Orioles Rumors

Orioles Outright D.J. Snelten

By Kyle Downing | June 16, 2018 at 12:41pm CDT

Orioles lefty D.J. Snelten has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk, the club’s PR department has announced.

It was a short stay on the team’s 40-man roster for the 26-year-old Snelten, as they claimed him off waivers from the Giants just under two weeks ago. He had thrown 4 1/3 innings for the Giants, allowing five earned runs on nine hits and three walks. He’d spent his entire career in the Giants organization prior June 4th.

Snelten made the transition from starter to reliever in High-A ball during the 2016 season, and subsequently rocketed up the Giants’ minor league ladder. However, his 11.63 K/9 in 21 2/3 Double-A innings didn’t translate to the upper levels of the minors, and recently his control has gotten away from him a bit as well (nine walks in just 20 2/3 innings at Triple-A in 2018).

Orioles Place Richard Bleier On DL, Select Corban Joseph, Designate D.J. Snelten

By Jeff Todd and Steve Adams | June 16, 2018 at 12:27pm CDT

SATURDAY: Bleier will indeed have season-ending surgery on Tuesday to repair a Grade 3 lat strain, as Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun was among those to tweet.

FRIDAY, 3:33pm: Bleier may need surgery and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli is among those to report on Twitter.

2:19pm: The Orioles have announced a host of roster moves today. Southpaw Richard Bleier is heading to the DL with what has been diagnosed as a lat strain. He’ll be replaced in the pen by southpaw Tanner Scott.

Infielder Corban Joseph has been selected and added to the active roster as well. To create the needed roster space, righty Yefry Ramirez was optioned and lefty D.J. Snelten was designated for assignment.

The news on Bleier was fully expected at this point, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com wrote earlier today. Bleier is said to be seeking a second opinion after already undergoing an MRI. It’s still unclear just how bleak the outlook is, but Kubatko suggests the internal belief is it’s a serious injury.

While Bleier, 31, is hardly a household name, perhaps he should be. The former Yankees southpaw is in his third big league season and currently is sporting the third sub-2.00 ERA of his career. Bleier has a 1.97 ERA in 119 innings, which is the sixth-lowest mark (min. 100 innings) in MLB history. He’s tied with Craig Kimbrel for the best ERA- (46) in MLB history (again, min. 100 innings; and a tip of the cap to ESPN’s Sam Miller for shining a light on Bleier’s curious dominance earlier this season).

Bleier has averaged just 4.1 K/9 in his career, but his 21.2 percent hard-contact rate in 2018 is outstanding. He’s allowed only two barreled balls this season (as defined by Statcast), and he leads the Majors in barrels per batted ball (1.8 percent of balls in play against him). Bleier may be an anomaly, but he’s been an important piece to the Baltimore bullpen who now looks headed for an absence of potential significance.

Orioles Interview Ned Colletti

By Jeff Todd | June 15, 2018 at 9:32pm CDT

The Orioles have brought in former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti for an interview, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links). It’s not known if Colletti is a serious candidate to join the organization, and if so in what capacity. The report also indicates that other, as-yet-unreported names could also be under consideration.

Now a broadcast analyst, the 64-year-old Colletti served as the GM in Los Angeles for a decade before Andrew Friedman was hired just after the 2014 season. Colletti continued on as a senior advisor to president/CEO Stan Kasten, but certainly no longer carried the status as the top baseball decisionmaker in the Dodgers organization.

We haven’t heard Colletti mentioned often as an executive candidate elsewhere, but he did pop up in some rumors for the Diamondbacks job when it was open in 2016. There was never any indication that Colletti was a serious candidate for that gig, which ultimately went to Mike Hazen. But it did provide an opportunity for MLBTR’s Steve Adams to run through Colletti’s transactional track record.

This news takes place against a backdrop of ample uncertainty in Baltimore. Some change is evidently afoot at the ownership level, with Peter Angelos’s sons said to be increasingly grasping the reins. Both executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter are operating on expiring contracts, with VP of baseball ops Brady Anderson widely viewed as an increasingly important voice.

