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Buster Posey

NL Notes: Posey, Scherzer, Stanek

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After a year off, Giants icon Buster Posey will return as their “primary catcher” in 2021, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle) on Tuesday. Posey opted out of last season over family health concerns (he and his wife had just adopted twin girls who were born prematurely), and he discussed his decision this week with Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. The 33-year-old told Baggarly he’s “comfortable” with the choice he made because of the unknowns at the time, including whether Major League Baseball would even be able to get through its season. Posey added that he’s “confident” he’ll play next year, which will be the last guaranteed season of his contract. The Giants may have an heir apparent in Joey Bart, but he and the rest of their catchers had rocky seasons in 2020. It now appears they’ll take a backseat to Posey for at least one more year.

  • Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday he was unaware of any extension talks between the team and ace Max Scherzer. It appears those could get underway soon, though. Agent Scott Boras said he’ll get together with Nationals owner Ted Lerner after the new year, and “we’ll see how that goes” (via Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington). That doesn’t necessarily mean the two sides will just discuss Scherzer – Boras does represent other Nats, not to mention current free agents – but the three-time Cy Young winner does seem likely to be a key part of the discussion. Scherzer’s entering the last season of the seven-year, $210MM he signed with the Nationals in 2015.
  • The Reds are among the teams interested in free-agent reliever Ryne Stanek, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports. The 29-year-old right-hander spent last season in Miami, where he yielded eight earned runs on 11 hits (including three homers) and eight walks in just 10 innings. The Marlins non-tendered the hard-throwing Stanek after that ghastly showing. To Stanek’s credit, he isn’t far removed from a strong run from 2018-19 as a Ray and Marlin. He frequently worked as an opener then and combined for a 3.52 ERA/3.94 FIP with 10.67 K/9 against 4.14 BB/9 across 143 1/3 innings. Stanek will have another two years of arbitration eligibility left after 2021, so he could be a multiyear piece for the Reds or someone else if he bounces back.

Giants Notes: Bart, Offseason Goals

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Giants fans got their first look at catcher-of-the-future Joey Bart in 2020, but it sounds as though Bart’s likely destination to open the 2021 season will be back in the minor leagues. As Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, Giants president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi suggested in his end-of-year chat with reporters that Bart could still use some more development time. Buster Posey will be back after opting out of the 2020 season, and Zaidi pointed out that Aramis Garcia will be back from hip surgery as well.

Zaidi also implied that the club could add a veteran backup to its catching corps over the winter: “Getting some help (would) enable Joey to get a little bit more of that development.”

Fan expectations for Bart this season were sky-high and, as is most often the case, probably unfair. The 23-year-old former No. 2 overall pick had scarcely played above Class-A Advanced, with just 22 games of Double-A work under his belt when he was called to the big leagues this year. Posey’s opt-out and a lack of appealing options elsewhere in the organization forced the move, and while Bart impressed early, his production soon wilted. His final 45 plate appearances were particularly tough, as Bart collected just seven hits and punched out 18 times down the stretch. Overall, his .233/.288/.320 slash and 37 percent strikeout rate certainly suggest that he’d benefit from some time in Double-A and/or Triple-A.

The organization remains “super high” on Bart, Zaidi stressed, pointing to Bart’s strong exit velocities and hard-hit rate. There’s little doubt that Bart is still the team’s long-term plan at catcher, but it’s also readily apparent that the lack of a minor league season in 2020 hampered Bart’s progression a bit, as it did for so many others throughout the league.

Beyond poking around the market for a backup catcher, the Giants will have some other work to do. Zaidi has expressed interest in re-signing free agents Kevin Gausman and Drew Smyly, and Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News adds that Zaidi felt his club was “one left-handed bat short” in 2020. A lefty bat who can play multiple positions and give Evan Longoria some breathers a third base seems ideal, Crowley writes. That could be a role the Giants hoped Pablo Sandoval would fill in 2020, although it obviously didn’t play out that way.

Speculatively speaking, Tommy La Stella would seem an ideal fit in that role. Other options on this year’s market include Asdrubal Cabrera, Jake Lamb, Marwin Gonzalez, Brad Miller and rebound hopeful Brock Holt (among others). The trade market would create myriad other possibilities.

