The New And Improved Clarke Schmidt
A lot has gone right for the Yankees in 2024. Even without the services of reigning Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole through the season’s 30% mark, they find themselves atop the American League East by a measure of two games over the second-place Orioles. The Rays, eight games back, are a distant third. Boston and Toronto follow with deficits of 8.5 games and 10.5 games, respectively.
Beyond Cole’s absence, the Yanks dealt with a prolonged slump for 2022 MVP Aaron Judge and have yet to get so much as a single at-bat from DJ LeMahieu due to a fractured foot suffered in spring training. Setup man Jonathan Loaisiga pitched only four innings before requiring internal brace surgery. On the flip side, Juan Soto has lived up to the billing as a middle-of-the-order force. Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes both look like the pitchers the Yankees expected them to be in 2023. Marcus Stroman has handled himself well, albeit with an uncharacteristic uptick in walks.
For all the big names turning in marquee and/or rebound performances, the Yankees have also seen substantial improvement from a key in-house arm. Righty Clarke Schmidt was a top prospect long before he made his MLB debut, and he made 29 serviceable starts last season, so it’s not as though he wasn’t expected to contribute at all this year. But heading into the season, Schmidt looked like a clear back-of-the-rotation arm.
About one-third of the way through the 2024 season, that’s no longer the case. Schmidt still looks the part of a big league starter, but he’s taken considerable steps forward and now looks like far more than a garden variety innings eater. Schmidt has upped his velocity by a bit more than a mile per hour on both his cutter (up from 91.5 mph to 92.6 mph) and sinker (93.6 mph in 2023, 94.7 mph in 2024). Schmidt is also taking a page from the Corbin Burnes playbook, throwing more cutters than at any point in his career, and doing so at the expense of his sweeper and sinker. It’s not an overwhelming change in pitch selection, but Schmidt has gone from throwing that cutter around 28% of the time to 35.5% of the time in 2024.
The biggest change for Schmidt, however, isn’t necessarily one of pitch usage but rather of pitch effectiveness. Opponents in 2023 teed off on his sweeper, blasting the pitch at a .276/.331/.559 pace when putting it into play. Opponents basically became 2023-24 Gunnar Henderson when putting Schmidt’s sweeper into play. That’s … not good. (Well, not good for Schmidt.)
In 2024, Schmidt has actually taken a bit of life off that breaking ball. Coupled with the uptick in cutter/sinker velocity, the gap between those harder pitches and his primary breaking ball has widened by around two miles per hour. Last year saw a 5.3 mph gap between his cutter and sweeper, and a 7.4 mph gap between the sinker and sweeper. This year, those differentials are up to respective marks of 6.9 mph and 9.0 mph. Additionally, by measure of Statcast, Schmidt’s sweeper is also generating an extra 3.3 inches of horizontal break over last year’s version of the pitch.
The tweaks are subtle but the changes in Schmidt’s results aren’t. Through his first 10 starts of the season, the right-hander touts a 2.59 ERA (3.54 FIP, 3.38 SIERA). His strikeout rate is up from 21.5% to a career-best 27.2%. His walk rate has worsened, but only slightly, and at 7.6%, it’s still a percentage point better than the league average. Schmidt is generating more swinging strikes (10.2% in 2023, 12.2% in 2024), getting more called strikes and has seen his opponents’ contact rates drop both in the zone and off the plate. A hearty 41% of batted balls against Schmidt last year traveled 95 mph or more, but this year that rate is down to 34.8%. His opponents’ average exit velocity is down roughly one mile per hour. He’s allowing less contact, and the balls that are put into play against him are generally more timid in nature.
Schmidt’s step forward is well-timed for the Yankees on multiple fronts. Not only does it dovetail with a time when rotation depth is paramount for the Yankees as they await Cole’s return, it also comes when Schmidt is still controllable for a considerable period of time. Schmidt is 28 and already into arbitration, earning $2.184MM this season, but he’s a Super Two player who was only first-time eligible this past offseason. The Yankees control him for three more seasons.
