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Cubs Sign Jorge De La Rosa

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The Cubs have signed left-hander Jorge De La Rosa to a Major League contract, the team announced.  (MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat was among to report the news).  The veteran southpaw has already been activated and is on the Cubs’ roster for today’s afternoon game with the Nationals.  To create roster space, Yu Darvish was transferred to the 60-day DL and left-hander Randy Rosario was sent down to Triple-A.

De La Rosa was released by the Diamondbacks earlier this week after he posted a 4.63 ERA, 6.9 K/9, and 1.42 K/BB rate over 35 innings out of the Arizona bullpen.  It was something of a feast-or-famine situation for De La Rosa this season, as he posted both a 51.9% grounder rate but also an ungainly 20% home run rate.  Right-handed batters hit De La Rosa hard, to the tune of a .927 OPS, though he was quite effective against left-handed batters, limiting them to just a .220/.309/.407 slash line.

Justin Wilson is the only other left-hander in Chicago’s bullpen, and while Wilson has generally pitched well this season, he has continued to have control issues (6.2 BB/9).  The 24-year-old Rosario has a 3.00 ERA over 33 frames this season, though since he had almost as many walks (19) as strikeouts (21), it makes sense that the Cubs wanted a more experienced left-handed presence, despite De La Rosa’s own struggles.

The club was known to be looking at bullpen help in the leadup to the trade deadline but came away with two right-handers (Brandon Kintzler and Jesse Chavez) rather than additional left-handed depth.  Mike Montgomery has pitched well as a starter, but the Cubs could still potentially make him their primary left-handed relief option once Darvish returns from the DL, since Montgomery probably wouldn’t be in line to be used as a starter anyways in a potential playoff series.

Yu Darvish Continues Making Progress

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Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish could be on track to rejoin the team’s rotation in early September, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Darvish’s two-inning, 33-pitch sim game on Wednesday went well, manager Joe Maddon suggested. The next step for the 31-year-old Darvish is to embark on a rehab assignment, which may happen by the end of next week, per Wittenmyer. Triceps and elbow problems have kept the big-money free-agent signing off a major league mound since May 20.

Injury Notes: Ohtani, Samardzija, Urias, Bryant

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Though a few notable players went on the disabled list earlier today, some even more notable names are making progress in their returns. Here are the details…

  • Shohei Ohtani is nearing a return to the mound, and his rehab seems to be going even better than expected (per Trent Rush of Angels Radio Network). The Angels double-threat reportedly threw from 120 feet “with aggression”. Ohtani, the club’s headliner offseason acquisition, is already back to doing damage at the plate, but the club would surely be glad to see him return with rest and rehab after suffering a grade 2 UCL sprain earlier this season; the alternative would of course be the feared Tommy John surgery which would keep him off the field until the beginning of the 2020 season.
  • It would appear that Giants hurler Jeff Samardzija is even closer to a return, as the 33-year-old threw 30 pitches off a bullpen mound on Monday (h/t Chris Haft of MLB.com). “Shark” has been trudging through an injury-plagued 2018 season that’s seen him make just ten starts and average fewer than five innings across them. His hideous 6.25 ERA would be a career-worst by far, and his 5.44 FIP doesn’t paint a much kinder picture. The 57-58 Giants will surely be hoping he can provide a boost to their rotation after they opted not to sell off any assets at the trade deadline in overly-optimistic hopes of contending for an NL Wild Card.
  • The outlook isn’t as optimistic for former wunderkind Julio Urias of the Dodgers. The 21-year-old lefty blew away the competition at every level of the minors en route to a 1.8 fWAR showing in his first taste of major-league action back in 2016, when he pitched to a 3.39 ERA in 77 innings. But he followed that up with a rough 2017 showing that saw him post a bloated 5.40 ERA and ultimately cede the season to an anterior capsule injury that required surgery. Now, according to Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs, Urias’ velocity is down to 88-91 MPH after sitting closer to the mid-90’s for the majority of his pro career. Longenhagen also reports that the youngster’s secondary pitches are less “crisp” than they were pre-injury, leading to questions about whether Urias will ever be the same pitcher again.
  • “I’m not going to get ahead of myself,” says Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant in reference to his latest attempt to return from a shoulder injury. In a video interview with Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribute, the former NL MVP details his patient approach to injury rehab (though it’s disappointing that the interview is largely inaudible). Bryant’s 2018 season has been marred by shoulder troubles, though he’s still managed an impressive .276/.380/.474 performance across 358 plate appearances while healthy. On the other hand, that’s not quite to the level of his career numbers (.286/.387/.519).