It stands to reason based on the interest in retaining Gausman and Smyly that the Giants will explore other rotation upgrades should that pair eventually sign elsewhere. There’s little certainty in the rotation without that pair. Johnny Cueto will be back for the final season of his contract but struggled for much of the 2020 season. Young righty Logan Webb made 11 starts but finished with a 5.47 ERA. The Giants control Tyler Anderson for another season, and he was solid if unspectacular in 2020.

Beyond Gausman, Smyly, Cueto, Anderson and Webb, the only other pitchers to start multiple games for San Francisco in 2020 were Trevor Cahill (six) and Jeff Samardzija (four). Both are out the door this winter, as is veteran lefty reliever Tony Watson. Starting pitching and relief pitching should be a focus if the Giants plan to contend next year.

And at the end of the day, for all the talk of how the Giants have been rebuilding, Zaidi expressed for a second consecutive winter that his goal remains to put a playoff team on the field next year. San Francisco was in the hunt for a Wild Card spot until the final day of the season in 2020, per Crowley.

The Giants should have financial leeway to augment the roster, with about $96MM committed to next year’s payroll and what should be a light arbitration class. Looking ahead to 2022, Longoria’s $19.5MM salary is the lone guaranteed contract on the ledger. The widespread expectation is that teams will be rather reserved on the free agent market this winter after substantial revenue losses in 2020. But if the Giants want to spend, they have a rather wide-open payroll outlook that should allow them to do so.

The Giants’ Options For Replacing Buster Posey

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The Giants are in true limbo behind the plate. Organizationally, they have one of the better catching situations in all of baseball. On the one hand, they have a tried-and-true franchise legend still under contract in Buster Posey. Not only was he the backbone of three, count ’em, three World Series titles, but he’s a class act and a fan favorite. In his prime, he was the platonic ideal of a franchise catcher. Admittedly, he is on the decline. Last season was the first since 2011 that the then-32-year-old didn’t make the All-Star team. He’s gone from a 130-start powerhouse behind the plate to more of a true timeshare 100-start guy. He also fell below 100 wRC+ for the first time in his career (save for his 7-game stint as a 22-year-old in 2009). And more to the point, he opted out of the 2020 season to care for his newly adopted twin baby girls. Again: class act.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Giants are blessed with two of the top catching prospects in all of baseball. Joey Bart, the #2 overall pick from the 2018 draft is ranked by Baseball America as the second best catching prospect in all of baseball. Then, with the 13th pick in this year’s draft, they snagged the top NCAA catcher available in Patrick Bailey.

So, yes, big picture, the Giants have an enviable catching corps. But they need to field the position for 2020, and that’s where things get a little sticky. Bailey, 21, has zero chance of jumping straight to the majors from college. He needs time in pro ball to develop. Bart is closer, but all indications are that the Giants want to give him more time, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. He’s close, appearing in 22 games at Double-A last year and raking to the tune of .316/.368/.544. But a talent like Bart is worth the wait, and though he might be ready at some point this season, the Giants aren’t likely to contend. They don’t want to punt the first part of his career in sub-optimal conditions.

Enter Russell Martin? Schulman put forth Martin’s name as a possibility, noting that Justin Turner lobbied for the veteran to return to the Dodgers recently. Even in a part-time capacity, the well-respected Martin would certainly make some sense. The 37-year-old backstop proved he still had a role on a ML club last season with the league-leading Dodgers. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said that the Giants will have to evaluate their internal and external options, and if nothing else, they’re likely going to need someone else in camp just to catch the pitchers on hand.

Without him, the Giants are looking at Chadwick Tromp, Tyler Heineman, and Rob Brantly as the top options from their player pool. Combined, they have 464 big-league plate appearances (429 from Brantly, 11 from Heineman). Brantly, 30, is by far the most experienced of the three, but he hasn’t seen substantive time in the majors since 2017. For the rebuilding Giants, they’re probably most concerned with their ability to handle pitchers and less concerned with contributions at the plate – which is the best argument in favor of pursuing a vet like Martin.

There are catchers out there they could acquire via trade, but with 60-man player pools, catchers fill a very particular need, and player movement has never been more complicated than it is now. Still, they could engage the Rockies’ for Elias Diaz or the Rangers for Blake Swihart, Tim Federowicz, or Nick Ciuffo. Those are just options from teams in their regional pool because, again: player movement is not simple anymore. For those reasons, Martin probable represents the best outside option.

