Dodgers Release Ian Thomas, Outright Two
The Dodgers have made a trio of roster moves, releasing left-hander Ian Thomas and outrighting righties Yaisel Sierra and Layne Somsen off the 40-man roster, reports Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Updated Dodgers depth chart]
Thomas, whom the Dodgers designated for assignment Thursday, originally joined the team via trade with the Braves last summer. He logged a combined 23 1/3 innings with the two clubs in 2015 and posted a 3.86 ERA with 23 strikeouts against 11 walks. Thomas racked up quality numbers early this season for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate — 1.42 ERA, 22 strikeouts and five walks in 19 innings — but has been on the minor league disabled list since mid-May because of tendinitis in his left shoulder.
The Dodgers claimed Somsen off waivers from the Yankees on June 22 and subsequently designated him Friday. Somsen’s only major league action came earlier this season as a member of the Reds, with whom he threw 2 1/3 innings and gave up five earned runs. The 27-year-old has been far better this season in the minors, where he has put up a 1.44 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 across 25 Triple-A frames.
Los Angeles signed Sierra – a Cuba native – to a deal worth upward of $30MM in February, making him easily the most interesting name in this group. The move hasn’t gone according to plan, though, as the 25-year-old has disappointed at the High-A level this season. In 49 innings, Sierra has run up a 4.69 ERA with 6.05 K/9 against 3.70 BB/9.
Pirates Claim Eric Fryer From Cardinals, Designate Rob Scahill
3:33pm: The Pirates have announced both the Fryer claim and right-handed reliever Rob Scahill‘s designation for assignment. Scahill threw 16 1/3 innings for the Pirates this year prior to the designation and recorded a 4.41 ERA, 7.16 K/9, 3.31 BB/9 and 58 percent ground-ball rate. In 104 big league innings, the 29-year-old owns a 3.89 ERA, 6.23 K/9, 3.72 BB/9 and 52.7 percent grounder rate.
[RELATED: Updated Pirates depth chart]
1:32pm: The Pirates have claimed catcher Eric Fryer off waivers from the division-rival Cardinals, reports Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter link). The 30-year-old became available when the Redbirds designated him for assignment Tuesday, though they were hoping he’d sneak through waivers and remain in the organization.
This will be the second stint in Pittsburgh for Fryer, who was previously with the Bucs from 2010-12. He looks poised to take the place of Chris Stewart – who could head to the disabled list, Adam Berry of MLB.com tweets. Stewart would then join starting backstop Francisco Cervelli as the second Bucs catcher on the DL, leaving the position to Fryer and Erik Kratz.
In parts of six major league seasons, Fryer has totaled 199 trips to the plate and hit .270/.347/.354. Forty-one of those PAs came this year in St. Louis, with which Fryer slashed an outstanding .368/.415/.421. Those numbers are vastly superior to the .237/.328/.328 line Fryer has compiled in 935 Triple-A plate appearances, so regression is clearly on the way. Defensively, Fryer has graded respectably as a pitch framer and thrown out 29 percent of base stealers during his minor league career.
Nationals Activate Stephen Strasburg, Place Joe Ross On DL
The Nationals have activated right-hander Stephen Strasburg from the disabled list and placed fellow righty Joe Ross on the DL with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, Dan Kolko of MASN was among those to report (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Updated Nationals Depth Chart]
Strasburg, whose last action came June 15, will start for the Nats on Sunday. The 27-year-old hit the DL with an upper back strain on June 26, retroactive to June 16. Prior to that, the ace posted stellar numbers – 2.90 ERA, 11.4 K/9 and 4.92 K/BB rate – over 93 innings and began the season a perfect 10-0. Strasburg also inked a seven-year, $175MM contract extension in May, of course, so the first-place Nats can breathe a sigh of relief that one of their top players and most significant investments avoided a serious injury.
