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AL Notes: Cole, Astros, Voit, Jays, Twins, Tigers, Rays

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The Astros remain optimistic that right-hander Gerrit Cole will avoid a stint on the injured list, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com writes. Cole, who has been dealing with hamstring discomfort this week, played catch Friday and will do so again this weekend, manager A.J. Hinch said. Hinch added that the Astros are hopeful the AL Cy Young contender will return near the end of their upcoming series against Detroit, which runs from Monday to Thursday. Meanwhile, righty Brad Peacock could come off the IL as early as Sunday. Peacock had been in the Astros’ rotation before going down with shoulder discomfort June 28, but he’ll revert to his previous role as a reliever when he makes it back to the majors.

Here’s more from around the AL…

  • Yankees first baseman Luke Voit expects to start a Triple-A rehab assignment Thursday, per Jack Curry of the YES Network. Voit has been dealing with core issues since late June, which have forced him to the injured list multiple times and could’ve ended his season. Now, though, Voit “feels he’s in the clear,” Curry writes. He hasn’t suited up for the Yankees in almost three weeks, and they’ve turned to DJ LeMahieu and Mike Ford at first in the absences of Voit and fellow injured Bomber Edwin Encarnacion.
  • Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is hoping to return from the IL at the end of the month, Scott Mitchell of TSN reports. Gurriel went down Aug. 8 with a strained left quadriceps, cutting off a breakout campaign for the 25-year-old. With a .279/.331/.548 line and 19 home runs in 321 plate appearances, Gurriel has been one of several young Toronto hitters who look as if they’ll be long-term building blocks for the club.
  • Twins left-hander Ian Krol has received a 50-game suspension after his second positive test for a drug of abuse, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets. Krol last appeared in the majors a year ago with the Angels, though he only threw two innings for the club. He previously received far more MLB work with the Nationals, Tigers and Braves from 2013-17. The 28-year-old has spent this season in Triple-A ball, where he has struggled to a 5.67 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 46 innings between the top affiliates of the Twins and Reds.
  • The Tigers will reinstate righty Jordan Zimmermann from the IL on Saturday, the team announced. Zimmermann will end up missing two weeks with a right cervical spasm. The 33-year-old has missed time with injuries in each season since the Tigers awarded him an five-year, $110MM contract entering 2016. To make matters worse, the former Washington standout hasn’t been productive when healthy since he joined Detroit.
  • The Rays have turned infield prospect Jermaine Palacios into a two-way player – the fourth in their system – according to John Vittas, broadcaster for the High-A Charlotte Stone Crabs. The 23-year-old Palacios fired 95 to 96 mph fastballs during his debut on the mound, Vittas adds. Palacios joined the Rays in their Jake Odorizzi trade with Minnesota prior to last season. While Palacios boasted a decently regarded bat at the time of the deal, he hasn’t hit much since then, which likely played a role in the Rays’ decision to try him as a pitcher.

Brad Peacock Could Return As Reliever

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Injured Astros right-hander Brad Peacock has spent almost the whole season as a starter, but he may shift back to his old bullpen role when he returns. The Astros are “gearing” Peacock’s rehab that way, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic tweets.

The 31-year-old Peacock was among the Astros’ most useful starters before he landed on the shelf June 28 with shoulder discomfort. In 15 appearances and 80 2/3 innings as a starter this season, Peacock has posted a 4.24 ERA/4.32 FIP with 9.15 K/9 against 2.57 BB/9. The plan was for Peacock to return to Houston’s rotation sometime in July, but he suffered a setback midway through the month. As of two-plus weeks ago, the Astros’ hope was Peacock would come back around the midpoint of August.

Thanks in part to Peacock’s lack of availability, the Astros made other rotation arrangements at last week’s trade deadline. They pulled in two big-name starters – the ace-caliber Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks and what they hope is a revived Aaron Sanchez from the Blue Jays. With those two and Wade Miley behind the all-world tandem of Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, the Astros no longer need any help in their starting staff.