The Giants support Posey in his decision, and they’re going to continue to work with Bart and Bailey to get them ready for their big-league debuts. Maybe Bart will find a way in intrasquad play to prove himself ready. Or maybe one of Tromp, Heineman, or Brantly will seize the opportunity. What we know for sure, the Giants have 60 games ahead in the 2020 season, and they’re going to need a catcher for every one of them.

Buster Posey Opts Out Of 2020 Season

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Giants catcher Buster Posey has decided to opt out of the 2020 season, he announced in a Zoom call with reporters today. Posey explained that he and his wife have adopted twin girls who were born prematurely at 32 weeks. They’re in stable condition but will be in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for the time being. Both manager Gabe Kapler and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi have voiced full support of Posey in his decision.

“With these babies being as fragile as they are, for the next four months at minimum,” Posey said, the decision was easy from a family perspective. The former NL Rookie of the Year and MVP acknowledged that from a pure baseball standpoint, the decision to sit the season out did weigh on him, but he feels strongly that he’s making the best decision for his family. Posey had been absent from Giants Summer Camp for the past two days.

Though Posey himself is not a high-risk individual, his decision serves as yet another reminder that there’s far more to consider than individual well-being when it comes to the current pandemic. We’ve seen many players with family decisions grapple with the same issues that Posey articulately described in his announcement. Ryan Zimmerman was the first such player to opt out with those concerns in mind, but Posey now becomes the tenth veteran to do so. Others, including Sean Doolittle and Mike Trout, have voiced some reservation about playing due to concerns within their own families.

Because Posey himself isn’t high-risk, he won’t receive service time in 2020 and won’t be paid the prorated version of his $21.4MM salary (roughly $7.9MM). His absence will leave a sizable hole in the team’s clubhouse — a fact that both Zaidi and Kapler have emphasized — and will also leave the Giants severely thin behind the plate. Presumptive backup Aramis Garcia had hip surgery that could sideline him all season, and the only other catchers in the organization who have called a big league game are Rob Brantly and Tyler Heineman.

It’s true that the Giants have one of MLB’s best catching prospects, 2018 No. 2 overall pick Joey Bart, but he’s yet to play a game above Double-A (where he played in just 22 games last season). Posey’s absence could certainly open the door for Bart, but Zaidi also cautioned against expecting Bart to be thrust into a starring role (Twitter link via Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic): “This is a tough environment to evaluate young position players when you went in thinking they needed more competitive reps at Double-A or Triple-A.”

The Giants will add another catcher to their player pool, Zaidi continued (via the San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea), be it an external acquisition or a promotion from within the Giants’ ranks. There aren’t many free agents of note who have gone unsigned. Russell Martin is a notable exception and was said to be seeking a team back in February, though it’s possible that what has transpired since has altered his plans. Veteran Jesus Sucre also went unsigned this winter, and the Dodgers recently cut Jose Lobaton loose. Given the thin supply in free agency, the Giants could simply stay in-house or look into acquiring a non-roster veteran who is in camp with another club.

Buster Posey, Sean Doolittle Discuss 2020 Season

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Buster Posey took part in the Giants’ Summer Camp workouts yesterday. Nevertheless, he was reluctant to commit to playing out the entire 2020 season in a teleconference with reporters, including Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic.

“Yeah, definitely, I think there’s still some reservation on my end as well,” Posey said, presumably in response to Mike Trout expressing some trepidation about playing out the season amidst rising coronavirus cases throughout most of the United States.

“I want to see how things progress here over the next couple weeks,” Posey continued (via Baggarly). “It would be a little bit maybe naive or silly not to gauge what’s going on around you, and not only around here but paying attention to what’s happening in different parts of the country. It’s obviously unprecedented times right now. Most definitely, I’ve thought about it and talked with my wife about it quite a bit.”

To be clear, Posey’s comments don’t suggest he’s on the verge of stepping away. As the virus continues to rage, the situation surely remains fluid for even the most optimistic players. As Posey later pointed out, the virus’ unpredictability makes it virtually impossible for anyone to unequivocally commit to finishing the season.

Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle echoed those thoughts on a conference call with reporters (including Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post) this afternoon. The southpaw indicated he’s leaning towards playing this season, but he’s by no means committing to the entire campaign just yet. “At any point, if I start to feel unsafe, if it starts to take a toll on my mental health, with all the things we have to think about and this cloud of uncertainty hanging over everything, then I’ll opt out,” Doolittle said.

