Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Mariners Make Six Roster Moves

By Mark Polishuk | May 5, 2022 at 5:28pm CDT

5:29PM: Brash will pitch out of the bullpen at Triple-A, as reported by The Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish and other media members. Relief work could give Brash a quicker path back to the majors and allow him to better help the Mariners in 2022, even if the team still sees him as a longer-term starting pitcher.

2:47PM: The Mariners announced six roster moves, including the news that right-hander Matt Brash has been optioned to Triple-A. Left-hander Nick Margevicius was designated for assignment, and righty Matt Festa was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow tendinitis. Joining the roster from Triple-A Tacoma are right-hander Riley O’Brien and left-hander Danny Young, with Young’s contract being officially selected. In addition, recently-designated right-hander Matt Koch has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A.

Brash has never pitched at the Triple-A level before, as the Mariners made the aggressive move of adding him to the Opening Day roster after an impressive Spring Training. A rather lightly-regarded prospect who was acquired from the Padres in 2020, Brash exploded into top-100 notoriety with a very impressive 2021 season with the Mariners’ high-A and Double-A affiliates.

Results were far more mixed for Brash in his first taste of the bigs, however. Brash has a 7.65 ERA over five starts and 20 innings, with almost as many walks (17) as strikeouts (19). Yesterday’s start against the Astros saw Brash allow four runs over three innings, walking four batters and striking out three.

With Brash heading to Triple-A for more seasoning, Seattle has a hole to fill in the rotation. The M’s have a few days remaining to figure out their plans, whether they’ll go with a bullpen game for Brash’s next scheduled start or whether another Triple-A call-up could be in the works. Asher Wojciechowski, Daniel Ponce de Leon, and Darren McCaughan are all getting starts for the Rainiers but none have pitched particularly well, and Margevicius is now headed to the DFA wire.

Margevicius has also struggled, posting a 12.75 ERA over four starts and 12 innings at the Triple-A level. A veteran of three MLB seasons, Margevicius is trying to work his way back from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and it isn’t surprising that the southpaw is still getting on track following that major procedure. With this recent surgery in mind, teams might not claim Margevicius, allowing Seattle to slip him through waivers and outright him off the 40-man roster.

Festa is also no stranger to health issues, as he missed all of the 2020 season and most of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. With this past procedure in mind, any sort of elbow problem is especially concerning, though tendinitis is usually a relatively minor problem. After tossing 30 2/3 innings for the M’s in 2018-19, Festa made it all the way back to the Show this season, but had only a 5.25 ERA over 12 relief innings.

Though O’Brien has only worked as a reliever over six Triple-A appearances this season, he might also factor into the Mariners’ rotation picture given his track record as a minor league starter. Acquired from the Reds back on April 17, O’Brien has a 3.36 ERA over 353 1/3 innings in the minors, mostly in the Rays organization from 2017-19. O’Brien made his big league debut in cup-of-coffee fashion last season, tossing 1 1/3 innings in a single game for Cincinnati.

Now in his seventh pro season, Young is lined up to make his first MLB appearance. Young was an eighth-round pick for the Blue Jays in the 2015 draft, and has worked almost exclusively as a reliever over his 280 1/3 innings in the Toronto, Cleveland, and Seattle farm systems. While mostly a grounder specialist during his career, Young has boosted his strikeout numbers since the canceled 2020 minor league seasons, and has a 26.1% strikeout rate over 70 Triple-A frames (though also with a 5.14 ERA in Triple-A ball). Anthony Misiewicz is the only other left-hander in the Mariners’ bullpen, so Young should get some looks against lefty batters.

Injured List Returns: Pressly, Mejia

By Mark Polishuk | May 5, 2022 at 5:05pm CDT

Catching up on some players returning to their teams’ active roster…

The Astros reinstated Ryan Pressly from the 10-day injured list, and left-hander Parker Mushinski has been optioned to Triple-A to create roster space. Pressly hasn’t pitched since April 13 due to right knee inflammation, but he’ll now return to his usual role as Houston’s closer, though Rafael Montero did well in handling the ninth inning in Pressly’s absence. Before hitting the IL, Pressly recorded three saves in his first four appearances, posting a 2.70 ERA over 3 1/3 innings.
Catcher Francisco Mejia was reinstated from the Rays’ COVID-related injured list. Rene Pinto was optioned to Triple-A after yesterday’s game, so an open roster spot awaits Mejia’s return. Mejia missed just under two weeks recovering from a positive COVID-19 test, which interrupted a blisteringly hot start (.986 OPS) in his first 24 plate appearances of the 2022 campaign. Given how Mike Zunino has struggled, Mejia might earn a larger piece of the Rays’ catching timeshare if he continues to hit at anything close to that level.

