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Athletics Select Jordan Weems’ Contract
6:54PM: The A’s have officially selected Weems’ contract and added him to their 40-man roster, as per a team announcement.
6:32PM: Right-hander Jordan Weems has been told he will be part of the Athletics’ Opening Day roster, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Weems will need to be added to the 40-man roster, so the A’s will have to make another transaction prior to their July 24 season opener.
The news marks quite a journey for the 27-year-old Weems, who is in line for his first taste of big league baseball after being drafted by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2011 draft. Originally selected as a catcher, Weems transitioned to pitching in 2016 and posted some solid numbers (3.87 ERA, 2.00 K/BB rate, 9.4 K/9) over 200 innings, though only 15 of those frames were at the Triple-A level.
After electing free agency last fall, Weems signed a minor league deal with Oakland in December and has since turned some heads within his new organization. “He has a riding fastball, that split-finger fastball and an occasional breaking ball,” according to A’s pitching Scott Emerson. “For a converted guy to be able to command the top part of the zone with a fastball and something soft at the bottom of the zone is pretty good for a guy who hasn’t done much pitching.”
This repertoire and a live fastball that has touched 98mph also attracted the attention of other teams, as Slusser writes that Weems “likely would have had multiple big league offers elsewhere” had the A’s decided against putting him on the MLB roster. If he hadn’t made the roster, Weems had an opt-out clause in his minor league contract.
Blue Jays To Place Chase Anderson On 10-Day IL Due To Oblique Strain
TODAY: Anderson will begin the season on the 10-day injured list, Montoyo told reporters today.
JULY 12: Chase Anderson suffered an oblique strain while preparing for a bullpen session and is day-to-day with the injury, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi and other reporters. Montoyo’s description would seem to indicate that Anderson suffered a very mild strain, as more serious oblique injuries have been known to keep players out of action for months at a time.
Still, the timing of Anderson’s issue creates doubt as to whether or not the right-hander will be ready for the beginning of the season. If a replacement is needed within Toronto’s rotation, the Jays have several potential arms behind the starting four of Hyun-Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark, Trent Thornton, and Matt Shoemaker.
Speculation has already focused on whether or not top prospect Nate Pearson could take that fifth starter’s role, and such hurlers as Anthony Kay, Ryan Borucki, Thomas Hatch, Jacob Waguespack, or others could also potentially get the call if the Jays wanted to limit Pearson’s service time. As Davidi notes, the team would gain an extra year of control over Pearson by keeping him on the taxi squad for roughly a week into the season. Regardless of the specific timing of the promotion, it seems very likely that Pearson will make his MLB debut at some point in 2020.
Anderson was acquired from the Brewers at the start of November, coming off a season that saw him post a 4.21 ERA, 2.48 K/BB rate, and 8.0 K/9 over 139 frames (starting 27 of 32 games). The 32-year-old has posted solid numbers over his six MLB seasons with Arizona and Milwaukee, working mostly as a starter and averaging 143 innings per year. Anderson has been relatively durable over his career, though it’s worth noting that he missed close to two months of the 2017 season due to a left oblique strain.
Nate Jones Makes Reds’ Opening Day Roster
Right-hander Nate Jones has been told he will make the Reds’ 30-man roster on Opening Day, as reported by multiple sources (including The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans). Once Jones’ minor league contract is officially selected by the team, he will lock in the prorated portion of a $1.5MM salary for the season. Another $1MM in incentives was originally available in Jones’ deal, and he’ll now aim for the prorated version of those bonuses as well.
Simply staying on the field for the entire season (even an abbreviated season) might count as enough of a bonus for Jones, given all of the injury problems he had faced throughout his career. Apart from a season of 70 2/3 innings in 2016, Jones hasn’t cracked even the 30-inning threshold since 2013, including a campaign of just 10 1/3 frames for the White Sox in 2019 before forearm surgery prematurely ended his year.
However, Jones has shown excellent form when healthy, with a career 3.12 ERA, 2.89 K/BB rate, and 9.8 K/9 over 291 1/3 innings. All of that work has come in a White Sox uniform, though Jones was dealt to Texas last summer as part of a trade that also saw the Rangers acquire $1MM in international spending funds. Now in his age-34 season, Jones is hoping to contribute to an intriguing Reds bullpen that also includes such names as Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett, and Robert Stephenson.
COVID News & Notes: Freeman, Paredes, Cardinals
COVID-19 has taken its toll on the baseball world, with Freddie Freeman being one of the most prominent names to test positive for the virus. Now recovered and back at the Braves’ camp, Freeman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Gabriel Burns and other reporters about his experience, which included a week of symptoms that even left Freeman fearful for his life on the evening of July 3 when he ran a fever of 104.5 degrees. “I said a little prayer that night. I’ve never been that hot before. My body was really, really hot,” Freeman explained. “So I said, ’Please don’t take me.’ I wasn’t ready. It got a little worrisome that night for me.”
