Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

NL West Notes: Upton, D’backs, Freeland, Dodgers

By Mark Polishuk | April 16, 2022 at 9:29am CDT

The Diamondbacks have “considered” a reunion with Justin Upton, The New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes, though it isn’t yet clear what the 34-year-old outfielder is himself planning for his next step. Upton has given some thought to retiring altogether after the Angels released the veteran last week.

If Upton does continue his career, a return to the D’Backs would represent a nice full-circle moment. Arizona selected Upton with the first overall pick of the 2005 draft, and Upton spent his first six Major League seasons with the Diamondbacks. That tenure included two All-Star appearances for Upton and arguably the finest year of his entire career, as he hit .289/.369/.529 with 31 home runs in 2011 and finished fourth in NL MVP voting.

Upton has been roughly a replacement-level player over his last three seasons with the Angels, but since signing him would cost the Diamondbacks only a prorated minimum salary, it might be a worthwhile flier for a team that has gotten off to a brutal start at the plate. The right-handed hitting Upton represents some lineup balance since many of Arizona’s top outfield choices (David Peralta, Daulton Varsho, Pavin Smith, Jake McCarthy) are all left-handed, plus DH Seth Beer is also a lefty bat.

Tigers Select Wily Peralta, Designate Bryan Garcia

By Mark Polishuk | April 16, 2022 at 9:02am CDT

The Tigers have selected the contract of right-hander Wily Peralta. To create 40-man roster space, the team announced that righty Bryan Garcia has been designated for assignment.

As per the teams of his minor league deal, Peralta will lock in $2.5MM in guaranteed salary for reaching the active roster, and he can also earn another $500K in incentive bonuses. Despite a 3.07 ERA over 93 2/3 innings with Detroit last season, Peralta had to settle for another minor league contract, likely due to both the lockout-shortened offseason and some underwhelming secondary numbers. Peralta was below average in most major Statcast categories, including a 14.4% strikeout rate that ranked in only the third percentile of all pitchers. Peralta also had a 50.7% grounder rate, and might benefit from some more batted-ball luck with Javier Baez now behind him in the Tigers infield.

Peralta started 18 of 19 games last season and could be in line for a return to the rotation now that Casey Mize has been placed on the 10-day injured list. However, Peralta has only pitched in relief over three minor league outings this season, so the Tigers could opt for an opener/bulk pitcher or piggyback setup while Peralta gets more fully stretched out. Detroit has off-days on each of the next three Mondays, which will help the team mix and match its pitchers and give starter Michael Pineda more time to ramp up in the minors.

Garcia has posted some strong numbers (2.92 ERA, 29.19% strikeout rate) over 142 career relief innings in Detroit’s farm system, though he has had trouble repeating that consistency over three big league seasons. After delivering a 1.66 ERA over 21 2/3 innings in 2020, Garcia struggled to a 7.55 ERA in 39 1/3 frames last year, due to control problems and an inability to keep the ball in the park. Given the potential Garcia has shown in the minors, it seems quite possible that another team might claim Garcia away from the Tigers on DFA waivers.

Blaine Hardy Signs With Sioux City Explorers

By Mark Polishuk | April 16, 2022 at 7:55am CDT

The Sioux City Explorers of the independent American Association announced that left-hander Blaine Hardy has signed a one-year contract. Hardy had just one inning of big league work last season, allowing two earned runs in one frame of work for the Brewers last August 3.

2021 was a comeback season for Hardy, as he was returning from a Tommy John surgery in March 2020. Hardy had signed a minors contract with the Twins just a few months prior to his surgery, but ended up never pitching for the organization. Hardy caught on with the Brewers on another minor league contract in the 2020-21 offseason and saw a good deal of work with Triple-A Nashville, posting a 2.63 ERA, 22.1% strikeout rate, and 10.4% walk rate over 68 1/3 innings.

It was a pretty solid set of numbers for the 35-year-old, though it didn’t result in any looks from MLB teams over the offseason. Hardy will now head to indy ball for what will be his 14th professional season, and first outside of affiliated baseball.

Apart from his one inning as a Brewer, Hardy’s other 289 2/3 innings in the majors all came with the Tigers. The southpaw posted a 3.73 ERA during his 2014-19 stint in Detroit, giving the Tigers some reliable innings out of the bullpen and also in the rotation in 2018 when the club gave Hardy 13 starts.

Nationals To Promote Donovan Casey

By Mark Polishuk | April 14, 2022 at 5:10pm CDT

The Nationals are calling outfielder Donovan Casey up from Triple-A, according to Chuckie Maggio of the Pickin Splinters website. No corresponding move has been announced, though Dee Strange-Gordon was scratched from the initial starting lineup the Nats posted earlier today for their game against the Pirates.

Casey was already placed on Washington’s 40-man roster back in November, and the 26-year-old’s fifth pro season will now include his debut as a Major League ballplayer. Selected by the Dodgers in the 20th round of the 2017 draft, Casey was acquired as part of the four-player package the Nats received for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner at the last trade deadline.

Casey is a Boston College product who has hit .278/.337/.464 with 54 home runs and 52 steals (from 63 chances) over 1563 career plate appearances in the minors. That line doesn’t include much Triple-A success, however, as Casey has a modest .190/.250/.342 slash over 172 PA at the Triple-A level. It could be that the Nationals’ hand was somewhat forced by a potential injury situation on the big league roster, yet Casey at least had a .905 OPS over his first 25 PA of the 2022 season.

Baseball America (17th) and MLB Pipeline (19th) each have Casey listed within the Nationals’ top-20 prospect rankings, and BA also gave Casey extra mention as the “Best Athlete” in Washington’s farm system. His speed and athletic ability has translated into some excellent defense in the outfield, and Casey’s strong throwing arm makes him a good right field candidate. Both BA/Pipeline scouting reports have some questions about his bat, particularly Casey’s high propensity for strikeouts.

While the situation could change based on roster moves involving Strange-Gordon or other players, Casey would seem to fit as a glove-first backup outfield type. Juan Soto, Victor Robles, and Lane Thomas make up the D.C. starting outfield, while Strange-Gordon and Yadiel Hernandez were working in a backup capacity.

Rangers Activate Garrett Richards; Place Spencer Howard, Dennis Santana On Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | April 14, 2022 at 4:34pm CDT

The Rangers announced four roster moves involving right-handed pitchers today, including the activation of Garrett Richards from the 10-day injured list. Nick Snyder was also called up from Triple-A. In corresponding moves, Dennis Santana was placed on the COVID-related injured list, while Spencer Howard was placed on the regular 10-day IL due to a blister and cracked fingernail.

Richards signed a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $5.5MM following the lockout, but his Texas debut was postponed by a blister issue of his own. Fortunately, it ended up being only a minor setback, and Richards is now lined up to take his spot in the Rangers bullpen. Reporter Jeff Wilson (Twitter links) that the Rangers are tentatively planning a bullpen game for Friday’s contest with the Angels, so Richards could conceivably get the pseudo-start if he doesn’t see any action tonight.

Howard has been initially stated to start Friday’s game, but he will now head to the IL (retroactive to April 11) to recover from his own finger issue. The 25-year-old didn’t fare well in his first start of the season, as Howard was tagged for four homers and six earned runs over three innings in a 12-6 loss to the Blue Jays. Blisters have been a recurring problem for the Rangers in the early going, between Richards’ absence, and both Howard and Jon Gray now sidelined. The Rangers have an off-day on April 18, so it’s possible the rotation might not need further re-alignment if Howard and/or Gray are able to return in short order.

Santana is still waiting results of his COVID-19 test, but Wilson reports that the IL placement was precautionary since Santana is showing symptoms. As per the 2022 rules, Santana will have to miss a minimum of five days and be free of symptoms for the last two or more of those days.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/14/22

By Mark Polishuk | April 14, 2022 at 3:43pm CDT

Catching up on some minor moves from around the game…

The Rangers outrighted Sherten Apostel to Triple-A, after the infielder cleared waivers. Apostel was designated for assignment prior to the Rangers’ Opening Day game. The 23-year-old made his big league debut with seven games for Texas in 2020 but didn’t receive another call to the majors last year. Originally acquired from the Pirates as part of the Keone Kela trade in 2018, Apostel has hit .246/.358/.422 over 1437 career minor league plate appearances in the Pittsburgh and Texas farm systems.

Blue Jays Place Teoscar Hernandez On 10-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | April 14, 2022 at 3:42pm CDT

3:42PM: Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told Kaitlyn McGrath and other reporters that the team will be cautious with Hernandez’s injury, but it doesn’t appear to be as severe as initially thought.

3:14PM: The Blue Jays have placed outfielder Teoscar Hernandez on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain. Infielder Gosuke Katoh has been called up from Triple-A to take Hernandez’s spot on the active roster. The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath reported earlier today that Katoh had joined the Jays in New York for tonight’s game with the Yankees, and The Toronto Sun’s Rob Longley also tweeted earlier that Hernandez was thought to have an oblique-related injury.

Hernandez suffered the injury during a sixth inning at-bat in last night’s game, as the outfielder looked pained after taking his first swing. Hernandez waved off a visit from the team trainer but then continued to show discomfort after grounding out to end the plate appearance. Hernandez didn’t take the field for the bottom of the sixth, replaced in the lineup by Bradley Zimmer.

As Longley noted, this isn’t the first time Hernandez has missed time with a left oblique strain, as a similar injury resulted in a 10-day IL stint in September 2020. That proved to be a mild strain that resulted in Hernandez missing only the minimum 10 days, but oblique strains are notoriously tricky injuries that can often lead to weeks or even months on the IL, depending on the severity. It was just three days ago that the Jays lost another regular to an oblique strain, as catcher Danny Jansen is expected to miss several weeks of action.

Losing Hernandez for any length of time is a blow to Toronto’s lineup, as the 29-year-old slugger has hit 49 home runs and slashed .295/.347/.538 in 825 PA since the start of the 2020 season. Even for a Blue Jays team that has plenty of hitting, this type of production can’t be easily replicated, especially since the Jays already lost some depth when Jansen went down.

Raimel Tapia and Zimmer (both acquired in offseason trades) figure to get the bulk of outfield work in Hernandez’s absence, and Cavan Biggio also has some experience as an outfielder. In the minors, Mallex Smith and Nathan Lukes are potential options, though neither are on the 40-man roster. The same is true of veteran Dexter Fowler, but Fowler only signed with the Jays at the end of Spring Training and is still participating only in sim games as he works his way back from a torn ACL.

Cardinals Discussing Multi-Year Extension With Tyler O’Neill

By Mark Polishuk | April 14, 2022 at 2:26pm CDT

Tyler O’Neill is the Cardinals’ only arbitration-eligible player who has yet to reach an agreement for the 2022 season, and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Twitter link) that O’Neill’s arb hearing will take place in the first week of May. However, the possibility exists that the hearing could be avoided, as the two sides are still in talks about a multi-year extension.

It was less than two weeks ago that the Cardinals reached an extension with another outfielder, as Harrison Bader inked a two-year, $10.4MM deal that also allowed both sides to sidestep an arbitration hearing. Bader’s deal covered his final two years of arbitration eligibility, whereas O’Neill is only in the first of three arb-eligible years. It isn’t known whether or not the negotiations are centered around a two- or three-year pact to just address O’Neill’s arbitration years, or if perhaps a longer-term contract could be under discussion.

The Cardinals have been proactive in extending building-block players over the years, and O’Neill’s 2021 breakout makes a good case that he is worth such a long-term extension. O’Neill hit .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs over 537 plate appearances last season, translating to a whopping 144 wRC+ and 150 OPS+. Between that offensive pop, plus baserunning (O’Neill stole 15 bases in 19 attempts), and his second consecutive Gold Glove in left field, O’Neill was somewhat quietly one of baseball’s best all-around players, and only 12 players topped O’Neill’s 5.4 fWAR in 2021.

This big season didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, as O’Neill was a top-100 ranked prospect. However, he had hit a far more modest .229/.291/.422 in 450 big league PA prior to the 2021 season, and strikeouts have been a continual problem for the Canadian slugger. O’Neill posted a 31.3% strikeout rate in 2021, putting him in the fourth percentile of all players according to Statcast.

With this in mind, St. Louis could opt to just explore a shorter-term extension for now, in order to gain cost certainty over at least one more of O’Neill’s arbitration years but still coming short of a lengthy commitment. As noted, this is only O’Neill’s first trip through the arb process, and since he isn’t scheduled to hit free agency until after the 2024 season, the Cardinals may not feel an immediate rush to work out a big extension. O’Neill is looking for a $4.15MM salary in 2022, while the team submitted a $3.4MM figure. (MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected O’Neill to land $3.5MM.)

Phillies Announce Five Roster Moves

By Mark Polishuk | April 14, 2022 at 1:59pm CDT

The Phillies announced five roster moves in advance of today’s game with the Marlins. The Phils have selected the contract of right-hander Andrew Bellatti from Triple-A and also reinstated James Norwood from the bereavement list. Righty Connor Brogdon and left-hander Damon Jones were optioned to Triple-A, while Sam Coonrod was moved to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space for Bellatti.

Coonrod has been dealing with a shoulder strain that initially shut him down at the end of March. The right-hander tossed only 1 2/3 innings of Spring Training action, so between the injury rehab and then making up for his lost preseason work, it was already expected to be a while before Coonrod made his 2022 debut.

The 60-day IL placement means that Coonrod won’t make it back until mid-June at the earliest, which represents another injury setback for the 29-year-old. Coonrod missed over two months last season due to forearm tendinitis, and over three weeks of the shortened 2020 season due a lat strain. That same season also saw Coonrod hit the IL late in the year with another shoulder strain.

Between Coonrod’s injury absence and Brogdon’s demotion, the Phillies find themselves without two of their better relievers from last season. However, since Brogdon has pitched in three of Philadelphia’s last four games, the move is probably just a way to get a fresher arm into the bullpen than indicative of a long-term stint in Triple-A for the right-hander. Brogdon had a rough outing last night, allowing two earned runs and two more inherited runners to score over two-thirds of an inning in a 9-6 loss to the Mets.

Bellatti signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in December after being outrighted off the Marlins’ 40-man roster at the end of last season. After tossing 23 1/3 innings for the Rays in his 2015 rookie season, Bellatti bounced around the minors before finally returning to the majors last year, pitching 3 1/3 innings of relief work out of Miami’s bullpen. Bellatti has a 3.77 ERA and 24.03% strikeout rate over his 547 career frames in the minor leagues.

Athletics Interested In Andrew Vaughn

By Mark Polishuk | April 10, 2022 at 10:25pm CDT

The White Sox were among the many teams showing interest in the Athletics’ available starters, with Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas on Chicago’s target list. Manaea has since been dealt to the Padres, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reporting that the White Sox “nearly” landed Manaea instead, and are still looking at Montas. However, the A’s want young slugger Andrew Vaughn back in return, and the Sox are balking at the demand.

It isn’t surprising that the A’s would make such a big ask, considering that Montas is under team control through the 2023 season. Likewise, it is natural that the White Sox wouldn’t be eager to part with a former star prospect who was already in the majors less than two years after being picked third overall in the 2019 draft.

Oakland could also be looking to leverage Chicago’s sudden lack of pitching depth, as Lance Lynn (knee surgery) will be on the injured list until late May and Lucas Giolito (abdominal tightness) is also on the verge of being placed on the IL for what looks like could be the majority of April. The White Sox did recently sign Johnny Cueto, but the veteran will need some ramp-up time after missing all of Spring Training, and might not be available for a few weeks anyway.

Dylan Cease, Dallas Keuchel, Michael Kopech, and Vince Velasquez are now the top four in the White Sox rotation, with Reynaldo Lopez, Jimmy Lambert, or Tanner Banks candidates to fill in for Giolito. Adding a pitcher of Montas’ caliber would be a major help both in the immediate future and beyond, as this is the last guaranteed season of Keuchel’s contract, and it seems unlikely that the Sox will exercise their $20MM club option on his services for 2023.

Then again, Vaughn is also a possible long-term answer as an heir apparent to 35-year-old Jose Abreu, who is also in the final season of his contract. There does remain a solid chance that the Sox will sign Abreu to another extension, so Vaughn could play in a first base/DH timeshare with Abreu, or perhaps see more time as a corner outfielder, even if Vaughn isn’t ideally suited for outfield work.

Another complicating factor is that the White Sox could also use Vaughn’s bat right now, given that the injury bug has also extended to the position player side. Yoan Moncada is on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain and AJ Pollock left yesterday’s game with a sore hamstring, though Pollock doesn’t believe the injury is terribly serious.

Vaughn hit .235/.309/.396 with 15 homers over 469 plate appearances in his 2021 rookie season, resulting in a 93 OPS+/94 wRC+. These are certainly respectable numbers for a player’s first taste of the majors, especially since Vaughn still has so little overall pro experience. After being drafted, Vaughn played in 55 minor league games in 2019 but then didn’t see any official game action at all in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season, instead doing his work at Chicago’s alternate training site. Vaughn spoke with The Athletic’s James Fegan about his rookie year and the adjustments he has made both at the plate and in the field, which includes even taking some grounders at third base as a possible fallback option in Moncada’s absence.

Between Vaughn’s prospect pedigree and his big league-readiness, he is the type of player the A’s have traditionally targeted on the trade market, particularly during their most recent selloff of notable veterans. The likes of Cristian Pache, Shea Langoliers, Adrian Martinez, Kevin Smith, and Adam Oller have all been acquired since the end of the lockout, with Pache, Smith, and Oller already on the active roster.

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