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Athletics Acquire Homer Bailey

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The Oakland Athletics have closed on a deal to acquire Kansas City’s Homer Bailey, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that a trade was imminent. The Royals will receive minor-league infielder Kevin Merrell in return, according to an official Athletics release.

Bailey, 33, will go down as another bargain-bin acquisition for the playoff-hungry Athletics, who sit six games behind the first-place Astros, but currently slot in as the second Wild-Card team in the American League. Much like last season, when the team won 97 games and landed in the Wild Card game, the Athletics will hunt for affordable pitching help (which came in the form of Mike Fiers in 2018) to boost the club to back-to-back postseason berths. Rarely a team to make splash acquisitions, the A’s will likely remain on the periphery of the discussions surrounding marquee starters like Noah Syndergaard and Trevor Bauer. Of course, that doesn’t mean that value can’t be found elsewhere on the trade market.

Evidently, David Forst, Billy Beane and company believe that Bailey represents such a value. With the Dodgers, who acquired and immediately released Bailey in a December blockbuster with the Reds, paying the remainder of his hefty salary, the Royals snagged the veteran on a minor-league deal, meaning that the Athletics will only owe about $250K to Bailey.

Though he was maligned last season for his 1-14 record, Homer Bailey has shown some encouraging signs this year, and has posted his lowest ERA since 2014. He’s striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings, and home runs have come less often than last season. This isn’t an acquisition that can transform a pitching staff overnight, but Bailey will step in as a low-cost veteran who could pay dividends in the stretch run.

It’s been pitching that has concerned the Athletics all season, and many anticipated the team pursuing upgrades on the mound this summer. With a myriad of injuries preventing promising southpaws Sean Manaea, Jesus Luzardo, and A.J. Puk from contributing thus far, Oakland has had to patch together a makeshift rotation to carry them through the first half. Not to mention breakout star Frankie Montas, who won’t be eligible for postseason play after a PED suspension. And while the staff hasn’t plummeted to the bottom of the league—Mike Fiers, Brett Anderson, and Chris Bassitt have held their own—it’s hard to put much confidence in that group winning a playoff series, especially against the juggernauts of the American League.

Expect more to come from Oakland this trade season, especially on the pitching front. The front office, though garnering a reputation as frugal, can be aggressive when it senses a window for contention, and the club is in a good spot. Other veteran starters may still be in play, but it seems that with Bailey in the fold, the team’s focus will shift to the bullpen. The existing group has a solid track record between Liam Hendriks, Blake Treinen, and Lou Trivino, though consistency has been lacking in that department this season.

As for Kansas City, it seems unlikely that this is the last we’ll hear from Dayton Moore and the front office this July. The 32-61 Royals have been rumored to be open to trades involving just about anybody on the roster, with a few exceptions. Adalberto Mondesi and Hunter Dozier appear to be two cornerstones that the franchise is intent on keeping around, though a steep asking price for Whit Merrifield might make it difficult to pry him away from KC. Alex Gordon, meanwhile, may have redeemed some of his value with a renaissance season, but the veteran seems keen on playing out his career with the Royals, the franchise that drafted him.

That said, there are a number of Royals who could find themselves in different uniforms by the time the calendar turns to August, with Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy, Jake Diekman, and Jorge Soler perhaps the most realistic trade candidates. Diekman has apparently already attracted some interest from the Nationals, and other contending clubs could be drawn to Kennedy’s resurgence as a high-leverage reliever. Of course, in the cases of Kennedy and Duffy, the Royals would likely have to eat considerable portions of their remaining contracts to facilitate a trade.

Kevin Merrell, who heads to Kansas City in this swap, was a 2017 draft selection of the Athletics in Competitive Balance Round A. Ranked by MLB.com as the Athletics’ 17th-best prospect, Merrell is touted for his speed on the bases, with questions surrounding his bat. In general, his profile keeps with the Royals’ trend of acquiring speedy athletes, and Merrell, 23, has the potential to grow into a multi-positional depth role with Kansas City. With a crop of impressive young position players and an influx of college pitchers from the 2018 draft, the team may find its way out of the rebuilding phase quicker than anticipated.

Nick Senzel Leaves Game With Right Ankle Sprain

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5:22PM: Senzel’s sprain doesn’t seem to be particularly serious, as Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic) that he believes Senzel will be ready to go after the All-Star break.  This sprain is in a different area than the ankle injury that previously took Senzel out of action in Spring Training, Bell noted.

3:13PM: Reds outfielder Nick Senzel exited Sunday’s game prematurely after suffering a right ankle sprain, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The rookie appeared to snag a cleat on the center field fence while he was going after a Carlos Santana fly ball in the first inning. He played out the rest of the first inning and went on to take an at-bat in the bottom of the inning, but did not take the field for the second inning.

The severity of the sprain is not yet clear—ankle sprains can vary in seriousness and recovery timetable, though it’s notable that the injury wasn’t reported as a high ankle sprain, which tend to be more worrisome. At any rate, the timing of the injury is probably a best-case scenario, with the All-Star break affording Senzel and the Reds the next handful of days off.

Senzel, just 24 years old, has emerged as a key cog in the Reds’ lineup after debuting in May. In addition to slotting into the all-important leadoff spot and providing passable offensive output, Senzel has played exclusively in center field, a premium defensive position, in the Majors.

In Sunday’s game, Senzel was replaced in center field by Jesse Winker, who started the game in left field. Moving forward, the Reds should have several options to fill in for Senzel, should he require an IL stint. Phil Ervin has excelled as a reserve and could get starts in left field with Winker moving to center. Otherwise, Derek Dietrich, Jose Peraza, and Josh Vanmeter all have experience in the outfield. Scott Schebler, whom Senzel replaced in center following the former’s abysmal April showing, remains in the minors and is an option in center field.

Tigers Designate Austin Adams For Assignment

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The Tigers have designated right-handed pitcher Austin Adams for assignment, tweets Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. A corresponding move has yet to be announced and will likely come after the All-Star break. The move will clear a spot on Detroit’s 40-man roster.

Claimed by the Tigers off waivers in May, Adams got a chance to earn a spot in a Major League bullpen with Detroit, but it now appears that his time with the club is nearing its end. Splitting 2019 between the Twins and the Tigers, this season is the first time Adams has pithed in the Majors since 2016.

Adams has pitched 14 innings with Detroit this season, largely failing to produce in that small sample. He’s walked more batters than he has struck out, contributing to a below-average 5.14 ERA. His minor-league numbers have been much more impressive this season, having struck out 28 batters in 18 innings at the Triple-A level. He may remain in the Tigers organization if he goes unclaimed on waivers, and could otherwise be traded or released.

AL West Notes: Astros, Pence, Harvey, Mariners

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The Astros will have a difficult decision to make after the All-Star break, when they will need to find a fifth starter to join the current group. As The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan writes (subscription required), Houston has gotten by with only four starters lately, thanks to a schedule that has afforded the team some well-timed off days. Corbin Martin would ideally be the guy to step up, but his season was cut short by an elbow injury. As Kaplan notes, the Astros are widely expected to target starting pitching at the trade deadline, so whoever is chosen will only need to hold down the fort for the next few weeks. With the addition of a fifth starter, of course, someone will lose their roster spot, and that may just be Tony Kemp. Kemp has seen his role diminish of late, receiving only sparing playing time while fellow bench bats Myles Straw and Tyler White fill more essential spots. Notably, Kemp is out of options, meaning that he will need to clear waivers if the Astros would like to demote him while keeping him in the organization.

  • It doesn’t look like Rangers designated hitter Hunter Pence will be ready to return to game action immediately following the All-Star break, according to TR Sullivan of MLB.com. As Sullivan notes, Pence, who is recovering from a right groin strain, has yet to get to back to running full speed. Pence hasn’t appeared in a game for the Rangers since the middle of June, when he landed on the injured list. A minor-league signing last winter, Pence has been a revelation for Texas, emerging as a force in the middle of the lineup. His efforts earned him a spot on the All-Star roster, though he won’t be able to participate thanks to the injury.
  • After the break, the Angels expect to welcome Matt Harvey back to the starting rotation, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group. On Sunday, he made a start for Triple-A Salt Lake, striking out seven batters in 3 1/3 innings of work. An upper back strain has prevented the veteran from pitching in the Majors since late May. When he has pitched for the Halos, though, the results have not been good: he’s worked to an unsightly 7.50 ERA in 10 starts and has thus far failed to live up to the $11MM contract he received in the offseason. Of course, he’ll have the rest of the season to reverse that, and he certainly has the talent to boost the playoff-hopeful Angels into the Wild Card conversation.
  • Mariners right-handed pitcher Dan Altavilla will avoid Tommy John surgery after receiving the results from an MRI, tweets Greg Johns of MLB.com. That MRI showed no damage to Altavilla’s UCL, though he did endure a flexor strain in his elbow. To be sure, there’s nothing encouraging about elbow injuries, but the silver lining is that Altavilla won’t need to undergo Tommy John. Altavilla landed on the injured list after he “felt something in his forearm” while pitching on Friday.

Mariners Outright Mike Wright

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According to an official team announcement, the Mariners have outrighted right-handed pitcher Mike Wright, who cleared waivers after he was designated for assignment last week, to Triple-A.

