- Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie has been shut down from throwing since mid-June with a UCL sprain, but the club is still gathering information regarding their young starter before deciding on how to move forward, as manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Joe Noga of Cleveland.com). Francona suggests that an update on McKenzie’s status could come within the next few days now that the righty has received second opinions from Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Keith Meister. Any diagnosis involving the UCL- the ligament repaired during Tommy John surgery- is obviously a worrisome diagnosis, so it’s no surprise that the club is proceeding with care. McKenzie broke out in a big way for Cleveland last season, posting a 2.96 ERA in 191 1/3 innings of work, but has managed just two starts this season between his current injury and a strained teres major muscle he suffered during spring training.
Guardians Rumors
Guardians Sign Sandy Leon To Minors Contract
The Guardians announced that catcher Sandy Leon has signed a minor league deal. The veteran backstop will report to Triple-A Columbus.
This is Leon’s fourth separate stint with the organization, as Cleveland first acquired him from the Red Sox in a trade in December 2019. He returned to the Guardians on a minors deal in the 2021-22 offseason but opted out at the end of Spring Training, and soon afterwards joined the Reds on another minor league contract. Cincinnati then traded Leon back across Ohio to the Guards last June, before the Guardians dealt Leon again to the Twins at the trade deadline.
The transactional carousel continued for Leon this past offseason when he joined the Rangers on a minor league contract. Leon appeared in 21 games for Texas (who selected his contract when Mitch Garver went on the injured list) before being designated for assignment. Leon did accept his subsequent outright assignment to Triple-A, but then asked to be released 10 days ago, with the Rangers accommodating the request.
The 34-year-old defensive specialist will now seemingly take up a depth role for the Guardians, as Bo Naylor has now taken over the team’s regular starting catcher. Cleveland has Cam Gallagher in a traditional backup role and utilityman David Fry also capable of playing catcher in a pinch, but Leon might provide additional depth since Mike Zunino was released. If nothing else, Leon gives the Guardians a familiar face at Triple-A, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Leon found himself on the move again if a clearer chance at playing time didn’t materialize with Cleveland.
Guardians Option Logan Allen
The Guardians today optioned left-hander Logan Allen to Triple-A and recalled right-hander Michael Kelly in a corresponding move, per Mandy Bell of MLB.com. The move seemingly opens up a rotation spot for righty Cal Quantrill, who is currently on the injured list but scheduled to start tomorrow’s game.
This move highlights the rotation surplus in Cleveland. Allen, 24, was considered by many evaluators to be one of the top 100 prospects in the game coming into this season. He was promoted to the big leagues just over two months ago and has done little to dampen his stock. He has a 3.47 ERA through 62 1/3 innings in 12 starts. He’s struck out 22.9% of opponents, walked 8.7% of them and gotten grounders on 44.3% of balls in play. He might be getting a bit of a boost from a 79.9% strand rate, but his 3.70 FIP and 4.28 SIERA still suggest he’s been solid overall.
Most clubs would love to have that kind of performance. That may not be the production of an ace but it would make him a serviceable mid-rotation arm in any of the 29 other rotations. The Guardians, however, are spoiled in this department.
They have three more-established arms in Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale and Quantrill. The latter had a 5.61 ERA before landing on the injured list but has been much better in previous campaigns, with a 3.38 ERA last year and a 2.89 the year before. Bieber and Civale are having solid results, with ERAs of 3.69 and 3.18, respectively. Then the Guards also have two other top 100 prospects they promoted this year: Tanner Bibee has a 3.79 ERA while Gavin Williams is at 2.84 through his first two career starts.
Despite Triston McKenzie being shut down due to a sprain of his UCL, Zach Plesac struggling to the point of being outrighted off the roster and Daniel Espino, yet another top 100 prospect, requiring season-ending shoulder surgery, they still have so much pitching that Allen has been squeezed out. It’s possible this is just a short-term option, with Allen essentially being given an early start on the upcoming All-Star break, but there’s still obviously a logjam here. General manager Mike Chernoff suggested as much (link via Bell), implying that sending Allen to Columbus will allow the team to monitor his workload a bit. “While he’s down, he doesn’t have to go out and throw 100 [pitches] and try to prove something,” Chernoff said of Allen.
Even with all of that starting pitching, however, the club is below .500 at 39-40 thanks to their tepid offense. The team as a whole has hit .248/.313/.375 for a wRC+ of 90, placing them 24th out of the 30 clubs in terms of overall production. But with the weak American League Central, that record is enough for the Guardians to currently possess the top spot in the division, half a game up on the Twins.
All of that will give the Guardians’ front office much to think about. With the expanded playoffs and weak Central divisions, there are very few clubs that make for obvious sellers. Teams that are clearly in the seller lane like the Athletics or Nationals have already sold many of their most appealing players. That creates the possibility for more deals between contenders this year, trading from areas of surplus in order to address areas of need.
There are many contending clubs that could use a rotation upgrade, either due to injury or underperformance, and the Guards would get plenty of interest if they made any of their arms available. They could certainly entertain the idea of moving one of their rookies for some kind of blockbuster, but the more likely path would be moving one of the more experienced arms. The low-budget Cleveland club has operated this way for many years, often trading away players in their arbitration years as they get more expensive and closer to free agency.
Each of Bieber, Civale and Quantrill would fit this bill. Bieber is making $10.01MM this year and slated for one more pass through arbitration before reaching free agency after 2024. His strikeout rate and velocity are both down compared to previous years but he’s still keeping earned runs off the board. Each of Civale and Quantrill have one extra year of control beyond that, slated for the open market after 2025. Civale is making $2.6MM this year while Quantrill is earning $5.5MM.
Each of those individuals would garner varying levels of interest based on how highly they are valued by other clubs, but each undoubtedly has value and could potentially land the Guardians some kind of offensive upgrade. Another injury or two before the August 1 deadline would obviously change their calculus, but the ingredients seem to be in place for the Guardians to be a team to watch over the next month.
Guardians Sign Jerad Eickhoff, Riley Smith To Minor League Deals
The Guardians have signed right-handers Jerad Eickhoff and Riley Smith to non-roster contracts, according to an announcement from GuardsInsider (Twitter links). Both pitchers have been assigned to Triple-A Columbus. Cleveland also indicated that left-hander Daniel Norris went unclaimed on outright waivers after being designated for assignment earlier in the week.
Eickhoff, 33 next month, returns to affiliated ball in search of an eighth big league season. A former Ranger draftee who was sent to the Phillies in the Cole Hamels trade, Eickhoff broke in as a decent back-of-the-rotation arm in Philadelphia. He struggled between 2017-19 and has only gotten brief looks in the last two seasons.
After making five appearances with the Mets in 2021, Eickhoff took a lone start for the Pirates last year. He was hit hard in those stints, surrendering 34 runs in his last 24 MLB innings. Eickhoff had spent most of last season in Triple-A with the Bucs, posting a 4.96 ERA with solid strikeout and walk numbers (22.5% and 6.3%, respectively) through 114 1/3 frames. He’d been pitching in the independent Atlantic League this year, allowing a 6.16 ERA over 49 2/3 innings.
Smith made 30 appearances for the Diamondbacks between 2020-21. He owns a 5.04 ERA over 85 2/3 MLB frames. The LSU product spent last season in the Rockies’ system. An assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque, a brutal environment for pitchers, didn’t go well. Smith allowed an 8.06 ERA through 92 2/3 innings.
Whether Norris will join Eickhoff and Smith in Columbus remains to be seen. The veteran has more than enough service time to decline the assignment in favor of free agency. Norris signed a minor league contract in Spring Training. He posted a 6.93 ERA with middling strikeout and walk rates in 14 outings (nine starts). The Guardians called him up for a two-inning big league appearance earlier this week but quickly took him back off the roster thereafter.
MLBTR Trade Rumors Podcast: Exciting Youth Movements in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Bad Central Divisions and the Dodgers Want Pitching
The latest episode 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 Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:
- the Pirates promote Henry Davis (1:20)
- the scorching-hot Reds designate Wil Myers for assignment (7:35)
- Guardians promote Gavin Williams (10:40)
- White Sox want to sell rental pieces only (16:20)
- Dodgers need pitching (19:15)
Plus, we answer your questions, including:
- Do you think the Cubs will deal Christopher Morel at the deadline? (22:45)
- What are the chances the Diamondbacks promote Jordan Lawlar later this season? (25:50)
- If Rangers make a blockbuster trade who would you think it would be? Obviously bullpen is a need but what is something blockbuster worthy? (29:45)
Check out our past episodes!
- Marcus Stroman Lobbies for Extension, Mets’ Woes and Astros Seeking Bats – listen here
- Elly De La Cruz, Alek Manoah’s Demotion and Surgery for Jacob deGrom – listen here
- The Wide-Open NL Wild Card Race, Returning Pitchers and Cast-Off Veterans – listen here
Guardians Release Mike Zunino
The Guardians have released Mike Zunino, according to the catcher’s transaction log at MLB.com. That always seemed the likely outcome once Cleveland designated him for assignment last Friday.
Zunino signed a $6MM free agent contract over the winter. A little over half that salary remains to be paid out, making it a lock he goes unclaimed on release waivers. Once that process plays out, he’ll be a free agent. At that point, other teams could add him for the prorated portion of the $720K league minimum while leaving the Guardians on the hook for the rest of the money.
Cleveland bought low on the veteran backstop after his 2022 season was ruined by thoracic outlet syndrome. It didn’t pan out, as the 32-year-old struggled on both sides of the ball. He hit .177/.271/.306 with only three home runs in 140 trips to the plate. Zunino annually runs one of the sport’s highest strikeout rates, but this season’s 43.6% clip would be a career-high in a 162-game schedule.
Zunino has generally been a solid defensive catcher in his career. He had well below-average marks with the glove in Cleveland, however. He allowed a league-high five passed balls while throwing out 16.7% of attempted basestealers (a few points below the 20.6% league average). Defensive Runs Saved pegged Zunino as nine runs below average, tying for second-worst at the position.
Without much production on either side of the ball, Cleveland went in a different direction. The Guardians called up top prospect Bo Naylor on the heels of a .253/.393/.498 showing through 270 plate appearances with Triple-A Columbus. He’s the new starting backstop, with Cam Gallagher and David Fry on hand as reserve options.
Guardians Designate Daniel Norris For Assignment
The Guardians have designated left-hander Daniel Norris for assignment, according to their transactions tracker at MLB.com. His roster spot will go to pitching prospect Gavin Williams, whose promotion was reported yesterday.
Norris, 30, was selected to the club’s roster just four days ago. He made one scoreless appearance of two innings but has now quickly lost his roster spot to make way for Williams. Prior to having his contract selected, he was pitching in Triple-A after signing a minor league deal with the Guards in March. He was serving as a swingman at that level, logging 37 2/3 innings over 14 appearances, nine of those being starts. He had a 6.93 ERA in that time, striking out 17.6% of opponents while walking 13.2%.
The lefty once seemed like a capable big league starter, finding himself on top 100 prospect lists while with the Blue Jays. He was traded to the Tigers as part of the 2015 deal that sent David Price to Toronto and he posted an ERA of 3.38 for the Tigers the next year. But injuries and underperformance gradually pushed him to the bullpen in subsequent seasons.
He’s shown flashes of promise at times but various clubs have tried to unlock it without much success. He’s bounced to the Brewers, Cubs, back to the Tigers, then the Reds and Guardians in recent seasons. But those opportunities have resulted in a 5.58 ERA dating back to the start of the 2021 season. He struck out 24.5% of batters in that time but walked 12.3%.
The Guards will now have a week to trade Norris or pass him through waivers. He has way more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency in the event that he clears waivers, so it’s possible he’ll be back on the open market in the coming days.
Guardians To Promote Gavin Williams
The Guardians are going to promote pitching prospect Gavin Williams, reports Guardians Prospective on Twitter. The right-hander will start on Wednesday, making his major league debut. He’s not yet on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move or moves will be required.
Williams, 23, was the club’s first-round pick in 2021, getting selected 23rd overall. He didn’t make his professional debut until the following season, but it was well worth the wait. He split last year between High-A and Double-A, tossing 115 innings over 25 starts with a 1.96 ERA. He struck out 33.1% of batters faced while walking 8.9%.
That strong showing, combined with his pre-draft work at East Carolina University, helped him shoot up prospect rankings this offseason. Coming into 2023, he was ranked the #20 prospect in the league at Baseball America, #81 at FanGraphs, #33 at ESPN and got the #42 slot from Keith Law of The Athletic. He also was ranked 42nd by MLB Pipeline, though he’s since moved up to #16.
Here in 2023, he’s done little slowing down. He began the year back at Double-A but posted an ERA of 0.63 in three starts and was quickly bumped up. Through nine outings at Triple-A, he has a 2.93 ERA in 46 innings, striking out 33.3% of batters faced. His 11.5% walk rate at that level is a bit high, but there’s little denying the overall success. Reports on Williams tend to highlight his triple-digit fastball while also giving praise to his curveball and slider. He also has a changeup, though that is generally seen as his fourth-best offering.
The Guardians have turned to their young pitching prospects several times this year due to various factors. Zach Plesac struggled with a 7.59 ERA and got himself outrighted off the roster. Both of Peyton Battenfield and Cal Quantrill saw their ERA climb above 5.00 before they each landed on the injured list, where they currently remain. Aaron Civale is healthy now but has only been able to make five starts thus far due to a strained oblique. Triston McKenzie was shut down in March with a teres major strain and came back last week, though he’s now on the IL again with an elbow sprain that involves his UCL and seems serious.
Amid all of that, the club has already called upon top 100 pitching prospects Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen to join the rotation alongside Civale and Shane Bieber. Bibee has a 4.05 ERA and Allen is at 3.95 through 10 starts for each. The club already had a reputation for seemingly finding excellent pitchers in the couch cushions but they continue to impress and will now be promoting their third rotation prospect of the year. That’s despite another pitching prospect, Daniel Espino, undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this year.
The club has a record of just 33-38 but that’s good enough for second place in the weak American League Central. With no teams in the division able to even stay above .500, the Guards are just two games back of the 36-37 Twins. Despite a tepid offense, perhaps their never-ending supply of young pitching can keep them in the mix the rest of the way.
As for the ever-present service time question with top prospects, Williams can only earn 103 days this year even if he stays up for the rest of the year. That won’t allow him to get to a full year in 2023 and will leave him shy of achieving Super Two status by the end of 2025. Since he was a top 100 guy coming into the season, he could theoretically earn a full year of service time by finishing in the top two in Rookie of the Year voting. However, that will be very hard to do since he’s already missed almost half the season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Triston McKenzie Shut Down For Several Weeks With UCL Sprain
The Guardians placed starter Triston McKenzie on the 15-day injured list over the weekend. Cleveland announced the injury as an elbow sprain and indicated there was some concern about his UCL.
That hinted at a potential long-term absence, which unfortunately will come to pass. McKenzie told reporters this afternoon he’ll be shut down from throwing entirely for around a month with a UCL sprain (relayed by Zack Meisel of the Athletic). He’ll be reevaluated a few weeks from now to determine whether he can begin a throwing program.
Even in a best-case scenario that sees McKenzie cleared to start throwing around the All-Star Break, he’ll need multiple weeks to get back to game shape. The Guardians are sure to proceed cautiously with concern about his elbow ligament. It seems hard to envision McKenzie getting back on the Progressive Field mound before August given that timeline, though the club hasn’t provided any specifics beyond the righty’s shutdown period.
It’s the second significant injury of what has been a frustrating season. McKenzie strained the teres major muscle in his throwing shoulder at the end of Spring Training. That kept him from making his debut until June 4. Two starts later, he lands back on the shelf with another notable arm injury.
Getting almost nothing out of McKenzie thus far is one of the reasons for Cleveland’s underwhelming start to the season. The Guardians are 33-38, well off last year’s 92-win pace. A bleak AL Central picture still has Cleveland in the thick of the division race but the team’s early performance hasn’t been inspiring. McKenzie was among the better pitchers in the league last year, working to a 2.96 ERA over a career-high 191 1/3 innings.
As they do with regularity, Cleveland has developed a few highly-regarded young arms into productive MLB pitchers this season. Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen have performed well as rookies. They join Shane Bieber, who’s pitching below his peak level but still effectively, at the top of the staff. Top prospect Gavin Williams is poised to make his big league debut in McKenzie’s stead tomorrow, while veteran righty Aaron Civale rounds out the current group.
White Sox Claim Touki Toussaint From Guardians
The White Sox have claimed right-hander Touki Toussaint off waivers from the Guardians, per announcements from both clubs. He had been designated for assignment by the Guards on the weekend. The Sox already had a vacancy on their 40-man and won’t need to make a corresponding move at this time.
The waiver claim serves as something of a birthday present for Toussaint, who turns 27 today. Once a first-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks and top 100 prospect during his time in the minors, he has yet to put it all together in the big leagues. He has a 5.33 ERA in 174 innings dating back to the 2018 season. His strikeout and ground ball numbers have been solid but control has been a frequent issue, with Toussaint walking 13.9% of batters faced in his career.
He qualified for arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player at the end of last season, but the Angels non-tendered him instead. He signed a minor league deal with the Guardians and has been pitching in relief in Triple-A. He posted a 4.06 ERA over 20 appearances, striking out 30.2% of opponents but walking 14.5% of them. He got called up to the big leagues a few days ago to serve as an emergency starter in place of Triston McKenzie. Toussaint tossed 3 2/3 innings, allowing just two earned runs despite surrendering three hits and five walks.
The Sox have decided to use their open 40-man slot to take a shot on Toussaint despite the ongoing control problems. Since Toussaint is out of options, they will need to make a corresponding move to get him onto the active roster whenever he reports to the team.
