Orioles Release Maikel Franco
The Orioles announced Friday that third baseman Maikel Franco has cleared release waivers and is now a free agent. He can sign with any club for the remainder of the season, and a new team would owe him only the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time spent on the MLB roster.
Franco, who turned 29 yesterday, was designated for assignment earlier in the week amid a series of Orioles roster moves. He’s been the primary third baseman in Baltimore this season but has managed only a .210/.253/.355 output. Franco has homered 11 times and added 22 doubles in 403 plate appearances, but his general lack of offense reached a tipping point and prompted the Orioles to look at younger options.
As ugly as this season has been, Franco posted a very solid .278/.321/.457 slash with the Royals last summer, appearing in all 60 games and connecting on 24 extra-base hits (eight homers, 16 doubles). The former Phillies top prospect has shown flashes of potential at the plate throughout his big league career but has yet to produce on a consistent basis. Overall, he’s a lifetime .246/.297/.423 with 121 home runs through 3185 plate appearances at the MLB level.
With Franco out of the picture, the Orioles’ infield mix is comprised of Trey Mancini at first base, Jahmai Jones at second base, Jorge Mateo at shortstop and Ramon Urias/Kelvin Gutierrez at third base — at least for the time being. Infield prospect Rylan Bannon looked to be having an absolutely lost year in Triple-A but has been doing everything in his power to salvage his season in recent weeks. Bannon clobbered 10 homers in a span of 10 games this month and is batting .356/.431/1.044 over his past 12 games. His overall season batting line is just .185/.281/.441 — thanks in part to a recent 0-for-35 stretch — but manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko earlier this week that there’s “definitely a possibility” of Bannon being summoned to the big leagues in September.
Braves Designate Abraham Almonte For Assignment, Activate Eddie Rosario
The Braves announced Friday that they’ve reinstated deadline acquisition Eddie Rosario from the 10-day injured list and opened a spot on the roster by designating fellow outfielder Abraham Almonte for assignment. Rosario has been out since July 7 due to an abdominal strain.
Almonte, 32, appeared in 63 games and tallied 174 plate appearances for Atlanta, batting .218/.333/.401 along the way. He’s cooled off quite a bit after a hot start, however, with just a .184/.270/.350 output over his past 115 plate appearances — including a current 0-for-12 skid at the plate.
The Braves were the sixth big league club for the journeyman Almonte, who has also appeared at the MLB level with the Padres, Indians, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Royals. In 1325 career plate appearances, he’s a .235/.302/.374 hitter. Atlanta will place Almonte on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days, at which point he’ll be available for any other club to claim. If he goes unclaimed, Almonte has more than enough service to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Rosario, 29, enjoyed a solid run as the Twins’ everyday left fielder from 2017-20, hitting at a combined .281/.317/.493 clip while averaging 32 home runs and 33 doubles per 162 games. The free swinger’s OBP trended downward in his final couple seasons in Minnesota, however, and the Twins passed him through waivers last November before non-tendering him rather than paying a raise on his $7.75MM salary. That made Rosario, who would’ve been arbitration-eligible one final time, a free agent a year sooner than expected.
The Indians signed their former division rival to a one-year, $8MM contract late in the offseason, hoping he’d add some pop to a lineup with a rather muddled outfield outlook. Instead, however, Rosario turned in a career-worst showing at the plate, batting .254/.296/.389 in 306 trips to the plate. The Braves effectively acquired Rosario for cash, sending only Pablo Sandoval to the Indians in the swap. Sandoval was immediately released by Cleveland.
Part of the Braves’ deadline approach in the wake of so much turnover in the outfield this season was to acquire a bundle of once-productive outfield options in the midst of middling seasons in hope that a change of scenery would bring about a rebound. It worked out brilliantly with Jorge Soler, who’s been on a tear since joining the Braves. Joc Pederson and Adam Duvall have continued at slightly below-average paces, though each has delivered some timely hits since arriving in Atlanta. Rosario now joins that group as the Braves look to stave off the reeling Mets and Phillies and secure another division title.
AL Central Notes: Grandal, Keller, Twins
The White Sox announced Friday that they’ve reinstated catcher Yasmani Grandal from the 10-day injured list and optioned fellow backstop Zack Collins to Triple-A Charlotte. Grandal missed nearly two months following surgery to repair a tendon tear in his left knee, during which time Chicago leaned on Collins and Seby Zavala to shoulder the workload behind the dish. It’s been an odd season for Grandal, who has walked at an astonishing 24.4 percent pace through 246 trips to the plate and matched his career-high in isolated power (slugging percentage minus batting average). But Grandal is also batting just .188, thanks in large part to a .189 average on balls in play. The end result is a nonconventional .188/.388/.436 batting line that still translates to a 134 wRC+ because of that enormous on-base percentage and Grandal’s considerable power. Notably, Grandal’s 26 percent strikeout rate isn’t a huge increase over his 24 percent career mark, and he’s sporting career-highs in hard-hit rate and exit velocity (by a wide margin). There’s good reason to think the batting average and overall batting line can tick upward — provided he’s back to full strength.
More from the AL Central…
- Royals righty Brad Keller exited last night’s start early and is being evaluated for what the club describes as “posterior right shoulder discomfort,” writes Anne Rogers of MLB.com. The right-hander said after the game that his shoulder felt “tight” and “sore.” The 26-year-old Keller has had a rough year overall but looked to be on the right track after a disastrous three-month run to begin the year. Keller pitched to a 6.67 ERA through the end of June, but in his past nine starts he’s worked to a 3.42 ERA (4.37 SIERA) with greatly improved strikeout and walk rates. A former Rule 5 pick out of the D-backs organization, Keller has emerged as a mainstay in the Kansas City rotation, pitching to a 3.50 ERA in 360 1/3 innings from 2018-20. This year’s struggles have weighed down his numbers, but he still possesses a solid 4.01 ERA in 494 innings since the Royals gave him his first big league opportunity. He’s never been on the injured list outside of a two-week absence last summer due to a positive Covid-19 test.
- Twins fans could get a look at some of the organization’s top prospects next month. Rosters can’t expand to the extent that they once did — only to 28 players — but manager Rocco Baldelli said this week in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that the club will likely take a look at some promising youngsters when rosters expand (Twitter link, with audio). “I do think we could get a look at a few of these guys,” Baldelli said, though he declined to provide specific names. “I think there’s value in experience. … Calling guys up in September, giving them a little bit of that, I think helps.” Baldelli specifically pointed to the pitching staff, noting that there will be “some innings available” to the club’s upper-level pitchers. Speculatively speaking, that would seem to bode well for prospects such as Jordan Balazovic and Joe Ryan — the former a consensus top-100 arm and the latter a key arm acquired in the Nelson Cruz trade. Minnesota has given a few rookies some opportunities in the starting rotation this year — Griffin Jax and Charlie Barnes among them — but they’ve yet to promote any of their top-ranked prospects on the pitching side of things (in part due to injuries).
Rangers To Promote Glenn Otto
The Rangers will promote right-handed pitching prospect Glenn Otto to make his Major League debut tonight, per an announcement from their VP of communications, John Blake. They’ll need to formally select his contract to the Major League roster in order to do so, but Texas currently has multiple vacancies with several players in Covid-19 protocol.
The team has yet to specify whether Otto will be a permanent addition to the 40-man roster or a replacement player who can be removed from the roster without being exposed to waivers. He’d be eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft this winter though, so he’ll be formally added to the 40-man at some point between now and late November one way or another.
Otto, 25, was one of four players acquired from the Yankees in the trade that sent outfielder Joey Gallo and left-hander Joely Rodriguez to the Bronx. He currently ranks 12th among Rangers farmhands at Baseball America, where he draws praise for a newly added slider that has given him legitimate out pitches against both right- and left-handed hitters.
While Otto’s call to the big leagues is in part out of necessity — Dane Dunning, Mike Foltynewicz and Drew Anderson are all currently in Covid protocols — the right-hander has very much earned this opportunity with his results. He’s racked up 95 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A so far in 2021, pitching to a combined 3.20 ERA with outstanding strikeout and walk rates (35.4 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively). Otto has been particularly impressive in his two most recent Triple-A outings, firing 11 shutout innings with just two hits and three walks allowed against the top affiliates of the Padres and Dodgers.
Otto adds to a growing stable of young arms who could potentially form the core of the Rangers’ staff for the foreseeable future. He’ll join Dunning, fellow deadline acquisition Spencer Howard and lefties Kolby Allard and Taylor Hearn as immediate options for the Rangers, who also have a pair of Top 100 pitching prospects on the rise: 2018 first-rounder Cole Winn and this year’s No. 2 overall pick, Jack Leiter. The team could very well turn to the open market to add to that group this offseason, as general manager Chris Young has already stated he expects the team to be “very active” in free agency this winter.
Mariners Release Wyatt Mathisen, Vinny Nittoli
The Mariners have released infielder Wyatt Mathisen and right-hander Vinny Nittoli, per Triple-A director of media relations Paul Braverman (Twitter link). Both had been with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, and both were on the 40-man roster earlier this year before eventually being outrighted.
Mathisen, 27, began the 2021 season with the Diamondbacks, for whom he’d made his Major League debut in 2020. He posted just a .159/.298/.290 slash through 84 plate appearances in the Majors between 2020-21, but Mathisen has plenty of defensive versatility, an excellent track record in Triple-A and multiple minor league options remaining. That prompted both the Rays and the Mariners to acquire him in a pair of subsequent trades, each sending cash back the other direction.
Mathisen’s strong Triple-A production continued with the Rays before being designated for assignment and flipped to Seattle. His production at the plate unexpectedly cratered in Triple-A Tacoma, however, as Mathisen has batted just .137/.310/.225 in 129 plate appearances. Even with those struggles, he’s still a career .249/.359/.472 hitter in Triple-A, including a massive .283/.403/.601 showing through 87 games back in 2019. Mathisen has been limited to the infield corners in 2021 but also has experience at second base, at both outfield corners and even 542 innings at catcher (all coming back in 2012-13).
Nittoli, 30, made his big league debut with the Mariners at 30 years old earlier this season but appeared in just one game, allowing a pair of runs. He’d been in his second stint with the organization that originally drafted him in the 25th round back in 2014. In between Mariners stints, he pitched with the Blue Jays and D-backs in addition to stints in the independent American Association and in Mexico. He’d pitched to a 3.50 ERA with a 26-to-5 K/BB ratio through 18 innings at the time of his long-awaited call to the big leagues, but Nittoli has yielded 14 runs in 15 2/3 frames since.
Nationals Outright Jefry Rodriguez
AUGUST 26: Rodriguez was passed through outright waivers and assigned to Rochester. He doesn’t have the requisite service time to reject an outright assignment, so he’ll remain in the organization as high minors depth. Rodriguez would become a minor league free agent this winter if he’s not re-selected to the big league roster before the end of the season.
AUGUST 24: The Nationals announced Tuesday that they’ve recalled lefty Sam Clay and right-hander Patrick Murphy from Triple-A Rochester. Righty Gabe Klobosits was optioned to Rochester in one corresponding move, while fellow right-hander Jefry Rodriguez was designated for assignment in another. The Nats also announced that right-hander Javy Guerra declined an outright assignment and elected free agency following his recent DFA.