This marks the second time that Wright has been designated and outrighted by the M’s, who acquired the 29-year-old from the Orioles in April. Not long thereafter, he was demoted, but a strong showing in Triple-A earned him a second chance at claiming a spot in the Mariners’ bullpen, though evidently that tryout has not gone his way.

Wright, who has pitched 29 1/3 innings between Baltimore and Seattle this season, has done well to miss bats, striking out more than one batter per inning on average, but hitters have otherwise had their way against the right-hander. He has mustered a mere 8.28 ERA, fueled in large part by a proneness to the long ball. To his credit, though, the home run has gashed him far less often since he was acquired by the Mariners: he’s conceded one home run in 16 innings with Seattle, contributing to a far more serviceable 3.14 FIP, albeit one that still has not translated to results, as evidenced by his 7.31 ERA.

 

Max Scherzer Dealing With Back Tightness

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Max Scherzer’s spot on the All-Star roster has been filled by a replacement, and Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports (via Twitter) that the three-time Cy Young Award winner has elected not to participate in the exhibition because of a minor back issue that dates back to his start against the Tigers a week ago.

As Dougherty notes, the injury is not especially serious; Scherzer expects to make his next regular-season start without issue, hopefully benefitting from the extended rest period. The back issue flared up in yesterday’s game, so it’s no surprise that Scherzer and the Nationals will take precaution in hopes that nothing gets worse over the break.

Though he won’t be playing in the Midsummer Classic, Scherzer will still travel to Cleveland to partake in the All-Star festivities. It’s the seventh time that the 34-year-old has been named an All-Star, all of which have come since 2013, when he broke out with the Tigers. Scherzer has been a model of durability in his career, having made 30 or more starts in every season since 2009, and as of now there’s no reason to believe that streak will end in 2019.

For what it’s worth, Scherzer seems to have been unfazed by the injury: he followed up his 14-strikeout outing in Comerica Park with seven innings of shutout ball on Saturday, looking as electric as ever. Of course, that’s easy to say from the outside looking in, and recent performance shouldn’t discount the injury.

Still, it’s promising for baseball fans that Scherzer, who has been an iron man throughout his career, has shown that he can pitch through the injury if needed, and doesn’t expect to miss any meaningful games for the playoff-hopeful Nationals. Washington has ridden Scherzer’s excellence to a 46-42 record that lands the club on the brink of playoff contention. Since a dreadful start that saw the team fall to a 19-31 record, they’ve reversed their fortune on the back of stellar performances from Scherzer and Anthony Rendon, among others.

Orioles Option Tanner Scott

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Following today’s game, the Orioles have optioned left-handed pitcher Tanner Scott to Triple-A, reports Roch Kubatko of MASN on Twitter. Presumably, the move opens a roster spot for the club to add a starter for tomorrow night’s game, though specifics are not yet known.

Scott, just 24 years old, has functioned in a bullpen role for the Orioles this season. In his young career, the southpaw has displayed flashy strikeout stuff, notching 96 K’s in just 66 1/3 innings of work, good for a 13.0 average per nine innings. That’s the carrying tool for a youngster who profiles as a pure relief arm with potential to grow into a high-leverage role for the O’s, though he’s yet to actualize that potential: despite the high strikeout numbers, Scott has managed just a 5.56 ERA in his career, which has spanned parts of three seasons.

Though the corresponding move has not been officially announced, Kubatko additionally suggests (via Twitter) that Tom Eshelman could be the one to get the call for tomorrow night’s series opener against the Rays. Notably, though, Eshelman is not on the Orioles’ 40-man roster, meaning that an additional move would be required to clear a spot for him on the 40-man.

 

West Notes: Astros, Martin, Rangers, Crouse, Dodgers, Lamet

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Astros right-hander Corbin Martin, who suffered a “potentially serious” elbow injury while pitching in Triple-A, will receive a second opinion “early next week,” according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Rome adds that Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow doesn’t expect Martin to pitch “any time soon,” which certainly is not a promising indicator for the club, though there’s no timetable as of yet. Martin, regarded as baseball’s 48th-best prospect according to MLB.com, debuted earlier this season and enjoyed an impressive debut outing, though he wasn’t able to find much success after that, leading to his demotion to the minors. With Brad Peacock on the injured list and Martin, Framber Valdez, and Collin McHugh all disappointing in their auditions for the final spot in the starting rotation, the scuffling Astros will have to look elsewhere for starting pitching options.