While Schmidt’s arb price will rise considerably if he can sustain even 80% of the gains he’s made this season, he’ll still be priced well below market levels at a time when the Yankees are in the final years of some relatively heavy veteran contracts. Stroman ($18.5MM next season, plus an $18MM vesting option for 2026), Anthony Rizzo ($17MM club option), LeMahieu ($15MM in 2025 and 2026), will all still be on the books in the short-term, when Schmidt’s price tag is particularly affordable. Given the Yankees’ long-term commitments to Cole, Judge, Rodon and Giancarlo Stanton — plus their obvious hope of re-signing Soto — having low-cost contributors like Schmidt play key roles is of even greater importance.
Speaking of Soto, his very presence on the roster made it crucial that Schmidt and other in-house arms step up in 2024. The Yankees parted with notable pitching depth to acquire Soto from San Diego, sending Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez and top prospect Drew Thorpe to the Padres in that package. King would’ve been locked into a rotation spot in the Bronx, and each of Brito, Vasquez and Thorpe were depth options for this year’s rotation. You could argue it’s a quantity-over-quality group, but the Soto trade left the Yankees with much less depth to rely on in the event of injuries. A step back from Schmidt would’ve been magnified even further with Cole on the shelf.
Instead, Schmidt has taken significant steps forward — thanks to changes that make much of his improvement feel sustainable. He’s not likely to keep running a sub-3.00 ERA, but Schmidt looks far more like a mid-3.00s type of pitcher than the 2023 version of himself that appeared ticketed for a mid-4.00s mark.
White Sox Recall Zach DeLoach For MLB Debut
2:30pm: The White Sox have officially recalled DeLoach and right-hander Nick Nastrini, with the promotion of the latter reported on yesterday. In corresponding moves, Jimenez has been placed on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain and right-hander Steven Wilson lands on the 15-day IL due to a back strain, the latter retroactive to May 20.
9:10am: The White Sox are set to recall outfielder Zach DeLoach for his big league debut prior to today’s game against the Blue Jays, reports Francys Romero, who notes that DeLoach is coming up in light of Eloy Jimenez‘s injury. The Sox DH suffered a strained left hamstring last night, and the promotion of DeLoach likely points to another IL stint for the frequently injured Jimenez. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that while Jimenez is set to be further evaluated today, an IL stint is indeed seen as probable.
DeLoach, 25, was a second-round pick by the Mariners in 2020 who came to the Sox organization by way of the offseason Gregory Santos trade. He entered the season ranked 16th among Sox prospects at Baseball America and currently sits 29th on MLB.com’s White Sox top-30.
The left-handed-hitting DeLoach has opened the 2024 season with a .263/.358/.351 slash, two homers and eight steals in 159 plate appearances down in Charlotte. That’s a drop-off from the .286/.387/.481 slash he posted in 623 Triple-A plate appearances last year, though DeLoach has noticeably cut his strikeout rate from 27.8% to 22.6% and done so while maintaining an excellent 11.9% walk rate. Keen plate discipline is a hallmark of his game; DeLoach has never walked at anything lower than an 11.2% clip in his minor league career and carries an overall 13% walk rate since being drafted.
DeLoach has played all three outfield positions in his career, but he’s spent the bulk of his time in right field. MLB.com’s scouting report credits him with an average arm, while BA has him slightly below and feels he’s best-suited in left field. Despite last year’s 23 homers and the eight bags he’s already swiped this season, DeLoach doesn’t draw plus grades for either his power or speed. He’ll give the Sox an OBP-focused corner bat who’ll probably need to improve either his power, glovework or speed in order to profile as an everyday option — particularly since he’s been inconsistent when it comes to facing left-handed pitching.
DeLoach posted strong numbers against southpaws in 2023 and 2021 but struggled against them in 2022 and so far in 2024. On the whole, he’s handled lefties better than the average left-handed bat, but DeLoach hasn’t been nearly as steady against same-handed opponents as he has against right-handed pitchers, who he’s consistently knocked around throughout his pro career.
With Andrew Benintendi, Tommy Pham, Gavin Sheets, Dominic Fletcher and Corey Julks all already on the roster, DeLoach will give Chicago six outfield options. However, Benintendi has been one of the game’s least-productive hitters this season, while Sheets could see more time at DH with Jimenez hurt and/or at first base, where Andrew Vaughn has struggled nearly as much as Benintendi.
Braves Re-Sign Jackson Stephens On Minor League Deal
The Braves have re-signed righty Jackson Stephens to a new minor league contract, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Stephens previously cleared waivers and rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency. Ultimately, he’ll stick with the club for the time being, though it’s possible the new deal has new opt-out language down the road.
