Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors

Athletics Shut Down Luzardo For 4-6 Weeks; Olson To Be Evaluated For Hand Injury

By Steve Adams | March 21, 2019 at 10:21am CDT

The Athletics have received some unwelcome injury news in the past 12 hours or so, as general manager David Forst revealed prior to Tuesday’s game against the Mariners in Tokyo that top pitching prospect Jesus Luzardo will be shut down for four to six weeks due to a strain in the rotator cuff of his left shoulder (link via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser).

That’s not all, however, as Oakland announced following today’s game that first baseman Matt Olson exited the game due to discomfort in his right hand. He’ll be further evaluated when the team returns to the United States. As Slusser reports (via Twitter), however, there’s some cause for genuine concern regarding Olson, who felt pain when fouling off a pitch and is now having difficulty gripping a bat.

Luzardo, 21, had emerged as a candidate to break camp in the Athletics’ rotation on the heels of a strong spring in which he allowed one earned run with a 15-to-4 K/BB ratio in 9 2/3 innings. Regarded as one of baseball’s elite pitching prospects by Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs, ESPN and Baseball Prospectus, Luzardo reached Triple-A as a 20-year-old in 2018. He skyrocketed across three levels in the Oakland system, pitching to a collective 2.88 ERA with 10.6 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 109 1/3 innings of work.

Slusser further reports that the A’s were in touch with righty Edwin Jackson about a reunion earlier this spring and suggests that the Luzardo injury could rekindle those talks. At present, the Oakland rotation consists of Mike Fiers, Marco Estrada, Brett Anderson and some combination of Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas and Aaron Brooks. There’s depth in the form of recently optioned Daniel Mengden, Paul Blackburn and Tanner Anderson, but the A’s could be without top starter Sean Manaea all season following a September shoulder procedure. Other rotation options, including Jharel Cotton, Daniel Gossett and top prospect A.J. Puk are still mending from 2018 Tommy John surgery.

Beyond Jackson, there are still a few recognizable names who’ve yet to sign for the 2019 campaign. While few would expect Oakland to make a splash of Dallas Keuchel magnitude, none of Bartolo Colon, James Shields or Yovani Gallardo have signed yet. There will also be several veterans who took minor league deals this winter opting out of those deals in the coming days if they’re not assured a 25-man roster spot, and the A’s could opportunistically look to bolster their depth by exploring that market.

As for Olson, any sort of fracture or other significant injury would be a huge early-season blow to the A’s. The 24-year-old (25 next week) hit .247/.335/.453 with 29 home runs and 33 doubles while playing all 162 games for the A’s in 2018. He also won a Gold Glove Award in his first full MLB campaign, tallying 14 Defensive Runs Saved and recording an 11.6 Ultimate Zone Rating.

Mark Canha could step into regular at-bats should Olson require a short-term trip to the injured list, though if Olson is expected to be out for a longer period of time, the open market does still have a few notable first-base options. Lucas Duda opted out of his minor league deal with the Twins yesterday and would represent a logical platoon partner for Canha, while veteran Logan Morrison remains unsigned after undergoing season-ending hip surgery last year.

Marlins Select Contract Of Curtis Granderson

By Steve Adams | March 21, 2019 at 8:20am CDT

The Marlins announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of veteran outfielder Curtis Granderson while optioning fellow outfielder Austin Dean to Triple-A New Orleans. Three non-roster players — lefty Mike Kickham, righty Hector Noesi and catcher Rodrigo Vigil — were all reassigned to minor league camp, too. Miami now has a full 40-man roster.

Granderson, who turned 38 last week, split the 2018 season between the Blue Jays and the Brewers and posted a combined .242/.351/.431 batting line with 13 home runs, 22 doubles and a pair of triples in 403 plate appearances. He’s had a rough Spring Training, but Granderson was reportedly likely to make the club from the beginning of camp.