The future is just as murky from a roster perspective. Despite making a few veteran additions and deciding against any significant sell-side trades over the winter, the team has stumbled to a horrific start and is completely buried from a competitive perspective this year. Meanwhile, key players including Manny Machado, Adam Jones, and Zach Britton are now months away from free agency.

With a mid-season sell-off of some kind all but certain, and the future baseball ops leadership in question, it could be that the O’s are considering a move to bring in a veteran hand before making tough calls. Whether such an executive would supplement or displace Duquette is unclear, though it’s tough to imagine that he’d be particularly amenable to a power-sharing arrangement.

As far as other potential candidates go, it’d be foolish to guess at the possibilities, but one imagines that the Baltimore organization is considering other people who come with experience at the highest levels of baseball ops departments. Rosenthal does note that the Orioles haven’t yet sought to speak with anyone who’s currently employed by a rival team.

Injury Notes: Richards, Cozart, Bleier, Pomeranz, Padres

By Steve Adams | June 13, 2018 at 11:19pm CDT

The Angels announced tonight that right-hander Garrett Richards exited the game due to tightness in his left hamstring, while Zack Cozart departed early due to a strained left shoulder. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes, Richards’ fastball velocity was down nearly three miles per hour from its usual levels before he exited the game following a two-run second inning for the Mariners. Richards is slated for an MRI tomorrow. Cozart, meanwhile, incurred his injury while making a diving attempt at shortstop and said after the game that his shoulder “separated or popped out a little bit” upon hitting the ground. It’s not the first time he’s had that type of issue happen, he adds, and he’ll be examined further tomorrow.

Some more injury news from around the game…

Orioles lefty Richard Bleier suffered an arm injury in Wednesday night’s game, which manager Buck Showalter suggested could be related to his left lat muscle (link via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko). The injury was immediately apparent, as Bleier winced on his follow-through, dropped his glove and immediately began clutching at his shoulder (video link). Bleier already had an x-ray taken Wednesday night, and he’s headed for an MRI on Thursday. While there won’t be an update until that test is complete and the results have been viewed by doctors, but Bleier said that there was “no question” that he was unable to make another pitch, calling the pain “severe” and adding that he’s never experienced that type of injury. While the 31-year-old lefty is hardly a household name, he has a superlative 1.93 ERA on the season and, in fact, has a sub-2.00 ERA for his entire career — a span of 119 innings dating back to his 2016 debut with the Yankees.
Drew Pomeranz has been on the shelf for nearly two weeks, but the Red Sox lefty doesn’t sound especially close to returning. WEEI’s Rob Bradford tweets that Pomeranz says the pain in his arm has mostly dissipated, but he has limited mobility in his neck, which is still preventing him from even throwing. Pomeranz, 29, originally hit the DL due to tendinitis in his left biceps, though it would appear that he’s experiencing additional discomfort at this point. Knuckleballer Steven Wright has stepped into Pomeranz’s spot in the rotation and tossed 13 2/3 shutout innings in two starts.
The Padres announced tonight that outfielders Wil Myers and Franchy Cordero and left-hander Joey Lucchesi are all set to begin minor league rehab assignments tomorrow. San Diego has been without Myers since April 29 due to a left oblique strain, while Cordero has been out since late May due to a forearm strain. In the absence of both corner outfielders, the Friars have been utilizing a mix of Travis Jankowski, rookie Franmil Reyes, Manuel Margot, Hunter Renfroe and Matt Szczur in the outfield, though the impending return of both Myers and Cordero will shuffle that arrangement. Myers has taken just 40 plate appearances with the big league club this season, hitting .300/.300/.450, while Cordero hit .237/.307/.439 through 154 PAs and began to draw some notoriety for his prodigious home run distances and exit velocities on Statcast. As for Lucchesi, he was among the most impressive rookie pitchers in all of baseball through his first nine starts, pitching to a 3.23 ERA with a 48-to-15 K/BB ratio and a 43.8 percent ground-ball rate in 47 1/3 innings. He’s been out since May 15 due to a hip strain.