Fortunately for talent-packed Houston, Peacock is just a year removed from a valuable campaign out of its bullpen. He totaled 63 1/3 frames in 60 appearances as a reliever in 2018 and notched a 3.55 ERA/3.54 FIP with 13.36 K/9 and 2.84 BB/9. Peacock did have a tough time with opposite-handed hitters, which has typically been the case, but he has been lights-out against righties.

AL West Notes: Kelley, Peacock, Puk

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Shawn Kelley will undergo an MRI after feeling what the Rangers described as right biceps tendon soreness during today’s game, manager Chris Woodward told MLB.com’s Alyson Footer and other reporters.  Kelley left today’s game without throwing a pitch, as the veteran righty’s injury developed during his warmup pitches after being called out of the bullpen during the eighth inning.  Over 33 innings this season, Kelley has posted a 3.00 ERA, 8.73 K/9, and a 6.4 K/BB rate, so he’ll be sorely missed in the Texas bullpen if an injured list placement is required.

Kelley’s loss could be doubly problematic for the Rangers since the 35-year-old profiled as a potential trade chip for a Texas club that seems to be falling out of contention.  After surprising many by staying within striking distance of the wild card hunt, a seven-game losing streak has dropped Texas to a 50-49 record and a deficit of 6.5 games between the Rangers and the A’s for the last AL wild card berth.  With such players as Mike Minor and Danny Santana already drawing trade interest from rival teams, Texas is running short on time to prove to the front office that it can contend.

Some more from around the AL West…

  • In an interview on the Astros’ pregame show today (hat tip to the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome), general manager Jeff Luhnow projected that Brad Peacock will likely be out of action until roughly the “middle of next month, realistically.”  Peacock’s recovery from shoulder inflammation hit a setback last week, and the right-hander is now looking at an injured list stint of at least six weeks (he hit the IL on June 28) if Luhnow’s mid-August timeline ends up being accurate.  Peacock’s extended absence has only further deepened the Astros’ need for pitching reinforcements, as he was expected to return from the IL last week.
  • Top Athletics pitching prospect A.J. Puk will be promoted to the organization’s Triple-A affiliate, according to Melissa Lockard of The Athletic (Twitter link).  After Tommy John surgery forced Puk to miss all of 2018, the 6’7″ left-hander got back into action in June, posting a 5.02 ERA, 13.8 K/9, and 3.14 K/BB rate over 14 1/3 combined innings at Double-A and high-A ball.  They aren’t exactly dominant numbers for Puk, though between his long layoff and perhaps some bad luck (four homers in those 14 1/3 IP), the A’s are clearly encouraged enough to give Puk his first taste of Triple-A competition.  The hard-throwing Puk would very likely have been in the big leagues last season had he avoided injury, and is still on track to make his MLB debut this season if he stays healthy.  While the A’s will surely be as cautious as possible with one of their top young hurlers, Puk has the potential to be a very intriguing addition to Oakland’s bullpen or perhaps even the rotation as the A’s continue to chase another postseason berth.
  • In AL West news from earlier today, the Angels officially released Matt Harvey, and the Mariners acquired righty Matt Magill in a trade with the Twins.

Astros’ Brad Peacock Has Setback In Injury Rehab

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Brad Peacock and the Astros were hoping that the right-hander was ready to return to the starting rotation tomorrow, though Peacock will now instead visit with team doctors after feeling soreness in his throwing shoulder, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan).  Peacock reported the setback a day after a bullpen session on Friday.

Peacock had a 4.13 ERA, 9.4 K/9, and 3.56 K/BB rate over 85 innings for Houston when he first hit the injured list on June 28 due to shoulder inflammation.  Aside from a troubling 1.4 HR/9, Peacock has delivered thoroughly solid results at the back of Houston’s rotation this season, holding opponents to just a .295 xwOBA.

The Astros were already known to be looking to add starting pitching at the trade deadline, and today’s news will only intensify that search.  Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, and Wade Miley provide a lot of strength atop the rotation, though aside from Peacock, the Astros’ other starters have struggled.  In the short term, Kaplan notes that Framber Valdez (he of the 5.28 ERA over 46 frames this season) is likely to pitch on Monday or Tuesday as either a starter or as a bulk pitcher behind an opener, with Houston going with a bullpen day for the other game.

