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West Notes: Almonte, Chatwood, Astros, Putz

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The Mariners announced yesterday that Opening Day center fielder and leadoff man Abraham Almonte has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma in favor of outfield prospect James Jones. Almonte, acquired from the Yankees in a trade for right-hander Shawn Kelley, entered the season ranked as the club’s No. 17 prospect (per Baseball America). However, he struggled with an everyday role, batting just .198/.248/.292. Jones, 25, has already made his MLB debut earlier this season, collecting a hit in his only plate appearance in mid-April. He hit a strong .313/.382/.450 in Triple-A, and Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune wrote that despite not starting against a tough lefty yesterday (Scott Kazmir), Jones will receive regular playing time in center field.

More from the game’s Western divisions…

  • The Rockies got some mixed news on right-hander Tyler Chatwood, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. While Chatwood’s arm injury doesn’t appear to be season-ending, he will miss at least six to eight weeks as he rehabs from a flexor strain in his right arm. Franklin Morales has stepped into the rotation as the team purchased the contract of righty reliever Nick Masset, whose 40-man spot was opened by transferring Chatwood to the 60-day DL. For Masset, this marks a long journey back to the Majors after a series of shoulder injuries derailed his career in 2011-13.
  • Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle spoke with Astros medical risk manager and analyst Bill Firkus about his role with the team and also spoke with key members of the club’s medical/training staff about how Birkus has helped the club since his arrival last July. Firkus isn’t a doctor, but he specializes in analyzing trends and injury studies around professional sports. “What has changed is the way we look at files for possible trades or picking up free agents,” said head trainer Nate Lucero. Drellich’s article gives an excellent look at Houston’s medical program and the changes that have been made to evaluating the success of operations since GM Jeff Luhnow took over.
  • Add J.J. Putz’s name to the list of upcoming free agent pitcher (or just pitchers in general) who have a troublesome arm injury; Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported late last night that Putz will be placed on the DL with right forearm tightness. The Diamondbacks have had poor luck with its pitching staff in 2014, losing Patrick Corbin and David Hernandez to Tommy John surgery while Archie Bradley has hit the minor league DL after struggling at Triple-A. As Piecoro notes, Putz suffered a UCL sprain last year that didn’t require surgery. Any long-term injury could potetially be a crushing blow to his free agent stock.

Latest On Joel Hanrahan

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THURSDAY: Despite the early struggles of Edward Mujica, it doesn’t appear likely that the Red Sox will end up signing Hanrahan, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: The Rockies, Rangers, Red Sox, Yankees and Tigers are among the teams showing strong interest in free agent reliever Joel Hanrahan, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Hanrahan impressed scouts from as many as 20 teams at a showcase two weeks ago, hitting 93 mph on the gun and appearing to be in good shape. The 32-year-old Hanrahan is roughly two weeks shy of the one-year anniversary of his Tommy John surgery.

The teams listed by Heyman have all seen some degree of bullpen struggles with the exception of the Red Sox, whose collective 3.25 bullpen ERA ranks eighth in the Majors. The other four teams are each in the bottom half of the Majors in terms of reliever ERA, with the Tigers (5.48) and Rangers (4.45) displaying the most troubles in run prevention. Each of the clubs mentioned by Heyman has been relatively stable in the ninth inning to this point, meaning that Hanrahan would likely be ticketed for a setup role should he latch on with any of the five.

Recent reports have indicated that the Mets are also interested in Hanrahan, to an extent, but they aren’t sure whether or not they’ll be making him an offer.