Twins To Place Luis Arraez, Dylan Bundy On COVID List

By Mark Polishuk | May 5, 2022 at 4:15pm CDT

Twins infielder Luis Arraez and right-hander Dylan Bundy have both tested positive for COVID-19, bench coach Jayce Tingler told Betsy Helfand of The St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links) and other reporters. Manager Rocco Baldelli has also tested positive for the virus, so Tingler is serving as the team’s acting manager.

Tingler and GM Thad Levine addressed the media today about the situation, with Levine saying that the club is waiting on the results of several other tests of team personnel. If this wasn’t enough, outfielder Max Kepler is also under the weather due to another non-COVID illness that is floating around the clubhouse.

It is quite possible that more names could join Arraez and Bundy on the COVID list, but even in the best-case scenario that those are the only positive tests within what may be a minor outbreak, losing even two more players isn’t good for a Twins team that already has several key figures on the regular injured list. Bundy will join Bailey Ober and Sonny Gray as rotation members on the 10-day IL, though Gray is on the verge of a return. Utilityman Arraez was already plugging another hole, playing first base while Miguel Sano is out due to knee surgery.

As per the 2022 version of the league’s COVID protocols, Arraez and Bundy will miss at least the next 10 days, though they may make an earlier return if they meet three criteria — two negative PCR tests, at least 24 hours without a fever, and approval from a team doctor and a MLB/MLBPA joint committee of two other physicians.

Orioles To Promote Adley Rutschman, DL Hall To Triple-A

By Mark Polishuk | May 5, 2022 at 2:37pm CDT

The Orioles are planning to promote two of their top prospects to Triple-A, as The Baltimore Sun’s Andy Kostka reports (Twitter link) that catcher Adley Rutschman and left-hander DL Hall will be on their way to the team’s top minor league affiliate.

Had it not been for a triceps strain suffered during Spring Training, it is quite likely Rutschman would’ve already been in the majors by now, perhaps even as early as Opening Day. Rutschman already hit .312/.405/.490 over 185 plate appearances with Triple-A Norfolk last season, and he doesn’t seem to have much left to prove in the minors. Even over 24 PA at the Single-A and Double-A levels thus far, Rutschman has a whopping 1.167 OPS.

Arguably the top prospect in all of baseball, Rutschman has been tabbed for a pretty quick ascension to the majors basically ever since Baltimore made him the first overall pick of the 2019 draft. Considered both an outstanding hitter and defender, Rutschman is the crown jewel of the Orioles’ rebuilding plan, and he is widely seen as a star in the making. It seems probable that Rutschman’s MLB debut will take place before May is over, and it might even just be a matter of days if the young catcher continues to tear up Triple-A pitching.

Hall was the 21st overall pick of the 2017 draft, and he has battled some injury problems throughout his pro career, including a stress reaction in his throwing elbow that limited him to 31 2/3 innings last season. The Orioles were somewhat cautious with Hall to begin the season, but moved him to Double-A after a single outing in high-A ball, and Hall is now heading for Triple-A after only one outing for Double-A Bowie (that start came today, with Hall allowing two runs over 3 2/3 innings). The focus might still be on getting Hall fully ramped-up, so it remains to be seen if he could be on Baltimore’s radar as a late-season call-up before the 2022 season is out.

Orioles Claim Logan Allen

By Mark Polishuk | May 5, 2022 at 1:35pm CDT

The Orioles have claimed left-hander Logan Allen off waivers, as announced by the Guardians. Allen and first baseman Bobby Bradley were both designated for assignment on May 1, and the Guards announced that Bradley cleared DFA waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A.

Allen has a 4.50 ERA over six relief innings this season, and a 5.80 ERA, 15.7% strikeout rate, and 9.3% walk rate over 94 2/3 total MLB innings with the Padres and Guardians since 2019. While not the largest of sample sizes, Allen also hasn’t pitched well at the Triple-A level, with only a 5.76 ERA over 156 1/3 frames of work at the top rung on the minor league ladder. Allen has delivered more strikeouts in the minors than in the majors, but at both levels, keeping the ball in the park has been his most pressing issue.

More was expected from Allen at this point in his career, particularly since he drew top-100 prospect attention prior to the 2019 season. This made him one of the key pieces involved in a noteworthy three-team swap between Cleveland, San Diego, and Cincinnati at the 2019 trade deadline, and the Guardians clearly eyed Allen as a possible future rotation piece.

With all of this in mind, Allen is still a few weeks away from his 25th birthday. His entire prime could be ahead of him if a new club is able to harness his stuff, and it isn’t a shock that a rebuilding team like the Orioles quickly made a waiver claim.