Fortunately, Freeman’s decreased to 101 degrees the following morning, and three days of fever gave way to four days where “it almost felt like I had a sinus problem. I’d stand up, get dizzy and I’d have to sit back down.” After that, however, Freeman went nine days without any other symptoms. After getting word yesterday that he had tested negative on two consecutive coronavirus tests, Freeman received full clearance at a local hospital and was at training camp that same afternoon. While “we’re going to take it day by day” in terms of getting into game shape, Freeman will try to pack as much work as possible over what remains of training camp: “That’s the whole goal, for me to be ready Opening Day.”
Some more on other pending and cleared COVID-19 cases from around baseball…
- A positive coronavirus test delayed Isaac Paredes’ arrival at the Tigers’ camp until yesterday, but the prospect is now feeling healthy, he told MLB.com’s Jason Beck. Paredes wasn’t asymptomatic, though he was feeling better even before traveling to the United States from his home in Mexico. One of the top prospects in Detroit’s farm system, Paredes is only 21 years old and has yet to play any Triple-A ball, though he could have potentially been a candidate for the Tigers’ Opening Day roster had he been healthy. Instead, Paredes will be assigned to the taxi squad and is “ready and willing to do whatever the staff and the manager want me to do. I’m ready to play whatever position they want me to.“
- The Cardinals provided updates on some of their COVID-positive players (MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold were among those to report the news.) Left-handers Genesis Cabrera and Ricardo Sanchez were both cleared to participate in training, and Cabrera was at Busch Stadium today to play catch while Sanchez will join the Cards’ taxi squad at their minor league training site. Alex Reyes, meanwhile, confirmed that his delayed arrival to training camp was indeed due to the coronavirus, though Reyes was asymptomatic. Once one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, Reyes has been limited to only seven MLB innings over the last three seasons due to various injuries, so the Cardinals weren’t likely to rush him to the Opening Day roster even had he been healthy. It isn’t out of the question that Reyes will emerge at some point in the 2020 season as a hard-throwing relief option.
LaMarre, Herrmann Exercise Opt-Out Clauses In Rays Contracts
8:44PM: Ryan LaMarre has also been released after exercising his own opt-out clause, Topkin reports (Twitter link). The outfielder has hit .236/.286/.338 over 246 PA in five Major League seasons, with the bulk (180 PA) of that playing time coming with the Twins and White Sox in 2018. LaMarre inked a minors deal with Tampa after being let go by Minnesota last fall.
5:54PM: Catcher Chris Herrmann has requested his release from the Rays after enacting the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the club, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin reports (Twitter link). Herrmann signed the club back in January.
Mike Zunino is slated to be the Rays’ starting catcher, with Michael Perez in line for backup duty and Kevan Smith and Ronaldo Hernandez also part of the 60-man player pool. It is clear that Herrmann didn’t like his chances of moving up the depth chart, and will now seek out a better opportunity elsewhere. Speculatively, the Pirates and Giants stand out as obvious potential landing spots — the Bucs just lost Luke Maile to a season-ending finger injury, while Buster Posey’s decision to sit out the 2020 season has left San Francisco without a starting catcher.
Though Herrmann has at times flashed some hitting potential over his eight MLB seasons, he has been a below-average offensive producer overall, with a career .205/.282/.344 slash line and 25 home runs over 992 career plate appearances. The bulk of that playing time came with the Twins and Diamondbacks from 2012-17, though Herrmann hit well in 87 PA with the Mariners in 2018 before suffering through an injury-plagued 2019 campaign in Oakland. Herrmann’s ability to play first base and both corner outfield spots gives him more of a versatile resume than your average backup catcher, which could help his chances of catching on with a new team.
Edinson Volquez Makes Rangers’ Opening Day Roster
Right-hander Edinson Volquez will break camp with the Rangers and be part of the 30-man Opening Day roster, manager Chris Woodward told MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan and other reporters. It will be Volquez’s 15th Major League campaign, and his fifth in a Rangers uniform.
Volquez re-signed with Texas on a minor league deal last winter, following an abbreviated season that saw him post a 6.75 ERA over 16 innings. It was Volquez’s first action since July 2017, as Tommy John surgery and then another elbow injury kept the righty on the shelf for over two full seasons’ worth of games. The frustration had Volquez considering retirement last summer, though returning to the mound seemed to reinvigorate him for one more season beyond his final few appearances in September 2019.
Woodward pointed to Volquez’s recent success against left-handed batters (holding them to .670 OPS in 2019) as a reason for keeping him on the roster. “First and foremost, the stuff is there,” Woodward said. “I wasn’t going to keep him unless he showed he can get people out….The fact that he has been pitching a long time. He has pitched in big games. The leadership aspect in the clubhouse is second to none.”
Volquez turned 37 earlier this month, though the longtime starter could find a second act to his career by moving into a full-time relief role for the first time (while being durable enough to offer the Rangers a potential multi-inning or long relief option). Volquez’s good numbers against lefty hitters could make him something of a reverse-splits candidate for a Texas bullpen that is somewhat thin on southpaws, as Brett Martin will miss the start of the season recovering from a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Jon Jay Makes Diamondbacks’ Opening Day Roster
Outfielder Jon Jay will be part of the Diamondbacks’ 30-man roster on Opening Day, the team announced. A future transaction will need to take place to officially select Jay’s minor league deal to the active roster, but the 35-year-old will be on pace to play in his 11th Major League season.
