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Injury Notes: Lagares, Rodon, Gray, Morse

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Here are some updates on some injury situations throughout baseball…

  • Juan Lagares left today’s Spring Training game with a left oblique strain, according to Newsday’s Marc Carig and other reporters.  The former Gold Glove winner is slated is slated to play a valuable reserve role for the Mets this season, particularly since Curtis Granderson is a defensive question mark in center field.  While the severity of his strain isn’t yet known, oblique issues can tend to linger, putting his Opening Day status in jeopardy.  If Lagares has to miss time, the Mets would be left with inexperienced center field options like Michael Conforto and Jose Reyes backing up Granderson.
  • White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon, suffering from bicep tightness, got some good news when an MRI revealed no structural damage, CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes tweets.  Rodon will still visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache to get a second opinion and hopefully confirm that the injury isn’t serious.  Sox GM Rick Hahn said yesterday that Rodon will likely begin the season on the DL since the team wants to be as cautious as possible with their young southpaw.
  • An MRI on Jon Gray’s toe didn’t reveal any bad news, and the Rockies right-hander tells media (including Nick Groke of the Denver Post) that the injury that forced him to leave Friday’s game is a minor one.  Gray said he expects to make his Opening Day start.
  • Michael Morse isn’t yet planning to retire, as the veteran tells The San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman and other reporters that he’ll stay in camp to rehab his hamstring injury and then report to the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate.  Morse had stated earlier this winter that he’d hang up his spikes if he didn’t break camp with the Giants, and he indeed seemed likely to make the roster before getting hurt.  “I’m going to get healthy.  I’m going to play games with the mentality of getting ready for the big leagues,” Morse said.  “At that point, if the team is 20-0, I know I probably won’t get called up and then it’s see ya’.  If they need me, great.”

AL East Notes: Dombrowski, Rasmus, Rays, Alvarez, Shapiro

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While the Red Sox pitching depth has been a cause of concern this spring, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski doesn’t think the team is going to add any more starting pitchers, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes.  “Not that you don’t constantly keep a pulse of everything as far as you can, but to be overly aggressive in terms of trying to do something in that regard, I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Dombrowski said.  Even if the Sox did want to acquire starters, Dombrowski noted, the fact that the rotation is set (David Price’s arm issues notwithstanding) doesn’t give the team much incentive to lure a veteran pitcher.  As Dombrowski rhetorically asks, “if Price comes back quickly, what do you do with that guy?  I’d gladly have two or three more guys at Triple A that were big league starters, that were good, that we can bring up at any time.  But they want to sign with a big league contract.”

Here’s more from around the AL East…

  • Colby Rasmus will likely begin the season on the disabled list, the Rays outfielder tells Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  After last season concluded, Rasmus underwent surgeries on his hip and core area, and he still isn’t quite fully recovered enough to handle regular left field duty.  Mallex Smith will likely be Tampa’s Opening Day left fielder, though Rasmus may not miss more than a week’s worth of games.
  • With Derek Norris now in the fold and Wilson Ramos expected back in May or June, the Rays’ current catchers are facing uncertainty, MLB.com’s Bill Chastain writes.  Curt Casali, Luke Maile and Jesus Sucre had been in competition for the two catching jobs, though now only one will stick around on the 25-man roster to serve as Norris’ backup.  Sucre may face the biggest hurdle, as the Rays would have to make room to find him a spot on the 40-man roster if he makes the team.
  • Pedro Alvarez’s minor league deal with the Orioles includes an opt-out clause in May, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports.  Alvarez is trying to make the O’s as an outfielder, which could be a tough call given Alvarez’s inexperience at the position and the number of other outfield candidates also in camp, Kubatko notes.
  • Scott Boras recently had some harsh words about the Blue Jays’ method of assigning pre-arbitration salaries, particularly in regards to Boras client Aaron Sanchez being renewed for a league-minimum salary in 2017.  As Jays president Mark Shapiro noted in a radio interview with Jeff Blair and Stephen Brunt on The FAN 590 (hat tip to Sportsnet’s David Singh), however, both the team and the agent are on the same page in wanting to see Sanchez eventually maximize his earnings.  “[GM Ross Atkins] and I have told Aaron, ’Listen, we want to pay you a lot of money.  We want to pay you more money.  The more we pay you the better, because that means you’ve performed better,’ ” Shapiro said. “We want our guys to all do extremely well for us to have to pay them a ton of money.  Because if we have to pay them a ton of money, that means they’re performing on the field, which means we have a better chance to be a championship team.”

