MLBTR Mailbag: KBO, Rangers, Reds, Dickey, Sano
Thanks for all of your questions this week. Remember that you can ask about whatever is on your mind in our Tuesday afternoon chats (~2pm central) or through the Mailbag email address: mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com.
Jung Ho Kang has surprised alot of people playing above the Pirates initial expectations. What other KBO players, besides Nexen’s Byung Ho Park, do you believe can make the transition from the KBO to MLB? — Art Y.
Lotte Giants third baseman Jae-gyun Hwang is one name I’ve been told to keep an eye out for. He’s 28 years old, won’t turn 29 until next July and is hitting .286/.343/.531 with 24 home runs this season. Those numbers aren’t as gaudy as Kang’s or those of Park, but I’d imagine that Hwang will garner some interest from Major League teams this offseason if his team posts him. Hwang won the KBO’s home run derby in 2015 and will be coming off a pair of impressive seasons in Korea.
How is the Rangers’ starting rotation shaping up for 2016? Are there any big name prospects that could be inserted next year? And who do you think the staff ace will be, Darvish or Hamels? — Kenny K.
The Rangers traded a number of their top prospects — including Jake Thompson, Jerad Eickhoff, and Alec Asher — to the Phillies in the Cole Hamels trade. The team still has Chi Chi Gonzalez, a former first-round pick, as an option in the farm system, but I think they’ll look to add at least one more proven arm this winter. Yu Darvish is a better pitcher than Hamels, for my money, but how he recovers from Tommy John remains to be seen. I don’t think the Rangers are concerned about putting an “ace” label on either one of them, nor should they be.
I’d expect next season’s rotation to include Darvish, Hamels, Derek Holland, Martin Perez and either Gonzalez or a starter that isn’t currently in the organization. Nick Martinez and Nick Tepesch are serviceable stopgaps, but the Hamels acquisition was made primarily to help this team contend in 2016 and beyond. Whether they look to re-sign Yovani Gallardo or add a similarly established mid-rotation arm like Ian Kennedy or Mike Leake, adding some certainty makes sense given the injury troubles they’ve had in recent seasons.
With the Reds being heavily invested in Votto/Bruce/Bailey and seemingly committed to Hamilton, what are best steps to get back into contention? Of course Winker and Stephenson are pieces; what else might be explored? — Tony R.
Getting “back into contention” seems to imply that the team can do so in 2016, and I don’t believe that to be the case. The Cardinals, Pirates and Cubs, as currently constituted, make the NL Central the toughest division in baseball. The Reds’ best bet, in my eyes, is to spend another season trying to bolster their crop of young talent. There are too many questions — Billy Hamilton‘s OBP, the health of Homer Bailey, Zack Cozart and Devin Mesoraco, a disastrous bullpen beyond Aroldis Chapman — to make a run at the division realistic.
Moving Brandon Phillips‘ contract to clear an everyday spot for Eugenio Suarez at second base would be a good start to things for the Reds this winter. He can still play a solid second base, and 2015 has been a nice rebound for Phillips, but shedding a nice chunk of the $27MM he’s owed would be highly beneficial.
Chapman, Jay Bruce and even Todd Frazier are all names the Reds should be willing to listen on, as they’re a small market club that probably can’t afford to meet the long-term asking price of Frazier or Chapman. Spend another year stockpiling pitching to pair with Raisel Iglesias, a hopefully revitalized Bailey and Anthony DeSclafani (though DeSclafani’s platoon woes — 4.85 FIP/4.76 xFIP vs. left-handed hitters — are troublesome).
Should Toronto exercise Dickey’s $12 million option or can they acquire a superior, or equal, SP in the FA market at the same price? — Pete T.
Dickey’s poor start and still-underwhelming season numbers lead me to believe most people think this answer’s a flat no, but for me, it’s a yes. The Blue Jays hold a $12MM option with a $1MM buyout on Dickey’s age-41 season, making it an $11MM decision.
R.A. Dickey has been incredibly durable, and the relative certainty of 200+ innings carries extra value for a club that has so many question marks throughout the rest of its rotation. Also at play is the fact that Dickey has quietly had a very strong few months. After a poor start to the year, he’s sporting a 3.19 ERA in 118 2/3 innings. FIP (3.98) and xFIP (4.65) are less optimistic in that time, but Dickey has maintained a well-below-average BABIP over the past six seasons, making the .279 mark he’s posted in this recent stretch seem more sustainable.
The Blue Jays didn’t get the ace they’d hoped when they acquired Dickey, and the price they paid (Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud) looks poor in hindsight. But Dickey doesn’t need to be an ace by any stretch of the means to justify an additional $11MM of spending on a one-year deal. That’s mid-rotation starter money, and he still fits that bill.
Why does it seem that every news outlet says Carlos Correa is going to win AL ROY when Miguel Sano has played better than him? — Jackson L.
Sano has out-hit Correa by a wide margin, but he’s done so in 100 fewer plate appearances while spending nearly all of his time at DH. Correa’s played a respectable shortstop while hitting about 35 percent better than the league-average bat this season. The average shortstop, in comparison, has been about 15 percent worse than the league-average bat in 2015. Sano’s been absolutely outstanding, but he lacks the playing time Correa has amassed, and more importantly, defense matters. If anyone were going to steal it from Correa, my vote would go to Francisco Lindor. Sano is in the mix, to be sure, but he’d need a poor finish from Correa and continued dominance at the plate to pass him up.
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/6/15
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- Astros right-hander Jake Buchanan has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports (via Twitter). Houston designated Buchanan for assignment earlier this week. Buchanan has allowed two runs in nine relief innings for the Astros this season, and he has a 4.06 ERA, 5.1 K/9 and 1.56 K/BB over 44 1/3 career frames.
- Check out the MLB Trade Rumors DFA Tracker to keep up on the status of several players awaiting their next assignments.
AL West Notes: Zych, Zito, A’s, Astros
Mariners right-hander Tony Zych made his Major League debut on Friday night and gained an unusual distinction in the process. Of the thousands of players who have appeared in an MLB game, Zych is now alphabetically last on the list, replacing past Dutch Zwilling (who last played in 1916). “Breaking a record is pretty cool. I really didn’t have to do much for that one,” Zych tells Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. As Dutton notes, the Mariners have also previously employed the first player alphabetically in baseball history (David Aardsma) and the first player with a hyphenated name (Ryan Rowland-Smith). Here’s more from around the AL West…
- Barry Zito has heard from the Athletics that he won’t be called up this month, the veteran southpaw tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Zito last pitched in the majors in 2013 and sat out 2014 before signing a minor league deal with the A’s last February. He’s posted a 3.48 ERA, 5.9 K/9 and 1.50 K/BB rate over 137 innings this season though he hasn’t pitched in over a month due to shoulder tendinitis. Zito will complete his recovery throwing program to give himself the option of continuing his career, though this could well be it for the former Cy Young Award winner.
- Also from Slusser, she notes that a number of scouts were in attendance to specifically watch A’s righty Jesse Chavez in his most recent start. Chavez is “coveted by many teams for his versatility” and is “unlikely to be in next year’s rotation,” Slusser writes. Chavez drew some trade buzz prior to this year’s deadline and eligible for free agency after the 2016 season, so it makes sense that the A’s could explore dealing him now with so much interest in his services.
- The Astros‘ run to the top of the AL West has produced only a modest increase in attendance, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle writes. A number of factors are cited, perhaps chiefly that Houston fans may simply be a bit slow to jump back on the bandwagon since the Astros had been so terrible in recent seasons. Drellich also looks at some of the ways in which all MLB teams share marketing and ticketing strategies with the rest of the league.
- Astros closer Luke Gregerson finished his 45th game of the season today, earning him an extra $250K in salary for 2016, as noted by Drellich (Twitter link). Gregerson has pitched very well in the first year of his three-year, $18.5MM deal with Houston and with the bonus, his 2016 salary now jumps to $6.5MM. More bonus money is still available, as he’ll earn another $250K at each of the 50-, 55- and 57-finish thresholds.
- Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times breaks down the pros and cons of four candidates for the Mariners‘ GM job. Of the names listed, Divish thinks former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto could be the favorite, as Dipoto was a finalist for the Seattle job before Jack Zduriencik was hired.
- Shane Victorino has embraced his platoon role since joining the Angels in the name of helping the club, he tells MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. Still, the veteran outfielder says he hopes to return to full-time action next season and is planning to retrain himself to switch-hit after injuries forced him to become a full-time righty bat in 2013.