As per the terms of the contract Jay signed with Arizona in February, making the MLB roster will guarantee him the prorated portion of a $1.5MM salary. Prior to the league shutdown, Jay was already making a strong case for himself by posting a .947 OPS over 28 Spring Training plate appearances, though Jay’s ability to play all three outfield positions is probably more of a factor than a bat that has been increasingly shaky in regular-season action.
Jay hit .267/.311/.315 over 182 PA with the White Sox last season, though he was slowed by hip problems that eventually required surgery last August. Overall, Jay generated a negative (-0.9) fWAR, thanks in large part to his struggles against right-handed pitching — over his career, the left-handed hitting Jay has been a decent (.286/.348/.389) if unspectacular performer against righties.
Jay and Tim Locastro will be Arizona’s primary backup outfielders behind the starting trio of David Peralta, Starling Marte, and Kole Calhoun. Second-year player Josh Rojas still has a shot at making the team as a utility player, while Ketel Marte may get the occasional start in center field when he isn’t in his primary second base spot. Trayce Thompson is also still an option for the outfield, though he was sent to the Diamondbacks’ minor league camp today.
Pirates’ Luke Maile Undergoes Finger Surgery
After being hit by a pitch on Thursday, Pirates catcher Luke Maile suffered a fractured right index finger that required surgical repair, according to team press release. Maile underwent the procedure yesterday and will be kept out of baseball activities for the next 10-12 weeks, effectively ending his 2020 season.
Maile signed a one-year split contract with the Pirates last December, and the unfortunate injury news will now keep the 29-year-old backstop from participating in what would have been his sixth big league season. Maile has a .198/.252/.304 career slash line over 657 plate appearances with the Rays and Blue Jays, and was non-tendered by Toronto over the offseason. Despite his lack of offense, Maile has been a pretty solid defensive catcher, and he had been tabbed as the top backup choice behind Jacob Stallings in Pittsburgh.
Stallings and John Ryan Murphy were the only other catchers with the Bucs’ initial Summer Camp player pool, so Murphy is now the favorite for backup duty. Like Murphy, Andrew Susac is also in the organization on a minor league deal, and Rule 5 pick Christian Kelley is on hand for further depth. With Maile now out of the picture, it seems likely the Pirates will be on the lookout for any veteran catchers who become available as teams make roster cuts in the coming days.
Phillies Release Logan Forsythe, Francisco Liriano; Neil Walker To Make Opening Day Roster
The Phillies announced a series of roster moves, including the news that left-hander Francisco Liriano and infielder Logan Forsythe have been granted releases. Infielder Neil Walker, meanwhile, has been told he will be on Philadelphia’s Opening Day roster, so the team will be officially selecting his minor league contract at some point between now and the first game. In other moves, catcher Henri Lartigue has been removed from the Summer Camp player pool and righty Victor Arano was optioned to Triple-A.
Liriano and Forsythe both had opt-out decisions coming this week, and it seems as if the club gave them an early start on the open market since neither were in the Phillies’ plans. Walker, by contrast, also had an opt-out clause but will now receive the prorated sum of his original (non-specified) guarantee for making the big league team.
Forsythe and Walker were among several veteran infielders added by the Phillies this winter, as Josh Harrison, Ronald Torreyes, and Phil Gosselin were also signed to minor league deals. The latter trio is still in camp, though it remains to be seen how many other roster spots will be available. Scott Kingery is back after recovering from COVID-19 though it isn’t yet known if he’ll be ready for Opening Day, while star prospect Alec Bohm figures to arrive at some point in 2020, perhaps once service time considerations are no longer a factor.
Walker, 34, hit .261/.344/.395 with eight homers over 381 PA with Miami last season, delivering roughly league-average (98 OPS+, 99 wRC+) offensive production. The switch-hitting Walker did much of his damage from the left side of the plate last season, as has been the norm for much of his career.
It seemed as if Forsythe was having a comeback season for the first two months of his tenure with the Rangers last season, but a hot start quickly turned, and the 33-year-old ended up with only a .227/.325/.353 slash line from 367 PA. Forsythe will now look to catch on with his fifth different organization within the last two years.
There was some doubt as to whether or not Liriano would play at all during the 2020 season, as the southpaw reportedly considered sitting out due to COVID-19 concerns before eventually showing up at Philadelphia’s camp. 2019 saw Liriano work exclusively as a reliever for the first time in his long career, and he delivered a 3.47 ERA, 1.80 K/BB rate, 50.3% grounder rate, and 8.1 K/9 over 70 innings out of the Pirates’ bullpen. As you would expect, Liriano performed better against left-handed batters (holding them to a .659 OPS) but also held righty swingers to a respectable .730 OPS.
Beyond these numbers, however, Liriano also allowed a lot of hard contract, so there is some uncertainty as to whether he’d be able to replicate his solid 2019 statistics again. Given teams’ ever-present need for left-handed pitching, one would think Liriano will be able to find another minor league deal elsewhere.
