Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

NL West Notes: Freeland, Jameson, Corbin, Ohtani, Dodgers

By Mark Polishuk | July 9, 2023 at 10:22pm CDT

Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland suffered a dislocated right shoulder while making a diving attempt at a Brett Wisely bunt in today’s 1-0 loss to the Giants. Freeland was in obvious pain on the field, and told reporters (including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post) afterwards that “that was one of the worst feelings I’ve had, pitching-injury-wise.” An MRI tomorrow will check for any further damage, but perhaps the one plus is that the dislocated shoulder quickly went back into the socket, as Freeland said x-rays were taken to examine the shoulder and rule out any broken bones.

A trip to the 15-day injured list is certainly coming for Freeland following the All-Star break, and it remains to be seen how long he’ll be sidelined, though it at least helps that his pitching arm wasn’t injured. Freeland has a 4.72 ERA and the Statcast numbers aren’t fond of his work, but perhaps his the most important statistic for the season is a team-leading 103 innings. With so many Colorado pitchers already being lost to injuries this season, Freeland’s durability had been a positive for the club, but now the left-hander is himself looking at a substantial stint on the IL.

Yankees Release Colten Brewer

By Mark Polishuk | July 9, 2023 at 9:09pm CDT

The Yankees announced that right-hander Colten Brewer has been released so that he can sign with a team in Nippon Professional Baseball. The Hanshin Tigers will be Brewer’s next club, according to reports out of Japan (hat tip to Yakyu Cosmopolitan).

Brewer has appeared in five of the last six MLB seasons, though 80 1/3 of his 99 1/3 career innings came as a member of the Red Sox in 2019-20. The righty made a single appearance for Boston in 2021, he spent most of 2022 pitching in the Royals’ farm system, and he made it back to the Show for three games and 8 1/3 innings for New York this season. The Rays had signed Brewer to a minor league deal during the offseason, but he was traded to the Yankees on Opening Day.

This time in the big leagues has resulted in a 4.98 ERA for Brewer, who has had issues with both control and keeping the ball in the park. His minor league numbers have been a bit better, and with more strikeouts than his 19.7 K% at the MLB level. Rather than continue in the minors with the Yankees or another organization, Brewer will earn a higher guaranteed salary in Japan, and the 30-year-old might also be looking for a new spark in his career.

Yankees Fire Hitting Coach Dillon Lawson

By Mark Polishuk | July 9, 2023 at 5:55pm CDT

5:55PM: Speaking to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter links) and other reporters, Cashman said that he hopes to have the new hitting coach in place when the Yankees begin their second-half schedule on Friday. Cashman also said that the new hitting coach will come from outside the organization. Dykes and Wilkerson will remain with the team in assistant hitting coach roles.

5:14PM: With the Yankees lineup continuing to struggle, the team has announced it has parted ways with hitting coach Dillson Lawson. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link) first reported the move, and the Yankees confirmed Lawson’s departure in a press release. Yankees GM Brian Cashman explained the reasoning behind the decision in the release:

“It has been well documented that I have been reluctant in the past to make changes to our coaching staff in the middle of a season. I am a big believer that successes and failures are collective efforts. However, I ultimately felt that a change was needed and that a new voice overseeing our hitting operations would give us the best chance to perform closer to our capabilities as we move forward into the second half of our season.

I want thank Dillon for all his efforts. He has a bright baseball mind that will continue to lead to a long and fruitful baseball career.”

As Cashman noted, in-season coaching changes aren’t his preference, and this indeed marks the first time since Cashman became GM in 1998 that the Yankees have fired a coach during a season. Since there was no word on the status of assistant hitting coaches Casey Dykes and Brad Wilkerson, it would appear that both men will remain with the team, and either could be a candidate to take over the lead hitting coach role on at least an interim basis. The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty reports that the Yankees have two finalists in mind for the job, and Lawson’s replacement could be known as early as tomorrow.

