MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Dodgers Claim Taylor Trammell
The Dodgers have claimed outfielder Taylor Trammell off waivers from the Mariners, who’d designated him for assignment last week, Robert Murray of FanSided reports. Trammell is out of minor league options, so he’ll go right onto the Dodgers’ active roster.
Now 26 years old, Trammell was the No. 35 overall pick by the Reds back in 2016. He ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects each season from 2018-21 and has participated in a pair of Futures Games but hasn’t yet found success in the majors. He had multiple auditions with the Mariners — who acquired him alongside Andres Munoz and Ty France in exchange for Austin Nola, Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla — but has produced only a .168/.270/.368 batting line with a huge 37% strikeout rate in 351 MLB plate appearances.
That said, Trammell has been vastly better in Triple-A. He’s spent parts of three seasons there as well, turning in a stout .274/.381/.506 batting line with a 24% strikeout rate that’s worlds better than his MLB clip. Trammell has shown off his eye at the plate both in the majors (11.1% walk rate) and in Triple-A (14%).
Trammell’s once better-than-average speed has declined, as Statcast ranked him in just the 43rd percentile of MLB players in average sprint speed last year. His defensive grades from metrics like Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved haven’t lined up with scouting reports that pegged him as a potentially plus defender in the outfield, either. Trammell has probably hit for more power than was expected early in his prospect days. His .368 slugging isn’t much to look at, but when considering his low batting average, he’s sitting on a .200 ISO in his big league career. He’s also popped 38 homers in his 812 Triple-A plate appearances.
His role with the Dodgers is yet to be determined, though fellow lefty-swinging outfielder Jason Heyward has been dealing with a back issue. If Heyward needs to miss any time, Trammell could step into his role as a stopgap until the veteran is able to return.
Wei-Yin Chen Signs With Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks
Eight-year MLB veteran Wei-Yin Chen has signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, the team announced Tuesday. He’ll return to the mound after not pitching anywhere during the 2023 season.
Chen, now 38 years old, was a mainstay in the Orioles’ rotation from 2012-15 when he recorded 706 2/3 frames of 3.72 ERA ball (4.14 FIP, 4.04 SIERA) with an 18.5% strikeout rate, 5.8% walk rate and 38.5% ground-ball rate. The Taiwanese-born lefty came to the O’s on a four-year deal after a five-year run with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He parlayed his solid showing in Baltimore into a five-year, $80MM contract in Miami that didn’t at all pan out as he or the Marlins hoped.
Chen was active for parts of the first four seasons of that contract, combining for 358 innings with a greatly diminished 5.10 ERA. His average fastball dropped by more than a mile per hour, and while his command remained strong and his strikeout rate slightly improved in Miami, Chen was quite a bit more homer-prone with the Fish than he had been with the O’s. A UCL injury midway through his Marlins tenure wiped out nearly all of his 2017 season. It never required surgery, but Chen still struggled out of the 2018 rotation and in a bullpen role in 2019. The Marlins ate the final year and $22MM on his contract when they released him following the 2019 campaign.
Since leaving the Marlins, Chen signed a minor league deal with the Mariners but never made their roster. He returned to Japan for the 2020-22 seasons, suiting up for the Chiba Lotte Marines and Hanshin Tigers. He was limited to 68 innings with those two teams’ big league clubs but pitched quite well when healthy and on the roster, turning in an ERA well shy of 3.00. Chen didn’t pitch in 2023.
While a big league comeback as he approaches his 39th birthday (July 21) seems like a long shot, it’s not impossible. The Atlantic League is an official partner league of MLB, and we’ve seen plenty of players utilize that setting as a launching pad back to affiliated ball over the years. MLB scouts will surely get looks at him on the mound. A strong enough performance could net him a minor league deal with an MLB club and put him one step away from getting back to the majors. Even if not, he’ll make for a fun comeback story to follow on the indie circuit this season.
