Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Diamondbacks Place Asdrubal Cabrera On 10-Day IL

By | at

Infielder Asdrubal Cabrera has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain, the Diamondbacks announced.  Utilityman Andrew Young was called up from Triple-A to take Cabrera’s spot on Arizona’s active roster.

Cabrera is hitting .240/.332/.385 with five homers over 223 plate appearances this season, and this is already his second IL trip of the year due to his bothersome right hamstring.  An earlier strain kept him out of action for three weeks in May and early June, and if this latest injury has a similar recovery timeline, it will greatly decrease Cabrera’s chances of being dealt prior to the July 30 trade deadline.  Reports from earlier this week indicated that the Mets had interest in a reunion with Cabrera, who played in New York from 2016-18.

It’s certainly possible the Mets or another team might still acquire Cabrera if they’re confident he’ll be back shortly after July 30, or if he has only played in a game or two prior to the deadline.  The injury factor would decrease Arizona’s return in a potential trade, though since Cabrera is a veteran rental player having a decent unspectacular season, the Diamondbacks likely weren’t expecting to net a huge return anyway.  Speculatively, the D’Backs could attempt to combine Cabrera with another veteran player in a multi-player swap, so the other team gets more than just Cabrera as a potential injury question mark, and Arizona gets more value back in a prospect package.

Cabrera has mostly played third base this season, though his ability to play all over the infield would make him an interesting bench addition for a number of contending teams.  There isn’t much to like about his Statcast numbers apart from a solid walk rate, yet Cabrera has still managed a respectable 96 wRC+ in his age-35 season.

Diamondbacks Reinstate Kole Calhoun From Injured List, Designate Nick Heath

By | at

The Diamondbacks announced that outfielder Kole Calhoun has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list.  In corresponding moves, righty Taylor Widener was optioned to Triple-A and outfielder Nick Heath was designated for assignment.  As noted by The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan, Widener’s demotion is likely just an on-paper move due to the All-Star break, and he’ll be back in Arizona’s rotation when the second half begins.

Calhoun underwent hamstring surgery in late April, which followed another surgery to fix a torn meniscus during Spring Training.  After clocking only 51 plate appearances in between his two injury absences, Calhoun will now return for what could potentially be his last few weeks in an Arizona uniform.

If Calhoun can get hot at the plate and stay healthy, he’d certainly look like a decent trade chip for a D’Backs team that is open to selling.  The 33-year-old isn’t a pure rental player, as there is a $9MM club option on his services for the 2022 season that carries a $2MM buyout.  Owed an $8MM salary for 2021, Calhoun would have roughly $2.7MM remaining of that total if he was dealt on July 30, so between that and the $2MM buyout, it isn’t an unreasonable price for teams looking for a veteran outfield bat.  (The D’Backs could also include money in a trade.)

Since joining the Diamondbacks on a two-year, $16MM free agent deal in December 2019, Calhoun has hit .239/.337/.517 with 18 home runs over 279 PA.  Generally an above-average hitter over his 10 big league seasons with the Angels and D’Backs, the left-handed hitting Calhoun has pretty even splits against both right-handed and left-handed pitching.  In addition, he has played solid-to-strong defense as a right fielder, highlighted by a Gold Glove back in 2015.

This is the second time Heath has been designated for assignment this season, and when the Royals DFA’ed the outfielder back in April, the D’Backs stepped in to arrange a trade that brought Heath to the desert.  Originally a 16th-round pick for Kansas City in the 2016 draft, Heath has appeared in 20 games for the Diamondbacks, with just a .402 OPS over 39 plate appearances.

Daisuke Matsuzaka To Retire After 2021 NPB Season

By | at

Veteran right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka will retire following the 2021 season, as per an announcement from the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (hat tip to The Kyodo News).  The 40-year-old last pitched during the 2019 NPB season and hasn’t since been able to get back onto the mound after undergoing cervical spine surgery last year.

Unfortunately for Matsuzaka, he will hang up his glove without one final appearance for the Lions, his original team.  Matsuzaka signed with the Tokyo-based club following the 2019 season but injuries have kept him from fully capping off his career with a 12th season in Japan’s top league.

Of course, Matsuzaka’s status as a Lions legend was already established with his outstanding initial run from 1999-2006, as “Dice-K” rose from being an 18-year-old wunderkind to one of Japan’s best pitchers.  That led to his move to North American baseball, and a high-profile posting process that ended up being won by the Red Sox during the 2006-07 offseason.  The Sox paid a then-record posting fee of $51,111,111.11 to acquire Matsuzaka’s services from the Lions, and then inked the righty to a six-year contract worth $52MM in guaranteed money.

