Details On Carlos Beltran’s No-Trade Clause
Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran can block trades to 15 clubs under the terms of his limited no-trade clause, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, who explores the possibility of a deal involving the veteran. Among the teams to which Beltran could be dealt without consent are the Indians, Nationals, Royals, Cardinals, Rays, Tigers, and Dodgers, per the report.
Of course, it’s far from clear whether New York will end up entertaining such a move. The club has moved back to within striking distance in the AL East already, and there’s plenty of time left before the deadline.
Parting with Beltran wouldn’t necessarily mean abandoning hope for the present season, Olney suggests. Shipping him out would free up opportunities for highly-regarded young players such as Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge. They could be expected to provide value now while helping prepare for bigger roles in 2017 and beyond.
It’s fair to wonder just how much trade value Beltran would carry. On the one hand, he recently turned 39 and is a subpar outfielder (especially if one credits Defensive Runs Saved). On the other, he’s a highly respected veteran who is currently running out a productive .274/.299/.522 batting line, largely matching his overall production levels from last season (about 20% above league average).
Salary will certainly play a role, too, as Beltran is owed a healthy $15MM this season before reaching free agency at year’s end. Whether or not the market is receptive to that overall package remains to be seen, but presumably the Yankees won’t make a move unless they receive some kind of interesting return (barring a full-blown collapse in the next two months). That’s especially true given the uncertainty of Hicks and Judge as well as the fact that aging sluggers Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez come with their own blend of health, age, and performance questions.
Injury Notes: Darvish, Zimmermann, Miggy, A-Rod, Brewers
Here’s the latest on some notable names who are either preparing to return from the DL or could miss a bit of time…
- Yu Darvish threw six shutout innings in a rehab start today and is on track to return to the majors on Saturday against the Pirates. The Rangers ace told reporters (including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) that he felt good after the 87-pitch outing, which wrapped up a very impressive rehab stint that saw Darvish allow just two earned runs over 20 minor league innings. Darvish missed the entire 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery and hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since August 2014.
- Jordan Zimmermann left during the sixth inning of today’s game with what has been diagnosed as a right groin strain. The Tigers ace underwent an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, manager Brad Ausmus told MLB.com’s Jason Beck and other media, and it isn’t yet known if Zimmermann will require a DL stint or even a missed start. Needless to say, losing Zimmermann to the DL would be a major blow to a Detroit rotation that entered Sunday with a 4.76 staff ERA, seventh-worst in all of baseball. Zimmermann has been the lone bright spot, and after today’s outing he has a 2.52 ERA over his first 60 2/3 innings as a Tiger. Slugger Miguel Cabrera also suffered a bruised left knee after being hit by a pitch during the same game, though Ausmus doesn’t expect that injury to be too serious.
- Alex Rodriguez will return from the 15-day DL on Tuesday, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi told reporters (including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News). A-Rod was rumored to be set for activation this weekend but Girardi chose to wait until after the Yankees’ Monday off-day to give the veteran slugger extra time to fully recover a hamstring strain.
- Brewers GM David Stearns updated Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on several injured Milwaukee players. Sean Nolin recently received a PRP injection to see if he can avoid Tommy John surgery; the southpaw suffered a slightly torn UCL during Spring Training. Rule 5 draft pick Zack Jones has spent the entire season on the DL with shoulder stiffness and Stearns hopes Jones can begin a rehab assignment in early June. Former top outfield prospect Rymer Liriano is still recovering after being hit in the face with a pitch during Spring Training and there isn’t any timetable for a return. Stearns said there is a chance Liriano could miss the entire season. Also in the piece, as previously reported, reliever Will Smith will begin a rehab assignment this week with an eye towards returning to the Brewers’ roster in the first week of June.
Minor MLB Transactions: 5/22/16
Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball:
- The Rays have promoted right-hander Tyler Sturdevant from Triple-A Durham and demoted righty Steve Geltz, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Sturdevant, who served a 50-game PED suspension last year, is now in position to make his big league debut after accumulating outstanding numbers over 318 1/3 frames in the minors (2.74 ERA, 9.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9). Geltz gave up two earned runs in an inning of work Sunday and ran his ERA up to 6.06 in 16 1/3 innings with Tampa Bay this season.
- The Tigers have recalled right-hander Buck Farmer from Triple-A Toledo and optioned righty Drew VerHagen, per Jason Beck of MLB.com (Twitter link). Farmer has already accrued 8 1/3 impressive innings for the Tigers this season and logged a 2.16 ERA, 10.8 K/9 and 3.24 BB/9. VerHagen threw an inning for the club Sunday and allowed two earned runs, giving him a 7.11 ERA in 19 frames this year.
- The Angels have selected the contract of left-hander Lucas Luetge, who will fill Tim Lincecum‘s roster spot, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. Luetge, whom the Halos signed in November, owns a 4.35 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 89 major league innings.
- The Indians have recalled right-hander Austin Adams from Triple-A Columbus and sent southpaw Kyle Crockett down, according to Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Adams was lights-out over 16 1/3 frames with the Clippers prior to today, putting up a 1.10 ERA, 9.92 K/9 and 2.76 BB/9. He hasn’t been nearly that effective at the big league level, though, with a 4.69 ERA, 6.02 K/9 and 3.12 B/9 in 40 1/3 innings. The demotion of Crockett, who has given up a whopping six earned runs on seven hits in just 3 2/3 innings this season, will leave the Indians’ bullpen without a left-handed option.
AL Central Notes: Maybin, Buxton, Royals, Tribe
Here’s some news from around the AL Central…
- The Tigers will activate Cameron Maybin from the disabled list tomorrow, with Anthony Gose going to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Maybin suffered a hairline fracture in his left hand during Spring Training and is hitting .194/.313/.367 over 115 minor league plate appearances. Detroit acquired Maybin from the Braves last November, and the outfielder will join Steven Moya and Andrew Romine in the outfield mix alongside regulars Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez. A Maybin/Gose center field platoon seemed to be the initial plan over the winter, though Gose’s struggles earned him a demotion.
- Byron Buxton is hitting well at Triple-A, though as La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes, the Twins aren’t likely to call Buxton back up to the Show until he shows consistent production and solid development as a hitter. The star prospect has just a .195/.239/.316 slash line over 187 PA in the bigs and often looked over-matched at the plate against Major League arms. Buxton only played 13 Triple-A games before his initial promotion in 2015, so he may simply need more seasoning (despite how much he’s crushing pitching at lower level) before he returns to the Twins.
- The Royals may not have the prospect capital to make a splash at the trade deadline, Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star writes. The acquisitions of Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist before last summer’s deadline helped win the Royals a championship but those deals also left the club thin on expendable minor league talent. For better or worse, Mellinger opines, K.C. will have to rely on its current roster to step up if the Royals hope to make another postseason appearance.
- Stephen Strasburg‘s big extension with the Nationals is just the latest case of a star pitcher receiving a huge salary, and Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes that the Indians have positioned themselves well by amassing one of the game’s better rotations at a relative bargain price. With a number of promising young arms in the farm system, the Tribe seem likely to use starting pitching as a trade chip to address other roster issues.
AL Notes: Gallardo, Ausmus, Hill
Orioles righty Yovani Gallardo will have a “light catch” over the weekend, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. Gallardo hit the DL on April 23rd but is only now apparently set to test out his bothersome shoulder. Even if he’s able to begin progressing back toward the mound, his timetable remains uncertain. And beyond that, Gallardo still will face questions about his ability to remain effective while exhibiting a rather significant velocity decline that apparently preceded his injury.
Here are a few more notes from the American League:
- Tigers manager Brad Ausmus acknowledges that he is “in the crosshairs” with his team struggling, writes MLive.com’s Aaron McMann. “I knew when I took this job, I was probably going to get fired before I walked away from it,” said Ausmus. “Not this job in particular, but just managing in general. How many managers walk away from a job?” The Tigers are off to a fairly disappointing 14-16 start and suffered through a disastrous bullpen meltdown on Sunday, when Mark Lowe and Justin Wilson combined to serve up seven runs in the eighth inning. Ausmus said he hasn’t heard anything either way from owner Mike Ilitch or GM Al Avila in terms of his job security.
- Rich Hill has been one of the best stories in the league this season with the A’s, but the Red Sox made an effort to keep around following his September renaissance last season, according to WEEI.com’s John Tomase. Boston offered Hill a one-year, Major League deal on the heels of his four brilliant starts down the stretch, but the money didn’t match up to Oakland’s $6MM, per Tomase’s sources. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wouldn’t get into any specific details, unsurprisingly, but he did acknowledge that his team made Hill what it felt to be a competitive offer. “We gave him what we felt was a solid offer,” said Dombrowski. “They did better. It’s always easier in hindsight. It’s a situation where we did like him enough to offer him a nice deal, we thought. Oakland really stepped up, and you tip your cap.”
