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Felix Hernandez

Free Agent Rumblings: JBJ, Hamels, King Felix, Marlins, Anderson

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The Red Sox aren’t ruling out a reunion with Jackie Bradley Jr., as general manager Brian O’Halloran told reporters yesterday that the longtime Sox center fielder is “definitely on our radar” (link via MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). Bradley has been linked to Toronto (who hasn’t?) and Houston thus far in the offseason, and the center fielder himself told former teammate Will Middlebrooks in a recent podcast appearance that he’s heard from multiple clubs in free agency. Bradley, 30, is a perennial defensive standout who posted a quality .283/.364/.450 slash this past season, although as is often the case when looking at a small sample of 2020 data, that output was fueled by a frenetic hot streak to close out the year. Bradley hit .248/.316/.352 through his first 117 plate appearances before exploding with a .326/.420/.570 slash in his final 100 plate appearances. Bradley hasn’t been the most consistent hitter, but over the past six years he hasn’t seen his wRC+ or OPS+ dip lower than 89 in a full season. From 2015-20, Bradley has been a roughly league-average hitter by those same measures (.247/.331/.438 in 2751 plate appearances).

Some more free-agent chatter as the virtual Winter Meetings continue…

  • There are “several teams” that have shown interest in southpaw Cole Hamels, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. The soon-to-be 37-year-old is coming off a season almost fully lost to arm injuries, so he was unable to live up to the $18MM contract the Braves handed him last winter. However, as someone who has been a terrific starter for most of his career, Hamels could be an interesting buy-low pickup for someone if he’s healthy. Hamels would consider throwing a showcase for teams if it’s possible, according to Heyman.
  • More from Heyman, who writes (on Twitter) that there is interest in righty Felix Hernandez. Although King Felix, then with Atlanta, opted out of last season, it’s “likely” he’ll return to the mound next year. While the 34-year-old Hernandez had to settle for a minor league contract last winter, the longtime Mariner and former AL Cy Young winner had a legitimate shot at earning a Braves rotation spot before he decided not to play.
  • Right-hander Brandon Kintzler and the Marlins have mutual interest in a reunion, SportsGrid’s Craig Mish reports (Twitter links), but the Fish might not be eyeing him as a closing option this time around. While Kintzler notched a dozen saved for Miami last year, Mish notes that Miami is hoping to add a hard-throwing option to take up ninth-inning duties in 2021. The 36-year-old Kintzler posted a 2.22 ERA in 24 1/3 innings this past season but managed just 14 strikeouts against 11 walks. Kintzler’s hefty 57.3 percent grounder rate helps to offset his lack of missed bats, but his 91.3 mph average velocity on his sinker doesn’t really align with the Marlins’ apparent desire to add a power arm for the ninth inning.
  • There is plenty of interest in lefty Tyler Anderson, per Heyman (Twitter link). Anderson became a free agent last week when the Giants non-tendered him. The 30-year-old had been projected to earn anywhere from $2.4MM to $4.3MM in arbitration, but the Giants decided that was too rich for someone who has historically been a back-end starter. Also an ex-Rockie, Anderson has posted a 4.65 ERA/4.46 FIP with 8.04 K/9 and 2.94 BB/9 in 456 2/3 innings.

Felix Hernandez Opts Out Of 2020 Season

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Felix Hernandez is the latest player who has opted against participating in the 2020 season, as his agent Wilfredo Polidor tweeted this evening.  The longtime Mariners ace and former AL Cy Young Award winner signed a minor league deal with the Braves in January, and was named on Atlanta’s initial 60-man player pool.

Concerns over the COVID-19 crisis prompted Hernandez’s decision, as has been the common theme among other players (David Price, Ian Desmond, Joe Ross, Tyson Ross, Mike Leake, Ryan Zimmerman, and Welington Castillo) who have also declined to play in the abbreviated 2020 season.  That list will surely grow in the coming days and weeks as more players consider their personal situations and health situations around the United States.

In Hernandez’s case, he will be foregoing what was shaping up as an interesting semi-comeback attempt back in Spring Training.  The right-hander has struggled with both injuries and ineffectiveness over the last three seasons, including a 6.40 ERA over 71 2/3 innings in 2019.  Departing Seattle after 15 years, Hernandez caught on with the Braves and posted a 1.98 ERA over 13 2/3 frames of Spring Training work, creating some excitement that “King Felix” had a bounce-back performance left in the tank.