Here’s the latest news from out West…

  • Following the season, Rangers prospect Hans Crouse will undergo surgery to remove bone spurs in his elbow, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. However, Grant adds, Crouse will continue to pitch at the Class-A level. Crouse, just 20 years old, is ranked as the Rangers’ best prospect and tabbed by MLB.com as the 63rd-best across baseball. A glance at his minor-league numbers suggest that Crouse has performed just fine despite the injury, but it’s certainly a situation worth monitoring for a promising young starter.
  • A couple of injured Dodgers are progressing in their recoveries, reports the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett on Twitter. David Freese and A.J. Pollock will each take live batting practice today, with Corey Seager a possibility to join them. Per Plunkett, Freese should rejoin the team this week, with Seager and Pollock due to start rehab assignments in the near future. Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times adds (via Twitter) that Pollock is aiming for a return immediately following the All-Star break.
  • Padres starter Dinelson Lamet is slated to make his long-awaited return to the team in the coming days, writes Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. The right-hander hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2017, when he flashed tantalizing stuff in his debut season and subsequently missed the entire 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He has made six rehab starts this season—three in Single-A ball and three at Triple-A—throwing as many as 85 pitches, a mark that should govern his workload for the Padres down the stretch. The dynamic 26-year-old would boost the Padres rotation, which could be doubly important as Chris Paddack, the team’s best starter, faces questions about his workload.

Braves Place Anthony Swarzak On Injured List, Recall Chad Sobotka

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The Braves have placed right-handed pitcher Anthony Swarzak on the 10-day injured list and have recalled Chad Sobotka to take his spot on the active roster, according to Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Swarzak is dealing with right shoulder inflammation.

It’s a dose of frustrating news for the Braves, who have largely had to scrap together a bullpen of misfits, outcasts, and converted starters. Among that group, though, Swarzak has emerged as perhaps the most reliable piece since his acquisition in late May. The team’s 15 blown saves are tied for the fourth-most in the National League, and Swarzak’s elevation represented a unforeseen development of stability for an otherwise tumultuous bullpen unit.

In light of his recent success, the trade that sent Jesse Biddle and Arodys Vizcaino to Seattle, though perceive as a relatively minor swap at the time, seems like a major victory for Alex Anthopoulos and company. Vizcaino, though a quality reliever in his own right, is out for the remainder of the season and wouldn’t have been able to contribute to a Braves’ postseason run in 2019. Meanwhile, Jesse Biddle failed to deliver in Seattle and has since been designated for assignment, now finding himself in the Rangers’ organization.

Swarzak, though, has a history of shoulder problems, including issues that he encountered this spring with the Mariners. It makes the latest injury more worrisome for the contending Braves, who will certainly hope that Swarzak’s injury doesn’t keep him out of action for an extended period of time. Regardless of his status, Atlanta will still likely be in the market for pitching help as the trade deadline approaches, but a significant injury to their best reliever would only heighten the demand for reinforcements.

Sobotka, meanwhile, has only pitched 14 innings for the Braves this season, and has returned mixed results in parts of two season with the team. The big right-hander has flashed solid strikeout stuff, but has often struggled to find the strike zone, walking an average of 5.7 batters per nine innings pitched for his career. To be sure, he has the tools to become a mainstay in the Atlanta bullpen, but whether he can put it all together in the Majors remains to be seen: he followed up last year’s 1.88 ERA with a 7.07 mark in limited action this season.

Mets Designate Carlos Gomez, Activate Noah Syndergaard

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Per an official team announcement, the Mets have designated outfielder Carlos Gomez for assignment in order to make room for pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who has been activated from the injured list.

Syndergaard landed on the 10-day injured list on June 16 with a hamstring strain that forced him to exit his last start early. After spending two weeks on the shelf, Thor is on track to start Sunday’s series finale against the Braves. Thus far, Syndergaard hasn’t been able to produce the results we’ve come to expect from him; his 4.51 ERA is markedly above 2.93 mark he posted between 2015 and 2018. His 3.61 FIP paints a somewhat more promising picture, though even that is considerably worse than his previous numbers.

With Gomez out of the picture, the Mets will proceed with 13 pitchers on the active roster for the time being. Due to Dominic Smith’s emergence as a viable left fielder, Michael Conforto has stepped into a regular role in center field, leaving Juan Lagares as the team’s fourth outfielder and making Gomez relatively expendable.

However, it’s not just roster crunch that’s pushing Gomez off the roster: he has not been especially impressive in his 99 plate appearances with the Mets, slashing a mediocre .198/.278/.337 with 30 strikeouts. While his .616 OPS is a notch above Lagares’s dreadful .514 mark, Gomez has graded out poorly as a defensive center fielder; Lagares, on the other hand, benefits from a solid reputation as a defender. Now it looks as though Gomez, who was in his second stint with the Mets, will see his time with the team come to an end.

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