Unfortunately, the same might not be true in regards to the 23-year-old Ross, whose average sinker velocity fell nearly two miles per hour (from 93.5 to 91.8) in his start Saturday and dropped into the high 80s in his fifth and final frame. Notably, Ross’ brother – Padres ace Tyson Ross – has missed nearly the entire season with shoulder inflammation, and the Nats will now hope their Ross doesn’t suffer a similar fate. Before succumbing to injury, the second-year man tossed 95 1/3 innings of 3.49 ERA ball and added a 7.46 K/9, 2.25 BB/9 and 44.1 percent ground-ball rate. Even though Ross has emerged as a quality starter, his loss shouldn’t do much in the near term to hinder a Nats rotation that has Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Tanner Roark, elite prospect Lucas Giolito and Gio Gonzalez in the fold.
Diamondbacks Place Zack Greinke On DL
The Diamondbacks have sent right-hander Zack Greinke to the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain and reinstated outfielder Rickie Weeks Jr. from the bereavement list to take his place on the roster, according to a team announcement. This ends Greinke’s consecutive starts streak at 106, as Jack Magruder of FanRag Sports tweets.
[RELATED: Updated Diamondbacks Depth Chart]
Greinke sustained the injury during his start against the Phillies on Tuesday and had to exit after two innings as a result. Prior to that outing, Greinke had rebounded from initial struggles to record a 2.58 ERA over 11 starts dating back to April 30. All told, the $206MM offseason investment has pitched to a solid 3.62 ERA in 109 1/3 frames in his first year in Arizona and logged a 7.49 K/9, 1.73 BB/9 and 47.6 percent ground-ball rate. He’s one of several notable Diamondbacks currently on the DL, joining fellow starter Rubby De La Rosa and outfielders A.J. Pollock, David Peralta, Chris Owings and Socrates Brito. Those injuries have contributed to the Diamondbacks’ 37-46 start, and Greinke’s absence certainly won’t help matters for a club that’s 7.5 games out of an NL Wild Card spot and trying to claw its way back into contention prior to the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said Sunday that the team hopes to have Greinke back shortly after the All-Star break (Twitter link via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com), so it appears – at least for now – that he’ll avoid a long DL stint.
NL Notes: D-backs, Brewers, Marlins, Nats
After making multiple high-profile offseason moves, the Diamondbacks entered the campaign with playoff aspirations, but the 37-46 Snakes sit a likely insurmountable 14 games behind NL West-leading San Francisco and 7 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot. Still, chief baseball officer Tony La Russa stands by the roster the front office has assembled, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. “I think the talent is very competitive,” La Russa said. “I think we just need to execute better. You don’t want to focus on the pitching because there are days when we don’t score enough runs and days we don’t defend as well as we can. I think it’s a matter of executing.” As for why the Diamondbacks aren’t executing, La Russa attributed it to the players pressing “just enough to where it can be the difference in the game.” With less than a month to go before the trade deadline, the D-backs don’t see themselves as sellers yet, but La Russa acknowledged that they “may do a little planning ahead.”
More from the NL:
- The 35-45 Brewers would rather acquire starting pitching than subtract it at the deadline, general manager David Stearns told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We always want to add starting pitching; add quality arms. I don’t know I’d term us a seller of pitching,” said Stearns, who went on to state that the Brewers “would have a very high price to trade any young player that has significant control remaining and who we believe can contribute to the organization for a long time.” It’s worth noting in light of Stearns’ comments that all three 20-somethings currently in the Brewers’ rotation – Jimmy Nelson, Zach Davies and Chase Anderson – are cheap and controllable for the foreseeable future. One starter whom the Brewers will likely look to deal is 32-year-old Matt Garza, according to the Journal Sentinel, though he’ll need to rebuild his value after a poor 2015 and a back injury that kept him out until mid-June of this season. Garza, who’s on a $12.5MM salary through next season, has fared respectably since returning – albeit in only 21 2/3 innings – with a 3.74 ERA, 5.82 K/9, 2.91 BB/9 and 50.7 percent grounder rate in four starts.
