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Central Notes: Royals, Cardinals, White Sox, Brewers

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Five games back of a playoff spot, the Royals aren’t ready to sell yet, but contending clubs are eyeing their potential trade chips, reports Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. The changed qualifying offer system in the new collective bargaining agreement could impact the Royals’ decisions, per Dodd, who notes that draft-pick compensation isn’t as appealing as it was previously. Had the Royals been in this situation last year, they could have kept impending free agents such as Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas, issued them qualifying offers and landed first-round picks had they signed elsewhere. Now, in order to secure a first-rounder, KC would need to offer a QO, have the player reject it and then join another team for $50MM-plus. Otherwise, if a player signs someplace else for less than $50MM, the Royals will get a pick after the second round.

More from the Central divisions:

  • The Cardinals will have to decide before the trade deadline whether their current lineup will suffice, observes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ranking 26th in the majors in runs and 21st in wRC+, the Cardinals’ offense lacks a hitter capable of inspiring fear in opposing teams, several talent evaluators told Goold. They’re unlikely to acquire that type of hitter if he’s only a short-term rental, though, as Goold relays that the Redbirds “remain reluctant” to sacrifice significant assets for a stopgap. Internally, St. Louis isn’t convinced it needs to make a notable upgrade offensively. Rather, the club could pin its hopes on Matt Carpenter, Dexter Fowler and Aledmys Diaz recovering from slow starts. All three, especially Carpenter, have been resoundingly successful offensive producers in recent seasons.
  • Writing for MLB.com, Cuban outfield prospect Luis Robert acknowledges that the White Sox “probably were the team that offered more money” than anyone else, which was key in his decision to sign with the team for $26MM last weekend. It also helped the White Sox’s cause that they’ve never shied away from adding Cuban players. That includes first baseman Jose Abreu, who “can be a big help for me, because he is a veteran and has experience in this league,” posits Robert. The 19-year-old believes he’ll need a full year in the minors before he’s ready to contribute at the big league level.
  • Third baseman Travis Shaw has been a steal thus far for the Brewers, opines Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. Shaw, whom the Brewers acquired in an offseason trade with Boston, has slashed .296/.341/.538 with 10 home runs and five steals across 214 plate appearances with his new team. The 27-year-old is relishing his time in Milwaukee, telling Kepner: “I miss the guys over there, but coming over here was a blessing for me,” Shaw said. “I get a chance to play every single day. They wanted me, the ballpark fits my strengths a little bit more, and so far everything’s gone very smoothly. I’m glad I’m over here.”

NL Notes: Marlins, Padres, Cardinals

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Marlins right-hander Edinson Volquez threw the first no-hitter of the 2017 season on Saturday, tossing a 10-strikeout, two-walk gem against the Diamondbacks en route to a 3-0 victory. He accomplished the feat on what would have been the 26th birthday of late Royals righty Yordano Ventura, who passed away in a car crash in the Dominican Republic over the winter. Volquez, also a native of the Dominican, was friends with Ventura and teammates with him in Kansas City from 2015-16. Volquez paid tribute to Ventura on Instagram prior to the game and dedicated the performance to both Ventura and late Marlins ace Jose Fernandez afterward (Twitter link via Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star).

More from Miami and two other NL cities:

  • Although Padres righty Jered Weaver has been among the majors’ worst starters this season, the club isn’t ready to give up on the soft-tossing 34-year-old, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Padres’ hope is that Weaver will be able to competently eat innings when he’s ready to return from the disabled list. Weaver hit the DL on May 20 with left hip inflammation, a condition the ex-Angel says has been dealing with “for three or four years now.” Before landing on the shelf, Weaver recorded a 7.44 ERA and a 7.99 FIP over nine starts – all Padres losses – and 42 1/3 innings.
  • The Cardinals are candidates to add Cuban righty Hector Mendoza, who’s eligible to sign with a major league organization July 2, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended). The 23-year-old Mendoza is exempt from bonus pools, meaning the Cardinals won’t have to pay an overage tax if they sign him, notes Badler. Mendoza, who has pitched in both Cuba and Japan, features “a three-pitch starter’s mix,” per Badler, though he’s likely to end up in the bullpen if he cracks the majors.
  • Marlins reliever Junichi Tazawa’s recovery from the rib issue that has sidelined him since mid-May hit an unusual snag, relays Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Japanese righty’s interpreter quit, thereby delaying his rehab assignment as the Marlins looked for a replacement. The club didn’t want to Tazawa to go it alone in Jupiter, Fla., “and potentially get lost or confused,” writes Jackson.