Though New York enters the break with a respectable 49-42 record, it is fair to say that the pitching (particularly a quietly outstanding bullpen) has carried the team. The Yankees are near the bottom of the league in average and OBP, and are around the middle of the pack in home runs, slugging percentage, and wRC+. While the club is still hitting lots of home runs, the one-dimensional approach isn’t leading to much offense overall, and the Yankees’ lack of hitting has become even more glaring in the month-plus that Aaron Judge has been on the injured list.

As Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted in a piece yesterday, the Yankees’ reliance on Judge extended back to 2022, when the AL MVP’s season for the ages helped mask the fact that the rest of New York’s lineup generally underperformed. Blaming these struggles entirely on Lawson isn’t fair, of course, as Sherman notes that several veteran bats aren’t producing, and questions can be asked about Cashman’s decision to rely on these veterans rather than further bolster the roster with other position players. As well, the Yankees’ offense was already showing some inconsistency even prior to Lawson’s hiring in the 2021-22 offseason.

With this in mind, a new hitting coach shouldn’t be expected to instantly revive the Yankees’ batters, especially with Judge’s recovery timeline still so uncertain. Still, the timing of Lawson’s firing and the fact that it was made at all clearly indicates some extra pressure in the Bronx to get the season back on track. The Yankees are currently outside the playoff picture, sitting a game behind the Blue Jays for the last AL wild card spot and eight games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Rays’ recent struggles have slightly kept the Jays, Yankees, and last-place Red Sox within striking distance in this loaded division, though it might be hard for any of these teams to really catch up to Tampa or the second-place Orioles, making a wild card perhaps the likeliest route to the postseason.

Lawson worked as the Yankees’ minor league hitting coordinator from 2019-21 before his promotion to lead hitting coach. The 38-year-old previously worked as a hitting coach in the Astros’ farm system, and he has a long history of coaching in the collegiate ranks.

Dodgers Option Miguel Vargas To Triple-A

By Mark Polishuk | July 9, 2023 at 5:10pm CDT

The Dodgers announced that infielder Miguel Vargas has been optioned to Triple-A. Southpaw Bryan Hudson was also optioned, while righty Yency Almonte was reinstated from the paternity list. This leaves Los Angeles with an open spot on its active roster, though Chris Taylor is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list after the All-Star break.

There isn’t much surprise to Vargas’ demotion, as manager Dave Roberts hinted yesterday that a move back to Triple-A might be in the cards for the rookie. A consensus top-50 prospect in baseball, Vargas was one of several youngsters the Dodgers were counting on to fill roster holes, as the team went into 2023 with a mix of proven star veterans and promising minor leaguers. Stepping in as the regular second baseman, Vargas got off to a solid start that wasn’t entirely reflected by his bottom-line numbers, as he was getting plenty of walks and making lots of hard contact without much batted-ball luck to show for it.

However, Vargas’ production has cratered over the last month. Over his last 78 plate appearances, Vargas has hit only .079/.221/.175, with just five hits total. The slump simply became too deep for the Dodgers to ignore, and the 23-year-old will now get at least a brief stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City to try and get himself back on track.

It seems likely that Vargas will be back in the majors at some point this season, though that could depend on how the Dodgers approach the trade deadline. Shortstop and second base are both big target areas, as while Mookie Betts has continued to post MVP-caliber numbers while filling in at both middle infield spots, L.A. probably prefers to see Betts back in his customary right field spot. The versatile Taylor can factor into either middle infield position, but he is struggling through his second consecutive year of underwhelming offensive production.

Tigers Designate Jake Marisnick For Assignment

By Mark Polishuk | July 9, 2023 at 4:39pm CDT

The Tigers announced that outfielder Jake Marisnick has been designated for assignment. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Trey Wingenter, who was activated off the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A.

Detriot acquired Marisnick from the White Sox in cash transaction at the end of May, just when Riley Greene suffered a stress reaction in his left fibula. Greene just returned from the 15-day IL this weekend, and even though the Tigers will somewhat ease him back into action via DH duty and some more frequent off-days, the team felt comfortable enough to move on from Marisnick.

Over 33 games and 75 plate appearances in a Tigers uniform, Marisnick hit .232/.270/.420 with two home runs, though the 11-year veteran has never been known for his bat. Marisnick has generally been an excellent defender throughout his career, and the public defensive metrics (+4 Outs Above Average, +15.5 UZR/150, +4 Defensive Runs Saved) have loved his work over 206 innings as a center fielder in 2023. It’s a bit of a bounce-back for Marisnick after some slightly more inconsistent defensive numbers in recent years, though it’s worth noting the small sample-size factor, as Marisnick has been a part-time player for most of the last four seasons.

If Marisnick clears waivers, he’ll have the right to decline an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo, since he has previously been outrighted in his career. The 32-year-old might opt to remain in Detroit’s farm system as depth, or perhaps choose free agency in search of yet another team in need of defensive outfield help at the big league level. Marisnick has played for eight MLB teams over his 11 seasons, though he is best remembered for his six-year run with the Astros that included a World Series ring in 2017.

Rangers Interested In Lance Lynn

By Mark Polishuk | July 9, 2023 at 4:06pm CDT

Losing Jacob deGrom and Jake Odorizzi for the season left the Rangers a bit thin in the rotation, and the club is reportedly looking to fill that void with a familiar face. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that Texas has a “strong interest in” right-hander Lance Lynn, who previously pitched in Arlington in 2019-20. It isn’t clear if the Rangers and White Sox are anywhere close in trade talks or if negotiations are still in an early stage this far away from the trade deadline, but Nightengale writes that Chicago has “a high asking price” for the 36-year-old.

The 38-53 White Sox are on the fringes of contention even in the weak AL Central, so barring a major hot streak after the All-Star break, Chicago will certainly be looking to sell at the deadline. As of mid-June, the club was apparently only considering moving players who will be free agents after the season, and Lynn fits that description. This is the final guaranteed season of Lynn’s two-year/$38MM contract, and the Sox hold an $18MM club option ($1MM buyout) on his services for 2024.

Lynn is still owed roughly $8.3MM of his $18.5MM salary for 2023, so the White Sox could either absorb most of that remaining figure in order to get a better prospect return from another team, or an interested suitor agree to take on more salary instead of giving up any significant minor leaguers. The Sox might see a Lynn deal as an opportunity simply to get some money off the books in order to reload for 2024, and the Rangers have been such aggressive spenders over the last two offseasons that it stands to reason that they won’t close the checkbook now that the team is leading the AL West.

Between Lynn’s contract situation and Chicago’s struggles, Lynn is a natural trade candidate, and was ranked 13th on MLBTR’s most recent list of the top trade deadline candidates. Lucas Giolito, another White Sox starter heading for free agency, was ranked first, and Giolito’s trade status will surely factor into the Sox front office’s decision on Lynn. With Giolito more of a valuable asset, the White Sox could look to a Giolito deal as their opportunity to add some valuable prospects to the farm system, whereas moving Lynn might be more of an aforementioned salary dump scenario.

Of course, the elephant in the room in any Lynn trade speculation is that in terms of bottom-line statistics, 2023 is the worst season of Lynn’s 12-year MLB career. The right-hander has a 6.03 ERA over 103 innings, and no pitcher in baesball has allowed more earned runs (69) or home runs (22). Lynn’s SIERA is a much more palatable 3.74, as it takes into consideration factors like a .328 BABIP and a low 64.1% strand rate, plus the fact that Lynn’s 27.9% strikeout rate is well above the league average.

