Phillies Select Will Toffey
The Phillies announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Will Toffey. Additionally, right-hander Bubby Rossman has been selected to the roster as a “substitute player”.
Toffey, 27, was a fourth round draft pick of the A’s in 2017. He went to the Mets at the deadline in 2018 as part of the trade that sent Jeurys Familia to Oakland. He was part of a second deal last year, going to the Giants as the return for the Mets acquiring Anthony Banda. In March of this year, he was traded yet again, going to the Phillies along with cash considerations in exchange for Luke Williams.
One year ago, FanGraphs listed him as the 28th prospect in the Mets’ system, complementing his hitting ability but noting his lack of power. They also state that he’s a solid defender with a strong arm. While he’s primarily been a third baseman in his career thus far, he’s branched out and has also seen some time at first base, second base and the outfield corners.
In 58 Triple-A games this year, he’s struck out in 30.2% of his plate appearances but also walked 14% of the time. He has three homers, nine steals and a slash line of .266/.385/.438, wRC+ of 125. As a left-handed hitter, he has the potential to platoon with some Philly infielders that hit from the right side, such as Alec Bohm, who has a subpar batting line of .273/.307/.385 this year for a 91 wRC+. Bohm has pretty drastic splits, with a 124 wRC+ against lefties for his career and 80 against righties. This year, the split is even wider, at 138 and 72. Toffey is naturally better against righties, with a .273/.404/.460 line against them this year, compared to .245/.333/.377 marks against southpaws.
Rossman, 30, was drafted by the Dodgers in 2014 but released in 2016. He bounced around to various Indy Ball teams for a few years before signing a minor league deal with the Phillies in November of last year. He’s been pitching in Double-A this season, throwing 40 2/3 innings with a 3.32 ERA, 29.1% strikeout rate, 12.1% walk rate and 43.3% ground ball rate. The Phillies have four players on the restricted list at the moment, unable to cross the border into Canada to play the Blue Jays due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19. Since Rossman has been designated a “substitute,” he will be eligible to be returned to the minors without being exposed to waivers.
Phillies Announce Several Roster Moves
The Phillies have announced several roster moves ahead of tonight’s series opener in Toronto. Since unvaccinated players aren’t eligible to cross the Canada-U.S. border, each new home series for the Blue Jays leads to a handful of players on the opposing team landing on the restricted list instead of making the trip. In the case of the Phils, they have four players not with the team up north. Catcher J.T. Realmuto, infielder Alec Bohm, right-handers Kyle Gibson and Aaron Nola have all been placed on the restricted list. To fill two of those roster spots, catcher Rafael Marchan has been recalled, while right-hander Nick Duron has had his contract selected. Both Marchan and Duron were identified as “substitute players,” meaning they can be returned to the minors without being exposed to waivers.
Duron, 26, will make his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game. Originally a 31st round pick of Boston in 2015, he spent a few years in the system of the Red Sox and then the Mariners. The Phillies signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason and sent him to Triple-A.
Through 28 innings with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Duron has a 2.57 ERA, 30.3% strikeout rate and 42.6% ground ball rate. However, he also has a concerning 12.3% walk rate, something that has been a theme for his in recent years. The last time he posted a walk rate lower than 10.6% was back in 2018. Still, the strikeouts are helping limit the damage enough to earn a big league look. It’s likely to be just temporary, however, with Duron likely to be removed from the roster once the Phillies get back from Toronto.
Mets Claim Sam Clay Off Waivers, Designate Jake Reed
The Phillies have announced that left-hander Sam Clay, whom they designated for assignment on Friday, has been claimed off waivers by the Mets. In order to open a spot on their 40-man roster for Clay, the Mets have designated right-hander Jake Reed for assignment. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com was among those who relayed the news on Reed.
It’s been a busy month of July for Clay, who now joins his third organization this month, just ten days in. He started the season with the Nationals, who designated him for assignment on July 1. He was then claimed by the Phillies and designated for assignment yet again three days later, before now landing with the Mets.
Clay was originally a Twins draftee but reached minor league free agency without ever being selected to their 40-man roster. The Nationals decided he was worth a roster spot and signed him to an MLB deal before the 2021 season. Unfortunately, their optimism didn’t translate into results, as Clay put up a 6.02 ERA in 49 1/3 big league innings between last year and this year before being shuffled off the roster.
