West Notes: Arenado, Rangers, Giants, Astros, A’s
Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado left this evening’s game with a left mallet finger fracture, the club announced on Twitter. The injury occurred to his left middle finger, tweets David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Team trainer Keith Duggers said that the best case is a four to six week layoff, though he’d be out longer if surgery is necessary, tweets Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Last year, Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro was able to play through a similar injury after missing just six games, but his featured only tendon damage and was not accompanied by a fracture. (Moreover, as Alex Pavlovic of the Mercury News notes on Twitter, Scutaro still required surgery, and playing through the pain contributed to an injury to another finger.) For now, at least, Colorado will call up Josh Rutledge to take Arenado’s place on the active roster.
Here’s more out of the game’s western divisions …
- The Rangers‘ incredible injury difficulties are no reason to panic, argues MLB.com’s Richard Justice. While the Athletics are well out in front of the division, Texas is hovering around .500 and is far from out of the Wild Card race. The team is fortunate to have an obvious replacement on the open market in Kendrys Morales, says Justice, and should seriously consider signing him. Otherwise, the club can still look for help from a series of young players — Justice mentions Luke Jackson, Alec Asher, and Alex Gonzalez — who can be asked to make the jump to the bigs earlier than expected.
- That opinion is not shared by a pair of ESPN.com writers. Keith Law (Insider piece) says that the club should be able to acquire Morales for a song, but would be better suited by cutting their losses on the year. In addition to pending free agent relievers Joakim Soria, Neal Cotts, and Jason Frasor, Law says that the club could consider shopping Alex Rios and even star third baseman Adrian Beltre. Buster Olney joins with that general sentiment, writing (via Insider) that deciding to retool for next year would give the club a chance to free up some payroll space and add some young talent back into the system.
- In the same piece, Olney suggests that the Giants could potentially make sense as a trade partner with the Cubs for pitcher Jeff Samardzija. San Francisco has been aggressive in dealing prospects for veterans in the past, notes Olney, and could add Samardzija with the hoping of eventually extending him (much as they did with Hunter Pence).
- In a lengthy piece on the Astros‘ front office, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle provides details on the contract discussions that took place with third baseman Matt Dominguez and outfielder Robbie Grossman. The club offered Dominguez $14.5MM over five years in a contract that would have given the team two option years. Meanwhile, Grossman was made an offer of $13.5MM over six years, again with two options tacked on.
- The key to the Athletics‘ success this year has been achieving true depth, assistant GM Farhan Zaidi said in an interview with Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. “Whether it’s fatalistic or not you always think two injuries ahead,” said Zaidi. “You have a five-man rotation, but we always like to have seven or eight starting pitchers that we feel we could put in the mix if we needed to and still be able to compete.” The club builds in injury risk into its internal projection model, says Zaidi, who notes that manager Bob Melvin plays a role by maintaining contact with players at Triple-A throughout the season. Discussing the team’s propensity for exchanging players, Zaidi said that Oakland “tend[s] to be pretty targeted in players that we go out and try to trade for.” That means the club must also be willing to see a player find success in his new destination. “When you’re really targeting specific guys, rather than having teams approach you about players, you have to be willing to be aggressive and maybe overpay talent-wise to get the guy that fits your specific need,” he explained. Be sure to read the piece for plenty more great information.
Minor Moves: Maloney, Kulik, Olivo, Rodriguez
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Reds have inked former big leaguer Matt Maloney away from the independent Somerset Patriots, reports John Walk of the York Dispatch (via Twitter; hat tip to Chris Cotillo). Maloney, 30, gets a minor league deal with Cincinnati. He played in parts of four MLB seasons with the Reds and Twins, compiling a 5.74 ERA in 91 innings.
- The Rockies have signed lefty Ryan Kulik to a minor league deal, according to the MLB transactions page. Kulik, 28, has played six seasons in the Cardinals system, the last of those coming in 2011. Through 18 1/3 innings with the Camden Riversharks this year, Kulik had worked to a 1.96 ERA.
