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Dodgers DFA Jake Reed, Recall Victor Gonzalez

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The Dodgers announced they’ve designated right-hander Jake Reed for assignment, and called up left-hander Victor Gonzalez.

Reed made just one ugly outing for the Dodgers this season, giving up six earned runs and making just two outs. The 30-year-old posted a 7.02 ERA in 16 2/3 innings between the Orioles, Mets and Dodgers last season.

The former fifth round pick for the Twins was more reliable in another sample of work in 2021, when he put up a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings of work between the Dodgers and Mets. While the big league numbers aren’t overly encouraging, there’s been enough interest in Reed on the waiver wire (six claims since 2021) that it’s conceivable that another team in need of some bullpen depth puts in a claim for him this time round.

As for Gonzalez, he’s set for his first appearance in the big leagues since 2021. The former international signing out of Mexico has a combined 2.75 ERA in 55 2/3 innings over two seasons of work with the Dodgers in 2020-21. That mark comes with a combined 23.8% strikeout and 8.9% walk rate, both of which are almost identical to the big league average.

Arthroscopic debridement surgery on his pitching elbow wiped out the bulk of the 2022 season for the southpaw, but he’s returned to post a 1.29 ERA in seven innings at Triple-A this season.

Sandy Alcantara Skipping Start Due To Right Biceps Tendinitis

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The Marlins have been dealt an injury blow with the news starter Sandy Alcantara will miss today’s start against Cleveland due to right biceps tendinitis, per Craig Mish of the Miami Herald. Mish adds that the team doesn’t believe it to be serious, and Alcantara should be ready to go for Miami’s series in Atlanta starting Monday.

Alcantara is off to a disappointing start to the season, working to a 5.47 ERA through his first four starts. Though it’s an ugly ERA, it’s worth noting that the bulk of the damage was done in an ugly nine earned run outing in Philadelphia, with his other starts giving up just three earned runs or less, including one three-hit complete game shutout against the Twins.

While the news appears to be positive at the moment, there is always a bit of concern when the ace of the staff has any sort of injury concern. Alcantara has been one of the best pitchers in baseball in recent years, winning the NL Cy Young award last year on the back of a 228 2/3 inning season of 2.28 ERA ball.

Devin Smeltzer will get the ball in place of Alcantara for the first game of today’s double-header, with Braxton Garrett and Jesus Luzardo to handle the other two starts of the series.

White Sox Sign Stephen Piscotty To Minor League Deal

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Veteran outfielder Stephen Piscotty has joined the White Sox on a minor league deal and been assigned to their Triple-A team in Charlotte, per a release from the Knights. Piscotty was a free agent after the Giants released him at the end of spring training.

An eight year MLB veteran, Piscotty has appeared for the Cardinals and Athletics during his career, slashing a combined .255/.324/.430 over 726 big league games.

He last appeared for Oakland last season, putting up a .190/.252/.341 with five home runs over 139 plate appearances. That was another season of generally declining offensive output for Piscotty, who was considered an above average hitter by wRC+ for most of the early parts of his career.

A first round pick by the Cardinals back in 2012, Piscotty burst onto the scene with a .305/.359/.494 rookie year in 2015 which saw him finish sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He’d continue to put up good numbers for St Louis, posting a .268/.346/.438 line with 38 home runs between 2015-17, and they’d extend him on a six-year, $33.5MM deal in April of 2017.

The majority of that contract was played out elsewhere though, as Piscotty was traded to Oakland ahead of the 2018 season. It started brightly, as Piscotty posted the best full season of his career in 2018, hitting 27 home runs and getting a 126 wRC+. Things tailed off after that though, and Piscotty has been below average since 2019.

The White Sox are fairly well stocked in the outfield, with Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert and rookie Oscar Colas manning the positions, but the bench picture is not quite as clear and if Piscotty can find his hitting touch at Triple-A it stands to reason he could factor in off the bench for the big league club at some point.

Phillies Sign Drew Ellis To Minor League Deal

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The Phillies have added free agent third baseman Drew Ellis on a minor league deal, according to Baseball America’s transactions tracker.

The 27-year-old 100 plate appearances over a couple of seasons with the Diamondbacks and Mariners, putting together a .141/.270/.212 line with a solitary home run since his debut in 2021. A second round draft pick by the Diamondbacks in 2017, Ellis put up solid numbers coming up through the minor but broke out in a big way in 2021. That year at Triple-A, Ellis slashed .294/.399/.615 with 20 home runs over 358 plate appearances.

Unfortunately, that form hasn’t translated to the big leagues in his opportunities there, and Ellis posted far more subdued numbers in Triple-A last year, slashing .226/.355/.455 with 19 home runs. He was in camp with the Mariners this year, but was released back in March.

The bulk of his time has been spent at third base, but he has logged time at second in the big leagues (as well as first and short in the minors). At third, Ellis totaled -5 Defensive Runs Saved and -6 Outs Above Average across 182 1/3 defensive innings.

Mariners Sign Eric Stout To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have added some left-handed pitching depth, bringing in Eric Stout on a minor league deal, per Baseball America’s transactions page. The 30-year-old was a free agent after being released from the Cubs’ organization.

Drafted in the 13th round in 2014 by the Royals, Kansas City handed Stout a brief debut in 2018. He was knocked around for six earned runs in just three outings and was released by the organizations not long after. Since then Stout’s largely bounced around the league providing bullpen depth.

Seattle will be the seventh team he’s been employed by, with the Cubs and Pirates the only two beyond the Royals that he’s made it to the big leagues. Those appearances came last year, when Stout pitched a combined 22 1/3 innings across Chicago and Pittsburgh, working to a 5.64 ERA with a 22.7% strikeout rate and a 14.6% walk rate. As is often the case with left-handers, the splits were stark as right-handed hitters torched Stout to the tune of a .359/.477/.623 line, while left-handers were held to a .158/.289/.184 line.

Gabe Speier and Tayler Saucedo are the current left-handers in the Mariners’ bullpen, and while Stout will link up with the team’s Triple-A affiliate, the inevitable churn of a major league bullpen over the course of a long season could see opportunities for Stout to contribute down the line.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Shohei Ohtani, Julio Urias, Aaron Nola, Ian Happ, Juan Soto, Marcell Ozuna

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Episode 3 of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well; use this link to find the show on Spotify and this one for Apple. You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Simon Hampton is joined by MLBTR founder Tim Dierkes to discuss a wide range of topics around the baseball world:

  • We discuss Tim’s 2023-24 Free Agent Power Rankings article, including the contract Shohei Ohtani might command, as well as the markets for Aaron Nola and Julio Urias (3:26)
  • The Cubs and Ian Happ agree to a surprising three-year, $61MM extension. So did the player or the club get better value out of this deal? (18:41)
  • A busy week on the extension front includes the Twins agreeing to a four-year, $73.5MM contract with starter Pablo Lopez. We discuss the improvements Lopez has made this season and give our thoughts on the contract (23:04)

Plus, we answer your questions, including:

  • Why do the Giants only seem willing to spend money on position players, and not starting pitchers?  This question also includes our thoughts on the Logan Webb contract (26:59)
  • As Juan Soto gets off to a slow start in 2023, is there any hope for him to return to his 2021 numbers and what does this mean for extension talks? (31:24)
  • Are the Braves wasting a roster spot on Marcell Ozuna? (36:22)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Submit Your Questions For The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

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Each week on the MLB Trade Rumors podcast we’ll answer questions submitted by our readers. With the next episode due out Wednesday morning, we’re looking for MLBTR readers to submit a voice memo with their question and we’ll pick three to answer.