Brad Peacock Begins Rehab Assignment; Nearing Return

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Injured Astros right-hander Brad Peacock began a rehab assignment at the Double-A level on Wednesday, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports. Barring setbacks, Peacock could slot back into the Astros’ rotation by July 15, per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (subscription link).

Peacock went down June 28 with with shoulder inflammation, which always sounds ominous for a pitcher. The fact that he’s on track to return within a three-week span is a victory for the Astros, who’ve seen Peacock offer fine production in a full-time starting role this season. After making 60 of his 61 appearances out of the Astros’ bullpen in 2018, Peacock has totaled 15 starts in 17 outings this year, pitching to a 4.13 ERA/4.15 FIP with 9.42 K/9 against 2.65 BB/9 in 85 frames.

The 31-year-old Peacock’s emergence as a credible complement to Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley has been an important development for Houston this season. After all, the club has had extreme difficulty finding another dependable starter to fill out its rotation. Collin McHugh joined Peacock in moving back to the Astros’ starting staff to begin the season, but the typically solid McHugh floundered there and has since returned to their bullpen. Top 100 prospect Corbin Martin, who initially replaced McHugh, struggled in his first taste of major league action before undergoing Tommy John surgery last week. Framber Valdez and Jose Urquidy, the other starters the Astros have tried, have also failed to lay claim to a spot.

Although no one has stepped up to give the Astros a fifth capable starter, they still possess the American League’s second-best record (57-33) and a 7 1/2-game advantage in their division. Even with Peacock on the way back, however, the Astros figure to add another established starter before the July 31 trade deadline. In fact, indications are the club’s going big-game hunting for another front-of-the-rotation arm to join Verlander and Cole. Noah Syndergaard (link), Trevor Bauer (link), Madison Bumgarner (link), Matthew Boyd (link) and Marcus Stroman (link) have all reportedly landed on the Astros’ radar.

Astros Place Brad Peacock On Injured List

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The Astros have placed right-hander Brad Peacock on the 10-day injured list with shoulder discomfort and recalled lefty Reymin Guduan from Triple-A Round Rock, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle was among those to report.

The severity of Peacock’s injury is unknown, but regardless, it’s the latest unfortunate turn of events for the slumping Astros. The club has lost nine of 11, including a 10-0 drubbing at the hands of the Pirates on Thursday. Peacock started that game for the Astros and yielded six earned runs on seven hits and a walk (with two strikeouts) in three innings. The 31-year-old has now logged a nearly matching 4.13 ERA/4.14 FIP with 9.42 K/9 and 2.65 BB/9 across 85 innings and 17 appearances (15 starts) in 2019.

Houston already looks as if it’ll be in the market for starting pitching leading up to the July 31 deadline, and Peacock’s injury could further put the onus on the team’s front office to add reinforcements if he misses a solid amount of time. Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are once again enjoying excellent seasons, and Peacock and Wade Miley have done well in complementary roles. However, Collin McHugh, Corbin Martin (now injured and in the minors) and Framber Valdez (just demoted to the minors) have failed to nail down the No. 5 spot in the Astros’ rotation this season.

AL West Notes: Rangers, Heaney, Peacock

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The Rangers are looking at adding some depth options for the rotation to their minor league ranks, president of baseball operations Jon Daniels told reporters Tuesday (Twitter link via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Texas recently lost Edinson Volquez to an elbow sprain that could potentially threaten the veteran righty’s career.

At this point, the free-agent market for starting pitching has been largely picked clean, although there are still a few notable names available. Edwin Jackson remains unsigned, as does old friend Bartolo Colon, who has reportedly sought to continue his career into the 2019 season. Veterans James Shields, Chris Tillman and Yovani Gallardo all remain unsigned. As with Colon, the Rangers have had both Tillman (late 2018) and Gallardo (2015, 2018) in the organization before. The Cubs recently designated righty Jen-Ho Tseng for assignment as well, and he could be another option given several years of rotation experience in the minors. Unsurprisingly, Wilson notes that Dallas Keuchel is not viewed as an option despite the Rangers’ search for rotation help.

Here’s more from around the division…

  • Angels southpaw Andrew Heaney resumed throwing today, but he’s still expected to be sidelined for a month or more, per MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger. A recent CT scan revealed what the team announced as “chronic changes” to Heaney’s left elbow, but it doesn’t appear as though there’s any threat of surgery for the left-hander. Heaney tossed 180 solid innings for the Halos in 2018 but has yet to take the mound in 2019 after being limited to just 1 2/3 innings in Spring Training.
  • With a series of off-days on the horizon, the Astros will move Brad Peacock to the bullpen for the next couple of weeks, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Houston has been operating with a shorter bullpen than usual in order to carry two out-of-options players on its bench in Tony Kemp and Tyler White. Whether that arrangement proves sustainable over the course of the entire season remains to be seen, as manager A.J. Hinch even spoke of distinctly noticing a difference in carrying a 12-man pitching staff as opposed to a 13-man pitching staff in the early stages of the 2019 season.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: American League

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The deadline for players and teams to exchange arbitration figures passed at 1pm ET yesterday, meaning over the next few hours, there will be a landslide of settlements on one-year deals to avoid an arbitration hearing. We’ll track today’s minor settlements from the American League in this post. Once all of the day’s settlements have filtered in, I’ll organize them by division to make them a bit easier to parse.

It’s worth mentioning that the vast majority of teams have adopted a “file and trial” approach to arbitration, meaning that once arbitration figures are exchanged with a player, negotiations on a one-year deal will cease. The two parties may still discuss a multi-year deal after that point, but the majority of players who exchange figures with their team today will head to an arbitration hearing.

As always, all salary projections referenced within this post are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and we’ll also be updating our 2019 Arbitration Tracker throughout the day…

Today’s Updates

  • Yankees 1B Greg Bird will make $1.2 MM next season, per Bob Nightengale on Twitter.
  • The controversial Roberto Osuna will make $6.5MM next season, per Feinsand. Teammate Jake Marisnick, who again scuffled in ’18 after a promising 2017, will make $2.2125MM.
  • Per Mark Feinsand on Twitter, A’s lefty Sean Manaea $3.15MM in what’s sure to be an injury-marred 2019.
  • Hard-throwing reliever Mychal Givens will make $2.15MM, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), with additional incentives for making the All-Star team or placing in the Top-3 for the Rivera/Hoffman Reliever of the Year Awards, added MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).
  • The Mariners agreed on a $1.95MM deal with outfielder Domingo Santana, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (via Twitter). Santana is the second and last of the Mariners’ arbitration-eligible players.
  • The Angels agreed to contracts with a pair of players yesterday, per Maria Torres of the LA Times (via Twitter). Reliever Hansel Robles signed for $1.4MM. Robles threw 36 1/3 innings of 2.97 ERA baseball after the Angels claimed him off waivers from the Mets in June. Luis Garcia, acquired via trade from the Phillies this winter, signed for $1.675MM.
  • The Tigers and reliever Shane Greene settled on $4MM, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter).
  • The Yankees reached an agreement with Sonny Gray for $7.5MM, per Nightengale. Gray, of course, has been involved trade rumors most of the winter, but for the time being, he stands to play a role in the Yankee pen while providing insurance for the rotation.
  • Didi Gregorius has also come to an agreement with the Yankees on a one-year, $11.75MM deal in his final season before free agency, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter links).
  • New Yankee James Paxton signed for $8.575, per Nightengale (via Twitter). Paxton is under contract for the 2020 season as well.
  • The Houston Astros came to an agreement with Collin McHugh for $5.8MM, per Nightengale (via Twitter). McHugh could be moving back into the rotation after a stellar season in the pen, either way this will be his final season of arb eligibility before hitting the open market.
  • Jonathan Villar comes away with $4.825MM for what will be his first full season in Baltimore, per Nightengale (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates

Read more

AL Notes: A’s, Tulo, Lowrie, Astros, BoSox, O’s

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The latest on a few American League clubs…

  • The Athletics have come up as a speculative fit for free-agent shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, but the two sides haven’t spoken to this point, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. If signed, Tulowitzki could be a factor at the keystone for Oakland, which may see starting second baseman Jed Lowrie depart in free agency. As of now, it appears “unlikely” the Athletics will re-sign Lowrie, Jane Lee of MLB.com writes. Lowrie would be a tough loss for the A’s, considering he was one of the majors’ most valuable second basemen from 2017-18.
  • Meanwhile, despite potentially losing Tony Sipp in free agency, the division-rival Astros aren’t likely to shop at the top of the market for left-handed relievers, per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (subscription required). Rather, the Astros seem “comfortable” with a pair of in-house southpaws – Framber Valdez and Cionel Perez – as well as a cast of righty relievers who are capable of getting lefty hitters out. It’s not clear whether Brad Peacock will remain among that group of righties in 2019, though, as Kaplan relays that he’ll enter spring training as a starter. Peacock made 21 starts two years ago, but that number plummeted to one in 2018, when he came out of the Astros’ bullpen 60 times.
  • The Red Sox lost Joe Kelly to the Dodgers in free agency and are also in danger of bidding adieu to Craig Kimbrel, but it doesn’t seem they’re urgently searching for relief help. Instead, the reigning World Series champions are planning to “wait out” the market until a reliever falls to them for a palatable cost, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports. That makes it seem even less likely they’ll re-sign Kimbrel, whose reported asking price is exorbitant, though Drellich hasn’t closed the door on the two sides continuing their union.
  • Although they’re in a rebuild, the Orioles are “open to taking on a salary” in order to acquire outfield help, according to Joe Trezza of MLB.com. The O’s sought outfielders throughout the Winter Meetings, Trezza adds. With 0.1 fWAR, the team’s outfield finished 29th in the majors in that department last season, and its best regular – Adam Jones, who was below average in his own right – is now a free agent.

AL Notes: Betts, Astros, Tigers, Angels

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The Red Sox made an attempt to extend franchise cornerstone Mookie Betts during the offseason, but the right fielder isn’t interested in signing a long-term deal at this point, Rob Bradford of WEEI reports. Betts revealed to Bradford that he discussed the extension process with teammates who have signed them, saying: “I talked to some people about it, how the process went. But I didn’t really ask details about what they got or what was offered. It was more just about how the process went. It can be a tough process. You’re dealing with a lot of money.” Betts will make a lot of money in 2018 even without a new deal – $10.5MM after a resounding victory over Boston in arbitration – and will be under team control through at least 2020. The 25-year-old’s current salary is the second-highest award ever given to a first-time arb-eligible player, and Betts should rack up a couple more significant paydays via that route if he continues without an extension.

More from the AL…

  • Astros right-handers Collin McHugh and Brad Peacock have come up as speculative trade pieces, and Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets that the team would be more open to moving the former than the latter. There’s nothing eye-opening about that, though, as McHugh is now working in a foreign role as a reliever after losing his rotation spot during the offseason. He’s also in a contract year, whereas Peacock – who was an elite swingman last season – is under Houston’s control through 2020.
  • Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes, the first pick in last December’s Rule 5 draft, is likely to earn a spot on the club’s bench, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com relays. While Reyes has only hit .250/.291/.288 over 52 at-bats this spring, the 23-year-old has done enough to convince Tigers brass that he could be a long-term cog. “We’re very encouraged with Reyes,” general manager Al Avila said. “He’s not given us any reason to think that he can’t handle it. We’re pretty excited about him, actually.” 
  • The Angels plan to enter the season without naming a closer, manager Mike Scioscia suggested to Doug Padilla of MLB.com. “We have a number of guys we think are going to be able to pitch in the ninth inning if we have a lead,” Scioscia said. “But let’s wait and see how the game plays out.” The only highly experienced closer on the Angels’ roster is offseason acquisition Jim Johnson, who has 176 saves on his resume, but he has been inconsistent in recent years and struggled mightily in Atlanta last season. Blake Parker, who had a tremendous 2017, and Cam Bedrosian are other candidates to grab the role if the Angels do eventually decide to establish a consistent game-ending option.

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