Injury Notes: Buehler, Maeda, Cashner, Cabrera, Archer, Cahill

By Steve Adams | June 12, 2018 at 7:39pm CDT

The Dodgers announced that they’ve placed right-hander Walker Buehler on the 10-day disabled list with a microfracture in his right rib and recalled left-hander Caleb Ferguson from Triple-A. Pedro Moura of The Athletic tweets that Buehler made three starts with the fracture before being forced to the DL and is playing catch today. Moura adds that the Dodgers are hopeful that it’ll be a matter of a couple weeks as opposed to an extended absence.

There’s good news for the Dodgers, however, as Buehler’s spot will be filled by an established face. Manager Dave Roberts revealed to reporters Tuesday night that Kenta Maeda will be activated from the DL to start on Wednesday (Twitter link via the OC Register’s Bill Plunkett). While he’ll be limited in terms of pitch count and innings, the return of Maeda serves as a welcome breath of fresh air for a Dodgers pitching staff that has been utterly hammered by injuries of late. Even with Maeda’s return, Buehler will join Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Julio Urias and Dennis Santana on the DL.

More injury news from around the game…

Orioles righty Andrew Cashner landed on the 10-day disabled list due to a lower back strain, per a club announcement. Left-hander Donnie Hart is up from Triple-A Norfolk to take his roster spot for now. Cashner, 31, signed a two-year deal worth $16MM this offseason but has struggled through his first 13 starts in Baltimore. The well-traveled righty has a 4.98 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 and a 38.9 percent ground-ball rate in 72 1/3 innings. While Cashner’s strikeout rate is up noticeably from 2017, he’s also seen his walk rate rise substantially and has also been plagued by a 1.62 HR/9 mark. Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Alex Cobb and David Hess remain active in the Baltimore rotation, and there’s been no announcement as to who’ll start tomorrow in Cashner’s place.
The Tigers announced that Miguel Cabrera left tonight’s game against the Twins with a biceps tendon strain. He’s undergoing an MRI to evaluate the extent of the damage, per the announcement. The 35-year-old Cabrera has had a bounceback season at the plate in terms of his average and on-base percentage, but he’s hit just three homers in 155 plate appearances and hasn’t shown much power. Cabrera is hitting .301/.394/.451 on the season overall and has already missed nearly a month of the season due to a strained hamstring.
Chris Archer has had a minor setback in his rehab from an abdominal strain, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rays manager Kevin Cash stated Tuesday that Archer woke up feeling “not that great” and added that the team is taking a more “conservative” approach in light of the news. Archer clarified to Topkin (Twitter links) that he hasn’t had a major setback but some post-bullpen soreness that could slow him for a few days. Topkin notes that that could be enough to push Archer into a minor league rehab assignment, which would delay his return to the Tampa Bay staff. After a terrible start to the season, Archer has turned in a 2.47 ERA with a 40-to-15 K/BB ratio in 43 2/3 innings across his past seven appearances.
Athletics righty Trevor Cahill hasn’t seen any improvement in his ailing Achilles tendon and is likely headed to the disabled list, manager Bob Melvin told reporters Tuesday afternoon (Twitter links via Jane Lee of MLB.com). If that likely outcome does come to pass, then right-hander Chris Bassitt will “certainly be the first option” to step into Cahill’s spot in the rotation, the skipper adds. Cahill, who signed a one-year deal worth $1.75MM late in Spring Training after Jharel Cotton went down with Tommy John surgery, has been excellent when healthy enough to take the hill for the A’s. In 48 2/3 innings, he’s notched a 2.77 ERA with 47 punchouts against 11 walks.

Orioles Activate Zach Britton

By Jeff Todd | June 11, 2018 at 4:23pm CDT

The Orioles have activated lefty Zach Britton from the 60-day DL, the club announced. To create space on the active roster, the club placed struggling righty Pedro Araujo on the 10-day DL with a sprained elbow.

Outfielder Colby Rasmus was moved to the 60-day DL to make way on the 40-man. He has already been out for more than two months, so that’s a purely procedural maneuver.