AL Central Notes: Petricka, Danks, Castellanos, Pitching, Lindor
The White Sox have placed right-hander Jake Petricka on the 15-day disabled list with a left hip impingement, the club announced. Petricka’s DL stint is retroactive to May 2, though there’s no immediate timetable for his return. The 27-year-old has battled control problems all season and is currently sporting a 4.50 ERA with eight walks against seven strikeouts in eight innings of work. Ugly as those numbers may be, a lengthy absence for Petricka would be no small blow to the Sox bullpen, as he’d previously worked to a very solid 3.24 ERA in 144 1/3 innings from 2013-15. Chicago announced that right-handers Tommy Kahnle and Erik Johnson have been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to take the place of Petricka and left-hander John Danks, whose 10-year run with the Sox came to an end when the team designated him for assignment.
Here’s more from Chicago and the rest of the AL Central:
- Speaking of Danks’ pending release, the veteran southpaw told reporters, including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, that he has no hard feelings toward the White Sox organization and is supportive of the team’s decision. “The way my April went and the way the team is playing, I can’t fault anybody with the decision they made,” said Danks. “It’s a win-now league, and I wasn’t helping the team win. You can’t go out there with four-fifths of a rotation. I totally understand that. It all starts with pitching.” Danks heaped praise onto the clubhouse environment and the camaraderie felt among the Sox players, wishing his former teammates luck and thanking the organization in a gracious exit. “I’m a Sox fan for sure,” he said.
- Tigers GM Al Avila admits that third baseman Nick Castellanos, who is in his third big league season despite just recently turning 24, may have been rushed to the Major Leagues, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports in his latest notes column. “Nick got to the big leagues very quickly, being a high-school draft [pick],” Avila told Rosenthal. “… I don’t think he really, fully understood the game. He got there because of his ability and an organizational need we had at the big-league level. … He ended up completing his development at the major-league level.” Avila’s comments come on the heels of what many believe could be the beginning of a breakout campaign for Castellanos, who is hitting a robust .378/.385/.589 this year. Castellanos’ production, though, is being propped up to a large extent by a .455 average on balls in play. That number figures to regress substantially, which will in turn magnify an unflattering 23-to-3 K/BB ratio through his first 96 plate appearances. Nonetheless, Castellanos has seen notable gains in his line-drive rate, hard-contact rate and homer-to-flyball ratio, so while some of the huge upswing in production is smoke and mirrors, there does appear to be some legitimate growth as well. He’ll still need to improve his discipline and still rates as a poor defender at third, but there is indeed reason for some optimism surrounding the former top prospect.
- The Tigers‘ rotation costs more than five times that of the division-rival Indians’ rotation, observes MLive.com’s Chris Iott, who provides a breakdown of the cost of starting pitching throughout the AL Central. The significant sum that the team is spending isn’t lost on GM Al Avila, who implies to Iott that he’s focused on making that unit more cost-effective in the years to come. “It’s very important to develop your own pitching,” said Avila. “You can’t trade for a five-man rotation. You can’t sign five free agents. It’ll cost you an arm and a leg.” Those comments, some might say, run counter to the manner in which Avila acted this offseason when he signed Jordan Zimmerman (five years, $110MM) and Mike Pelfrey (two years, $16MM). However, Avila also revealed that he persistently received calls regarding prospects Michael Fulmer and Daniel Norris this winter but was quick to turn away interested parties, believing each to be a key part of the organization’s future. “Those young pitchers are gold to us,” said Avila.
- Over at Fangraphs, August Fagerstrom lays out the case that Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor is the best in all of baseball. Simply put, Lindor has been the more valuable contributor than fellow young star Carlos Correa since both debuted, with the former’s large advantage on defense more than making up for the latter’s slight offensive edge. Of course, that’s looking at what’s already happened, and it takes much more to assess what we ought to expect moving forward. Projections still prefer Correa’s bat, notes Fagerstrom, so one needs to buy into Lindor’s improvements at the plate and his ability to sustain a high BABIP in order to think he can keep pace with his peer from Houston (and other viable contenders for the crown).
AL Central Notes: White Sox, Danks, Lincecum, Pelfrey
The White Sox are on the lookout for a left-handed bat and an addition to the starting rotation, reports Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago/670thescore.com (via Twitter). Per Levine, GM Rick Hahn and his staff have been “very active” to this point. Levine expands on that statement a bit toward the end of his latest column, noting that the Sox figure to look for a replacement for John Danks, who was designated for assignment earlier today, both internally and via trade. The Sox are turning to Erik Johnson to make Danks’ upcoming start, and the club has other internal options in the form of Miguel Gonzalez, Jacob Turner and Chris Beck. As for the search for bats, Levine writes that the Sox are “kicking the tires” on quality left-handed bats. Levine speculates that Carlos Gonzalez, who could be moved by this year’s Aug. 1 trade deadline, would make sense and could fit into the budget after the Sox saved $13MM with Adam LaRoche‘s retirement. I’d add that lefties Jay Bruce and Nick Markakis both figure to be available in trades this summer, though neither is as strong a hitter as Gonzalez.
More from the AL Central…
- Within that column above, Levine has quotes from Hahn about the difficult decision to designate Danks, the White Sox‘ longest-tenured player, for assignment. “There is no doubt in my mind that after the shoulder surgery he was not the same guy,” said Hahn of Danks. “That was zero fault of John Danks because he did everything in his power to fight back. Really giving the extent of the surgery, it was impressive how much he was able to contribute.” Levine also spoke to Sox stars Jose Abreu and Chris Sale about the move, with Sale plainly stating that “it stinks” to see a close friend that means so much to the clubhouse dismissed from the team. “He definitely left his mark on me and a lot of guys in here,” said Sale. Levine also tweeted following Danks’ DFA that the Sox offered him a chance to go to the minor leagues, but he declined.
- Twins GM Terry Ryan told reporters, including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter link), that he’s undecided about whether to send a scout to watch Tim Lincecum‘s showcase on Friday. The issue, Ryan explained, is that Lincecum wants to start. Minnesota has a number of rotation options in house already, with Ervin Santana slated to return this week to join Phil Hughes, Ricky Nolasco, Jose Berrios and Tyler Duffey. Minnesota also has Kyle Gibson on the DL with a shoulder injury, left-hander Tommy Milone in the bullpen (but capable of starting) and righty Alex Meyer, who got the nod in tonight’s contest (where he struggled).
- While the Tigers aren’t ready to pull the plug on Mike Pelfrey‘s rotation spot, GM Al Avila admitted that the club is concerned with the big righty’s early struggles, writes Peter J. Wallner of MLive.com. “Yeah, we are concerned because he has not pitched consistently,” said Avila. “This last outing, he did show some flashes of really, really good stuff, which is some of what scouts saw in him from previous years that we felt he could give us the innings we needed. All we need him to do is be a solid fifth starter and go five, five and two-thirds and every once in a while go six.” The Tigers will indeed be present to watch Lincecum throw, Wallner notes, though Avila chalked it up to due diligence more than a firm indicator that the club will embark on a serious pursuit of the former NL Cy Young winner. As Wallner notes, the Tigers do have internal alternatives to Pelfrey, including Michael Fulmer, Shane Greene (once he is healthy), Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd.
Rangers Acquire Bobby Wilson, Designate Chris Gimenez
The Rangers have acquired catcher Bobby Wilson from the Tigers, per club announcements. Going back to Detroit in the deal is southpaw Chad Bell. To clear roster space, Texas has designated fellow receiver Chris Gimenez for assignment.
With both organizations dealing with injuries behind the plate, the Rangers and Tigers have exchanged multiple backstops this season. Just before camp opened, Wilson went north as part of the package that brought Bryan Holaday to Texas.
Now, Wilson will return to the club he joined as a minor league free agent over the winter, joining Holaday — at least momentarily. As Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News explains, the team will have to decide whether to protect its depth and stick with that veteran duo, while optioning Brett Nicholas to Triple-A, or instead to keep Nicholas’s hot bat at the major league level. The latter approach would mean exposing Holaday to waivers, and he could well be claimed despite his tepid batting line.
Texas does still have Michael McKenry in the organization as well, and it remains to be seen whether Gimenez will end up at Triple-A. The 33-year-old Gimenez has been rehabbing from an ankle issue, and as Grant notes, doesn’t seem likely to be claimed given his $975K salary. He’d then have a chance to decline the assignment, but might stick around since he’d reportedly earn at an approximately $300K rate in the minors.
As for the Tigers, the return of James McCann made Wilson expendable. They’ll pick up the 27-year-old Bell in the deal. He’s worked in the rotation and the pen in his minor league career. Last season, he posted a 4.58 ERA in 141 1/3 Double-A frames with 7.5 K/9 vs. 2.7 BB/9. Bell is off to a nice start at Triple-A in 2016, though, with just three earned runs logged against him in 18 innings (split between two starts and three relief appearances). He has struck out 19 batters while issuing just five free passes.
AL Pitcher Notes: Wilson, Skaggs, Greene
While the Tigers picked up left-hander Justin Wilson in a trade this offseason with the Yankees, they weren’t the only AL Central club to attempt to acquire him. The Twins, too, made what they considered to be an aggressive offer to acquire Wilson and were surprised that their proposal was rejected in favor of Detroit’s package of right-handers Chad Green and Luis Cessa, reports Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Twins GM Terry Ryan wouldn’t offer any details into his club’s pursuit, though he did confirm that he was well aware that Wilson was available prior to his trade. Of course, the Twins’ alternative has worked out quite well for them to date, Berardino notes. Minnesota picked up Fernando Abad on a minor league deal, and an improved changeup (Abad terms it a “super changeup,” as he’ll throw it as slow as 65 mph) has yielded dominant results: zero earned runs, four hits, three walks, 12 strikeouts and a 55 percent ground-ball rate in 9 2/3 innings. Here are more notes on American League pitchers.
- The Angels are having Tyler Skaggs fly back to Los Angeles to evaluate his shoulder, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. Skaggs, who is recovering after having Tommy John surgery late in the 2014 season, made three rehab starts with Triple-A Salt Lake this month before being scratched last week due to what was initially described as “fatigue” but now appears to be shoulder tightness — a problem that would seem to be at least somewhat distinct from the elbow trouble that initially ailed him. Before his elbow injury, Skaggs was establishing himself as a solid young starting pitching option. It sounds like it might be a bit longer, at least, before he returns to where he was.
- Yesterday, the Tigers placed righty Shane Greene on the 15-day DL with a blister on his right middle finger, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press tweets. In four appearances this year, the 27-year-old Greene has continued to struggle as he did throughout much of the 2015 season, and he now has a 6.80 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 98 career innings since the Tigers acquired him in the three-team Didi Gregorius / Robbie Ray trade in the 2014-15 offseason. Top prospect Michael Fulmer started in Greene’s place yesterday.
Tigers To Promote Michael Fulmer
The Tigers will promote right-hander Michael Fulmer to make his Major League debut against the Twins on Friday, reports MLive.com’s Chris Iott (via Twitter).
Fulmer, acquired from the Mets last summer in the trade that sent Yoenis Cespedes to New York, rated as the game’s No. 47 prospect entering this season, according to Baseball America. Other prospect outlets agreed, as ESPN’s Keith Law rated him 48th, MLB.com rated him 50th and Baseball Prospectus rated him 87th.
The 23-year-old Fulmer hasn’t exactly dominated at the Triple-A level, yielding seven earned runs on 16 hits and five walks with 20 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings thus far. That marks his first action at the top minor league level, as the former No. 44 overall draft pick split the 2015 campaign between Class-A Advanced and Double-A, working to a combined 2.24 ERA with a 125-to-30 K/BB ratio in 124 2/3 innings. BA gives Fulmer credit for two plus pitches — his fastball and slider — and writes that he could be a No. 3 starter or, if durability issues persist, a shutdown arm at the back of the bullpen. Law is higher on Fulmer’s changeup than BA, calling solid-average as opposed to fringe-average. Law and MLB.com both give him praise for an average curveball as well. All of the scouting reports on Fulmer note that he was on the cusp of big league readiness.
Fulmer is already on the club’s 40-man roster, so the club needs only to clear a spot on the active roster for him. That will be accomplished by placing fellow right-hander Shane Greene on the 15-day disabled list, tweets Iott. Greene had been previously occupying the fifth spot in the rotation, and it’s conceivable that a strong showing from Fulmer will create a long-term opportunity for him. Left-handers Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd remain as alternatives in the Triple-A rotation, in the event that Fulmer falters or that further injuries arise among the Detroit starting staff.
Fulmer’s debut will come nearly four weeks into the regular season, meaning that the right-hander won’t be able to accrue a full year of service, even if he remains in the Majors for the long haul this year. He will, however, be a very likely Super Two player if he is in the Majors to stay, finishing the season with 158 days of big league service. The Super Two cutoff is typically in the 2.122 to 2.140 range, so unless Fulmer were to be sent down in the future, he’d be on pace to arbitration eligible four times, should he stick on the roster.
This marks the fifth time in the past week that a Top 100 starting pitcher has been promoted to make his big league debut. Since Saturday, we’ve seen Rays lefty Blake Snell, Braves righty Aaron Blair and Twins right-hander Jose Berrios make their big league debuts, while A’s southpaw Sean Manaea is slated to make his MLB debut on the same day as Fulmer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.