Larry Lucchino Passes Away
Former Red Sox, Padres and Orioles president Larry Lucchino passed away Tuesday at 78, his family announced. Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement in a press release:
“Larry Lucchino was one of the most accomplished executives that our industry has ever had. He was deeply driven, he understood baseball’s place in our communities, and he had a keen eye for executive talent. Larry’s vision for Camden Yards played a vital role in advancing fan-friendly ballparks across the game. He followed up by overseeing the construction of Petco Park, which remains a jewel of the San Diego community. Then Larry teamed with John Henry and Tom Werner to produce the most successful era in Red Sox history, which included historic World Series Championships on the field and a renewed commitment to Fenway Park. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my condolences to Larry’s family, his Red Sox colleagues and his many friends throughout our National Pastime.”
Lucchino spent six years as the Orioles’ president, from 1988-93, before spending seven years as the Padres’ president and CEO (1995-2001) and 14 years as the president and CEO of the Red Sox (2002-15). He’s widely credited with the visions behind Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Petco Park in San Diego, both of which were constructed during his time as president for those respective franchises. His 14-year run with the Red Sox included Boston’s curse-breaking 2004 World Series championship and subsequent World Series victories in 2007 and in 2013.
After stepping down from his role following the 2015 season, Lucchino remained connected to the franchise as a partial owner of the Sox’ Triple-A club and the president and CEO emeritus of Fenway Sports Group. A three-time cancer survivor, Lucchino also became the chairman of the Jimmy Fund in 2016 — a charity that has raised millions of dollars for Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through various community-based fundraising events.
“Larry’s career unfolded like a playbook of triumphs, marked by transformative moments that reshaped ballpark design, enhanced the fan experience, and engineered the ideal conditions for championships wherever his path led him, and especially in Boston,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a statement this morning. “Yet, perhaps his most enduring legacy lies in the remarkable people he helped assemble at the Red Sox, all of whom are a testament to his training, wisdom, and mentorship. Many of them continue to shape the organization today, carrying forward the same vigor, vitality, and cherished sayings that were hallmarks of Larry’s personality. Larry was a formidable opponent in any arena, and while he battled hard, he always maintained the utmost respect for a worthy adversary and found genuine joy in sparring with people. I was lucky enough to have had him in my corner for 14 years and to have called him a close friend for even longer. He was truly irreplaceable and will be missed by all of us at the Red Sox.”
For a comprehensive look at the impact Lucchino had in Boston, Baltimore and San Diego, this morning’s pieces from John Powers of the Boston Globe, Ryan Finley of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner are rife with old quotes from Lucchino and anecdotes shared by those who worked with him throughout his remarkable career. In addition to the Red Sox (who released statements from Sam Kennedy and Tom Werner, in addition to the aforementioned Henry statement) the Orioles have also released a statement on Lucchino’s passing:
“We are heartbroken over the news of the passing of former Orioles president and CEO, Larry Lucchino. A pioneer in the sport, we will forever be grateful for his impact on our organization, highlighted by the construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball. We join our entire baseball family in mourning this loss and extend our thoughts and prayers to his loved ones and many friends throughout the game.”
We at MLBTR extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Lucchino, as well as the countless baseball fans whose experiences of the game were impacted and enhanced by his contributions.
Mets Place Tylor Megill on Injured List
April 2: Megill will be shut down from throwing for five to seven days before being reevaluated, writes Mike Puma of the New York Post. The right-hander said after his IL placement that he felt discomfort when throwing a curveball to begin the fourth inning of his season debut. That discomfort wasn’t as severe as the pain he felt when he suffered the 2022 shoulder strain that shelved him for multiple months.
April 1: The Mets announced Monday that they’ve placed righty Tylor Megill on the 15-day injured list after an MRI revealed a strain in his right shoulder. Megill exited his first start of the season after just four innings and 78 pitches. Right-hander Reed Garrett has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in his place for the time being, though Garrett isn’t a rotation option. He’ll give the Mets a fresh arm in the bullpen for now, but they’ll likely make another move to bring up a starter once Megill’s spot in the rotation comes back up. The team has not yet announced the severity of Megill’s strain or a potential timetable for his return.
Megill, 28, moved into the rotation during spring training after Kodai Senga suffered a shoulder strain of his own. He’d been slated to be one of the team’s top depth options but opened the year in the starting five instead. Now, it seems that assignment will only last the one start. Megill two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts against the Brewers before incurring the injury. It’s not the first time he’s battled shoulder injuries in his career; a shoulder strain sent Megill to the 60-day injured list as recently as 2022.