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/7/18

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We’ll use this post to track the day’s minor moves …

Latest…

  • The Blue Jays will hold Darnell Sweeney on their active roster no longer. The club has announced that he cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A. Sweeney earned just four plate appearances with Toronto this season prior to being designated for assignment; it was his first taste of major league action since 2015, when the 27-year-old was with the Phillies. It seems as though the move was more motivated by projected potential than performance. Although Sweeney didn’t get a hit in his four trips to the plate, he did manage to draw two walks. He did, however, hit just .235/.310/.398 at the Triple-A level, and while that’s good for a nearly-average 98 wRC+, he also struck out in more than 30% of his plate appearances.
  • The Angels announced that they’ve placed infielder Luis Valbuena on release waivers. The 32-year-old is finishing up a two-year, $15MM contract with a 2019 club option, which clearly won’t be exercised. He’s long been a useful major-league asset, providing at least 1 fWAR across each of the past six seasons while with the Cubs, Astros and Angels. Unfortunately, this year has been an entirely different story, as he’s mustered just a .199/.253/.335 batting line across 288 plate appearances for the Halos while striking out a whopping 34.7% of the time. Valbuena’s performance has also suffered from a 6.6% walk rate that’s nearly four full percentage points below his career average of 10.5%.

Earlier…

  • The Twins have released right-hander Todd Van Steensel, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). It seems the organization simply ran out of room for the 27-year-old reliever, who has been with the Twins since 2011. The Aussie had spent the 2018 season at the Double-A level, working to a 3.07 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9 while allowing just 26 hits over 44 innings.

Cubs Notes: Bryant, White Sox, Cease

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It was on this day in 2014 that Javier Baez made his MLB debut, hitting a solo home run in the 12th inning that held up as the winning run in a Cubs victory over the Rockies.  Baez celebrated his anniversary as a big leaguer with another solo homer today as part of a 2-for-5 performance against the Padres, though Chicago wasn’t as successful, dropping a 10-6 result to San Diego.  Baez is now hitting .300/.333/.585 with 24 homers in 433 PA this season, with this breakout offensive performance combining with his usual excellent defense to make him one of the game’s most overall valuable talents.

Some more from Wrigleyville…

  • Kris Bryant has yet to swing a bat since returning to the DL to deal with his bothersome shoulder, and the Cubs slugger tells reporters (including the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan) that he doesn’t yet know when he might be back on the field.  Bryant was eligible to return on August 3, though he was expected to remain beyond the 10-day minimum DL stint to fully allow his shoulder to heal up.  He reiterated, however, that he doesn’t have long-term concerns about the injury.  The former NL MVP is enjoying another strong season (.276/.380/.474 with 11 homers in 358 PA), though his shoulder troubles could explain why his production has dipped a bit from his 2016-17 levels.
  • Dylan Cease was a top-1oo ranked minor leaguer when he was traded as part of the four-prospect package sent by the Cubs to the White Sox for Jose Quintana in July 17.  As The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney writes in a subscription-only piece, however, the Cubs were ultimately willing to deal Cease due to a significant injury history (Tommy John surgery in 2014) and because he was still pitching in A-ball.  Cease has since made his Double-A debut in the White Sox system and looked outstanding, with a 1.99 ERA, 12.8 K/9, and 4.48 K/BB rate over 40 2/3 IP that has only elevated his status as a future building block for the Sox.  Mooney tracks the Cubs’ initial pursuit of Cease through an interview with scout Keith Lockhart, who originally signed the young righty, and is well aware of the risk involved in moving such blue chip prospects.  “When it first came down, it was easy to say, ’Listen, we got an established big-league starter for some guys that were in A-ball,’ ” Lockhart said. “As the years go on, if Dylan turns out to be a No. 1 starter for the White Sox and leading a rotation, then the story just stays alive.”
  • In other recent Cubs news on MLBTR, Yu Darvish updated the media with his rehab status.

Latest On Yu Darvish’s Recovery

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Although Cubs president Theo Epstein suggested last month that the team can’t rely on the injured Yu Darvish to finish 2018 on a high note, it appears the right-hander will factor in for Chicago in the coming months as it pursues another World Series title. Darvish, who has been out for over two months with triceps and elbow issues, threw a 55-pitch side session Saturday and then took an optimistic tone when speaking with Bruce Levine of 670 The Score and other reporters.

“Yeah, certainly [this is the best I’ve felt]. I think all my pitches, velocity-wise were up there at the highest and then I was able to follow through with my arm motion,” Darvish said through an interpreter.

Darvish went on to reveal that he dealt with “pain and discomfort” until “about 10 days ago,” when he “switched from treating the elbow to the spine,” continuing: “That triggered a more positive flow. Everything in this whole process is better from the beginning until the end.”

As Levine notes, Darvish wasn’t referring to a new injury to his back or spine. Rather, Levine writes that the hurler “was talking about using more of his whole body in his delivery.”

Now, barring a setback, Darvish could be within three or four days from throwing a simulated game, per Levine. It’s unclear how long it would take Darvish to return to the Cubs thereafter, though it’s not a slam dunk that he will. After all, Darvish already seemed to be on the comeback trail several weeks ago, only to suffer a setback in late June. The 31-year-old hasn’t taken the ball for the Cubs since May 20, when he made one of his best starts with the team. During that game, a win over the Reds, Darvish logged six innings of one-run, two-hit ball, struck out seven and issued three walks.

Starts like the one Darvish posted against the Reds have been atypical this season for him, which wasn’t what he or the Cubs expected when the two sides agreed to a six-year, $126MM guarantee in February. At that point, Darvish was an established star who had stood out with the Rangers and Dodgers. But in his first action with the Cubs, Darvish has endured two DL stints (including one for the flu) and posted a career-worst ERA/FIP/xFIP (4.95/4.87/4.24) over 40 innings and eight starts. He has also issued a personal-high 4.73 walks per nine, somewhat offsetting a typically outstanding strikeout rate (11.03 K/9).

Thanks in part to Darvish’s lack of availability so far, the Cubs made an attempt to bolster their rotation prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline by acquiring one of his former Rangers teammates, left-hander Cole Hamels. Like Darvish, Hamels hasn’t been anywhere close to his best this season. However, he did show well in his Cubs debut in a win over the division-rival Pirates this past Wednesday.

Including Hamels’ victory, the Cubs have registered a 64-46 record, giving the back-to-back NL Central champions a 1 1/2-game lead over the Brewers in the division. Some of the Cubs’ success has come on account of lefty swingman Mike Montgomery, who has offered respectable production in Darvish’s absence and relegated another struggling offseason signing, righty Tyler Chatwood, to a bullpen role. Should Darvish return, he’d presumably join Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Hamels in the Cubs’ rotation, which means Montgomery would work in relief if the club sticks with a five-man starting staff.

