Astros Promote Alex Bregman
The Astros have announced the promotion of highly touted infield/outfield prospect Alex Bregman and the designation for assignment of infielder Danny Worth. Bregman will join the surging Astros on Monday for the start of their home series against the Yankees.
[RELATED: Updated Astros Depth Chart]
Bregman, whom Keith Law of ESPN (Insider required and recommended) ranks as the best prospect in baseball, has torn through minor league pitching since the Astros selected him second overall in last year’s draft. The 22-year-old ex-LSU standout has been especially impressive this season, having posted a .297/.415/.559 batting line with 14 home runs in 285 plate appearances in Double-A. The Astros’ decision to promote Bregman to Triple-A in late June didn’t slow down the right-handed hitter, who slashed an astounding .356/.397/.685 with six homers in 78 trips to the plate with Fresno. Between the two levels this season, Bregman has recorded more unintentional walks (47) than strikeouts (37), further demonstrating his offensive prowess. Law likens Bregman’s upside at the dish to that of Red Sox star second baseman Dustin Pedroia.
Baseball America rates Bregman as the game’s eighth-best prospect, meanwhile, and praised his “simple, level swing,” bat speed and patience after last season (subscription required and recommended). Moreover, BA lauded his base-running and defensive skills, though there are questions as to where he’ll line up with the Astros. Over the long haul, BA, Law and MLB.com (which has Bregman as the No. 18 overall prospect in the game) see him faring well at short. That would require Houston to move Carlos Correa elsewhere, however (likely third base); notably, MVP candidate Jose Altuve mans second base.
In the near term, the Astros could send Bregman to left field, where they’ve had him spend time in the minors, or third. However, big-money free agent signing Yulieski Gurriel‘s forthcoming debut will only complicate things further. That isn’t a negative for the red-hot Astros, though, who have climbed to a season-best 10 games over .500 since a dismal start and are within 2 1/2 games of AL West-leading Texas and a half-game of the second Wild Card spot.
Wherever the Astros play Bregman, it’s fair to assume he’s in the majors for good. With that being the case, he’ll come up short of Super Two status in the likely event he remains with the Astros through the end of the season. Bregman can accrue up to 70 days of service time in the majors this year, meaning he won’t be eligible for arbitration until after 2019 and will stay under club control through the 2022 campaign.
Worth, 30, joined the Astros on a minor league deal over the winter and went on to collect 40 plate appearances with them this year, hitting a meager .179/.200/.231. The longtime member of the Tigers organization owns a .224/.282/.288 line in 332 career PAs.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/24/16
Sunday’s minor transactions from around baseball:
- The Orioles have signed veteran left-hander Tom Gorzelanny to a minor league contract, according to David Hall of the Virginian-Pilot (Twitter link). Gorzelanny became a free agent earlier this month after rejecting an outright assignment to Triple-A from the Indians, who designated him for assignment July 4. The 34-year-old has a career 4.40 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in parts of 12 seasons (883 2/3 innings) with six different teams. Gorzelanny tossed 39 1/3 of those frames last year in Detroit, where opposing hitters battered him to the tune of a 5.95 ERA.
- The Blue Jays have signed right-hander Scott Copeland to a minor league deal, per a club announcement. Copeland, 28, was previously in the Toronto organization from 2012-15, mostly working in the minor leagues. He got his first taste of big league action last season and allowed 11 earned runs on 24 hits in 15 1/3 innings. Copeland only walked two hitters in that span, but struck out just six. The Blue Jays then sold Copeland to the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization, where he struggled through 63 1/3 innings this year in the hitter-friendly league.
- The Indians have announced the release of 26-year-old outfielder Bryson Myles, whom the Tribe selected in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. Myles never made it to the majors with the Indians, but he did climb his way to Triple-A Columbus this year. He hit a meek .234/.305/.330 in 105 plate appearances with the Clippers, however, thus leading to his departure from the organization. All told, Myles batted a solid .277/.356/.414 in 2,058 PAs with the Indians’ minor league affiliates.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lucroy, Pomeranz, Jays, A’s
This week’s spin around the baseball blogosphere:
- Brew City Sports Report views the Indians and Brewers as logical partners in a Jonathan Lucroy trade.
- AV Blogs: MLB 2016 lauds the Red Sox‘s recent acquisition of left-hander Drew Pomeranz.
- Baseball MTJAG combats AV Blogs’ view on the Pomeranz deal and contends that the Padres won the trade.
- TPOP advises the Pirates to trade for White Sox southpaw Jose Quintana.
- A’s Farm chats with Athletics rookies Ryon Healy and Daniel Mengden.
- Jays From The Couch interviews Blue Jays infielder Ryan Goins.
- Inside the ‘Zona opposes the idea of the Diamondbacks trading either Zack Greinke or Shelby Miller.
- Chin Music Baseball opines that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is doing exactly what the Red Sox hired him to do.
- Pirates Breakdown regards Angels righty Matt Shoemaker as a player the Pirates should pursue before the deadline.
- The First Out At Third analyzes which players the Brewers will trade and which they’ll retain at the deadline.
- Bleeding Royal Blue breaks down Royals left fielder Alex Gordon‘s 2016 struggles.
- Wayniac Nation praises Athletics shortstop prospect Franklin Barreto.
- isportsweb searches for the Phillies’ next ace.
- FantasyPros comes up with some potential deadline deals and looks at their fantasy baseball impact.
- LA Dodger Report wonders if outfielder Yasiel Puig‘s time with the Dodgers is winding down.
- Everything Bluebirds argues in favor of Major League Baseball reducing its 162-game regular-season schedule.
- Rum Bunter reviews the potential deadline targets the Pirates have scouted.
- Dan Grant of Same Page Team explains why the Blue Jays need to keep right-hander Aaron Sanchez in their rotation.
- BP Toronto breaks down Sanchez’s pitch usage.
- Philliedelphia asks if the Phillies could swing an offseason trade for Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon.
- Yanks Go Yard projects the Yankees’ 2017 lineup.
- The Runner Sports profiles Astros Double-A catcher Garrett Stubbs and likens him to an all-time franchise great.
- Blue Jay Hunter details the changes Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman has made to his delivery.
- Jays Journal sees a resurgent Stroman as the Blue Jays’ best possible deadline acquisition.
- Outside Pitch MLB names some sell-high candidates for the deadline.
- NatsGM talks with Chris Cotillo of SB Nation.
- Tomahawk Take laments the existence of the designated hitter.
- Chris Zantow revisits Hank Aaron‘s 755th and final home run.
- Pinstriped Prospects highlights Yankees infielder Mandy Alvarez.
- Now On Deck ranks the league’s division leaders in order of which is likeliest to finish in first place at season’s end.
- Baseball Hot Corner ponders what’s next for Blue Jays first baseman/outfielder Chris Colabello.
- BaseballDocs puts together some potential deadline blockbusters.
- Halo Headquarters checks in on the offseason trade that sent Andrelton Simmons from the Braves to the Angels.
Please send submissions to ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Marlins Place Wei-Yin Chen On DL With Elbow Sprain
The Marlins have placed left-hander Wei-Yin Chen on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to Thursday) with a sprain in his pitching elbow and recalled right-hander Jarred Cosart from Triple-A New Orleans to take his place, reports Joe Frisaro of MLB.com (Twitter link). Cosart will start Monday against the Phillies.
[RELATED: Updated Marlins Depth Chart]
There’s no word on how much time Chen will miss, but elbow injuries are always worrisome with pitchers, and his absence could affect the Marlins’ trade deadline plans. Potentially available starters like Jeremy Hellickson and Andrew Cashner, to name two of several, have been connected to Miami in recent weeks as the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline nears. The Marlins are 53-45 and currently in possession of a National League Wild Card spot, but their lead is tenuous and their rotation could use more capable options to complement ace Jose Fernandez and underrated southpaw Adam Conley.
Chen, whom the Fish signed to a five-year, $80MM deal in the offseason, hasn’t produced to expectations yet in South Florida. The former Oriole has posted quality strikeout and walk rates per nine innings (7.28 and 1.88, respectively), but his 4.99 ERA over 110 frames is more than a full run worse than his 3.89 career mark. Nevertheless, with only Tom Koehler and 24-year-old Jose Urena around as viable options to team with Fernandez and Conley, the loss of the 31-year-old Chen is a notable one for the Marlins.
A former high-end prospect, Cosart experienced significant success in 180 1/3 innings with the Astros and Marlins in 2014, though he hasn’t been the same since. Cosart put up a 3.69 ERA/3.77 FIP/4.15 xFIP in 180 1/3 innings that year. In 84 1/3 frames with Miami dating back to last season, those figures have worsened significantly, plummeting to 5.12/5.12/4.63. While Cosart has generated ground balls at a 57.3 percent clip since 2015, he has offset that by striking out too few hitters (5.87 per nine) and walking far too many (5.12). Cosart hasn’t fared well at the Triple-A level this year, either, so his chances of serving as a respectable fill-in for the starter-needy Marlins look slim.
Diamondbacks To Promote Braden Shipley
The Diamondbacks are calling up well-regarded pitching prospect Braden Shipley from Triple-A Reno to start Monday against Milwaukee, according to ESPN.com.
Shipley, 24, has been a member of the Arizona organization since it selected him 15th overall in the 2013 amateur draft. Baseball America ranked the right-hander as the 26th-best prospect in baseball after the 2014 campaign, but he fell to 77th following last season. BA noted then (subscription required and recommended) that Shipley struggled with mechanics and consistency issues with his breaking ball in the first half of 2015 with Double-A Mobile. But Shipley still produced quality results last season, especially in the second half, and BA lauded his ability to maintain his arm speed and hit 93 to 96 mph on the radar gun with his fastball. Shipley also possesses a plus, hard-to-identify curveball that sits around 84 mph and a solid changeup that ranges from 83 to 85 mph. Additionally, his athleticism and background as a shortstop – where he played early on at the University of Nevada before turning his focus to pitching – make him a formidable fielder. With all of that considered, at the end of last season, BA regarded Shipley as a potential No. 3 starter in the majors. Given that he has since risen in the outlet’s rankings, the same likely holds true now. MLB.com is also bullish on Shipley, placing him 58th in its prospect rankings and offering a scouting report similar to BA’s.
In the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this season, Shipley has recorded a 3.70 ERA, 5.81 K/9 and 1.66 BB/9 over 119 1/3 innings. He’ll hope to match or better those numbers with last-place Arizona, whose rotation has been among the majors’ worst this year. Two of their starters, ace Zack Greinke and Rubby De La Rosa, have been on the disabled list for extended periods of time. Meanwhile, high-profile offseason pickup Shelby Miller is in Reno after performing horribly during the first few months of the season and might not last much longer with the organization.
If Shipley takes advantage of his opportunity and stays in the majors for the rest of the year, he’ll fall short of Super Two status. The maximum 2016 service time Shipley can accrue at this point is 70 days. He’ll be eligible for arbitration after the 2019 campaign and under team control through 2022 if he remains in Arizona for the remainder of the season.
Diamondbacks Make Shelby Miller Available
Less than eight months after the Diamondbacks traded Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte and Aaron Blair to the Braves for Shelby Miller, Arizona has let teams know that the right-hander is available, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Not surprisingly, the Diamondbacks’ asking price for the 25-year-old Miller isn’t nearly as high as the cost they paid for him, according to Passan.
Miller was a quality option from 2013-15 as a member of the Cardinals and Braves, with whom he combined to post a 3.27 ERA, 7.48 K/9, 3.25 BB/9 and 42.3 percent ground-ball rate over 561 2/3 innings. Because of that consistent effectiveness, the Braves first deemed him worthy enough to receive in exchange for star outfielder Jason Heyward in December 2014. The Diamondbacks then decided he warranted a Swanson, Inciarte and Blair package a year later.
While the Diamondbacks thought they were landing an in-his-prime, top-of-the-rotation starter, their move to give up Swanson (the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft), a solid center fielder in Inciarte and Blair (a 2014 first-round selection) for Miller was universally derided. No one expected Miller to experience such a precipitous fall from grace, though, as the D-backs optioned him to Triple-A on July 14 after a nightmarish 69 1/3 innings in the majors. In his first and potentially only season in Arizona, Miller has logged an ugly 7.14 ERA. A lousy K/9 (6.49) and BB/9 (4.41), not to mention a dip in velocity, have contributed to his struggles. He also missed some time earlier this year with a finger injury.
