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Nationals Sign T.J. Rivera To Minors Deal

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The Nationals have signed infielder T.J. Rivera to a minor league contract, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Rivera has been assigned to Washington’s Double-A affiliate.

A late bloomer who didn’t reach the majors until he was 27, Rivera hit .304/.335/.445 over 344 plate appearances for the Mets in 2016-17.  He hasn’t been back to the Show, however, since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2017, and was limited to only six minor league appearances in the Mets’ farm system in 2018 before being released in Spring Training.

Rivera then took time off to get fully healthy before inking a deal with the independent Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks in early July, and hit .273/.323/.440 over 93 PA for the Ducks.  He’ll now provide the Nationals with some versatility around the infield, as Rivera has a wealth of experience at second, third, and first base (plus some shortstop early in his career, and a handful of games as a corner outfielder).  Though his Double-A assignment doesn’t hint that a big league call-up is imminent, Rivera nonetheless provides some extra depth for a Nats club that just lost Howie Kendrick to the injured list earlier today.

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

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

Latest Moves

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

Earlier Today

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

Nationals Place Howie Kendrick, Roenis Elias On Injured List

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The Nationals have made a couple of roster moves, placing infielder Howie Kendrick and left-handed pitcher Roenis Elias on the 10-day injured list, per a club announcement. Javy Guerra, who only just got out of DFA limbo, has been selected and will be added to the 40-man and 25-man roster. Additionally, outfielder Andrew Stevenson has been promoted to the active roster.

Both Kendrick and Elias are suffering from hamstring strains, affecting Kendrick’s left hamstring and Elias’s right. Kendrick’s IL placement comes retroactive to August 1; Elias’s move was not backdated.

For the 31-year-old Elias, the injury comes before he’s had much of a chance to put his chops on display for his new ballclub. The Nats acquired the southpaw on Wednesday’s deadline in hopes that his addition, among others, would bolster a bullpen unit that has been one of baseball’s worst in 2019. Elias only managed to contribute 2/3 of an inning before his Nats tenure will have to be put on hold. Though not a big-name reliever, Elias figures to be critical to the Nationals’ second-half success; outside of closer Sean Doolittle, lefty out-getters have been hard to come by for Washington. Matt Grace has been sent out for 42 1/3 innings despite a 5.95 ERA, which is a far cry from the 2.98 mark that Elias has put up over the last two seasons.

Kendrick, meanwhile, has emerged as a surprisingly valuable offensive piece for the playoff-hopeful Nats; as the top bench option for the team, he ranks third on the team in OPS and RBI. He’s mainly toggled between first, second, and third base as need. If it’s any consolation, the Nationals can at least fall back on capable regulars at those positions in Kendrick’s absence; Matt Adams and Brian Dozier will have to anchor first and second base, though the team will surely miss Kendrick’s pinch-hitting prowess.

Guerra will have to reverse course after being outrighted to Triple-A on Saturday, just before Elias landed on the injured list. He had been designated for assignment on Wednesday, but he’ll reclaim a spot on the Nationals’ 40-man after all. He’s made it into 23 games for Washington this year, posting a 5.40 ERA while striking out 21 batters.

As for the two veterans’ injury timelines, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports provides some clarity (via Twitter), suggesting that both Elias and Kendrick are expected to return when their 10 days are up. According to Zuckerman, Kendrick was placed on the injured list out of precaution rather than necessity, while the strain to Elias was only a mild one.

Roenis Elías Tweaks Hamstring

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  • Nationals left-handed reliever Roenis Elías has “tweaked his hamstring,” tweets Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. There’s no indication yet the injury is serious, but any Elías absence would be a blow to his new employer, who acquired him from the Mariners for two relief pitching prospects at the trade deadline. A fly ball pitcher, Elías has given up his share of home runs this season and is fortunate to be carrying a 3.59 ERA, but he’s still one of the better pieces in a Washington bullpen that has been the worst in baseball at preventing runs.

Nationals Notes: Scherzer, Elias

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  • Nationals ace Max Scherzer is eligible to come off the injured list Monday, though that’s unlikely to happen, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Back troubles have limited Scherzer to one start since July 6, but he is making progress in his recovery. The three-time Cy Young winner began a throwing program Friday, tossing 25 balls at 70 feet on flat ground.
  • One of Scherzer’s new Nationals teammates, just-acquired reliever Roenis Elias, suffered a right leg injury running down the first base line Friday, as Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post was among those to cover.  “He was told not to swing, about as many times as I could tell him in Spanish and English,” manager David Martinez stated. “But he’s competitive, you know? He said sorry to me.” While Elias suggested it’s not a serious ailment, he’s unsure if he suffered a hamstring pull or just a cramp. The Nationals will re-evaluate him Saturday. In better news, the left-hander did contribute to the Nationals’ victory over the Diamondbacks where he’s supposed to – on the mound – as he retired both batters he faced.

Nationals Outright Justin Miller

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The Nationals outrighted reliever Justin Miller to Triple-A Fresno on Friday after he cleared waivers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. Miller had the right to elect free agency, but he’ll stay in the organization, according to Zuckerman.

The Nationals designated the right-handed Miller for assignment on Monday, but it didn’t free up a 40-man roster spot because he was already on the 60-day injured list. Shoulder problems have kept the 32-year-old off a major league mound since May 17. In the 15 2/3 innings Miller has thrown this season, he has worked to a 4.02 ERA with 6.32 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a microscopic 19.1 percent groundball rate.