West Links: Chatwood, Martin, Astros, Angels

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Though the Rockies continued their hot start by improving to 16-12 last night, the mood was dampened by the departure of right-hander Tyler Chatwood with elbow tightness, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes. It may not be too serious, as manager Walt Weiss wasn’t sure if an MRI would be utilized, but as Saunders points out, Chatwood missed nearly a month last season with elbow tightness. He also had bone chips removed from the elbow last October. Colorado has already seen its rotation hampered by injuries to Jhoulys Chacin and Brett Anderson, and losing Chatwood for any amount of time would be yet another blow. Here’s more from baseball’s Western divisions…

  • Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller has penned a must-read piece on the tale of Rockies reliever Chris Martin and his journey from working at an appliance store to Colorado’s bullpen. Martin’s career appeared to be done after shoulder surgery in his sophomore season of junior college, but time healed his shoulder, stocking washers and dryers strengthened it, and a game of catch with a friend led to a tryout for the American Association’s AirHogs. His AirHogs manager, former big leaguer Pete Incaviglia, placed a call to the Red Sox about getting scouts to see Martin as soon as possible. This synopsis doesn’t do the story justice, and Miller’s article is well worth the read.
  • The Astros, who typically employ a starter-reliever piggyback system for their minor league clubs, will adopt a six-man rotation at the Triple-A level for the time being, writes MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. GM Jeff Luhnow spoke with McTaggart about the team’s unconventional development methods in the minors, noting that eventually the Triple-A club will go back to the usual tandem system employed at other levels.
  • In his latest “Fangraphs on FOX” article, Dave Cameron examines the Angels’ offensive production to date and notes that their record isn’t really indicative of the talent on the team. The Halos also stack up very favorably in wOBA differential, leading Cameron to believe that there’s 90-win potential in Anaheim this year. Cameron acknowledges the team’s biggest flaw — its bullpen — but notes that relievers are the easiest commodity to acquire on the trade market each summer.

NL West Notes: Williamson, Rockies, Gordon, D’Backs

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There have already been a pair of headlines coming out of the NL West tonight, with the Padres outrighting Alex Castellanos and the Diamondbacks acquiring Lucas Harrell from the Astros. Here’s a look at some more happenings from that division…

  • The Giants will lose one of their top prospects to Tommy John surgery, but it’s not a pitcher; Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that top hitting prospect Mac Williamson will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow and miss the 2014 season. Baseball America ranked Williamson as San Francisco’s No. 5 prospect heading into the year, and MLB.com ranked him ninth. The 23-year-old hit .292/.375/.504 with 25 homers at Class-A Advanced last season.
  • The latest notes column from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports highlights multiple storylines within the NL West but leads by discussing the dividends Colorado is already seeing from the offseason’s trade of Dexter Fowler. Not only are Jordan Lyles and Brandon Barnes both contributing nicely to this point, the trade paved the way for regular playing time for Charlie Blackmon. While Blackmon, of course, is due for some regression, he’s also shedding the “tweener” label that some had applied to him, Rosenthal writes.
  • Rosenthal also discusses Dee Gordon’s progress at second base, writing that the infielder worked hard on learning the position this winter after a “reality check” conversation with GM Ned Colletti last fall. Colletti told Gordon that Hanley Ramirez was going to be the club’s everyday shortstop, and the team hadn’t received any trade offers for Gordon that he felt made sense.
  • While a lot has been made about Archie Bradley, Rosenthal points out the top prospect’s 8.76 ERA over his past three starts — none of which has been more than five innings long. The D’Backs have drawn some ire for not promoting Bradley despite the team’s pitching needs, but GM Kevin Towers has maintained it’s strictly due to developmental reasons, and Bradley’s recent skid could speak to that.
  • Harrell spoke with MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and said: “I kind of got what I deserved because you don’t pitch well you don’t get an opportunity to stay.” Harrell thanked the Houston fans and said he is looking forward to a new start with Arizona.

Rockies Notes: Fowler Trade, Nicasio, Pitching Staff

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Today, the Rockies are trying to avoid the fate of being on the losing end of the Dodgers’ 10,000th victory in their storied franchise history (per Elias Sports Bureau via MLB.com). The Rockies already have the distinction of being the Cubs’ 10,000th victim six years ago.

