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Rangers Acquire Jake Petricka

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The Rangers have struck a deal with the Brewers for reliever Jake Petricka, per a club announcement. Cash or a player to be named later will go back in return. Robert Murray and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the news (via Twitter).

Petricka, 31, signed a MLB deal with a minor-league split salary. He is optionable this season but was outrighted off of the Milwaukee 40-man roster. The Rangers have assigned Petricka to Triple-A to begin his tenure with the organization.

While he allowed only three earned runs in his eight frames of big-league action with the Brewers, Petricka managed only three strikeouts to go with six walks. He has been much better during his time at Triple-A, where he carries a 1.89 ERA with a 22:4 K/BB ratio over 19 innings.

Phillies Select Brad Miller, Designate Phil Gosselin

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The Phillies announced today that they have selected the contract of recently acquired infielder Brad Miller. In a corresponding move, Phil Gosselin was designated for assignment.

Just added in a low-cost trade, the 29-year-old Miller will take his next crack at the majors as a Philadelphia reserve. The versatile performer has experience all over the field, though he hasn’t always graded well with the glove. He’ll help to balance an otherwise all-righty infield mix while also bringing much more potential pop than the man he’ll replace.

Miller produced at a just-below-league-average rate (.250/.325/.417) in forty plate appearances to open the year with the Indians. He was bumped from the roster when the Cleveland organization got back to full health and landed with the Yankees’ top affiliate. In 163 plate appearances at Triple-A, Miller carries a .294/.399/.596 batting line with ten long balls.

It’s best to temper expectations, but Miller could certainly be a useful part of the roster. He has typically produced at around a league-average rate in the big leagues, occasionally showing more power or more on-base ability but rarely putting it all together. The Phillies can hope to squeeze out some added value by utilizing Miller almost exclusively against right-handed pitching; he has a career 108-71 wRC+ spread.

Gosselin, 30, has only a .245/.260/.306 slash in fifty plate appearances this year and has never rarely done much damage at the plate in 629 career trips to the MLB dish. The former fifth-round pick does keep receiving opportunities, so teams obviously trust his glove and feel he provides competitive at-bats. Having previously been outrighted, Gosselin will have the right to elect free agency if he isn’t traded or claimed.

Rays Sign Supplemental First-Rounder Seth Johnson

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The Rays reportedly have a $1,722,500 deal with supplemental first-round selection Seth Johnson. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported the signing on Twitter; MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter) had the dollars.

That amount comes in just shy of the $1,856,700 slot value for the 40th overall pick. The selection used on Johnson was the competitive balance round A choice acquired from the A’s in a three-team swap over the winter.  Tampa Bay already agreed to a number with its top pick, Greg Jones.

Entering the draft, Callis and co. graded Johnson the 31st player on the board; Baseball America was even more bullish with a #28 ranking. The right-handed hurler shot up draft boards despite an exceptionally thin track record on the mound.

Other outlets were a bit more skeptical of Johnson, who is said to have shown remarkable natural ability and early progress but remains a bit of a project. ESPN.com’s Keith Law ranked him 37th, noting that the “secondary stuff lags” his heater, while Fangraphs had Johnson well down the board at #59.

Latest On Drew Steckenrider

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The Marlins now have at least a general timeline for relief pitcher Drew Steckenrider, who has already missed a big chunk of the season with a flexor strain. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports (Twitter links), Steckenrider is expected to be able to return to the MLB mound by early August.

Last we heard, the hard-throwing righty was set to be sidelined indefinitely. While it’s hardly heartening to hear that Steckenrider could miss another two months of action, it seems generally positive that there’s a reasonably anticipated end point to his absence. Better still, it seems he’ll be able to avoid surgical intervention for the flexor injury.

That potential schedule will require steady progress from this point forward. Even in a best-case scenario in which the 28-year-old comes in a bit sooner than anticipated, he won’t have time to build a substantial MLB showing before the trade deadline. That effectively eliminates any trade scenarios, not that there was much chance he’d be dealt this summer anyway.

This time last year, the Marlins had Steckenrider inside the showroom with a big sticker price (alongside Kyle Barraclough and Adam Conley). He had emerged in the prior season, mowing down opposing hitters and sporting a 13.2% swinging-strike rate with a fastball-heavy approach. Unfortunately, Steckenrider’s results took a dip in the second half. He was hit hard by lefties, in particular.