Given the big price tag and the high expectations, it is fair to call Matsuzaka’s tenure a disappointment, given how injuries and an increasing lack of effectiveness kept him from being a consistent rotation force.  That said, it is also incorrect to call his contract an outright bust for the Sox, since Dice-K did help the Red Sox win the 2007 World Series and come within a game of another AL pennant in 2008.  Matsuzaka posted a 4.40 ERA over 204 2/3 innings during his 2007 rookie season, and then a 2.90 ERA over 167 2/3 frames in 2008 that resulted in a fourth-place finish in AL Cy Young Award voting.

A rotator cuff strain limited Matsuzaka in 2008, and that was the beginning of a lengthy list of injuries that plagued the right-hander for much of the remainder of his eight seasons in the majors.  The most notable setback was Tommy John surgery in 2011, which sidelined him for most of what ended up being his final two seasons with the Red Sox.

Matsuzaka then signed with the Indians in 2013 but didn’t make any big league appearances for Cleveland, and he then went to the Mets to toss 122 innings over the 2013-14 seasons before he returned to Japan.  He appeared in parts of three seasons with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Chunichi Dragons, and though he continued to be limited by injuries, Matsuzaka did get one last day in the sun as a member of the 2018 NPB All-Star team.  (The Hawks also won the 2017 Japan Series when Matsuzaka was on the roster, though he didn’t pitch that season.)

Matsuzaka retires with an impressive career resume that include a 3.04 ERA over 1464 1/3 NPB innings, and a 4.45 ERA in 790 1/3 innings in Major League Baseball.  His list of accolades includes his World Series ring with the Red Sox, the 2004 Japan Series title with the Lions, two World Baseball Classic titles for Japan, the 2001 Sawamura Award as NPB’s best starting pitcher, seven NPB All-Star citations, and Pacific League Rookie Of The Year honors in 1999.  We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Matsuzaka on a terrific career.

Pirates Sign Dee Strange-Gordon To Minors Deal

By | at

The Pirates have signed infielder Dee Strange-Gordon to a minor league contract, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link).  Strange-Gordon will report to Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate.

As Passan notes, Strange-Gordon has made it almost a full circuit around the NL Central within the last five months, after previously being released from minor league deals with the Reds and Brewers, and then he opted out of a minors contract with the Cubs just yesterday.  All of this movement hasn’t resulted in any MLB playing time for Strange-Gordon, though a more clear path back to the majors might exist in the Steel City.

The Pirates have seen their infield depth considerably thinned within the last week, with Colin Moran, Erik Gonzalez, and Phillip Evans all placed on the 10-day injured list.  Gregory Polanco’s own IL stint (due to a bilateral adductor strain) has further subtracted from the position player mix, and Strange-Gordon did accumulate some outfield experience in his three seasons with the Mariners.  While the rebuilding Pirates are more prone to take a look at younger players than a veteran like Strange-Gordon, he can at least provide some depth in the event of any more injuries, or perhaps if any Pittsburgh players are moved prior to the July 30 trade deadline.

While it has been some time since Strange-Gordon was even a league-average hitter, he does offer some multi-positional versatility as a shortstop, second baseman, and outfielder.  Even as his batting declined over three seasons with Seattle, Strange-Gordon was still a threat on the basepaths, going 22-for-27 in stolen base attempts as recently as 2019.

Rays Place Manuel Margot On 10-Day IL, Activate Josh Fleming

By | at

1:50PM: In preparation for the second half of the doubleheader, the Rays have optioned Sherriff back to Triple-A and activated left-hander Josh Fleming from the 10-day IL.  Fleming will work as the bulk pitcher in the second game, behind opener Collin McHugh.  After a right calf strain sent Fleming to the injured list on June 26, the southpaw will return after missing just slightly beyond the 10-day minimum.

9:22AM: The estimated recovery timeline is 2-3 weeks, Margot told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

8:47AM: The Rays have placed outfielder Manuel Margot on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, the team announced.  The placement is retroactive to July 6.  Left-hander Ryan Sherriff was called up from Triple-A to take Margot’s roster spot, and the Rays also officially promoted star prospect Vidal Brujan as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader with the Indians.

Margot suffered his injury while legging out an infield single in the ninth inning of Monday’s game, a 9-8 Tampa Bay victory over Cleveland.  It was a sour end to a 4-for-4 night for Margot, who is now hitting .252/.297/.404 with nine homers over 290 plate appearances in 2021.  Since the Rays have an off-day tomorrow and the All-Star break is looming, Margot won’t miss much actual game time if his IL stint is a minimal one.

