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Brewers Decline Options On Gamel, Gyorko, Sogard

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2:18 pm: Sogard’s option will also be declined, relays Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter link).

12:42 pm: The Brewers are declining Gyorko’s $4.5MM option in lieu of a $1MM buyout, reports Robert Murray (Twitter link). The 32-year-old will return to free agency on the heels of a strong .248/.333/.504 line over 135 plate appearances.

11:33 am: The Brewers are declining their $2.55MM club option on outfielder Ben Gamel, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). The 28-year-old remains eligible for arbitration, however, having accrued just three-plus years of MLB service. Arbitration figures are harder than ever to pin down this offseason thanks to the shortened season, but MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Gamel to earn between $1.7MM and $2.1MM if tendered a contract.

It’s possible the Brewers’ internal metrics also pegged Gamel for a likely lower arbitration salary than the value of the option. In that case, there’d be little reason for the team not to decline the option, even if they plan on keeping him in the fold.

Gamel hit a serviceable but hardly spectacular .237/.315/.404 with three home runs over 127 plate appearances in 2020. That’s in line with his production over the course of his career. The left-handed hitter is probably best suited in a corner, but he’s capable of playing center field if need be.

Milwaukee already declined their half of Ryan Braun’s $15MM mutual option yesterday, making him a free agent. They’ll also have to decide on options for Jedd Gyorko and Eric Sogard, each of whom would hit the open market if their option were declined.

NL Injury Notes: Molina, Gamel, Buehler, Gray

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X-rays were negative on Yadier Molina’s left wrist after the catcher was hit by a pitch during the seventh inning of the Cardinals’ 5-4 win over the Pirates last night.  Molina was behind the plate for the bottom half of the seventh before being replaced by pinch-hitter Matt Wieters in the top of the eighth.  Cards manager Mike Shildt told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters that Molina “got hit in the same spot, pretty much” that Ryan Braun also made contact with Molina’s wrist earlier this week on a swing that drew a catcher’s interference call on Molina.

It isn’t yet known if Molina will require any time off, though missing any games will be a blow to a Cardinals team that needs all hands on deck as it tries to lock up a playoff spot.  Molina has hit .256/.296/.342 over 126 PA this season and spent three weeks on the injured list after a positive COVID-19 test.

More injury notes from around the National League…

  • The Brewers placed Ben Gamel on the 10-day IL due to a left quad strain, so the outfielder’s 2020 season is over.  Lorenzo Cain’s decision to opt out of the 2020 campaign left Gamel with a larger workload, and he assumed regular duty between center field and right field for much of the season.  The result was a .237/.315/.404 slash line and three home runs over 127 PA, working out to a 91 OPS+ and 92 wRC+.  It wasn’t a bad showing for a player who is probably best suited for fourth outfielder duty, though it remains to be seen if Gamel has done enough for the Brewers to exercise their $2.55MM club option on his services for the 2021 season.
  • Walker Buehler threw a 90-pitch simulated game yesterday and is slated to be activated off the 10-day IL for a Thursday start.  (MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick was among those to report the news.)  Buehler has made two trips to the injured list due to blister problems, resulting in just seven innings pitched since August 21.  Thursday’s start against the Athletics will therefore serve as an opportunity for Buehler to warm up prior to the Dodgers’ postseason run.  Buehler is still expected to be a big factor for Los Angeles during the playoffs, though he hasn’t quite matched his 2019 form in this shortened season.  Thanks in large part to a 1.9 HR/9, Buehler has a 3.86 ERA over 32 2/3 innings in 2020, though with a 3.60 K/BB rate, 9.9 K/9, and generally above-average Statcast numbers.
  • Sonny Gray is tentatively scheduled to return during the Reds’ upcoming series with the Brewers, perhaps as early as Tuesday.  However, Reds manager David Bell told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer and other reporters that no “final, final call” will be made until the team sees how Gray is feeling following a side session on Saturday.  Gray has been on the injured list (retroactively) since September 11 due to a back strain, and his return would be a major boost as the Reds chase a postseason berth.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 12/3/19

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In the course of yesterday’s arbitration whirlwind, we covered quite a few players who reached agreements in advance of the non-tender deadline. But several others also struck deals last night (all projected salaries from MLBTR & contributor Matt Swartz) …

  • Righty Anthony Bass has agreed with the Blue Jays at $1.5MM, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Recently plucked from the waiver wire, Bass had projected to earn $1.7MM. The 32-year-old is coming off a season in which he threw 48 innings of 3.56 ERA ball with 8.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. It was his most extensive MLB action since 2015.
  • Ben Gamel’s deal with the Brewers includes a $1.4MM salary as well as a $2.55MM club option for the 2021 season, also per Nightengale (Twitter link). The option functions as an earning ceiling for the outfielder. Gamel had projected at $1.6MM, so he’ll come in under that amount while giving up some upside in the event of a breakout. But the priority is surely to gain another opportunity at playing time. Gamel has hovered in range of league-average with the bat over the past several years but slipped to a .248/.337/.373 slash in 356 plate appearances last year in Milwaukee.
  • The Twins have agreed to a deal with righty Matt Wisler, the club announced. The salary isn’t yet known, but it’ll be guaranteed. Given that Wisler is out of options, he’s now rather clearly in line to take a spot in the Minnesota bullpen. The recent waiver claimee projected at $1.0MM. Anything in that range could be a bargain rate for a player that carried a sparkling 63:16 K/BB ratio in 51 1/3 relief innings last year. Of course, Wisler was also tagged for 32 earned runs and ten homers, so he’ll have to figure out how to avoid the long ball.
  • Infielder Donovan Solano has a $1.375MM deal with the Giants, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). That tops his $1.2MM projection, so obviously the club felt there was some risk that he’d be able to command a greater salary in the course of the arb process. Soon to turn 32 years of age, Solano produced one of the game’s least-expected breakouts in 2019. Long a light-hitting utilityman who struggled to establish himself fully in the bigs, Solano turned in 228 plate appearances of .330/.360/.456 hitting last year in San Francisco.

Brewers Place Keston Hiura On IL, Recall Travis Shaw, Ben Gamel

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As expected, Brewers rookie Keston Hiura has landed on the injured list with a strained left hamstring, per a team announcement. Hiura pulled up lame while running out a groundout in a costly loss to the Cubs on Friday. It is a grade 2 strain, per The Athletic’s Robert Murray, which will keep Hiura out a minimum of two weeks and certainly puts the rest of his inaugural season in jeopardy.

In corresponding roster moves, Ben Gamel and Travis Shaw are on their way back from Triple-A. Both Gamel and Shaw played major roles for the Brewers this season, though their contributions have been relatively punchless. Gamel’s been the better of the two with a .243/.330/.376 line while providing capable defense across all three outfield positions and popping a couple big home runs.

Shaw’s season has been an unmitigated disaster. He’s run out a .162/.276/.279 line across 229 plate appearances – a frankly shocking output for a career .255/.333/.475 hitter. After back-to-back big year’s for the Brewers (3.5 fWAR in 2017, 3.6 fWAR in 2018), Shaw detracted from Milwaukee’s playoff hopes with -1.0 fWAR before being supplanted in the everyday lineup by Hiura.

On the bright side, he’s gotten his game back on track in San Antonio by hitting .286/.437/.586 with 12 home runs in 42 games. The Brewers will need Shaw to bring the good vibes to Milwaukee to keep the Brew Crew’s thinning playoff hopes alive.

To make room for Shaw, right-hander Devin Williams was optioned to Triple-A San Antonio. Williams, 24, has a 4.00 ERA across a small sample 9 innings, though it’s been a bit of a breakout year for Williams in the minor leagues. Across Double-A and Triple-A, Williams pitched to a 2.21 ERA with 12.9 K/9 in 34 outings.

NL Central Notes: Goldschmidt, Graveman, Reds, Santana

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Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cardinals believe they have a sense of what it would take to extend recently acquired first baseman Paul Goldschmidt as well as the ability to make a “strong, market-right offer” to the slugger. A five-year extension offer from the team “would look something like five-years, $150 million,” per Goold, who suggests that it’s possible that the Cards could tweak an offer to technically be for six years and subsequently include a bump in Goldschmidt’s 2019 salary. All of that, of course, depends on how comfortable Goldschmidt is in betting on himself, how strongly he wants to test free agency and how he takes to his new environs in St. Louis. And, it should also be emphasized, it does not appear that any formal offer has been made at this point. The suggested terms would align closely with the $151MM extension signed by Jose Altuve in Houston last offseason, although Altuve’s new contract begins in his age-30 season, while any deal extending St. Louis’ control of the already 31-year-old Goldschmidt would begin in his age-32 campaign.

More from the division…

  • Newly signed Cubs right-hander Kendall Graveman isn’t likely to pitch in 2019 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but as he explained in a recent appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link, with audio), he’s viewing the rehab process as an opportunity to learn from an experienced Cubs rotation and a progressive, young coaching staff. “That’s something I don’t take for granted,” said Graveman of being a teammate of pitchers like Cole Hamels, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. “I’m going to be in an organization that has got a lot of experience at not only at the big league level but in playoffs, and I think that excites me. It’s something that, while I’m not performing on the mound, I can be a student of the game and learn under these guys. … What they’re going to be able to teach me during this process of not pitching, is something that, almost, you can’t get while you’re pitching.”
  • The Reds have already added a pair of starters to their rotation, picking up a pair of one-year rentals in the form of Tanner Roark and Alex Wood, but MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes in his latest Inbox column that the team has “made it clear” that it hopes to continue making additions. However, while Cincinnati has been connected to Dallas Keuchel, the top remaining free-agent lefty on the market, Sheldon suggests that the Reds will be “very careful and likely hesitant” when it comes to taking a risk of that magnitude. Keuchel’s asking price has been reported to be as high as six years, and MLBTR predicted a four-year, $82MM contract for the former AL Cy Young winner at the outset of free agency.
  • Last week’s trade of Domingo Santana to the Mariners was in part motivated by the fact that he’s out of minor league options, Brewers general manager David Stearns told reporters following the swap (link via Todd Rosiak and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). Ben Gamel, acquired from Seattle in the deal, can still be optioned freely for another season. Milwaukee likely could’ve received more in return for Santana had he been traded last offseason, when he was coming off a stronger year and had more team control remaining. Stearns, however, didn’t express regret over not trading Santana last winter. “I don’t know if our evaluation of Domingo ever wavered from being a really talented player,” said the GM. “…[W]e brought in some really talented outfielders last year and Domingo got off to a slow start, and never really recovered to regain significant playing time at the major-league level. … We do think Domingo is a really talented player and a true professional. I think he’s going to do well in Seattle.”

Injury Notes: Rizzo, Kiermaier, Mariners, Wieters, Odor, Morales, Martinez

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Anthony Rizzo’s back issues have forced the Cubs to place him on the 10-day DL, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Tribune tweeted and has since been announced. But it seems there’s little reason to anticipate a lengthy absence for the first baseman, who nearly avoided a stint on the shelf altogether. The move was backdated to Friday the 6th, so Rizzo — who has averaged 154 games annually since the start of the 2013 season — is already less than a week away from being eligible to be reactivated.

Here’s more on the injury front from around the game:

  • Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier has avoided significant damage to his foot, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He has spent some time in a walking boot while the swelling goes down after ending up on the receiving end of a foul ball, but has been cleared of any broken bones. Indeed, Kiermaier now says he’s preparing to work out today with hopes of getting back in game action as soon as tomorrow, as Topkin adds on Twitter.
  • Likewise, the Mariners are seeing positive signs from a variety of key players, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links). DH Nelson Cruz, catcher, Mike Zunino, and outfielder Ben Gamel could also be on the active roster by the end of the coming weekend, with the former seemingly furthest along. That’s certainly good news for the M’s, who have watched the division-rival Astros and Angels set a fast pace to open the new season.
  • Likewise, the Nationals are nearing the activation of catcher Matt Wieters, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. The veteran will take at least a brief rehab assignment but will likely be ready to go shortly thereafter. With Pedro Severino showing well in the chances he has received early on, it’s quite possible he’ll remain on the roster even when Wieters is back. Skipper Dave Martinez says “there’s a good possibility we keep three catchers” for a stretch, with Miguel Montero rounding out the anticipated trio.
  • The needle has moved in the other direction for Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza. As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports, an MRI showed fluid in the region of Souza’s pec injury, so he’ll require a few more days of rest. It had been anticipated that he could be ready to be activated by the end of the week. A new timeline isn’t really yet evident, but clearly the Snakes will have to wait a bit longer for their primary offseason trade acquisition.
  • The Rangers announced that second baseman Rougned Odor left his club’s game today with a left hamstring strain. We’re still awaiting word on a full assessment, but it certainly seems as if the organization is anticipating a DL stint. Likewise, Blue Jays DH Kendrys Morales has received a diagnosis of a grade 1 hammy strain, per a club announcement. That said, skipper John Gibbons struck an optimistic tone after the game, as Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports (Twitter link). Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez also had to depart after a collision with Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain. While it seems the latter will be just fine, the former has been diagnosed with a right Achilles tendon contusion, per the club. Hopefully, that ends up representing the extent of the injury.

Injury Notes: Mets, Conforto, Gurriel, E. Jimenez, Gamel

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Mets outfielder Michael Conforto could come off the disabled list as early as Thursday, manager Mickey Callaway announced (via Tim Healey of Newsday). Conforto, who’s working back from the left shoulder surgery he underwent last September, is already set to rejoin the Mets in New York, Healey was among those to report Sunday. It seems he’ll avoid a rehab assignment, then, and if last year’s breakout carries over, Conforto will once again pair with Yoenis Cespedes to serve as one of the Mets’ two best hitters this season. Plus, he’ll further deepen a Mets outfield that also includes Cespedes, Jay Bruce, Brandon Nimmo and Juan Lagares.

Meanwhile, Mets reliever Anthony Swarzak will undergo an MRI on his sore left oblique on Monday, per Tim Britton of The Athletic. Swarzak, who inked a two-year, $14MM deal with the Mets in free agency, suffered the injury Saturday.

More injury updates from around the game…

  • Astros manager A.J. Hinch told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and other reporters Sunday that he expects first baseman Yuli Gurriel to make his 2018 debut on Tuesday. Gurriel has been recovering from surgery on his left hand since late February, and because he’s not on the DL, he has been able to serve his season-opening suspension at the same time. Major League Baseball gave Gurriel a five-game ban as a result of an insensitive gesture he directed at then-Dodger Yu Darvish during the World Series last year.
  • White Sox outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez strained his left pectoral muscle and will lay off baseball activities for a week, the team announced Saturday. Jimenez, whom MLB.com ranks as the game’s fourth-best prospect, previously missed two weeks in spring training on account of knee tendinitis. Although the 21-year-old Jimenez hasn’t even played above the Double-A level yet, there’s optimism he’ll debut in Chicago sometime this season. He’ll begin the year in Double-A after he works his way back in game shape via extended spring training action, per the Sox.
  • Mariners corner outfielder Ben Gamel is recovering nicely from the strained right oblique he suffered March 2, manager Scott Servais informed Greg Johns of MLB.com and other reporters Sunday. Gamel is on track to be in Triple-A Tacoma’s lineup when its season begins on Thursday. Once he completes his rehab in the minors, he’ll be part of a Mariners outfield mix that also includes future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, who has started all three of their games in left in place of Gamel. Ichiro’s playing time figures to decrease upon Gamel’s return, though Servais didn’t want to discuss that Sunday, per Johns.

Ben Gamel Out Four To Six Weeks With Oblique Strain

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Mariners outfielder Ben Gamel has been diagnosed with a strained right oblique muscle and is expected to be sidelined anywhere from four to six weeks, the team told reporters on Monday (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Greg Johns). That almost certainly means he’ll open the season on the disabled list, and if the recovery takes closer to the six-week end of the spectrum, he could miss the first two to three weeks of the season.

Gamel, 25, is in line for regular at-bats with the 2018 Mariners after posting a solid .275/.322/.413 slash with 11 homers, 27 doubles and five triples through 550 plate appearances last year in his first full big league season. Gamel turned in an exceptional first half in 2017, slashing .323/.379/.449 before cratering with a .227/.262/.376 slash following the All-Star break. He joins first baseman Ryon Healy on the list of notable Mariners injuries in Spring Training, though Healy, unlike Gamel, could potentially be ready for Opening Day.

Seattle is thin on outfield depth on the 40-man roster at the moment — particularly with Guillermo Heredia still on the mend from October shoulder surgery. Heredia recently made his spring debut and has had a couple of at-bats, but he’s more of a depth piece and fourth outfielder than an everyday option (though he could handle left field on a short-term basis with Gamel out). However, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times points out (on Twitter), Mariners right fielder Mitch Haniger is dealing with tendinitis in his hand and hasn’t taken batting practice in nearly a week. The Mariners have veteran Kirk Nieuwenhuis in camp on a minor league deal, but it seems fair to suggest that they could stand to bring in some additional outfield help.

The Mariners were linked to Jon Jay earlier in the offseason, and he remains unsigned, as does former Rockies star Carlos Gonzalez. (Additional unsigned options can be seen in MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker.) Adding a bat like CarGo would be a rather extreme reaction to a short-term absence for Gamel and a seemingly more minor injury for Haniger, but Jay makes some sense for the Seattle roster even with a healthy Gamel and Haniger on the roster. Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto, of course, is never one to shy away from making plays on the waiver wire, and there should be a fair number of names becoming available via that avenue in the coming weeks.

Mariners Notes: Rotation, Gamel, Iwakuma, Moll

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The Mariners feel they need to bolster their rotation and are likely to increase their efforts to add a starter on the trade and free-agent markets if they miss out on right-hander Shohei Ohtani, Bob Dutton reports (Twitter links). If the Mariners are successful in luring Ohtani to Seattle, however, they’ll likely focus more on beefing up the bullpen and adding an outfielder to the mix. Certainly, the Mariners are doing everything in their power to be able to make the best offer possible to Ohtani, as they’ve now traded prospects Thyago Vieira (to the White Sox) and David Banuelos (to the Twins) to add an additional $1.5MM worth of international bonus allotments.

A few more notes out of Seattle…

  • General manager Jerry Dipoto has spoken recently about his team’s desire for versatility on the roster, and to that end, the Mariners are asking Ben Gamel to work out at first base this offseason and in Spring Training, tweets Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Gamel, 25, turned in a solid .275/.322/.413 batting line with 11 homers last year and is capable of handling all three outfield spots already. Seattle picked up Ryon Healy to serve as its primary first baseman in 2018 and beyond, though certainly the ability to give Gamel some reps at first would give manager Scott Servais additional flexibility when filling out the lineup card.
  • Dipoto joined Aaron Goldsmith on the third installment of the Mariners’ new “Wheelhouse” podcast and, as he has in the previous two episodes, discussed a host of topics that Mariners fans will want to hear. Notably, Dipoto tells Goldsmith that Hisashi Iwakuma (who recently signed a minor league deal with the Mariners) will be in Spring Training on a throwing program and, if all goes well, will be ready to pitch by mid-May. Dipoto gushes about Iwakuma’s work ethic and ability to sequence pitches to deceive hitters and says that he hopes the remainder of Iwakuma’s days as a player are spent in a Mariners uniform.
  • Also of note, Dipoto explains that the Mariners are going to try to convert waiver claim Sam Moll from a reliever back into a starter. Dipoto notes that Moll has a solid riding fastball in the 90-94 mph range and a changeup that helps him generate grounders, as well as a breaking pitch that trails behind his other two offerings somewhat in quality. Moll has only started six games as a professional but was a starter in college and intrigues the Mariners in that role. At minimum, Dipoto says the Mariners view Moll as a multi-inning relief candidate with a pair of minor league options, giving them some nice flexibility next year.

Mariners Place Felix Hernandez, Mitch Haniger On 10-Day DL

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2:44pm: Hernandez is expected to be sidelined for two or three weeks at a minimum, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).

2:13pm: Both righty Felix Hernandez and outfielder Mitch Haniger are going on the 10-day DL after suffering injuries last night, as the team announced and Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reported on Twitter.

Seattle made a variety of other roster moves, too. Righties Chase De Jong and Casey Fien, lefty Dillon Overton, and outfielder Ben Gamel are all headed onto the MLB roster. Meanwhile, righties Chris Heston and Evan Marshall have each been optioned back to Triple-A.

[RELATED: Updated Mariners Depth Chart]

In Hernandez’s case, he has been diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, as Dutton tweets. But it’s still not entirely clear whether that’s just an isolated issue or if there’s an underlying injury of greater concern causing the problem. The 31-year-old has been knocked around in his first five starts, allowing 14 earned runs on 39 hits.

As for Haniger, he has been a revelation. But an oblique issue will sideline him after 95 plate appearances of .338/.442/.600 hitting. It’s still not known how severe Haniger’s injury is or what kind of timeline he’ll be facing.

Needless to say, these DL placements constitute significant losses for a struggling Seattle club, though perhaps the hope remains that neither player will be out for an extended stretch. The M’s are already staring at a 6.5 game deficit in the AL West.

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