NL Central Notes: Reds, Cecil, Cubs, Arrieta

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In his latest notes column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the Reds have fared better in some recent trades than had been expected at the time. Indeed, the club is receiving significant contributions from a variety of position players who were added in relatively unheralded swaps, including Eugenio Suarez, Scott Schebler, Adam Duvall, and Jose Peraza.

Here’s more from the NL Central:

  • It came as something of a surprise when lefty Brett Cecil landed four years from the Cardinals, but Rosenthal says other organizations were also willing to do four-year deals for the 30-year-old reliever. The Cubs and Mariners had such offers on the table, though both are said to have underbid St. Louis. As Rosenthal notes, the scuffling Cecil has shown at least some signs recently of emerging from his malaise.
  • Everyone is wondering why the Cubs have failed to break out from their sluggish start, and Dave Cameron of Fangraphs has a look under the hood. The issues aren’t isolated, he finds. Fairly widespread performance dips at the plate, in the field, and on the mound have resulted in a sub-.500 record that is largely deserved based on what the team has done. Though it remains reasonable to expect Chicago to improve its play, Cameron writes, the projections no longer view the current roster as a unique force.
  • Clearly, Jake Arrieta isn’t the only Cubs player who is struggling through the first two months of the season, but he’s perhaps the most prominent. With free agency on the horizon, the stakes are particularly high. His agent, Scott Boras, still thinks that Arrieta’s overall body of work compares favorably to a pair of pitchers (David Price and Max Scherzer) who landed over $200MM in free agency, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag writes. Though Boras argues that Arrieta’s recent struggles and declining velocity shouldn’t outweigh his lofty established ceiling and big-game performances, teams weighing massive investments will surely be taking a close look at Arrieta’s work over the first two months and the rest of the current season.

Cardinals Release Jonathan Broxton

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The Cardinals have released struggling right-hander Jonathan Broxton, GM John Mozeliak told reporters (Twitter link via Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Right-hander John Gant has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take his spot in the St. Louis bullpen.

Broxton, who’ll turn 33 in a little more than two weeks, has been roughed up for a 6.89 ERA with the Redbirds through 16 1/3 innings this season. In that time, the former Dodgers closer has yielded 12 earned runs on the strength of 23 hits and 11 walks (two intentional).

Broxton’s 42.6 percent ground-ball rate is the second-lowest mark he’s posted in any full season of his big league career, as well. His 11.9 percent swinging-strike rate is his best since 2009, however, and he’s still averaging better than 94 mph on his heater, which helped him tally 16 punchouts in those 16 1/3 frames. That, of course, is a modest silver lining, though it does at least create a bit of optimism that the veteran could at least resurface as a serviceable relief arm.

The veteran Broxton is playing out the second season of a two-year, $7.5MM contract with the Cardinals, which guarantees him $3.75MM this year. The Cards will be on the hook for the remainder of that salary even if Broxton signs with another club after formally clearing release waivers. A new team would only be responsible for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time Broxton spent on its Major League roster. (That sum would be subtracted from the remaining $2.54MM that the Cardinals owe Broxton.)

Gant, 24, was one of three prospects acquired by the Cardinals this offseason in the trade that sent left-hander Jaime Garcia to the Braves. He struggled a bit in 50 big league innings with Atlanta last season but has pitched to a very strong 2.19 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 50 percent ground-ball rate through three starts (12 1/3 innings) with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate this year. He missed the first several weeks of the season due to a groin strain.

NL Notes: Padres, Grichuk, Gsellman, Loney

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In his latest Padres mailbag, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune runs down a number of trade-related topics, beginning with taking stock of the team’s top chips. Lefty Brad Hand’s name has already surfaced as an early trade candidate, and also calls infielder Yangervis Solarte perhaps the likeliest position player to be dealt by San Diego. Lin also notes that after absorbing significant money in the trades of James Shields, Matt Kemp, Melvin Upton and others, the team isn’t interested in taking on a bad contract as a means of coercing a trade partner to surrender young talent. Unsurprisingly, Lin goes on to note that the Padres remain on the hunt for a longer-term option at shortstop. Allen Cordoba has hit surprisingly well for a 21-year-old making the jump directly from Rookie ball, but Lin suggests that the Friars don’t yet feel he’s ready to be an everyday MLB shortstop based on a small sample of work at the plate (and an even smaller sample at short).