Stephens pitched 3 1/3 innings for Atlanta earlier this season, allowing a run on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts. The 30-year-old right-hander has spent the past three seasons in the Braves organization, with much of that time coming in Gwinnett. Since 2022, Stephens has a 3.52 ERA in 69 big league innings (3.78 FIP, 4.13 SIERA). Stephens’ 19.7% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate are less appealing than that baseline earned run average, but he’s nevertheless generally been effective with the Braves. He’s posted similar mid-3.00s ERA marks with Gwinnett dating back to 2022 as well.
An 18th-round pick by the Reds back in 2012, Stephens ranked among Cincinnati’s most promising arms through 2018. He pitched in two seasons with the team that drafted him, recording a 4.83 ERA in 63 1/3 innings from 2017-18. Stephens spent the entire 2019 campaign in the minors and became a free agent after the Reds outrighted him following that season. He was out of baseball for the shortened 2020 season (and canceled minor league season) and then spent the 2021 season with the Mexican League’s Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos before joining the Braves in the 2021-22 offseason.
Born and raised in Oxford, Alabama — just 90 miles west of Atlanta — it’s not that surprising that Stephens has come to feel at home in the Braves organization. He could certainly have found a minor league deal elsewhere — perhaps with a club that has a less-established bullpen group in the majors — but the proximity to home and the familiarity he’s developed over three years in the organization both likely appealed to him. He’ll head back to Gwinnett and try to pitch his way back onto the big league roster this summer.
Astros Notes: Abreu, Garcia, Tucker
Although prior indications were that Jose Abreu could return to the Astros for this Friday’s series opener against the A’s, it seems his optional assignment in the minors will last at least a bit longer. Manager Joe Espada told the Astros beat today that Abreu will play games with the organization’s Arizona Complex League affiliate today and tomorrow before heading to Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday (X link via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). A return later in the weekend series hasn’t been ruled out, but the team isn’t formally committing to a timeline at this point.
Abreu, 37, rather surprisingly agreed to an optional assignment earlier this year after enduring the worst stretch of his major league career. The former AL MVP opened the season mired in a calamitous slump, hitting just .099/.156/.113 in 77 plate appearances. He’s currently 6-for-18 with a pair of doubles, a walk and two strikeouts — albeit against Rookie-level competition. Any sign of life from Abreu is an encouraging step, given his awful start to the season, however. It seems he’ll get at least a game or two against more advanced Triple-A competition after that confidence booster and mental reset in the ACL.
Abreu is in the second season of a three-year, $58.5MM free agent contract signed when the Astros were operating without a general manager in place. Owner Jim Crane largely oversaw baseball operations between the surprise ouster of former GM James Click and the hiring of current general manager Dana Brown. That contract gives the club plenty of incentive to try to get Abreu back on track, difficult as his time with the organization has been thus far. Since putting pen to paper, Abreu has mustered only a .221/.280/.352 batting line in 671 plate appearances.
In Abreu’s absence, Jon Singleton has taken up the everyday first base job. He’s turned in a .224/.346/.448 slash in 81 plate appearances with Abreu off the roster, though much of his damage came in the first few games following Abreu’s demotion. Singleton homered last night, but that was his first extra-base hit in nearly two weeks. Between Singleton and Abreu, Houston first basemen have posted a combined .170/.260/.275 line on the season.
Woeful first base production has been just one of many issues for a disappointing Houston club. The Astros’ injury-plagued starting staff has seen major regression from Hunter Brown and J.P. France while rookie Spencer Arrighetti has struggled in his debut campaign. Righty Ronel Blanco is in the midst of a breakout, but stalwart lefty Framber Valdez has been inconsistent. Each of Valdez, Justin Verlander and Cristian Javier has spent time on the injured list already this season.
The Astros are awaiting the eventual returns of notable arms like Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr., both of whom opened the year on the injured list while rehabbing from major surgeries. Garcia took a notable step in his recovery this week, throwing off the mound at Minute Maid Park, tweets Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.
The 27-year-old Garcia underwent Tommy John surgery early last May, so he’s now past the one-year mark in his recovery. He’ll still need to face hitters in live batting practice/simulated games before heading out on a minor league rehab assignment, so a return isn’t nigh just yet. At the same time, it’s encouraging that he’s progressed to mound work and has yet to incur any sort of setback. In 352 innings from 2020-23, Garcia pitched to a 3.61 ERA with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate.
