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West Notes: Felix, Oberg, Dahl

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Erstwhile Mariners ace Felix Hernandez toed the rubber for the Tacoma Rainiers on Monday night and it shouldn’t be long before he’s donning a Seattle uni once again, according to a report from Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Hernandez, out since May 12th with a lat-strain, threw 69 pitches and was largely effective in Tacoma, utilizing an 88-90 mph fastball to limit the Salt Lake Bees to one run over three-plus innings pitched. Indications are that the living legend would slide into the M’s rotation come Saturday, which would end the weeks-long four-man rotation dance that manager Scott Servais has had to orchestrate since the club’s trade of Mike Leake at the MLB trade deadline. For what it’s worth, Hernandez is looking at this return as a moment to savor, saying: “It’s going to be my last year. I don’t know what’s going to happen next year so I need to go out there and show them that I still love the fans and still love Seattle.”

It has been a long time since Hernandez flashed the kind of dominance that he displayed during a halcyon 2009-2014 run, but his return should be a welcome reprieve for M’s faithful during a “step-back” 2019 season. Though they may not be able to count on him to pitch in vintage form, Hernandez’s return–along with expected promotions for prospects Justus Sheffield, Justin Dunn, and Jake Fraley–should help add some intrigue to Seattle’s September frames. Hernandez has a 5.75 ERA since 2018’s outset and is playing in the final year of a 7-year/$175MM accord.

More news from around the left coast…

  • The blood clot complications experienced by Rockies relief ace Scott Oberg last week were a perspective-granting moment for those in-and-around the game of baseball. Though the Colorado org was looking to the veteran to handle save situations in the wake of Wade Davis’ dissolution, Oberg’s emergency hospital admission and subsequent surgery were a late-season reminder of the relative triviality of the game played between the lines. To their credit, Colorado is doing what’s necessary to ensure the long-term health of the righthander, as Oberg will travel with the team to St. Louis to see a specialist regarding his medical issue, per a tweet from Nick Groke of The Athletic (link). Primarily, the team wants to determine the danger involved with this recurrence of a blood clot for Oberg, who dealt with a similar issue in 2016.
  • In less heavy news for the purple-and-black outfit, Rockies outfielder David Dahl was with the team in the visiting clubhouse of Chase Field on Monday, according to a report from Jake Rill of MLB.com. Dahl, who has been rehabbing at a team complex since he went on the injured list with a high right ankle sprain on Aug. 3, will also travel with the team to St. Louis, where he will continue a rehab regimen largely based around activities like underwater treadmill running and throwing. The 25-year-old lefty swinger made the All-Star team this year on the strength of a .302/.353/.524 batting line that is somewhat undercut by his park-adjusted wRC+ figure of 108. Dahl does expect to have a chance to return and improve upon that line before season’s end, although he likely won’t go on a rehab assignment due to the minor league season’s imminent closure.

Rockies Claim Wes Parsons

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The Rockies announced that they’ve claimed right-handed reliever Wes Parsons off waivers from the Braves, who had designated him for assignment over the weekend. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Rox moved Scott Oberg from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL, definitively ending his season. Oberg went on the IL over the weekend due to a blood clot.

With an immediate need for fresh arms and a longer-term interest in finding cost-efficient relief pitching, it’s no surprise that the Rox made a strike here. Parsons hasn’t quite reached his 27th birthday, has options remaining, and is still a long way from arbitration. It’s possible he’ll be given a chance to pitch his way into the team’s plans for 2020.

If he’s to take advantage of the opportunity, Parsons will need to improve upon his initial showing in Atlanta. He carried a 3.52 ERA through 15 1/3 MLB innings this year, but didn’t get there in style. With 13 walks to go with a dozen strikeouts, along with a lowly 6.9% swinging-strike rate, it was clear that Parsons wasn’t fooling MLB hitters.

That said, there’s still reason to hope for better. Parsons has a history of quality results in the upper minors; this year, at Triple-A, he worked to a 2.86 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 along with a 56.8% groundball rate. No doubt the Rox are particularly intrigued by the fact that Parsons has typically induced quite a few worm burners and limited the long ball as a minor-leaguer.

Rockies’ Scott Oberg Likely Out For Season

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The Rockies announced today that they have placed closer Scott Oberg on the 10-day injured list with blood clots in his right arm. To take his spot on the active roster, right-hander DJ Johnson has been recalled from Triple-A.

The Athletic’s Nick Groke adds that Oberg has undergone a procedure to dissolve the clot, which will likely keep the 29-year-old out of action for the remainder of the season. In Oberg’s absence, Wade Davis will be reinstalled as the Rockies’ closer, a role that he relinquished only about two weeks ago. Oberg also saw his 2016 season end prematurely due to the same issue, which required two surgeries and roughly three months away from baseball activities. He was able to pitch a full season in 2017.