- Dodgers backstop Miguel Olivo has been placed on the suspended list by Triple-A Albuquerque in the aftermath of yesterday’s shocking dugout altercation with Alex Guerrero, the Dodgers announced. While the term of the ban has not yet been determined, the club says that he “will remain suspended pending the completion of an investigation.” Olivo is one of several backup catching options in the Los Angeles system, though it seems somewhat difficult to imagine the club keeping the 35-year-old around after what transpired.
- The Cubs have purchased the contract of right-hander Julio Rodriguez from the Atlantic League’s Bridgeport Bluefish and assigned him to Double-A, Bluefish GM Ken Shepard announced on Twitter. The 23-year-old Rodriguez has six minor league seasons under his belt after being an eighth-round pick by the Phillies back in 2008. He’s pitched to a 3.65 ERA and averaged better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings in his time in affiliated ball. With the Bluefish this season, Rodriguez posted a 2.60 ERA with an 18-to-10 K/BB ratio in 17 1/3 innings. Baseball America ranked him among the Phillies’ Top 30 prospects prior to the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
NL West Notes: Ziegler, Dodgers, LaRussa, LaRocque, Hawkins
Diamondbacks submariner Brad Ziegler is one of the most fascinating, and most effective, relievers in the game, Rany Jazayerli writes for Grantland. Tracking the notable successes of the small number of soft-throwing, under-handed throwers in baseball history, Jazayerli wonders whether there could be some value in looking for more such pitchers. Of course, as he explains, Ziegler is even more unique than most in that he has figured out how to retire opposite-handed hitters. Here’s more from the National League West:
- For all its talent, the Dodgers‘ roster lacks flexibility, writes Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. That, in turn, complicates any possible maneuvers to upgrade the team, which is off to an uninspiring start. But if upgrades are difficult to identify with regard to the team’s key roles, that could be because they may not really be needed. Los Angeles has an enviable rotation that is not likely to be altered substantially, and actually stands at fifth in the bigs in position player fWAR to date. While it is arguable that the team could stand to enjoy stronger performances out of the bullpen and bench, those are the spots most readily upgraded over the summer. The Dodgers can certainly look to do just that if the struggles continue over the summer, and might also consider displacing or supplementing A.J. Ellis behind the plate. (Of course, the more drastic move of shipping out a high-priced outfielder could also be on the table, even if the return is minimal.)
- The unyielding Tony LaRussa is a poor fit for the Diamondbacks, opines Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. As Passan notes, he will become the game’s oldest head of baseball ops in his first time in the role, and will need to maintain a much broader focus than he did in the dugout. Moreover, while prominent owner Ken Kendrick has cited the need for the organization to better utilize analytics, says Passan, LaRussa is driven first and foremost by his gut and vast experience.
- LaRussa talked about his view of sabermetrics today in an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (via Vince Marotta of ArizonaSports.com). “My opinion is that it’s a valuable tool, but mostly a tool to help you identify talent and then prepare the talent,” said LaRussa. “I think the biggest problem I see is there are teams that have gone way overboard and they are really interfering with the way the managers and coaches conduct strategy during the game by running the analytics and forcing them into it.”
- If and when LaRussa moves to replace Kevin Towers as the team’s general manager, current Cardinals director of player development Gary LaRocque could be a prime candidate, reports Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com (Twitter links). LaRocque has an extensive scouting background, and has overseen the fast-tracked development of many of the Cards’ impressive young players.
- Rockies closer LaTroy Hawkins says he does not expect his age-41 season to be his last, tweets Morosi. “If I stay healthy, I’ll play [in 2015],” said Hawkins. The veteran righty has worked to a 4.11 ERA in 15 1/3 innings, though he has struck out only 3.5 batters per nine (against 1.8 BB/9). He is earning $2.25MM this season, and Colorado has an equally-priced option ($250K buyout) for next year.
NL Notes: D’Backs, Rockies, Cashner, Gonzalez, Davis
The news of the day was out of Arizona, where the Diamondbacks made a bold move to add Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa atop the club’s baseball operations department. Many observers hailed the move, with Jon Morosi of FOX Sports writing that the experienced and respected LaRussa could effect a “cultural overhaul” akin to that delivered to the Orioles by Buck Showalter. Of course, LaRussa’s role will be much broader than that of Showalter, and he’ll face quite a different challenge from the one that brought him to Cooperstown.
Here’s more from the D’Backs and the rest of the National League:
- The immediate reaction to LaRussa’s hiring was that embattled Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers and/or manager Kirk Gibson could be on their way out. After reporting that a further shake-up would likely not occur in the immediate future, Bob Nightengale of USA Today provided some details on the previously unknown terms of the extensions given to both of those team leaders before the start of what has turned into a trying season (via Twitter). Towers’s deal takes him through 2016, while Gibson’s contract is believed to run through 2015, says Nightengale. Of course, that does not mean that the pair is ensured to last until those pacts expire.
- If the Rockies decide to shop for pitching, the club will have plenty of teams banging on the door for a chance to add one of their top two prospect arms (Jon Gray and Eddie Butler), reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link). But Rosenthal says that the team is more likely to bring one or both of those power righties up, noting that the team seems to have solid rotation depth.
- Padres staff ace Andrew Cashner was placed on the 15-day DL today after experiencing discomfort and inflammation in his right elbow. As Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, the 27-year-old says he is “not worried about my ligament at all.” Nevertheless, he will undergo a precautionary MRI on Monday. After a solid 175-inning, 3.09 ERA campaign last year, Cashner has elevated his game this year with a 2.35 ERA through 57 1/3 frames (7.4 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9). He is earning a $2.4MM salary for 2014, his first arb-eligible campaign, and should be in line for a big raise if he can stay on the mound and keep producing at those levels.
- Meanwhile, Nationals southpaw Gio Gonzalez suffered through a second-straight rough outing today, and manager Matt Williams said after the game that the club has been monitoring complaints of shoulder stiffness. As Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports, Gonzalez will undergo precautionary testing tomorrow, including an MRI. When asked if he was experiencing any health issues, Gonzalez gave a response that seems open to interpretation. “Realistically, arm was dropping a lot,” he said. “I guess we’ll see.”
- First baseman Ike Davis has regained his form at the plate since being traded to the Pirates, Jorge Arangure writes for the New York Times. Davis has compiled a .286/.383/.414 line through his first 81 plate appearances in Pittsburgh. In part, it bears noting, Davis has benefited from platoon usage: on the year, he has yet to record a hit in 15 plate appearances against same-handed pitchers, while sporting a nifty .902 OPS against righties. After several up-and-down years with the Mets, Davis said he is keeping his focus on the present and does not bear any ill-will to his former club.
Quick Hits: Draft, Coffey, Hill, Bradley, Rockies, Gomes
Baseball America has released its list of the top 100 amateur prospects for this year’s draft. Interestingly, both Jeff Hoffman and Erick Fedde are still listed in the top ten, despite the fact that the pair of collegiate righties will enter the draft fresh off of Tommy John surgery. Here are some notes from around the game:
- Free agent reliever Todd Coffey impressed in a workout today, throwing his fastball consistently in the low-90s, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). He could sign by the weekend, according to Passan. Twelve to fifteen clubs were represented at the showcase today, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish lists some of the clubs in attendance. From the American League, the Tigers, Mariners, Astros, Athletics, and Orioles sent scouts, while the Braves and Diamondbacks were among the NL clubs on hand.
- Reliever Rich Hill of the Red Sox has an opt-out date from his minor league deal tomorrow, tweets Cotillo. The nine-year MLB veteran has been strong at Triple-A, throwing to a 2.84 ERA through 19 innings pitched with 10.4 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9.
- Diamondbacks top prospect Archie Bradley is set to begin throwing and move towards a return to the rubber, reports Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (via Twitter). GM Kevin Towers said that the club does not have any further medical tests planned at present for the young hurler. Given his current situation, it seems that the club will exercise plenty of caution in promoting the 21-year-old.
- With the Rockies off to a hot start, Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post opines that the club should act decisively to seize the momentum by exploring a trade for Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija. While the price will surely be steep, Kiszla sas that the team should be willing to deal either of the team’s two prized young prospect arms — Jonathan Gray and Eddie Butler — to make a deal.
- The Blue Jays never saw in Yan Gomes the potential that has been unleashed since he was dealt to the Indians, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. In some part, says Davidi, that could be due to the fact that Gomes was buried in the minor league depth charts, such that he never caught more than 58 games in a single season. “Ultimately you wonder if we didn’t have other prospects that were so talented, if Yan had played more, would the development path have changed, would we have had a better feel for him?” Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said. “We were finding places for him to play, but he was never the everyday catcher because there was always someone else who was there.” Gomes, of course, has excelled (and been rewarded with an extension) in Cleveland after coming over with Mike Aviles in exchange for reliever Esmil Rogers. “We always liked Yan,” said Anthopoulos. “Clearly he’s become a better player sooner than we would have expected. That’s not a slight against him, that’s a full credit to him.”
NL East Notes: Marlins, Alderson, Flores, Nats, Uggla
In his latest piece for FOX Sports, Rob Neyer examines the hot starts of both the Marlins and Rockies to see if either club can sustain its success and make a playoff run. While Miami’s trio of Jose Fernandez, Nate Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez is imposing, he also points out that the club’s hitters are playing over their heads. A year after finishing last in the Majors in scoring, Miami is second in the NL in runs after adding Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee but doing little else. As for Colorado, they’ve posted the NL’s lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio, and it’s tough to buy the starts of Charlie Blackmon and Brandon Barnes, Neyer believes.
More links pertaining to the Senior Circuit’s Eastern division…
- Though the perception is that Omar Minaya left a mess in New York for Mets GM Sandy Alderson, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the remnants of that mess are keeping the Mets afloat. He states that one could argue the team’s best players this season were acquired during Minaya’s tenure. Sherman calls Matt Harvey Minaya’s “parting gift” to the team, adding that the trades of Carlos Beltran and R.A. Dickey were made possible because Minaya’s regime brought them in to begin with. He notes that “this is not a final report card” as Alderson hasn’t been in charge long enough for a total transformation, but also points out that none of Alderson’s draftees have made the Majors yet.
- Baseball America’s Matt Eddy profiles Wilmer Flores for Mets fans as the team prepares to install him in its infield, noting that his bat is his ticket to the Major Leagues, but fans shouldn’t expect him to come close to replicating the .318/.357/.524 batting line he’s compiled in the PCL. He also has defensive flaws, as “his slow first step and well-below-average speed make him an imperfect fit at any spot but first base,” says Eddy.
- The Nationals have weathered injuries to Bryce Harper, Doug Fister and Wilson Ramos in large par due to a dominant bullpen, writes the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore. Kilgore notes that offseason acquisition Jerry Blevins has been dominant to this point, and indeed, Blevins has a sub-3.00 ERA with the best strikeout rate (11.15 K/9) of his career in this season’s small sample.
- Despite his well-documented struggles, Dan Uggla isn’t likely to be released by the Braves, writes MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The Braves don’t appear comfortable biting the bullet on his remaining $24MM, but they also aren’t comfortable with him as their starting second baseman. Atlanta is likely to evaluate its other options — Ramiro Pena and Tyler Pastornicky — in the coming weeks before turning to prospect Tommy La Stella for assistance, adds Bowman.
West Notes: Almonte, Chatwood, Astros, Putz
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
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
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
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.