40-Man Moves: D-backs, Dodgers, Indians, Mets, Mariners, Cubs, Marlins, O’s

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This has been a trade-packed day across Major League Basbeall, meaning there are plenty of corresponding smaller moves that have been announced over the past couple of hours as teams make today’s agreed-upon deals official. Here’s a look at the DFAs, contract selections and other 40-man transactions that came along with today’s action…

  • The Diamondbacks designated left-handed reliever Jorge De La Rosa to make room for newly added southpaw Jake Diekman, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. De La Rosa, a longtime Colorado starter who’s in his second season in Arizona, switched to a full-time relief role upon changing teams and hasn’t produced inspiring results. The 37-year-old has logged a 4.38 ERA/4.98 FIP with 7.51 K/9, 4.17 BB/9 in 86 1/3 innings since joining the D-backs. On the bright side, De La Rosa has posted a 48 percent groundball rate and been tough on left-handed hitters. Considering he’s only owed the balance of a $2.25MM salary, perhaps a team will be interested in taking a flyer on De La Rosa.
  • The Dodgers designated righty Ariel Hernandez for assignment to open a spot for John Axford, per the MLB.com transactions page. Hernandez, 26, scuffled through his first MLB action last year with the Reds and hasn’t made it back since. Over fifty frames this year in the upper minors, he’s carrying an appealing 2.52 ERA, but has also handed out 29 walks to go with his 49 strikeouts.
  • The Indians announced that they’ve designated outfielder Johnny Field for assignment. His spot on the 40-man will go to newly acquired outfield prospect Oscar Mercado, whom Cleveland acquired in a rare all-prospects trade with the Cardinals (full details here). Field, 26, only recently landed with the Indians himself after spending most of the year (and his entire professional career to that point) with the Rays. Field posted a meager .213/.253/.373 batting line in his first 179 MLB plate appearances, all accumulated earlier this season.
  • The Mets announced today that they’ve claimed infielder Jack Reinheimer, who was designated for assignment last week, off waivers from the Diamondbacks. A former fifth-round pick, Reinheimer received a cup of coffee with the D-Backs last year but hadn’t done much to force his way back to this point in 2018. In his fifty games at Triple-A, Reinheimer owns a .237/.312/.353 batting line. Additionally, outfielder Matt den Dekker cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Las Vegas. He’ll have the right to elect free agency now or at season’s end.
  • Outfielder Isaac Galloway is on his way to the Majors to make his MLB debut with the Marlins, the club announced. It’s a long time coming for an eleven-year pro who has never before tasted the majors. Through 356 plate appearances this year at Triple-A, Galloway carries a .262/.315/.429 triple-slash.
  • Galloway’s contract was selected following the trade of Cameron Maybin to the Mariners, who opened a spot for Maybin by moving right-hander Dan Altavilla from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL in yet another 40-man move. Similarly, Cubs righty Justin Hancock was transferred to the 60-day disabled list in order to open a spot for Brandon Kintzler, who was acquired from the Nationals today.
  • The Orioles are selecting the contract of right-handed reliever Cody Carroll, who will step into the roster spot of Kevin Gausman following today’s trade to Atlanta. Carroll landed with the Baltimore organization in the recent swap that sent reliever Zach Britton to the Yankees.
  • First baseman Ryan O’Hearn had his contract selected by the Royals, per a team announcement. Infielder Cheslor Cuthbert moved to the 60-day DL to open a spot. It’s the first crack at the majors for O’Hearn, who’ll get the call despite tepid results (.232/.322/.391) this year at Triple-A.
  • Righty Warwick Saupold cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A by the Tigers. The Aussie hurler threw 34 1/3 innings of 4.46 ERA ball this year in Detroit, but managed only 16 strikeouts and a 6.1% swinging-strike rate in that span.

Cubs Acquire Brandon Kintzler

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2:26pm: This deal is in the books. Righty Jhon Romero is heading to D.C. in return.

2:00pm: The Cubs are nearing an agreement with the Nationals that would bring veteran reliever Brandon Kintzler to Chicago, according to Ken Rosenthal and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic (Twitter link). The return is not yet known.