Oberg has quietly established himself as the Rockies’ finest reliever over the last two seasons, a span over which he has posted a cumulative 2.35 ERA in 114 2/3 innings pitched. He’s recorded five saves since supplanting Davis as the Rockies’ ninth-inning man. Following the season, he will be eligible for arbitration for the first time, which should earn him a solid payday for his efforts over the last two years.

Johnson, a 29-year-old righty, will get another crack at the big league level with Oberg sidelined. The former has appeared in 14 games for the Rockies this year, though the results have not been promising. He’s walked 11 batters—more than the 10 he has struck out—in 11 2/3 innings. His Triple-A track record is considerably more impressive, as he’s struck out 12.2 batters per nine innings this season in the Pacific Coast League, which could lend itself to some optimism for Johnson’s potential as a Major League reliever. Of course, he’s had limited exposure at the top level, so there’s time for him to figure it out, and he should have a fine opportunity to do so over the season’s final month and a half.

Rockies Designate Chris Iannetta, Select Dom Nunez

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5:08pm: The Rockies have designated Iannetta and selected Nunez, per a team announcement.

8:07am: The Rockies are preparing to make a change behind the dish, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. Veteran catcher Chris Iannetta will be removed from the MLB roster — by what immediate mechanism isn’t yet clear — in favor of youngster Dom Nunez, whose contract will be selected.

The 36-year-old Iannetta has struggled with the bat since returning to the Rockies after six seasons away. He’s slashing .222/.311/.417 in 164 plate appearances this year, which translates to a meager 69 wRC+, and his strikeout rate has shot up to a career-worst 32.9%. Iannetta is also grading poorly in the pitch-framing department, an area where he has at times excelled.

It seems rather unlikely that a contender will see fit to claim Iannetta, who is owed the remainder of his $4MM salary along with a $750K buyout on a 2020 club option. (That option includes a vesting provision that is well out of reach and therefore not a factor.) That said, the veteran backstop is sure to draw interest from clubs in need of depth. It’s conceivable he could sign right onto a big-league roster if there’s a club that prefers him to its existing reserve catcher. Otherwise, he’ll likely be looking at minor-league deals.

Iannetta had already yielded the bulk of the action behind the dish to Tony Wolters, who’ll presumably continue to function as a regular. Now, the reserve job will go to Nunez, a former sixth-rounder. Nunez has found another offensive gear this season at Triple-A. Through 257 plate appearances, the 24-year-old is slashing .244/.362/.559 with a career-high 17 home runs. Even in the offensively charged PCL, that’s good for a 114 wRC+.

2020 Vesting Options Update

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With over two-thirds of the 2019 season in the books, let’s check in to see how seven players are progressing towards possible vesting options in their contracts.  For those unfamiliar with the term, a vesting option is an agreed-upon threshold within a player’s contract (usually based on health and/or playing time) that, if achieved, allows the player to alter the terms of the contract for the next season, and perhaps beyond in some cases.

Some vesting options aren’t reported, so it could be that more players beyond this septet could also be playing towards gaining more guaranteed money or contractual freedom for the 2020 season.  For now, let’s examine just these seven names…

Yonder Alonso, Rockies: Under the terms of the two-year, $16MM deal Alonso signed with the Indians in the 2017-18 offseason, his $9MM club option (with a $1MM buyout) for 2020 becomes guaranteed if the first baseman first passes a physical, and then hit plate-appearance benchmarks.  Unfortunately for Alonso, he has only 287 PA this season, so he’s on pace to fall well short of reaching either 550 PA in 2019 or 1100 total PA in 2018-19 — either of which would’ve caused his option to vest.

Andrew Cashner, Red Sox: Having struggled through six starts since coming to Boston in a trade from the Orioles, the Sox have a legitimate performance-related reason for moving Cashner out of their rotation.  There would also be a financial motive involved, as Cashner’s $10MM club option for 2020 would become guaranteed if he amasses 340 total innings in 2018-19.  After today’s abbreviated outing against the Angels, Cashner now has 279 2/3 IP over the last two seasons, putting him within distant range of causing his option to vest if he keeps receiving starts.  (Incidentally, the option could also vest into a player option if Cashner hits the 360-inning threshold.)

Sean Doolittle, Nationals: The closer finished his league-high 47th game of the season today, giving him 82 games finished since the start of the 2018 season.  Should Doolittle reach 100 games finished, the Nationals’ $6.5MM club option ($500K buyout) on Doolittle for 2020 would vest into a mutual option, giving him the opportunity to opt out of his contract and enter into free agency.  This is definitely one to watch down the stretch, since with the Nats in a postseason race and the rest of their bullpen struggling, D.C. won’t hesitate to use their closer for every save situation possible.  Manager Davey Martinez has used Doolittle in a traditional late-game role, so shifting him into high-leverage situations outside of the ninth inning to cut down on his games-finished numbers would be a risky (and controversial) tactic, to say the least.

Chris Iannetta, Rockies: With 110 starts at catcher since the beginning of the 2018 season, Iannetta won’t reach the 220 catching starts he needed to convert the Rockies’ $4.25MM club option on his services for 2020 into a guarantee.

Wade LeBlanc, Mariners: The unique extension signed by LeBlanc in July 2018 carried three $5MM club option years for 2020-22 that can all vest into guarantees.  That 2020 option turns into guaranteed money if LeBlanc throws 160 innings in 2019 and doesn’t have a left arm injury at season’s end.  A month-long IL stint due to an oblique strain earlier this season almost certainly ended LeBlanc’s chance at the 160-inning plateau, as he has only 98 IP thus far.  While he’s still eating a good share of innings as a “bulk pitcher” behind an opener in most outings, it seems likely that LeBlanc won’t reach his vesting threshold.

Brandon Morrow, Cubs: Morrow’s two-year, $21MM deal carried a 2020 vesting option worth $12MM, or a $3MM buyout.  It wasn’t actually known what the terms were of this option, though since injuries have kept Morrow from pitching since July 15, 2018, it’s safe to assume the option won’t vest, and Morrow will be a free agent this winter.

Oliver Perez, Indians: The veteran southpaw appeared in his 49th game of the season today, so barring injury, he’s a lock to hit the 55 appearances required to guarantee his $2.75MM club option for 2020.  He also seems like a pretty safe bet to lock in even more money, as that option will be guaranteed at $3MM if Perez pitches in 60 games.  The Tribe likely won’t at all mind having Perez back for another season, as the reliever continues to dominate left-handed batters.

Post-Deadline Outrights: Flynn, De La Cruz, Guerra, Blazek

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In the immediate aftermath of the trade deadline, a handful of clubs cleared 40-man roster space with a series of designations. Many of those players have since cleared waivers, and we’ll round up those minor moves here…

Latest Moves

  • The Royals announced that southpaw Brian Flynn was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers.  Flynn has a 5.22 ERA over 29 1/3 innings for K.C. this season, a disappointing result for a reliever who posted solid numbers out of the Royals’ bullpen in both 2016 and 2018.

Earlier Today

  • Cubs minor-league right-hander Oscar de la Cruz has cleared waivers. The 24 year-old has seen his once-lofty prospect status deteriorate due to a combination of injuries, command woes, and a suspension for a masking agent. He’ll remain with the club’s AA affiliate in the Southern League.
  • Nationals right-handers Javy Guerra and Michael Blazek each cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Fresno. Because each veteran has previously been outrighted, they may elect free agency, but the shaky Washington bullpen could plausibly offer them the best opportunity to return to the big leagues in short order.
  • Giants right-handed reliever Dan Winkler was outrighted. San Francisco acquired him as a salary offset in the Mark Melancon trade but never had any interest in letting him see the field amidst a disappointing 2019 season. Winkler can elect free agency because he has over three years of MLB service.
  • Rockies left-handed relief arm Harrison Musgrave will remain on hand at Triple-A Albuquerque after clearing. The 27 year-old has had little success in 45 MLB games in Colorado over the past two seasons.
  • Diamondbacks right-hander Joey Krehbiel will remain on-hand at Triple-A Reno. Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel named the 26 year-old reliever a prospect to watch thanks to a plus changeup preseason, but he’s had a nightmarish season in the Pacific Coast League.
  • Veteran catcher Tim Federowicz has cleared. The backstop had been playing for the Rangers, but he may elect to catch on elsewhere on a minor-league deal.
  • Phillies corner infielder Mitch Walding has also cleared waivers. He’ll remain in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he’s struggled to make contact in 2019.
  • Eric Stamets, the Indians’ Opening Day shortstop, has cleared as well. The 27 year-old has put up anemic offensive numbers with Triple-A Columbus, where he’ll continue to try to right the ship, over the past two seasons.