Hernandez was one of the favorites for the rotation spot left open by Cole Hamels’ injury, though the delayed start to the 2020 season has meant that Hamels will likely be available by the new Opening Day (projected for July 23).  This left only the fifth starter job open, with Kyle Wright and Sean Newcomb in competition with Hernandez.  It’s possible the Braves could join other teams in deploying a six-man rotation or more creative methods like openers or piggybacked starters in order to keep everyone fresh, though they will have one less option on hand with Hernandez now unavailable.

Retirement was rather definitively not on Hernandez’s mind last September, and while sitting out the season doesn’t mean Hernandez is any closer to calling it a career, he’ll face a tougher path in finding another minors deal this coming winter.  Despite his past track record, the righty will be hampered by his lack of recent results, his age (35 next April), and the fact that Hernandez will have gone over 18 months without a big league appearance.  The 2020-21 free agent market is also likely to be the most unusual and competitive in history, as team financial restraints could result in a lot of veterans having to settle for lower-than-expected deals, squeezing the market even further for reclamation projects like Hernandez.  That said, there’s no risk to a team in taking a flier on Hernandez on a minor league contract and seeing what he has next spring.

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos On Hamels, Third Base, Bullpen

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As part of the team’s “Opener At Home” special on Friday evening, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos spent nearly 20 minutes chatting with broadcaster Chip Caray about the current state of baseball, the Braves’ roster and some of his offseason dealings (YouTube link).

First and foremost, the GM made clear that southpaw Cole Hamels, signed to a one-year, $18MM contract this winter but slowed by shoulder troubles, is now pain-free. “Under normal circumstances, he would’ve been going right now to get ready to start to prepare,” Anthopoulos said of the 36-year-old, implying that Hamels could’ve been embarking on a rehab assignment. Given that update, it seems reasonable to expect that Hamels will be a full strength if play is indeed able to resume this season.

Of course, that also have a domino effect on the rest of the pitching staff. Per Anthopoulos, two of Kyle Wright, Sean Newcomb and Felix Hernandez would’ve opened the season in the rotation. All three were throwing well in Spring Training, and a decision on those rotation spots was coming “down to the wire,” with the final couple of weeks set to prove pivotal in making that decision. Prior to the spring shutdown, here’s how each of the three had fared:

  • Hernandez: 13 2/3 IP, 13 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 14 K (1.98 ERA)
  • Wright: 13 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 15 K (2.03 ERA)
  • Newcomb: 9 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2BB, 11 K (2.00 ERA)

A healthy Hamels would likely take one of the rotation spots for which that trio is vying, although depending on how a new schedule is constructed — frequent doubleheaders and fewer off-days have been oft-speculated upon — it’s possible that a sixth starter could be needed. At the very least, one would imagine that with expanded rosters early in the season, it’s possible there could be a place for all three.

Also discussed was the Braves’ third base battle: a competition known to be comprised of slugger Austin Riley and the versatile Johan Camargo. Neither player was going to fill the Josh Donaldson-sized void in the lineup, but both had their share of promise. Riley was a consensus top 100 prospect entering the 2019 season and had a strong debut before tailing off over the final few months. Camargo enjoyed an excellent season in 2018 before a step back last year. But while the debate had long centered around which of the two would make the Opening Day roster, Anthopoulos indicated that it was no longer an either-or-scenario:

Camargo and Riley were playing unbelievably well. We hadn’t made a decision yet. We had started to talk — the fact that with the minor league season scheduled to start on April 9, and we were going to start the 26th of March — we had started to talk about just carrying both. There was no reason, really, to leave them down in Florida. They both had been playing well enough to make the team. If it got to a point where we thought one of them needed to play each day, that would’ve been a conversation we could’ve had right when Gwinnett was going to open the season around [April 9], we could’ve sent a player down at that point.

It still seems likely that one of the two would’ve been tabbed for the lion’s share of playing time, but the fact that both were possibly in line for an Opening Day gig is of note. That’s particularly true given not only the likelihood of expanded rosters but also because it’s not yet certain just how (or if) the minor league season will be able to come together. With minor league play even more uncertain than big league play, it’s all the likelier that the Braves would carry both players on the roster to ensure they could get both could get in-game reps — even if it’s on less than an everyday basis.

Asked about his aggressive bullpen makeover — the Braves acquired Shane Greene, Chris Martin and Mark Melancon last July before re-signing Martin and Darren O’Day and signing Will Smith — Anthopoulos was candid about how his moves were shaped by his relievers’ struggles early in 2019.

I think a lot of it was just not having to live through the experience that we had in 2019. Obviously we had a great year — we won more games than we did in 2018, we had a great team — but our bullpen was up and down the entire year. … Having to give up a ton of young assets at the trade deadline is not something we want to have to go through again.

The Braves, Anthopoulos explained, had sought to make upgrades in the previous offseason but didn’t find deals to their liking either in free agency or on the trade market. But the poor first half and the postseason struggles — the GM pointed out that the Braves blew late leads in two of their first four NLDS losses prior to the Game 5 blowout — pushed the Braves to take an “aggressive” approach to the bullpen. Atlanta indeed spent a combined $56.25MM on Smith, Martin and O’Day this winter — plus the $14MM of the Melancon deal they took on at the deadline and a $6.25MM arbitration salary for Greene — in hopes of creating a deeper bullpen that could be called on to hold leads late in games but also in the middle innings.

Assuming the season is able to resume, the Braves will be considered clear postseason favorites, and the depth to which Anthopoulos makes frequent reference in his chat with Caray will be all the more vital if a condensed schedule is to be played. If nothing else, it’s a welcome distraction to hear a top-ranking executive talk about roster construction, offseason maneuverings and challenges/advantages that’ll be relevant the next time his team takes the field.

Roster Notes: Felix, Mondesi, Mariners, Orioles

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Longtime Seattle ace Felix Hernandez looks to be leading the competition for a place in Atlanta’s Cole Hamels-less rotation, Mark Bowman of MLB.com relays. The 33-year-old King Felix has given himself the upper hand with 4 2/3 innings of one-run, six-strikeout ball this spring. Hernandez, who’s competing against Sean Newcomb, Kyle Wright and Touki Toussaint for one of two spots, is attempting to revive his career back-to-back trying seasons. The former AL Cy Young winner’s recent struggles forced him to settle for a minor league contract over the winter, and if he does make the Braves, he’ll earn a $1MM salary.

  • The Royals aren’t sure when Adalberto Mondesi will make his Cactus League debut, but they continue to expect the shortstop to be ready for the season opener, manager Mike Matheny stated over the weekend (via Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com). “It’s just about getting him enough reps to be ready by Opening Day. We should be good,” Matheny said of Mondesi, who’s working back from the left shoulder surgery he underwent last September. Before suffering that injury, the 24-year-old turned in his second straight productive season, totaling 2.4 fWAR with a .263/.291/.424 line and 43 stolen bases.
  • Turning to Hernandez’s ex-team, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times delves into the competition among infielder/outfielder Dylan Moore, outfielder Braden Bishop and infielder/outfielder Tim Lopes for the Mariners’ final two bench spots. The most major league experience of the three belongs to Moore, who took 282 trips to the plate for the Mariners last season and hit .206/.302/.389 with nine home runs and 11 steals. He saw action at every position on the diamond but catcher, even pitching an inning. Bishop’s a decently regarded prospect (Baseball America ranks him 19th in the team’s system), but injuries – including a lacerated spleen – have slowed him down. He made a brutal debut in the majors last season, batting .107/.153/.107 in 60 PA. Lopes hit well, on the other hand (.270/.359/.360 in 128 PA), and has continued to do so this spring.
  • Andrew Velazquez hasn’t been an Oriole for long, having joined the club via waivers two weeks ago, but he’s making a good early impression. Velazquez, who’s among those competing for a bench role with the Orioles, is “migrating toward the front of the line of utility candidates,” Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. The switch-hitting 25-year-old spent time in the majors with the Rays and Indians from 2018-19, though he only combined for 36 plate appearances with those teams. Most of his recent work has come in Triple-A ball, where he owns a .260/.316/.415 line in 648 PA.

Braves To Sign Felix Hernandez

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The Braves have inked former star hurler Felix Hernandez to a minor-league deal, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). It includes an invitation to MLB camp and a possible $1MM salary in the majors.

Once dubbed “King Felix,” the 33-year-old hurler was relieved of his crown in Seattle when the Mariners bid adieu after 15 memorable seasons. For most of those, Hernandez was somewhere between good and great. In seven seasons from 2009 through 2015, he notched six top-ten Cy Young appearances. He won the award in 2010.

Hernandez broke into the majors in his age-19 season, so it always seemed he’d have a chance at an exceedingly lengthy and productive career. The M’s gambled on just that premise with a then-record contract back in 2013. But his early thirties have not been kind. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, Hernandez has thrown 314 innings of 5.42 ERA ball. He’s averaging a pedestrian 7.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 1.7 HR/9 in that span.

