Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors

Braves To Promote Sean Newcomb This Weekend

By Steve Adams | June 7, 2017 at 10:44am CDT

The Braves will promote top left-handed pitching prospect Sean Newcomb to start one of Saturday’s doubleheader games, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (on Twitter). Whether it’s a spot start or a potential audition for a long-term spot in the rotation — Bartolo Colon has struggled all season and was placed on the disabled list yesterday — Newcomb will be making his MLB debut this weekend. The lefty isn’t on Atlanta’s 40-man roster, though the Braves have an open spot for him.

Newcomb, 24 next week, was the Angels’ first-round pick (No. 15 overall) out of the University of Hartford back in 2014 and was traded to the Braves roughly 18 months later as the key piece in the Andrelton Simmons swap. He’s emerged as a consensus Top 100 prospect throughout the game, though his stock took somewhat of a hit with a so-so 2016 campaign in Double-A. After ranking among baseball’s top 25 or so prospects in the eyes of Baseball America and MLB.com, he entered the 2017 campaign ranked 78th and 80th on their respective lists. ESPN’s Keith Law ranked him 81st, while Baseball Prospectus remained a bit more bullish and ranked him 44th.

Through his first 57 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett this season, Newcomb has pitched to a strong 2.97 ERA with an outstanding 11.5 K/9 rate. However, he’s also averaged 5.2 walks per nine, continuing a troubling trend of control problems that has followed him throughout his professional career. Newcomb has averaged 4.8 walks per nine since being drafted, and in addition to walking 104 men through 197 2/3 frames across the past two seasons, he’s also hit eight batters and tossed nine wild pitches.

Scouting reports on Newcomb praise his considerable upside but are also wary of his control problems. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com note that he sat 93-97 mph with his fastball last season and has at times touched 99-100 mph in the past — also praising his curveball as a plus offering and writing that his changeup is at least an average pitch. BA agreed with MLB.com’s assessment of Newcomb’s secondary offerings but pegged his fastball a couple miles per hour slower and also suggested that he needs to be more aggressive when he’s ahead in the count. Law, meanwhile, notes that Newcomb has durability but has yet to improve his command to the point where he can be considered likely to reach his ceiling as a No. 2 starter.

Control issues aside, the Braves are counting on Newcomb to serve as a long-term cog in their rotation following the departures of this offseason’s one-year stopgap acquisitions (Colon, R.A. Dickey and Jaime Garcia). Newcomb, along with Lucas Sims, Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka, Max Fried and Luiz Gohara, gives the Braves an enviable crop of well-regarded pitching prospects that currently sit in Double-A or higher. The hope, it seems, is that three of that bunch can slot into the rotation behind controllable right-handers Julio Teheran and Mike Foltynewicz to give Atlanta a rotation that is both sustainable and affordable for the next several years in the newly opened Sun Trust Park.

If Newcomb is brought to the Majors for good, he’ll accrue 114 days of big league service this season, which should put him just shy of Super Two eligibility moving forward. Assuming he misses out on Super Two status, he’d be arbitration-eligible following the 2020 season and would qualify for free agency following the 2023 campaign. Of course, it’s also certainly possible that this is merely a brief promotion to get his feet wet and that the Braves won’t fully commit a Major League rotation spot to Newcomb until later this season or even 2018.

Giants Acquire Sam Dyson

By Steve Adams | June 6, 2017 at 7:33pm CDT

The Giants announced that they’ve acquired right-hander Sam Dyson and cash from the Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later. It’s not yet known exactly how much of Dyson’s $3.52MM salary the Rangers are including in the deal, though Dyson is still owed about $2.27MM of that figure. The deal was technically announced as Dyson and cash for a player to be named later or cash, though Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Rangers expect to acquire a minor leaguer in exchange for Dyson. Madison Bumgarner was moved to the 60-day DL to clear a spot for Dyson on the 40-man roster.

[Related: Updated San Francisco Giants depth chart]

Dyson, 29, was designated for assignment by Texas last week after an awful start to the 2017 campaign. The Rangers, though, reportedly expected to find a trade partner for the change-of-scenery candidate right off the bat after gauging interest in him prior to the DFA.

Dyson’s fall in Texas was remarkably quick, as just one year ago he served as a lockdown closer for manager Jeff Banister. In 70 1/3 innings, Dyson saved 38 games and posted a 2.43 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. His heavy sinker also generated a 65.2 percent ground-ball rate and averaged a healthy 95.3 mph during that excellent ’16 season.

The 2017 campaign, though, has essentially been the antithesis of that terrific year for Dyson; through 16 2/3 innings, he’s posted a 10.80 ERA with more walks (12) than strikeouts (seven). Dyson has also yielded six home runs through his mere 16 2/3 frames this year — one more homer than he surrendered across last season’s 70 1/3 innings.