- The Marlins’ acquisition of reliever Fernando Rodney earlier this week is part of the payoff in owner Jeffrey Loria’s long-term investment in the team’s infrastructure, details Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com. Loria installed a board of directors in the offseason when he named Mike Hill president of baseball operations and hired Don Mattingly as manager. Along with Loria, Hill and Mattingly, the Marlins’ decision-making board consists of several other higher-ups, each given a voice in the way the franchise operates. Loria also spent to improve the Marlins’ analytics department and beefed up their pro and amateur scouting budgets, per Gammons. In regards to his playoff-contending club, Loria told Gammons, “I can honestly say this is the best I’ve felt about the Marlins since 2003,” alluding to their second World Series-winning season. “There are times when I think this team is as good as that 2003 team, but now’s not the time for comparisons. Now is the time for very smart people to work hard to constantly make us better, and that includes the coaching staff Donnie has put together.”
- The Nationals are concerned about the velocity drop right-hander Joe Ross experienced in their 9-4 loss to the Reds on Saturday, manager Dusty Baker told reporters, including Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ross lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits while striking out only two batters. The 23-year-old’s sinker, which averages 93.5 mph, came in at a mean of 91.8 mph Saturday and fell into the high 80s in his final inning, notes Ladson. Ross insisted afterward that he’s healthy, saying, “My stuff wasn’t there, the command wasn’t really there. It’s a little frustrating, but I feel all right.” Washington will take a cautious approach and continue trying to limit Ross’ workload, stated Baker. After narrowly eclipsing the 150-inning total between the majors and minors last season, Ross is up to 95 1/3 frames this year.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Carpenter, Ichiro, Bullpens, Bucs
Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere:
- Chin Music Baseball heaps praise on Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter, a potential National League MVP candidate.
- SaberBallBlog breaks down which teams are the best at using their bullpens.
- Big Three Sports regards Ichiro Suzuki, not Pete Rose, as baseball’s true hit king.
- Baseball Hot Corner submits a few Red Sox trade ideas.
- The Point Of Pittsburgh (1, 2) runs down some trade deadline scenarios for the Pirates.
- North Shore Nine wonders whether the Pirates can both buy and sell at the deadline.
- Cover Those Bases recommends the Braves shop right-hander Julio Teheran.
- Philliedelphia declares that the Phillies don’t have an All-Star-worthy player this year.
- Now On Deck presents ways for Major League Baseball to augment its All-Star skills competition.
- Infield Shift expresses contempt for bunting and points out that the five clubs atop the league in sacrifice bunts each have sub-.500 records.
- Rotisserie Duck takes a modern statistical look at the 1956 seasons of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider.
- Bronx Bomber Blogger hopes the Yankees sign the Gurriel brothers.
- Notes From The Sally offers scouting reports on the Basabe twins, teenage Red Sox prospects who are currently with Class-A Greenville.
- Wayniac Nation is optimistic about Pirates outfield prospect Austin Meadows‘ future.
- Outside Pitch MLB asks where the Nationals would be had they prematurely given up on red-hot second baseman Danny Espinosa prior to June.
- FantasyPros is buying Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton‘s recent resurgence.
- Inside the ‘Zona tries to pinpoint why Diamondbacks pitchers are struggling so mightily at Chase Field.
- Pirates Breakdown delves into lefty Jon Niese‘s home run troubles.
- Jays From The Couch expects Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar to eventually pair league-average offense with his elite defensive skills.
- The Runner Sports profiles Astros outfield prospect Teoscar Hernandez, whom the team promoted to Triple-A last Sunday.
- isportsweb studies what’s in store for the Phillies this month.
- Jays Journal blasts MLB umpiring.
- Brew Crew Fever shoots down three trade deadline-related myths involving the Brewers.
- Halo Headquarters remembers former Angels owner Gene Autry.
Please send submissions to ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Red Sox Notes: SPs, Rodney, Farrell, Groome
With Clay Buchholz unable to turn around his dreadful season and the Red Sox set to start journeyman Sean O’Sullivan on Sunday, they are and should be desperate for starting help, writes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. There’s an expectation around baseball that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will aggressively seek rotation upgrades in advance of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, which could mean moving top prospects like infielder Yoan Moncada and outfielder Andrew Benintendi, per Drellich, who adds that Dombrowski does value the two highly. Although Dombrowski said last Sunday that there isn’t much help on the market, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels offered his own take on it, telling Drellich that pitching is “always there,” but whether it’s worth the asking price is another matter. “There’s a sense of like, ‘Oh, you can’t trade for an ace. No they’re available all the time,” Daniels informed Drellich as part of a piece that’s absolutely worth a full read.