Rodriguez, 28, has appeared in 14 games for the Nats this season and pitched to a 5.92 ERA with a below-average 17.9 percent strikeout rate and a 15.6 percent walk rate that is well north of the league average. The righty has pitched in parts of three big league seasons and had a bit of success with the Indians in 2019 (4.63 ERA in 46 2/3 innings), but he’s yet to find much in the way of consistency. Overall, he owns a lifetime 5.34 ERA, 16.8 percent strikeout rate and 13.4 percent walk rate in 123 Major League innings.
That said, Rodriguez did post strong numbers up through the Double-A level in the minors and has a passable 4.69 ERA in 71 innings spent pitching in a hitter-friendly Triple-A setting. He’s decent depth arm for a club in need of some innings, but because he’s out of minor league options he cannot be sent down to the minors without first clearing waivers.
Guerra, 35, posted a 4.52 ERA in 83 2/3 innings between the Blue Jays and Nationals from 2019-20 but was hammered for 13 runs (11 earned) on 12 hits and three walks with four strikeouts in six innings this season. He has a career 3.98 ERA in 302 2/3 big league innings and could potentially catch on as a depth option with a contending club looking for some experience to stash in the upper minors for the remainder of the year.
Justin Verlander And The Qualifying Offer
It’s always been a long shot that Justin Verlander would be able to return in 2021, but Astros general manager James Click confirmed to Sean Salisbury of SportsTalk 790 AM in Houston this morning that Verlander won’t pitch for the team down the stretch (link via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle).
Click tells Salisbury that Verlander recently inquired with his doctors about the possibility and was “strongly advised” against attempting a comeback in 2021, as such a quick turnaround would carry “tremendous risk for the efficacy of the surgery.” Verlander had previously spoken with a hint of optimism about returning as a reliever in the season’s final weeks.
Verlander tweeted back in May that he planned to continue pitching “for a long time” and hasn’t considered retirement, but it’s not yet clear where he’ll continue his career. The 38-year-old (39 in February) is set to hit the open market at season’s end, though the ‘Stros will first need to determine whether they want to make a qualifying offer to Verlander.
A one-year offer in the $19MM range would normally be deemed steep for any pitcher coming off a season spent rehabbing Tommy John surgery, but Verlander is, of course, no ordinary pitcher. He’s only pitched six innings since Opening Day 2020, but Verlander is a two-time Cy Young winner, a three-time Cy Young runner-up, an eight-time All-Star and a former American League MVP. His last full season, pitched at 36 years of age in 2019, saw him rack up 223 innings of 2.52 ERA ball en route to the second of those two Cy Young wins.
A straightforward path for Verlander may be to simply accept a payday in the $19MM range — if offered — and remain in a setting where he’s clearly comfortable. That sum checks in well north of the recent bounceback salaries we’ve seen for similarly high-profile names like Corey Kluber ($11MM), so there’d be good reason for him to consider it. On the other hand, it’s a pretty sizable cut from Verlander’s prior $33MM salary, and the veteran may simply want to test the free-agent market for the first time in his career. Verlander has played out his entire career on a series of extensions with the Tigers and Astros, so he’s never explored the open market.
The question for the Astros, meanwhile, is whether they’d want to invest $19MM (or thereabouts) into a soon-to-be 39-year-old pitcher who has made just one start since winning that Cy Young Award in 2019. There aren’t many more appealing players on whom to take a one-year flier than Verlander, but the Houston payroll is already rather large.
[Related: 2021-22 Qualifying Offer Candidates]
The Astros have just under $97MM on the books in 2022, and that’s before arbitration raises to Framber Valdez (first time eligible), Josh James (first time), Phil Maton (second time), Ryne Stanek (second time), Rafael Montero (third time) and Aledmys Diaz (third time). That $97MM number also doesn’t include club options for Yuli Gurriel ($8MM) or Ryan Pressly ($10MM) — both of which seem sure to be picked up, barring a late injury. None of those arb-eligible players will break the bank in terms of 2022 salary — some could obviously be non-tendered, too — but those smaller salaries will begin to add up.