Rangers Table Extension Talks With Jonathan Lucroy

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The Rangers and Jonathan Lucroy have tabled negotiations about a contract extension, the catcher tells Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).  It isn’t known whether the two sides will re-open talks prior to Opening Day or afterwards.  Since many players prefer to avoid having contract talks carry into the season, it could mean that the Rangers have only a small window remaining to work out an extension with Lucroy or else he’ll explore free agency next winter.

Lucroy, who turns 31 in June, is entering the last season of a five-year, $11MM extension signed when he was a member of the Brewers in March 2012.  Even with the Rangers exercising their club option on Lucroy for 2017 to add an extra $5MM to that total, Lucroy clearly far outperformed that deal by becoming one of the game’s best catchers.  MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes projects Lucroy as the best available position player (and fifth-best free agent overall) in terms of earning potential in his most recent Power Rankings of the 2017-18 free agent class.

Obviously the Rangers would have an interest in continuing their association with Lucroy, though there hasn’t been that much buzz about talks between the two sides.  GM Jon Daniels said in late December that only some “informal” chats had taken place, and more serious negotiations had yet to begin as of just a month ago.  Also, the Rangers recently signed backup Robinson Chirinos to an extension through the 2018 season with a club option for 2019.  While Chirinos’ deal is modest enough that he could easily still fit as Lucroy’s understudy, it is perhaps telling that Texas has already struck a move to secure a Plan B should Lucroy depart.

It has been a very busy day for Rangers extension news, with this Lucroy item joining an agreement between Texas and Rougned Odor on a six-year, $49.5MM extension and reports of talks between the Rangers and Nomar Mazara about a multi-year commitment.

Rangers Discussing Extension With Nomar Mazara

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The Rangers have been in talks with outfielder Nomar Mazara about a contract extension, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link), though there aren’t any signs that the two sides are close to a deal.  Mazara is represented by ISE Baseball, an agency that has negotiated early-career extensions for such notable players as Madison Bumgarner, Andrelton Simmons, Chris Archer, Paul Goldschmidt, Yordano Ventura, and Julio Teheran in recent years.

Mazara has just one year of MLB service time under his belt, debuting last April to replace the injured Shin-Soo Choo and sticking with the Rangers throughout the season.  Mazara got off to a big start over his first two months in the bigs before cooling off the rest of the way, though his 20 homers and .266/.320/.419 slash line in 568 PA was particularly impressive given that he was the youngest player in baseball (Mazara turns 22 next month).

Mazara already has one big payday to his name, having signed a $4.95MM bonus as an international free agent with Texas when he was just 16 years old.  Rangers GM Jon Daniels has generally been aggressive in locking up young players he believes will be cornerstone pieces for his team, with Rougned Odor reportedly very close to joining that list.

Martin Perez (who had a year and 38 days of service time at the time of his extension) is the only Rangers player extended quite as early in his career as Mazara would be if he indeed put pen to paper before Opening Day.  Perez’s deal guaranteed him $12.5MM over four years with another $20.05MM available if Texas exercises all three club option years.  It’s safe to assume that a Mazara extension would have a roughly similar framework, though likely for more money since Perez’s deal came over three years ago.  Gaining cost certainty on Mazara now would also help Texas avoid a potentially larger payout to the outfielder through his arbitration years if he gained Super Two eligibility.

Diamondbacks Release Kevin Jepsen

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The Diamondbacks have released right-hander Kevin Jepsen, as per a club press release.  Jepsen signed a minor league deal with Arizona last month that would have paid him $2.25MM in base salary if he reached the big league roster.

The 32-year-old suffered through a rough 2016 season with the Twins and Rays, posting a 5.98 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 1.67 K/BB rate (career worsts in all three categories over a full season) in 49 2/3 innings.  A big spike in home runs allowed and a .321 BABIP contributed to the problems, though Jepsen’s peripherals numbers also weren’t strong, including a 37.5% hard contact rate that was way above his 28.8% career average.

Jepsen’s struggles continued into the Diamondbacks’ spring camp, as he owned an ugly 12.27 ERA over 3 2/3 innings.  Despite the recent downturn in form, Jepsen isn’t far removed from a solid track record as a bullpen arm, posting a 2.93 ERA over 215 1/3 innings for the Angels, Rays and Twins from 2012-15.  One would think he’d get some looks on another minor league contract from other teams looking for relief help as Opening Day approaches.

Braves Release Blaine Boyer

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The Braves have released right-hander Blaine Boyer, the club announced via Twitter.  Boyer was in camp on a minor league contract.

Boyer, 35, posted a 3.95 ERA, 1.53 K/BB and just a 3.5 K/9 over 66 relief innings with the Brewers last season.  That low strikeout rate is typical of Boyer’s career (he has just a 5.6 K/9 over 405 1/3 IP during his ten years in the bigs), as he has been a reliable bullpen arm thanks to an ability to induce soft contact and a 51.9% career grounder rate.

If Boyer doesn’t find a job elsewhere, the Braves have left the door open for the veteran to return on another minor league deal, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (Twitter links).  Boyer said that the Braves would be his probable choice if he did have to settle for another minors deal, as the Georgia native would be able to live at home while pitching for Triple-A Gwinnett.

5 Key Stories: 3/18/17 – 3/24/17

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Here are the top stories from the last week of coverage on MLBTR…

"<strongWill Smith to undergo Tommy John surgery.  The Giants bullpen took a big hit with the news that Smith will undergo TJ surgery next week, bringing an unfortunate conclusion to the ongoing elbow troubles that have plagued Smith all spring.  Smith, acquired from the Brewers at last summer’s trade deadline, was slated to be the top left-handed option out of San Francisco’s bullpen but will now miss all of 2017 and likely the initial part of the 2018 season.  The Giants still have Josh Osich, Steven Okert, and possibly Ty Blach as internal southpaw options, though it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants look for another lefty in a trade or on waivers as teams begin making their final Spring Training cuts.

White Sox sign Tim Anderson to extension.  The rebuilding White Sox clearly see Anderson as a big part of their future, and the team put that in writing by guaranteeing the shortstop $25MM over the next six seasons.  The deal also contains club option years for 2023 and 2024 that could add another $24.5MM to Anderson’s haul.  Anderson, the 17th overall pick of the 2013 draft, hit .283/.306/.432 with nine homers in 431 PA last season, finishing seventh in AL Rookie Of The Year balloting.

Indians close to extension with Jose Ramirez.  Speaking of AL Central teams locking up key contributors, Ramirez and the Tribe are close to a four-year, $26MM extension that also includes two club option years (worth $11MM and $13MM, respectively).  Ramirez’s surprising emergence was a big factor in Cleveland’s run to the AL pennant last season, and the team will now add the versatile 24-year-old to their long list of key players under long-term deals.

Blue Jays close to extension with John Gibbons.  Continuing with the extension talk, the Jays have also “basically finished” (in the words of Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi) a new contract with manager John Gibbons.  The new deal would keep Gibbons in the fold through 2020, with the Jays holding a club option on the skipper for the 2020 season.  Gibbons owns a 644-614 record over his two stints as Toronto’s manager, and has led the Blue Jays to the ALCS in each of the last two seasons.

Rays sign Derek Norris.  With Wilson Ramos on the DL until May or June, the Rays decided to bolster their catching corps by agreeing with Norris on a one-year, $1.2MM deal.  The fact that Tampa could offer Norris significant playing time (as Ramos will still require a lot of DH time when he does return) reportedly gave the Rays the edge over four other suitors for the catcher’s services.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/25/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

  • The Astros released left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser, as per Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).  Riefenhauser signed a minor league deal with the Astros in December.  The southpaw has been part of two rather notable trades in his career, going from the Rays to the Mariners as part of the five-player deal that saw Brad Miller and Nate Karns switch teams, and then joining Mark Trumbo in a trade to the Orioles for Steve Clevenger.  Riefenhauser has a 6.30 ERA over 20 career MLB innings (with Tampa in 2014-15) and he spent 2016 in the Cubs’ farm system.

Quick Hits: Draft, Norris, Sternberg, Hanson, Quintana

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This year’s amateur draft class is still quite unsettled, though in Baseball America’s initial ranking of the Top 100 draft prospects, Hudson Belinsky and John Manuel note that a pair of two-way players are standing out as the potential top two picks.  Louisville first baseman/left-handed pitcher Brendan McKay is drawing most of his attention as an “elite pure hit tool” batter though “at least one” interested team prefers him on the mound.  No right-handed high school pitcher has ever been drafted first overall, though 17-year-old Hunter Greene has an upper-90s fastball and has touched the 102mph mark.  This kind of live arm at such a young age has even drawn some Dwight Gooden comparisons, so most evalutors prefer Greene as a pitcher, though he also possesses “top-of-the-scale raw power” as a shortstop.  The Twins own the first pick in June’s draft, though McKay and Greene are just two of nine players Minnesota is reportedly considering for the top selection.