The 26-year-old Margot delivered some big hits during the Rays’ 2020 playoff run, though he generated slightly below-average (94 OPS+) offense over his two seasons with the Rays.  While his bat has been inconsistent, Margot’s strong baserunning, defense, and ability to play all three outfield positions has made him a key contributor to Tampa’s roster.  With Margot sidelined, Brandon Lowe might see more time in the outfield, joining the mix of Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, Austin Meadows, and backup Brett Phillips.  This would provide Brujan will more of an opportunity in the infield, though the Rays will continue to juggle their roster to give everyone playing time as warranted.

Rockies Halt Trade Talks Until At Least End Of All-Star Break

By | at

The Rockies look to be one of the prime sellers at this year’s trade deadline, though it doesn’t seem like the club will be swinging any deals soon.  According to The Athletic’s Nick Groke, the Rox have told other teams that they won’t be participating in trade negotiations about any player “at least until play resumes after the All-Star break.”

The club has two priorities in the near future — the amateur draft that runs from July 11-13, and then the All-Star Game itself in Denver in six days’ time.  Several other executives around the league have observed that the later date for the draft (usually held in early June) has thrown a wrench into trade discussions for many clubs, as many front offices don’t expect to fully turn their attention to upgrading the big league roster until the draft is complete.

For Rockies interim GM Bill Schmidt, he previously served as the team’s VP of scouting and has been running Colorado’s drafts since 2000, so it makes some sense that he would remain particularly focused on that aspect of the job.  The Rockies have the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft, which gains increased import considering that the team definitely needs premium minor league talent to aid a rebuild that may be coming sooner rather than later.

This being said, however, it seems frankly bizarre that the Rockies are seemingly willing to entirely cease trade talks for such an extended amount of time, especially during what seems like such a critical juncture point for the organization’s future.  Ten days can be an eternity during deadline season, and the market could shift dramatically due to several factors (injuries, a team getting hot and deciding to buy, a team deciding to sell after a losing streak, etc.) that can emerge quickly.

It stands to reason that some teams have already been in touch about what it might take to acquire Trevor Story, Jon Gray, or other trade chips, but those potential offers on the table could evaporate quickly, so the Rockies could be costing themselves by not engaging in talks for over a week.  Considering that the likes of Story, Gray, and Mychal Givens are all free agents after the season, the argument can be made that the Rockies should look to move these players sooner rather than later, in order to maximize their return from a team eager to have these players on their roster for an additional amount of time.

Part of the issue could be that Colorado’s front office is simply understaffed.  “Sources from two opposing front offices said their teams don’t know exactly whom to contact when they want to reach the Rockies about trades,” Groke writes.  Assistant GMs Jon Weil and Zach Wilson have both resigned in the two-plus months since Jeff Bridich was removed as the team’s general manager, which elevated Schmidt into the interim role.  As Groke has reported, the Rockies spread the duties of departed employees around to current staffers, rather than hire any new people into the organization.

Brewers Designate Daniel Robertson For Assignment

By | at

The Brewers announced that utilityman Daniel Robertson has been designated for assignment.  Teams have seven days to claim Robertson or work out a trade with Milwaukee for the 27-year-old’s services, which is what happened last August when the Giants acquired Robertson in a deal with the Rays during Robertson’s first trip to DFA limbo.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Robertson on the move again, given how his versatility can help a team’s bench.  Robertson has played all four infield positions for the Brew Crew this season, and also has a few games as an outfielder on his career resume.  While Robertson has shown flashes of productivity at the plate during his five MLB seasons, his multi-positional usage has become his calling card, as he has only a .227/.338/.345 slash line over 945 plate appearances in the Show.

Once a top-100 prospect during his time in Tampa’s farm system, Robertson’s quest to fulfill that potential was stalled by injuries, as he really hasn’t hit much since a thumb injury that prematurely ended his 2018 season.  The Brewers signed Robertson to a one-year Major League deal worth $900K in the offseason, and he ended up appearing in 50 games while filling the holes left open by several injuries within Milwaukee’s infield.

These injury problems are ongoing, and it makes the timing of Robertson’s DFA a tad curious considering that Kolten Wong, Daniel Vogelbach, and Travis Shaw are all still on the injured list.  However, the Brewers did recently call up another utility type in Pablo Reyes, while Kevin Kramer was acquired as minor league depth in a trade with the Pirates.  The Brewers seemingly feel that Jace Peterson (currently the fill-in second baseman) and Reyes can handle utility infield duty once Wong is back in action.

Tigers Make Four Roster Moves

By | at

The Tigers made a quartet of roster moves today, including the reinstatement of utilityman Niko Goodrum from the 10-day injured list.  Goodrum will replace Daz Cameron, who is headed to the 10-day IL (retroactive to July 5) due to a right toe sprain.  Left-hander Ian Krol will join the roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A, and righty Spencer Turnbull was moved to the 60-day IL to accommodate Krol on the 40-man roster.