Here’s the latest on the Mile High City’s team from Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post:

  • The Rockies have reaped unexpected benefits from the Dexter Fowler trade thanks to the strong play of Jordan Lyles and Brandon Barnes (both acquired from the Astros), Justin Morneau (signed as a free agent using the salary allocated for Fowler), and Charlie Blackmon (who assumed Fowler’s leadoff spot in the lineup).
  • The Rockies are at a crossroads with Juan Nicasio, whose ERA has risen to 5.27 (with a 10.9 H/9 and 1.6 HR/9 rate) as he has failed to pitch beyond the sixth inning in his past four starts. Saunders opines Nicasio could be bumped from the rotation when Jhoulys Chacin completes his rehab assignment, but there has not been much talk of moving him to the bullpen lately.
  • The Rockies’ philosophy of utilizing the sinkerball has led to an improvement in the overall performance of the club’s pitching staff.

Quick Hits: Drew, Orioles, Samardzija, Rockies

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No one is crying for Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales, who turned down $14.1MM and remain unemployed, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post thinks its unfortunate that they have been subjected to the qualifying offer system.  In Sherman’s view, players already have too little control over their careers.  On top of that, accepting a one-year, $14.1MM deal isn’t as much of a slam dunk as it seems.  If a player doesn’t like where he is playing, or get along with his manager, or finds that the home ballpark is problematic to his game, he should have the opportunity to scope out the open market and look elsewhere without being hindered by the tag.  Here’s more from around baseball..

  • Will the Orioles go out-of-house for a first baseman?  Manager Buck Showalter doesn’t seem to think such a move is imminent.  “There are other people, but nobody yet that we like better than the options we have in-house, yet,” said the skipper, according to Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com (on Twitter).
  • Brewers pitcher Matt Garza offered up some advice for former teammate Jeff Samardzija, who is expected to be shopped by the Cubs this summer. “All I can tell him is keep pitching; pitch your way out of it,” said Garza, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Keep your eyes focused, your eyes straight ahead and just pitch. There’s nothing else you can do.”
  • The Dexter Fowler trade is reaping early rewards for the Rockies, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.  Many wondered how the Rockies would replace Fowler’s leadoff bat and outfield glove, but Jordan Lyles’ early pitching and Brandon Barnes’ high-energy have made Colorado look wise so far.  On top of that, the salary savings from moving Fowler to the Astros allowed the Rockies to sign Justin Morneau, who has also looked strong through the season’s opening month.
  • Months after he agreed to a four-year, $60MM deal, Curtis Granderson and the Mets finally started to find some magic together this week, writes Barry Federovitch of the Star-Ledger.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Rockies, Towers, Quentin

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The Red Sox were praised for their approach last offseason, but the Yankees’ method can work too, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  However, just like last year’s Red Sox, the Yankees will have to get unexpected performances.  The Red Sox got surprise contributions from Daniel Nava, Mike Carp, who was acquired for cash from the Mariners, and another from left-handed reliever Craig Breslow.   Yangervis Solarte is giving the Yankees that sort of performance so far and they’ll need more to stay strong throughout the year.  More from today’s column..

  • The Rockies are watching the Red Sox’ Double and Triple-A teams very closely.  Even though the Rockies are off to a good start and assistant GM Mike Hazen tells the Sox have not heard from Colorado about a trade, Cafardo says it’s something to keep an eye on down the road.   The Red Sox’ outfield started sluggishly and the Rockies have a surplus of outfielders, but at this time nothing like that has been discussed.
  • Any talk of Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers being in trouble likely isn’t accurate since he’s been the victim of bad luck more than anything.   “If Kevin Towers got fired over injuries to key personnel we’d all be in trouble,” one National League GM said.  Arizona has lost major additions in right-handed starter Bronson Arroyo (back) and outfielder Mark Trumbo (foot) as well as ace Patrick Corbin (elbow).
  • Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin, who has yet to play this season, will soon begin extended spring training after rehabbing his knee. He could be a trade candidate if he’s healthy since he’s owed $9.5MM this season and $8MM in 2015, which isn’t prohibitive.
  • There’s a lot of sentiment for asking Bud Selig to stay on for at least another year as baseball commissioner, until the owners can truly find a new leader.

Quick Hits: Gillies, Anderson

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Which is the better strategy for building a good team — a “stars and scrubs” approach, or a balanced roster with few stars? Jonah Keri and Neil Paine recently tackled that question for FiveThirtyEight.com, and their answer is a complex one. One can build a good team with either approach, although the “stars and scrubs” strategy might not be financially feasible for many small-market teams. And based on fWAR, the most balanced rosters (such as that of the 1976 Pirates) tend to be much better teams than the most unbalanced rosters (such as that of the 2004 Diamondbacks, which featured Randy Johnson, Brandon Webb and little else). Johnson finished second in Cy Young balloting that year and led the league with 290 strikeouts, and yet the Diamondbacks still finished 51-111, proving pretty clearly that it’s almost impossible for one player to carry an entire 25-man roster. Here are more notes from around baseball.

  • The Phillies have suspended outfielder Tyson Gillies for three games for doing damage to a bat rack and wall after striking out four times in a Triple-A game, Matt Gelb of the Inquirer reports. Gillies was one of three players the Phillies acquired when they shipped Cliff Lee to the Mariners in 2009. At 25, he continues to struggle at the Triple-A level and still hasn’t made it to the big leagues.
  • The Rockies have placed pitcher Brett Anderson on the 60-day disabled list, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets. Anderson had surgery on a fractured finger. The Rockies acquired Anderson from the Athletics in December for Drew Pomeranz and Chris Jensen, and it looks like they’re going to get very little out of him in the first half of the season.

Minor Moves: Simon Castro, Brian Bixler

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Here are today’s notable minor league transactions, with the latest moves at the top of the page…

  • Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports that the Rockies have inked right-hander Simon Castro to a minor league deal (Twitter link). A former top prospect in the Padres system, Castro was traded to the White Sox along with left-hander Pedro Hernandez in exchange for Carlos Quentin back in 2011. Castro was a Top 60 prospect in 2010-11 according to both BA and Baseball Prospectus, but his stock has obviously tumbled since that time. He posted a 5.83 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 92 2/3 innings for the Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in 2013 and has a career 6.44 ERA at the Triple-A level. Castro has been excellent at Class-A and Double-A, although BA wrote following the 2012 season that his slider and changeup have lost their effectiveness. The scouting report did note, however, that he flashed a splitter that could complement his 90-95 mph fastball in the bullpen should he abandon his role as a starter.
  • The Padres have signed utiltyman Brian Bixler to a minor league deal and he’ll report to Double-A, MLB.com’s Corey Brock reports (Twitter link).  Bixler signed a minor league contract with the Phillies in February but was released earlier this month.  The versatile Bixler hit .189/.249/.269/ in 356 PA with the Pirates, Nationals and Astros from 2008-12 and he spent 2013 with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Rockies Sign Rafael Betancourt

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The Rockies and right-hander Rafael Betancourt have agreed to terms on a minor league deal, the team announced via Twitter. Betancourt, who is represented by Octagon, will report to extended Spring Training with the Rockies. Troy Renck of the Denver Post calls the signing a “formality,” noting that his plan is to work out in extended Spring Training with an eye toward pitching in the Majors late this summer (Twitter link).

Betancourt, who turns 39 next week, is attempting a comeback from Tommy John surgery at a late stage in his career. Last August, when Betancourt decided to undergo the procedure, he acknowledged that it could be the end of the line but stated that he’d attempt to rehab and make a comeback. Of course, due to his injury, the Rockies declined a $4.25MM option to retain his services after the season ended.

Betancourt’s entire career to this point has been split between the Indians and the Rockies. He took over as Colorado’s closer in 2011 and saved 31 games for the Rox in 2012. Always an excellent setup man in Cleveland (with the exception of a fluke 2008 season), Betancourt stepped up his game with the Rockies and posted a 3.08 ERA with 10.5 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and 57 saves in 236 1/3 innings with Colorado from 2009-13.

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