Posey’s and Doolittle’s comments are the latest reminder that all players (and non-playing staff, for that matter) have far greater personal and familial concerns outside baseball. We’ve seen a handful of players and coaches, most notably David Price, decide to sit out this season. Even players who’ve already reported to their respective teams could (and, needless to say, have every right to) reverse course and opt out of playing in 2020. Braves right-hander Félix Hernández, in fact, did exactly that last night.

NL West Notes: Buster, Pagan, Padres, Barfield

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“I don’t see myself playing for any other team.  Not that going to another team would diminish what you did.  But personally, as a fan, I like to see guys stay with the same team.  So no, I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else,” longtime Giants catcher Buster Posey told The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly (subscription required) about his baseball future.  Posey has two guaranteed years remaining on his contract, plus San Francisco has a $22MM club option ($3MM buyout) for the 2022 season that is e exercised — 2022 will be Posey’s age-35 season and his production has declined over the last two years as Posey has dealt with hip surgery and the subsequent recovery process.  That said, Posey was able to engage in a full offseason workout regiment this winter and was on a hitting tear during Spring Training, so there’s certainly some optimism that he could at least approach his old form.

With at least two years to go before any sort of decision needs to be made, it remains to be seen if Posey could seek out a contract with a new team, retire at the end of his current pact, or perhaps re-sign with the Giants.  This latter option could see Posey in a backup catcher/veteran mentor role at that stage of his career, particularly since San Francisco has one of the game’s best prospect (Joey Bart) in line as their catcher of the future.  Interestingly, a move to first base for Posey doesn’t seem be an option at the moment, as the Giants aren’t planning to use Posey as a first baseman this season, to the point that Posey hasn’t been taking any grounders at first this spring.

More from the NL West…

  • The Padres agreed to terms with 24 pre-arbitration players on contracts for the 2020 season, though Emilio Pagan’s deal was renewed after the newly-acquired reliever didn’t come to terms with the team, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  Pagan will earn $591K in 2020 before becoming reaching arbitration eligibility next winter.  Pagan becomes the latest notable player to have his contract renewed, a process Jeff Todd explored in a recent MLBTR YouTube video entry.
  • As part of a reader mailbag piece, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell looked at how the Padres could manage their 26-man roster, such as the increasing possibility that the team will carry only four outfielders.  Cassavell figures that Wil Myers, Trent Grisham, and Tommy Pham have the starting jobs spoken for, while Franchy Cordero, Josh Naylor, and Abraham Almonte are competing for the fourth outfielder role.  This would leave room for San Diego to use its 26th roster spot on a utility player.  For added outfield depth, the likes of Greg Garcia, Francisco Mejia, or Jurickson Profar could all handle such a fill-in role if necessary.  That wouldn’t necessarily be how the Padres would like to optimize Profar, since the club was already intent on using him at primarily at second base, though since Cassavell notes that the Padres’ second base competition could stretch into the season, Profar will need somewhere to find playing time if Brian Dozier or Garcia earn more looks at the keystone.
  • Josh Barfield was promoted to the role of farm director for the Diamondbacks this offseason, as The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (subscription required) looks at how the former big league infielder has quickly climbed the ladder during his five-plus years in Arizona’s front office.  Hired as a scout by former D’Backs general manager Dave Stewart in the 2014-15 offseason, Barfield has moved from assistant director of pro scouting to assistant farm director to his current position.  Barfield’s rising star hasn’t gone unnoticed around baseball, as current GM Mike Hazen told Buchanan that other teams have tried to hire Barfield away.  A future position as a “manager or GM might not be far behind” for the 37-year-old Barfield, Buchanan writes.

NL Notes: Mets, Posey, Alcantara

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While there have obviously been some bright spots for the Mets this year, Joel Sherman of the New York Post rejects the idea that it’s just another season. Having dealt away significant prospects and bypassed opportunities to recoup others, the Mets made a win-now gambit that hasn’t paid out. That makes this year a distinct waste, Sherman argues. There’ll surely be long-term impacts that haven’t yet fully been felt. Most immediately, Sherman posits that skipper Mickey Callaway is likely to be bounced from the dugout — an approach that would be supported heartily by MLBTR readers.