Injury Notes: Harvey, Stanton, Pedroia, Aoki, Susac, Sanchez, Feldman
The still-brewing shutdown controversy between Matt Harvey and the Mets still has an uncertain conclusion, but there are plenty of incremental updates to share. Noted Tommy John expert Neal ElAttrache, who is said to have consulted with agent Scott Boras on Harvey, spoke about the matter with Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. He explained that there could be a reasonable path for Harvey to throw in the postseason by “spacing out his starts and keeping his arm live, using him if necessary in September to keep him competitive and save some bullets for the postseason.” But ElAttrache also noted that even 180 innings pitched “does start to raise some flags, because now he’s in no man’s land” in comparison to past pitchers recovering from a TJ procedure. Boras, meanwhile, said that both the team and the player want him to continue throwing, and that his concern “is that the medical experts are involved in the process of determining what Matt Harvey can do.”
Here’s more on Harvey and some other injury situations around the game:
- It remains unclear where things will go from here, but one Mets official indicated to ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin that the team strongly expects to utilize its righty in October (Twitter link). Mike Puma of the New York Post adds on Twitter that Harvey “didn’t anticipate the backlash” and “might have a few second thoughts about his comments” from yesterday. Meanwhile, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post and ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Insider link) are among those who have suggested that the current situation could — and, perhaps, should — provide impetus for the team to trade Harvey over the coming winter.
- Marlins star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton acknowledges that there’s a chance he won’t return this year, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. Stanton, who is still trying to work back from a broken hamate bone, is still holding out hopes of a return, and at worst should certainly be at full speed next spring.
- Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox, meanwhile, could play as soon as Tuesday, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports on Twitter. The veteran second baseman has been working back from a hamstring injury.
- Giants outfielder Nori Aoki is dealing with recurring concussion symptoms that could jeopardize his season, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports. The 33-year-old, who owns a .287/.353/.380 slash and 14 steals over 392 plate appearances on the year, has struggled to remain healthy and productive in the second half. He can be controlled through a $5.5MM club option next year, which looks to be an appealing price tag so long as he is able to recover from the injury.
- The Giants are also going to be without promising young catcher Andrew Susac the rest of the way, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter links). Susac, 25, has suffered ligament damage to his wrist which will also cost him a chance to play winter ball, though it seems he should be ready for Spring Training. It’s another blow to San Francisco’s depth as the club struggles to remain in the hunt down the stretch. Susac has seen his name come up as an acquisition target for other clubs, particularly given the presence of Buster Posey behind the dish for the Giants. The injury could take him out of such consideration for at least some time, though the team’s level of interest in dealing him has never been clear. Fellow backstop Jackson Williams has had his contract purchased, with Susac hitting the 60-day DL to clear 40-man space.
- Fellow Giants backstop Hector Sanchez may also be out of action until 2016, as Shea tweets. The 25-year-old Sanchez has an injured ankle and hamstring.
- The outlook for Astros righty Scott Feldman “doesn’t seem good,” according to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The 32-year-old is dealing with right shoulder inflammation, and while a recent MRI revealed no structural damage, it seems that his throwing session yesterday did not go well. Fortunately for Houston, the club has a variety of rotation options to fill in, though it certainly hurts to lose another solid arm. Houston has Feldman under contract for one more season after this one at a $8MM salary.
AL Notes: Elston, Profar, Red Sox
Former Astros and Colts Hall of Fame broadcaster Gene Elston has passed away, the Astros announced via press release. Elston, 93, was a regular fixture for Houston radio listeners from 1962 through 1986. He then worked for CBS Radio through 1997. “He served as the lead voice of the Colt .45s and Astros and called many of the great moments in franchise history. The memories he helped create are cherished fondly by the generations of Astros fans that he touched.” MLBTR extends its condolences to Elston’s family and friends. More from around baseball…
- The Rangers have transferred rehabbing prospect Jurickson Profar to Double-A, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Profar is currently on track to return to the majors as a hitter-only sometime in September. He has not progressed far enough in his throwing program to take the field. He may join the Arizona Fall League as part of his rehab.