Britton will make his long-awaited season debut as soon as this evening. The southpaw reliever was sidelined to open the year after suffering an Achilles tear in offseason workouts. He’s playing on a $12MM salary in his final season of arbitration eligibility.

With the O’s limping out to the worst record in baseball to this point of the season, the hope will be that Britton can pitch his way into a useful trade chip this summer. Certainly, he has established a ceiling that few others have ever touched out of the pen.

In 2015 and 2016, Britton was among the game’s very best relievers. He worked to a composite 1.22 ERA over 132 2/3 innings, with 10.4 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. Even more remarkably, Britton maintained those excellent K/BB numbers while generating grounders on over 75% of the balls put in play against him.

Though he managed a strong 2.89 ERA last year, things just weren’t the same. Britton dealt with forearm/elbow concerns that limited him to 37 1/3 innings. He still posted a massive 72.6% groundball rate, but stepped back in K/9 (7.0) and BB/9 (4.3) as his swinging-strike percentage dove from 17.2% to 11.5% year over year.

It’s too soon to know what version of Britton will show up in Baltimore, but he hasn’t had any trouble generating swings and misses or worm burners on his rehab assignment. If there’s a positive from the layoff, perhaps it’s the fact that his arm has now enjoyed a lengthy respite.

Despite the questions that crept in, Britton was nearly dealt last summer. His potential value is much lower now, as a pure rental asset, though he can surely boost his stock quite a bit with over six weeks left to go before the trade deadline. Since he was on the shelf, Britton did not make the initial version of MLBTR’s top trade deadline candidates list, but he’s sure to feature on future iterations. And as the current list shows, Britton won’t have a lofty bar to clear to establish himself as the best late-inning rental lefty available.

AL East Notes: Adames, Araujo, Drury

By Steve Adams | June 11, 2018 at 12:20pm CDT

Top prospect Willy Adames is back with the Rays, who announced today that they’ve placed Daniel Robertson on the 10-day disabled list due to a strained left hamstring and recalled the 22-year-old Adames in his place. It’ll be the second stint in the Majors this season for Adames, who is considered Tampa Bay’s best position-player prospect and is generally regarded among the game’s top 30 or so all-around farmhands. He went 2-for-12 in a brief debut stint with the Rays last month but is hitting a much more palatable .286/.356/.424 in Triple-A despite his relative youth. Adames isn’t teeming with power, but he should stick at shortstop and has the potential to be an above-average bat there. Certainly, that’s the hope for the Rays, who only control Adeiny Hechavarria through season’s end. Hechavarria recently checked in on the first edition of MLBTR’s Top 50 trade candidates, and if he’s moved, then a path to everyday at-bats would be open for Adames.

2017-18 Rule 5 Draft Update

By Steve Adams | June 11, 2018 at 11:14am CDT

When we last checked in on this year’s crop of Rule 5 players, there were a combined 11 players — six on active rosters and five on the Major League disabled list — still with their new organizations. That number has fallen to nine, with six players (albeit a different mix) still active in the Majors, plus another three hanging around on the DL. The number could shrink again in the near future, as several of the remaining Rule 5-ers are seldom used pieces, and at least two teams will soon likely have to make a call.