More from the National League:

  • There has long been debate as to whether and when Giants catcher Buster Posey would begin spending more time at first base. But that’s no longer really a relevant inquiry, Kerry Crowley of The Mercury News writes. Posey remains a steady presence behind the dish as his first decade in the majors draws to a close, but his bat has distinctly fallen off its former pace. The 32-year-old is slashing just .256/.320/.368, marking the first below-average offensive campaign of his career. What of top prospect Joey Bart, who is nearing MLB readiness? Crowley argues that he’s the better candidate to spend part of his time at first base once he reaches the bigs.
  • Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara has increasingly impressed over the course of the season, as MLB.com’s Bill Ladson explores. The 24-year-old’s latest outing drew his earned run average south of four per nine over a 191 1/3-inning sample. Alcantara has outpaced his peripherals, but it’s still quite a promising showing for a young hurler. Manager Don Mattingly says that Alcantara “has turned the corner” as he has increased his confidence and aggressiveness. Alcantara will not be eligible for arbitration until 2022.

West Notes: Posey, Leclerc, La Stella, Padres

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This has been a career-worst offensive season for Giants catcher Buster Posey, but the hip surgery the potential Hall of Famer underwent a year ago may be among the reasons for his decline at the plate, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle observes. If so, there’s hope Posey will bounce back in 2020, when he’ll turn 33. “It’s at least a year before you get back closer to what you were. Hey, this guy wasn’t able to do much during the winter,” outgoing manager Bruce Bochy told Shea. “We had to watch his workload this spring, and we’ve done it during the season, to be honest.” If Posey doesn’t come close to revisiting his prior form early next year, it could give the Giants all the more reason to hasten the promotion of their No. 1 prospect, catcher Joey Bart, whom they chose second overall in the 2018 draft. Whenever Bart does arrive in San Francisco, he’ll have a tremendous mentor in Posey. “One of the greatest gifts you can give to a young player is to have his back and support him whenever he gets here and try to help him grow,” said Posey, who expresses a willingness in Shea’s piece (which is worth a full read) to eventually see more time at first base if necessary. The 2020 campaign will be the eighth season of a nine-year, $167MM contract for Posey, owner of a full no-trade clause.

  • Rangers right-hander Jose Leclerc was one of baseball’s standout relievers in 2018, but this season got off to a horrific start for the 25-year-old. After he yielded 10 earned runs on 13 hits and eight walks (with 13 strikeouts) in 8 1/3 innings in April, the Rangers removed Leclerc from the closer’s role at the outset of May. Leclerc has since revived his season and regained the job, though, and odds are that he’ll enter 2020 as the Rangers’ go-to game-ending option, according to manager Chris Woodward (via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). “As of right now, yeah,” Woodward said when asked if Leclerc’s the in-house favorite to close next year. The presence of Leclerc – he of the 4.10 ERA/3.66 FIP with 13.15 K/9, 5.09 BB/9 and 13 saves on 17 tries over 63 2/3 innings – should enable the Rangers to focus on more pressing needs when the offseason arrives, Wilson writes.
  • Injured Angels infielder Tommy La Stella was aiming for a mid-September return just a couple weeks ago, though he still hasn’t come back from the fractured right tibia he suffered July 3. Now, with just two weeks left in the Angels’ season, there’s still no timetable for a comeback, Bill Ladson of MLB.com relays. It seems possible we’ve seen the last of La Stella in 2019, which would put him in company with a few notable out-for-the-year Angels in Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton. The 30-year-old La Stella unexpectedly earned the first All-Star nod of his career before landing on the IL, on the strength of a .300/.353/.495 line with 16 home runs and 2.2 fWAR in 312 plate appearances.
  • Padres catcher Luis Torrens hasn’t played in the majors since 2017, the season after the club acquired him during the Rule 5 Draft. Torrens, then 21, was clearly in over his head that year. He batted a meager .163/.243/.203 in 139 plate appearances in the bigs, but the Padres still haven’t given up on him a couple years later. And Torrens performed so well at the Double-A level this season that he’ll be in the mix to win a major league spot next spring, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune suggests. Not only has Torrens hit .300/.373/.500 with 15 homers in 397 trips to the plate this year, but his defensive progress has impressed the San Diego organization. “The video I see, his energy behind the plate is incredible,” said Padres bench coach Rod Barajas, a former MLB catcher. “He’s a spark plug back there.” It seems Torrens will be part of a battle that will also consist of Francisco Mejia, Austin Hedges and Austin Allen next spring. In the meantime, he’ll start “a few” games in the majors before this season ends, per manager Andy Green.

