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Collin McHugh

Astros To Activate George Springer, Collin McHugh

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The Astros are set to activate outfielder George Springer and right-hander Collin McHugh from the injured list, per the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. Lefty Reymin Guduan and righty Rogelio Armenteros will be optioned to Triple-A to open spots on the active roster.

Springer will return to the ’Stros after missing exactly one month due to a hamstring injury. While Springer’s absence surely wasn’t the sole factor — Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa had IL stints overlap with Springer’s time on the IL — Houston posted a 14-12 record while he was sidelined. That’s a far cry from the 35-18 pace to which they’d played prior to his injury, but the club still holds a comfortable six-game lead over the surprising Rangers in the American League West. With Springer’s return, the team’s lineup is near full strength, as well; Altuve was reinstated last week, leaving Correa as the lone injured regular.

The 29-year-old Springer was in the midst of his finest offensive campaign at the time of his injury. Despite tallying just 216 plate appearances on the season, his 17 home runs are just five shy of last year’s season-long total. Springer’s walk rate, average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate have all soared in 2019, and the resulting .308/.389/.643 batting line checks in at about 70 percent better than the league-average hitter (per OPS+ and wRC+).

It was a different story for the 32-year-old McHugh, who struggled tremendously in his return to the Houston rotation in 2019. Through eight starts, McHugh was tagged for 30 runs in 41 innings — albeit with 10 of them coming in one road meltdown against the Rangers. Still, the Houston organization apparently deemed McHugh better suited for a relief role, as the Astros moved him to the bullpen in early May.

There’s no indication that McHugh will be returning to the Astros’ rotation now that he’s returned from a minor elbow issue. Framber Valdez has turned in a pair of strong outings (against weak Blue Jays and Orioles lineups) and one ugly one (at Yankee Stadium) since assuming the fifth spot in the rotation. It’s certainly possible that McHugh will eventually get another look, but he was also dominant in a multi-inning relief role last season (1.99 ERA, 11.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 in 72 1/3 innings). Which role McHugh occupies will be of particular interest, as he’s set to become a free agent for the first time this winter and his role could well impact his offseason earning power.

Pitcher Notes: J. Hicks, Phillies, Astros, Padres, A’s

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The latest on a slew of major league hurlers…

  • Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks is dealing with right triceps tendinitis, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. Hicks will undergo additional tests Sunday. One of the last things the Cardinals need is a long absence for the 22-year-old Hicks, who has put up a 3.14 ERA/3.17 FIP with 9.73 K/9, 3.45 BB/9, a whopping 67.2 percent groundball rate and 14 saves on 15 chances in 28 2/3 innings this season. Hicks is the hardest thrower in baseball, which has certainly aided in his success.
  • Phillies relievers David Robertson and Tommy Hunter are progressing toward returns, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. While Robertson hasn’t yet embarked on a rehab assignment, the hope is that he’ll rejoin the Phillies’ bullpen before the All-Star break. Robertson has been out since mid-April with a flexor strain in his right elbow. Meanwhile, Hunter’s in the early stages of a rehab stint. Hunter’s also working back from a right flexor strain, which has kept him out all season. The Phillies have guaranteed $41MM to Robertson and Hunter over the past two offseasons, but they’ve gotten just 6/2 3 innings from them this year (all from the former).
  • The Astros could activate righty Collin McHugh from the injured list Tuesday, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. McHugh has been out since May 21 with right elbow discomfort. On the other hand, rehabbing reliever Joe Smith won’t return until after the All-Star break, manager A.J. Hinch said. Smith’s still on the mend from the left Achilles surgery he underwent last December.
  • Padres righty Dinelson Lamet could return next week, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The 26-year-old Lamet hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2018. Lamet was then coming off his own lone season in the majors, in which he registered a 4.57 ERA/4.35 FIP with 10.94 K/9 against 4.25 BB/9 across 114 1/3 innings and 21 starts.
  • The Athletics’ pitching staff, reeling from ace Frankie Montas’ suspension, may get righties Marco Estrada and Jharel Cotton back soon. Estrada, on the injured list since April 17 because of a lumbar strain in his back, threw his first bullpen Saturday since going on the IL, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He could be a second-half option for the Athletics, according to Slusser. Cotton’s on track to begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break, Slusser tweets. Cotton had been making encouraging progress in his recovery from March 2018 Tommy John surgery before he had to undergo a hamstring procedure earlier this month.