The Nats aren’t the only teams able to see the potential, however, as evidenced by the Phillies and Mets putting in claims on him over the past few days. Even in that mediocre MLB showing, Clay got ground balls at an excellent 61.8% rate, with the league average usually coming in around 43%. He hasn’t racked up many strikeouts at the big league level so far, with just a 15.6% rate. In the minors, however, he’s often been above 20% and occasionally above 30%. The potential for a lefty reliever who both gets grounders and strikeouts is understandably tantalizing, especially considering most clubs are always a bit short-handed when it comes to southpaw relievers.
The Mets certainly fall into that category, having used only three lefties all season. David Peterson is in the rotation and Chasen Shreve has been released, leaving Joely Rodriguez as the only southpaw in the bullpen. That makes Clay a fairly sensible addition for the club, as they hope he can find better results in Queens than he did in D.C.
Reed, 29, was claimed off waivers from the Rays in August of last year. The Rays had claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers just about a week before that. Between the Dodgers and Mets, he has just 16 1/3 innings of MLB experience with a 6.61 ERA. He’s thrown 13 innings in the minors this season with a 4.85 ERA, 25% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. The Mets will have one week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him.
Phillies Designate Sam Clay For Assignment
The Phillies announced that left-hander Kent Emanuel has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To create room on the 40-man roster, fellow lefty Sam Clay has been designated for assignment.
Drafted by the Twins in the fourth round in 2014, Clay eventually reached minor league free agency at the end of the 2020 season without ever getting selected to the big league team. However, the Nationals liked him enough that they gave him a major league deal a couple of weeks later.
The Nats were likely hoping for better results than they got, as Clay put up a 5.60 ERA over 45 MLB innings last year. That came with a 15.9% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate, both of those numbers being worse than typical averages and Clay’s own track record in the minors. He did continue inducing ground balls, though, getting them at a 60.1% rate.
This year, it’s been a mixed bag for the 29-year-old, as he has a bloated 10.38 ERA in the big leagues, but in a tiny sample of just 4 1/3 innings. In 20 1/3 Triple-A frames, it’s a 3.10 ERA with a 64.5% ground ball rate, 21.7% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate.
This is the second DFA for Clay in the past week, as he was just cut from Washington’s roster and claimed by the Phillies in recent days. The Phillies likely knew that Emanuel was nearing a return from the injured list, making it possible that they claimed Clay with the express purpose of trying to pass him through waivers and retaining his services but without him taking up a roster spot. Regardless of their intentions, they will have one week to work out a trade, pass Clay through waivers or release him.
Latest On Pirates’ Trade Possibilities
Few players who could plausibly be moved this summer would be as impactful a pickup as Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates center fielder isn’t performing at quite his star level from last season, but he’s having another well above-average campaign. Through 335 plate appearances entering play Friday, Reynolds owns a .257/.337/.463 line with 15 home runs, 10 doubles and a trio of stolen bases.
Controllable for another three-plus seasons, there’d be no shortage of interest if the Bucs make him available over the coming weeks. Jon Heyman of the New York Post lists the Yankees, Marlins, Phillies, Padres and Mariners among the teams likely to gauge his availability. There are no surprises among that group, as all five are known to be in the hunt for outfield help and/or have made unsuccessful attempts to pry Reynolds away in the past.
New York has relied on Aaron Judge in center field to great results, but they’ve grown dissatisfied with the continued struggles of Joey Gallo and (to a lesser extent) Aaron Hicks in the corners. They could eye Reynolds either to plug directly into left field or as a center field option capable of kicking Judge back to right. Miami and Philadelphia have direct needs in center field and figure to inquire about various possibilities at the position; the Fish have been linked to Oakland’s Ramón Laureano as well.
San Diego has holes in both corner spots and has watched center fielder Trent Grisham flounder for most of the year. Seattle may have the most robust outfield of any of the reported Reynolds suitors, but Jarred Kelenic struggled enough to be optioned to Triple-A and they’ve not gotten the production they’d anticipated from Jesse Winker or Mitch Haniger this season (the latter on account of injuries).