Megill made 27 starts with the Mets in 2021-22, and while he wasn’t slated to open the 2023 season in the rotation, injuries thrust him onto last year’s starting staff and led him to make a career-high 25 starts. In that time, Megill worked to a 4.70 ERA with an 18.5% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate. Those numbers roughly line up with his career marks. He’s pitched in parts of four MLB seasons, including his lone 2024 outing, and owns a 4.68 ERA 22.3% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 42.7% ground-ball rate.
With Megill shelved, the Mets’ four healthy starters are Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea, Adrian Houser and Luis Severino. In-house options to step into the vacated spot include left-hander Joey Lucchesi and righty Jose Butto — the latter of whom was the final member of the spring rotation competition won by Megill. The Mets also have prospects Mike Vasil, Dominic Hamel and Christian Scott all on the cusp of MLB readiness, but none of that trio is on the 40-man roster. Both Lucchesi and Butto are.
Mets Talking With Julio Teheran
The Mets placed righty Tylor Megill on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain earlier this afternoon, and SNY’s Andy Martino reports that they’re open to pursuing external options to help bolster their depth while waiting on Megill and other injured arms to heal up. They’ve picked conversations back up with right-hander Julio Teheran, per Martino. The Mets also talked with Teheran before he signed a minor league deal to go to camp with the Orioles. He wound up opting out of that deal and, per Martino, has other teams currently showing interest in him at the moment.
The 33-year-old Teheran had a resurgence of sorts with the Brewers in 2023. He didn’t pitch in 2022, had just five innings in 2021 and had been rocked for a 10.05 ERA in 31 1/3 frames during the 2020 season. But Teheran wound up tossing 71 2/3 innings of serviceable 4.40 ERA ball for Milwaukee, fanning a well below-average 17.4% of his opponents but also issuing walks at just a 4.5% clip.
During his minor league days with the Braves, Teheran was considered one of the best prospects in the entire sport. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball in both 2011 and 2012. He made good on that billing for several seasons early in his career, too. Teheran logged a 3.03 ERA in 63 starts from 2013-14 and logged a collective 3.64 ERA in 1334 innings from 2013-19 before falling into a swift decline.
Last year’s showing in Milwaukee was the first time Teheran has had any consistent success since making 33 starts with a 3.81 ERA for the 2019 Braves. He pitched 13 1/3 official innings with the Orioles this spring, holding opponents to five runs (3.38 ERA) on nine hits … but with a lackluster 10-to-7 K/BB ratio in that time (17.5% strikeout rate, 12.3% walk rate).
Notably, current Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was still in the Brewers organization when they signed Teheran last summer, albeit in an advisory capacity rather than atop the baseball operations hierarchy, as he was from 2015-22. Still, there’s a connection, and we’ve seen Stearns bring in a handful of his former Brewers in his first year leading the Mets’ front office (e.g. Adrian Houser, Tyrone Taylor, Jorge Lopez). The Mets were also reported to have strong interest in former Brewers lefty Brent Suter as a free agent, but he opted to sign with his hometown Reds.
The Mets figure to be just one of several teams looking into Teheran. Already this season, we’ve seen the Yankees, Cubs, Astros, Twins, Rangers, Marlins and Red Sox incur injuries of note in the rotation. Any could make speculative sense for a low-cost veteran like Teheran.
Marlins Select Kent Emanuel, Designate Vladimir Gutierrez
The Marlins announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of lefty Kent Emanuel from Triple-A Jacksonville. Right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez, who was just selected to the big league roster prior to Sunday’s game, was designated for assignment to open a roster spot.
It’s a quick turnaround for Gutierrez, who returned to the majors Sunday for the first time in two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery as a member of the Reds. He tossed four innings of long relief and was tagged for three runs on three hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts. He’d been called up with Miami needing some length in the bullpen following a grueling first three games of the season for the relief corps, and while the right-hander filled the role that was asked, he’ll be removed from the 40-man roster to get another fresh arm up for today’s game. Gutierrez wouldn’t have been available for a couple days after that workload yesterday.
