Jay Bruce Clarifies Report On His Trade Deadline Preferences
Slugging outfielder Jay Bruce was finally traded this summer after over a year of speculation, ultimately going from the Reds to the Mets. Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News suggested recently that Bruce had asked not to be shipped to New York before the deadline. But the veteran clarified today that he had never made such a request, as Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily reports.
In fact, says Bruce, Cincinnati asked him “very early in the process” if he had a preference on a trade destination. He explains that he provided his long-time organization a list of three teams — the Giants, Rangers, and Dodgers — that he would have preferred due to “personal ties” to those locales.
While he might have liked to land elsewhere, Bruce says that he was more than happy to join the Mets. “I got a chance to come play in a playoff race and I’m so happy to be here,” he said. “Things get misconstrued. Yes, New York was not on my list initially, that’s really all there is to it. Definitely wasn’t as comfortable with New York as I was the other places, but I’m happy to be here and we’re doing exactly what I hoped to do when I got here.”
It’s worth remembering that Bruce did have limited no-trade protection. He obviously wasn’t all that troubled by the idea of going to the Mets, as they were not among the eight teams to which he could block a trade. (For what it’s worth, the Yankees were on that list.) It’s important to bear in mind that players often have multi-faceted reasons for preferring certain organizations — whether in settling on a no-trade list, communicating with their current organization, or navigating free agency — potentially including personal preferences, family constraints, and considerations of contract leverage.
In Bruce’s case, it certainly seems as if he was most interested in playing for a winning organization, as his comments suggest. After all, earlier this summer, he made clear he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a move to a contending team.
Mariners Outright Wade LeBlanc; Will Recall Nori Aoki
The Mariners have outrighted southpaw Wade LeBlanc to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Seattle is also set to recall outfielder Nori Aoki tomorrow, per the report.
LeBlanc, 32, has provided the M’s with fifty frames of 4.50 ERA pitching on the year. He has been tagged with 14 home runs, but does carry a strong 4.56 K/BB ratio. LeBlanc threw quite well at Triple-A earlier in the year with the Blue Jays before he was dealt to Seattle, and he may well contribute at the major league level again down the stretch.
Aoki is another veteran who has bounced down to the minors, with the Mariners taking advantage of his remaining option year to keep their roster in order. His most recent trip to Triple-A occurred because the team was facing quite a few opposing southpaws, says Dutton, thus reducing the need for the left-handed hitter.
The 34-year-old Aoki had actually turned up his play quite a bit since his first demotion, so the Mariners will no doubt hope he can keep producing upon his return. Still, though, he may not have as robust a role when he comes back given the ongoing presence of Seth Smith and the team’s recent acquisition of Ben Gamel. Manager Scott Servais says he expects to lean heavily on the newcomer.
As Dutton explains, Aoki is not only playing to set himself up for next year but is also nearing some contract incentives. He is unlikely to reach the 480 plate appearances needed to trigger his vesting option, but is only 11 away from a $100K bonus at 400 plate appearances and can earn another $100K for every 25 PAs thereafter.
Jacob deGrom To Miss Multiple Starts Due To Forearm Soreness
SUNDAY: The Mets think deGrom could miss multiple starts, Terry Collins told reporters (including ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin) today.
FRIDAY, 6:17pm: The club is officially labeling the issue forearm soreness, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. deGrom underwent an MRI, which did not reveal any problems, but is nevertheless expected to miss at least one start.
5:38pm: Mets righty Jacob deGrom has been diagnosed with elbow inflammation, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter links). Otherwise, though, an examination was said to have revealed no structural concerns for the key Mets starter.
Manager Terry Collins declined to say earlier today whether deGrom would make his next start, as Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (Twitter links). The skipper raised eyebrows yet further when he acknowledged there was some concern about the star hurler.
New York had already attempted to give deGrom a rest by skipping a start after he posted two straight rough outings. The hope was that he could get track thereafter and help the team push for a Wild Card spot over the next thirty days. Instead, deGrom labored through his start last night and was spotted calling for the trainer as he departed, leading to questions whether he was experiencing something more than general wear and tear.