Allen has worked mostly as a starter in the minors, while his big league appearances are an even 15-15 split between starts and relief appearances. It seems likely that Baltimore will continue to explore Allen as a starting pitcher, and he could get some looks in the rotation in the near future given the depleted state of the O’s staff. Ace John Means and swingman Chris Ellis have both been lost to season-ending injuries, while another swing option in Alexander Wells was also recently sidelined with a UCL injury.

Latest On Scott Oberg’s Future

By Mark Polishuk | May 5, 2022 at 1:31pm CDT

Right-hander Scott Oberg hasn’t pitched since the 2019 season, and while the veteran Rockies reliever hasn’t officially confirmed his retirement, his recent interview with Jack Etkin of Rockies Magazine indicated that Oberg is taking steps towards a post-playing career.

“I’m not really in a rush to pick up a ball again in the near term and give it another go, just in the sense that (I) keep running into the risk of having to go through all of this again,” Oberg said, referring to the recurring blood-clotting issues that have kept him off the field. “Now it’s not really my decision, I don’t feel at this point, really. It’s kind of a family decision just because there’s so much more on the line.”

Between August 2016 and March 2021, Oberg underwent four different procedures to address the blood clots that kept developing in his right forearm. Even after all of these operations, Oberg said that “nobody really has a straight answer on” why the clots keep reappearing, other than “we have a general idea that this is caused by throwing. And every time you have one, you seem to be at a higher risk to have another one.”

It has made for a frustrating and worrisome situation for Oberg and his family, and with seemingly no safe way to get back onto the mound, Oberg has started looking for new paths at age 32. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in sports industry management at Georgetown, and his role as the Rockies’ MLBPA player rep made him very busy given all of baseball’s labor issues over the last two years.

Oberg could also transition into a role with the Rockies, after already unofficially helping the club with some scouting and player analysis work over the last year. Whether this could translate into a player-development job may simply be up to Oberg, as Colorado GM Bill Schmidt seems very open to the idea: “We’ll figure out a role for him. He’s a very bright guy. And I think the world of Scottie and want him involved.”

A 15th-round pick for the Rockies in the 2012 draft, Oberg has spent his entire pro career in the organization, and posted a 3.85 ERA over 257 1/3 relief innings from 2015-19. After beginning as something of a groundball specialist, Oberg’s strikeout rate gradually rose in each of his five Major League seasons, and his best numbers came over his most recent two campaigns. Oberg posted a 2.35 ERA over 114 2/3 innings in 2018-19, somewhat quietly establishing himself as one of baseball’s better relief arms.

“I think that’s kind of the biggest frustration that I might have of all this is that I really felt like I was coming into my prime between what I could do physically and you know learning from all the mistakes that I’d made in the past and all the ups and downs and all the times that I’d failed,” Oberg said. “I definitely put a lot of good things together in 2019. So I was certainly excited about the prospects of the future. Who knows how long of a run I would have been able to make? But in the same respect, to go out on top is I guess maybe the best way to go about it and knowing that something is kind of out of my control. I don’t know if that makes it any better or not.”

Oberg was at least able to land one big payday in the form of a three-year, $13MM extension signed in December 2019. That deal covered the 2020-22 seasons, so Oberg has never thrown a professional pitch during the life of that contract, which locked up Oberg’s final two arbitration-eligible seasons and what would have been his first year of free agency. Colorado holds an $8MM club option on Oberg for 2023 that will surely be declined.

If this is indeed the end for Oberg as a player, we at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate him on a fine career, and we look forward to seeing what’s next in his off-the-field endeavors.

Josh Reddick Signs With Australian Baseball League’s Perth Heat

By Mark Polishuk | May 5, 2022 at 12:53pm CDT

The Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League announced that veteran outfielder Josh Reddick has signed a one-year contract. Reddick is currently playing in the Mexican League, and he’ll join the Heat later this year closer to the start of the 2022-23 ABL season in November.

Back in February, Reddick inked a deal with the Acereros de Monclova to continue his career south of the border. He’ll now continue the international sojourn by heading to Australia, and as Reddick noted in the club’s press release, “the main thing is I want to play baseball, I want to play for as long as I can.”

The 35-year-old Reddick has played in each of the last 13 MLB seasons, suiting up with the Red Sox, Athletics, Dodgers, Astros, and Diamondbacks from 2009-21. While it has been a few years since Reddick has been a league-average hitter, he has a solid .262/.321/.426 slash line (104 wRC+) over 4879 career plate appearances in the majors, as his left-handed swing produced consistent numbers against righty pitching. Reddick was also one of the game’s better defensive right fielders of the last decade, highlighted by his Gold Glove in 2012.