The Giants themselves have gotten off to a rough start, entering play today with a 24-35 record. San Francisco’s setup corps took a hit before the season ever started with the news that left-hander Will Smith required Tommy John surgery. Manager Bruce Bochy’s bullpen has pitched to a collective 3.96 ERA, which ranks 14th in the Majors. Dyson joins a bullpen that already skews a bit right-handed, slotting in behind Mark Melancon, Derek Law, Hunter Strickland and George Kontos.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jake Peavy Plans To Pitch Again, Weighs Midseason Comeback

By Steve Adams | June 6, 2017 at 7:05pm CDT

Right-hander Jake Peavy passed on all of the offers he received this winter due to a desire to remain at home with his four sons and spend time with them in the wake of a divorce, but he definitively tells Alex Speier of the Boston Globe that he will again play professional baseball. Whether he signs with a club midseason or elects to simply pursue a minor league pact/Spring Training invite this coming offseason is yet undecided, however.

“I can tell you with certainty, without a shadow of a doubt, I will play baseball again,” said Peavy. “Whether that be this year or next year, I’m still up in the air. There are some opportunities to [sign] tomorrow. If that was to happen, I’m grateful for that. But the last year of my life has presented challenges I didn’t foresee coming. It’s something I’ve embraced.”

Peavy, who turned 36 last week, suggested to Speier that he’s heard from more National League clubs than American League clubs, though Speier writes that a team’s division and league won’t have much of a bearing on Peavy’s decision if he does decide to sign. Rather, he’d unsurprisingly prefer to latch on with a club that has postseason aspirations. The Red Sox, Peavy adds, have not spoken to his agent about a potential reunion.

The 2016 season was the worst of Peavy’s career to date, as the former NL Cy Young winner and two-time World Series champion struggled to a 5.54 ERA through 118 2/3 innings. Of course, his secondary statistics all offered some optimism, as he averaged 7.7 K/9 (his best since 2012) and a solid 2.7 BB/9 with a 36.4 percent ground-ball rate. His 10.5 percent swinging-strike rate, too, was his best since the 2008 season. Metrics such as FIP (4.36), xFIP (4.70) and SIERA (4.40) were all kinder to Peavy than ERA, though none of those marks is exactly eye-catching.

Prior to that unsightly season, however, Peavy had enjoyed a four-year run as a mid-rotation arm for the White Sox, Red Sox and Giants. Though his peak days were behind him by that point, he still managed to deliver a very respectable 3.68 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 across 667 regular-season innings from 2012-15.

If Peavy does decide to sign with a club this summer, he’ll obviously require a bit of time before he’s ready to step right onto a big league pitching staff. While he tells Speier that he’s been throwing a minimum of one 25- to 30-pitch bullpen session per week, he’d still need some work in the minors to build up arm strength and face live hitters.

Indians Place Danny Salazar On DL, Activate Lonnie Chisenhall

By Steve Adams | June 6, 2017 at 5:21pm CDT

The Indians announced Tuesday that a sore right shoulder has landed right-hander Danny Salazar on the 10-day disabled list. Outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall has been activated from the seven-day concussion DL as a corresponding move.

[Related: Updated Cleveland Indians depth chart]

Cleveland did not provide any sort of timetable for a return to action for Salazar, who has struggled for the majority of the season. Through his first 55 innings, Salazar has turned in a disheartening 5.40 earned run average, due in large part to an increased penchant for allowing home runs. The 27-year-old Salazar yielded just 16 homers through 137 1/3 innings last season in Cleveland, but he’s been tagged for 11 big flies in his limited work thus far in 2017. While his 35 percent fly-ball rate is a mirror image of last season’s mark, Salazar has seen 22.4 percent of those fly balls leave the yard in 2017, as compared to a more reasonable 12.8 percent in 2016.

Those struggles had already cost Salazar his starting spot, as he’d recently been moved to the bullpen. The Indians have since been relying upon Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger and Josh Tomlin in the rotation, and they’ll move forward with that group in Salazar’s absence.

Chisenhall has been out since May 22 due to concussion symptoms but was enjoying an excellent season at the plate prior to his injury. Through 107 plate appearances, the former third baseman batted .261/.333/.543 with six homers, six doubles and a triple.

Braves Place Bartolo Colon On Disabled List

By Steve Adams | June 6, 2017 at 4:45pm CDT

4:45pm: Right-hander Jason Hursh has been recalled from Triple-A to join the bullpen for the time being.

3:41pm: The Braves announced on Tuesday that they’ve placed right-hander Bartolo Colon on the 10-day disabled list due to a strained left oblique. They’ll announce a corresponding move prior to tonight’s game.

Colon, 44, has had a disastrous start to his first season in Atlanta, pitching to a 7.78 ERA with 6.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 44.3 percent ground-ball rate through his first 12 starts/59 innings as a Brave. The veteran righty’s struggles have been particularly acute lately, as he’s yielded at least seven runs in each of his past three outings. He’s also been uncharacteristically home-run prone, and not just at Atlanta’s hitter-friendly new home park; Colon has served up 11 homers those 59 frames — eight of which have come on the road.

Per David O’Brien of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution (Twitter links), manager Brian Snitker said today that Colon has been receiving treatment on his ailing oblique “for awhile,” and the team is hopeful that said issue is at least somewhat to blame for his dreadful slump. For now, the Braves plan to return Colon to the rotation when he’s healthy enough to be activated off the disabled list, O’Brien adds, though that decision doesn’t appear to be set in stone.

