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Padres Acquire Matt Szczur

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The Padres have acquired outfielder Matt Szczur from the Cubs, per club announcements. Chicago will acquire righty Justin Hancock in exchange for Szczur, who had been designated for assignment.

Since the Cubs were able to find some kind of return for the out-of-options Szczur, there must’ve been interest from other organizations. The 27-year-old had not been playing much this year in Chicago, recording just four hits in 23 trips to the plate, and has long been seen as a possible trade target for other organizations.

Last season, though, Szczur played a bigger role on the Cubs’ World Series-winning roster. He appeared in 107 games, in fact, though he took only 200 plate appearances. Szczur slashed a solid .259/.312/.400 with five home runs on the year while providing quality glovework. Szczur has typically performed much better against left-handed than right-handed pitching, so he’ll presumably function in some kind of platoon with San Diego.

In order to acquire Szczur, the Friars gave up Hancock, a 26-year-old hurler who has shown promise at times. But he has been hit hard in the early going at Double-A this year — where he has converted to a pen role after previously working almost exclusively as a starter. Hancock ranked as San Diego’s No. 25 prospect (per Baseball America) prior to the 2016 season, drawing praise for a 92-95 mph fastball and a changeup that flashes plus on occasion. BA notes that his slight frame and lack of a true out pitch make a future as a starter unlikely, however, and the Padres seemingly agreed by shifting him to relief work in 2017. Injuries may also have played a part in changing Hancock’s role, as he spent the majority of the 2016 season on the disabled list with Triple-A El Paso after an arthroscopic procedure on his right shoulder.

Braves Acquire Danny Santana From Twins For Kevin Chapman

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The Braves and Twins have announced a swap that will send infielder/outfielder Danny Santana to Atlanta in exchange for lefty Kevin Chapman and cash considerations. Santana had been designated for assignment by Minnesota.

Atlanta will hope that Santana represents an upgrade for the team’s beleaguered bench. Lane Adams was optioned to open an active roster spot, while the club moved Micah Johnson to the 60-day DL to create 40-man space.

Santana, a 26-year-old switch-hitter, brings plenty of defensive versatility in the field and good speed on the bases. But he has struggled badly at the plate in recent years, posting a cumulative .225/.258/.310 batting line since the start of the 2015 season — with 131 strikeouts against just 19 walks. What remains tantalizing about him, however, was his debut campaign back in 2014, when he slashed .319/.353/.472 with seven home runs and twenty stolen bases.

Chapman has also shown both his talent and some limitations over the years. Across 55 total MLB frames, he owns a 4.09 ERA with 7.9 K/9 against 5.1 BB/9. He has shown bigger swing-and-miss potential at times in the upper minors, though. Since being claimed and outrighted by the Braves, Chapman has tamped down on the walks — a career-low 2.3 per nine — but has been touched for ten earned runs on 14 hits over 11 2/3 innings.

Mets Designate Adam Wilk, Add Tommy Milone To Active Roster

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5:21pm: New York has added southpaw Tommy Milone to its active roster, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). He was claimed recently off waivers from the Brewers.

5:15pm: The Mets have designated lefty Adam Wilk for assignment, according to Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). The 29-year-old had just been called up to make his first appearance for the Mets in the wake of Matt Harvey’s suspension.

Wilk was asked to step into a tough spot after a huge amount of travel, and it showed in the results. He was tagged for five earned runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. Over thirty total MLB frames, stretching back to 2011, Wilk owns a 7.20 ERA with 21 strikeouts against eight walks. Over parts of six campaigns at Triple-A, the southpaw has compiled a 4.15 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 over 663 frames.

Braves Release Ryan Howard

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The Braves have released Ryan Howard, per a club announcement. He had joined the organization recently on a minor-league deal.

Howard, 37, headed to Triple-A after getting ready for the season. But he struggled through his first 42 plate appearances there, hitting just .184/.238/.263 with a single home run and 11 strikeouts.

Once named the National League’s Most Valuable Player, Howard’s strikeout issues and inability to hit lefties have steadily overtaken his power over recent years. Though he swatted 25 home runs in just 362 plate appearances last year in his final campaign with the Phillies, Howard managed only a .196 batting average and .257 on-base percentage on the season.