More from Boston, which is in an uproar after the 43-37 Red Sox’s forgettable June and their humiliating 21-2 loss to the Angels on Saturday:
- The Sox were considering taking a run at reliever Fernando Rodney before the Padres traded him to the Marlins earlier this week, though Boston is more interested in acquiring starters than bullpen aid, according to Drellich. With $217MM ace David Price having a tough time preventing runs, Buchholz floundering, and a lack of usable back-end options, that comes as no surprise.
- Beleaguered manager John Farrell has his flaws, but he’s far down the list of Boston’s problems and replacing him won’t fix the team’s issues, opines Scott Lauber of ESPN.com. Price’s struggles, the team’s lack of starting pitching depth and an inability to find a solution in left field – where the Red Sox have dealt with injuries this year to Brock Holt, Blake Swihart and Chris Young – won’t magically disappear if Farrell loses his job and bench coach Torey Lovullo takes the helm, Lauber contends. As Lauber points out, if the Red Sox do give Farrell the ax, it’ll be their first in-season firing of a manager since they handed Jimy Williams his walking papers in August 2001. Given that Farrell oversaw back-to-back last-place finishes coming into this season, he could follow in Williams’ unenviable footsteps if a turnaround doesn’t come.
- Even though there are concerns about first-round left-hander Jason Groome‘s makeup, the Red Sox are expected to sign the 12th overall selection by the July 15 deadline, reports Drellich. A deal could take until the 11th hour to get done with the 17-year-old, though.
Cafardo’s Latest: Yanks, Rays, BoSox, Dodgers
Surprisingly, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia has revived his career to the point that he might actually have value in a trade, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The soon-to-be 36-year-old has bounced back from multiple underwhelming seasons in a row to post an excellent 3.17 ERA in 76 2/3 innings in 2016, through his strikeout and walk ratios per nine innings (7.16 and 3.52) are each below average and he’s on a $25MM salary through 2017. In addition to Sabathia, hot-hitting 39-year-old right fielder/designated hitter Carlos Beltran, left fielder Brett Gardner, catcher Brian McCann, third baseman Chase Headley, and starters Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi are Yankees who could have value around the deadline (not to mention their much-ballyhooed relievers, of course). The only member of that group who’s set to become a free agent at season’s end is Beltran. As Cafardo points out, it’s currently up in the air whether the playoff hopeful Yankees would move any of these players, though he wonders if clinging to postseason dreams is the right course for the 39-41 club.
More inside stuff from Cafardo:
- Led by former Rays general manager and current president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers are in pursuit of Tampa Bay right-hander Chris Archer. The Rays aren’t planning on moving the 27-year-old as of now, though, which backs up FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal’s report from Saturday.
- The presence of senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren, formerly the Braves’ GM, could lead the Red Sox to go after Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran. Wren – who’s high on Teheran – is Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski’s right-hand man, Cafardo notes, and could push him toward putting together a package for the 25-year-old.
- If they’re unable to swing a deal for Teheran, the Red Sox might turn their attention to Rays southpaw Matt Moore – in whom they’re interested. Moore, who has three more years of team control left via club options, also intrigues the Astros, Dodgers, Orioles, Royals, Yankees and previously reported Rangers.
- With the possible exception of right-handed reliever Zach McAllister, the Indians aren’t going to give up pitching to augment their offense. Further, the organization has a reputation for keeping its payroll low and avoiding big-money acquisitions, which could take it out of the running to pick up a well-compensated trade chip. Athletics third baseman Danny Valencia, who’s on an affordable $3.15MM salary this season and has another trip through arbitration scheduled, is a potential target for Cleveland.