As for the corresponding move, that remains to be seen, though MLB.com’s Mark Bowman suggests that both Lucas Sims and Matt Wisler are candidates to start the two games of Atlanta’s Saturday doubleheader. The arrival of Sims, of course, would mark the big league debut for one of the organization’s most anticipated young arms. Bowman adds that Snitker said it’s too soon for Kris Medlen to considered for a start.

In the meantime, however, it seems likely that Atlanta will add either an extra bench piece or an extra reliever, as Jaime Garcia, Mike Foltynewicz, R.A. Dickey and Julio Teheran are lined up to start on Tuesday through Friday. Colon’s slot in the rotation wouldn’t come up until Game 1 of Saturday’s twin bill.

Rangers Sign Ernesto Frieri To Minors Deal

By Steve Adams | June 6, 2017 at 3:49pm CDT

The Rangers announced that they’ve signed right-hander Ernesto Frieri to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock. The former Angels closer had been pitching with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate until last week, when he opted out of his minor league deal with New York.

Presumably, Frieri’s camp sees a clearer road to a big league roster spot in Arlington than they did in the Bronx. Given the struggles of the Texas relief corps — especially the recently designated for assignment Sam Dyson — it is indeed easy to see the 32-year-old Frieri quickly earning a look in the Major League ’pen. The Rangers’ 4.76 bullpen ERA is the fifth-worst mark in all of Major League Baseball, and in addition to the struggles of Dyson, Texas has seen Tony Barnette and Jeremy Jeffress post ERAs north of 5.00. Both were worked especially heavily early in the season, which may have contributed to their lackluster results.

Frieri, who utilized the World Baseball Classic as an avenue to pursue a comeback, has pitched well with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate thus far. In 21 innings with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he’s posted a 3.00 ERA with 24 strikeouts with nine walks and a 33.3 percent ground-ball rate. He’s always been a fly-ball pitcher with iffy control, even when at his best with the Padres and Angels from 2010-13. In that time, Frieri posted a 2.79 ERA with 12.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 across 229 1/3 innings of relief.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Steve Adams | June 6, 2017 at 2:00pm CDT

Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.

AL East Notes: Austin, Beliveau, Rays, Sox

By Steve Adams | June 5, 2017 at 3:05pm CDT

The Yankees announced that they’ve reinstated first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Austin, who suffered a foot fracture in Spring Training, has been limited to just 13 games on a rehab assignment thus far in 2017. He’s hit quite well in that time and comes with a very solid track record of performance in Triple-A. Given the terrible performance the Yankees have received their first basemen this season — they’re hitting a collective .150/.265/.278 this season — Austin could factor into the Major League mix for playing time if he continues to hit well in Triple-A.

Central Notes: Phillips, Verlander, Royals, Cardinals

By Steve Adams | June 5, 2017 at 12:44pm CDT

The Brewers announced that third baseman Travis Shaw has been placed on the paternity list, with center field prospect Brett Phillips getting his first MLB promotion to temporarily take Shaw’s roster spot. Phillips is just a year removed from being a consensus top 100 prospect throughout the game, but a rough 2016 campaign in which he batted just .229/.332/.397 caused his stock to drop a ways heading into the ’17 season. He’s done well to restore some of the hype this year, however, hitting a robust .297/.369/.589 with 11 homers, 10 doubles and four triples, albeit in the hitter-friendly environs of Colorado Springs. Phillips’ first big league look seems likely to be brief in nature, given that he’s replacing someone on paternity leave, but his strong play could force him into the Brewers’ plans later this summer. Those interested in getting to know a bit more about Phillips can check out his 2015 appearance on the MLBTR Podcast.

White Sox, Bobby Parnell Agree To Minors Deal

By Steve Adams | June 5, 2017 at 11:38am CDT

The White Sox have agreed to a minor league pact with veteran right-hander Bobby Parnell, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Parnell, who is represented by ACES, opted out of a minor league deal with the Royals last week.

The 32-year-old Parnell has yet to reestablish himself as a quality big league reliever after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in 2014. Since Opening Day 2014, he’s logged a collective 30 1/3 innings in the Majors with a 6.53 ERA and more walks (23) than strikeouts (18). He did still manage a ground-ball rate north of 50 percent in limited action across each of the past two seasons, and Parnell’s fastball velocity remained a healthy 94.9 mph, on average, in his brief stint with the Tigers last season. That, however, is down quite a bit from the 97 mph he averaged at his peak with the Mets from 2010-13.

Chicago will hope that Parnell can get back to that 2010-13 form, during which he posted a 2.79 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 across 213 innings. Chicago’s bullpen has been among the best in baseball, though the team is also widely expected to trade away some of its veteran contributors, including closer David Robertson. Adding Parnell could give them an experienced depth option to turn to following some of those moves, though his 2017 performance to date hasn’t exactly been encouraging. Through 21 innings with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, he’s been tagged for a 4.71 ERA with 17 strikeouts, 13 walks and a 42.2 percent ground-ball rate.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect