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Tigers Sign First-Rounder Riley Greene

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The MLB draft isn’t even over yet, but the Tigers announced on this morning’s draft conference call that they’ve officially signed first-rounder Riley Greene. Greene was selected with the No. 5 overall pick, which comes with a $6,180,700 slot value, although bonus terms are not yet known. He’s represented by Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe Karon.

Greene, 18, will forgo a commitment to the University of Florida in order to begin his professional career with the Tigers. An outfielder out of Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Fla., he was a consensus top-tier talent in the 2019 draft, with Baseball America ranking him fifth overall while ESPN, MLB.com and Fangraphs all ranked him as the draft’s No. 6 prospect. Scouting reports on Greene laud his hit tool, with BA’s report labeling him the “best pure hitter in the prep class.” He’s a hit-over-power prospect at present, although BA and Fangraphs suggest that his raw power could eventually turn into above-average game power as well. The consensus on him from a defensive standpoint seems to be that he’ll land in an outfield corner.

Greene is obviously several years away from being a factor at the big league level, as is the case with most high school draftees, but he’ll nonetheless add a high-upside bat to the top of a Tigers farm system that is currently headlined primarily by pitchers. Right-handers Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Franklin Perez, Beau Burrows and Alex Faedo are among the most highly regarded prospects in a rapidly improving Detroit system.

Yankees Release Cliff Pennington

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The Yankees have released veteran infielder Cliff Pennington from his minor league contract, reports Conor Foley of the Scranton Times Tribune (via Twitter).

Pennington, 34, inked a minor league pact with the Yankees back in early April shortly after Miguel Andujar and Troy Tulowitzki both landed on the injured list. He appeared in 29 games with New York’s Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .196/.306/.413 with five long balls, three doubles and a triple in 112 plate appearances. Pennington himself landed on the minor league injured list in mid May due to a hamstring strain. Foley tweeted that he was fielding grounders at shortstop earlier this week, and the Yankees formally activated him from the IL before cutting him loose.

The switch-hitting Pennington is known more for his glove than his bat. He’s a lifetime .242/.309/.339 hitter in 3142 trips to the plate over parts of 11 Major League seasons. The majority of those at-bats came with the Athletics, but he’s also spent three seasons with the D-backs, two with the Angels and partial seasons with both the Reds and Blue Jays. He has nearly 5000 Major League innings at shortstop, more than 1600 at second base and another 325 at the hot corner.

Astros To Move Framber Valdez Into Rotation

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The Astros are moving left-hander Framber Valdez into the big league rotation, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. He’ll step into the fifth spot that was vacated today when Houston optioned the struggling Corbin Martin to Triple-A.

Collin McHugh opened the year in the rotation alongside Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Wade Miley and Brad Peacock, but his own struggles landed him in the bullpen. (More recently, elbow troubles sent him to the injured list.) While Martin tossed well in his first outing, he was unable to last more than four innings in any of his next four starts, allowing multiple runs in each of those performances.

Valdez, 25, has gotten a brief look in the rotation himself in the past. He started five games for the ’Stros last year and posted a 2.59 ERA in 24 1/3 innings. Solid as that ERA appeared, though, Valdez also posted an ugly 20-to-18 K/BB ratio in that time. This season, Valdez has worked as a reliever in the Majors and notched a 3.12 ERA with a slightly improved 21-to-13 K/BB ratio. He’s still too prone to surrendering free passes, but he’ll work to improve that on the fly while stepping into a larger role with the Astros.

Houston’s nine-game lead in the AL West is large enough that there’s no immediate urgency to find a more established starter to round out the rotation, but it also stands to reason that as the trade deadline draws nearer, president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow could pursue upgrades. Peacock and Miley have both pitched well in their starts, but the Astros may want a higher-caliber arm to step into a potential postseason rotation behind Verlander and Cole. Talk of a potential reunion with Dallas Keuchel likely won’t completely die off until he signs with a new team in the near future, though that’d be one alternative if the Astros prefer to hang onto their prospects and entrust a rotation spot to a known commodity.

Houston has a number of in-house alternatives as well, should they wish to exhaust more options before looking outside the organization. Right-handers Brady Rodgers and Josh James are already in the Major League bullpen, while lefty Cionel Perez and righty Rogelio Armenteros are on the 40-man roster and in the Triple-A rotation. It was hoped that top prospect Forrest Whitley would eventually emerge as an option, but he’s struggled throughout the 2019 campaign and recently landed on the minor league injured list due to shoulder fatigue.

Nicky Delmonico Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

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White Sox outfielder Nicky Delmonico will miss the remainder of the 2019 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets.

Delmonico, 26, looked to be a terrific bargain find for the White Sox in 2017. The former Orioles and Brewers prospect made his big league debut with the South Siders that season and impressed with a .262/.373/.482 batting line, nine homers and four doubles in a 43-game audition down the stretch (166 plate appearances). That strong showing put him on the team’s Opening Day roster in 2018, but Delmonico’s bat has eroded over the past year-plus.

In 386 trips to the plate since that rookie campaign, Delmonico has mustered a timid .213/.290/.357 slash. And while he walked at a 14 percent clip with just an 18.7 percent strikeout rate as a rookie, those rates have gone in the wrong direction since that time (8.0 percent walk rate; 27.2 percent strikeout rate). Delmonico hit well in 17 Triple-A contests this year, but he’ll now sit out the remainder of the year. He’s on the 40-man roster but on the minor league injured list; if the Sox need Delmonico’s roster spot, they could bring him up to the big leagues and place him on the Major League 60-day injured list or release him and attempt to re-sign him to a minor league pact.

Andrew McCutchen Out For Season With Torn ACL

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The Phillies received a brutal injury blow Tuesday, as outfielder Andrew McCutchen was diagnosed with a torn left ACL and will miss the remainder of the season (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Matt Gelb). He sustained the injury yesterday in a rundown after the Padres let a Jean Segura pop-up drop.

Philadelphia signed McCutchen, 32, to a three-year contract worth $50MM in the offseason and was rewarded with two months of strong all-around play from the former National League MVP. In 262 plate appearances, McCutchen turned in a .256/.378/.457 batting line with 10 homers, 12 doubles, a triple, two steals and an NL-best 43 walks. He’d recently shifted over to center field after Odubel Herrera was placed on administrative leave by the league, but his injury will now leave the Phillies down two outfielders.

The Phillies flew 2017 first-rounder Adam Haseley to meet them for their upcoming series in the event of a serious knee injury for McCutchen, and he’ll now likely step into center field on a regular basis, with the newly acquired Jay Bruce manning left field. Bryce Harper will continue to patrol right field. In the long run, though, it seems quite likely that the Phils will be on the hunt for a potential upgrade in center field. Haseley has had an encouraging year in the minor so far (.275/.358/.466 in 204 plate appearances) but has only played six game above Double-A ball.

Roman Quinn is currently on the mend from a groin strain and could soon return to give the Phils another option in the outfield, but the fleet-footed 26-year-old has also yet to establish him as a big leaguer despite his long standing as a quality prospect. It’s a bit early for any legitimate center field upgrades to be available on the trade market, but the Phils will surely begin kicking the tires on some potential down-the-road options. Rebuilding clubs like the Orioles and Giants could make players like Keon Broxton or Kevin Pillar available, but neither has been productive in 2019 anyhow; seeing what they already have in Haseley and waiting for more appealing options to be made available is probably a preferable option for the Phillies.

Rays’ Nick Ciuffo Out 8-10 Weeks Following Thumb Surgery

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Rays catcher Nick Ciuffo underwent surgery on his ailing thumb today and is expected to be sidelined for the next eight to 10 weeks, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). The Rays will also prolong fellow catcher Michael Perez’s minor league rehab stint a bit, as he’s still feeling some of the effects of the oblique injury that landed him on the IL in the first place.

The pair of updates once again raises questions about the organization’s depth behind the plate. Mike Zunino just returned from the injured list and is handling the bulk of catching duties in a timeshare with Travis d’Arnaud, but options beyond that pair are thin. Perez will give them one alternative, but Ciuffo is now on the shelf alongside Anthony Bemboom, while trade acquisition Erik Kratz was designated for assignment last week.

Beyond the sheer scarcity of catching options, the Rays have received zero production from d’Arnaud since acquiring the longtime Mets backstop in a deal with the Dodgers (who’d picked him up after he was released by New York). In 75 plate appearances with Tampa Bay, d’Arnaud has hit only .149/.227/.179. Since d’Arnaud is out of minor league options, the Rays will have to either option Perez to Triple-A when his rehab assignment is complete or designate d’Arnaud for assignment as they did with Kratz. That, in turn, would only further thin out the catching mix.

Suffice it to say, the Rays seem quite likely to be on the lookout for some catching depth in the weeks to come — even if it’s just some additions at the minor league level. The Rays have 26-year-old Mac James in Triple-A Durham, but he’s not hitting well either, and options beyond him appear limited. One option for Tampa Bay would be to take a look at veteran catcher Chris Stewart, who recently opted out of a minor league contract with the Padres.

Miguel Cabrera Dealing With “Chronic Changes” To Knee; Josh Harrison To Undergo Surgery

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Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera will be limited to DH work for the foreseeable future after being diagnosed with “chronic changes” to his knee, the team told reporters Tuesday (Twitter links via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com and The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen).

Dr. James Andrews was among the four surgeons from whom Cabrera sought an opinion, and while season-ending surgery was discussed as an option, it was not recommended in the end. Beyond the news on Cabrera, Woodbery tweets that second baseman Josh Harrison will undergo surgery to repair his partially torn hamstring later this week and is expected to miss six to eight weeks of action.

The outlook on Cabrera is certainly troubling, even though he is not being placed on the injured list. One of the generation’s great sluggers, Cabrera missed most of the 2018 season due a biceps tear and hasn’t been himself at the plate in 2019. While he’s hitting for average and still drawing walks, Cabrera’s power has completely disappeared, and the resulting .284/.356/.356 line is rather light for a full-time designated hitter — solid average and OBP marks notwithstanding.

Furthermore, it doesn’t seem as if this is an issue with much hope of improving. Tigers trainer Doug Teter told reporters that the changes are the “natural result of attrition” from a lengthy career, adding that Cabrera will deal with this issue for the rest of his career. As for the prospect of future surgery, Cabrera indicated today that he simply doesn’t consider it an option at present. Woodbery notes that while Cabrera acknowledged he is “sad” to be moving away from first base, he was also firm in his stance on undergoing another operation: “Forget about that. I’m done with that.”

Beyond the mere fact that a healthy Cabrera is a joy for any fan to watch, his knee issues further underscore the misstep made by the Tigers in extending Cabrera back in 2014. He was already signed for two more years at that point (through age 32), but the Tigers tacked on an additional eight years and $248MM to keep him in Detroit for the remainder of his career. Not only is Cabrera earning $30MM in 2019, he’ll be paid that same sum in 2020 and 2021 before receiving a $32MM salary in both 2022 and 2023. There’s also an $8MM buyout on the Tigers’ club option over Cabrera for the 2024 season.

All told, Cabrera is owed a staggering $151MM from today through the end of contract in 2023. It was always assumed that he’d have to move to DH eventually, but this is probably sooner than the team had hoped. And if this year’s lack of power is in any way a lasting development, the remaining salary owed to Cabrera will prove all the more problematic for the organization. That, of course, remains to be seen. Perhaps Cabrera’s power outage is tied, at least in part, to lingering effects from last year’s biceps tear.

If that’s the case, one would imagine he’ll rediscover some pop as he further distances himself from that surgery. A return to his peak output clearly can’t be expected — we’ve yet to even mention the multiple herniated disks with which he was diagnosed in 2017 — but Cabrera’s average and discipline should allow him to at least be a productive hitter if he can regain some of that extra-base ability. Even in that scenario, though, his salary will be generally viewed as an albatross on the team’s books and will hamper the team’s maneuverability when it is fully ready to emerge from the current rebuilding state.

As for Harrison, he’s playing on a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $2MM and now figures to be out until after the All-Star break. Detroit signed him and his former Pirates double-play partner, Jordy Mercer, to fill out the middle infield in the offseason but haven’t received value from either deal. Harrison was hitting just .176/.219/.265 when he landed on the injured list. His absence will open more playing time for veteran Gordon Beckham and younger options like Dawel Lugo, Niko Goodrum and Ronny Rodriguez.

Royals To Release Chris Owings

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The Royals announced Tuesday that they’ve requested unconditional release waivers on infielder/outfielder Chris Owings. He was designated for assignment last week and will become a free agent once he clears in 48 hours. Kansas City has also recalled third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez from Triple-A Omaha.

Owings was brought in early this winter (Dec. 5) on a one-year, $3MM contract that ultimately didn’t pay dividends for Kansas City. The longtime Diamondbacks utilityman hit just .133/.193/.222 through 145 plate appearances with his new club while playing all three outfield positions, second base, third base and shortstop. Owings’ decision to pounce on an early big league offer from the Royals proved wise even looking beyond his poor play in K.C.; several other veteran infielders and outfielders lingered on the market and eventually signed for smaller guarantees (e.g. Josh Harrison) or minor league contracts (e.g. Jose Iglesias).

The 2019 season is the second straight rough campaign for Owings, who hit .206/.272/.302 through 309 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks in 2018. Overall, he’s never matched the gaudy numbers he put up as a prospect in Triple-A, when he once won Pacific Coast League MVP honors. But, Owings does have some speed (and is quite efficient at base stealing, as evidenced by a career 84 percent success rate), some gap power and experience playing nearly everywhere on the diamond. He could latch on with a club whose infield depth has been compromised or a team looking to bolster its bench with some versatility, but Owings’ play dating back to Opening Day 2018 makes a minor league pact seem the likeliest outcome for him.

In Gutierrez, the Royals will take a second look at one of the key pieces acquired in last season’s Kelvin Herrera trade with the Nationals. The 24-year-old hit .281/.300/.386 with 18 strikeouts against just two walks through 60 trips to the plate in his first look at the big league level earlier this year. He’s hitting at a .312/.430/.403 clip in 93 Triple-A plate appearances, however, and the Royals have some additional needs around the infield with 2019 breakout slugger Hunter Dozier on the injured list.

Latest On Dallas Keuchel

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Dallas Keuchel’s market, like that of fellow free agent Craig Kimbrel, figures to accelerate in the coming days now that he’s no longer tied to draft-pick compensation. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Yankees, Cardinals and Braves are among the favorites to land Keuchel — though as of yesterday, Keuchel and the Yankees were still a ways apart in terms of asking price. Earlier this morning, the Twins were also reported to have had recent talks with Keuchel’s agent, Scott Boras.

The rationale behind the Yankees’ interest in Keuchel isn’t difficult to see. Luis Severino has yet to pitch in 2019, primarily due to a lat strain that will likely sideline him into next month. Both James Paxton and CC Sabathia have spent time on the injured list, and Domingo German figures to be on some type of innings limit after throwing only 94 innings in 2018 between the Majors and minors (and 123 1/3 frames the year prior). Signing Keuchel would come with notable luxury ramifications for the Yankees, who’d pay a 32 percent tax on any dollar spent on him (per Jason Martinez’s luxury projections at Roster Resource).

The Cardinals, too, have seen some rotation issues pop up. Carlos Martinez has been moved to the bullpen after spending the beginning of the season on the injured list, while free-agent-to-be Michael Wacha has also been moved to a relief following an awful start to the year. Rookie Genesis Cabrera is getting his first look at the MLB level, but the Cards are in 1.5 games back in the tightly contested National League Central — a division where the difference between first place and fifth place is a mere span of 6.5 games at the moment.

Keuchel’s shedding of draft pick compensation matters less to the Astros than to others, since they were never in line to forfeit one of their picks to retain him and have known for a while they wouldn’t end up scoring a compensatory pick. But ESPN’s Buster Olney suggests (subscription required) that there may yet be a gap between what Houston is willing to offer and what Keuchel is seeking. The Astros offered Keuchel a one-year deal worth about $15MM early in Spring Training when he was still seeking a multi-year deal, according to Olney. Even though his asking price has come down since that point, he’s still reported to be seeking a one-year deal worth the $17.9MM value of the qualifying offer he rejected last November. Any such sum would be prorated over the course of the remainder of the season.

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