- Hard-throwing Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray, who’s eighth in the majors in K/9 (10.42), is drawing interest from teams looking for starters. The 24-year-old has thrown 214 innings of 4.00 ERA ball dating to 2015 and won’t even become eligible for arbitration until after 2017, meaning he has four full seasons of club control remaining.
- The Marlins are aggressively pursuing pitching, as evidenced already by their acquisition of reliever Fernando Rodney and reported interest in starters Drew Pomeranz and Jake Odorizzi. However, the Fish might not have the prospects to land a significant arm for their rotation, writes Cafardo.
- Blue Jays scouts are keeping a close watch over the Astros’ system, so the two AL playoff contenders could have some kind of deal in the works.
MLBTR Originals
Here’s a recap of the original analysis MLBTR offered this week:
- We’re now less than a month from the deadline, and Jeff Todd increased his weekly top trade candidate series from 15 players who could be on the move to 20. Reds right fielder Jay Bruce tops the list.
- Also on the list (in sixth) is Reds shortstop Zack Cozart, for whom Jeff ran down several possible landing spots via trade.
- Similarly, Mark Polishuk tried to find a fit for Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun, who’s among Jeff’s top five trade candidates.
- Triple-A first baseman Josh Bell, one of the Pirates’ premier farmhands, headlined this week’s edition of Jason Martinez’s “Knocking Down the Door” series. Jason also highlighted four other prospects who are doing their best to receive major league promotions. One of those players ultimately earned a big league call-up earlier this week.
- To cap off the week, Jason detailed its five most important roster decisions.
Quick Hits: Red Sox, Giants, Reds, Angels
Red Sox manager John Farrell addressed his job security Friday, telling reporters, including Ryan Hannable of WEEI, “We’ve come off a tough month. Finished with a disappointing trip through Texas and Tampa. I can understand that question, the potential speculation that is out there.” The Red Sox followed a 10-16 June by leading off July with a win Friday, but they suffered a stunning 21-2 loss to the Angels at Fenway Park on Saturday. That won’t help Farrell – who said the performance “embarrassed” him (Twitter link via Ian Browne of MLB.com) – though his 43-37 team still holds one of the American League’s two Wild Card spots through nearly half the season.
More from Boston and three other major league cities:
- Farrell didn’t want to commit to right-hander Clay Buchholz making another start after his poor outing last Sunday, and now the manager is in the same position after Saturday’s result, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald was among those to report (Twitter link). Buchholz threw 4 1/3 innings and allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk, raising his ERA/FIP/xFIP trio to an ugly 5.91/6.03/5.51 through 80 2/3 frames this season.
- The first-place Giants continue to hunt for starting pitchers, tweets the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman, who reported two weeks ago that the team was searching for rotation help. Giants starters entered Saturday ranked sixth in the majors in both ERA (3.62) and fWAR (7.8), though nearly all of the rotation’s value has come from Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija. With those three in the fold, odds are the Giants are only looking for a back-end type to improve on Jake Peavy, Albert Suarez and the currently injured Matt Cain.
- While Raisel Iglesias‘ shoulder injury-forced shift to the Reds’ bullpen could hurt his earning power in the long run, the 26-year-old told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that he’s enjoying his new role. “I feel really good coming out of the bullpen,” the righty said through an interpreter. “I’ve got my routine now. Coming out of the bullpen is something I did when I was in Cuba.” Iglesias has been a breath of fresh air in relief for the Reds, whose bullpen is the majors’ worst. In 7 1/3 innings and four appearances since returning from a nearly two-month disabled list stint June 21, Iglesias has yielded just one run on three hits and three walks.
- Angels setup man Joe Smith has come off the DL in time to serve as a potential deadline chip for the last-place Halos, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. It’s worth noting that the right-hander, who had been on the DL witIh a hamstring strain since June 7, has seen his ERA (3.78) and K/9 (5.81) fall well below his career marks of 2.92 and 7.48 in 26 1/3 innings this season. The ground-ball-inducing 32-year-old is on a $5.25MM salary and will hit free agency in the offseason.