Furthermore, the Astros will have some big names to replace. Carlos Correa is a free agent and could land elsewhere after rejecting the team’s extension overtures in Spring Training. Consummate innings eater Zack Greinke is set to hit the market as well, and the Astros also stand to lose relievers Kendall Graveman, Yimi Garcia and Brooks Raley to free agency. If Verlander were to accept a qualifying offer, the Houston payroll could jump north of $140MM before the team even looks at replacing Correa or any of the departing relievers. Their 2021 payroll currently sits at about $189MM.
The in-house rotation depth the Astros already possess is also a factor in determining whether to extend a qualifying offer to Verlander. Even with a pair of likely Hall of Famers potentially departing (Greinke, Verlander), the Astros can still boast a staff of Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia,Valdez, Jake Odorizzi, Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy. That’s before even considering upper-level arms like Hunter Brown and Peter Solomon. There’s an argument to be made that dedicating a sizable portion of available offseason resources to a rebound candidate in the rotation — even one with as much upside as Verlander — shouldn’t be the team’s priority.
We know the Astros are going to make a qualifying offer to Correa, and as one of the top free agents on the market, he’ll reject that QO without a second thought. Verlander is a closer call, but the Astros will surely be intrigued by the possibility of getting a compensatory pick after their recent penalties in the draft (stemming from the 2017 sign-stealing scandal). Plus, even with the in-house options they do have, a one-year deal for Verlander has plenty of appeal. The Astros could, and probably should, just extend the qualifying offer and be happy with either outcome.
What do MLBTR readers think? (Links to both polls)
Should the Astros make a qualifying offer to Justin Verlander?
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Yes 57% (6,405)
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No 43% (4,802)
Total votes: 11,207
Should Justin Verlander accept a qualifying offer if he receives one?
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Yes, he should accept it. 75% (7,830)
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No, he should reject it. 25% (2,641)
Total votes: 10,471
Phillies Outright Jorge Bonifacio
AUGUST 25: Philadelphia announced that Bonifacio has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Lehigh Valley. As a player who has previously been outrighted in his career, he has the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
AUGUST 24: The Phillies announced Tuesday that they’ve reinstated infielder Freddy Galvis from the 10-day injured list, reinstated righty Sam Coonrod from the 60-day injured list, and designated outfielder Jorge Bonifacio for assignment. The Phils also optioned right-hander Enyel De Los Santos to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Galvis, 31, will return to his original organization for the first time since 2017. The Phillies acquired him in a deadline swap that sent minor league righty Tyler Burch to the Orioles, knowing at the time that he’d need several more weeks to finish rehabbing a quadriceps injury.
Galvis has yet to appear for the Phillies in 2021 but was batting .249/.306/.414 with nine home runs through 274 plate appearances at the time of his IL placement in Baltimore. His work with the Orioles was rather typical for Galvis: low batting average and on-base numbers with solid power and defensive marks at shortstop. He’ll give the Phillies an option to bounce around between shortstop, second base and third base as well as a bit of speed and power off the bench.
The 28-year-old Bonifacio was only just selected to the MLB roster a couple days back. He appeared in two games and went 0-for-3, but Bonifacio has enjoyed a big season between Double-A and Triple-A. In a combined 293 minor league plate appearances this season, the former Royals slugger has posted a .273/.372/.546 batting line with 15 home runs, 19 doubles, a pair of triples and four stolen bases (in six tries). Bonifacio is a lifetime .243/.313/.396 hitter in 810 Major League plate appearances.
Indians Place Triston McKenzie On Injured List
The Indians have placed right-hander Triston McKenzie on the 10-day injured list due to shoulder fatigue and recalled left-hander Logan Allen from Triple-A Columbus, tweets Mandy Bell of MLB.com.