Reddick is one of the most prominent players to ever play in the ABL, and he’ll join a Perth club that includes such former MLB veterans as Zac Reininger and Warwick Saupold. The ABL will be resuming operations after canceling their 2021-2022 season due to various logistical complications caused by the pandemic.

NL East Notes: Bassitt, Harper, Marlins, Meyer, Ramirez

By Mark Polishuk | May 4, 2022 at 5:00pm CDT

Both Chris Bassitt and Mets GM Billy Eppler declined to comment on whether any contract extension talks had taken place between the two sides, though a source tells The New York Post’s Joel Sherman that “nothing has been explored yet.” Since Bassitt is slated to become a free agent after the season, it would be a little surprising to see him sign an extension before testing the market for the first time, particularly since the righty is building a strong case for a pricey multi-year contract this winter. Over his first 31 innings in a Mets uniform, Bassitt has a 2.61 ERA, 28.1% strikeout rate, and 6.6% walk rate.

Locking up Bassitt would help the Mets solidify their 2023 rotation, as Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker could all be free agents this winter. An extension would also allow Bassitt and the team to avoid the shorter-term problem of an arbitration hearing set for May 23. While this could be the 33-year-old Bassitt’s best (or only) chance to sign a big multi-year deal, he might prefer to just stay in New York if the Mets were to offer him such a deal right now, and the Mets have certainly shown they’re willing to spend for premium talent. For his part, Bassitt said that he has enjoyed pitching for the Mets and that he’d be open to extension talks.

Mariners Sign Fernando Abad To Minors Contract

By Mark Polishuk | May 4, 2022 at 4:01pm CDT

The Mariners have signed left-hander Fernando Abad, as announced earlier today by Saraperos De Saltillo, Abad’s Mexican League club. It appears to be a minor league contract, as Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto reported that Abad will pitch for the affiliate tonight.

After not landing a contract with an MLB club over the offseason, Abad’s 2.25 ERA over four innings of Mexican League action was enough to get the Mariners’ attention. Anthony Misiewicz is the only left-hander in Seattle’s current bullpen, so there’s some opportunity for Abad to win a job if he performs well at Triple-A.

The 36-year-old Abad has suited up for seven different teams over his 10 MLB seasons, plus some stints in independent ball as well as the Mexican League. There have been plenty of ups and down over Abad’s long career, but he has generally been a pretty solid bullpen arm, able to deliver good results against both left-handed and right-handed batters.

Despite a lack of velocity and big strikeout totals, Abad has a 3.77 ERA over 348 1/3 career innings in the bigs. However, only 30 2/3 of those frames have come over the last four seasons, as Abad didn’t see any MLB action in either 2018 or 2020. Most recently, he posted a 5.60 ERA over 17 2/3 innings with the Orioles last season.

Orioles’ Chris Ellis Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

By Mark Polishuk | May 4, 2022 at 3:41pm CDT

Orioles right-hander Chris Ellis will miss the rest of the 2022 season after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery today, manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including The Baltimore Sun’s Andy Kostka). Dr. Keith Meister performed Ellis’ surgery today in Arlington.

It’s a rough outcome for Ellis, as arthroscopic procedures usually take the form of “clean-up” procedures, or at least less-serious types of surgeries that can allow a pitcher to return after perhaps 2-3 months, depending on the situation. In this case, however, there was obviously enough wrong with Ellis’ shoulder to require a lengthy recovery period. Ellis was also placed on the 10-day IL with right shoulder inflammation late last season, so it could be that his injury has lingered for some time.

Ellis elected free agency after being outrighted off Baltimore’s 40-man roster last year, and he re-signed with the club on a new minor league deal in mid-March. The O’s selected the righty’s contract on April 19 and he made two starts that differed wildly in quality. After tossing 4 1/3 shutout innings against the Athletics on April 19, Ellis didn’t record a single out while allowing five earned runs to the Angels on April 24. That latter start saw Ellis removed from the game in the first inning due to shoulder problems, and he was placed on the IL two days later with what was termed as shoulder inflammation.

The 29-year-old Ellis has a 3.12 ERA over 34 2/3 career innings in the majors, pitching in parts of the 2019, 2021, and 2022 seasons with the Royals, Rays, and Orioles. (Ellis didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season.) He has bounced around to several other organizations during his eight pro seasons, and was part of the trade package sent by the Angels to the Braves in the Andrelton Simmons trade back in November 2015. Ellis had only 62 official days of Major League service time prior to the 2022 season, and he’ll continue to amass more service time once the Orioles place him on their 60-day injured list.

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