More from the Senior Circuit…

  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch spoke to Cardinals GM John Mozeliak about the team’s decision to option struggling outfielder Randal Grichuk to Class-A Adavanced Palm Beach as opposed to Triple-A Memphis. Mozeliak indicated that the drop to Class-A ball was about the specific people in Palm Beach with which Grichuk could work and also perhaps about trying something different with a player that has twice been optioned back to Triple-A in the past. “My feeling is, you’ve always heard me say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different outcome,” said the GM. “This is no different, so I really felt like we had to do something different here, and it’s outside the box, but he’ll work with (offensive strategist) George Greer for a week or so and see how things go.” As Goold also notes on Twitter, with extended Spring Training still in progress in nearby Jupiter, Grichuk will also have the opportunity to rack up extra at-bats on the back fields.
  • Despite the fact that right-hander Robert Gsellman will move to the bullpen in the near future when Steven Matz and Seth Lugo join the rotation, the Mets still view him as a starting pitcher in the long term, writes Danny Knobler for MLB.com. Manager Terry Collins expressed firm belief that Gsellman will be a “quality starter” in the Majors, but for the time being he’ll be relied upon to help in the ’pen. Gsellman will still get at least one more start this weekend, Knobler writes, and Collins pointed out that the righty could even return to the rotation in 2017 when Zack Wheeler’s innings count climbs to the point where the Mets need to cut back his innings.
  • Braves GM John Coppolella chatted with FOX’s Ken Rosenthal about James Loney’s abbreviated tenure in his organization. Loney was signed almost immediately in the wake of Freddie Freeman’s wrist fracture, but he was granted his release four days later after the Braves landed Matt Adams from the Cardinals. Coppolella tells Rosenthal that the Braves were not yet engaged with the Cardinals in trade talks when Loney was signed and wasn’t sure the Adams deal would get done even after negotiations with St. Louis kicked off. The Atlanta GM added that Loney was offered the option to remain with Triple-A Gwinnett and showcase for the other 29 teams, but Loney and his reps elected to once again explore the open market.

Cardinals Option Randal Grichuk

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The Cardinals have optioned outfielder Randal Grichuk to Class-A Advanced so that he can put in extensive work on his pitch-recognition, GM John Mozeliak tells David Solomon of KTRS 550 AM (Twitter link). Per a team press release, the Cardinals have also activated outfielder Jose Martinez from the disabled list.

[Related: Updated St. Louis Cardinals depth chart]

The move comes as somewhat of a surprise, but Grichuk’s struggles at the plate recently have been pronounced; he’s hitting just .222/.276/.377 this season and has fanned in 30 percent of his plate appearances. The month of May, in particular, has been a rough one for the 25-year-old, as evidence by a .202/.253/.333 triple slash.

Strikeouts have long been an issue for Grichuk, though despite his penchant for whiffs he was a productive member of the Cardinals’ lineup in 2015-16. Over the course of those two seasons, Grichuk appeared to have solidified himself as a regular in the St. Louis outfield, hitting a combined .255/.306/.508 with 41 homers through 828 plate appearances. He also turned in quality defensive work in both center field and left field in addition to above-average contributions on the basepaths.

Grichuk’s demotion likely means more playing time for hot-hitting Tommy Pham, who has forced himself into the team’s outfield mix with a brilliant .333/.410/.621 batting line and five homers through 78 plate appearances since being recalled from Triple-A. Dexter Fowler, of course, will continue to serve as the primary center fielder, with Stephen Piscotty handling right field duties.

Grichuk’s production in the minors will likely determine the length of his stay (barring other injuries in the Majors), but it doesn’t seem likely to impact his long-term control. He needs just 67 more days of big league service time to reach three full years of Major League service, which would put him on track to qualify for free agency following the 2020 season. While it’s possible that he does spend a fair chunk of time in the minors, it’d be a surprise to see him spend enough time there to delay his free agency by a year. The Cardinals made a somewhat similar move early last June in optioning Kolten Wong to Triple-A — a stay that lasted only a couple of weeks.

Cardinals Place Kolten Wong On DL, Promote Paul DeJong

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The Cardinals have placed second baseman Kolten Wong on the 10-day disabled list with a left elbow strain. His roster spot will go to infield prospect Paul DeJong, whose contract has been purchased from Triple-A.

[RELATED: Updated Cardinals Depth Chart]

After a down season last year in which he lost playing time at the keystone to Jedd Gyorko, Wong created a mini-controversy in March when he expressed unhappiness about being part of a timeshare at second base. The 26-year-old quickly walked back those comments, though, and he and Gyorko have managed to coexist this season. The power-hitting Gyorko has mainly played third base, leaving second to Wong, who has improved offensively this season. Wong has slashed .278/.378/.414 with 18 walks and 20 strikeouts in 157 plate appearances, but the normally adept defender hasn’t been as effective in the field as he has been at the plate (minus-two Defensive Runs Saved, minus-12.7 UZR/150).

With Wong on the shelf, Gyorko and Greg Garcia present the Cardinals’ most logical options to fill in at second. Those two, along with Jhonny Peralta and DeJong, also offer options at the hot corner. DeJong, 23, is only two years removed from going to the Cardinals in the fourth round of the draft. He now ranks as the Redbirds’ 11th-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, which classifies the potential shortstop’s power as “legitimate.” DeJong has shown off that power at Triple-A this year, having swatted 11 home runs and posted a .247 ISO in 182 trips to the plate. Overall, the righty-swinger has batted a strong .294/.331/.541, though his walk and strikeout rates (4.4 percent and 24.7 percent, respectively) could certainly stand to improve.

Cardinals Select John Brebbia’s Contract, Designate Miguel Socolovich

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The Cardinals have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty reliever John Brebbia from Triple-A Memphis. To clear space on their 40-man roster, they’ve designated fellow righty Miguel Socolovich for assignment.

[Related: Updated St. Louis Cardinals Depth Chart]

The 27-year-old Brebbia spent time in the Yankees system and in independent ball before the Cardinals selected him in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft prior to the 2016 season. He mostly struggled at Double-A and Triple-A in 2016, although he posted solid peripherals. This year, he has fared well in Triple-A, posting a 1.69 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and a strong 1.7 BB/9. He has never pitched in the Majors.

The 30-year-old Socolovich shuttled back and forth between Memphis and St. Louis in 2015 and 2016 and generally did quite well in his big-league opportunities, but the Cardinals never cleared a more regular place for him in their bullpen, and removed him from their roster after he allowed 20 runs, 18 earned, in 18 2/3 innings this year. He was also out of options, so the Cardinals couldn’t simply send him back to Triple-A. Given his solid Triple-A record and his big-league performances this year, and the fact that his salary is near the league minimum, he could be a waiver claim for a team in need of relief help.

International Notes: July 2 Prospects, Garcia, Robert

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Ben Badler of Baseball America has provided three separate looks at the 2017-18 international free agency period over the past week or so, running down 20 well-regarded prospects as well as their likely destinations once the signing period kicks off on July 2. Badler’s scouting efforts do require a subscription, though I’d highly recommend it for those who are interested in the international market (as well as the upcoming amateur draft, which BA obviously covers extensively as well). Financial details on all of the names within aren’t available, though Badler does report that 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Wander Franco (not to be confused with the Royals prospect of the same name) is expected to sign with the Rays for a bonus just shy of $4MM. Franco also ranked No. 1 on the International Top 30 of MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez — another invaluable resource for those wishing to brush up on the top international prospects on the market in the weeks leading up to the new signing period.  Those seeking a refresher on the new international spending limitations from the most recent collective bargaining agreement can refer back to Badler’s recap from this past December, as well (no subscription required on that one).

A couple more notes on the international market…

  • Cuban shortstop Jose Israel Garcia was recently declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, and he’s drawing interest from a number of clubs. To this point, the Reds, Astros and Padres have all shown interest in Garcia. That would seem to indicate that he’s looking to sign before the current period comes to a close on June 15, as each of those teams has exceeded its 2016-17 pool allotment to the point that they’ll incur maximum penalization in the 2017-18 class. There’s not much data on the 19-year-old Garcia, though Heyman has described him as “slick-fielding.”
  • ESPN’s Keith Law wonders (Insider subscription required and recommended) whether the White Sox made a mistake in making such a substantial commitment to Cuban star Luis Robert. As Law notes, position players from Cuba have flopped in the Majors more than they’ve succeeded. Law also adds that he’s spoken to a number of scouts to gauge Robert’s abilities, as he’s yet to be able to see Robert himself, and each scout to whom he spoke offered concerns about Robert’s hit tool. All agreed that he’s athletic and is a plus runner in addition to possessing above-average bat speed and raw power as well, however. Conversely, Law suggests that if one team was going to “overpay” and take such a significant gamble on Robert’s upside, the Cardinals had the best rationale. The Cards are without their top three picks in the 2017 draft after forfeiting one to sign Dexter Fowler and losing another two as punishment in the notorious data breach scandal, thus depriving them of means to add high-impact young talent. While Robert is certainly a risk, the Cardinals’ lack of alternative means of acquiring young talent would’ve made them a better fit to make the gamble. St. Louis was also already over its bonus pool even without Robert, while the Sox only just pushed themselves into the penalty bracket with Robert’s deal.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/23/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

  • The Blue Jays announced that catcher Michael Ohlman has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Buffalo. Ohlman had the option to elect free agency, having been previously outrighted in his career, but he’ll return to Buffalo in hopes of another big league opportunity with the Jays. The 26-year-old went 2-for-9 in his brief MLB debut with Toronto this year, and he’s slashed a more impressive .246/.388/.594 with seven homers and three doubles through 23 Triple-A contests.

Earlier Moves

  • Right-hander Al Alburquerque has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Omaha, the Royals announced on Tuesday. Kansas City designated the veteran 30-year-old for assignment over the weekend after just four innings with the big league bullpen. Alburquerque has totaled just six innings in the Majors over the past two seasons after serving as a regular in the Detroit ’pen from 2013-15. The hard-throwing Alburquerque has no trouble missing bats but has long been prone to control issue as well. Alburquerque has the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
  • Per an Orioles announcement, catcher Francisco Pena has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. The out-of-options 27-year-old has seen limited action in the majors in recent years, but has slashed .249/.295/.452 in his 1,221 career plate appearances at Triple-A. While he’s a highly regarded defender, Pena may need to boost his on-base abilities before he’ll earn a full shot at the majors.
  • The Phillies have released southpaw Mario Hollands, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). Once a promising young reliever, Hollands seemingly never fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old has produced middling results in the upper minors over the past two seasons since sitting out all of 2015. This year, he has allowed a dozen walks in his 13 frames at Double-A.
  • Also hitting the open market is former Phillies righty Dalier Hinojosa, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 31-year-old worked to a 1.51 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 through 35 2/3 MLB frames in 2015-16, but clearly hadn’t convinced teams that was sustainable. Hinojosa hasn’t yet pitched this year due to a shoulder injury.
  • It seems that righty Daniel Bard is back at a career crossroads, as he has been released by the Cardinals, according to Eddy’s report. Bard, once an elite bullpen arm with the Red Sox, ran up 19 walks in 8 2/3 outings at the Double-A level as he has continued to struggle to stay in the zone.
  • The Braves released veteran minor-leaguer Blake Lalli, per BA. The 34-year-old catcher saw a bit of action at the major league level last year, but he has mostly plied his trade in the upper minors in recent seasons. He was off to a rough start at the plate this year at Triple-A, with a .167/.226/.271 batting line through 53 plate appearances.
  • Outfielder Tyler Holt has been released by the Dodgers, Eddy reports. Holt has seen action in each of the last three major league campaigns and appeared in 106 games last year with the Reds, but he’s slashing just .228/.306/.274 in 318 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. The 28-year-old was struggling badly in the upper minors with the Los Angeles organization, but will surely hope to regain some lost momentum with another organization.
  • The White Sox have snapped up righty Jake Johansen, who was released recently by the Nationals, according to Eddy. A second round pick back in 2013, Johansen had failed to make the jump to the upper minors and was cut loose after allowing eight earned runs in 11 2/3 innings at Double-A this year.
  • Veteran infielder Chris Nelson has joined the Royals on a minors deal, per Eddy. Once a semi-regular player with the Rockies, Nelson has bounced around in recent years and hasn’t seen any major league action since 2014. He spent time in 2016 at Triple-A with the Rockies organization, slashing .232/.273/.310 in 218 plate appearances.
  • Finally, the Reds have added MLB veteran Vin Mazzaro on a minors deal. He had been working in indy ball, throwing six scoreless frames for the Somerset Patriots, but will now try to crack the bigs for the ninth consecutive year. Mazzaro had a nice run with the Pirates in 2013, but has not seen much MLB action since. He did work to a 3.22 ERA over 67 Triple-A frames last year, with 5.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9, though obviously he didn’t convince many teams with his underlying skills.
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