Giants Place Buster Posey On 10-Day IL, Activate Trevor Gott

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The Giants have placed catcher Buster Posey on their 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain (placement retroactive to June 2).  To fill Posey’s roster spot, right-hander Trevor Gott has been activated from his own IL stint.

Posey hasn’t played since last Saturday, when he was forced out of the Giants’ game in the seventh inning while running out a grounder.  The strain isn’t thought to be overly serious, though an IL stint was ultimately deemed necessary to give Posey full time to recover.

The longtime Giants catcher hasn’t hit much like his old self, with a modest .257/.321/.408 slash line and three home runs over 168 plate appearances.  Posey underwent hip surgery last August but recovered quickly enough to make San Francisco’s Opening Day lineup, though he also missed a week in May on the seven-day concussion IL.  It’s been a tough stretch overall for Posey, between these injuries and enduring what is looking like a third straight season of losing baseball in the Bay Area.

Gott was sidelined on May 25 with a forearm strain, though that worrisome diagnosis didn’t result in anything beyond a minimal stay on the injured list.  The quick return allows Gott to continue what has been a very strong season, as the right-hander had a 3.00 ERA, 9.4 K/9, and 4.17 K/BB rate through 24 innings out of the Giants’ bullpen.  If Gott is able to remain healthy and effective in the coming weeks, he could become a trade candidate for reliever-needy teams at the deadline.

NL West Notes: Posey, Blackmon, Davis, Padres

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Buster Posey left Saturday’s game after suffering a hamstring injury while running out a ground ball.  The Giants called up catcher Aramis Garcia for today’s game while Posey didn’t play, though manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including MLB.com’s Maria Guardado) that Posey’s sore hamstring isn’t thought to be too serious.  “It’s hard to go into a game with one catcher.  Could Buster go back there? Probably, but I think we’d put him at risk to make it worse…This makes sense right now for a day to see how Buster’s doing,” Bochy said.  “It gives us some time. After the day off in New York, we’ll see if he’s available to go.”  Posey is hitting just .253/.311/.387 through 168 plate appearances, and is on pace for the weakest hitting season of his ten full seasons in the big leagues.  The longtime Giants star has been swinging the bat a bit better since returning from a brief stint on the concussion IL earlier this month, so Posey and the team are obviously hoping his hamstring problem won’t again put him on the sidelines.

Here’s some more from around the NL West…

  • Charlie Blackmon is eligible to come off the IL on Tuesday, though Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters (including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post) that Blackmon will remain out of action longer than the 10-day minimum.  Blackmon took batting practice and shagged some fly balls on Sunday, though he might still need a rehab stint in the minors.  Blackmon was hitting .300/.356/.565 at the time of his injury, though the Rockies have surprisingly not missed his bat — Colorado has a 9-1 record in Blackmon’s absence.  “Now that they’ve got me out of there, we’re taking off,” the outfielder joked.
  • In other Rockies injury news, Black said closer Wade Davis could also pitch in a minor league rehab game or a simulated game before returning to the active roster.  Davis threw a bullpen session today, so the right-hander looks to on pace for a relatively quick recovery from a left oblique strain that IL’ed him on May 22.
  • Padres general manager A.J. Preller spoke to reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune) today about how the front office will turn its focus to the deadline once the draft is passed.  With the Padres still in the wild card mix, this could mark the first time in Preller’s tenure that the club will be buyers rather than sellers in July, though Preller stressed that the team isn’t planning an all-in push.  “This year we can look at going a lot of different routes….But the most important thing we’ve talked about is it’s still going to be looking toward the long term and looking toward building for the next five years and nothing that will sacrifice that over the next five weeks or so,” the GM said.  San Diego has been linked to a wide array of starting pitchers over the last several months, though “there appears to be increasing pessimism the Padres will sign free agent Dallas Keuchel,” Acee writes, since the Padres have young starters for their rotation and the club would have to outbid several other teams for Keuchel’s services.
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