The former eighth-round draft pick tried to switch things up in 2019, doubling his slider usage, but wasn’t able to get the fish to bite. His chase rate dropped to 23.5% and his swinging-strike rate dipped to 9.3%. Steckenrider made it through 14 1/3 innings before the injury, allowing ten earned runs despite a minuscule .094 BABIP-against. The reason? He teed up six long balls.

In the long run, it’ll be interesting to see whether Steckenrider can rediscover a formula that allows him to translate his physical skills into MLB outs. At some point, perhaps as soon as the 2019-20, the Marlins may again have a shot at testing his trade value. First, Steckenrider will need to get back to health.

Mike Hazen On D-Backs’ Deadline Approach

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Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen chatted with Zach Buchanan of The Athletic (subscription link) about his organization’s approach to the coming summer trade period. The entire chat is well worth a full read, but we’ll cover some highlights here.

Hazen says he’s waiting to see how his team performs over the next several weeks before settling on an approach. Some “things need to get ironed out for us to see the team the way it needs to be seen as a true playoff contender,” he says. The club “need[s] to see a little more consistency,” he adds, though it’s unclear whether he’s looking for anything in particular beyond the bottom-line results in the win/loss columns.

Lest there be any confusion, Hazen went on to make clear: “The amount of the resources that we contribute [to improving the 2019 roster] are going to be more of a reflection of where we’re at playing-wise at the time.”

That’s a different tone than we heard recently from Jon Daniels, whose Rangers are in a generally similar situation to the D-Backs. Both clubs are chasing powerhouse division leaders with more realistic, but hardly clearcut, Wild Card prospects. Daniels indicated that his deadline approach would not waver too substantially based upon the results over the next several weeks, referring instead to the team’s broader strategic plans.

Those teams share another similarity: a glaring need for starting pitching. The Arizona club is without two of its highest-upside arms (Taijuan Walker and Luke Weaver) and just lost another for an unknown duration in Jon Duplantier. If the D-Backs pursue additions, there’s little question where they’d look first. “The pitching is probably the area that would be more of a focus,” says Hazen. “The losses to the rotation have been significant and probably would need to be addressed.”

The Arizona org is already “canvassing, at least watching the market” for hurlers, says Hazen, though there’s “not a lot of activity” just yet. One significant rotation piece did recently go off the board, of course; Hazen allowed that it’s “probably fair” to say Dallas Keuchel was just too expensive. Otherwise, the club is hoping the Jake Lamb and Wilmer Flores will provide an offensive boost, making for “fairly low” interest in offensive additions.

The D-Backs, not unlike the Rangers, could seek to buy some pitching now that could also help the team in the future. That could take the form of higher-grade, younger starters or more established, more expensive hurlers. The Arizona org already looked into Mike Leake, who’d fit into the latter camp, though it’s unclear just how far down the line they went on that concept. Financial limitations will create some obvious constraints. There aren’t many players under contract next year for the Snakes, but the team already has a hefty salary starting point owing to its massive obligations to Zack Greinke ($35MM) and Yasmany Tomas ($17MM).

Rangers Move Drew Smyly To Bullpen

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The Rangers have decided to bump lefty Drew Smyly to the bullpen, the club informed reporters including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). A replacement starter has yet to be named.

It’s not surprising to hear this news, as the club strongly hinted a change would be made after another exceedingly rough outing from Smyly, who turns 30 tomorrow. There had been some suggestion that an ankle injury might lead to an injured-list placement, but the Rangers decided instead to slide him into a relief role for the time being.

Smyly has simply been tagged this year. Through 45 innings, he has coughed up 15 home runs and carries a 44:31 K/BB ratio. Opposing hitters are spitting on pitches out of the zone (22.4% chase rate) and destroying those in it (43.1% hard-hit rate). Though Statcast indicates he has been a bit unfortunate (.419 wOBA-against versus .385 xwOBA-against), it’s scant consolation.

This decision hints at the tough questions facing the Rangers, who’ve run out to a 36-30 record that seems tough to sustain. The rotation has received a bit of a boost from Adrian Sampson and Ariel Jurado, but it’s hard to count on either to provide even solid results the rest of the way. Even assuming those two can keep up reasonably useful production, and there aren’t any injuries, there’s a need for at least one additional rotation piece behind Mike Minor and Lance Lynn.

It’s also rough news for Smyly, who had hoped to be in the midst of a return to his prior form at this stage of the season. He missed all of 2017 and 2018 owing to serious elbow problems that resulted in Tommy John surgery. He’ll be a free agent again at season’s end.

Phillies Agree To Sign Aussie Hurler Josh Gessner

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The Phillies struck a $850K deal with right-hander Josh Gessner, according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). It seems the move was already known about overseas, as Cleve Dheensaw of the Times Colonist reported the decision a few days back.

This move comes days after the Phils added bonus pool money in a swap with the Orioles. With little time left in this year’s international signing window, that swap only paid dividends because the Philadelphia club had a clear idea how it’d use the funds.

Gessner had been committed to attend Tulane University. There aren’t many details available about the Aussie hurler, though he obviously drew MLB scouts and impressed enough to take down a significant bonus.

Blue Jays To Promote Jordan Romano

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The Blue Jays will select the contract of righty Jordan Romano, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. It’s not yet clear how the team will create the necessary roster space, which includes a 40-man spot.

Romano, 26, is a 2014 tenth-rounder who hasn’t yet cracked the majors. That’s not to say he wasn’t on the MLB radar. The Canadian hurler was selected in the Rule 5 draft last winter, with the Rangers (who had acquired his rights from the White Sox) ultimately deciding to send him back to Toronto.

Through 31 frames at Triple-A this year, Romano carries only a 6.10 ERA. But most of the damage came during his early work as a starter and in one abysmal performance in mid-May. More importantly, Romano has trended up in the strikeout department, posting 12.5 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 on the year.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels On Deadline Approach

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Rangers GM Jon Daniels offered a balanced take on his organization’s planning for the 2019 trade deadline, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram was among those to report. There’s a full transcript available at the link, but we’ll cover a few highlights.

Daniels emphasized that the club’s pleasant surprise isn’t just good fortune. Quality play has led to a surprising 36-30 record. At the same time, the organization remains realistic about its near-term prospects and hasn’t seen anything that substantially changes its high-level strategy.

The Rangers entered the year with the viewpoint that it did not want “to place limits on the club,” Daniels says, rejecting the idea of an all-in/all-out dichotomy. It still plans to “stay true to our mind-set of trying to balance, continue to place a priority on the next few years.”

At the same time, Daniels says he’ll “be open-minded to the way the club’s played and respect that.” He will be looking for opportunities over the coming weeks, though the broader vision also certainly shapes the still-developing approach.

When asked about the possibility of shipping out prospects to improve the immediate roster, Daniels responded: “Most likely if we were to do that it would be for someone with control beyond next year.”

That’s not really a new approach, Daniels emphasized. When asked about the concept of pursuing controllable starting pitching, Daniels said that’s something the club “explored … this winter” already. Continuing to do so seems natural given that the team is performing above expectations.

So, what will drive the decisionmaking? It seems Daniels plans to serve the organization’s overarching vision rather than reacting too strongly to the in-season developments. While the Texas GM acknowledged that it’s necessary to “factor” in the likelihood of competing in the division versus only challenging for a Wild Card, that won’t drive the bus. “There’s value in giving the team an opportunity,” he explained.

Daniels says that the next month of play likely won’t substantially change the club’s approach. “Listen, overall we know which direction we’re going in,” he said. “… We have a pretty good sense of where we want to go over the next few years.”

While it’s tough to divine much from these comments, it seems fair to presume that the Rangers won’t be heavy in the rental market barring a truly stunning turn of events in the next six weeks. But the organization’s intended competitiveness in the next several seasons will certainly require outside additions, especially in the pitching department. It stands to reason that opportunities of that ilk will hold appeal — with the Rangers seeing at least some added value in boosting the 2019 outlook.

Is There A Trade Market For Edwin Encarnacion?

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In last week’s chat, I was asked which MLB player would be the next to be moved via trade. My mind immediately went to one place: the Mariners. GM Jerry Dipoto’s reputation precedes him. And he’s in a dealing mood, having already swung one deal on an expensive veteran and tried to work out another. But when it came to naming the specific player, it seemed too pedestrian to guess starter Mike Leake, who has already come up in talks, or pick an easy-come, easy-go reliever.

Instead, I went with veteran slugger Edwin Encarnacion, a long-time star who has been out of the spotlight of late. He’s hitting well, sure, but does EE even have a strong market right now? Let’s take a closer look.

The M’s ended up with Encarnacion when the music stopped on a dizzying game of lumbering slugger musical chairs over the offseason. It seemed at one point he’d be shipped elsewhere over the winter, but that didn’t come to pass. He is earning a $20MM salary this year. There’s also a $5MM buyout on a 2020 option, though the complicated trade that brought Encarnacion to Seattle included a $5MM payment to cover that amount.