Gutierrez, 28, was a high-profile prospect out of Cuba who signed for a $4.75MM bonus (plus a 100% tax on that sum) with the Reds back in 2016. He wound up pitching just 150 2/3 innings between 2021-22 in Cincinnati, logging a 5.44 ERA with worse-than-average strikeout and walk rates of 17.3% and 10.4%, respectively. As a prospect, he was touted as having a solid heater with a potentially plus slate of secondary offerings (curve, slider, changeup) — but he’s yet to find much consistency in the majors. The Marlins will have a week to trade Gutierrez, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.
Emanuel, 31, has 17 2/3 big league innings under his belt, all of which came with the 2021 Astros. Houston selected him out of UNC in the third round of the 2013 draft. The 6’4″ lefty impressed in his first MLB cup of coffee, posting a 2.55 ERA with a 19.1% strikeout rate, a 5.9% walk rate and a sizable 50% grounder rate. A UCL injury led to surgery in the summer of 2021. He didn’t require a full Tommy John procedure but had an internal brace surgery that wiped out the rest of that ’21 season.
Because he had the less invasive UCL operation, Emanuel was back on the mound for 58 1/3 minor league innings in 2022. He pitched well (2.64 ERA, 52-to-8 K/BB ratio) but didn’t get a look in the big leagues. He spent the 2023 season in the Pirates organization and posted solid K-BB marks but an ugly 6.12 ERA, working primarily as a starter, due in part to a sky-high .370 average on balls in play and some uncharacteristic susceptibility to home runs (1.39 HR/9, 18.1% HR/FB ratio).
As with Gutierrez, Emanuel will give the Marlins some more length in the ‘pen — and as with Gutierrez, it could be a short stay on the MLB roster for him if he pitches multiple innings and the Fish want to get another rested arm into the bullpen.
Brewers Outright Eric Haase
Catcher/outfielder Eric Haase cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Brewers, tweets Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Nashville. Haase has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, but doing so would require forfeiting the $1MM base rate at which he’d earn in the big leagues, plus the potential for a $50K incentive he can unlock for every 25th game he plays in the big leagues. Presumably, Haase’s split major league deal also has a nice rate of pay at the Triple-A level.
The 31-year-old Haase was one of baseball’s hottest hitters during spring training. That he went unclaimed on waivers serves as a reminder that spring stats don’t carry much weight with big league clubs. Haase slashed .395/.465/.868 with five homers, three doubles, five walks and six strikeouts in 43 trips to the plate.
After signing his deal with the Brewers back in December, Haase appeared slated to open the season as the backup to William Contreras. But the Brewers came to terms late in the offseason on a one-year deal with veteran Gary Sanchez, pushing Haase down the depth chart. The nature of his contract likely helped him pass through waivers, and he’ll now serve as a nice depth option for the Brew Crew in Triple-A.
Prior to the 2024 season, Haase’s entire career has been split between Detroit and Cleveland. His 2023 season was a down year that saw him slash just .201/.247/.281, prompting the Tigers to make a change of their own behind the plate. But from 2021-22, Haase split time between catcher and left field for the Tigers and turned in a combined .242/.295/.451 line with 36 big flies in 732 plate appearances.
Last year’s downturn at the plate was in part due to a reduction in average on balls in play (.297 from 2021-22 but just .268 in 2023), however it also can’t simply be chalked up to poor fortune. Haase made hard contact at a far lower rate (45.1% in 2021-22, just 35.9% in 2023) and put the ball on the ground more often than in any full big league season prior. He also hit infield flies at the highest rate of his career and saw a career-low 5.6% of his fly-balls become home runs after enjoying an 18.8% mark in that regard in the two preceding seasons.
Defensively, Haase is something of a mixed bag. Last year’s 24% caught-stealing rate was actually three percentage points higher than the 21% league average, and he showed improved framing marks after struggling in that regard in previous seasons. He also graded poorly in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt, however, and his broader body of work behind the plate has drawn below-average reviews overall.
Royals Sign Brian O’Keefe To Minor League Deal
The Royals announced Monday that they’ve signed catcher Brian O’Keefe to a minor league contract. He’ll report to Triple-A Omaha tomorrow. O’Keefe spent spring training in the Twins organization after signing a minor league deal with Minnesota, but he was released late four days ago.
