Early Trade Deadline Re-Assessment: AL West
It has only been a little over five weeks, so it’s too soon to judge with finality how this year’s trade deadline maneuvers will play out. That said, we’re already half of the way through the period — the regular season portion, at least — for which rental players were acquired. Even players with future control are usually added first and foremost for their immediate contributions (though there are some exceptions). It’d be awfully premature to say anything conclusive about the prospect side of any deals, but we do now have some additional information with which to work.
So, that’s why we’re going to take a glance back over our shoulders at the moves (and major non-moves) that organizations made in the run-up to this year’s trade deadline. We already covered the AL Central, NL Central, AL East, and NL East. Now we’ll head out west, starting with the American League …
Astros
The runaway division leaders were already setting up for the postseason at this summer’s trade deadline. As has now become customary, GM Jeff Luhnow pulled a rabbit out of his hat. He came through this year with the summer’s biggest blockbuster.
The Astros’ acquisition of veteran righty Zack Greinke seemingly came out of nowhere, breaking at the last possible moment. But how does it look at this early stage? The 35-year-old Greinke hasn’t been quite as good as he had been in Arizona, but he’s certainly getting the job done as hoped. Through seven starts, he carries a 3.32 ERA. On the prospect side, we haven’t learned much that we didn’t know already. Corbin Martin is still early in his Tommy John recovery, while J.B. Bukauskas only made two starts after the swap. Seth Beer did struggle upon moving to the Snakes’ Double-A affiliate, slashing .205/.297/.318 in 101 plate appearances, though that only puts a bit of a damper on a promising overall campaign. Infielder Josh Rojas, the least-hyped player involved, went on an unreal tear at Triple-A to earn a call-up. He’s holding his own (.250/.337/.382) through 86 MLB plate appearances.
That one will take longer to assess, particularly with regard to what was lost for the Houston org. That’s also true of the team’s other big deal, though in that case the initial results have been a dud for all involved. The Astros were clearly positioned to utilize outfielder Derek Fisher as a trade asset with little need for him, so turned him into a buy-low opportunity on Aaron Sanchez, who came over with reliever Joe Biagini from the Blue Jays. Fisher has not been hitting in Toronto, but the ‘Stros have also not gotten anything close to what they might’ve hoped from their side of this bargain. Sanchez tantalized with a gem of an outing but couldn’t sustain it and ended up requiring shoulder surgery (the full details of which remain unclear). Biagini has not thrived after making changes to his repertoire, having now allowed a dozen earned runs and six long balls with a miserable 9:7 K/BB ratio over 13 2/3 innings.
The other MLB piece added has worked out quite nicely. The Astros brought back veteran backstop Martin Maldonado for another run. Acquired for his defense, he has also provided a whopping .246/.319/.585 hitting output over 72 plate appearances. It has been quite the opposite experience for the Cubs, who added utilityman Tony Kemp in the deal. Kemp has just nine base knocks (two for extras) in his 64 trips to the plate with Chicago.
Houston’s other deals were of the roster-clearing variety. The club sent out backstop Max Stassi to make way for Maldonado. Stassi has managed just three hits in 49 trips to the plate with the Angels; it’s still anyone’s guess whether the Astros have anything in the very young outfielders (Rainier Rivas and Raider Uceta) acquired in the deal. Neither do the ‘Stros miss Tyler White, who struggled with the Dodgers before getting hurt after being sent there following a DFA. The young reliever added in that deal, Andre Scrubb, continued to show much the same results as before the swap. He ended his season with 64 2/3 Double-A innings of 2.78 ERA pitching with 10.6 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9.
Athletics
To the surprise of nobody, the A’s went for arms over the summer. While the club was rightly pleased with its overall position-player mix, there was an obvious dearth of talent in the staff — the rotation, in particular.
First came Homer Bailey, who held particular appeal since he’d cost only the league-minimum salary. (The Dodgers owe the rest of the tab on Bailey’s extension.) The 33-year-old has eaten innings as advertised, with a 4.98 ERA and 50:11 K/BB ratio over 56 frames. Oakland can’t really have hoped for much more. Infielder Kevin Merrell had been struggling when he was sent to K.C. in the deal and continued to do so after, slashing just .235/.278/.313 in 176 Double-A plate appearances.
