Scouts from the Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Angels, Blue Jays and Cardinals were in Colorado watching White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana pitch on Saturday, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Some of those teams likely don’t have the prospect capital to assemble a package for the on-the-block Quintana, so observing his outing may have been due diligence in certain cases (or those clubs could’ve been on hand to scout other players). Regardless, Quintana didn’t disappoint, striking out 10 over 5 1/3 innings, after which he indicated that his preference is to remain with the White Sox. At the same time, Quintana acknowledged that the decision is up to team brass. “Absolutely. I want to stay here,” he said.“But they know what’s the best for us, so I just try to do my job and that’s it.”
White Sox Rumors
White Sox Outright Michael Ynoa To Triple-A
- The White Sox outrighted right-hander Michael Ynoa to Triple-A, the team announced. Ynoa was designated for assignment on Thursday. Ynoa has a 5.90 ERA over 29 relief innings for the Sox this season, with almost as many walks (22) as strikeouts (23).
White Sox Ready To Make Deals
The trade deadline chatter hasn’t really picked up yet, perhaps in large part owing to the tightly packed American League. Jon Heyman of Fan Rag recently took his weekly spin around the A.L., providing a few items of note. While there has been a bit of buzz around Justin Verlander, the Tigers haven’t asked him to provide a list of teams to which he’d permit a trade. The Astros, meanwhile, seem to be hoping for a chance at adding a difference-making starter, but don’t know whether such an arm will end up being made available. And the White Sox, unsurprisingly, are ready and willing to get deals done.
Brewers Reportedly Looking Into Jose Quintana, Sonny Gray
The Brewers are the surprise leaders of the National League Central as the All-Star break approaches, and Jon Morosi of MLB.com writes that they’ve begun doing “background work” on White Sox lefty Jose Quintana and Athletics righty Sonny Gray in advance of the non-waiver trade deadline. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that any pitcher the Brewers acquire this summer would have to be controllable beyond the current season.
Milwaukee’s place atop the standings was unexpected for most, but it’s not much of a surprise to see them linked to controllable arms. As we noted when listing Milwaukee as a potential fit for Gray last week, assets of this nature mesh with the Brewers’ current status as contenders as well as their longer-term rebuilding vision that’s ahead of schedule thanks to breakouts from Jimmy Nelson, Corey Knebel, Travis Shaw and Eric Thames, among others. That rebuilding effort, it should be noted, has left Milwaukee with one of the game’s top-ranked minor league systems.
[Related: Milwaukee Brewers Depth Chart]
Quintana can be controlled through the 2020 season via a guaranteed $8.85MM salary next season and a pair of club options for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which are respectively valued at $10.5MM and $11MM. Gray, meanwhile, is earning $3.575MM in 2017 and will be eligible for arbitration in each of the next two winters before reaching free agency upon completion of the 2019 campaign. Either player would easily fit into a Milwaukee payroll that is among the game’s lowest in 2017 and has just $25MM committed to two players (Ryan Braun and Thames) in each of the next two seasons.
Neither Gray nor Quintana has numbers that are immediately eye-catching, but each has shown signs of life after poor starts to the season. In his past six outings, Quintana has averaged 9.1 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 54.8 percent ground-ball rate, leading to a 2.34 ERA in that span. Gray, meanwhile, has averaged 8.7 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 with a 51.3 percent grounder rate across his past seven outings, resulting in a 3.45 ERA.
The Brewers have received 104 sensational innings from Nelson this season, but their second-best starter, Chase Anderson, recently landed on the disabled list due to an oblique strain and could miss up to six weeks. Matt Garza has enjoyed a resurgence in 2017 after a pair of sub-par seasons, but Milwaukee’s rotation has been spotty beyond that trio. Zach Davies is second on the team in innings but carries a 4.90 ERA, while Junior Guerra missed the first six weeks of the season and hasn’t come close to last year’s success when healthy. Wily Peralta, meanwhile, has 6.08 ERA through eight starts.
Given those struggles and their reported desire to upgrade the 2017 roster, Milwaukee figures to be linked to a number of rotation options over the next three weeks. (Morosi speculatively links them to Toronto lefty J.A. Happ as well.) The Brewers currently sit 4.5 games ahead of the Cubs and 5.5 games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central.
White Sox Designate Michael Ynoa For Assignment
The White Sox announced Thursday that they’ve reinstated closer David Robertson from the paternity list and designated righty Michael Ynoa for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster.
Ynoa was once one of the most promising prospects ever to come out of the Dominican Republic, signing with the Athletics for a then-record $4.25MM back in 2008. He rated as the game’s No. 54 prospect the following offseason, per Baseball America, but he never delivered on that considerable potential. Elbow soreness and tendinitis wiped out his first year as a pro, and that was followed by Tommy John surgery a year later. Upon returning, he delivered mostly middling results in the Athletics’ minor league system.
Now 25 years of age, Ynoa made his MLB debut with the Sox last year, pitching to a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings but limped to a 5.90 mark through a nearly identical sample size of 29 frames with the 2017 Sox. He’s shown some ability to miss bats, but control has been an issue for Ynoa, who has a 53-to-39 K/BB ratio through his 59 Major League innings to date. He also experienced a significant dip in fastball velocity this season (though he still averaged 92.4 mph), while each of his strikeout, walk, home run and grounder rates trended in the wrong direction.
Sox Place Petricka On Disabled List, Recall Minaya
- The White Sox announced yesterday that righty Jake Petricka has been placed back on the disabled list due to a right elbow strain. Fellow righty Juan Minaya was summoned back from Triple-A just a day after being sent there. The elbow issue is the latest in a slew of injuries for Petricka, who has missed time due to a forearm strain, hip surgery and a lat strain in recent years. The 29-year-old’s hard sinker has led to a sizable 63 percent ground-ball rate, though Petricka has averaged just 6.5 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 as a big leaguer. Nonetheless, that huge ground-ball rate has helped him post a 3.70 ERA through 163 innings in the Majors. No timetable was given for a return to the mound.
Braves Interested In Jose Quintana
- White Sox GM Rick Hahn spoke to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post about lefty Jose Quintana, acknowledging that he’s been involved in “various conversations” with other clubs and that the ChiSox are “very open-minded” about dealing him. It’s been reported previously that Quintana’s rough start may not have much of an adverse impact on his trade value, and that’s how Hahn is approaching talks. “For the guys with extended track records, I think that’s probably the most important factor in terms of determining their value as well as the contractual control and obligations going forward,” said Hahn. “…He’s the same guy. The same guy in terms of how he goes about his business.” Rough start aside, Quintana entered tonight’s game with a pristine 2.25 ERA and 24-to-8 K/BB ratio through 24 June innings, and he’s held the Yankees scoreless through six innings tonight as of this writing. Davidoff notes that the Yankees could very well look into rotation upgrades, speculating that Quintana and Gray will be among the names they explore.
The Braves are once again in the market for controllable starters, reports David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta was linked to names like Chris Archer, Jose Quintana and Sonny Gray last season and throughout the winter, and the Braves still have interest in that group of pitchers, according to O’Brien. While they’ve scouted Gray’s recent outings for the Athletics, it’s Archer and Quintana that sit atop Atlanta’s wish list, O’Brien continues. The White Sox, of course, are known to be open to moving Quintana, but there’s no guarantee that the Rays would even consider moving Archer. To the contrary, Tampa Bay is two games above .500 and currently sits just one game back of an American League Wild Card spot and three games back in the AL East. Archer currently holds a 3.88 ERA with 10.9 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 42.5 percent ground-ball rate through 104 1/3 innings, and he’s controllable through the 2021 season with just $33.7MM remaining on his contract following the 2017 campaign. It would presumably take a staggering package to even get the Rays to consider moving Archer, given the current state of their team.
Injury Notes: Castro, Werth, Rodon, Finnegan, McCarthy
Yankees second baseman Starlin Castro left last night’s game with a right hamstring strain, as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch writes. The severity of the injury isn’t yet clear — he’ll head for an MRI today — but Castro did say that he hopes he can avoid a DL stint. If a roster move is needed, though, it seems that the club may give a shot to young infielder Tyler Wade. The 22-year-old, who’s slashing .313/.390/.444 at Triple-A, was pulled from his own game in case he’s needed in the majors.
Here’s the latest on some health issues from around the game:
- It seems there’s some optimism within the Nationals organization that outfielder Jayson Werth is ready to move towards a return from his bruised left foot. As Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com reports, it’s possible that Werth could make it back by mid-July. In his absence (and that of Chris Heisey), the Nats have relied upon a combination of Brian Goodwin and Ryan Raburn. Both have hit quite well, making it an easier decision for the team to allow Werth to heal fully. Goodwin, a former top prospect, had scuffled at Triple-A but seems to have found his power stroke in the majors; the left-handed hitter could spell Werth and split time with Michael Taylor in center if the Nats don’t add another option up the middle at the deadline.
- Prized White Sox southpaw Carlos Rodon is scheduled to make his first MLB start of the year tomorrow, as Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com reports. He has been brought along slowly by the rebuilding team, and has struggled in his rehab outings, but will finally return — leaving the Sox with some roster questions. Chicago will need to bump someone from the rotation, which currently features Mike Pelfrey, James Shields, Derek Holland, and the surprisingly effective David Holmberg behind top starter Jose Quintana. Righty Miguel Gonzalez is also still around, though he’s on the DL.
- Reds lefty Brandon Finnegan left his first start back from the disabled list with what the team is calling a triceps strain. As Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes, the club is waiting to decide whether he’ll need to return to the DL until he’s examined today. While it’s promising that the new problem isn’t related to the teres major muscle strain that recently shelved Finnegan for an extended stretch, the organization will obviously look to exercise caution with the 24-year-old.
- The Dodgers have announced yet another DL placement for a starter, this time involving righty Brandon McCarthy. As Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times explains, right knee tendinitis is the cause for the move, though it’s also notable that McCarthy struggled with command in his last outing. That raised some comparisons to the veteran’s problems in 2016. Regardless, it seems the hope is that McCarthy won’t miss much action and that he’ll be able to return to the strong form he has carried thus far in the current campaign, over which he has thrown 72 innings of 3.25 ERA ball. In corresponding moves, righty Brock Stewart and outfielder Trayce Thompson were elevated, with right-hander Ross Stripling being optioned to open the additional roster spot.
Zach Putnam Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
White Sox righty Zach Putnam has undergone Tommy John surgery, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago was among those to tweet. He’s expected to miss at least one year recovering from the procedure.
Putnam, who’ll soon turn 30, was off to a very strong start to the current season before his elbow flared off. Through 8 2/3 innings, he had allowed just one earned run on two hits while recording nine strikeouts against just one walk.
That showing came on the heels of a strong 2016 — at least when he wasn’t dealing with elbow troubles. In fact, since landing with the White Sox, Putnam carries an excellent 2.71 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 over 139 1/3 frames.
While he doesn’t bring much in the way of velocity, Putnam wields a devastating split-finger fastball. That offering has enabled him to boost his swinging-strike rate in each of his four years with the South Siders, starting at a strong 14.0% rate and climbing all the way to 19.4% in his shortened 2017 campaign.
All told, the White Sox have reason to hope that Putnam can again be an impactful arm in the bullpen, if he can work back to health. But the surgery means that he’ll be on the shelf for one of his final two seasons of arbitration control. He’s earning just $1.175MM this year, though, so the club could decide to pay that rate again for each of the next two campaigns and hope that Putnam returns to health for 2019.
Carlos Rodon To Make 2017 Debut During Upcoming Week
- Meanwhile, the White Sox will also get back a notable lefty in Carlos Rodon, who will make his 2017 debut during the upcoming week, tweets Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com. Rodon, who just completed a four-start rehab assignment, hasn’t pitched in the majors this year on account of shoulder bursitis. The 24-year-old combined to rack up strong numbers from 2015-16, when he notched a 3.90 ERA, 9.08 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 45.3 percent ground-ball rate over 304 1/3 innings.