Velocity questions arose this spring, but deGrom had steadily been adding speed to his offerings until a recent dip. Somewhat worryingly, perhaps, that change has come along with some modifications to his horizontal and vertical release points.
As things stand, it seems that deGrom won’t miss any kind of extended stretch, though any missed action at all would constitute a big blow to the Mets. While deGrom hasn’t been quite as excellent as he was in 2014 and 2015, he has still been plenty effective. Over 148 frames on the year, he owns a 3.04 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.
If he is able to qualify for Super Two status — which isn’t yet clear given his borderline service time tally (2.139 years) — deGrom will receive a huge raise and set himself up for three more years of big earnings. If he falls shy of the cutoff, he’ll have to settle for waiting another year, which will substantially reduce his overall cost to the team over the next four seasons.
West Notes: Doolittle, Jay, Myers, Miller
The Athletics announced the activation of lefty Sean Doolittle, who had been sidelined with a shoulder strain. As MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports, the late-inning southpaw says that his rehab took longer than expected and that he only recently was able to recapture the mechanics and velocity he is accustomed to. Doolittle now hopes the shoulder woes are in the rearview mirror, but his ability to stay healthy over the long haul will remain an important question for Oakland.
Here are a few more notes from out west …
- Padres outfielder Jon Jay is set to begin a rehab assignment tomorrow, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports on Twitter. The veteran wasn’t able to return in time to become a trade piece, and the Pads are well out of contention, but he has plenty to play for. The outcome of his upcoming free agency could depend quite a bit on whether he can return to being the solid regular he was before fracturing his forearm on a hit-by-pitch. (In case you missed it, San Diego reportedly has interest in exploring a reunion.)
- Linlooks at the second-half struggles of Padres first baseman Wil Myers. After a big start to the year, Myers has been slumping for about six weeks even though he remains healthy. The 25-year-old hinted that he is battling through the mental and physical grind of a long season, but says he expects to learn and improve from his lull at the plate. It will be interesting to see whether and how Myers’s fall-off will impact the chatter about an extension we heard earlier in the summer.
- Shelby Miller showed promise in his return to the Diamondbacks, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. While he started rough, Miller was able to buckle down and deliver six solid frames. The embattled righty says he ironed out his mechanics in the minors, and that seems to have shown through in his good Triple-A results. He still has a ways to go in re-establishing his trajectory, but Miller worked in the mid-nineties with his fastball and filled up the zone in his first outing back in the majors.
AL East Notes: Sox Pen, Wright, Hicks, Holder, Liriano
The Red Sox were thwarted in their efforts to bolster the bullpen during August, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said today, as Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports. That’s largely what the organization expected, he said, with blocking maneuvers becoming common in the revocable waiver trade period. “The one thing that comes to light on this is that we said after July 31, there’s been nobody that’s been making it through waivers,” Dombrowski explained. “So as we said at the time, you’re going to have to make your moves, try to help you, before the trading deadline. And that was really the case.”
More from the A.L. East:
- Red Sox knuckler Steven Wright may miss his next start as he continues to deal with shoulder discomfort, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald tweets. A breakout ace in the first half, the righty has scuffled to a 5.06 ERA over his last seven starts. While a shift in fortune and some inevitable regression may be largely to blame, the balky shoulder appears to be an added concern moving forward.
- The Yankees are likely to be without outfielder Aaron Hicks for all or most of the rest of the season after he was diagnosed with a grade 2 hamstring strain, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets. It’s still possible he’ll make it back in 2016, but Hicks won’t have much time to turn the tables on what has been a disappointing debut campaign in New York. He owns a .213/.273/.330 slash over 320 plate appearances, which won’t help his pending first trip through arbitration.
- Meanwhile, the Yankees have promoted an interesting arm in Jonathan Holder, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. GM Brian Cashman didn’t intend to add a player to the 40-man unless it was strictly necessary, because of potential complications for the team’s winter roster maneuvering, but says he changed his mind. Though Holder didn’t need to be added to the big league roster to be protected from the Rule 5 draft, Cashman says that the chance at a postseason berth was too important to hold down the righty. Moreover, said Cashman, “if he is what he has been this year, then he is going to be in our pen next year anyway.” Indeed, after blowing away opposing hitters in Double-A, Holder has been even more impressive in his 20 1/3 frames at the highest level of the minors — surrendering just two earned runs on seven hits while racking up 35 strikeouts without issuing a single free pass. His first MLB frame was a good one, too, as he set down the side in order.
- Since they don’t need him right now in the rotation, the Blue Jays intend to utilize Francisco Liriano out of the pen for the time being, skipper John Gibbons told reporters including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Things didn’t go well at all in his first relief outing tonight, as Liriano coughed up two earned runs on two hits without recording an out. The southpaw had been somewhat better over his four starts for Toronto, throwing 22 2/3 innings of 3.97 ERA ball with 9.1 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9.
Recent September Extensions
September isn’t a terribly active month on the trade front as players acquired after August 31 are not eligible to join an acquiring club’s postseason roster. However, in recent years, we have seen some notable extensions hammered out in the final full month of the regular season. While most such agreements represent short-term arrangements with veterans, every now and again there’s a more significant pact to be found. Could we see one go down in the next week and change? Here’s a look back at some notable September extensions over the past five seasons…
2015
- None … but honorable mention to the Marlins‘ early October agreement with Ichiro Suzuki on a one-year, $2MM extension with a club option. — The Fish pushed a 41-year-old Ichiro harder than had been expected in 2015, and he responded with a less-than-useful campaign. But he was still valued as a bench presence, and it didn’t hurt that 2016 promised a run at 3,000 hits. Ichiro not only passed that milestone, but has gone on to thrive in a more limited role this year, providing solid baserunning and glovework as well as a sturdy .292/.362/.363 batting line in 301 plate appearances to date.
2014
- Rockies sign Jorge De La Rosa to a two-year, $25MM extension. — De La Rosa saw a strong uptick in his fastball velocity in 2014, his second full season back from Tommy John surgery. With an average of 92.3 mph on his heater versus 91.1 mph in 2013, De La Rosa pitched to a 4.26 ERA with 6.7 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 51.9 percent ground-ball rate in 160 2/3 innings of work at the time of the signing. This season, the hurler has pitched to a similar 4.17 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
2013
- Padres sign Will Venable to a two-year, $8.5MM extension. — Venable had a breakout season in terms of his power production in 2013, so the Padres moved to lock in his remaining arbitration salaries, as further 20-homer/20-steal seasons would cause the price to soar. Unfortunately for the team, Venable’s decision to opt for security looks wise, in hindsight, as he batted just .224/.288/.325 in the first year of the deal and .248/.325/.356 in 2015. This season Venable was moved to Texas in an August waiver trade as the Rangers looked to add outfield depth.
- Marlins sign Greg Dobbs to a one-year, $1.75MM extension. — This extension drew plenty of public scrutiny, as Dobbs’ on-field performance in 2013 (.228/.303/.300) didn’t warrant the deal. It was eventually reported that owner Jeffrey Loria negotiated the deal without consulting former president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest. The Dobbs extension would be one of many stories that were referenced when describing the rift between Loria and Beinfest at the time of Beinfest’s dismissal.
- Giants sign Hunter Pence to a five-year, $90MM extension. — The most notable of any extension in this post, Pence was positioned to be one of the top free agents in the 2013-14 class, but he took what looked to be market value at the time to remain in San Francisco. As it turns out, the market for outfield bats was more aggressive than many had thought, with Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo landing seven-year deals worth $153MM and $131MM, respectively. Last season, Pence hit .277/.332/.445 with 20 homers. This season, Pence has put up a similar .275/.327/.478 line, though he has seen only 52 games on the year due to injury.
2012
- Padres sign Chris Denorfia to a two-year, $4.25MM extension. — Denorfia’s strong season led former GM Josh Byrnes to lock in his final arb years with this modest extension, and Denorfia made the deal look like a good one in 2013 by hitting a solid .279/.337/.395 with a career-high 10 homers and excellent numbers against lefties. His production fell off in the contract’s second year, but the Padres’ triumvirate of interim GMs were still able to flip him to Seattle for outfielder Abraham Almonte and minor league righty Stephen Kohlscheen.
- Rangers sign Colby Lewis to a one-year, $2MM extension. — Lewis went down for the season in mid-July back in 2012, but he’d been enjoying a strong season and was expected to return for the 2013 campaign, making a $2MM salary a potential bargain for Texas. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Lewis had multiple setbacks and wasn’t able to take the hill the following season, but it’s not hard to see why they were interested in the low-risk deal; Lewis had turned in a 3.93 ERA over his previous 506 1/3 innings with the Rangers.
2011
- Cardinals sign Chris Carpenter to a two-year, $21MM extension. — Carpenter led the league in innings pitched in 2011 and had been generally excellent over the previous three seasons, prompting quite a bit of praise for this deal. He, in fact, restructured his contract and took what most expected to be less money in the long run, giving up a $15MM club option in favor of this two-year deal. Of course, Carpenter would sadly throw just 17 more innings in his career before injuries forced him to retire. While it looked good at the time, this deal didn’t pan out.
- Mets sign Tim Byrdak to a one-year, $1MM extension. — While the extension wasn’t particularly memorable and didn’t have a large impact on the 2012 Mets, Byrdak fired 30 2/3 innings of 4.40 ERA ball and was a strong weapon against lefties, making him worth his modest salary.
- Cardinals sign Lance Berkman to a one-year, $12MM extension. — After a huge rebound campaign in 2011, Big Puma was rewarded with this contract, but he totaled just 97 plate appearances the following season due to knee injuries. He wasn’t able to recover with the Rangers in 2013 and retired following that season, putting an end to an excellent career.
- Marlins sign Omar Infante to a two-year, $8MM extension. — This contract paid dividends in the sense that Infante was largely excellent for the Marlins over the next half-season before being dealt to the Tigers along with Anibal Sanchez. That trade netted former top prospect Jacob Turner, catcher Rob Brantly and lefty Brian Flynn — a respectable haul at the time but one that now looks lackluster. Miami dealt Turner to the Cubs for a pair of low-level relievers last season, and Brantly was passed over in favor of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
- White Sox sign Sergio Santos to a three-year, $8.25MM extension. — Signed at the end of a breakout season as the White Sox closer, Santos found himself traded to the Blue Jays for pitching prospect Nestor Molina that offseason. Molina didn’t do much and was outrighted by the ChiSox in 2014, but they probably feel fortunate not to have had to pay Santos the money he was guaranteed, as shoulder injuries led to a 5.23 ERA and just 51 innings pitched over the life of his three guaranteed years with Toronto.
A previous installment of this post written by Steve Adams and Zach Links ran in September 2015.
Brewers Won Claim For Yasiel Puig; Trade Talks Involved Ryan Braun
The Brewers were the team that won the claim for Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Milwaukee engaged in serious conversations about acquiring the 25-year-old before the waiver placement was revoked by Los Angeles.
Intriguingly, the trade dialogue between the two organizations included star Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun. It seems reasonably likely that there were quite a few other moving parts involved, but those two players undoubtedly make for fascinating centerpieces on either side.
It is not yet clear whether the clubs intend to revisit the matter in the offseason, though it certainly seems plausible. Los Angeles was not interested in parting with Puig unless it obtained a “better player” in the swap, per Rosenthal. If that remains true this winter, then Braun — who is older and more expensive — would certainly fit the mold of the type of asset that could be pursued.
Puig remains controllable for three more seasons, his age-26 through age-28 campaigns. Two of those are guaranteed at $14MM total, and Puig can still opt into arbitration, but the total commitment falls shy of his talent level. The question, of course, is whether his poor recent play and somewhat spotty track record at maintaining focus can be reversed.
There’s really no question as to the current performance level of Braun, who is carrying a .312/.374/.544 batting line with 24 home runs and 14 steals over 468 plate appearances this year. But he will turn 33 in November and has battled through a laundry list of injury issues.
Braun does have a rather robust no-trade clause, but the Dodgers are not on this year’s iteration, meaning he can be traded there without his consent — at least until he has his next opportunity to modify the list. Even assuming his PED past is mostly a non-issue at this point, Braun’s large contract is also a factor in limiting his marketability. He is owed $76MM over the next four years, including the buyout on a $15MM option for 2021.
Dodgers To Promote Jose De Leon
The Dodgers are set to promote highly-rated pitching prospect Jose De Leon, according to reports from MLB.com’s Bill Shaikin (via Twitter) as well as Robert Murray and Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links). He is expected to take the ball on Sunday.
The 24-year-old came into the year with top-fifty overall prospect billing. Though he was handled cautiously early due to some health concerns, De Leon has done nothing but boost his stock since resuming action.
Over his 86 1/3 Triple-A frames thus far, the youngster has compiled a 2.61 ERA with 11.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 while allowing only 61 base hits. The dominant showing represents the culmination of a remarkable developmental path.
A 24th-round draft pick out of Southern University and A&M College, De Leon did not start his professional career with any fanfare. And he didn’t really make it onto the prospect map until 2014. As Baseball America explained last winter, the righty has enhanced his athleticism, improved his mechanics, and honed his pitches significantly since the Dodgers added him to their system.
The BA scouting report notes that De Leon is able to spot his low-to-mid-nineties heater. He pairs that with a quality change and useful curve. MLB.com, which currently ranks De Leon the sixth-best right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, also crediting him with having worked hard to improve over the years.
Now, the Dodgers will test De Leon at the highest level of the game, beginning with an outing against the Padres. He’ll join fellow prized young talent Jose Urias on the MLB staff, and could end up playing an important role as the club seeks to hold off the Giants in the NL West.
While the delayed start to the year may not have been optimal in all regards, it does seem to mean that De Leon won’t have many restrictions down the stretch. He reached 114 1/3 innings last year, so he ought to be able to take the ball every fifth day and/or work into the postseason without any concern that he is being over-extended.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/2/16
We’ll use this post to keep tabs on any notable minor moves today:
- The Blue Jays recently inked outfielder Quintin Berry to a minor league deal, the team’s Triple-A affiliate announced. With the move, the 31-year-old will be available to reprise his now-familiar role as a late-season baserunning option, this time in Toronto. As Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca was among those to tweet, Berry was actually added on the 31st of August, so he could conceivably be utilized in the post-season. He hasn’t seen more than nine plate appearances in a season since his run with the Tigers in 2012, and hit only .270/.348/.325 in his 395 plate appearances at Triple-A this year for the Angels, but has nevertheless received MLB action in each of the last three Septembers due to his baserunning prowess. Back in 2013, Berry entered three postseason contests for the Red Sox — one in each round — and swiped a bag each time without stepping up to the plate.
- Outfielder Collin Cowgill has accepted an outright assignment with the Indians after clearing waivers, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports on Twitter. Designated for assignment yesterday, the 30-year-old will remain an option for Cleveland, particularly with rosters now expanded. He saw minimal time at the big league level this year, and struggled at Triple-A, but could still provide the club with a solid outfield glove and additional righty bench bat down the stretch — if the team deems it worthwhile to free up a 40-man spot. Over his 759 career plate appearances in the majors, Cowgill owns a .234/.297/.329 slash line with a dozen home runs and 14 steals.
Red Sox Designate William Cuevas
The Red Sox have designated righty William Cuevas for assignment, per a club announcement. His 40-man spot was needed as the club purchased the contracts of lefty Robby Scott and top infield prospect Yoan Moncada.
Cuevas, 25, received a brief major league promotion earlier this year, allowing six walks in the five frames he pitched. He has spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A, where he carries a 4.19 ERA over 131 frames. Trouble is, Cuevas wasn’t able to maintain the strikeout rate he had shown in prior years, as he K’ed just 5.8 batters per nine in that span.
The 27-year-old Scott gets his first major league nod after turning in 78 innings of 2.54 ERA pitching with 8.4 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 at the Triple-A level. He’ll be joined by Moncada, who is considered by some to be the top prospect in the game. (Read more on Moncada’s promotion here.)