There have been varying reports of late on the Nats’ deadline plans, and it seems they have elected to make at least one sell-side move. It’s hardly clear, though, that this portends further departures. The Nats are reputedly interesting in shaving some money, even if they don’t go for a full teardown, and have replacement options at Triple-A (including Koda Glover and Jimmy Cordero).

Kintzler landed in D.C. this time last year and re-signed with the club over the winter. His contract promises him $5MM this year — around $1.7MM of which remains — and comes with either a $5MM player option or $10MM club option for 2019.

On the eve of his 34th birthday, it seems Kintzler will pack up and join a club he faced in last year’s NLDS clash. The Cubbies have made a few pitching additions already; presumably, this is the last arm to be brought into the organization at the deadline, though there’s still a bit of time left.

Typically a strong groundball hurler, Kintzler has drawn worm burners at a 48.0% rate this year — well shy of his career average. He is, however, generating more strikeouts than usual (6.5 per nine) and carries a sturdy 3.59 ERA over 42 2/3 innings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Deadline Day Bullpen Rumors: Padres, Diekman, Halos

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It’s a buyers’ market for bullpen help with just over two hours until the non-waiver trade deadline, as there’s a significant supply of arms thought to be available on the market. Here’s some of the latest chatter as contenders look to bolster their relief corps:

  • The Cubs had scouts on hand to watch the Padres — likely relievers Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen — last night, tweets Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Chicago was tied to Brad Ziegler recently but didn’t land the submariner, as he instead went to the D-backs recently. Lin’s colleague, Ken Rosenthal, tweets that the A’s also have interest in Stammen. Rosenthal also tweeted earlier today that the Pirates watched Yates before acquiring Keone Kela. The addition of Kela could take them out of that market, of course, but the Pirates could speculatively still be in the market for another arm. Both relievers are controlled beyond the 2018 season.
  • The Rangers have accelerated their efforts to move lefty reliever Jake Diekman, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Texas has already moved Cole Hamels, Jesse Chavez and Kela in the days leading up to the deadline, and Diekman represents perhaps the top remaining trade chip they have — certainly the top remaining rental, especially with Adrian Beltre unlikely to approve a deal. Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweeted recently that the Phillies have checked in on Diekman.
  • USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that the Angels are drawing “serious interest” in lefty Jose Alvarez and Blake Parker, though as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register pointed out earlier today, it’d be tough for the Halos to part with either controllable reliever (Twitter links). The Angels hope for better health and a return to contention in 2019, and each of Alvarez, Parker and Cam Bedrosian could factor prominently into those plans. Fletcher notes that perhaps the organization would be more apt to move one of those relievers if it meant landing a nar-MLB commodity at a thin position such as catcher.

Matt Harvey Remaining With Reds

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Matt Harvey will be staying with the Reds despite a flurry of trade discussions, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.  In my opinion, Harvey remains a candidate to be traded in August.

Earlier Updates:

  • The Giants have “entered the fray” for Harvey, tweets Jon Heyman of Fancred.  MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand finds the Giants unlikely for Harvey, however.
  • Reds beat writer Bobby Nightengale Jr., reporting for the Cincinnati Enquirer, would be surprised if Harvey isn’t traded today.  Nightengale tweets that the Brewers and Braves have shown interest.  He’s backed up by his father, Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who says the Braves have been Harvey’s most aggressive suitor.  Nightengale Sr. also adds that the Chris Archer trade talks are slowing down the Harvey discussions, suggesting Harvey is a Plan B for some Archer suitors.
  • On the other hand, Jon Heyman of Fancred says Harvey is not likely for the Braves, while the Brewers and Cubs are “among the main teams in the mix.”  Similarly, David O’Brien of The Athletic hears the Braves are not in on Harvey.  Harvey wouldn’t seem to have an opening in the Cubs’ rotation, unless perhaps Yu Darvish’s injury issues persist and Mike Montgomery is moved back to the bullpen.  ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick hears the same interested parties as Heyman, regarding the Brewers and Cubs.
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