The quintet, of course, would certainly be joined by other suitors if the Pirates actively shopped Reynolds. Pittsburgh, however, has set a justifiably lofty asking price both at last summer’s deadline and over the winter. That makes him a longshot to actually change hands, and Heyman notes in a separate piece that it remains “unlikely” the Bucs will find a compelling enough offer to make a move.
That may also be true of star closer David Bednar, whom Heyman floats as a possible trade candidate. One of five players the Pirates acquired in the January 2021 Joe Musgrove deal, Bednar has emerged as one of the sport’s best late-inning weapons. Since landing in Pittsburgh, the right-hander has posted a 2.26 ERA while holding opponents to a .187/.255/.321 line in just shy of 100 frames. That includes 39 innings of 2.31 ERA ball this season, with Bednar punching out more than a third of batters faced and likely to earn his first All-Star nod.
The 27-year-old comes with even more club control than Reynolds, as he’s slated to remain in Pittsburgh through 2026. Bednar won’t reach arbitration-eligibility until the 2024 campaign, so there’s no financial pressure for the Bucs to make a deal. Needless to say, they’d have to be blown away by a package to pull the trigger on a Bednar trade as well.
One player the Bucs are virtually assured of trading is starter José Quintana. The veteran southpaw is having a solid bounceback season after signing a $2MM free agent deal over the winter. He’s a sensible back-end rotation target for teams seeking pitching help, and the Bucs have already fielded hits from contenders. As an impeding free agent on a team that won’t come anywhere near the postseason, he’s as good a bet as any player in the league to change uniforms over the next few weeks.
Quintana suggested he’s not dwelling on the possibility of being dealt, saying he’s “(staying) focused on one start at a time” (link via Rob Biertempfel of the Athletic). He acknowledged a move was a possibility, but indicated he’d be open to returning to Pittsburgh in free agency next winter. “For sure, I want to come back here. But I think it’s too soon to talk about that. I want to keep my eyes focused on this season, one start at a time.” Nothing would preclude the Bucs from reengaging with Quintana’s representatives during the offseason if/when he’s dealt this month, but this season’s solid 3.33 ERA/3.96 SIERA make it likely he’ll land a loftier guarantee (and perhaps a two-year commitment) if he continues to pitch well down the stretch.
Jean Segura Hoping To Beat 10-12 Week Timetable For Return From Injured List
- Jean Segura has been out since the beginning of June. The Phillies second baseman fractured his right index finger on a bunt attempt, an injury that required surgery and came with a 10-12 week recovery estimate. That set his timetable at late August or perhaps into September, but Segura told reporters this week he feels he could beat that initial projection (link via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). The 32-year-old recently had a trio of pins removed from his finger and is set for further evaluation next week. If that round of testing comes back as hoped, he could be cleared to start throwing and taking swings. Phils second baseman have posted an impressive .268/.339/.429 line since Segura went down, but there’s no question they’d welcome an opportunity to get him back sooner than anticipated and free up some of their utility options for work elsewhere around the infield.
Phillies Claim Sam Clay
The Phillies have claimed left-handed reliever Sam Clay off waivers from the Nationals, per a team announcement. Clay, who was designated for assignment by the Nats last week, has been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley for the time being.
The 29-year-old Clay is a former fourth-round pick of the Twins who has spent the past two seasons with the Nationals organization. The southpaw inked a Major League deal with the Nats before ever pitching in a big league game, with the Washington front office likely drawn to his solid minor league season in 2019, which featured an eye-popping 71.2% ground-ball rate.
Clay, however, hasn’t panned out as hoped in D.C. He debuted last season with 45 innings of 5.60 ERA ball and, while his 60.1% grounder rate was brilliant (as advertised), his 15.9% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate were both sub-par. Clay has had a decent run in Triple-A Rochester, where he as a 3.10 ERA with a 21.7% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 64.5% ground-ball rate through 20 1/3 innings, but he’s been hit hard in 4 1/3 Major League frames so far. Overall, he has a 6.02 ERA in 49 1/3 MLB innings, all coming out of the Nationals’ bullpen.