Turnbull’s situation appears somewhat ominous, as Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters that the right-hander had a setback in his recovery from a forearm strain.  That injury was initially thought to be a relatively minor muscular issue rather than a structural problem within Turnbull’s forearm, but he will now undergo further examination.  The 60-day IL timeframe begins from the start of Turnbull’s first placement on the 10-day IL, though while he’ll be able to return to Detroit’s rotation in early August, even that target date seems fluid if a more serious forearm problem is detected.

Goodrum hit the injured list on June 19 due to a tendon injury within his finger, which seemed concerning enough that Hinch said Goodrum was planning to consult with several hand specialists.  Fortunately, Goodrum has been able to return to the lineup after only a few weeks, and he will now return in his old utilityman role, Hinch said.  Goodrum has mostly worked as the Tigers’ starting shortstop for the last two seasons, and the more regular usage led to a marked dropoff in his production at the plate after roughly league-average numbers in 2018-19.

Krol hasn’t pitched in the majors since a single appearance with the Angels during the 2018 season, as the southpaw bounced around on minor league contracts with the Mets, Reds, Twins, and Tigers (plus a stint in independent ball last season) before finally getting another crack at the big leagues this season.  Krol has a 4.50 ERA over 190 career MLB innings from 2013-18, which included 60 2/3 innings in a prior stint with Detroit in 2014-15.

Twins Reinstate Michael Pineda From Injured List

By | at

The Twins have reinstated Michael Pineda from the 10-day injured list, and the right-hander is scheduled to start this afternoon’s game with the White Sox.  Righty Griffin Jax was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Right elbow inflammation sidelined Pineda back on June 14, though fortunately his elbow issue ended up being relatively minor enough for him to get back to action prior to the All-Star break.  (Pineda also had a minimal IL stint in May after a minor procedure to remove an abscess from his thigh.)  It also provides time for Pineda to essentially audition for other teams, since the Twins are going to be selling at the trade deadline and Pineda is a free agent after the season.

In terms of bottom-line numbers, Pineda has a solid 3.70 ERA/4.23 SIERA over 56 innings for Minnesota.  Pineda has always been good at limiting walks through his career, and his 6.5% walk rate in 2021 is comfortably above the league average.  Beyond that, however, there isn’t much to like about Pineda’s Statcast metrics, and his .343 xwOBA is much higher than his .299 xOBA.  There are enough teams looking for starting pitchers, however, that Pineda will surely draw interest, and likely some teams will suspect that his overall performance might turn around with a change of scenery.

White Sox Designate Adam Eaton For Assignment

By | at

The White Sox have designated outfielder Adam Eaton for assignment, the team announced.  The move clears a roster space for another outfielder in Adam Engel, who was activated off the 10-day injured list.

Eaton only just returned from the IL himself earlier this week, after missing two weeks with a hamstring strain.  However, the White Sox had clearly seen enough from Eaton after he hit only .201/.298/.344 over 219 plate appearances, marking his second straight year of subpar offensive production after a similarly lackluster season with the Nationals in 2020.

That said, it still counts as a bit of a surprise to see the White Sox so abruptly cut ties with Eaton, in part because of the team is still so shorthanded in the outfield with Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez both still on the injured list.  Until those stars return (or unless the Sox make a notable trade deadline addition), Chicago will go with a mix of Engel, Andrew Vaughn, Brian Goodwin, Gavin Sheets, Billy Hamilton, and utilitymen Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick as their outfield options.

Beyond the immediate on-field impact, the Sox will now almost surely have to eat the remainder of Eaton’s contract.  The outfielder inked a one-year deal worth $8MM in guaranteed money ($7MM salary, $1MM buyout of an $8.5MM club option for 2022) during the offseason, and while Eaton didn’t play well in 2020, it wasn’t a bad investment for the White Sox to make considering his above-average play over the majority of this career.  Since it seems quite unlikely that another team will claim Eaton off DFA waivers and absorb the rest of his salary, Chicago’s front office will have to chalk the signing up as a misfire.

While many fans wished for a more substantive outfield addition last winter, the club’s plan of having Robert, Jimenez, and an Eaton/Engel platoon in the outfield (with Vaughn in the wings as an outfield/first base/DH candidate) seemed at least decent on paper, though injuries quickly altered the situation.  The White Sox have still build a big lead in the AL Central even despite all their injury woes, but the outfield clearly seems like an area of need heading into the trade deadline.

Since another team would only have to pay Eaton the prorated minimum salary, it seems probable that the veteran will land somewhere else once he clears DFA waivers and is cut loose by the White Sox.  Speculatively, a return to Washington might not be out of the question, as the Nationals are in need of outfield help with Kyle Schwarber sidelined by a hamstring injury.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top