The struggles reached new heights in 2019, as Hernandez limped through 15 starts with a 6.40 ERA. He averaged only about 90 mph with his four and two-seam fastballs, while his long-vaunted changeup graded as a liability. Hernandez allowed a 91.4 mph average exit velocity, one of the worst marks in baseball, with opposing hitters turning in a hefty .378 wOBA that was supported by the quality of contact (.371 xwOBA).

So, is there anything left? The Braves aim to find out, though they haven’t staked a ton on the possibility. Hernandez will be given a shot at showing his form in camp, where he’ll join Sean Newcomb and a slew of other candidates doing battle for the fifth rotation slot. It’s still possible the Atlanta organization will make a trade that alters the dynamic. But if not, we’ll all be watching to see whether Hernandez can regain his royal standing — if not as monarch, then perhaps at least as some lesser duke.

Pitching Notes: Ryu, Keuchel, Ray, King Felix

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Hyun-Jin Ryu is very arguably the top starter remaining on the free-agent market, though his injury history is a clear red flag despite the southpaw’s dominant showing over the past couple of seasons. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this week that Ryu was “expected” to top four years and $80MM on his next contract, but on this morning’s appearance on MLB Network’s Hot Stove show (video link), Rosenthal indicated that multiple teams have since told him they were immediately skeptical of that price point: “I heard from a couple of clubs yesterday that said ’That’s not going to happen — not with that medical history.'”

Certainly, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of a four-year pact for Ryu, but the pushback serves to underscore what makes Ryu such a polarizing free agent. The 32-year-old (33 in March) has a 2.21 ERA over his past 265 innings and a 2.71 ERA in 391 2/3 innings dating back to 2017. On a per-inning basis, he’s among the market’s elite options, but Ryu’s age and injury history likely have some teams steering clear of him on any type of notable multi-year arrangement. It only takes one team to push to four years, but to this point, his realistic price tag is hard to pin down.

More on Ryu and the rest of the pitching market…

  • Ryu’s agent Scott Boras, who also represents lefty Dallas Keuchel, chatted with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand about the two free-agent southpaws and (unsurprisingly) offered optimism that a deal could come together in the near future. “Clubs are identifying their needs, and we’re certainly narrowing the corridor of finality,” Boras said with characteristic idiosyncrasy. “It could happen soon.” Meanwhile, Bruce Levine of 670AM The Score/CBS Chicago writes that the White Sox are interested in both Boras lefties, also implying that the team might find it preferable to add a free-agent of that ilk rather than for a one-year rental (e.g. Robbie Ray). The ChiSox are still hopeful of reeling in a rotation upgrade but are wary of surrendering notable young talent for a one-year upgrade.
  • The Diamondbacks’ decision to sign Madison Bumgarner wasn’t made as a precursor to a Robbie Ray trade, GM Mike Hazen tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Of course, it wouldn’t behoove any general manager to proclaim otherwise, and as Piecoro observes, nothing in Hazen’s comments expressly rules out the possibility of trading Ray, who’ll be a free agent next winter. Arizona moved Paul Goldschmidt under similar circumstances, when he had a year of control remaining and was set to be their second-highest-paid player. (Ray will actually be Arizona’s highest-paid player, given the backloaded nature of Bumgarner’s deal.) The strong demand for pitching and dwindling supply in free agency should make Ray a popular target and could position the D-backs to again pick up a controllable piece or two that’s near the big league level, as was the case in recent trades of Goldschmidt (Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly) and Zack Greinke (Corbin Martin, J.B. Bukauskas, Josh Rojas).
  • Former Mariners ace Felix Hernandez has already made clear he won’t be hanging up his spikes. He’s “receiving interest” from teams, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports on Twitter, although the extent of that interest isn’t clear. Hernandez may be a former Cy Young winner who sat atop the hierarchy of baseball’s very best pitchers from 2009-14, but his decline into a back-of-the-rotation arm and, more recently, a liability on the mound was rather swift. Over the past two seasons, Hernandez has limped to a dismal 5.82 ERA / 5.44 FIP in 227 1/3 innings. The scintillating heater that averaged nearly 96 mph and scraped triple digits when he debuted as a babyfaced 19-year-old in 2005 has faded to an 89.5 mph average dating back to Opening Day 2018. A pitcher with Hernandez’s preternatural talent shouldn’t be totally counted out, particularly given that he won’t even turn 34 until April, but he’s purely a rebound candidate at this point.

Felix Hernandez: “I’m Not Retiring”

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Mariners legend Felix Hernandez may have taken the ball for the last time as a member of the organization on Thursday. In what seems likely to go down as his goodbye to the M’s franchise, King Felix threw 5 1/3 innings of three-run ball against the Athletics before an emotionally charged exit from the field in Seattle.

Even though Hernandez’s phenomenal tenure as a Mariner may have just drawn to a close, the right-hander hopes his career hasn’t. Hernandez told Greg Johns of MLB.com and other reporters after the game that his goal is to pitch in 2020.

“We’ll see if I can find a job. I’m not retiring,” the 33-year-old said.

For the extreme majority of his career, it would have been ludicrous to wonder if Hernandez was capable of landing a job in the majors. Unfortunately, though, that’s no longer the case for the longtime ace, six-time All-Star and one-time AL Cy Young winner.

Hernandez inked his current contract – the seven-year, $175MM extension he signed in 2013 – at the height of his powers, but injuries and the significant amount of mileage on his arm have taken their toll over the past couple seasons. In fact, since 2018, no starter with at least 200 innings has posted a worse ERA (5.84) or a higher FIP (5.41) than Hernandez. He ran up an even uglier 6.40 ERA/6.01 FIP across 71 2/3 innings this season, during which shoulder problems kept him out from the first half of May until the second half of August.

Based on the rough turn Hernandez’s production has taken of late, it appears the pending free agent will be in line for a minor league contract in the offseason (if anyone signs him, that is). But if Thursday proves to be the final time Hernandez takes a major league mound, it’ll count as one of the most memorable sendoffs the game has seen in recent history.

Mariners Notes: Felix, Dipoto, Long

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The latest from Seattle….

  • With Felix Hernandez likely approaching the end of his days in a Mariners uniform, The Athletic’s Corey Brock (subscription required) took a look back at the right-hander’s often-outstanding career.  The piece covers Hernandez’s initial signing with the organization as a 16-year-old in 2002, noting that he rejected overtures from the Braves and Yankees because of his good relationship with Mariners scouts Pedro Avila, Bob Engle and Emilio Carrasquel.  From there, Hernandez cracked the big leagues by the time he was 19, and then embarked on almost a full decade as one of the sport’s best pitchers.  His production has slowed since he began his 30’s, however, due to both injuries and perhaps a hesitance to embrace changes to his conditioning and pitching repertoire.  Hernandez (who turns 34 next April) has indicated that he wants to pitch next season, though it’s hard to see him landing a Major League contract this offseason in the wake of a year that has seen him post a 6.31 ERA in 61 1/3 innings while spending over three months on the injured list.
  • At a recent town hall event for Mariners fans, GM Jerry Dipoto pointed towards 2021 as the potential turn-around date for the team’s rebuild, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times writes.  That said, Dipoto added “There is no scientific answer to the question. I can’t give you a decimal point or a dollar amount or a date and time when it’s all going to crest. But we feel like we’re building talent in a traditional way and we’re adding, let’s call it new, modern techniques of player development and player analysis that we feel make us a little bit different. You got to do something a little bit different in order to beat the teams that are out in front of us.”  Dipoto is known far more for his penchant for trades rather than big-ticket free agents, and the general manager hinted that this reluctance to fully dive into the free agent marketplace will continue even when the M’s have more payroll available.  “We don’t intend to go throw that [money] at the free-agent market, because quite frankly we’re not one player away, as you can see,” Dipoto said.
  • Shed Long is one of several young players who have been given a chance on the young Mariners this season, and Long is making a case for himself as an everyday player in 2020, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes.  With three more hits in today’s game against the Pirates, Long is now batting .284/.357/.466 over his first 129 career plate appearances, also filling a void for the M’s as a leadoff man.  It’s been an impressive rookie season for Long, even despite the fact that his Triple-A development was slowed by seven weeks on the IL with a broken finger.  While Long could bounce around the diamond between left field, third base, and second base, he has spent the bulk of time in Seattle as a second baseman, and could be the future at the position if the Mariners were to part ways with Dee Gordon this winter.

West Notes: Flores, Laureano, Mariners

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Utilityman Wilmer Flores isn’t the most heavily deployed player in Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo’s stable, but it’s been nonetheless strange to see the veteran–who is hitting .421 in sixteen August games–sit out since Tuesday’s game against the Rockies. The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro now sheds a little light on that curious state of affairs, as the scribe relays that Flores has been dealing with a back issue (link). Apparently, Flores doesn’t consider the ailment “overly serious”, and Lovullo informed Piecoro that the former Met has been available over the last few days.

That the club is exercising caution with Flores is interesting, considering that Arizona holds a $6MM option on Flores’s multidimensional services next year. It’s possible that the club is nursing Flores and his injured back with an eye on keeping him in the club’s employ next year–then again, it’s just as possible that the sliding club, with a 3-7 record in their last ten games, is simply playing out the string on what promises to be a developmentally oriented close to the 2019 season.

More notes from around the left coast…

  • Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano will get at-bats in Arizona in the next several days, according to information from manager Bob Melvin relayed to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser (link). Laureano has been out since July 28th with a leg injury, and previous reports indicated that he would get some at-bats with High-A Stockton before ultimately being activated. In his first extended big league look, Laureano provided the club with 419 at-bats of .284/.334/.518 production in 2019 while doing some nice things on the outfield grass (his 8 outfield assists rank him 3rd among centerfielders).
  • Mariners great Felix Hernandez returned to big league confines on Saturday, drawing standing ovations from fans while dialing up 5.2 innings of two-run ball in a 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays. While it was a welcome return for M’s fans, it did mean that lefty Wade LeBlanc would be transitioning back into a multi-inning relief role. LeBlanc has gamely offered the Mariners 8 starts and 21 appearances in 2019, although the 5.52 ERA he’s amassed in 109.1 innings goes a long way toward explaining his demotion back to a bullpen-only role moving forward.

West Notes: Felix, Oberg, Dahl

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Erstwhile Mariners ace Felix Hernandez toed the rubber for the Tacoma Rainiers on Monday night and it shouldn’t be long before he’s donning a Seattle uni once again, according to a report from Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Hernandez, out since May 12th with a lat-strain, threw 69 pitches and was largely effective in Tacoma, utilizing an 88-90 mph fastball to limit the Salt Lake Bees to one run over three-plus innings pitched. Indications are that the living legend would slide into the M’s rotation come Saturday, which would end the weeks-long four-man rotation dance that manager Scott Servais has had to orchestrate since the club’s trade of Mike Leake at the MLB trade deadline. For what it’s worth, Hernandez is looking at this return as a moment to savor, saying: “It’s going to be my last year. I don’t know what’s going to happen next year so I need to go out there and show them that I still love the fans and still love Seattle.”

It has been a long time since Hernandez flashed the kind of dominance that he displayed during a halcyon 2009-2014 run, but his return should be a welcome reprieve for M’s faithful during a “step-back” 2019 season. Though they may not be able to count on him to pitch in vintage form, Hernandez’s return–along with expected promotions for prospects Justus Sheffield, Justin Dunn, and Jake Fraley–should help add some intrigue to Seattle’s September frames. Hernandez has a 5.75 ERA since 2018’s outset and is playing in the final year of a 7-year/$175MM accord.

More news from around the left coast…

  • The blood clot complications experienced by Rockies relief ace Scott Oberg last week were a perspective-granting moment for those in-and-around the game of baseball. Though the Colorado org was looking to the veteran to handle save situations in the wake of Wade Davis’ dissolution, Oberg’s emergency hospital admission and subsequent surgery were a late-season reminder of the relative triviality of the game played between the lines. To their credit, Colorado is doing what’s necessary to ensure the long-term health of the righthander, as Oberg will travel with the team to St. Louis to see a specialist regarding his medical issue, per a tweet from Nick Groke of The Athletic (link). Primarily, the team wants to determine the danger involved with this recurrence of a blood clot for Oberg, who dealt with a similar issue in 2016.
  • In less heavy news for the purple-and-black outfit, Rockies outfielder David Dahl was with the team in the visiting clubhouse of Chase Field on Monday, according to a report from Jake Rill of MLB.com. Dahl, who has been rehabbing at a team complex since he went on the injured list with a high right ankle sprain on Aug. 3, will also travel with the team to St. Louis, where he will continue a rehab regimen largely based around activities like underwater treadmill running and throwing. The 25-year-old lefty swinger made the All-Star team this year on the strength of a .302/.353/.524 batting line that is somewhat undercut by his park-adjusted wRC+ figure of 108. Dahl does expect to have a chance to return and improve upon that line before season’s end, although he likely won’t go on a rehab assignment due to the minor league season’s imminent closure.
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