Even as the Astros navigate these shorter-term issues, there are still big-picture items to consider. Brown has said countless times since being hired that he hopes to extend outfielder Kyle Tucker and keep the former No. 5 overall pick in Houston for his entire career. He did so again today, appearing on the Sean Salisbury Show on SportsTalk 790 and stating (X links via 790’s Brian LaLima):
“Currently, not talking extension. We love Kyle Tucker. We have him under contract til 2025. I talked to his agent during spring training but right now we aren’t in discussion. We’d love him to retire here if possible. He knows we want to sign him here and his agent knows we want to sign him here. At some point, we’ll get an offer to him.”
At this point, Astros fans surely take such quotes with a grain of salt. The Astros quickly extended the aforementioned Javier after Brown was hired and have since hammered out a new long-term deal with Jose Altuve, but Brown has routinely made public comments about his desire to extend Tucker, Alex Bregman, Valdez and others without talks ever appearing to gain real steam. That he’s suggesting the team “will get an offer” to Tucker “at some point” seems a clear indicator that there haven’t yet been serious negotiations. Given Tucker’s increasing proximity to free agency and his ascension to bona fide MVP candidate, it’s tough to envision a deal coming together.
Tucker, 27, was already an excellent hitter from 2021-23, but this year’s offensive output is on a whole new level. In 215 trips to the plate, he’s slashing .293/.425/.649 — a mammoth 101% better than the average hitter, by measure of wRC+. Tucker has already belted 17 home runs (one every 12.6 plate appearances) and has walked more than he’s struck out (18.6% to 16.7%).
That level of production, coupled with the fact that Tucker will reach the open market heading into his age-29 season, should position him for the type of long-term megadeal from which Crane has shied away. The Astros haven’t given out a contract longer than Yordan Alvarez‘s six-year, $115MM extension under Crane’s ownership, and the $151MM in new money that was guaranteed to Altuve on the second of his three Astros extensions is the largest sum Crane has committed at once. Tucker could realistically double that sum (and then some) in free agency.
Royals Release Zach Davies
The Royals have released veteran right-hander Zach Davies from his minor league contract, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’s pitched decently with Triple-A Omaha while the major league rotation has been a strength in Kansas City, so it’s possible Davies had a mid-May out clause in his minor league pact.
Davies, 31, signed with Kansas City back on April 8. He’d spent spring training with the Nationals but allowed 14 earned runs in 14 innings over four starts and was cut loose. To some extent, he’s turned things around in Omaha, logging 21 innings (five starts) with a 4.29 ERA. A 12.9% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate combine to create skepticism about Davies’ work with the Royals’ top affiliate. He’s never been one to miss many bats, but those rates are subpar even by his own modest standards.
In 1048 1/3 big league innings, Davies carries a 4.36 ERA (4.48 FIP, 4.80 SIERA). He had a particularly strong run with the Brewers and Padres from 2015-20, posting a 3.79 ERA and 4.18 FIP in 683 2/3 innings. Things have gone awry since then.
While Davies pitched more or less in line with his career norms in a 2022 season with the D-backs, that solid campaign was bookended by disastrous showings: a 5.78 ERA in 32 starts for the Cubs in ’21 as well as a 7.00 ERA in 18 starts with the ’23 D-backs. Overall, Davies’ last three seasons have resulted in a combined 5.43 ERA. An apparent dip in his command has been the main culprit; Davies had a 6.9% walk rate from ’15-’20 but has seen that number spike to 10.3% since. He’s also become far more homer-prone, suggesting some imprecision even within the strike zone.
At the moment, Royals starters rank fourth in the majors with a 3.09 ERA and trail only the Phillies for the MLB lead in innings pitched. The quintet of Cole Ragans, Brady Singer, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Alec Marsh has provided Kansas City with the sort of starting pitching stability the club has lacked for years. Those five have started all but two of the team’s games this season. Daniel Lynch IV and Jonathan Bowlan each got one start while Marsh was on the 15-day IL with an elbow contusion he sustained when hit by a comebacker. He’s since returned from that brief IL stay.
With that strong output from the big league staff, there was no obvious path to the big leagues for Davies in Kansas City. However, with so many pitching injuries popping up around the sport, he’ll likely draw interest from other clubs seeking to deepen their rotation group. The Red Sox, Rays, Rockies, Marlins and Davies’ former Brewers club all have multiple starters of note on the injured list, for instance.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Pirates Notes: Bae, Tellez, Lamb
The Pirates announced Tuesday that they’ve recalled infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned righty Ryder Ryan to Triple-A in his place. (Noah Wiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported Bae’s looming promotion). It’s the third straight season with some MLB time for Bae, but this time around he’ll be looking to carve out some staying power on the heels of a big start to his season in the International League.
Through his first 122 plate appearances of the season, Bae has turned in a ridiculous .367/.479/.551 batting line — about 72% better than league-average production, by measure of wRC+. He’s clearly earned himself a look in the majors, though there’s ample reason to take those rate stats with a grain of salt. For instance, Bae has been set down on strikes in 28% of his plate appearances so far. Were it not for a comically high .525 average on balls in play, his slash line wouldn’t look nearly so strong. Fans should temper their expectations, gaudy Triple-A stats notwithstanding.
That said, there are also some encouraging signs. Bae is drawing walks at a mammoth 17.2% clip through his first 27 Triple-A games. He’s popped four homers after only hitting three in 120 games (MLB and Triple-A combined) last season. He’s 7-for-10 in stolen bases as well, showing the speed that helped him swipe 24 bags for the Bucs just last season. At the very least, he’s deserving of an opportunity to try to show he’s better than 2023’s .231/.296/.311 slash in 371 big league plate appearances.
Bae has experience at second base and in the outfield, but the latter seems a likelier landing spot. The Pirates only recently called up second baseman Nick Gonzales in another effort to spark a tepid offense, and he’s already ripped a couple of homers while posting a solid enough .265/.297/.471 line in 38 turns at the plate.
One option for the Bucs would be to displace struggling first baseman Rowdy Tellez, pushing right fielder Connor Joe to first base in place. Tellez has managed only a .181/.250/.233 line in 128 plate appearances since signing a one-year, $3.2MM deal over the winter. Meanwhile, Joe — who’s played 750 big league innings at first base — has mashed at a .280/.350/.476 pace. With six long balls, he’s already more than halfway to his 2023 total (11) in just one-third the playing time.
Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette took a look at Tellez’s significant struggles yesterday, noting that players like Bae and minor league signee Jake Lamb (.342/.438/.514 in 137 Triple-A plate appearances) have earned a look with their play thus far. Mackey speculated in an appearance on 93.7 FM The Fan in Pittsburgh this morning that a move involving Tellez could be nigh, though he’s since more concretely reported that Tellez is expected to hang onto his roster spot for now and to be in uniform for tonight’s contest.
Assistant general manager Steve Sanders appeared on The Fan this weekend as well, touching on Lamb’s success in Indianapolis and whether the club might be tempted to make a move (link via Justin Guerriero of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Sanders sidestepped, calling Lamb “an incredible professional on and off the field” as well as “one of the toughest outs in the minor leagues right now.” Sanders praised Lamb’s leadership and work with young Pirates prospects in Triple-A but wouldn’t commit to a promotion in the near future, only stating: “It gives us a really good feeling knowing we have a quality bat there.”
Pittsburgh has received strong offensive output from the aforementioned Joe, from Bryan Reynolds and from catcher Joey Bart, in addition to a handful of roughly league-average batting lines (Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Edward Olivares). They’ve also seen 2023 breakout slugger Jack Suwinski struggle tremendously, however, while top catching prospect Henry Davis has already been optioned to Indianapolis in an effort to get back on track at the plate. Opening Day second baseman Jared Triolo has hit just .212/.297/.265 and could see his playing time dry up once Ke’Bryan Hayes is ready to return at third base. Triolo has shifted to the hot corner for now to cover for the injured Hayes and in deference to Gonzales.
Currently, Pittsburgh is tied with Oakland for the third-fewest runs in the majors (180). Pirates hitters collectively rank 27th in batting average (.226), 26th in on-base percentage (.301) and 28th in slugging percentage (.353). At 24.7%, they have the game’s sixth-highest strikeout rate, although to their credit, the 9.4% team walk rate is also tied for fifth-highest in MLB. For now, they’ll hope that the recent additions of Gonzales and now Bae can be a catalyst for better run production, but more significant changes likely loom on the horizon if the lineup continues to sputter.
D-backs, Matt Beaty Agree To Minor League Deal
The D-backs have agreed to a minor league contract with first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty, as noted on the transaction log at MiLB.com. Beaty is now listed on the roster for Arizona’s Double-A affiliate in Amarillo.
Beaty, 31, is making his rounds through the National League West, having been drafted/developed by the Dodgers, who then traded him to the Padres in 2022. He also got into four games with the Giants last season, so the Snakes will be his fourth NL West club if he reaches the MLB level at any point.
In 675 big league plate appearances dating back to 2019, Beaty is a .247/.323/.394 hitter with 18 homers, a 16.7% strikeout rate and a 7% walk rate rate. Most of the former 12th-round pick’s production came during a 2021 showing with the Dodgers that saw him post a hearty .270/.363/.402 line in 234 trips to the plate. Beaty has struggled mightily since that time, hitting just .173/.277/.240 in a small sample of 119 plate appearances between the Padres, Giants and Royals.
In addition to last year’s sparse big league work, Beaty spent 44 games in Triple-A between Omaha (Royals) and Sacramento (Giants), slashing a combined .279/.395/.455. That level of production is par for the course for Beaty in the upper minors. He’s played in parts of five Triple-A seasons and sports a .287/.386/.421 line overall, thanks largely to excellent contact skills (15% strikeout rate) and a keen eye at the plate (9.2% walk rate).
The Diamondbacks have been one of baseball’s least-productive teams against right-handed pitching, which the left-handed-hitting Beaty handles far better than he does fellow southpaws. D-backs hitters have logged a combined .224/.308/.357 against righties, sitting 25th in the majors by measure of wRC+ (92).
Joc Pederson has absolutely feasted on right-handed pitching, while Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno have provided strong on-base marks against right-handers. However, the D-backs have received poor production against righties from veteran Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and even more surprisingly from lefty-swinging Corbin Carroll, whose overall output at the plate this season has been shockingly anemic. Lefty bench bat Pavin Smith has struggled as well and (barring a turnaround) would seemingly be the most at risk if Beaty shows well in the minors. Any such decision is likely a ways off, however. Beaty hasn’t played yet this season — his Instagram reveals he and his wife welcomed a child midway through the offseason while he was a minor league free agent — and he will presumably need some time to ramp up before he’d even be considered a big league option.
Guardians Designate Ramon Laureano For Assignment
The Guardians have designated outfielder Ramon Laureano for assignment, tweets Zack Meisel of The Athletic. In his place, the team is promoting outfield prospect Johnathan Rodriguez for his MLB debut. Rodriguez is already on the 40-man roster, so the move also frees up a 40-man spot for Cleveland. Guardians Prospective first reported that Rodriguez was getting the call to the big leagues.
Laureano, 29, came to the Guardians early last August after the A’s placed him on waivers in hopes of finding a taker for the remainder of last season’s salary. The Guardians obliged, hoping that Laureano would provide a boost down the stretch as they tried to keep pace in the American League Central. The veteran did provide a bit of offense, hitting .243/.342/.382 following the claim (106 wRC+), but the Guards wound up missing the postseason.
It was something of a surprise to see a budget-conscious team like Cleveland tender Laureano a contract this winter. He wound up agreeing to a $5.15MM salary, which amounted to a significant portion of the Guardians’ very limited offseason resources. The team made that commitment despite Laureano having turned in a bleak .224/.304/.371 slash (91 wRC+) on the season overall — and a .218/.296/.373 batting line in 2022-23 combined (93 wRC+).
The decision didn’t go at all as the Cleveland front office or the player himself hoped. Laureano’s strikeout rate has absolutely erupted to a career-worst 38.6% this season. He’s hitting just .143/.265/.229, albeit in a small sample of 83 plate appearances. Just four of his 10 hits have gone for extra bases (one homer, three doubles). The Guardians will have a week to try to trade Laureano, place him on outright waivers or release him.
Given the pronounced nature of Laureano’s struggles at the dish and his relatively notable salary, they won’t find a trade market for his services. Laureano is overwhelmingly unlikely to be claimed on waivers due to that salary and will thus likely clear and become a free agent. He has enough service time to retain all of his salary even if he rejects an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Earlier in his career, Laureano was a quality regular in Oakland. From 2018-21, he turned in a sound .263/.335/.465 batting line (119 wRC+) with 49 homers and 34 steals over the life of 1257 plate appearances. That came while playing strong defense across all three outfield spots. Laureano was an oft-rumored trade candidate and might well have been part of Oakland’s fire sale, but an 80-game PED suspension midway through the 2021 season tanked his value. That proved all the more costly, as his suspension surely played a role in pushing the A’s to part with left-hander Jesus Luzardo to acquire Starling Marte from the Marlins in a rental deal while Oakland made a push for the postseason.
As for the 24-year-old Rodriguez, he’ll step into the Cleveland outfield for his MLB debut after hitting .276/.389/.449 in 185 Triple-A plate appearances this season. The 2017 third-rounder entered the season ranked 23rd among Guarda farmhands at Baseball America, 16th at MLB.com and 30th at FanGraphs.
The 6’0″, 225-pound Rodriguez draws praise for his plus raw power but also some skepticism for his penchant to chase and whiff. He’s walked in a huge 15.7% of his plate appearances in Triple-A Columbus but also fanned at a 25.4% clip. That’s a suboptimal mark against Triple-A pitching but also a marked improvement over 2023’s 32.4% strikeout rate in 202 Triple-A plate appearances. Rodriguez is a former switch-hitter who now bats exclusively from the right side of the plate. He popped 29 homers between Double-A and Triple-A last season, and he’s already slugged seven long balls on the season.
Strikeouts will likely continue to be a part of his game, but probably not to the extremes that Laureano experienced this season. Rodriguez will also add some legitimate thump to a Cleveland lineup that in recent years has been light on power but is turning a corner this season. Thanks in part to a big step forward from emerging star Josh Naylor, the Guards rank ninth in the majors with 51 big flies on the season. Rodriguez gives them another power bat. He won’t be nearly as strong a defender in the outfield corners as Laureano was, but MLB.com pegs him as a potentially average right fielder and Baseball America touts his plus throwing arm.
Mariners’ Sam Haggerty Suffers Torn Achilles
Mariners utilityman Sam Haggerty suffered a torn Achilles tendon while trying to run down a deep fly-ball with the team’s Triple-A affiliate over the weekend, general manager Justin Hollander announced to reporters Monday (X link via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). The injury will cost him the remainder of the 2024 season.
Haggerty opened the season on the injured list, was optioned to Triple-A in mid-April, recalled in late April, and then optioned back to Tacoma just last week after a cold spell at the plate. Playing center field for Tacoma, he was tracking a hard-hit fly ball that dropped just beyond his reach. Haggerty, running hard toward the gap, climbed/ran up the outfield wall to slow himself down and crumbled to the warning track upon landing (video link via MiLB Mariners on X). He was in clear agony while being checked on by teammates and the training staff.
The 29-year-old Haggerty has played in just eight big league games this season and went 1-for-15 in that time, but he’s been an oft-used bench/utility player for manager Scott Servais when healthy in recent years. A shoulder injury, a groin strain and a concussion have limited his time on the field even before this gruesome Achilles tear, but Haggerty hit .255/.342/.382 in 135 games from 2022-23, appearing at all three outfield spots and every infield position other than shortstop.
In parts of six big league seasons, Haggerty is a .232/.312/.351 hitter with nine homers and 33 steals (in 36 attempts) through 477 plate appearances. His right-handed bat has been overmatched by fellow righties (.209/.278/.272), but he’s pounded left-handed opponents at a .263/.355/.452 pace in his big league career.
That the injury occurred in the minor leagues is particularly unfortunate for Haggerty, as he’ll be placed on the minor league injured list rather than the MLB injured list for the time being. If the Mariners want to free up a 40-man roster spot at any point, they can recall Haggerty to the majors and place him on the 60-day IL, where he’d accrue big league service time. Haggerty entered the year with 3.044 years of service and agreed to a $900K salary to avoid arbitration this offseason. He’s under club control through the 2026 season and would be arb-eligible again this winter. Coming off a season-ending injury after only 16 plate appearances, he’d very likely command that exact same salary again for the 2025 campaign.