Blue Jays Place Russell Martin On 10-Day DL, Designate Casey Lawrence

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The Blue Jays have placed catcher Russell Martin on the 10-day DL, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca was among those to report (Twitter links). Mike Ohlman will come up from Triple-A to take his roster spot, with the club designating righty Casey Lawrence for assignment to open a 40-man spot.

Martin is dealing with a nerve problem in his left shoulder that has been an ongoing issue since the spring, per the report. Though he has obviously been playing through it thus far, a recent collision made things worse and evidently pushed the team to give him a lengthier rest.

While it seems reasonable to hope that Martin won’t be out for long, the Jays will be left with a less-than-ideal situation in the interim. Ohlman will pair with Luke Maile, who was recently added via waiver claim.

The 26-year-old Ohlman is headed to the majors for the first time. He has had some strong years at the plate at times in the minors, and was off to an excellent start this year at Triple-A. Through 85 plate appearances, Ohlman is slashing .246/.388/.594 with seven home runs.

Lawrence, 29, has been utilized as an optionable swingman this year, providing some much-needed flexibility. But he had struggled through 13 1/3 innings, allowing 13 earned runs on 21 hits while recording just seven strikeouts against 11 free passes.

Zach Britton To DL With Recurrence Of Forearm Strain

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3:58pm: Britton tells the Baltimore Sun’s Peter Schmuck and other reporters that he pushed to return to action during his previous DL stint, when Orioles doctors preferred that he take more time to make sure the injury was fully healed.  Britton will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a second opinion on his forearm.  O’s manager Buck Showalter said that Alec Asher will take Britton’s spot on the active roster, though no official move has been announced.

TODAY, 8:14am: Britton will be placed on the 10-day DL and is expected to miss a few weeks, Connolly reports.  The injury appears to be the same forearm strain that previous sidelined Britton, as there doesn’t appear to be any structural damage to the closer’s forearm or elbow ligaments.

FRIDAY: Orioles closer Zach Britton was not available tonight due to renewed issues with his ailing left forearm, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com was among those to report on Twitter. Britton required another MRI, though the results and the expected plan are not known at this time.

Needless to say, that’s disappointing news for the Orioles, who had just welcomed back the ace reliever. The 29-year-old missed about two weeks resting a forearm strain that seemed relatively mild. But it’s obviously concerning that the problems have returned after just two more outings.

Britton has allowed only a single earned run through his nine innings on the year. But he hasn’t been nearly as dominant as he was in 2016. Thus far, Britton has recorded seven strikeouts against four walks while permitting a dozen base hits. Last year, he didn’t allow his 16th baserunner until June 3rd.

The outstanding sinkerballer has still shown his typical velocity levels when healthy, though his swinging-strike rate of 11.9% lags far behind its 17.2% levels from a season ago. Whether he can get back on track remains to be seen, but he’ll first need to get back to full health.

It isn’t known at present whether another DL stint will be required. Righty Brad Brach would surely continue to fill in as the closer for whatever time Britton is unavailable.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/6/17

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Here are the minor moves of the day:

  • Rays outfielder Shane Peterson has cleared waivers, but will still have an opportunity to decide whether to accept an outright assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. He had been designated for assignment recently. The 29-year-old has hit quite well in the upper minors, and was off to a solid-enough start with Tampa Bay (.263/.317/.395), but will need to await another opportunity at Triple-A or strike out on the open market.
  • The Rockies have outrighted infielder Cristhian Adames after he cleared waivers, the team announced. Also a DFA casualty, Adames will take up residence at Albuquerque. The 25-year-old saw 121 games of action last year for Colorado, but was used minimally in the early going of the current season, failing to record a hit in 14 plate appearances.
  • The Blue Jays have acquired catcher Pat Cantwell from the Rangers, per announcements from both teams. A player to be named or cash will head to Texas in return. The 27-year-old, a third-round pick in the 2012 draft, was off to a rough start this year at Triple-A. He has managed only a .226/.296/.265 batting line in 286 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors.
  • After his recent release from the Orioles, outfielder Michael Choice has signed on with the Brewers on a minors deal, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). Once the tenth overall pick of the draft, Choice has bounced around in recent years. Choice was struggling badly at Triple-A with the O’s, with just a single hit in 32 plate appearances. He’ll report to Double-A with his new organization.