Altuve, Springer Among Astros Nearing Rehab Assignments

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Injured Astros stars Jose Altuve and George Springer are close to returning to game action. Altuve’s on track to begin a rehab assignment this weekend, according to manager A.J. Hinch, and Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports Springer may do the same. Ditto for right-hander Collin McHugh. Meanwhile, catcher Max Stassi will begin a rehab assignment Thursday, per Rome (links: 1, 2).

The 29-year-old Altuve originally went to the IL on May 11 with a left hamstring strain – an injury which is no longer an issue. However, shortly after Altuve embarked on a rehab assignment May 25, the Astros shut him down following a setback in his surgically repaired right leg. The normally durable Altuve has now missed the Astros’ past 30 games, and he didn’t perform up to his usual standards before landing on the IL. Across 164 plate appearances, the six-time All-Star has slashed a still-solid .243/.329/.472 (117 wRC+) with nine home runs – though that pales in comparison to his output from 2014-18 – and has stolen just one base after swiping no fewer than 17 in any season since 2012.

Springer, also 29, put himself in the early season AL MVP conversation before suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain May 25. Prior to that injury, Springer hit .308/.389/.643 (172 wRC+) with 17 homers in 216 trips to the plate.

McHugh went to the IL with elbow discomfort May 21, continuing a brutal contract season for the normally effective hurler. After thriving out of the Astros’ bullpen in 2018, the 31-year-old McHugh began this season in their rotation and logged a 6.37 ERA/5.19 FIP in 41 innings, though he did post 9.22 K/9 against 3.07 BB/9. The Astros then shifted McHugh back to their bullpen, and he made two appearances in relief before going to the IL.

Perhaps Houston will give McHugh another crack at starting eventually, considering it hasn’t been able to establish a fifth starter behind Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Wade Miley and Brad Peacock. McHugh’s immediate successor, Corbin Martin, was even worse before the team sent him back to Triple-A Round Rock on June 4. The Astros replaced Martin with Framber Valdez, who shut down the Orioles over seven innings in his first start June 8. He’ll take the ball again Saturday against Toronto.

The light-hitting, defensively adept Stassi has been out since May 26 with a left knee injury. The Astros called up prospect Garrett Stubbs to take Stassi’s spot, though starter Robinson Chirinos has gotten almost all of the work.

Even with their myriad injuries, including to franchise shortstop Carlos Correa, the Astros have continued to roll. At 46-23, they boast the majors’ top record. Of course, their already formidable roster will look far more imposing once their reinforcements return. That’s a frightening thought for the rest of the league.

Astros Option Corbin Martin

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5:12pm: The Astros announced that they’ve optioned Martin to Triple-A. It’s not clear who’ll step into his spot in the rotation, as the corresponding move was the recall of lefty reliever Reymin Guduan. As The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan points out (via Twitter), they’ll need a fifth starter on Saturday but can get through the next turn in the rotation with only four starters due to an off day next week.

11:05am: Though the Astros aren’t committing to a rotation change just yet, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle writes that one may not be far off. Corbin Martin has not made it past the fourth inning since his debut outing.

Martin’s first showing was a good one. But in his four intervening starts, he has allowed 10 earned runs on 20 hits with a 10:11 K/BB ratio in 14 innings.

The ’Stros are showing a fair bit of patience, but obviously won’t be satisfied with these sorts of results. Martin has struggled to get ahead of hitters, keep his pitch count down, and stay in the zone. And though the organization can afford some added audition time with a nine-game division lead, it also will be wary of tempting fate while several of its best players are on the injured list.