The Marlins surely value having a veteran with his level of experience working with what figures to be a very young outfield mix, but he won’t be an everyday option for them in the outfield. Granderson’s numbers against left-handed pitching have continually deteriorated, rendering him as a strict platoon and pinch-hitting option at this point in his career. Defensively, he’ll be limited to the outfield corners.

The exact composition of Miami’s outfield is beginning to come into focus now that Dean has somewhat surprisingly been optioned out. Lewis Brinson looks locked into the center field job on the heels of a torrid spring, while Garrett Cooper, Peter O’Brien and Rosell Herrera are all still outfield options on the 40-man roster who remain in camp and on the 40-man roster. Gabriel Guerrero is also still in camp as a non-roster player who could yet crack the Opening Day roster.

Phillies Release Trevor Plouffe, Gregorio Petit

By Steve Adams | March 21, 2019 at 8:01am CDT

The Phillies announced Thursday that they’ve released four non-roster invitees to Spring Training: infielders Trevor Plouffe and Gregorio Petit as well as left-handers Edward Paredes and Jeremy Bleich. The Phils also optioned lefty James Pazos and right-hander Drew Anderson to Triple-A.

Plouffe, 32, was the Twins’ primary third baseman from 2013-16 and provided a solid bat with some pop for them during that time. However, he’s struggled with the A’s, Rays and Phillies across the past two seasons, hitting a combined .200/.271/.325 with 10 homers in 325 trips to the plate. He’s picked up some experience playing first base in recent years and has traditionally been a strong right-handed bat against left-handed opponents. In 27 spring plate appearances, Plouffe collected five hits (two homers, two doubles) and drew four walks.

Petit is a more versatile infielder, capable of playing both middle-infield slots, but he doesn’t have near the track record that Plouffe carries. Another former Twins/A’s infielder, the 34-year-old Petit is a career .249/.294/.342 hitter in 493 plate appearances. He went 4-for-15 with the Phils in his limited time in camp.

Paredes, 32, appeared briefly with the Dodgers in both 2017 and 2018, pitching a combined 16 innings with a 4.50 ERA but an outstanding 19-to-2 K/BB ratio. He’s been an extreme fly-ball pitcher in Triple-A and particularly in his limited big league time. Paredes was lights-out in camp, tossing 6 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run while recording an 11-to-2 K/BB ratio.

Bleich made his big league debut last season at the age of 31, though he faced only four batters (retiring one of them). A supplemental first-round pick by the Yankees back in 2008, Bleich is a 10-year minor league veteran with a career 3.64 ERA at the Triple-A level. In nine spring innings, Bleich allowed three runs on six hits and seven walks with 11 strikeouts.

Braves Sign Josh Tomlin To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | March 21, 2019 at 7:25am CDT

7:25am: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that Tomlin will start Saturday’s Grapefruit League game for the Braves and could potentially break camp with the club as a long reliever. If not, it appears he’ll head to Triple-A Gwinnett.

7:04am: The Braves announced Thursday that they’ve signed right-hander Josh Tomlin to a minor league contract. He’ll be in Major League camp for the remainder of Spring Training and add some depth to a pitching staff that is currently dealing with numerous injuries both in the rotation and in the bullpen. Tomlin, a Meister Sports client, opted out of a minor league deal with the Brewers yesterday.

Tomlin, 34, has spent the entirety of his big league career with the Indians to this point and was a fairly regular member of the Cleveland rotation from 2011-17. During that time, he posted a combined 4.66 ERA with 6.2 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9 over the life of 755 1/3 innings. He’s a quintessential soft-tosser, averaging 88.7 mph on his fastball in his career (87.8 mph over the past three seasons) but also demonstrating pinpoint control. Tomlin has averaged just 1.3 walks per nine innings pitched and has never allowed an average of more than 2.3 BB/9 in any single season.

Last season was a rough one for the veteran Tomlin, who pitched to a 6.14 ERA and yielded a stunning 25 home runs in 70 1/3 innings of work. The long ball has always been an issue for Tomlin, though certainly never to that extent. Tomlin’s homer-to-fly ball ratio leaped more than seven percentage points to a fluky 21.4 percent last year. That mark seems highly likely to regress, and a move to the National League figures to help to an extent as well.

The Braves had great success with a similar late-spring signing last year when another AL Central castoff, Anibal Sanchez, revitalized his career in Atlanta. Expecting that level of resurgence wouldn’t be reasonable for any pitcher, but Tomlin does seem to have a chance to log some innings for the Braves early in the season. Atlanta’s top starter, Mike Foltynewicz, will open the season on the injured list, and fellow righty Kevin Gausman could do the same. Right-hander Mike Soroka was optioned to Triple-A yesterday after shoulder troubles limited him for most of camp. Even if the Braves opt to deploy a number of younger options in the rotation, Tomlin could provide some support in a long relief role for a bullpen that will be without both A.J. Minter and Darren O’Day.

In 15 innings with the Brewers this spring, Tomlin allowed eight earned runs on 12 hits (three homers) and two walks with nine strikeouts.

AL Central Notes: Hanley, Rosario, Turnbull

By Steve Adams | March 20, 2019 at 10:39pm CDT

Hanley Ramirez has a March 24 opt-out date in his minor league contract with the Indians, tweets Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal. They’ve been trying to get the veteran slugger as many at-bats as possible in a short period of time in order to make their best judgment on whether he can help the club. If Ramirez were to make the roster, he’d serve as a pure designated hitter, thus pushing Carlos Santana into regular first-base duty and moving Jake Bauers into the outfield with more regularity. Entering play Wednesday, Ramirez was 7-for-28 with a pair of doubles, a walk and five strikeouts through 29 official plate appearances thus far in Cactus League play (not including any work he’s received in minor league and intrasquad games).

Some additional chatter from the AL Central…

Outfielder Eddie Rosario tells Dan Hayes of The Athletic that he’s open to signing a long-term deal with the Twins (subscription link). The interest is mutual, Hayes adds, though to this point there’s been no meaningful progress in talks. Rosario has solidified himself as a quality regular over the past two seasons, hitting a combined .289/.326/.493 with 51 homers, 64 doubles, four triples and 17 steals. He’ll earn $4.19MM in 2019 after reaching arbitration for the first time and won’t be a free agent until after the 2021 season. Rosario will play the upcoming season at age 27 and would’ve been eligible for free agency entering his age-30 season. Agreeing on how many free-agent years to buy out and placing an annual value on those seasons will be the main talking point in negotiations, as both the Twins and Rosario’s representatives have a pretty clear idea of what he can plausibly earn in his final two arbitration years.
The loss of Michael Fulmer to Tommy John surgery has opened up a potential path to the Majors for Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull, writes Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit skipper Ron Gardenhire has previously advocated for Turnbull as a viable rotation candidate, Fenech notes, and the 26-year-old righty could find himself vying with southpaw Daniel Norris for a rotation spot early in the season. The 2014 second-rounder made his MLB debut in 2018, and though he was tagged for 11 runs in 16 1/3 innings, Turnbull only yielded 17 hits and four walks to go along with 15 strikeouts. This spring, Turnbull has held opponents to three runs on 13 hits and a pair of walks with 15 strikeouts in 15 innings. The Tigers also have Matthew Boyd, Jordan Zimmermann, Tyson Ross and Matt Moore lined up for rotation jobs, and it’s possible that Norris (or perhaps Turnbull) opens the year in a multi-inning relief role.