Eric Gagne Signs With Long Island Ducks

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Former All-Star closer Eric Gagne, who has been on the comeback trail since participating in the WBC over the offseason, has signed on with the indy ball Long Island Ducks, the team announced. Gagne reportedly drew some interest from MLB organizations, but ultimately wasn’t able to find a minors deal.

Gagne, 41, will look to use his stint with the Ducks as a platform to returning to affiliated ball. He has seen brief Canadian indy ball action in the past two seasons, though this seems to represent a more concerted effort at making it back to the majors.

It would obviously represent a surprise if the former closer is able to accomplish his apparent goal, though certainly plenty of players have engineered similarly unexpected comeback tales. Gagne last pitched in the bigs in 2008, and you have to go back to 2004 to find a fully healthy and effective season. His career ultimately unraveled as he struggled to stay healthy after Tommy John surgery in 2005, all while embroiled in PED-related controversy. (He later admitted using HGH, alleging that he was far from alone among his peers.)

At his peak, though, Gagne was a rare force from the back of the Dodgers’ pen. After moving out of the rotation for good in 2002, he engineered a three-year run in which he compiled 247 innings of 1.79 ERA ball with 13.3 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9. He racked up 152 saves in that span and took home the National League Cy Young Award in 2003 — his best-ever campaign.

Mariners Option Mike Zunino, Recall Tuffy Gosewisch

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The Mariners have sent catcher Mike Zunino down to Triple-A on optional assignment, the club announced (h/t Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, on Twitter). He’ll be replaced on the active roster by Tuffy Gosewisch, who’ll pair with veteran Carlos Ruiz behind the dish.

It’s no doubt disappointing for both player and team that he’s heading back down. There was plenty of renewed optimism for him after a resurgent late-2016 run in which he slashed .207/.318/.470 and hit a dozen home runs in 192 plate appearances.

Of course, at that point the former third-overall draft pick was already returning from a demotion. His power numbers and abilities behind the dish haven’t been enough to make up for a big problem with strikeouts. Through 80 plate appearances in 2017, the power has also dissipated. Zunino has gone down on strikes in 37.5% of his plate appearances and is hitting just .167/.250/.236 on the year.

The 33-year-old Gosewisch was acquired over the winter in order to provide depth. His track record in the majors — .199/.237/.286 through 416 plate appearances — doesn’t give much reason to think he’ll provide a major offensive boost. But perhaps he’ll be able to put up somewhat more palatable numbers while Zunino again looks to iron things out at Triple-A.

Nationals Place Shawn Kelley On 10-Day DL

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The Nationals have placed righty Shawn Kelley on the 10-day DL with a lower back strain. Kelley has been out with illness, but his “back flared up” while he was warming up to see if he felt well enough to pitch tonight, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com explains. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by southpaw Matt Grace.

While it seems reasonable to hope that Kelley wont be out for too long, the news means the team will be without its de facto closer for at least another week. The DL placement was backdated to May 2. Of course, now that the move has been made, the Nats will no doubt make sure he’s not activated until fully healed.

The Nats’ closing situation is as questionable as ever. While Kelley has been unusually homer prone through his ten innings, he has looked himself in the K/BB department (13:3) and is probably the team’s best option. But it has never been the organization’s preference to utilize him in that capacity.

Youngster Koda Glover is nearing his own return from the DL, and may be the favorite to take over the ninth when he’s back. Until he’s activated, the club could be forced to turn over their ninth-inning leads to Enny Romero, Matt Albers, or one of the team’s two struggling relievers (Blake Treinen and Joe Blanton) who had been expected to handle high-leverage work.

It’s arguable that the injury could increase the pressure on the Nats front office to strike an earlier-than-usual deal for a replacement. With the team playing well anyway, though, paying a major premium to get a closer now still seems unlikely. At some point, though, Washington figures to boost its late-inning mix via trade.

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