The A’s have had much better results from the other starter they picked up, Tanner Roark, who was added in exchange for outfield prospect Jameson Hannah. While his peripherals look much like those of Bailey, Roark has held opposing teams to 3.40 earned runs per nine in his 42 1/3 frames over seven starts. Hannah — like Merrell, one of the team’s loftier recent draft choices — trended down after changing uniforms. He slashed just .224/.325/.299 in 78 trips to the plate at the High-A level.
Oakland swung one other deal with the Royals, giving up prospects Ismael Aquino and Dairon Blanco in exchange for southpaw Jake Diekman. The veteran reliever hasn’t generated the hoped-for results, compiling just 11 strikeouts while issuing nine walks over 14 1/3 innings. Blanco has scuffled mightily since the deal, while Aquino remains a total wild card.
You might’ve liked to see a bit more talent come in to the Oakland org, which surely could have stood to add more and/or better pitching pieces. But it’s hard to fault a somewhat conservative course when only a Wild Card was realistically in play.
Rangers
It remains to be seen whether the Texas organization will regret the decision not to move Mike Minor and/or Lance Lynn. Both still look like very nice values now and in the near future. For a team with hopes of a reasonably competitive reset, it was understandable that they held onto these free-agent hits. An offseason deal could yet also be considered. But it’ll be tempting to Monday-morning QB the decision if one or both falter.
The Rangers still look to have added some nice pieces in the deadline moves they did make. Veteran reliever Chris Martin brought back southpaw Kolby Allard, while high-powered but command-challenged reliever Peter Fairbanks netted utilityman Nick Solak. It was easy to part with an older bullpen piece, though Fairbanks has shown well and could still make the club pay. Still, it’s hard not to like what the Rangers have seen from their two new pieces. The 22-year-old Allard may not have an exceptional ceiling, but he has managed to carry a 3.78 ERA through six MLB starts. And Solak has a ridiculous .347/.460/.556 slash through his first 87 trips to the dish at the game’s highest level.
We’ll have to wait to see whether the team gets anything out of veteran reliever Nate Jones (if it exercises an option over him), but taking on his salary via trade allowed the Rangers to add a major international target. That deal did cost two rookie ball pitchers. Joseph Jarneski struggled quite a bit after the swap; while Ray Castro put up solid numbers, he’s already 22 years of age and is still pitching in the Dominican Summer League. The Texas organization has also received 10 1/3 solid innings from righty Ian Gibaut, who was added for a song and could be a part of the bullpen mix in 2020.
Angels
[ENTRY BLANK]
Just kidding. But … yeah, not much action for the Halos, was there? The aforementioned Stassi was added on the heels of even smaller acquisitions of along with Josh Thole (link) and Adam McCreery (link). These moves haven’t really cost much and helped the club make it through the season, but that’s about it.
To be fair, the Angels did not have a ton of obvious trade pieces to work with. Kole Calhoun would’ve held appeal, and perhaps in retrospect should have been dealt, but it’s not clear he’d have brought back enough of a return to justify sacrificing what was then an outside chance at a Wild Card run.
Mariners
There’s always some action when GM Jerry Dipoto is involved. But there could have been more. Dee Gordon was and is a candidate to be moved, as the M’s have no qualms about eating salary when necessary. Mitch Haniger might have been an interesting candidate for a big swap but for an injury. Domingo Santana was also not a factor for similar reasons.
The club did end up making several moves that brought in a volume of prospects. Cashing in veteran slugger Edwin Encarnacion in June netted pitching prospect Juan Then, who got his start in the Seattle system. The 19-year-old worked to a 2.98 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over 48 1/3 total minor-league frames after the swap, topping out at the Class A level.
In a pair of deals, the Mariners sent relievers Hunter Strickland (link) and Roenis Elias (link) to the Nationals for a series of prospects. Elvis Alvarado had been walking more than a batter per inning before the move but recorded a 13:3 K/BB ratio in a dozen rookie frames thereafter. And Taylor Guilbeau showed enough to get a late call-up. He owns a 4.50 ERA in eight innings over 11 appearances. More importantly, he’s showing well against left-handed hitters … though righties have had no trouble. The third hurler added from the D.C. organization is Aaron Fletcher, a recent 14th-round pick who could soon be on the MLB relief radar. He ran up the Nats ladder with good numbers and ended the season with a 13-inning Double-A run with the Seattle organization, over which he compiled a 3.46 ERA with a 15:3 K/BB ratio.
After a long time trying, the Mariners also found a home for veteran righty Mike Leake, whose no-trade rights complicated matters. Seattle was only able to offload $6MM of salary while picking up infielder Jose Caballero. The M’s gave him a look at the High-A level, where he slashed just .256/.339/.333 over 109 plate appearances. The only other Seattle swap was a minor one. Shipping Kris Negron to the Dodgers netted a younger utilityman in Daniel Castro. He continued to struggle at the plate at Triple-A after the deal.
Rangers Could Prioritize Third Base In Offseason
Few teams have been worse off at the hot corner this season than the Rangers. Their third basemen rank 23rd in the majors in fWAR (8.6) and 24th in wRC+ (87). It’s fair to say life after Adrian Beltre hasn’t gone smoothly for Texas, which tried to replace the future Hall of Famer with free-agent stopgap Asdrubal Cabrera. But Cabrera performed so poorly over the season’s first few months that the Rangers released him in the first week of August. Logan Forsythe and Isiah Kiner-Falefa haven’t been productive, meanwhile, and utilityman Danny Santana and rookie Nick Solak – although extremely impressive during his very young career – have each started just a handful of games at the position.
Considering their issues at third this year, it seems the Rangers will prioritize the spot over the winter, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. As you’d expect, manager Chris Woodward indicated Wednesday that he’d rather go forward with one player at third – not a cast of different faces.
Asked if third will be an important offseason focus for the Rangers, Woodward said: “It’s pretty big. I’m guessing we will be in pursuit of a third baseman. We’d like to not have rotating third basemen next year.”
If Texas enters the winter in a spending mood (Grant reports the team’s expected to be more aggressive in free agency), it could be among the clubs in on a pair of big-time free agents in Anthony Rendon and Josh Donaldson. Rendon, a 29-year-old superstar for the Nationals, figures to rake in the highest-paying contract of any position player during the offseason. Whether the Rangers will be up to the task of ponying up for him remains to be seen, but if they are, it could help their cause that Rendon is a native of Texas. The next deal for Donaldson, who will turn 34 in December, won’t come close to Rendon’s in total value, but the Brave is a standout in his own right who will no doubt earn a sizable guarantee on the open market.
After Rendon, Donaldson and perhaps Mike Moustakas (who has a mutual option with the Brewers for 2020), it doesn’t appear as if free agency will be teeming with third base solutions in the next couple months. The Rangers have spent big in the past, though, and if they’re committed to breaking a three-year playoff drought in 2020, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them reel in any of those three via the open market.
Jesse Chavez Undergoes Elbow Surgery
Rangers right-hander Jesse Chavez underwent surgery to have loose bodies removed from his elbow this week, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com (via Twitter). He’ll go through an eight-week recovery process before beginning a throwing program and is expected to be ready for Spring Training 2020.
Chavez, 36, signed with the Rangers in each of the past two offseasons — first on a one-year, $1MM pact and then on a two-year, $8MM deal last winter. The veteran swingman enjoyed a career renaissance in 2018 between the Rangers and the Cubs (who acquired him in a midseason deal) but had more mixed results in 2019 as he vacillated between the bullpen and the rotation.
For much of the season, Chavez gave the Rangers strong results as a reliever and occasional opener. He carried an ERA not far above the 3.00 mark into mid June, when injuries and poor performances among the Rangers’ expected starters prompted the team to put him back into a traditional starting role. Chavez threw quite well in a handful of late-June starts before being shelled in three straight starts to kick off the month of July (17 earned runs in 11 innings).
After that ugly run, Chavez moved back into a bullpen role, but the damage to his season-long numbers had largely been completed by that point. He made only nine more appearances before going down with the elbow issue that is now ending his season, giving up five runs in a combined 1 2/3 innings during his final two outings of the season.
While Chavez’s final 4.85 ERA in 78 innings isn’t much to look at, the right-hander posted a 72-to-22 K/BB ratio this year and owns a 3.06 ERA in his past 143 1/3 innings as a reliever. With Mike Minor, Lance Lynn and Kolby Allard all expected to hold down rotation spots in 2020 and Texas widely expected to add starting pitching in the offseason, Chavez should be able to return to the ‘pen next year. He’ll earn $4MM next season under the aforementioned two-year, $8MM contract.
Shawn Kelley On 2020 Plans
For Rangers reliever Shawn Kelley, it’s Texas or bust in 2020. He tells MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan that he’ll retire if the organization decides against exercising a $2.5MM club option for his services.
Kelley says he’s comfortable with the Rangers and would “love to come back and do another year.” Otherwise, he’s happy to hang ’em up and “drift off to the sunset.” (He’d do so with a $250K buyout as a parting gift.)
The 35-year-old was dinged a few times after returning from a biceps injury, but has otherwise generally been effective this year. All told, he carries a 4.07 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9.
Kelley has actually rebounded a bit in average fastball velocity (92.3 mph) and swinging-strike rate (11.2%) as compared with his 2018 showing, though he’s clearly not in prime form. As with many other hurlers around the game, Kelley has run into particular trouble this season with the long ball (1.93 HR/9, 16.4% HR/FB rate).
It’s possible to imagine this situation resulting either in a return or a retirement. The Rangers have little in the way of bullpen certainty and may like the idea of retaining the veteran at a palatable rate of pay. But it’s also possible they’ll decide to spend the money elsewhere.
AL Notes: Springer, Rangers, Calhoun, Rays
Astros outfielder George Springer is in the lineup today against Seattle, marking a quick return from a concussion suffered earlier this week after he collided with the center field wall. Some other news from around the AL:
- The Rangers have uncertainty at the hot corner for 2020, and they’ll at least kick the tires on the top free agent at the position, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. There’s an argument that Anthony Rendon is the top free agent on this offseason’s market, period, with a six-year deal a strong possibility. It’s notable to hear the Rangers could consider shelling out that kind of cash, although Wilson notes they’ll evaluate their internal candidates at third base over the season’s final month. Those include Danny Santana, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Solak, per Wilson, but not Joey Gallo, who is no longer seen as an option at the position.
- The Rangers have had difficulty developing pitching in recent seasons, causing the organization to modernize its pitching development, explains Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News in a piece that would be of interest to Ranger fans. Texas has upped its usage of wearable technology and curtailed its recent draftees’ workload in an effort to keep their top arms healthy. As Grant notes, the program isn’t off to a rousing start, as Hans Crouse, Owen White and Cole Ragans, among others, have dealt with injury-plagued 2019 seasons. Nevertheless, it’ll be interesting to monitor the progression of the Rangers’ arms as the program takes a more defined shape.
- Things don’t appear to be trending well for Kole Calhoun to return to Los Angeles in 2020, observes Buster Olney of ESPN (subscription link). As expected, Olney notes that the Angels hope to clear room alongside Mike Trout and Justin Upton for top outfield prospect Jo Adell, Baseball America’s #2 prospect. The Angels hold a $14MM option (or a $1M buyout) on Calhoun’s services, a borderline price point for a corner outfielder with a .233/.325/.466 slash (107 wRC+). Despite the not-insignificant price tag, Olney believes the Angels will at least consider picking up the option and dangling Calhoun in trade, figuring some outfield-needy team would be willing to take on the veteran for a marginal prospect return.
- The Rays are making some changes within their baseball operations hierarchy, per a club press release. Mitch Lukevics, the organization’s long-time farm director, is transitioning to a senior advisory role in the front office after 14 years running the club’s minor-league operations. Lukevics “will remain closely involved” with the minor league system, the Rays added. Tampa Bay has also promoted Jeff McLerran to director of minor league operations, promoted Patrick Walter to director of international operations and promoted Steve Miller to director of international scouting. McLerran and Walter had previously been assistant directors in those respective fields, while Miller has spent the past six seasons as an international crosschecker for the Rays.
Quick Hits: Montas, Laureano, JDM, Yankees, Mendez
Once the ace of the Athletics‘ rotation, Frankie Montas has been something of a forgotten man since being issued an 80-game PED suspension on June 21. Montas will be eligible for the last five games of Oakland’s regular season, however, could still help the A’s get into the playoffs. GM David Forst told Chris Townsend of the A’s Cast podcast (partial transcript from Ben Ross of NBC Sports Bay Area) that the team is prepared to use Montas as either a starter or reliever, and has kept him stretched out in simulated games in case a start is required in one of those five games. Montas could also get a minor league game under his belt if Oakland’s Double-A or Triple-A affiliates advance in the postseason, as Montas is eligible to begin a rehab assignment beginning on September 10.
Montas was in the midst of a breakout campaign at the time of his suspension, with a 2.70 ERA, 9.7 K/9, and 4.62 K/BB rate over 90 innings. Though he won’t be eligible for the postseason if the Athletics are able to claim a wild card, Montas could certainly still be a valuable x-factor during what could be a very tense final week of action as the A’s, Indians, and Rays battle for the two wild card slots.
Some stray items from around baseball…
- After returning from the injured list just yesterday, Ramon Laureano left the Athletics‘ 10-2 win over the Tigers tonight due to what the A’s described as a right leg cramp. After a leadoff double in the sixth inning, Laureano made it into second base despite “limping right out of the box,” as MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos described the situation. Manager Bob Melvin told Gallegos and other reporters that he hoped Laureano would be back on Monday, as the outfielder was already scheduled for a planned day off on Sunday. Laureano missed over five weeks due to a stress reaction in his right shin, and another absence would be the last thing he and the A’s need as the club chases down a wild card berth.
- Amidst the speculation about whether or not J.D. Martinez will exercise the opt-out clause in his Red Sox contract after the season, Ken Rosenthal (in his latest video report for FOX Sports) points out that Martinez doesn’t necessarily have to decide right now if he wants to leave Boston. The slugger also has opt-out clauses after both the 2020 season and (assuming he can avoid another Lisfranc-related right foot injury) 2021 season, so he could perhaps wait one more year to see if his market evolves. Despite Martinez’s hitting prowess, there aren’t too many obvious suitors for a mostly DH-only player….unless the National League were to become involved, as Rosenthal wonders if Martinez would stay in his contract to see if the NL adopted the designated hitter in the next collective bargaining agreement.
- Also from Rosenthal’s video, he makes a case for why Didi Gregorius could be “the odd man out” for the Yankees even if he performed well for the remainder of the season. New York might simply prefer to use Gleyber Torres at shortstop in 2020 rather than re-sign Gregorius, who is almost seven years older than Torres. Recovery from Tommy John surgery kept Gregorius from playing until June 7, and he is one of the few Yankees not tearing the cover off the ball, with a .252/.282/.462 slash line and 14 homers over 280 plate appearances (for a below-average 90 wRC+). If the Yankees did decide to move on from Gregorius, however, Rosenthal figures the team would still need to extend another veteran infielder, as DJ LeMahieu (who’d play every day at second base if Gregorius departed) is only under contract through the 2020 season.
- The Rangers and Yohander Mendez will learn in the offseason whether the left-hander’s one remaining minor league option will still be retained for 2020. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details the situation, as the league already granted Mendez a fourth option for this season, though the lefty only made his 2019 debut today after missing the first five-plus months rehabbing a sprained UCL. This means Mendez hasn’t accumulated the 20 days of optional minor league assignment necessary to burn an option year. If Mendez is ruled to be out of options, the Rangers would then have to designate him for assignment (and thus expose him to a waiver claim) if they wished to remove him from the 40-man roster.
Latest On Jeremy Jeffress
Right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, officially released by the Brewers yesterday, has drawn some level of interest from several teams, tweets Yahoo’s Matt Ehalt. The Reds, Mets, Phillies, Rays and even the Brewers are among the teams who’ve inquired about the 2018 All-Star.
Jeffress isn’t postseason eligible, having been cut loose in September, but some of the interested teams would apparently like to proactively lock him up to a deal that covers the 2020 campaign (perhaps via a club option). That’d help to explain Milwaukee’s reported interest in bringing the righty back; the Brewers clearly had no intention of exercising Jeffress preexisting $4.3MM option for the 2020 season, but they (or another suitor) could conceivably try to hammer out an option at a lower base salary with some additional incentives. Any team signing Jeffress would only owe him the prorated league minimum for the remainder of the current season.
It’s also possible, though, that Jeffress could simply sit out the remainder of the season and explore opportunities this winter. He was on the injured list due to a hip ailment at the time of his release, and there’d surely be some benefit to an extended period of rest for the righty. He’ll likely have offseason minor league offers with decent base salaries (though less than the previous $4.3MM) at the very least, meaning there’s no rush to sign at the moment. There’ll surely be teams who are only interested in adding him after the current season draws to a close, so waiting until November to take a deal would widen his market.
Open-market circumstances surrounding Jeffress will always be somewhat atypical, given the right-hander’s history. He’s served multiple minor league suspensions for drugs of abuse (i.e. marijuana) and was charged with a DWI while pitching for the Rangers in 2016. That track record surely contributed to the club-friendly deal Jeffress signed with Milwaukee prior to the 2018 season, which came with two team options at relatively low base rates and plenty of yearly incentives based on innings pitched and games finished.
Jeffress’ release earlier this week marked the end of a radical downturn in performance. The right-hander logged a 1.29 ERA with 10.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.59 HR/9 and a 56.4 percent ground-ball rate in last year’s All-Star season before unraveling in the playoffs. He then missed the first several weeks of the 2019 season due to shoulder fatigue.
Upon activation in mid-April, Jeffress pitched well for two months, logging a 2.52 ERA and a 26-to-9 K/BB ratio through his first 22 appearances (25 innings). Since that time, he’s scuffled with an ERA north of 7.00 and a deflated strikeout rate. Jeffress’ velocity has actually improved a bit as he’s distanced himself from the early shoulder fatigue, but the aforementioned hip ailment has added another injury to the ledger. In all, he’s turned in 52 innings with a 5.02 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 1.00 HR/9 and a 48.4 percent ground-ball rate while enduring a pair of IL stints in 2019. The upside a healthy Jeffress brings to the table is enormous, but he’s struggled to produce consistent results over the past three seasons.
Outrighted: Edwards, Stephens, Payano, St. John
As is common early each September, Major League clubs designated a slew of players for assignment over the past few days in order to create roster space for various September call-ups. Several players have already been claimed off waivers today, but we’ll track those who’ve cleared waivers and been outrighted to a minor league affiliate here…
- The Indians announced that right-handers Jon Edwards and Jordan Stephens went unclaimed on waivers and were both sent outright to Triple-A Columbus. The 31-year-old Edwards pitched to a strong 2.70 ERA through 16 2/3 innings with Cleveland’s big league club over the past two seasons, but he did so with a less-encouraging 15-to-10 K/BB ratio. Edwards averaged better than 11 punchouts per nine innings with the Indians’ top affiliate in Columbus this season but also issued 4.8 walks per nine frames and logged a 4.22 ERA there. The Indians claimed Stephens from the White Sox back on June 15, but he allowed 33 runs, served up nine homers and issued 14 walks in 28 2/3 innings in Columbus.