Rockies Place Dahl On Injured List

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Following a dramatic removal from last night’s contest with the Giants, Rockies outfielder David Dahl has officially been placed on the 10-day injured list with a high right ankle sprain, according to a team announcement. In a corresponding move, Colorado recalled outfielder Yonathan Daza from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Even casual NL West observers are probably aware of Dahl’s lengthy relationship with the injury bug. Though the sweet-swinging outfielder has been touted as a future offensive force since being selected 10th overall by Colorado in 2012, his only trouble has been remaining available. Dahl missed the entire 2017 season with a series of torso injuries, and just this April suffered a “left-side core injury”, that–similar to today’s news–resulted in an IL placement and a recall of the 25-year-old Daza.

That recall resulted in just 19 at-bats for Daza–19 at-bats in which the outfielder looked generally overmatched. Though no timetable has been given for Dahl’s return, it stands to reason that Daza could have a longer opportunity this time to convince skipper Bud Black that the 132 wRC+ he has posted in Triple-A this season is more than smoke and mirrors. Regardless, the All-Star Dahl will likely be missed by a Colorado group that has struggled mightily in recent weeks; their 51-59 record has them in sole possession of the NL West cellar.

David Dahl Suffers Ankle Sprain

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11:05pm: Dahl may have avoided another major injury. He has a sprained ankle, per Saunders, who notes the Rockies will know more Saturday. He’ll likely require an IL placement.

10:22pm: Rockies outfielder David Dahl had to be carted off the field Friday after suffering a right ankle injury against the Giants, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. There’s no word yet on the severity of the injury, but Dahl “was clearly in a great amount of pain,” Saunders writes.

Another serious injury to Dahl would be an awful turn of events for a player whom health problems have constantly dogged since the Rockies chose him 10th overall in the 2012 draft. Dahl missed most of the 2013 minor league season with a hamstring injury, and then had to undergo a splenectomy as a minor leaguer in 2015 after an outfield collision. While Dahl did go on to debut in the majors the next season, he missed all of 2017 because of a rib injury and sat out two months last year on account of a broken foot.

When healthy enough to take the field, Dahl has looked like a legitimate building block for the Rockies. The 25-year-old has offered above-average offensive production in each of his seasons and combined for 4.0 fWAR over 918 plate appearances. In a career-high 413 PA and 100 games this year, Dahl has batted .302/.353/.524 (110 wRC+) with 48 extra-base hits (28 doubles, 15 home runs, five triples). He has only garnered mixed reviews in the outfield in 2019, meanwhile, with a combined minus-9 Defensive Runs Saved and a far better plus-1.5 Ultimate Zone Rating divided among all three spots.

Rockies To Remove Wade Davis From Closer’s Role

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The Rockies will remove struggling veteran Wade Davis from the closer’s role, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Fellow righty Scott Oberg will fill the void in the ninth inning, manager Bud Black tells reporters including Nick Groke of The Athletic (via Twitter).

This decision represents an acknowledgement of what had long been observable: Davis is struggling badly. The 33-year-old was solid enough last year and at the outset of the current campaign, but has been bombed mercilessly since returning from an oblique injury in early June.

Since his return to action, Davis has allowed twenty earned runs in 17 innings. He’s carrying a 15:10 K/BB ratio and has coughed up five home runs, exhibiting some velocity decline along the way. Over the full course of the season, Davis has shown a decline in his swinging-strike rate (to 11.2% from 15.4% in 2017).

That’s all bad news for a Rockies team that has underperformed despite running its Opening Day payroll up to $145MM. Davis occupies a big chunk of that tally, with a $18MM salary this year. His contract includes a $17MM commitment for 2020 as well as a $1MM buyout on a mutual option for the ensuing campaign.

Rockies Acquire Joe Harvey

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In a minor move completed prior to the trade deadline, the Rockies acquired right-hander Joe Harvey from the Yankees for minor league left-hander Alfredo Garcia, as per a Yankees media release.

Harvey, 27, was a 19th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2014 draft.  The righty has worked as a reliever in 118 of his 124 professional games, while posting some impressive numbers — a 1.96 ERA, 10.3 K/9, and 2.98 K/BB rate over 170 innings in the minors.  This performance, in particular some good numbers at Triple-A over the last two years, earned Harvey his first Major League promotion, and he delivered a 4.50 ERA over 10 relief innings for New York this season.

Despite these solid results, Harvey was something of an expendable piece on the Yankees’ depth chart, and opted to move him for a younger arm with perhaps more long-term upside.  Garcia, who just celebrated his 20th birthday on July 22, has a 4.85 ERA, 8.6 K/9, and 2.58 K/BB rate over 200 1/3 minor league innings, none above the A-ball level.  Originally signed for a $1MM bonus at the start of the 2016-17 international signing period, Garcia has worked as a starter in 38 of his 42 games in the Rockies’ farm system.

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