Mets Notes: Alonso, Smith, Non-Roster Vets, Bunting

By Steve Adams | March 20, 2019 at 8:57pm CDT

The Mets could potentially carry Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith on the active roster to open the regular season, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Skipper Mickey Callaway says the two first baseman won’t function in a platoon if that does indeed come to pass, but he didn’t divulge how playing time between the two would be divided. Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News weighs in further on the matter, suggesting that it’s possible that one first baseman could start a game, go five or six innings, and then be lifted in the event that a more favorable matchup for the other comes along later in the game. It’s perhaps worth noting that Smith has some limited experience in the outfield, although the Mets’ outfield already is already crowded with Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Keon Broxton and Juan Lagares on board. Both Alonso and Smith have tattooed opposing pitchers this spring, with Alonso raking at a .360/.396/.680 clip and Smith impressing as well at .349/.404/.465.

Braves Rumors: Duvall, Outfield, Pitching Staff

By Steve Adams | March 20, 2019 at 7:54pm CDT

It seems the Braves may be looking at alternatives in the outfield, with David O’Brien of The Athletic tweeting that Adam Duvall’s hold on a roster spot is “tenuous at best.” The Braves acquired Duvall from the Reds in a minor trade last July, and while they didn’t give up much in the way of long-term value, the trade simply hasn’t paid dividends. Duvall was slumping at the time of the acquisition and cratered further with a disastrous .132/.193/.151 through 57 trips to the plate with the Atlanta organization. Despite struggling through the worst season of his career in 2018, Duvall was surprisingly tendered a contract by the Braves, who avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a $2.875MM salary. If the Braves cut ties with Duvall, they’d only be responsible for about $696K of that non-guaranteed sum. O’Brien notes that if another fourth-outfield type becomes available in the next few days, it wouldn’t be surprising if Atlanta moves on from Duvall, who is 5-for-37 with seven walks and six strikeouts so far in camp.

More out of Atlanta…

On the pitching side, O’Brien took a look yesterday (subscription link) at a roster that’s loaded with possibilities but also a number of health questions. The Atlanta organization will be piecing things together at the back of the bullpen while A.J. Minter and Darren O’Day work back to full health. Both will open the season on the injured list. Some young starters could be tasked with relief duties to open the year, though the rotation is also missing its top piece in Mike Foltynewicz.
Not only is Foltynewicz headed for the injured list to start the season, Kevin Gausman’s status for the early portion of the season is seemingly up in the air, writes MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Gausman did throw 58 pitches in an intrasquad game yesterday, but the organization would like him to be built up to 90 pitches before joining the big league rotation. Thankfully for Braves fans, it doesn’t seem as though there’s much long-term concern following Gausman’s early camp shoulder issues. If he’s not ready to go for the opening week, then it’s possible that each of Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson and Max Fried could make the roster.
Meanwhile, the Braves announced today that Mike Soroka has been optioned to Triple-A, where he’ll get at least a few outings under his belt before he’s reconsidered for the MLB staff. That’s actually positive news, it seems, since it indicates that Soroka is healthy enough that he did not require a trip to the injured list to open the season. Soroka was limited in camp with problems in his throwing shoulder, though if he can put that issue behind him he should quickly emerge as a candidate to rejoin the Atlanta rotation.

Ryan Flaherty Opts Out Of Indians Deal; Wilson, Grimm Won’t Make Roster

By Steve Adams | March 20, 2019 at 5:08pm CDT

The Indians announced Wednesday that a pair of veteran non-roster invitees have been informed that they will not make the Opening Day club: right-hander Justin Grimm and infielder Ryan Flaherty. While the club indicated that the pair is weighing opt-out clauses, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that Flaherty has already declared his intent to exercise his opt-out provision and will become a free agent.

Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets that Alex Wilson is also not going to make the roster and is currently exploring options with his agent. The Indians made clear to all three veterans that they hoped to retain them in Triple-A, though that won’t happen with Flaherty at the very least. Lastly, Cleveland announced that right-hander Tyler Clippard has been released but re-signed to a new minor league deal.

Flaherty, 32, hit .217/.298/.292 through 182 plate appearances with the Braves last year and was long a versatile but light-hitting utility piece for the Orioles prior to his lone season in Atlanta. The left-handed hitter is a career .216/.286/.347 batter in 1452 plate appearances and has experience playing all over the infield as well as in the outfield corners.