- Rangers right-hander Pedro Payano and left-hander Locke St. John cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Nashville, per a team announcement. Payano, 24, narrowly kept his ERA south of 5.00 in 84 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this year, but the pitching-needy Rangers called upon him for a handful of appearances in spite of those struggles. He logged 22 innings in the big leagues but limped to a 5.73 ERA with nearly as many walks (15) as strikeouts (17). The 26-year-old St. John dominated through 29 2/3 innings in Double-A (1.52 ERA, 42-to-13 K/BB ratio), but he surrendered 19 runs in 19 2/3 innings in Triple-A in addition to struggling through seven MLB appearances.
AL Notes: Tucker, Gallo, Hicks
Though Kyle Tucker was added to the Astros dugout prior to Monday’s matchup with Milwaukee, manager A.J. Hinch is making it clear that nothing will be handed to the well-regarded youngster. “We’ll make our assessment on where he can help us,” Hinch said to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (link). “But he’s going to be a complement player right now until he earns more at-bats.”
Considering the team’s 2019 success and the emergence of rookie Yordan Alvarez, it’s unsurprising to hear that the ‘Stros aren’t looking to endanger their status quo simply to accommodate a look at a 22-year-old prospect like Tucker. Still, as noted in the report, Tucker could theoretically be in line for more at-bats should the struggles of fellow outfielder Josh Reddick continue. Considered to be one of the two best prospects in the Houston system (along with hurler Forrest Whitley), Tucker hit .266/.354/.555 with 34 home runs in 536 PCL plate appearances this year.
More rumblings from around the league…
- Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo will be back to launching balls in batting practice this week, which will mark his first time in the cage since fracturing the hamate bone in his right hand on July 23rd. In a report from Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, Gallo admits that pain will still be a factor in determining whether or not the slugger should venture a 2019 return for an out-of-the-race club. “I don’t want to get on the field and not perform to capabilities and have to sit on that all winter,” Gallo said Monday. “We’re not in a playoff race, so I’m not worried about having to prove something.” Still, manager Chris Woodward projected that the club does expect Gallo to be good to go at some point in the next two weeks.
- Nary a day goes by on this site without an update regarding an injured Yankees player, and this Labor Day evening should be no different. YES reporter Meredith Marakovits passes along that outfielder Aaron Hicks was engaged in throwing exercises today–the first time he’s done so since being placed on the injured list with a flexor strain on Aug. 4 (Twitter link). Like most injuries involving the Yankees this year, Hicks’ injury really only opened the door for another, lesser-known player to open eyes with a surprising fill-in performance, as outfielder Mike Tauchman did with his solid August at the plate (.274 BA and 5 home runs in 84 at-bats). When healthy in 2019, Hicks has himself recorded a .235/.325/.443 line (100wRC+) in 255 plate appearances.
Rangers Designate Payano, St. John; Activate Springs, Volquez
The Rangers announced today they have designated right-hander Pedro Payano and left-hander Locke St. John for assignment. Their 40-man roster spots were needed for the activations of Jeffrey Springs and Edinson Vólquez from the 60-day injured list.
Payano, 24, didn’t enter the year as a top prospect but put himself on the organizational radar with a 28.3% strikeout rate in the Double-A Texas League. He was knocked around in 11 games in the Pacific Coast League (as most pitchers are) and scuffled in his six-game MLB debut, too, but he comes with three option years and did show a swing-and-miss slider in the bigs, so perhaps another team will take a look.
Much like Payano, St. John, 26, is an optionable arm who made his big league debut this year despite an unheralded prospect reputation. He, too, was quite good in Double-A and got knocked around in Triple-A, but he’s run strong minor-league strikeout rates since being moved to the bullpen full-time in 2018.
Springs, also 26, will take St. John’s place as a left-handed bullpen arm in Arlington. He was terrible in 26 innings before succumbing to left biceps tendinitis, but the changeup specialist was a little more well-regarded than his designated counterparts as a prospect.
The most-noteworthy name in today’s transaction series, though, is that of Vólquez. The 15-year veteran plans to retire at the end of the season but had been pushing for a return from a right elbow sprain. Even though the Rangers are out of contention, the 36-year-old had wanted to go out on his own terms, which fortunately seems to be in the cards.