Home runs have been the big issue in Lynn’s performance, as his 20% homer rate is almost double his career 10.1% figure from 2011-22. While this is such an unusual outlier that some regression might be inevitable, it isn’t a total fluke, as batters are having much more success at maximizing their hard contact against Lynn’s pitches. His 10.5% barrel rate is by far the highest of his career, as while Lynn’s ability to generate soft contact has been a bit inconsistent, his past barrel rate numbers had been reliably above average.

To this end, Lynn might not necessarily be the Rangers’ top choice for rotation help, even if they think he can improve with a change of scenery. His previous tenure as a Ranger saw Lynn post two of the best seasons of his career, with a cumulative 3.57 ER over 292 1/3 innings in 2019-20, and the right-hander finished within the top six of AL Cy Young Award voting in both years.

Ironically, Lynn was then traded to the White Sox during the 2020-21 in something of the inverse of both teams’ current situation. That offseason, the Rangers were in rebuild mode and the Sox felt they were on the verge of contending after completing a rebuild of their own. Lynn pitched brilliantly in 2021 and helped Chicago win the AL Central, though the White Sox then fell to the Astros in the ALDS.

Texas traded Lynn just a few days after Chris Young was hired as the team’s general manager, even though Jon Daniels was still calling the shots in the Rangers’ front office as the president of baseball operations. With Young now heading into his first deadline in charge of the Rangers’ baseball ops department, he is surely looking to add the final touches to a Texas team that looks like a legitimate contender.

If Lynn can regain his old form, that would go a long way to reinforcing a rotation that has still been quite solid even without deGrom or Odorizzi. Since it doesn’t seem like Lynn’s club option will be exercised no matter which team is on come August 2, the Rangers could view him as a pure rental for the stretch run.

Rays Make Four Roster Moves

By Mark Polishuk | July 8, 2023 at 1:39pm CDT

The Rays announced four roster moves, including the selection of Javy Guerra’s contract and the call-up of infielder/outfielder Jonathan Aranda from Triple-A Durham. Outfielder Josh Lowe has been placed on the family medical emergency list and right-hander Elvin Rodriguez has been designated for assignment.

Aranda will get his first MLB opportunity of the season, and a chance to follow up on his 32 games played in his 2022 rookie season. The 25-year-old hit .192/.276/.321 over 87 plate appearances last year, and it becoming clear that Aranda has nothing left to prove at the Triple-A level. Over 784 PA in Durham over the last two seasons, Aranda has crushed the ball to the tune of a .327/.418/.548 slash line with 34 home runs.

Beginning his career as a second baseman, Aranda has followed the path of many Rays prospects and become a multi-positional threat, getting a lot of playing time at third base, first base, left field, and a bit of shortstop time. This gives manager Kevin Cash some flexibility in trying to figure out where to slot Aranda around the diamond, though it remains to be seen how long he’ll remain in the majors — hopefully Lowe returns quickly from his family situation, and Aranda could again be the odd man out.

Due to the Rays’ position-player depth at both the MLB and minor league levels, Aranda has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate if there’s no regular spot for him on Tampa’s roster. Depending on how long he remains in the majors, this stint could serve as something of an audition for rival scouts in advance of the trade deadline, though it’s safe to assume that other teams have had eyes on Aranda in Durham for quite some time.

Not to be confused with 11-year MLB veteran reliever Javy Guerra, the Rays’ Guerra is the 27-year-old who converted to pitching after being a top-100 shortstop prospect during his time in the Padres’ farm system. The Rays acquired Guerra from the Brewers in late April and he has a 3.60 ERA over five innings with Tampa Bay this season, though he was outrighted off the 40-man roster in May.

Guerra chose to accept the outright assignment to Triple-A rather than test free agency, and his 5.94 ERA over 16 2/3 innings in Durham isn’t quite reflective of his performance, given his secondary metrics. His 23% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate aren’t spectacular, though his 58.3% grounder rate has been hurt by some unfortunate batted-ball luck, as Guerra has a .340 BABIP.

Bullpen churn is a staple of Tampa Bay’s pitching strategies, and Rodriguez hits the DFA wire just a day after being selected to the 26-man roster. He looked very sharp in throwing 3 1/3 perfect innings in the Rays’ 2-1 loss to the Braves, but Rodriguez is now on his way out of the organization altogether, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Rodriguez will be released so he can sign with a team in Japan. Somewhat curiously, this plan was in place before Rodriguez had his contract selected yesterday, but fortunately it looks like Rodriguez avoided any injury and got to bank a big league appearance before heading to Nippon Professional Baseball.

Rodriguez’s first seven MLB games came with the Tigers in 2022, when he posted a 10.62 ERA over 29 2/3 innings. The Rays signed him to a minors deal in the offseason, but without a long-term spot available in Tampa Bay, the 25-year-old Rodriguez chose to take what Topkin calls “a lucrative offer” from an NPB club.

Diamondbacks Select Tyler Gilbert; Drey Jameson Moved To 60-Day IL

By Mark Polishuk | July 8, 2023 at 12:30pm CDT

The Diamondbacks selected the contract of left-hander Tyler Gilbert from Triple-A Reno, and optioned outfielder Kyle Lewis to Triple-A in the corresponding 26-man roster move. To make room on the 40-man, Arizona moved right-hander Drey Jameson to the 60-day injured list.

Gilbert’s last MLB appearance came almost a year ago, as he tossed four innings for the D’Backs on July 26, 2022. An elbow sprain sent him to the 60-day IL and subsequently ended his season, and Arizona then designated Gilbert for assignment during the winter and outrighted him off the 40-man roster.

Best known for his no-hitter against the Padres in 2021, Gilbert hasn’t been able to sustain the momentum after that dream start (literally his first start in the majors, after three previous relief appearances). While posting some good results throughout the rest of his 2021 rookie season, Gilbert had a 5.24 ERA over 34 1/3 innings last year and spent a lot of time in the minors.

The results haven’t been particularly good at Triple-A Reno this season, as Gilbert has a 5.67 ERA over 54 innings, though his 27.3% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate hint that he is getting a little unlucky in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League. Gilbert also has a .343 BABIP and eight homers allowed over his 54 frames of work.

It seems like the D’Backs will use Gilbert in the long relief role left vacant when Jameson was injured, and the rather immediate move to the 60-day IL is something of an ominous sign for Jameson’s health. The Diamondbacks only placed Jameson on the 15-day IL yesterday due to elbow inflammation, and he was set to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury. Results of that MRI haven’t yet been revealed, and even if Jameson has avoided a major injury, the D’Backs might just be showing caution with any elbow-related issue.

Jameson made three starts in a fill-in capacity for Zach Davies earlier this season, but has pitched out of the bullpen over his other 12 outings. While the advanced metrics aren’t wild about Jameson’s modest 21.3% strikeout rate or 10.3% walk rate, the bottom-line results have been there, with a 3.32 ERA over 40 2/3 total innings. Since he’ll now be out until at least the first week of September, the pitching-needy Diamondbacks will need to find another way to make up those innings — the club was already expected to be looking at starters and relievers heading into the trade deadline.

Brewers Designate Tyson Miller For Assignment

By Mark Polishuk | July 8, 2023 at 11:58am CDT

The Brewers announced that right-hander Tyson Miller has been designated for assignment. Fellow righty Abner Uribe was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Uribe’s first appearance for the Brewers will mark his MLB debut. Reporter Hector Gomez initially had the news about Uribe’s promotion, including a touching video of Uribe calling his parents to inform them of the big news.

Miller has been back and forth between the majors and minors a couple of times this season, and Milwaukee just called up back up earlier this week, resulting in one appearance — two-thirds of an inning pitched in yesterday’s 7-3 Brewers victory over the Reds. Uribe was already on the 40-man roster so a DFA wasn’t exactly necessary to move Miller off the active roster, yet the Brew Crew have apparently decided to create some extra space at the risk of exposing Miller to the waiver wire.