Skipper A.J. Hinch affirmed that the organization believes in Martin as a long-term option, citing his stuff and “mentality” as reasons for a “really good” long-term outlook. But Hinch says that for Martin “to stay in the rotation and be effective, not just for the foreseeable future but his entire career, it’s important for him to mix in some good outings and make sure he can get us deep in games.” Whether Martin will get one more chance to turn the corner remains to be seen.

The ’Stros certainly have alternatives. Collin McHugh would be an obvious choice, though he’s on the IL. Josh James, Framber Valdez, and Brady Rodgers could all slide over from the bullpen. It’d certainly be easy enough for the team to piggyback a few of those pitchers to get the length needed for a game or two, perhaps allowing one or more pitchers to stretch out fully on the fly.

Looking down on the farm, there are two 40-man starters — Cionel Perez and Rogelio Armenteros — camped out at Triple-A. Neither has been particularly impressive to this point of the season, at least in terms of earned runs, though both have swing and miss capabilities. It might have been hoped that top prospect Forrest Whitley would be ready for a taste of the big leagues, but he has been hammered early on at Round Rock and doesn’t seem likely to be tapped in the near future.

AL West Notes: Gallo, Halos Hurlers, M’s, Herrmann, McHugh

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There’s little doubt that Rangers slugger Joey Gallo has drastically increased his career earnings outlook with a massive start to the current season. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at the state of affairs on the extension front for baseball’s reigning three-true-outcomes king. The organization is obviously impressed, with manager Chris Woodward tabbing Gallo the club’s “best player” and GM Jon Daniels saying that he’s “mentally in a great spot.” Gallo says he’s not thinking about contracts, but agent Scott Boras surely is. As Grant notes, Boras’s assessment of Gallo’s season to date — “we are seeing the evolution of a superstar player” — offers a hint as to the kind of contract it might take to lock him up.

More from the American League West:

  • Angels righty JC Ramirez is set to launch a rehab assignment later this week, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Ramirez underwent Tommy John surgery last April. With his 30-day rehab clock set to be triggered, Ramirez is now back on the map as a near-term roster piece for the Halos. The club owes him $1,901,000 this year, with two more arb campaigns remaining. Though he has had some struggles in his time in the majors, Ramirez has given the Halos 200 1/3 innings of 4.04 ERA ball and showed he could stick in the rotation in 2017.
  • As ever, there are other updates to the Angels rotation mix. Nick Tropeano will beat Ramirez back to the big leagues; as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets, Tropeano is coming up to pitch today’s ballgame. He was optioned after working back from a shoulder strain, and has been tagged in the run-happy PCL, but the innings are needed now. That’s due in no small part to the issues surrounding Matt Harvey, who just hit the injured list with a back strain after an awful stretch on the hill. Harvey didn’t have much of a timeline to offer reporters, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). With more to sort out than an injury, there’s no reason to think Harvey will be rushed back.
  • For the Mariners, there are a few incremental health updates of note, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (all links to Twitter). Rehabbing relievers Sam Tuivailala and Hunter Strickland are still a ways off. The former, who is working back from Achilles surgery, has come down with dead arm and may need to re-start his rehab rather than heading back to the majors. The latter is readying for his first mound work since leaving with a lat injury earlier this year. Starter Felix Hernandez, who’s on the IL with a shoulder strain, is also nearing mound work. The club is still taking it slow with corner infielder Ryon Healy, who has yet to resume baseball activity after recently hitting the shelf due to a balky lower back. That’s a less promising outlook than had been indicated when he was first sidelined, but the club no doubt hopes to avoid a lingering problem.
  • Athletics backstop Chris Herrmann is nearing a rehab assignment, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Herrmann inked a one-year, $1MM deal over the offseason but hasn’t yet debuted with his new organization owing to knee surgery. It remains to be seen how the Oakland club will manage its roster once Herrmann is ready; Josh Phegley has hit well all year and Nick Hundley has turned it on after a dreadful start. It’s possible the A’s could ultimately carry all three, at least for a stretch, as Herrmann does have experience playing in other parts of the field.
  • It still doesn’t seem the Astros have cause for alarm regarding righty Collin McHugh, but he’s not going to be ready to return within the minimum ten-day window. Manager A.J. Hinch tells reporters, including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), that McHugh is in need of “a little more down time” to let his elbow stop barking. “He’s played catch a couple days and has not seen any progress,” says Hinch. “He’s not any closer than he was a few days ago.” McHugh has been a bit homer-prone, which explains his rough 6.04 ERA on the year, but otherwise has impressive peripherals. That he has been moved out of the rotation and into a relief role is testament to the depth of the talent on hand in Houston.

Injury Notes: McHugh, Davis, Tepera, Zunino, Duke

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The Astros announced today that right-hander Collin McHugh is headed to the 10-day injured list due to discomfort in his right elbow. It’s an ominous-sounding injury but the cause for concern doesn’t appear to be great; McHugh told reporters after the move that an MRI has already been performed and did not reveal any structural damage (link via the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome). He’ll spend two or three days resting the arm before playing catch, and the 31-year-old (32 next month) believes he’s only in line for a brief stay on the IL. Any injury for a free-agent-to-be is at least somewhat notable, of course, and McHugh’s stock is particularly worth watching now that he’s been dropped from the rotation to the bullpen. Right-hander Brady Rodgers will return to the Majors for the first time since 2016 to replace McHugh in the bullpen. Rodgers, a third-rounder in 2012, has had a long road back from 2017 Tommy John surgery to post a solid 3.22 ERA in 44 2/3 innings in Triple-A so far.

More injury updates of note…

  • Athletics slugger Khris Davis exited tonight’s game after one plate appearance due to what the team announced to be “lingering effects from a left hip contusion suffered earlier this season.” It’s not clear if this’ll be another day-to-day situation for Davis or whether he might finally require a trip to the injured list to allow what has been a long-nagging injury time to heal up. Davis, king of the .247 batting average, is remarkably just a hair off that number, hitting .248/.318/.497 with a dozen homers through 179 plate appearances after making an out in the one at-bat he did have Tuesday.
  • A right elbow impingement has landed Blue Jays righty Ryan Tepera on the 10-day injured list, per an announcement from the team. Right-hander Jimmy Cordero is up from Triple-A Buffalo in his place. The outlook on Tepera is of at least some concern, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi tweets that Tepera says he’s been unable to get the proper level of extension on his release of his pitches. He’s headed to see a specialist for further evaluation. The 31-year-old Tepera had quietly emerged as a very solid setup piece for the Jays over the past few seasons but has been torched for a 6.55 ERA with nine strikeouts against six walks (two intentional) through 11 innings this season. His average fastball has dipped from 95 mph in 2017-18 to 93.7 mph this season. A healthy Tepera would make for a nice trade chip for the Jays this summer, given that he’s controlled through 2021, so his diagnosis and recovery timetable are well worth monitoring despite the fact that the Jays are on pace for nearly 100 losses.
  • Rays catcher Mike Zunino feels he’s making good progress on his return from a quad strain, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Zunino, who was given a four- to six-week recovery timeline is optimistic that he can return toward the front end of that projection. That’s welcome news for a Rays organization that has cycled through various combinations of Nick Ciuffo, Anthony Bemboom, Travis d’Arnaud and Erik Kratz since seeing both Zunino and Michael Perez land on the injured list. Both d’Arnaud and Kratz were trade acquisitions prompted by the loss of the organization’s top two catchers. Once Zunino and/or Perez is ready to return, there’ll likely be further roster juggling.
  • Lefty Zach Duke was placed on the injured list by the Reds due to a calf strain earlier today. Cincinnati will operate with a slightly shorter ’pen for at least a day or two, as they recalled infielder Josh VanMeter in his place. The Reds still have a pair of lefties in the bullpen in Amir Garrett and Wandy Peralta. For Duke, who inked a one-year deal worth $2MM this offseason, the trip to the IL could give him an opportunity for a mental breather on the heels of an ugly start to the year. Through 15 2/3 innings, the 36-year-old Duke has a 6.32 ERA with more walks (11) than strikeouts (9). Duke’s ground-ball rate, which sat at a hefty 59.4 percent in 2018, is down to 49 percent to begin the year.

Astros To Shift Collin McHugh To Bullpen, Promote Corbin Martin

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The Astros are moving right-hander Collin McHugh to their bullpen for at least “a few outings,” manager A.J. Hinch told Mark Berman of Fox 26 and other reporters Saturday. They’ll likely promote righty Corbin Martin from Triple-A Round Rock to start in McHugh’s place against Texas on Sunday, Hinch added. Martin’s not on the Astros’ 40-man roster, but because the team has two openings, it won’t need to create room for him.

McHugh’s demotion comes in response to a four-start slump in which his ERA shot from a season-best 1.96 on April 16 to 6.37. In his most recent performance, a 12-2 loss to the Royals on May 7, McHugh yielded eight earned runs on seven hits, including two homers, with three walks and three strikeouts in three innings. The long ball has haunted McHugh for a few weeks, as he gave up eight in his four-start slide after surrendering just one in his first three outings of 2019.

Until this season, home runs hadn’t been a problem for McHugh since the Astros added him off waivers entering the 2014 campaign. He was a quality rotation piece with the club from 2014-17, a 606 1/3-inning, 102-start stretch in which McHugh pitched to a 3.70 ERA/3.60 FIP with a 10 percent home run-to-fly ball rate. McHugh then shifted to the Astros’ bullpen last year, when he was somewhat quietly among the majors’ most effective relievers and where he experienced an uptick in velocity. Despite that, the Astros moved McHugh back to their rotation entering this season because of the departures of Charlie Morton and the still-unsigned Dallas Keuchel to free agency and the Tommy John surgery Lance McCullers Jr. underwent.

As an impending free agent, another good season as a starter could have put the soon-to-be 32-year-old McHugh in line for a respectable payday during the upcoming winter. While there’s still time for McHugh to rebound as a starter or reliever in advance of the offseason, he hasn’t done himself any favors with his bloated HR-fly ball rate (21.6), a sub-40 groundball percentage or a 6.37 ERA/5.17 FIP in 41 innings. To his credit, though, he has registered 9.22 K/9 against 3.07 BB/9.

McHugh’s struggles will create a big league opportunity for the 23-year-old Martin, a native of the Lone Star State and former Texas A&M Aggie whom the Astros chose in the second round of the 2017 draft. That pick, No. 56, was one of the two selections the Astros received from the Cardinals stemming from a hacking scandal.

Martin has held his own at all levels of the minors since he turned pro, especially during 2018 in Double-A, where he posted a 2.97 ERA/3.29 FIP with 8.39 K/9, 2.45 BB/9 and a 47.3 percent groundball rate in 103 innings. That performance earned Martin a promotion to Triple-A to begin this season, and he hasn’t fallen short there either, evidenced by a 1.48 ERA/3.35 FIP with 10.36 K/9, 4.07 BB/9 and another 47 percent-plus grounder mark over 24 1/3 frames.

Thanks in part to Martin’s minor league excellence, both FanGraphs (No. 50) and MLB.com (No. 73) regard the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder as one of baseball’s 75 best prospects. Entering the season, FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen wrote that “Martin sits in the mid-90s, mixes in a plus slider, with an above average changeup and average command,” though they expressed some disappointment in his strikeout numbers. Martin’s now in line to join a Houston staff that, aside from Wade Miley, hasn’t had much difficulty punching out opposing hitters this season.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: American League

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The deadline for players and teams to exchange arbitration figures passed at 1pm ET yesterday, meaning over the next few hours, there will be a landslide of settlements on one-year deals to avoid an arbitration hearing. We’ll track today’s minor settlements from the American League in this post. Once all of the day’s settlements have filtered in, I’ll organize them by division to make them a bit easier to parse.