- The Red Sox are no closer to hiring a GM, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters including Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. Dombrowski is still in the process of interviewing internal candidates before looking outside of the organization. Boston’s vacant GM job is somewhat unusual. Dombrowski retains decision making authority on all baseball-related decisions. That will certainly make the position less attractive to some candidates.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Amaro, Eppler, Keuchel
Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal, via a video on FOX Sports:
- The Phillies haven’t yet decided what to do with GM Ruben Amaro. On the surface, that seems strange, since other teams could soon hire top GM candidates to fill their open positions. The likely reason the Phillies haven’t made a move, Rosenthal suggests, is that incoming club president Andy MacPhail prefers not to rush decisions.
- Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler is reportedly a top candidate for the open Angels GM job, and he wants the position, even though accepting it would mean working around owner Arte Moreno and influence-wielding manager Mike Scioscia. Eppler is from Southern California and would like to return to the area, Rosenthal says.
- Dallas Keuchel has put himself in a good negotiating position in potential extension talks with the Astros and he ought not to be desperate to accept one, Rosenthal opines. Keuchel will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason and is already set for a significant payout in 2016, one that would only increase if he wins the Cy Young award. On top of that, it’s extremely unlikely that the Astros would non-tender him the following offseason, so he has already nearly guaranteed himself two years of good salaries.
Heyman’s Latest: Williams, Collins, ChiSox, Keuchel, Halos, Dietrich
In today’s edition of his weekly Inside Baseball column, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports begins by highlighting the fact that the NL East division title race will determine the fate of Nationals manager Matt Williams and Mets manager Terry Collins. Heyman writes that while Nats GM Mike Rizzo has repeatedly backed Williams, Rizzo is something of a “chorus of one” — publicly, at least. Ownership is extremely frustrated with the team’s recent play, and Heyman points out that it may also be telling that amid multiple reports of players disliking his rigid demeanor, not one player from the Nats has stepped forward to defend Williams. Ownership has already discussed dismissing Williams, Heyman adds. Collins, on the other hand, is in line for a new contract if and when the Mets reach the postseason. Falling behind the Nats and missing the playoffs, though, would harken back to 2007’s epic collapse and almost certainly cost Collins his job. Then again, the Mets have remaining series against the Reds, Braves, Phillies and Marlins, as Heyman points out, so a collapse seems particularly unlikely.
Some other highlights from the column…
- Jeff Samardzija and another unknown White Sox player were both claimed on the same day that the Yankees claimed David Robertson, Heyman reports. However, the Samardzija claim was, like the Robertson claim, primarily a blocking tactic. Heyman notes that while Samardzija has had a very poor contract season, scouts still love his build, athleticism and competitiveness.
- Dallas Keuchel and the Astros have tabled extension talks until after the season, per Heyman. Houston hopes to lock its ace up on at least a four-year deal — that’d cover his arbitration years and one free agent season — though as I noted when word of discussions between the two sides broke, Keuchel’s currently slated to hit the open market heading into his age-31 season. Delaying his free agency by even one year would probably put a five-year max on the free-agent deal Keuchel could secure, as teams rarely guarantee pitchers’ age-37 seasons in long-term deals.
- Regarding the Angels‘ GM vacancy, Heyman characterizes recent interviews of internal candidates Matt Klentak and Scott Servais (both assistant GMs) as “perfunctory,” believing an outside hire to be the probably outcome. Klentak could stay on in a role similar to his own, whereas Servais is said by Heyman to be more at odds with manager Mike Scioscia. Kevin Towers, Ned Colletti and Yankees AGM Billy Eppler are all listed as speculative candidates by Heyman.
- The Dodgers took on about $150K of the remaining $450K on Justin Ruggiano‘s salary when they acquired him from the Mariners.
- The Marlins are coming around on the idea of Derek Dietrich as a Ben Zobrist/Josh Harrison type of player that can play everyday in part due to his versatility. While Dietrich’s defense isn’t on the same level as that highly valuable duo, the Marlins see him as an athletic bat with 25-homer upside. The 26-year-old Dietrich is hitting .263/.359/.514 in spite of a cavernous home park (138 OPS+) and has smashed 10 homers in 64 games while seeing time at first base, third base and in the corner outfield. None of those are even his natural position, but he’s blocked at second base by Dee Gordon, of course.