Active Big Leaguers

Victor Reyes, OF, Tigers (from D-backs): Reyes has received only 38 plate appearances since our last Rule 5 roundup, hitting .211/.211/.342 in that span. He’s picked up a pair of triples and a double, his first extra-base hits in the Majors, but is hitting just .196/.196/.304 on the season as a whole. The Tigers barely use Reyes, outside of pinch-running and late-game defensive switches, but the longer they commit to hanging onto him, the less likely it becomes that they return him to Arizona. At this point, they’ve played more than a third of the season with an effective 24-man roster, so they seem likely to see this through.
Brad Keller, RHP, Royals (from D-backs, via trade w/ Reds): The 22-year-old Keller hasn’t picked up many strikeouts (5.9 K/9) and hasn’t displayed elite control (3.3 BB/9), but he’s sporting a 57.9 percent ground-ball rate in 35 innings for Kansas City — including three starts. He boasts a 2.31 ERA thus far in 2018, though his 0.26 HR/9 mark and 82.2 percent strand rate seem poised to regress. Nonetheless, he’s performed well enough to date that there’s no reason for the Royals to consider cutting ties.
Burch Smith, RHP, Royals (from Rays, via trade w/ Mets): Smith, on the other hand, is a more complicated case for GM Dayton Moore and his staff. The 28-year-old is currently lugging a 6.49 ERA to the mound with him after surrendering 10 runs in his past 7 1/3 innings. Smith has racked up 28 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings, but he’s also issued 18 walks and hit two batters. Beyond that, seven of the 26 hits he’s allowed with Kansas City have cleared the fence.
Pedro Araujo, RHP, Orioles (from Cubs): Araujo was one of four players in Spring Training with the Orioles who came with Rule 5 status, but he’s the last to remain on their MLB roster. (Anthony Santander, who missed much of last season due to injury, fulfilled his Rule 5 requirements last monthM and was optioned to Triple-A.) Araujo was torched for four runs last night, including a pair of homers, and he now has a 7.71 ERA in 28 innings with the O’s. That’s not exactly a surprise considering the fact that he skipped both Double-A and Triple-A, and to his credit, Araujo has punched out 29 hitters in his 28 frames (albeit against 18 walks and two hit batters). Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun wrote this morning that Araujo’s roster spot could be in jeopardy with Zach Britton coming off the disabled list.
Carlos Tocci, OF, Rangers (from Phillies, via trade w/ White Sox): Texas stashed Tocci, 22, on the disabled list with a hip contusion for more than a month and rode his rehabilitation window as long as possible. Since being activated on June 2, Tocci hasn’t logged a single plate appearance. The Rangers’ season looks to be lost, so they may as well hang onto Tocci if they believe he has any shot at a future in the organization. He’s just 2-for-25 in 14 games this season and has struggled in Triple-A, but Tocci was productive for the Phillies’ Double-A club last season and hit well in Double-A during last month’s rehab assignment, too.
Elieser Hernandez, RHP, Marlins (from Astros): Hernandez has allowed just 10 earned runs through 23 innings for a 3.91 ERA, but he’s also picked up just 10 strikeouts and yielded five homers. Hernandez, 23, has shown strong control (four walks), but he looks quite hittable through his brief run with Miami so far. As with each team listed in this section, though, they can certainly afford to hang onto him.

On the Disabled List

Julian Fernandez, RHP, Giants (from Rockies): Fernandez underwent Tommy John surgery back in April. He’ll accrue MLB service time while spending the season on the 60-day disabled list and will retain his Rule 5 status heading into 2019, if the Giants wish to hang onto him all offseason.
Nick Burdi, RHP, Pirates (from Twins via trade w/ Phillies): The Pirates picked up Burdi knowing he’d miss much of the 2018 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he’s yet to throw in the minors. That said, Burdi is a former supplemental-round pick who was selected toward the top of the draft thanks to an 80-grade heater that regularly touches triple digits. If he can get healthy enough to pitch this season, the Bucs will have a free look at a tantalizing power arm.
Brett Graves, RHP, Marlins (from Athletics): The Marlins placed Graves on the 60-day disabled list with an oblique strain back on Opening Day, so he’s yet to pitch in the Majors. He has, however, recovered to the point where he’s begun pitching on a minor league rehab assignment. The results haven’t been pretty. Graves has a 6.23 ERA with a 16-to-7 K/BB ratio and four hit batters in 17 1/3 innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. He’s also nearing the end of his 30-day rehab window. His first rehab appearance came back on May 17, so the Marlins have less than a week to determine whether to bring Graves up to the Majors or run him through waivers and offer him back to Oakland.