Cleveland’s chances at a postseason run are more or less nonexistent at this point, but it’s still a troubling development for one of the organization’s most promising young arms. The 24-year-old McKenzie was rocked during his first run with the big league club in 2021, but upon returning from the minors in early July, he looked like a different pitcher entirely.
Over his past eight starts, the former No. 42 overall draft pick has tallied 49 innings with a 3.49 ERA, a 25.8 percent strikeout rate and a 4.3 percent walk rate. His four most recent outings have been particularly dominant, as he’s held opponents to just six runs on a dozen hits and two walks with 28 strikeouts in 28 innings (1.93 ERA). Overall, McKenzie has pitched in 27 big league games dating back to 2020 and put together a 4.40 ERA through his first 124 2/3 innings. He’s clearly trending upward right now, so any mention of shoulder problems is worrisome.
The team hasn’t provided a timeline for McKenzie’s absence, but given the lack of 2021 postseason aspirations, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Indians take a cautious approach to the situation. McKenzie, at this point, looks like a favorite to be penciled into next year’s rotation alongside Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac and Cal Quantrill.
For now, he’ll be replaced by the 24-year-old Allen, who is hoping to finish what has been a nightmarish season both in the Majors and in Triple-A on a high note. Allen has allowed 23 earned runs in 22 2/3 Major League innings so far in 2021, and he’s been tagged for 43 runs in 48 2/3 frames of Triple-A ball. He’s long been considered a fairly promising arm, however, and his past several games in Columbus have been trending in the right direction. Through his past five starts (28 2/3 innings), he’s worked to a 4.08 ERA with 35 punchouts against 13 walks.
Reds Place Tejay Antone On Injured List, Release Michael Feliz
3:05 pm: Cincinnati has placed Antone on the 10-day injured list due to a right forearm strain. Infielder Max Schrock is up from Triple-A Louisville to take his active roster spot. Additionally, the Reds announced they’ve released reliever Michael Feliz. Feliz, who was designated for assignment on Monday, will be placed on waivers and will be free to sign elsewhere, assuming he passed through unclaimed.
9:33 am: The Reds welcomed their best reliever back from a nearly two-month stay on the injured list on Tuesday, but Tejay Antone‘s return lasted only five pitches. Antone grimaced in obvious pain after his fifth pitch and immediately called for the training staff to come to the mound, at which point he was removed from the game.
Any type of arm discomfort after spending two months on the shelf due to a forearm strain is troubling, and manager David Bell expressed concern to reporters in his postgame session (link via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). “He definitely felt something in his elbow,” Bell said of Antone.
A return trip to the injured list would be a tough blow to a Reds club that has soared into Wild Card position over the past several weeks. Antone is not only Cincinnati’s best reliever but one of the better relievers in the entire league when at his best. The 27-year-old made his MLB debut last year and has since pitched 69 innings of 2.48 ERA ball with a huge 32.3 percent strikeout rate, a 10.8 percent walk rate and a 48 percent ground-ball rate. Since making his debut, Antone ranks 27th in strikeout percentage among the 307 pitchers who’ve tallied at least 60 innings. He has the second-highest rate of called strikes in that same set (22.9 percent) and ranks third in combined called/swinging-strike rate (35.8 percent).
An Antone injury is particularly concerning for the Reds given that bullpen struggles have been the team’s Achilles heel all season. Cincinnati has the fourth-highest collective bullpen ERA in the Majors (5.27) and has seen continued struggles even after adding three relievers at the deadline (4.99 ERA over the past 30 days; 6.21 over the past two weeks). Veteran left-hander Sean Doolittle was designated for assignment just yesterday.
If Antone ultimately requires another absence, the Reds will continue to lean on the combination of Mychal Givens, Michael Lorenzen and Amir Garrett late in games. Cincinnati currently has sole possession of the second NL Wild Card spot, but the Padres (one game), Cardinals (four and a half games) and Phillies (five games) are all within striking distance.