New York Notes: Teixeira, Harvey, Bullpens
The Yankees and Mets are both firmly in the playoff picture, with the Yanks currently occupying a Wild Card spot and the Mets holding a six-game lead over the Nationals in the NL East. Here’s the latest on each club…
- Though the Yankees had to put Mark Teixeira on the DL and will be without him for a week, the team isn’t planning to pursue any outside help at first base, GM Brian Cashman tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Astros slugger Chris Carter and the Marlins‘ Casey McGehee have cleared waivers, Sherman reports, and while neither wouldn’t be eligible for the postseason roster if acquired, either could pair with Greg Bird at first base in Teixeira’s absence. However, Cashman doesn’t think the Yankees can find a definitive improvement over their internal options, suggesting that he doesn’t think too highly of either right-handed corner option mentioned by Sherman.
- Agent Scott Boras feels that the Mets are putting Matt Harvey in danger by not strictly adhering to Dr. James Andrews’ recommended limit of 180 innings. “Any club that chooses to defy a surgeon’s wishes is putting the player in peril,” Boras tells CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. GM Sandy Alderson contends that he’s consulted with doctors all year and considered any innings limit placed on Harvey to be “soft” in nature. Boras disagrees: “Expert opinion by medical practitioners is not a soft number. There are no soft numbers. These are medical practitioners providing opinions about when a pitcher is at risk, and when a pitcher isn’t at risk.” The Mets plan to skip one of Harvey’s starts in advance of the playoffs, but the righty has still totaled 166 1/3 innings this season, so he’s on pace to pitch far more than 180, especially if the Mets make a deep postseason run. In that scenario, Alderson said that Harvey would be monitored on a “case by case” basis.
- Bullpen workload is a challenge for both Joe Girardi and Terry Collins down the stretch, writes the Post’s Ken Davidoff. Each skipper has a pair of late-inning weapons (Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances for Girardi; Jeurys Familia and Tyler Clippard for Collins), but each has had a heavy workload that will need to be monitored heading into October. As Davidoff notes, the presence of Clippard has been a godsend for the Mets, who had hoped to rely on a quartet of power arms — Vic Black, Bobby Parnell, Jenrry Mejia and Familia — only to see all but Familia work their way out of the team’s late-inning plans in one way or another.
Astros Designate Jake Buchanan
The Astros have designated righty Jake Buchanan for assignment, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports on Twitter. He lost his spot to clear space for the team’s call-up of lefty Joe Thatcher.
Buchanan, 25, has thrown 44 1/3 MLB innings over the last two years, with most of that experience coming in 2014. He has a 4.06 ERA in that span with 5.1 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9.
Prior to 2014, Buchanan had worked primarily from the rotation. But he’s thrown mostly in relief since. This season, over 80 1/3 Triple-A innings, he owns a 4.37 ERA while strike out 5.0 and walking 2.4 batters per nine.
August Trade Notes: Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Orioles, Astros
Tonight marks the end of the August trade period, and two deals have already gone down today. Clubs that wish to add players from outside their organizations who are eligible to play in the post-season must do so by midnight eastern time. Of course, to be dealt, players must either clear revocable trade waivers or have been claimed by the team that seeks to acquire them.
Here’s the latest chatter with one and a half hours to the deadline:
- The Cubs are “pushing hard” to bolster their pitching staff before tonight’s deadline, Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com tweets. Chicago has already added several veteran arms over the last few months, but apparently is still looking at possible moves over the next few hours.
- Meanwhile, the Dodgers have their eye on a relatively minor addition of outfield depth this evening, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. With several injuries to right-handed outfielders, the club could seemingly stand to put another option on its roster.
- Giants outfielder Hunter Pence may be progressing more slowly from his oblique injury than had been hoped, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweets. Manager Bruce Bochy did note that there hasn’t been any setback, though Pence may have been hoping to feel better in his light hitting session today, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News adds on Twitter. We heard earlier this evening that San Francisco remained active in the market, with outfielder Alejandro De Aza still on their radar and a continued desire to add an infielder.
- While he’s now ticketed for Chicago, Austin Jackson drew interest from the Orioles, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. Baltimore has been said to be quite active over the month of August even as they’ve faded in the standings. As things stood before they lost tonight, however, the club was already 5.5 games out of the Wild Card and a full 11 back in the AL East.
- While the Astros pursued several avenues over the month of August, they appear set to move on with only the addition of lefty Oliver Perez, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle writes. “We made some, a few claims that we didn’t get,” said GM Jeff Luhnow. “And [on]] players we probably would have been interested in working out a deal for, but it didn’t work out. We feel pretty good about the guys we have on our roster right now.”