With that kind of coin still owed, Encarnacion’s contract is unquestionably under water. He’s 36 years old and was merely good at the plate last year. He has mostly been limited to DH duties in recent seasons, though he has lined up at first base thus far in 2019 with palatable metrics.

On the other hand, Encarnacion can really hit. He’s back in business thus far, making the ’18 output look like a minor blip. Through 283 plate appearances, Encarnacion carries a .246/.360/.542 slash — that’s good for a healthy 143 wRC+ — and leads the American League with 21 round-trippers.

The M’s won’t shed all the remaining money owed, but they could well dump a significant portion of it. There’s even an argument to be made that the ’20 club option could be worthwhile; given the hefty buyout price, the $20MM rate of pay is effectively a $15MM decision. The Twins spent $14.3MM on Nelson Cruz this past winter and certainly don’t regret it.

The supply situation seems generally favorable for Seattle. For teams looking for serious lineup punch, there’s a relative dearth of obvious targets. The market hasn’t yet settled out, but it’s tough to imagine a better win-now DH/1B candidate being made available at this stage of the season (if at all, at least at a palatable price).

How much money the Seattle org will save, and/or what it can achieve in terms of prospects, will depend upon Dipoto’s ability to drum up interest from multiple teams. So how do things look from the demand side?

American League teams make for a natural fit, given Encarnacion’s defensive limitations. But it’s possible that NL clubs will also consider him, particularly since they’ve had a chance to see him play first base extensively this year. Most plausibly, the Brewers could pull the plug on the struggling Jesus Aguilar and replace him with Encarnacion. Some would argue the team should prioritize pitching, but there’s real potential for improvement here as well. Plus, it’d answer the rival Cubs’ recent signing of Craig Kimbrel — and give the Brew Crew a big righty bat to slot in against the Cubbies’ lefty-heavy rotation. You really have to squint to see any other National League outfits matching at present, but several could make sense depending upon injuries and other developments over the coming weeks.

Turning to the AL side of the ledger, Encarnacion would actually match up nicely with the team that just dealt him away. Carlos Santana has thrived since making his own return to the Indians, but the team still desperately needs more punch and could hand the DH slot right back to EE. While he fits on the roster, Encarnacion probably won’t squeeze into the payroll.

There’s perhaps also an argument for the Rangers to take a look. If they’re going to slug their way into the Wild Card, they may as well go whole-hog, and Ronald Guzman has been below-average at the plate. But it’d be a bit of an odd move for a team that is desperate for starting pitching and likely doesn’t want to expend too much cash (and certainly won’t want to give up future value) on a season that may well fizzle out.

The Yankees haven’t received the bounce back they hoped for from Kendrys Morales, but he’s also just a temporary fix. It’d be an unexpected splurge to go for Encarnacion with Luke Voit holding down the fort at first, multiple major bats on the rehab trail, and needs elsewhere.

What about the scuffling defending champs? The Red Sox are actually a somewhat interesting fit, but only if they’re willing to utilize Encarnacion at first base and further boost their league-high spending levels. Steve Pearce has collapsed at the plate. Mitch Moreland has hit well from the left side but is hurt. Michael Chavis has hit a lull; he’d also still be an option at second base with the addition of Encarnacion.

How about the Rays, who are tied atop the AL East with the Yanks and will need to max out their resources down the stretch? The Tampa Bay org is getting solid value from Ji-Man Choi at first base, with Yandy Diaz sliding over from third to handle lefties. There’s not a huge DH need since the club has a bit of a corner outfield surplus with Avisail Garcia, Tommy Pham, and Austin Meadows. That said, there’s some window for a deal since Choi and top hitting prospect Nate Lowe are both lefty hitters. The club will surely also consider putting its money and prospects to work to add pitching, but a move for Encarnacion is well worth considering.

The Astros may be the best fit, all things considered. It’s a team that sometimes seems to have it all, but there are caveats. Right now, the ’Stros aren’t healthy, and it’d be preferable to ensure the offense keeps producing while the team awaits the returns of some star players. More importantly, there is a rather notable roster opening in the slugger department. Encarnacion was reputedly on the Houston radar before the season and he ought to be an even bigger target now, with Yuli Gurriel and Tyler White both producing at subpar rates. Even if Yordan Alvarez grabs hold of the DH spot, Encarnacion could step in at first base. This possibility is especially tempting to contemplate since it could help the Houston organization form up a historically exceptional lineup in time for the postseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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