Returned to Original Organization

Anyelo Gomez, RHP: Returned to Yankees by the Braves
Nestor Cortes Jr., LHP: Returned to Yankees by the Orioles
Jordan Milbrath, RHP: Returned to Indians by the Pirates
Mike Ford, 1B: Returned to Yankees by the Mariners
Anthony Gose, LHP: Returned to Rangers by the Astros
Jose Mesa Jr., RHP: Returned to Yankees by the Orioles
Tyler Kinley, RHP: Returned to Marlins by the Twins
Luke Bard, RHP: Returned to Twins by the Angels

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/10/18

By Connor Byrne | June 10, 2018 at 6:49pm CDT

Sunday’s minor moves from around baseball…

Newest Moves

The Astros announced that catcher Tim Federowicz has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. Federowicz was designated for assignment two days ago when Brian McCann returned from the disabled list. After signing a minors deal with Houston in the offseason, Federowicz appeared in two games for the Astros while filling in during McCann’s brief DL stint, and he’ll continue to provide organizational catching depth.

Earlier Today

The Diamondbacks have outrighted infielder/outfielder Kristopher Negron to Triple-A Reno, per an announcement from Arizona. Because Negron has been outrighted in the past, he could reject the assignment in favor of free agency, but it seems he’ll stay with the Diamondbacks. Negron lost his spot on Arizona’s 40-man roster this week when the team designated him for assignment to make room for the addition of outfielder Jon Jay. Prior to that, Negron collected 34 plate appearances with the D-backs dating back to last season (including three this year). The 32-year-old has otherwise played with Reno since 2017.
The Orioles’ Triple-A team in Norfolk announced that it has released left-hander Jason Gurka. Now 30, Gurka has spent the majority of his pro career with the Orioles, who chose him in the 15th round of the 2008 draft. Although, all 18 of Gurka’s major league innings have come with other teams (the Rockies and Angels). After spending last year with the Halos, Gurka returned to the O’s on a minors deal in the offseason and began 2018 with 22 2/3 innings of 3.18 ERA ball, with 9.53 K/9 against 2.38 BB/9, at Norfolk.
One day after they released catcher Trevor Brown, the Giants have brought him back on a new minor league deal, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Brown will return to Triple-A Sacramento, where he has hit .222/.344/.259 in 32 PAs this season.

East Notes: Yankees, H. Harvey, Soroka, Cespedes

By Kyle Downing | June 9, 2018 at 9:44pm CDT

It turns out top prospect Justus Sheffield might not be the next minor league pitcher in line to join the Yankees’ rotation, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports in his latest video that the club nearly promoted 23-year-old Jonathan Loaisiga for a spot start during a doubleheader, until rain altered their schedule. Rosenthal notes that Loaisiga had never pitched above Low-A ball until this season. It seems like he’s met little resistance this year, though, as he’s posted a 3.13 ERA this season while striking out 10.96 batters per nine against an equally impressive 1.17 walks per nine. Of course, plenty could change by the next time the Yankees need another starter. It’s certainly worth noting that promoting Sheffield last Monday might have improved his chances of making the Super Two cut, had he impressed enough to stick in the rotation from there on out. There will certainly be some entertaining suspense surrounding this situation from here forward.

Other items fresh off the East coast…

Orioles prospect Hunter Harvey was scratched from his most recent Double-A start due to a shoulder injury, Dan Connoly of baltimorebaseball.com reports. Harvey’s dealt with plenty of injury issues in his career already, and this latest case (described as “posterior shoulder instability) has left him on an unknown timetable to return to the rotation. Harvey also had Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow in 2016. Even when on the field, he hasn’t been particularly impressive this year. His 5.57 ERA across 32 1/3 innings on the season is an eyesore.
Rookie Mike Soroka is set to come off the DL and start Wednesday for the Braves, reports David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. O’Brien adds that manager Brian Snitker plans to hold Soroka to a pitch count of 85-90. Soroka is widely considered to be one of the best right-handed pitching prospects in the game, and he’s backed that up by pitching to a 2.77 FIP in three starts this season while striking out more than a batter per inning.
Injury news isn’t looking so good for a division rival, however, as the Mets’ Yoenis Cespedes reportedly left his rehab start tonight with tightness in his right quad. He’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow, but even a small setback is certainly discouraging; Cespedes has been riddled with injuries since signing a four-year, $110MM pact with New York following the 2016 season.

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