Thanks in part to its disastrous Miller gamble, an Arizona team that had designs on a playoff run entering the season is in last place in the NL West at 40-57, 18 games behind division-leading San Francisco and 13 out of a Wild Card position. And now the Tony La Russa- and Dave Stewart-led franchise looks ready to bail on Miller, who’s on a $4.35MM salary this year and is scheduled to go through arbitration two more times.
Deadline Notes: ChiSox, Rays, Orioles, Padres, Tribe
Although the White Sox suspended ace Chris Sale after scratching him Saturday for cutting up their throwback uniforms before their game against Detroit, they’re not necessarily any likelier to deal the rumored trade candidate than they were before, writes FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. That doesn’t mean he’ll stay put, though, and given the lack of high-quality starters scheduled to hit the upcoming free agent market, numerous executives have told Rosenthal that the White Sox might be better off waiting to move Sale until the offseason. In their view, shopping Sale in the winter would enable Chicago to involve more teams in the sweepstakes. While Rosenthal regards Saturday’s incident as a hit to Sale’s reputation, he notes that it won’t turn interested teams off from wanting to acquire him. As for Sale, whether he remains a member of the White Sox or goes elsewhere, he’s “fine either way,” per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
Other notes pertaining to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline:
- The last-place Rays are discussing their starting pitchers with at least 10 teams and will likely wait until right before the deadline to make any decisions, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi and Matt Moore have been particularly popular in the rumor mill lately. Other Rays who could switch homes include hot-hitting infielder Steve Pearce and right-handed swingman Erasmo Ramirez, per Topkin.
- The chances of the Orioles acquiring outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. from the Padres are as high as 45 percent, a high-ranking O’s source told Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. Still, a deal remains somewhat unlikely, cautions Schmuck, who notes that money could complicate the rumored trade involving Upton and Orioles righty Ubaldo Jimenez. Upton has $22MM coming his way through 2017, while Jimenez will rake in another $18MM over the same period, and Schmuck doesn’t expect a swap to occur without the Orioles eating some of Jimenez’s contract. In the meantime, Upton is out of the Padres’ lineup Sunday, relays Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, though a move isn’t imminent. Manager Andy Green wanted to give the 31-year-old Upton a day off with “everything swirling around him” (Twitter links)
- Given that Jimenez went on the paternity list Saturday, the Orioles aren’t allowed to trade him for three days, tweets Heyman. Moreover, there remains work to be done between the O’s and Padres on a possible deal, according to Heyman (Twitter links).
- Indians closer Cody Allen would be open to a role change if the team were to acquire another ninth-inning option by the deadline, he told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (Twitter link). Cleveland is reportedly one of the clubs in on the Yankees’ Aroldis Chapman, who would likely supplant Allen as the Tribe’s go-to arm in the ninth. Allen has been among the game’s best closers in his own right since taking the helm in 2014. The hard-throwing 27-year-old has converted 19 of 21 save chances this season while posting a 2.59 ERA, 11.02 K/9, 3.89 BB/9 and 46.3 ground-ball rate over 41 2/3 innings.
White Sox Suspend Chris Sale
SUNDAY: The White Sox have issued a five-day suspension to Sale as a result of his Saturday behavior. He’ll be out of action through Wednesday.
“Chris has been suspended for violating team rules, for insubordination and for destroying team equipment,” Hahn stated. “While we all appreciate Chris’ talent and passion, there is a correct way and an incorrect way to express concerns about team rules and organizational expectations.”
Hahn added that the White Sox still believe Sale can be part of the solution for the franchise (Twitter link via Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago).
SATURDAY: The White Sox scratched superstar left-hander Chris Sale from his start Saturday in Detroit, which Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet was first to report (Twitter link). Given that Sale has begun generating significant trade buzz this week, speculation initially ran rampant that the White Sox had a deal in place to move the 27-year-old. That isn’t the case at the moment, though, as Chicago actually scratched Sale because of a pregame “clubhouse incident.”
“Chris Sale has been scratched from tonight’s scheduled start and sent home from the ballpark by the White Sox due to a clubhouse incident before the game,” senior vice president and general manager Rick Hahn said in a team-issued press release (Twitter link via Paul Skrbina of the Chicago Tribune). “The incident, which was non-physical in nature, currently is under further investigation by the club.”
Sale got into an altercation with front office staff, which began in “silly” fashion and blew up into a bigger argument, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (links here). Amazingly, the fight centered on Sale’s disdain for the White Sox’s throwback uniforms. Sale didn’t want to put them on, so he cut all of them up to prevent anyone from wearing them, relays Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports (via Twitter). FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal subsequently corroborated Stokke’s report, adding that Sale first requested Chicago not wear the uniforms because they’re uncomfortable. When the White Sox declined, Sale became livid because, in his view, the franchise decided to prioritize p.r. and jersey sales over winning (links to Twitter).
This isn’t the first off-the-wall dust-up of the year featuring Sale, who lashed out at team president Kenny Williams in March after first baseman/designated hitter Adam LaRoche retired because the White Sox requested that he bring his son, Drake, into the clubhouse less frequently. Saturday’s disagreement did not include Williams, per Rosenthal (Twitter link).
Sale’s issues aside, he’s unsurprisingly still drawing interest from elsewhere as the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline nears. The White Sox are continuing to discuss him with other teams, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). One team with interest in Sale is the rebuilding Braves, via reports from both Chris Cotillo of SB Nation and David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported earlier Saturday that the White Sox want five top-caliber prospects for Sale, whose years-long track record of on-field brilliance has continued this season. Sale’s strikeout rate (8.73 per nine innings) is at its all-time lowest mark, but he continues to limit walks (1.96 per nine) and runs (3.18 ERA). He’s also controllable for extremely team-friendly dollar figures through 2019.
Rangers Sign Craig Breslow To Minor League Deal
The Rangers have signed left-handed reliever Craig Breslow to a minor league contract, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Breslow, a Baratta Partners client, became free to sign anywhere when the Marlins released him from their Triple-A affiliate Monday. The 35-year-old threw 23 2/3 minor league innings for the Marlins this season and struck out an impressive 11.03 batters per nine frames, but he offset that somewhat with a high walk rate (4.18) and logged an ugly ERA (6.46). His run prevention (4.50 ERA) and BB/9 (2.57) were better in 14 big league innings this year with the Marlins, though he fanned a meager 4.5 hitters per nine.
In 535 1/3 career major league innings, including 65 with the Red Sox in 2015, Breslow has compiled a 3.35 ERA, 7.04 K/9 and 3.56 BB/9. He’ll now try to work his way back to the big leagues with the Rangers, whose bullpen is among the worst in the league statistically. However, Texas’ current left-handed options – Jake Diekman and Alex Claudio (depth chart) – have fared well this year.
Cubs Activate Joe Nathan, Option Adam Warren
The Cubs have made a couple of notable changes to their bullpen, activating right-hander Joe Nathan from the disabled list and optioning fellow righty Adam Warren to Triple-A Iowa, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com was among those to report (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Updated Cubs Depth Chart]
Chicago signed Nathan, a 15-year major league veteran with 377 career saves, in May and placed him on the DL as he continued recovering from 2015 Tommy John surgery. Nathan then racked up 9 1/3 innings with the Cubs’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates prior to his activation. His last extensive action came in 2014 as a member of the Tigers, with whom he threw 58 innings and recorded a 4.81 ERA, 8.38 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and 35 saves in 42 chances. Nathan was far more effective in previous seasons with the Giants, Twins and Rangers, which explains his stellar career numbers (2.89 ERA, 9.49 K/9 and 3.34 BB/9).
With closer Hector Rondon and primary setup man Pedro Strop in the fold, the Cubs won’t need the 41-year-old Nathan to be a late-game savior. But he will provide another option along with the newly acquired Mike Montgomery, Carl Edwards Jr., Travis Wood, Justin Grimm and Clayton Richard. The first-place Cubs – whose bullpen is middle of the pack in ERA (3.87, 15th) and K-BB perentage (14.3, 13th) – could further bolster their relief corps around the trade deadline, as they’re reportedly in the hunt for Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman.
As for Warren, whom the Cubs acquired from the Yankees for infielder Starlin Castro in the offseason, he certainly hasn’t lived up to expectations in Chicago. Before the Cubs demoted Warren, he pitched to a 5.91 ERA over 35 innings and walked nearly five batters per nine frames. From 2013-15 with the Yankees, he amassed terrific numbers (3.23 ERA, 7.65 K/9, 2.92 BB/9, 45.3 percent ground-ball rate) over a 287-inning sample size as both a starter and a reliever.