O’Keefe, 30, has appeared with the Mariners in each of the past two MLB seasons. He has only 25 big league plate appearances under his belt, during which he’s gone 3-for-22 with a pair of doubles. The former seventh-round pick (Cardinals, 2014) is a career .247/.333/.475 hitter in three minor league seasons — including a .238/.328/.504 slash (93 wRC+), 23 home runs and 25 doubles last season.
Behind the plate, O’Keefe has been roughly average in terms of controlling runners (career 25% caught-stealing rate; 18% in 2023). He’s regularly posted excellent framing marks in the upper minors, per Baseball Prospectus.
The Royals don’t have an immediate opening for help behind the plate. Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin are both on the big league roster and will handle the entirety of catching duties between them. Kansas City signed veteran Austin Nola to a one-year major league contract in the offseason and started him in Triple-A Omaha, but the Storm Chasers announced over the weekend that he’d been placed on the injured list. That created a need for some extra depth alongside Logan Porter and Tyler Cropley; O’Keefe will fill that role for the time being and give the Royals an experienced option in the event of an injury to Perez or Fermin.
Kendrick: D-backs Open To Further Payroll Increases At Trade Deadline
The Diamondbacks enter the season with an approximate payroll of $168MM (per RosterResource), shattering their prior franchise record of about $131MM. And while Arizona is among the many clubs to have been impacted by the recent bankruptcy filing of Diamond Sports Group, it doesn’t sound like concerns regarding the television outlook will prevent the club from adding further, if needed. Managing partner Ken Kendrick tells Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic that he’s “absolutely” willing to green-light further expenditures if needs arise prior to the summer trade deadline.
From a luxury tax standpoint, Arizona sits at a projected $216MM — about $21MM shy of the first-tier threshold. They shouldn’t have many, if any, limitations with regard to the competitive balance tax, as it’s quite rare for any team to take on that much prorated annual value at the deadline. Kendrick pointed to his team’s 2017 acquisition of J.D. Martinez as a prior example of an aggressive deadline approach and said he’ll be “prepared to do that yet again” if the right player is available this July.
Kendrick didn’t delve into this aspect of deadline shopping, but Arizona’s payroll is also well-positioned from a long-term standpoint. The Diamondbacks shouldn’t have an issues adding a player who is signed or arb-eligible beyond the current season. In fact, it could be argued they’d be wise to target such players, given the slate of high-profile free agents the D-backs have at season’s end. First baseman Christian Walker, closer Paul Sewald and left-hander Jordan Montgomery are all slated to hit free agency. Designated hitter Joc Pederson has a mutual option, as do reliever Scott McGough and outfielder Randal Grichuk. Mutual options are almost never exercised, so they’ll all likely hit the market, too.
That large slate of names coming off the books leaves the Diamondbacks with just $63.5MM on next year’s books, per RosterResource. That’ll jump when Kelly’s $7MM club option is picked up and when Gallen receives a hefty raise on this year’s $10.011MM salary in arbitration. But the rest of the D-backs’ arb class consists of middle relievers and first-time eligible players, meaning it shouldn’t be overly expensive. Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel, Joe Mantiply, Ryne Nelson, Geraldo Perdomo and Alek Thomas make up the rest of the class. Given this year’s new highwater mark and the comparatively minimal commitments on the docket in 2025, the Diamondbacks could add a player on a notable contract.
When we’re this far from the deadline, there’s no telling what exactly the Diamondbacks will be targeting — outside of bullpen help. That’s not a knock on Arizona’s relief corps, but rather just an observation that virtually every contending club shops around to deepen its bullpen at the deadline. The D-backs’ lineup is quite deep and largely set with established players. In the rotation, lefty Eduardo Rodriguez is expected to miss about a month with a lat strain and the aforementioned Montgomery is ramping up down in the minors. Once they’re both active, they’ll join Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Brandon Pfaadt in what should be one of the most talented rotations in the game.
Injuries can quickly change that calculus and necessitate short-term acquisitions. Kendrick’s comments suggest he’ll be willing to be flexible in allowing GM Mike Hazen and his staff when they look to fortify a roster that hopes for another deep postseason run.