Here’s more from around baseball…

  • The Rays are currently “on the outside looking in” of the Derek Norris hunt, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter), though they are still one of multiple teams talking to the free agent catcher.  The Rays have a need at catcher since Wilson Ramos will miss some time at the start of the season and require DH days after returning, and they’ve been linked to Norris since he was released by the Nationals last week.
  • Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg spoke to reporters (including MLB.com’s Bill Chastain) about the team’s search for a new ballpark, noting that the Rays have already moved on from their top choice.  “We had some ideas on locations that weren’t available, that I thought would work perfectly, that were off the table,” Sternberg said. “So we’re sort of moving down our list, No. 2, 3, and 4.  Sometimes it’s like starting pitchers.  You have five of them, and sometimes No. 4 is better than No. 2, and really better than No. 1.“
  • Reds right-hander Nick Hanson, the club’s third-round pick in the 2016 draft, will undergo Tommy John surgery, as reported by SB Nation’s Eric Roseberry and the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Zach Buchanan (Twitter links).  Hanson, a Minnesota high schooler, was slated to attend the University of Kentucky before agreeing to an above-slot $925K bonus to join the Reds.  The 2017 Baseball America Prospect Handbook ranked him as the 30th-best prospect in Cincy’s system, describing the 6’6″ 18-year-old as “understandably raw with a loose arm” but owning a fastball in the 91-95mph range and the potential for an above-average curveball.  Given the usual TJ recovery period, Hanson’s best-case scenario for a return is midway through the 2018 season.
  • Jose Quintana is worth the big price it would cost the Pirates to acquire the southpaw from the White Sox, Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette opines.  Quintana’s strong track record and affordable contract make him a good fit for the Bucs, who could sacrifice young arms Tyler Glasnow and Mitch Keller in order to win now with Quintana, in Zeise’s view.  Giving up outfield prospect Austin Meadows could be difficult, though Zeise wonders if the Sox have perhaps slightly lowered their asking price.  (White Sox GM Rick Hahn said nothing had changed on that front in comments to reporters today.)  Pirates GM Neal Huntington “should do [the trade] today,” Zeise writes, if Chicago would accept Glasnow, Keller and Josh Bell.

NL West Notes: Hoffman, Norris, Hoover, Padres

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Some news and notes from around the NL West…

  • The Rockies optioned Jeff Hoffman to Triple-A today, with manager Bud Black telling reporters (including Nick Groke of the Denver Post) that Hoffman required “a little more refinement” and consistency.  “The fastball has velocity, but he has to locate the fastball,” Black said.  “The slider and curveball are very good pitches.  They are major league quality.  But he has to consistently get them into good spots.  The overall command of his pitches is something he needs to harness.”  Hoffman, one of the game’s top pitching prospects, posted a 4.88 ERA over his first 31 1/3 innings in the majors last season.  With Hoffman at Triple-A, rookies German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, and Antonio Senzatela are all competing for the last two spots in Colorado’s injury-thinned rotation.
  • The Rockies are one of the teams interested in catcher Derek Norris, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.  Colorado joins the Cardinals and Rays as teams known to have interest in the free agent catcher.  With Tom Murphy on the DL with a fractured forearm, the Rockies are a logical candidate to be exploring upgrades behind the plate.
  • J.J. Hoover is looking like a good bet to break camp with the Diamondbacks, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes.  Hoover signed a minor league deal with the D’Backs in January that will pay him a $900K base salary if he cracks the big league roster, which seems like a distinct possibility given the righty’s solid spring numbers and Arizona’s wide-open bullpen competition.  Hoover posted solid numbers out of Cincinnati’s bullpen from 2012-15 before taking over as the Reds closer and suffering a disastrous 2016 season.
  • The top 50 international bonuses of 2016 are compiled by Baseball America’s Ben Badler, with the Padres’ $11MM bonus to Cuban lefty Adrian Morejon leading the way.  San Diego owns five of the top 12 entries and a league-leading 11 of the top 50 overall, which isn’t a surprise given the Padres’ tactic of blowing past their bonus pool limit to hoard as much young international talent as possible during this signing period.  As a result, the Padres will be limited to signings worth no more than $300K during the next two international signing periods.

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