Miller was healthier and more effective in 2018, his first season with the Nationals, as he pitched to a 3.61 ERA with 10.32 K/9, 2.92 BB/9 and a 33.6 percent grounder rate in 52 1/3 frames. The Nationals would have signed up for more of that this year during what has been a trying season for their bullpen. They addressed the unit before Wednesday’s trade deadline by acquiring Roenis Elias, Hunter Strickland and Daniel Hudson.

White Sox Purchase Contract Of Matt Skole

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The White Sox announced today that they have purchased the contract of corner infielder Matt Skole. He’ll be joined on the active roster by Seby Zavala, who was called up with fellow catcher Welington Castillo going on the family medical emergency leave list.

Skole, who recently celebrated his thirtieth birthday, landed with the White Sox organization last year after running out his time with the Nationals club. Though he earned a brief chance at a MLB debut, Skole spent the bulk of the season in the upper minors — just as he had dating way back to 2013 — and lost his 40-man spot late in the season.

This year, Skole has boosted his output, though part of that reflects a rising International League offensive mean. Still, his .248/.384/.497 batting line reflects some real improvement. Skole has maintained his power (21 home runs) while improving his plate-discipline to levels he hasn’t managed since his time in the low minors (17.9% walk rate vs. 25.3% strikeout rate).

A left-handed hitter, Skole will likely function mostly as a bench bat and part-time DH. He has spent plenty of time at third base over his career, but has appeared primarily at first in recent seasons. If he appears in the field, it seems likeliest to come in occasional relief of regular first bagger Jose Abreu.

Nationals Designate Tony Sipp

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The Nationals announced today that they have designated lefty Tony Sipp for assignment. His roster spot was needed to complete the team’s addition of three new relievers at the trade deadline, each of whom has been activated for tonight’s game.

Sipp was surprisingly unable to find work this spring after turning in excellent results with solid peripherals in 2018. He ultimately landed with the Nats on a modest deal in mid-March. Sipp is owed $1MM this year with a $250K buyout on a 2020 mutual option.

You can mostly ignore his 4.71 ERA, since Sipp has been used in such short bursts (21 innings in 36 appearances). Regardless, things haven’t really gone as hoped for the 36-year-old, who has maintained a solid 12.7% swinging-strike rate but lost almost 1.5 mph on his average fastball from last season.

Sipp has allowed hard contact on 34.4% of the balls put in play against him, way up from last year’s excellent 22.3% mark. And Statcast thinks he has been fortunate to hold opposing hitters to a .284 wOBA, translating the contact measurements into a .340 xwOBA.

We’ll have to wait to see how this situation turns out. Sipp can’t be traded. But he could conceivably be claimed by a rival that’s in need of lefty relief depth. If he clears waivers and is outrighted, Sipp could elect free agency without risking his guaranteed salary, since he has well over five years of MLB service.

Mike Rizzo: Luxury Tax Somewhat “Limited” Nationals At Deadline

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Washington acquired three relief pitchers – Daniel Hudson, Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland – prior to Wednesday’s trade deadline, but the club also attempted to bolster its starting staff before then. While the Nationals “were engaged on a starting pitcher Tuesday night,” the other team bowed out of talks, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports. The Nats were in the mix for a No. 5-caliber starter, and had they landed him, they wouldn’t have come away with as many relievers as they did, according to Svrluga.

As expected, the competitive balance tax was a concern for the Nationals as they tried to improve in advance of the deadline, Svrluga writes. The Nationals entered the season reluctant to exceed the $206MM tax, which would’ve meant shelling out a 50 percent surtax for every dollar spent over that figure. Even after the acquisitions of Hudson, Elias and Strickland, they’re at just under $204MM, Jason Martinez of Roster Resource and FanGraphs estimates. Consequently, after exceeding the tax for two straight years, the Nationals are in position to stay below it this season. They paid $2,386,097 for going over the barrier in 2018.

It’s highly debatable whether the Nationals should have been so bent on steering clear of the tax this year. After all, as Svrluga notes, what’s a couple million more for a team spending upward of $200MM on players? But it was nonetheless important for the Nationals, who are slated to reset the tax by avoiding it this season. General manager Mike Rizzo did admit, though, that “it limited us to an extent.”

While Rizzo was seemingly able to improve a bullpen that has been problematic all season, he wasn’t able to address a rotation with concerns of its own. All-world ace Max Scherzer just landed on the injured list Monday for the second time in the past few weeks because of back/shoulder troubles, leaving Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez as the only established pieces in the Nationals’ rotation right now. Erick Fedde and Joe Ross, both unproven at the major league level, are filling out the group at the moment. The Nationals (57-51) are tied for the NL’s second wild-card spot, but we’ll see whether their insistence on dodging the tax comes back to haunt them before the season ends.

Nationals Designate Javy Guerra, Michael Blazek

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  • The Nationals announced that they’ve designated righties Javy Guerra and Michael Blazek for assignment. The 33-year-old Guerra has divided the season between Washington and Toronto, combining for a 4.50 ERA/3.86 FIP with 7.36 K/9 and 3.07 BB/9 across 44 innings. Blazek, 30, threw just five innings for the Nationals before his designation. Prior to his addition to the Nats’ roster, Blazek recorded a 5.54 ERA/4.91 FIP with 9.69 K/9 and 3.46 BB/9 in 26 Triple-A innings.
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