made a few other changes to their pitching staff, selecting the contract of Kirby Yates, recalling Daniel Wright and optioning Alex Meyer to Triple-A.
It’s early in the season, of course, but Bedrosian has been the Angels’ best reliever for the second straight campaign. The 25-year-old hasn’t yielded a run or a walk over 6 2/3 innings, also striking out nine hitters. With both Huston Street and Andrew Bailey on the DL, Bedrosian has emerged as the Angels’ top game-ending option, having converted three of four save opportunities thus far. Street, Bailey and Bedrosian are the Halos’ only relievers with any real experience as closers, so it’s unclear who will take on that role for the time being. It could go to Blake Parker, who has been eminently effective across 8 1/3 frames this season (12 strikeouts, two walks, three earned runs).
As for Yates, he’ll return to the majors just under three weeks after the Angels designated him for assignment April 2. They ended up outrighting Yates on April 5, and he has since pitched six solid innings at Triple-A. The former Ray and Yankee brings 97 2/3 innings of major league experience to the table, and he has posted a quality strikeout rate (10.78 per nine) and a playable walk rate (3.78), but the 30-year-old has nonetheless struggled to a 5.25 ERA.
Angels Moving Garrett Richards To 60-Day DL
When a biceps strain forced Angels right-hander Garrett Richards to the 10-day disabled list April 7, there was optimism that he’d return quickly. Now, unfortunately for both Richards and the Halos, he’s in line to sit out at least into the summer. The Angels are moving him to the 60-day DL, per an an announcement from the team.
“His most recent assessment and exam showed mild improvement in biceps strength and also irritation of the cutaneous nerve which is contributing to his strength deficit,” stated the club.
This is the second serious arm injury for Richards since last year, when an elbow issue limited him to just 34 2/3 innings. Richards elected against Tommy John surgery, instead opting for stem-cell therapy treatment, which was successful enough that he was able to take the mound again during the first week of this season. Richards allowed no runs on three hits and a walk in his April 5 season debut against the Athletics, but his biceps strain forced him to exit after only 4 2/3 frames.
As was the case last year, Richards’ prolonged absence should be a serious blow to the Angels’ hopes of contending. The club won a mere 74 games last season and has begun 2017 an ugly 7-11. For the second straight year, the Halos’ Richards-less starting staff hasn’t fared well. Thus far, the group has posted the majors’ fifth-worst ERA (4.35) and eighth-worst FIP (4.18). Ricky Nolasco, Matt Shoemaker, Jesse Chavez, Tyler Skaggs and J.C. Ramirez have taken the mound for multiple starts, while Alex Meyer has made one.
Looking ahead, it’s possible the 28-year-old Richards’ latest issue will put his tenure with the Angels in jeopardy. The team kept Richards via arbitration at a $6.85MM cost this year, but if he’s unable to return in 2017 (or if he shows poorly upon his comeback), he could be a non-tender candidate during the offseason. Richards is due to make his fourth and final trip through arbitration next winter.
Tom Glavine Part Of Group Working To Purchase Marlins
Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine may be part of the Marlins’ next ownership team. The former Brave and Met is a member of a faction that has put in a bid to purchase the franchise from owner Jeffrey Loria, reports Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg. Solamere Capital co-founder Tagg Romney, son of 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is at the helm of the group. Notably, Mitt Romney is not involved in this venture.
The exact price of the Romney group’s bid isn’t known, though Soshnick relays that offers for the Marlins currently range between $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion – an enormous increase over the $158MM Loria paid in 2002. Fifteen years later, Loria “wants to get out of it,” Glavine told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Glavine added that he feels “very good” about the Romney offer, though the 51-year-old declined to disclose whether he’s committed to putting forth any money (Glavine made just under $130MM as a player, per Baseball Reference). Glavine’s also unsure of how long a potential sale might take to go through, but he did reveal that his main purpose has been to woo investors to the Romney side.
The 305-game winner went into further detail in his discussion with Cafardo, saying: “It’s been a lengthy process. I was contacted a couple of years ago by some people to ask whether I’d have an interest in doing something along these lines, and I certainly did. This Marlins situation came about last summer. After casual conversations and kicking tires it became apparent we could put people together and raise money.”
If the Romney-led team does succeed in buying the Marlins, it’s unclear which role Glavine would take with the franchise, but he would “certainly want” some sort of position.
“I’m not going to say I’m the GM, but I know the game pretty well,” said Glavine. “I understand it. There’s a lot on the business side that I don’t understand, so I’m open-minded about what the best role for me would be and what I like to do the most.”
Glavine informed Cafardo that he believes at least three groups have made efforts to secure the Marlins. Quogue Capital founder Wayne P. Rothbaum is at the helm of one, per reports from both Soshnick and Douglas P. Hanks of the Miami Herald. However, Soshnick’s information differs from Hanks’ with respect to a couple of other prospective buyers, ex-Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Those two have teamed up to buy the Marlins, according to Hanks, but Soshnick notes that’s not yet the case. Instead, as of now, Jeter and Bush have only discussed working together, per Soshnick.