Miller has already changed teams twice via waiver claim, going from the Cubs to the Rangers in June 2021 and then from Texas to Milwaukee last November. The right-hander has a 5.79 ERA over 9 1/3 innings of MLB work this season, and a 7.92 ERA over 25 innings in parts of three seasons with Milwaukee, Texas, and Chicago. He has a 4.75 ERA in 225 1/3 career innings at the Triple-A level, but that includes an improved 3.86 ERA over 25 2/3 frames for Triple-A Nashville this year, as Miller has allowed only one homer. That is a promising development for a pitcher who has been often hurt badly by the long ball in past seasons.

The hard-throwing Uribe was added to the Brewers’ 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, as while Uribe missed most of the 2022 season due to meniscus surgery, the club still wanted to keep his promising arm away from other teams. Uribe returned to action in fine form, posting a 1.96 ERA over 23 combined innings at Double-A and Triple-A in 2023, with a huge 42.23% strikeout rate. However, Uribe’s career-long control issues have persisted, even if his 16.5% walk rate in the minors this year is actually an improvement over his past numbers.

MLB Pipeline ranks Uribe as the ninth-best prospect in the Brewers’ farm system, giving him an 80-grade for his blazing triple-digit baseball and a 60-grade for his plus slider. There is obviously plenty of potential here for the 23-year-old to develop into an elite bullpen arm if he can post even an average walk rate, and with such good results in a brief showing at Triple-A, Uribe is now getting an opportunity to show what he can do against big league hitters.

Reds Designate Henry Ramos, Select Michael Mariot

By Mark Polishuk | July 8, 2023 at 11:52am CDT

The Reds announced that outfielder Henry Ramos has been designated for assignment, and that righty Tony Santillan has been optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Both moves clear space on the 26-man and 40-man rosters for right-hander Michael Mariot, as the Reds have selected Mariot’s contract from Triple-A.

Ramos spent seven weeks on the injured list due to a hip strain, and has hit .242/.356/.306 over 73 plate appearances for Cincinnati and a scorching .318/.404/.568 in 152 PA at the Triple-A level. The Reds’ increasingly crowded roster made it hard for Ramos to find consistent playing time, and so the team has opted to perhaps move on, or just to try and sneak Ramos through DFA waivers. The 31-year-old’s big Triple-A numbers might attract the attention of another team interested in a waiver claim, or Ramos could control his future more directly by rejecting an outright assignment if he did clear waivers. Because Ramos has been outrighted before in his career, he has the ability to turn down any future outright assignments and become a free agent.

Ramos was a fifth-round pick for the Red Sox back in the 2010 draft, and his long stay in the minors finally resulted in 18 MLB games with the Diamondbacks in 2021. Before signing a minor league deal with the Reds last winter, Ramos’ career includes stints with the Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Diamondbacks, and a brief stint in the KBO League in 2022.

Mariot knows a few things about the career of a journeyman player, as the 34-year-old is set to make his first appearance in the majors since 2016. The righty posted a 5.98 ERA over 49 2/3 innings with the Royals and Phillies from 2014-16, and subsequently bounced around the minors to several different organizations (including a previous stint with Cincinnati in 2021). This long path back to the Show also included stops in independent baseball, the Mexican League, and in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

Beginning the season with the Cleburne Railroaders of the independent American Association of Professional Baseball, Mariot signed a minor league contract with the Reds last month and made a quick impression at Triple-A. Over four starts and 24 1/3 inning in Louisville, Mariot had a 2.59 ERA and a tiny 4.2% walk rate with only one home run allowed, though his 14.6% strikeout rate is far below average. It remains to be seen what Mariot’s role might be in Cincinnati, but with the Reds hurting for rotation depth, Mariot might get at least a spot start or perhaps some long relief work.

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