AL Central Notes: Abreu, Murphy, Gonzalez, Bauer
Court records have provided new insight into allegations against the former representatives of White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, as Jared Hopkins of the Chicago Tribune reports. The Cuban emigre is said to have paid his agents $5.8MM in the first year after signing as a free agent, after they successfully engineered his complicated and shadowy escape from his home island. Human trafficking charges have been brought against agent Bart Hernandez and others relating to the scheme, which allegedly involved as many as 15 other players.
Here’s more from the AL Central:
- The Twins were making preparations to call up outfielder David Murphy before he advised GM Terry Ryan that he wished to return to his family, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. Minnesota attempted to pass catcher John Hicks through waivers to clear a roster spot, ultimately losing him to the division-rival Tigers as a result. It certainly appears that the 34-year-old Murphy is headed for retirement, though nothing has been formally announced. Murphy had high praise for the way that Ryan handled things, saying that the veteran executive “showed that he genuinely cared about the situation I was in.”
- After calling up veteran righty Miguel Gonzalez for a start yesterday, the White Sox haven’t yet decided whether he’ll stick in the rotation, manager Robin Ventura told reports including Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Gonzalez, 31, allowed five earned on 11 hits and two walks while recording six strikeouts over his 5 1/3 frames last night. That’s obviously not terribly promising, but Gonzalez did put up two solid outings at Triple-A and did show a 90 mph average fastball that wasn’t too far off of his prior years’ levels. And fellow veteran John Danks hasn’t exactly set a high bar in the fifth starter’s role, as he owns a 6.23 ERA with 6.2 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9 over 17 1/3 innings in three starts.
- Trevor Bauer will move back into the Indians rotation while Carlos Carrasco is on the shelf, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. The 25-year-old lost the competition for a starting job out of camp, with Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson grabbing those spots. But it’s certainly possible to imagine him forcing his way back in even after Carrasco returns, particularly with Anderson off to a rough start.
NL Notes: Lyles, Aybar, Diaz, Giants
The Rockies have optioned righty Jordan Lyles to Triple-A, per a club announcement. Things have not gone as hoped for the 25-year-old, who missed much of last season with a toe injury. Through four starts, he’s lasted only 17 2/3 innings while allowing 11 earned runs on 22 hits and 11 walks, with just eight strikeouts on his ledger. To be fair, Lyles has been hurt badly by a sub-50% strand rate, and he’s still hovering around 50/50 in terms of generating grounders on balls in play. But his swinging strike rate is sitting at a career-worst 5.2% despite a career-high 92.9 mph average four-seamer, and advanced metrics haven’t seen much cause for optimism. (Lyles owns at a 4.85 FIP, 5.50 xFIP, and 5.73 SIERA.) Colorado will hope that Lyles can turn things around at Triple-A; otherwise, he could be headed for a non-tender. It’s worth noting that the right-hander entered the season with 4.060 years of service to his credit, so he could fall shy of reaching his final year of arb eligibility if he doesn’t return for a sufficient stretch of major league action. Lyles is earning $2.98MM in 2016.
Here are a few more notes from the National League:
- Shortstop Erick Aybar has been a huge disappointment early on for the Braves, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. While the Atlanta front office emphasized that it valued his inclusion in the Andrelton Simmons trade, Aybar has been one of the league’s least productive offensive players over the first several weeks of the season. Hopes were that the 32-year-old would help keep the team competitive and, perhaps, turn into a mid-season trade chip before hitting the market after the season. Instead, he’s followed up on a down year in 2015 with a remarkable -1.1 fWAR thus far, the worst mark in the majors by a full half-win.
- Interestingly, it’s been quite the opposite tale at short for the Cardinals, who were noted as an organization with hypothetical trade interest in Aybar after losing Jhonny Peralta this spring. Instead, Aledmys Diaz has knocked the cover off of the ball, as ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon explains. Diaz is hitting at a ridiculous .480/.509/.860 clip through 53 plate appearances, and while his .477 BABIP will undoubtedly fall, he’s also recorded only three strikeouts on the year to go with three walks. And though he has recorded five errors at short, his metrics grade out at average (in an undeniably tiny sample). All told, Diaz has already racked up 1.4 fWAR, checking in at fourth in the big leagues by that measure of total value. Trevor Story may have occupied the early headlines, but Diaz has actually been much more productive overall and has perhaps shown a more sustainable, better-rounded offensive skillset.
- Giants relievers Sergio Romo and George Kontos are both beginning to test out their injured elbows, with the latter slightly ahead of the former, as Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweets. Kontos is still at least two weeks away, and the club may get a better read on Romo once he attempts to throw for the first time later this week.
Todd Frazier Sought Extension With Reds Prior To Trade
Prior to being dealt to the White Sox, third baseman Todd Frazier sought to reach agreement with the Reds on a deal to stay in Cincinnati for the long haul, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports (Twitter links). Frazier was ultimate swapped in a three-team trade that brought Jose Peraza, Scott Schebler, and Brandon Dixon in from the Dodgers.
According to Heyman’s report, Frazier and his representatives at CAA “made many proposals” to the Reds, one of which looked something like the seven-year, $100MM pact between the Mariners and Kyle Seager. Indeed, Frazier met with ownership just before he was dealt in an effort to find a way to add years to his contract and stick with the Reds.
Certainly, it isn’t surprising that the organization decided it was time to move on. While some have criticized the quality of the return, the decision to part with Frazier — a 30-year-old who is set to reach free agency after the 2017 campaign — made sense for a team in transition. It certainly would have been difficult to take on another significant contract for an older player with so much already committed to pieces like Joey Votto and Homer Bailey.
It’s obviously not entirely clear what kind of arrangement Frazier might have settled for, but the Seager comp doesn’t exactly scream value. To be sure, the veteran has largely matched the production of his competitor in Seattle over the last couple of seasons. But Frazier is also about three years older than Seager was at the time of his deal, and the latter’s extra year of control doesn’t really close the gap all the way.
The report is mostly of historical interest now, of course, as Frazier is under control of the White Sox until qualifying for free agency before the 2018 campaign. But the information about Frazier’s price point and interest in a long-term deal could certainly become relevant again if the Sox are more inclined than were the Reds in a significant extension.
Phillies Outright Cedric Hunter
The Phillies have outrighted outfielder Cedric Hunter off of the 40-man roster after he cleared waivers, the club announced. Hunter had already been optioned to Triple-A after opening the season with the big league team.
Hunter, 28, came to the Phillies on a minor league deal over the winter, earning his first chance at the majors out of camp. But he struggled to a .088/.139/.176 slash in 36 plate appearances, leading to his demotion. Hunter has recorded six hits in his 21 turns at the plate since going back to Triple-A. He’ll remain under Philadelphia’s control after the rest of the teams in the league passed on a chance to add him to their own 40-man rosters.
David Murphy Opts Out Of Twins Deal
4:42pm: Murphy exercised an opt-out clause and has already formally been released, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. His future intentions remain unclear.
3:42pm: Outfielder David Murphy has requested his release from the Twins, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter). He has already left the club’s Triple-A affiliate, Rochester, to return to his home.
Murphy, who spent camp with the Red Sox and joined Minnesota on a minor league deal, reportedly has an opt-out date of May 1st built into his contract. Obviously, we’re not there yet, but it seems that he could be considering retirement rather than seeking an opportunity with another club.
The Twins could conceivably have used him at the major league level, with Byron Buxton and Max Kepler both going down to Triple-A. But he’d have required a 40-man spot, and if he wasn’t the choice, the move would’ve put a big dent in his playing time at Rochester.
Murphy is off to a slow start, hitting .194/.256/.306 over 39 plate appearances at the Triple-A level in his first taste of the minors since 2007. The 34-year-old had long been a sturdy option against right-handed pitching, but hasn’t met with much interest since reaching the open market this winter.
Twins Option Buxton, Kepler; Recall Alex Meyer
The Twins have made several roster moves involving notable young players, per a club announcement (via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, on Twitter). Outfielders Byron Buxton and Max Kepler have been optioned back to Triple-A, while righty Alex Meyer has been brought back onto the active roster.
Buxton, still just 22, entered the year once again rated as one of the very best prospects in all of baseball. He struggled in his debut stint in 2015, but hopes were that his bat would catch up to his glove and speed at the major league level. Instead, Buxton has fallen off even further, and owns a .156/.208/.289 slash and 24 strikeouts (with just two walks) over 49 plate appearances.
By sending Buxton down now, Minnesota will give him a chance to regain his footing at Triple-A, where he was successful last year. It also leaves the door open to holding Buxton below one full year of MLB service at the end of 2016. He entered the season with 113 days on his clock, and obviously hasn’t yet accumulated the 59 more days needed to push himself up to 172 days. Needless to say, it’s certainly still possible that Buxton will cross that threshold at some point this year, but that’s no longer a given.
Kepler, meanwhile, was only expected to perform fill-in duty. He skipped the Triple-A level last year, and will head back down to continue his development. Danny Santana has been activated from the 15-day DL, which created the need for another roster spot.
As the Twins temporarily bid adieu to two important young assets, they’ll welcome back another to the big leagues. Meyer, a 26-year-old righty, lost much of his prospect sheen in a rough 2015. But he’s off to a nice start at the highest level of the minors in 2016, having allowed just two earned runs on 11 hits and four walks over 17 1/3 innings, while racking up a healthy 19 strikeouts.
It’s not immediately clear what role Meyer will take when he arrives. He had returned to the rotation this spring, but could certainly be utilized in a setup role for a club that is in need of live arms in the pen. Regardless, it’s time for Meyer to show the organization that he is capable of performing at the major league level. It’s worth noting, too, that despite entering the year with eight days of MLB service, Meyer won’t be able to tally 172 for the present season even if he stays up the rest of the way.
Orioles Claim David Hale
The Orioles have claimed righty David Hale off waivers from the Rockies, Baltimore announced. Hale was exposed to waivers after being designated for assignment recently.
With the move, the O’s have added yet another piece of pitching depth. Hale will head right to Triple-A on optional assignment, and will provide an option if a need arises in the rotation or the bullpen.
Hale, 28, had a solid run with the Braves in 2014, but hasn’t been very effective in Colorado. Over the last two seasons, he’s carrying a 6.27 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 over 80 1/3 innings. That’s not terribly promising, but some advanced metrics put a more positive spin on Hale’s work last season, as he carried a 4.04 SIERA and 4.02 xFIP in 2015.
Angels Sign Kyle Kendrick To Minor League Deal
APRIL 24: The Angels have officially announced the signing. Kendrick will start for their Triple-A affiliate today, according to Taylor Blake Ward of InsideTheHalos.com (Twitter link).
MARCH 30, 12:43pm: It will be a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. While that’s not surprising, it certainly would’ve been possible for Kendrick to ink an MLB pact if he was going to open the season in the majors. Instead, it seems, he’ll head to Triple-A.
12:22pm: The Angels are working to finalize an agreement with free agent righty Kyle Kendrick, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FOX Sports report (Twitter link). The veteran starter was released earlier in the spring by the Braves.
Kendrick, 31, hasn’t posted a sub-4.00 ERA season since 2012 and was hit hard last year with the Rockies. He also turned in wholly uninspiring results in his minimal spring action before being released by Atlanta.
But Kendrick is also a known commodity with 212 major league starts under his belt, and that’s something the team certainly could use. Though he Halos entered the spring with a seeming rotation surplus, injuries have sapped some of the depth and left the staff exposed in the event of any setbacks.
Quick Hits: Gallardo, Arrieta, Ethier, Carter
We already covered some injury updates tonight, but there’s another one of note. Yovani Gallardo‘s struggles worsened tonight for the Orioles, and after the game skipper Buck Showalter said that he’s dealing with shoulder soreness, as Ghiroli reports (links to Twitter). The righty was already showing a two mile per hour decline in his average fastball, but said the issue arose only before and during tonight’s start. He lasted only two innings and 45 pitches today, surrendering four earned runs on five hits and a walk. The veteran says he’s never before experienced this kind of discomfort and that it got worse as the game progressed. Gallardo is expected to return to Baltimore for further evaluation. You’ll recall that Gallardo’s original agreement with the O’s was modified after shoulder questions cropped up in his physical.
Here are a few more notes to round out the evening:
- On the heels of Jake Arrieta‘s second no-hitter for the Cubs, Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com takes a look back at the deal that brought the star righty to Chicago along with reliever Pedro Strop in the summer of 2013. With Baltimore looking to bolster its rotation for a playoff push, the Cubs parted with half a season of Scott Feldman to acquire two controllable pitchers who have paid out handsomely since the swap. “We had scouted Jake extensively,” said Cubs GM Jed Hoyer. “We had done a lot of makeup work on him. We did the same thing on Strop. At that time, we just needed to get power arms onto our team.” Of course, as Hoyer acknowledges, the club didn’t expect anything like what Arrieta has delivered; as he puts it, “what [Arrieta’s] done is obviously exceptional.”
- While he’s shelved on the DL with a broken leg, Dodgers‘ outfielder Andre Ethier has officially achieved ten-and-five status, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times notes on Twitter. The veteran therefore obtains full no-trade rights, which was all but inevitable when the club elected not to deal him entering the season. Ethier is owed $20MM for one more campaign after this one, including a $2.5MM buyout on a club option for 2018.
- First baseman Chris Carter is off to a nice start with the Brewers, as Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes. After another productive evening, Carter owns a .259/.328/.593 slash with four long balls over his first 64 plate appearances. That’s a far cry from his awful start to the 2015 season, and Carter attributes it in large part to his offseason effort to change his approach. “I’m just hitting more balls the other way,” Carter explained. “My homers this year have been to center, right-center. That’s something that I didn’t do that much last year until the end of the year. It’s something I worked on in the offseason, hitting balls where they’re pitched instead of trying to pull them.” Thus far, at least, Milwaukee’s $2.5MM investment has been well worth it.
AL Notes: Darvish, Smith, ERod, Kelly, Owens, Snell, Farquhar, Gausman, Gallardo
Here’s the latest out of the American League, with a focus on some recent injury news on key pitchers:
- Rehabbing Rangers ace Yu Darvish will throw another live BP session before beginning his rehab assignment, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. The righty hasn’t suffered any kind of setback, but hopes to refine his offspeed offerings before reporting to Double-A to begin his march back to the majors.
- Meanwhile, Red Sox reliever Carson Smith looks to be on track for a return in early May, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports on Twitter. He’ll need to make at least three minor league outings, including two on back-to-back days, before being activate. The righty will be a welcome addition to the back of the Boston pen. Likewise, lefty Eduardo Rodriguez may be on his way back soon, as Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald tweets that he could return to the majors after two rehab starts.
- In other Red Sox pitching news, the club is hopeful that Joe Kelly won’t miss much more than the minimum on his 15-day DL stint, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports (Twitter links). Southpaw Henry Owens will step into Kelly’s place in the rotation. He’s put up three solid outings at Triple-A thus far, allowing just two earned runs in 18 innings with 23 strikeouts and ten walks.
- With top Rays pitching prospect Blake Snell coming up for his first start tomorrow, Baseball America’s Vince Lara-Cinisomo takes a look at the 23-year-old lefty. While he still needs to refine his command, BA suggests he could become a number two starter if he can reach his ceiling in the majors. Tampa Bay has optioned reliever Danny Farquhar to clear room for Snell, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 29-year-old righty has pitched well enough in the early going, but he was one of only a few optionable arms in the Rays’ pen and appeared in each of the last two games.
- The Orioles are set to activate Kevin Gausman for his first start of the season on Monday, with the heralded righty saying that he thinks his shoulder issues are a thing of the past, as MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli reports. In his latest rehab appearance, said Gausman, he felt more “comfortable” than he had in his prior outings. Hopes are high for the 25-year-old, and the Baltimore rotation is certainly need of a boost with only one member (Ubaldo Jimenez) currently carrying a sub-4.00 ERA.