It’s worth mentioning that the vast majority of teams have adopted a “file and trial” approach to arbitration, meaning that once arbitration figures are exchanged with a player, negotiations on a one-year deal will cease. The two parties may still discuss a multi-year deal after that point, but the majority of players who exchange figures with their team today will head to an arbitration hearing.

As always, all salary projections referenced within this post are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and we’ll also be updating our 2019 Arbitration Tracker throughout the day…

Today’s Updates

  • Yankees 1B Greg Bird will make $1.2 MM next season, per Bob Nightengale on Twitter.
  • The controversial Roberto Osuna will make $6.5MM next season, per Feinsand. Teammate Jake Marisnick, who again scuffled in ’18 after a promising 2017, will make $2.2125MM.
  • Per Mark Feinsand on Twitter, A’s lefty Sean Manaea $3.15MM in what’s sure to be an injury-marred 2019.
  • Hard-throwing reliever Mychal Givens will make $2.15MM, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), with additional incentives for making the All-Star team or placing in the Top-3 for the Rivera/Hoffman Reliever of the Year Awards, added MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).
  • The Mariners agreed on a $1.95MM deal with outfielder Domingo Santana, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (via Twitter). Santana is the second and last of the Mariners’ arbitration-eligible players.
  • The Angels agreed to contracts with a pair of players yesterday, per Maria Torres of the LA Times (via Twitter). Reliever Hansel Robles signed for $1.4MM. Robles threw 36 1/3 innings of 2.97 ERA baseball after the Angels claimed him off waivers from the Mets in June. Luis Garcia, acquired via trade from the Phillies this winter, signed for $1.675MM.
  • The Tigers and reliever Shane Greene settled on $4MM, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter).
  • The Yankees reached an agreement with Sonny Gray for $7.5MM, per Nightengale. Gray, of course, has been involved trade rumors most of the winter, but for the time being, he stands to play a role in the Yankee pen while providing insurance for the rotation.
  • Didi Gregorius has also come to an agreement with the Yankees on a one-year, $11.75MM deal in his final season before free agency, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter links).
  • New Yankee James Paxton signed for $8.575, per Nightengale (via Twitter). Paxton is under contract for the 2020 season as well.
  • The Houston Astros came to an agreement with Collin McHugh for $5.8MM, per Nightengale (via Twitter). McHugh could be moving back into the rotation after a stellar season in the pen, either way this will be his final season of arb eligibility before hitting the open market.
  • Jonathan Villar comes away with $4.825MM for what will be his first full season in Baltimore, per Nightengale (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates

Read more

AL Notes: Betts, Astros, Tigers, Angels

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The Red Sox made an attempt to extend franchise cornerstone Mookie Betts during the offseason, but the right fielder isn’t interested in signing a long-term deal at this point, Rob Bradford of WEEI reports. Betts revealed to Bradford that he discussed the extension process with teammates who have signed them, saying: “I talked to some people about it, how the process went. But I didn’t really ask details about what they got or what was offered. It was more just about how the process went. It can be a tough process. You’re dealing with a lot of money.” Betts will make a lot of money in 2018 even without a new deal – $10.5MM after a resounding victory over Boston in arbitration – and will be under team control through at least 2020. The 25-year-old’s current salary is the second-highest award ever given to a first-time arb-eligible player, and Betts should rack up a couple more significant paydays via that route if he continues without an extension.

More from the AL…

  • Astros right-handers Collin McHugh and Brad Peacock have come up as speculative trade pieces, and Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets that the team would be more open to moving the former than the latter. There’s nothing eye-opening about that, though, as McHugh is now working in a foreign role as a reliever after losing his rotation spot during the offseason. He’s also in a contract year, whereas Peacock – who was an elite swingman last season – is under Houston’s control through 2020.
  • Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes, the first pick in last December’s Rule 5 draft, is likely to earn a spot on the club’s bench, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com relays. While Reyes has only hit .250/.291/.288 over 52 at-bats this spring, the 23-year-old has done enough to convince Tigers brass that he could be a long-term cog. “We’re very encouraged with Reyes,” general manager Al Avila said. “He’s not given us any reason to think that he can’t handle it. We’re pretty excited about him, actually.” 
  • The Angels plan to enter the season without naming a closer, manager Mike Scioscia suggested to Doug Padilla of MLB.com. “We have a number of guys we think are going to be able to pitch in the ninth inning if we have a lead,” Scioscia said. “But let’s wait and see how the game plays out.” The only highly experienced closer on the Angels’ roster is offseason acquisition Jim Johnson, who has 176 saves on his resume, but he has been inconsistent in recent years and struggled mightily in Atlanta last season. Blake Parker, who had a tremendous 2017, and Cam Bedrosian are other candidates to grab the role if the Angels do eventually decide to establish a consistent game-ending option.

Heyman’s Latest: Cobb, Padres, Orioles, McHugh, Dodgers, Ubaldo

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Here’s the latest from FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman via his weekly notes column on all 30 teams…

  • Before Alex Cobb signed with the Orioles, “the Padres got involved late on” the free agent righty’s market.  It would’ve been another eye-popping move for a team that surprised many by signing Eric Hosmer, though the Padres could’ve simply been doing some due diligence — Cobb likely drew interest from several seemingly-unlikely teams as he continued to languish on the open market.  The Padres also had at least some interest in Jake Arrieta, another big-name free agent starter who was still unexpectedly available into March.  Given A.J. Preller’s penchant for aggressive moves and the Padres’ prospect depth, I wouldn’t be surprised if San Diego made a big in-season trade to further kickstart its rebuilding process.
  • After Lance Lynn signed with the Twins for one year and $12MM, the Brewers offered Cobb a contract with the same terms.  Cobb rejected the deal, as it was known that he was looking for multiple years and wasn’t willing to settle for a one-year pact.  It should be noted that Lynn himself could’ve had at least one multi-year offer on the table, but opted instead to sign the one-year deal with Minnesota since he was excited about their potential as a contender.
  • Even with Cobb now in the fold, the Orioles may still look to add more starting pitching depth beyond their current starting five of Cobb, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Andrew Cashner, and Chris Tillman.  Heyman opines that Scott Feldman could be a possibility, as the righty “was beloved” by members of the Baltimore organization during his previous stint with the club in 2013.
  • Trade buzz continues to circle Astros right-hander Collin McHugh, as Heyman writes that McHugh “could be had in a trade,” as Houston has a surplus of rotation-worthy arms.  The Twins and Orioles were both linked to McHugh in rumors earlier this winter, though those teams are probably no longer in the running due to their subsequent pitching additions.  McHugh is owed $5MM this season and is under control through 2019 in his final arbitration-eligible season, making him a nice cost-effective addition for potential suitors.
  • While none of these teams were specifically cited as being interested in McHugh, Heyman listed the Reds, Brewers, Mariners, and Rangers as teams that are looking for pitching.  All four of the clubs have dealt with some injury setbacks in Spring Training, so further additions could be more akin to fill-in options rather than major acquisitions.  Texas, however, does seem to be at least considering making a higher-priced add, given how the Rangers showed some recent interest in Cobb and Greg Holland.
  • The Dodgers seem prepared to go with in-house options to replace Justin Turner while the star third baseman is sidelined with a fractured wrist.  The New York Post’s Joel Sherman recently floated the idea of L.A. acquiring either Deven Marrero or Brock Holt from the Red Sox to help fill the third base void, though Heyman writes that the Dodgers haven’t been in touch with the Sox about either player.  Holt and the out-of-options Marrero are both reportedly potential trade candidates due to a roster crunch.
  • The Mets haven’t seriously discussed the possibility of signing Ubaldo Jimenez, Heyman hears from a person connected with the team.  The past relationship between Jimenez and Mets manager Mickey Callaway (Jimenez had a strong 2013 season with the Indians when Callaway was Cleveland’s pitching coach) led to some rumors that New York could consider adding the veteran right-hander as rotation depth.  Jimenez is coming off rough seasons in both 2016 and 2017 with the Orioles, and as a result has drawn no known interest all winter as he tries to catch on with another club.

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