Wilson, also 32, has been a steady member of the Tigers’ bullpen over the past four seasons, working to a combined 3.20 ERA with a below-average 5.8 K/9 mark but a quality average of 2.1 BB/9. He’s averaged 6.3 punchouts per nine innings pitched over the past two seasons and logged the second-best grounder rate of his career in 2018 (49.2 percent), but his general lack of strikeouts has led fielding-independent pitching metrics to view him less favorably than his generally solid earned run average. This spring, he allowed just two runs on five hits and two walks with seven stirkeouts in 8 2/3 innings.

The 30-year-old Grimm, meanwhile, allowed one earned run on eight hits and four walks with nine punchouts in 8 1/3 innings with Cleveland this spring. He was once a high-quality setup option for the Cubs but has stumbled to a 6.69 ERA over his past 72 2/3 big league innings. That said, Grimm has continually showed an ability to miss bats in the Majors and in the upper minors.

As for Clippard, the 34-year-old has been sidelined for the past five days by a pectoral injury that was originally believed to come with a roughly two-week timeline. The exact reason for his newly structured minor league pact could come down to a matter of altered opt-out clauses or even altered base salary/incentives, but the Indians reportedly made clear at the time of his injury that they hoped to work out a deal to retain him. It would appear they’ve reached an agreement to do so, and it seems quite likely that assuming Clippard’s injury heals as expected, he’ll emerge as a big league option for the Indians early in the year. For now, he’ll remain in MLB camp and continue rehabbing, per the team’s announcement.

Orioles Release Alcides Escobar

By Steve Adams | March 20, 2019 at 3:50pm CDT

The Orioles announced this afternoon that veteran shortstop Alcides Escobar, who had been in camp as a non-roster invitee, has been granted his release. He’s now a free agent.

Escobar went 7-for-32 with a pair of doubles, four strikeouts and four walks in his brief time with the Orioles this spring before exercising an opt-out clause in his contract. He’ll now search for another club in need of some infield depth. With Escobar now out of the picture, both of Baltimore’s Rule 5 picks — Richie Martin and Drew Jackson — stand an increased chance of breaking camp with the team.

The 32-year-old Escobar has spent the past eight seasons with the Royals organization, generally providing Kansas City with quality defense and baserunning but significantly below-average offensive output. He’s a carer .258/.293/.343 hitter in 5702 Major League plate appearances, including a dismal .242/.275/.338 slash in 1160 PAs over the past two seasons. Given that lack of offense, Escobar isn’t likely to land another shot as a regular, but his speed-and-defense approach to the game could make him a useful bench piece — particularly if he is amenable to moving around the diamond a bit, as he did in his final season with the Royals.

Angels Outright Kaleb Cowart

By Steve Adams | March 20, 2019 at 3:40pm CDT

The Angels announced that infielder/relief pitcher Kaleb Cowart has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Salt Lake, thus clearing a spot on the 40-man roster.

Cowart has bounced around the league a bit since the end of the 2018 campaign. The Mariners claimed him from the Angels back in December but lost him to the Tigers via a late-January waiver claim. A month later, the Angels claimed him back off waivers and brought him to big league camp. He’s now been reassigned to minor league camp.

Cowart, a first-round pick back in 2010, has never established himself as a credible bat at the Major League level, batting just .177/.241/.293 in 380 trips to the plate. The former top prospect has had his share of success in Triple-A (.298/.361/.469 in parts of four seasons), and he’s recently sought to improve his versatility by functioning as a two-way player. Each of the teams who has rostered Cowart since the end of the ’18 campaign has done so with a willingness to try him out as a two-way player, but that’s a tough experiment to conduct at the MLB level. And, given that Cowart is out of minor league options, exposing him to waivers was a necessity in order to allow him to work on that new role in Triple-A.

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