Clay has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, high-end ground-ball tendencies and a decent track record in the upper minors, so he’s a sensible enough flier for the Phillies to take. Then again, with so much of Clay’s game predicated on forcing opponents to beat the ball into the ground, a Phillies team that ranks 27th in the Majors in Defensive Runs Saved both third base and shortstop (and 29th overall in DRS) isn’t necessarily the best fit. That’s not to say a ground-ball pitcher can’t succeed on their staff, of course, but Clay’s best trait isn’t necessarily going to be supported by the fundamental makeup of his new club’s roster.
Phillies Place Ranger Suarez On 15-Day Injured List
The Phillies have placed starter Ranger Suarez on the 15-day injured list because of lower back spasms, retroactive to June 30, per the club. The Phillies had boasted one of the healthier rotations this season before losing both Suarez and Zach Eflin to the injured list this week. A corresponding roster move will likely be made before Tuesday’s game against the Nationals. The Phillies have an off day tomorrow to set up their rotation. In other injury news…
Rockies Acquire Corey Oswalt From Phillies For Cash Considerations
The Rockies have acquired Triple-A right-hander Corey Oswalt from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb (via Twitter).
Oswalt was drafted by the Mets in the seventh round of the June draft back in 2012. He worked his way through the system and made his Major League debut with New York back in 2018 as a 24-year-old. By the time he made his debut, he was the Mets’ 16th-ranked prospect, per Baseball America.
He made 12 starts and five relief appearances en route to totaling 64 2/3 innings in his rookie season, but only received spot time in the bigs since then, never making more than a handful of appearances. He did, however, appear in each of the last four campaigns with the Mets, and they remain the only professional organization he has appeared with in the bigs. In total, Oswalt owns a 5.89 ERA/5.39 FIP at the game’s highest level.
He started this season with the Giants Triple-A affiliate before the Phillies purchased his contract. Between the two clubs, the now-28-year-old Oswalt posted a 6.11 ERA over 35 1/3 innings. With the Rockies, he should have a clearer path to Major League innings.
Guardians Claim Oscar Mercado, Designate Yohan Ramirez
The Guardians have announced that they claimed outfielder Oscar Mercado off waivers from the Phillies, with right-hander Yohan Ramirez being designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
It’s a quick return to Cleveland for Mercado, as the Guardians just designated him for assignment on June 21. He was claimed by the Phillies on June 27 before being designated for assignment again on July 1 and now being claimed and becoming a Guardian yet again.
Cleveland fans are likely familiar with the trajectory by now, with Mercado giving a tantalizing debut in 2019 but disappointing results since then. In that 2019 campaign, Mercado hit 15 homers and stole 15 bags, putting up a batting line of .269/.318/.443. Combined with his defensive contributions, he was worth 2.2 wins above replacement that year, according to FanGraphs.
Given that he was just 24 years old at the time, it seemed reasonable to expect that might have just been the tip of the iceberg, with even better results to come as he matured. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened, with Mercado putting up a line of .198/.254/.330 in the 2 1/2 seasons since then, a line that amounts to a wRC+ of 60.
After those tepid results, Cleveland seemingly gave up on him a couple weeks ago but has had a quick change of heart. It seemed possible that the Phillies would give him a real shot, given their troubles in the outfield. Though perhaps they were only interested in trying to pass him through waivers to be stashed as extra depth. Whatever their intentions, his stay in Philly has concluded after just a single plate appearance.
As for Ramirez, 27, he was an Astros prospect until Seattle nabbed him in the 2019 Rule 5 draft. He stuck with the Mariners through the shortened 2020 season, throwing 20 2/3 innings with a 2.61 ERA despite walking 21.3% of the batters he faced. In 2021, he logged another 27 2/3 innings at the big league level with a 3.90 ERA, 30.7% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate and 34.4% ground ball rate. He couldn’t sustain that this year, however, as his ERA shot up to 7.56 in 8 1/3 innings with the Mariners.
He was designated for assignment and eventually traded to Cleveland for cash considerations. The Guardians gave him just a single appearance at the big league level but 10 1/3 innings in Triple-A. His 4.35 ERA with Columbus isn’t awful, but that’s come despite an alarming 22.7% walk rate. The 27-year-old still has options and intriguing strikeout numbers. He could garner interest from other clubs, especially if any of them think they can help him with his control issues. The Guardians will have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers.