MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Willson Contreras Out At Catcher For Cardinals, Braves Rotation, Rays, Astros
Episode 6 of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Simon Hampton is joined by Katie Woo of The Athletic to discuss:
- The Cardinals’ decision to move Willson Contreras out of the catching position for the time being (3:16)
- Nolan Arenado‘s early-season struggles (8:22)
- Will the Cardinals trade an outfielder to fill other needs? (9:49)
- Jordan Montgomery, possible extension candidate? (12:06)
After Katie talked Cardinals with Simon, MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald comes on the podcast to dig into:
- The Braves’ rotation in the wake of Max Fried‘s forearm strain (15:56)
- Why have the Rays been so good? (19:17)
- The Astros’ sluggish start to the season (25:16)
Check out our past episodes!
- White Sox trade candidates, Red Sox options for improvements, managers on the hot seat – listen here
- The state of the Twins, Bryan Reynolds’ extension and Madison Bumgarner’s future – listen here
- Free agent power rankings, Shohei Ohtani’s next contract and Aaron Nola or Julio Urias in free agency? Listen here
Rays Sign Jake Diekman To Major League Deal
May 10: The Rays have now officially signed Diekman, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The corresponding move had been reported earlier today as righty Chase Anderson getting designated for assignment, which is also now official.
May 9: The Rays are finalizing a major league deal with left-hander Jake Diekman, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN, who adds that the deal is expected to be finalized in the next 48 hours. Once the move is official, a corresponding move or moves will be required to get the southpaw onto the active and 40-man rosters.
Diekman, 36, began the season with the White Sox but was released after posting a 7.94 ERA in 13 outings. In spite of those unfortunate results, he has quickly found a new home with the Rays. As Passan points out, Tampa recently got the unfortunate news that left-hander Garrett Cleavinger will likely miss the rest of the season due to an injury to the ACL in his right knee. In order to counteract that blow to their lefty relief mix, they’ll insert Diekman into Cleavinger’s spot.
It won’t be any kind of significant commitment from the Rays since Diekman already has a salary of $3.5MM this year and a $1MM buyout on an option for 2024 as part of the deal he signed with the Red Sox going into 2022. Since the White Sox released him, they will be on the hook for the majority of that, with the Rays only responsible for the prorated league minimum for any time Diekman is on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Sox pay.
Diekman has been a useful reliever in the past and the Rays will surely be hoping to find a way to get him back to that previous form. Control has always been an issue for the lefty as he only once posted a walk rate below 10%, which was way back in 2013, and his career walk rate currently sits at 13.3%. But he’s been most successful when overcoming those walks by racking up strikeouts. From 2012 to 2022, he struck out between 25% and 32% of batters faced in each full season, as well as punching out 36.9% in the shortened 2020 campaign. However, it’s been just 19% in the early going here in 2023.
Despite that fairly consistent strikeout stuff, the walks have caused his ERAs to fluctuate wildly over the years. He’s finished above 4.00 in four of the last seven full seasons while getting as low as 2.53 in 2017 and a sparkling 0.42 figure in the truncated 2020 year.
Since the Rays will be paying him the league minimum, there’s very little risk in giving him a shot to see if he can get a better handle on his stuff. If it doesn’t work out, they can quickly make him another casualty of the ongoing roster churn they do at the fringes of their roster without really losing anything.
Rays To Designate Chase Anderson For Assignment
The Rays will designate right-hander Chase Anderson for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for left-hander Jake Diekman, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Tampa Bay and Diekman were finalizing a Major League contract yesterday, but the team has not yet formally announced the signing or the corresponding 40-man move.
Tampa Bay acquired the veteran Anderson from the Reds in exchange for cash earlier this month after he exercised an out clause in his minor league deal with Cincinnati. The Reds apparently weren’t keen on adding Anderson to the 40-man roster but found him another opportunity and shipped him to the Rays. Anderson tossed five scoreless frames and notched a three-inning save with the Rays, allowing two hits and a walk while punching out two batters. It was a solid showing, but as is often the case for veterans on minor league deals, it’ll be a relatively short stay on the big league roster nonetheless.
Anderson, 35, has now appeared with six big league clubs over the course of a decade-long MLB career. While he was a solid starter for the D-backs and Brewers from 2014-19 — 3.94 ERA in 857 innings — his results dropped sharply after being traded to the Blue Jays following the 2019 campaign. Anderson was torched for a 7.22 ERA in 10 appearances (seven starts) for the Jays in the shortened 2020 season, and subsequent stops in Philadelphia (6.75 ERA, 48 innings) and Cincinnati (6.38 ERA, 24 innings) over the past two seasons haven’t produced better results.
All told, Anderson has a 4.23 ERA in 967 2/3 big league innings since making his debut back in 2014. However, even including his brief scoreless run with the Rays, he’s sporting a grisly 6.51 ERA dating back to 2019. He has ample rotation experience and is stretched out to throw multiple innings already, so it’s possible another team will come calling, whether via a small trade, waiver claim or a quick signing should the Rays release him. Tampa Bay will have the next week to trade Anderson or place him outright waivers or release waivers.
Rays’ Garrett Cleavinger Likely Done For Season With ACL Injury
Earlier today, the Rays announced that they had placed left-hander Garrett Cleavinger on the 15-day injured list with a right knee sprain and recalled right-hander Trevor Kelley in a corresponding move. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times now reports that Cleavinger has an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament and is likely out for the season.
Cleavinger departed yesterday’s game against the Yankees after appearing to hurt himself while trying to tag out Aaron Hicks during a rundown (Twitter video courtesy of Bally Sports Sun: Rays). It seemed likely that the lefty would have to miss some time but he now seems to be facing a significant absence that is obviously a rough development for both him and the team.
The 29-year-old southpaw has bounced around the league in his career, having been drafted by the Orioles but getting flipped to the Phillies in the 2017 trade that sent Jeremy Hellickson to Baltimore. He made his major league debut with the Phils in 2020 but got into just one game and then was flipped to the Dodgers in the offseason. He spent the next couple of years as a frequently-optioned depth arm for the Dodgers but was traded to the Rays at the 2022 deadline, likely at least partially motivated by the fact that he would be out of options in 2023.
Amid all those transactions, he’s managed to get into 55 games over the past four seasons with a combined 3.52 ERA in that time. His 29.8% strikeout rate is quite strong but he’s also walked 11% of batters faced. He was posting similar results this year, with an ERA of 3.00 along with a 29.2% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate. He’s already on the 15-day IL but will surely be transferred to the 60-day whenever the club needs his roster spot. He will continue to a major league salary and service time for the remainder of the schedule.
As for the Rays, they will now proceed without Cleavinger in the bullpen, leaving Colin Poche and Jalen Beeks as their left-handed relief options. Josh Fleming is also in the mix though he’s been working more as a bulk guy behind an opener as opposed to a more traditional reliever.
AL East Notes: Cleavinger, Guerrero, Severino
Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger suffered a knee injury during the 10th inning of today’s 7-6 victory over the Yankees. Manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) that Cleavinger’s knee “grabbed on him” during a critical rundown play that eventually saw Aaron Hicks thrown out at home plate while trying to score the go-ahead run. More will be known once Cleavinger undergoes testing, but Cash indicated that the left-hander will likely be placed on the 15-day injured list.
Like most hurlers on the league-leading Rays, Cleavinger is having a nice season, with a 3.00 ERA over 15 appearances and 12 innings pitched. A 13% walk rate and a .160 BABIP are red flags, but Cleavinger is missing a lot of bats (30.4% strikeout rate) and is doing an excellent job of inducing soft contact. Tampa has Colin Poche, Jalen Beeks, and Josh Fleming already in the bullpen as other left-handed options, though Fleming has recently been enlisted into bulk pitcher duty. If the Rays aren’t concerned about keeping the lefty/righty balance in their pen, they can turn to any number of arms in the farm system, and hopefully Cleavinger won’t be sidelined for too long.
More from around the AL East…
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has missed the Blue Jays‘ last two games due to soreness in his left wrist, though MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson tweets that Guerrero was feeling slightly better today. Naturally the Jays are being as cautious as possible with the star slugger, while also hoping that Guerrero can avoid an IL stint altogether. Toronto has off-days on both Monday and Thursday this week, and manager John Schneider said Guerrero will be re-evaluated prior to the Jays’ game Tuesday with the Phillies.
- Luis Severino is slated for a Triple-A rehab start on Wednesday or Thursday this week, as the Yankees right-hander gets closer to making his 2023 debut. Severino suffered a right lat strain near the end of Spring Training that resulted in a season-opening stint on the 15-day IL, though he told reporters (including Greg Joyce of the New York Post) that he felt the Yankees were being too conservative in his rehab plan. For instance, Severino thought he could’ve started his rehab assignment last week rather than throwing a 40-pitch simulated game, as he felt working in a proper game environment with a pitch clock was more helpful in getting him ready for a big league return. New York manager Aaron Boone said that Severino will need to make at least two rehab starts before being reinstated from the IL, so given the team’s cautious approach, Severino might not be back until the Yankees’ May 23-25 series with the Orioles.
Rays Outright Zack Burdi
Rays right-hander Zack Burdi has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Durham, per a team announcement. Burdi had been designated for assignment earlier this week in order to open up a 40-man roster spot for right-hander Chase Anderson.
A first round pick by the White Sox in the 2016 draft, the 28-year-old Burdi has long had a premium fastball in terms of both velocity and spin rate, but has struggled to translate it into success at the big league level due to control issues. While his 9.3% walk rate in 20 1/3 career innings in the majors has been passable, Burdi’s posted a walk rate of nearly 15% in 150 innings at the minor league level. Further, even though his walks have been under control in his small sample at the major league level, his results have still been less than spectacular, with a career 6.64 ERA in the majors.
Still, an optionable right-hander with stuff as tantalizing as Burdi is sure to pique the interest of teams, making it something of a surprise that Burdi passed through waivers successfully. Burdi has less than three years of MLB service time and has not been outrighted before in his career, meaning he does not have the right to reject his outright assignment. That leaves him poised to be upper-level relief depth for the Rays in the minor leagues going forward this season alongside the likes of Trevor Kelley and Calvin Faucher.
Robinson Chirinos Announces Retirement
Veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos announced on Twitter today that he is retiring from professional baseball. “With a happy, yet heavy heart, I am announcing my retirement from professional baseball,” the statement reads. “After much contemplation and reflection, I have decided to close this chapter of my life. It has not been an easy decision, but I feel that it is the right one for me as I have given my heart and soul to this sport over so many years.” He then goes on to thank his family members, teammates, coaches, fans, team staff and many others who he crossed paths with over the years.
Chirinos, now 38 years old, originally signed with the Cubs as an amateur out of Venezuela back in 2000, shortly after his 16th birthday. An infielder at that time, he would toil away in the Cubs’ minor league system for a decade, starting his move to the catcher position in 2008. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster after 2010 but was traded to the Rays a few months later, going alongside Chris Archer and others as the Cubs acquired Matt Garza.
It was in that 2011 season that Chirinos was able to make his major league debut, getting into 20 games, but he had to miss the entire 2012 campaign due to a concussion. He was traded to the Rangers in April of 2013 for a player to be named later and would eventually spend six years with that club. His role was initially limited but gradually grew over time as he provided some pop behind the plate. From 2013 to 2018, he hit 67 home runs in 442 games, slashing .233/.325/.443 during that time for a wRC+ of 104. That coincided with a good stretch for the club as well, as Chirinos was able to get into four postseason games with the Rangers between 2015 and 2016.
He reached free agency for the first time after 2018 and he eventually signed with the Astros for one year and $5.75MM. He had a nice season in Houston, launching 17 home runs and hitting .238/.347/.443 for a wRC+ of 112. He would get into 14 more postseason games that year as the Astros went to the World Series, ultimately falling to the Nationals in seven games.
He would go into journeyman mode for the next few years. He returned to the Rangers for 2020 on a one-year, $6.75MM deal but ultimately hit just .162/.232/.243 in the shortened season, which included a trade to the Mets. He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees for 2021 but fractured his wrist after being hit by a pitch in Spring Training. He was released and eventually got into 45 games for the Cubs after returning to health, then got into another 67 contests with the Orioles last year.
All told, it was an unusual career for Chirinos, who seemed to do everything a little later than normal. He didn’t start playing his primary position until his mid-20s, then didn’t make it to the majors until his age-27 season and didn’t really become a regular until he was 30. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference consider his best season by wins above replacement to be 2019, his age-35 campaign.
Despite that delayed trajectory, he still managed to get into 714 major league games and make 2,457 plate appearances. He tallied 480 hits, including 95 home runs, scoring 275 times and driving in 306. MLBTR congratulates Chirinos on a fine career and wishes him the best in the next stages of his life.
Rays Place Pete Fairbanks On Injured List, Select Chase Anderson
The Rays have placed right-hander Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right forearm and selected the contract of veteran righty Chase Anderson, whom they acquired from the Reds in exchange for cash earlier this morning. Right-hander Zack Burdi was designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Anderson.
Fairbanks has been unavailable for the past couple of days due to symptoms of Raynaud’s disease, which can trigger circulatory issues and slow bloodflow. That’s presented itself in the form of numbness in Fairbanks’ fingers. However, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the forearm injury is not related to those symptoms but rather has been something that’s bothered Fairbanks on and off this season. Fairbanks tells Topkin he expects to return after a minimal stay on the injured list.
While Fairbanks hasn’t allowed an earned run in 7 2/3 innings this season, he hasn’t been nearly as dominant as he was in 2022, when he averaged 99.2 mph on his heater and fanned 43.7% of his opponents against a brilliant 3.4% walk rate. We’re looking at a much smaller sample in 2023, of course, but Fairbanks’ velocity is “down” to an average of 98 mph, and he’s sporting just a 19.4% strikeout rate against an ugly 12.9% walk rate. The Rays will hope that some downtime can get him closer to his ’22 form sooner than later.
Anderson, 35, was with the Rays’ Triple-A club last year but didn’t pitch for the big league squad. He opened the year with a 4.30 ERA in 23 innings for Cincinnati’s Triple-A club in Louisville, though his 19-to-13 K/BB ratio is obviously troublesome. Anderson had an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Reds that he’d either already exercised — giving the Reds 48 hours to add him to the active roster or release him — or planned to exercise. The Reds clearly didn’t want to displace anyone from their roster to bring Anderson back to the big leagues, but the Rays saw him differently.
It’s possible it’ll be a brief stint with Tampa Bay for Anderson, just was it was for Burdi and for veteran reliever Heath Hembree before him. The Rays have been regularly cycling names through the final spot of their bullpen in an effort to have as many fresh arms as possible available to complement their core relievers. With nearly eight years of MLB service time under his belt, Anderson brings plenty of experience to the table. He’s struggled mightily since 2020 but from 2014-19 was a solid fourth starter with Arizona and Milwaukee, pitching to a 3.94 ERA in 857 innings.
Burdi, 28, is a former first-round pick whose career has been derailed by injuries, most notably Tommy John surgery in 2018 and a torn patellar tendon in 2019. The former Louisville standout has been tagged for 15 earned runs in just 20 1/3 Major League frames.
That includes a sharp couple outings with the Rays during this most recent stint. He fired three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk with four punchouts. That wasn’t enough to keep him on the roster for a larger look, however.
In Triple-A, Burdi carries a 4.81 ERA in 86 career innings. He’s fanned 32.5% of his opponents at the top minor league level, thanks in part to a blistering fastball, but he’s also issued walks at an untenable 13.5% clip. The Rays will have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
Rays Acquire Chase Anderson
10:20am: The Rays announced that they’ve acquired Anderson from the Reds in exchange for cash.
7:52am: The Rays have reportedly acquired right-hander Chase Anderson from the Reds, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The return headed the Reds’ way is not currently known, though it’s unlikely to be substantial.
Anderson, 35, is a veteran of nine MLB seasons who has yet to make his 2023 debut in the majors. For the first six seasons of his career, Anderson was more or less a solid back-end start in the majors with a 3.94 ERA (106 ERA+) and 4.54 FIP along with a 20.2% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate in 857 innings of work. A propensity for giving up homers has limited Anderson’s production throughout his career, with 12.8% of his fly balls leaving the yard over the first six seasons of his career. That rate was above 10% in each of those years except for 2017, which was unsurprisingly a career year for Anderson where he pitched to a phenomenal 2.74 ERA that was 60% better than league average by measure of ERA+.
In the years following that stretch, however, Anderson has struggled badly. In 105 2/3 innings of work, Anderson has posted a 6.81 ERA (64 ERA+) and 5.78 FIP over 105 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays, Phillies, and Reds. During these three seasons, Anderson’s strikeout rate has stayed roughly the same (20.3%). While his walk rate has ticked up slightly (9.5%), the main culprit of Anderson’s struggles has been the long ball once again, as Anderson has watched an astounding 19.2% of his fly balls result in home runs.
Anderson re-signed in Cincinnati on a minor league deal back in February and competed for a spot on the big league roster during Spring Training, but was ultimately re-assigned to minor league camp. Anderson has posted a decent 4.30 ERA in his 23 innings of work at Triple-A this year. As an Article XX(B) free agent, Anderson had the right to opt-out of his deal with the Reds on Monday.
Despite their phenomenal 24-6 record, the Rays have struggled to field a full rotation in the early going this season after weathering injuries to Jeffrey Springs and Tyler Glasnow. Anderson, should he pitch in the majors for the Rays, seems likely to fill a bulk role alongside the likes of Yonny Chirinos and Josh Fleming as the Rays mix and match options behind Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, and Zach Eflin. The Rays, of course, have a long track record of helping struggling arms on the fringe of the majors establish themselves and maximize their performance. They’ll surely try to do the same with Anderson, given not only his previously demonstrated ability to be a serviceable back-end rotation member, but the flash of potential beyond that he showed in 2017.
Tigers Claim Braden Bristo, Transfer Austin Meadows To 60-Day IL
5:05pm: The Tigers have announced the claim of Bristo, who has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo. The corresponding move is transferring outfielder Austin Meadows to the 60-day injured list. Meadows was placed on the 10-day IL due to anxiety on April 7 and will now be ineligible to return until 60 days from that point, which would be early June.
1:35pm: The Tigers have claimed right-hander Braden Bristo off waivers from the Rays, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Bristo was designated for assignment on the weekend when the Rays acquired right-hander Javy Guerra from the Brewers. The Tigers have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move in order to open a spot for Bristo.
Bristo, 28, was drafted by the Yankees in 2016 and was on their farm through the end of 2022, working exclusively in relief apart from a couple of two-inning starts as an opener. He made it all the way up to Triple-A, posting big strikeout totals but also dealing out more than his fair share of walks. He tossed 103 1/3 Triple-A innings between 2021 and 2022, posting a 4.70 ERA with a 27.1% strikeout rate but also a 13.2% walk rate.
He reached free agency in the winter and signed a minor league deal with the Rays, who selected his contract just over two weeks ago. He made one appearance against the Red Sox, tossing three innings without allowing a run, but was optioned back to Triple-A Durham the next day. He has an ERA of 10.00 in a small sample of six appearances for the Bulls this year.
Bristo will now head over to the Tigers, who will see if they can help him better harness his strikeout stuff so that he limits the free passes. The righty still has a full slate of options and essentially no service time, meaning he can be a depth option for the foreseeable future as long as he continues to hang onto his spot on the 40-man.