This week, I’ll be joined by MLBTR founder Tim Dierkes. If there’s anything you’d like to get myself and Tim’s thoughts on then please submit your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Voice memos will be played out on air so speak clearly and cleanly. Please start your recording with your name and try and keep it as succinct as possible – no more than 15 seconds. An example might be: “Hey guys, Simon here in Minneapolis, what are your thoughts on the Pablo Lopez extension and do you think the Twins will try and extend any of their other starters?”

We look forward to hearing from you!

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

You can also listen to Episode 2 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts! On that episode, Steve Adams and I discussed the Rays’ hot start to the season, Grayson Rodriguez’ call-up to the Orioles, the state of the Angels’ bullpen and much more.

Angels Promote Zach Neto, Option David Fletcher

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The Angels made a significant transaction today, calling up top prospect Zach Neto, their first round pick from the 2022 draft. In the corresponding move, the Angels optioned David Fletcher, sending the six-year veteran to Triple-A. To make room on the 40-man roster, Chris Rodriguez has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Neto will make his debut less than a year after the Angels took him 13th overall in the draft. The 22-year-old has absolutely torn up minor league pitching in that time, slashing .444/.559/.815 with three home runs in 34 plate appearances at Double-A to start this year, after slashing .320/.389/.492 over 136 plate appearances at the level last year.

All told, it took Neto just 44 minor league games to do enough for the Angels to call him up, and he’s now expected to take over as their everyday shortstop, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Neto as the Angels’ top prospect, and had him 59th overall in the sport. Law describes Neto as a “definite shortstop who projects to be a plus defender”, and combined with his bat expects him to be a “strong regular”.

The other side of this transaction is the demotion of Fletcher. The 28-year-old signed a five-year, $26MM extension just prior to the 2021 season, but Fletcher’s numbers have since deteriorated. After hitting .298/.356/.395 over 883 plate appearances between 2019-20, Fletcher has managed only a .258/.292/.323 slash line with four home runs over 909 PA, good for a wRC+ of just 69.

Fletcher’s a quality defender at second and third, posting a combined 31 Outs Above Average at the two positions throughout his career, while he’s more of a solid defender (two career OAA) at shortstop. He’s also sporadically played in the outfield.

Fletcher’s owed $6MM in 2023, and then a further $12.5MM over the next two seasons plus $3MM in buyouts on a pair of club options for 2026-27. It’s not an overly burdensome amount of money, but it’s a lot to be paying a minor league infielder. It’s possible the Angels see if Fletcher can rediscover his bat at Triple-A and then look to recall him to serve as a utilityman on the big league club going forward.

Of course, Neto has never played above Double-A so if he struggles after a stint in the big leagues the team could opt to give him a bit more time at Triple-A to develop and turn back to Fletcher. For now though, Neto will be the Angels’ starting shortstop, and if his hitting in the minor leagues can translate to the Show he could have that position for many years to come.

Reds Place Connor Overton On 15-Day IL

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The Reds have placed right hander Connor Overton on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain, the team announced. They have recalled right hander Casey Legumina from Triple-A to take his place on the active roster.

It’s been a rough start to the season for the 29-year-old, giving up 14 earned runs in 11 innings over three starts. It’s an unfortunate development for a player who impressed to the tune of a 2.73 ERA over 33 innings late last year for the Reds. Now it seems the issue with his elbow may have been behind his struggles to start the year.

In his place, the Reds will call on Legumina to make his big league debut. Originally drafted by the Twins in the eighth round back in 2019, Legumina came over to the Reds in the Kyle Farmer deal this winter. The Twins had added him to their 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft, but he’s yet to appear in the big leagues.

Legumina’s been working in relief at Triple-A Louisville, putting up a 1.59 ERA in 5 2/3 innings. Even though he’s replacing a starter on the roster, it’s likely that Legumina will continue in a relief role with the Reds. Luke Weaver is set to come off the IL to take what would have been Overton’s next start, so the Reds can use an extra spot in their bullpen in the meantime.

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