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Quick Hits: Gore, Trout, Zobrist, Orioles

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After spending parts of five seasons in the big leagues, Terrance Gore finally collected his first Major League hit, notching a single during the Cubs’ 10-3 loss to the Nationals yesterday in the first game of a double-header.  Though Gore has appeared in 55 games since the start of the 2014 season, he has only 16 career plate appearances due to his exclusive usage as a pinch-runner and late-inning defensive sub.  Gore’s speed made him a valuable roster piece during the Royals’ two postseason runs in 2014 and 2015, and he’ll likely see similar work for the Cubs down the stretch this season and potentially into October.

Here’s more from around the baseball world…

  • The Angels are expected to approach Mike Trout about an extension this winter, which The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) feels could determine whether or not the team would ever consider trading the game’s best player.  Management has been adamantly opposed to the thought of dealing Trout in the past, and the general feeling is that Arte Moreno wouldn’t okay a Trout trade as long as he owns the Angels.  If Trout declines an extension or gives an indication that he’ll test free agency when his current contract is up after the 2020 season, however, Rosenthal feels that the Angels “would know where they stood” in counting the superstar outfielder as part of their long-term plans.  The Halos could still just aim to build around Trout over the next two seasons or, conceivably, at least think about the possibility of a trade that could instantly add a lot of young talent to the Angels’ organization.  “One of the best talents in the history of the game is rarely explored in the market. A team might be willing to do something absolutely insane to acquire him. We just don’t know,” one rival executive said about a potential Trout trade.
  • As you might expect, Ben Zobrist has no regrets about signing with the Cubs in the 2015-16 offseason, the veteran super-utilityman tells The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney.  The decision has already led to one World Series ring for Zobrist, and unlike his other suitors that winter (a list that includes the Giants, Mets, and Nationals), the Cubs are still postseason contenders in 2018.  Zobrist has strongly rebounded from a down year in 2017 to hit .313/.387/.458 over 443 PA for the Cubs this season, so it’s fair to say that the team is also quite satisfied in its decision giving Zobrist a four-year, $56MM deal that winter.
  • The Orioles are lacking in multi-positional players, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun writes, giving the team yet another area to address as it enters a rebuild period.  Not even any of the players acquired by the O’s in their deadline deals looks like a candidate for such a role in the future, though the team will be looking at what Jonathan Villar, Breyvic Valera, and Steve Wilkerson can do at multiple positions.

West Notes: Trout, D-backs, Acuna, Giants, Hundley, Holland

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The out-of-contention Angels have arguably wasted another year of control over baseball’s best player, center fielder Mike Trout, with whom they still haven’t even won a playoff game since his rookie campaign in 2012. But even though Trout’s team control is dwindling (2019 is the penultimate year of his contract), the Angels should continue trying to win with the future Hall of Famer – not trade him – Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times opines. While Trout would warrant a massive return in a trade, Shaikin argues that even the best prospects aren’t sure bets to produce in the majors or avoid injuries, using the package the White Sox received from the Red Sox for Chris Sale in 2016 as an example.

Of course, as opposed to shopping Trout – which, despite the Angels’ struggles, has always looked incredibly improbable – the Halos could try to keep him for the long haul. Trout is fond of Anaheim, Shaikin notes, though he writes that there aren’t any compelling reasons for the player to ink a contract extension now. Asked Friday about the possibility of signing a new deal, Trout told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register:  “I don’t know. It’s up to them. Obviously you’ve got to finish out the season and worry about it in the offseason. I don’t want to worry about it right now.” Trout added that his main objective is to win, and while that hasn’t happened in Anaheim, he didn’t throw its front office under the bus. Rather, he rightly suggested that injuries have played a huge role in the Angels’ disappointing season.

Here’s the latest on a couple other West-based teams:

  • Twenty-year-old Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna may be on his way to joining Trout as an elite player, which is a difficult reality for the Diamondbacks, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic explains. The Venezuelan-born Acuna signed with the Braves for a $100K bonus four years ago, but before that, the Diamondbacks believed they were on the verge of adding him for $80K. Junior Noboa, the Diamondbacks’ vice president of Latin American operations, revealed to Piecoro that the two sides reached an agreement in the Dominican Republic. However, rules state a player must officially sign in his home country, and by the time Acuna returned to Venezuela, the Braves had made a stronger offer, according to Noboa. “They accepted it before I could come back with another offer,” Noboa said of Acuna’s camp. Acuna disagrees with Noboa’s version of the story, as he said through an interpreter Thursday: “There was a difference between what was promised and what was eventually settled upon. They gave me an initial number and then afterwards that wasn’t it. That’s why I wasn’t on board with signing.” Regardless, as Piecoro notes, Acuna was not a superstar prospect when he chose Atlanta over Arizona. Thus, whether he’d have developed into the player he is now had he signed with a different team is anyone’s guess.
  • The Giants would be wise to re-sign upcoming free agents Nick Hundley and Derek Holland, opines The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, who writes that re-upping the former “figures to be a top priority” (subscription required). Hundley’s approaching the end of his second season in San Francisco, where he has backed up star catcher Buster Posey. It’s no surprise the Giants are prioritizing the position, though, considering Posey underwent season-ending hip surgery last month and could miss the start of next year. Offensively, the 35-year-old Hundley has made a case for a new deal by hitting a passable .235/.294/.407 (90 wRC+) in  245 PAs. On the other hand, Baseball Prospectus has Hundley ranked among the majors’ worst defensive backstops this season. Holland, a minor league signing last winter, has been a major bargain for the Giants. After his career went into a tailspin with the Rangers and White Sox from 2015-17, the soon-to-be 32-year-old has bounced back to log a 3.54 ERA/3.87 FIP with 8.96 K/9 and 3.54 BB/9 in 152 2/3 innings (31 appearances, 27 starts).

Shohei Ohtani Says Hasn’t Decided On TJ, Will Finish 2018 Season As Hitter

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Angels star Shohei Ohtani says he’s yet to decide whether to undergo Tommy John surgery following the recent recommendation that he do so, as Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group was among those to report (Twitter links). He has made the call, however, to finish out the 2018 season as a hitter rather than undergoing the procedure now.

While it still seems likely that Ohtani will end up receiving a replacement ulnar collateral ligament, he certainly does not appear to be anxious to get things over with. That would allow him to play for another three weeks, albeit at the cost of shortening the breathing room to get ready for the 2019 season.

If Ohtani does have the UCL procedure, of course, he wouldn’t be able to pitch next year regardless. And he’ll have a lengthy span to ready for the 2020 campaign. But the difference of three weeks could certainly impact his ability to participate fully in Spring Training and be fully prepared to function as a hitter at the start of the 2019 campaign.

Notably — albeit unsurprisingly — Ohtani also made clear he has no intentions of abandoning his two-way approach to the game. Given his superlative performances as a pitcher and hitter, prior efforts to function in both capacities, and the fact that he only just reached his 24th birthday, that seemed all but a foregone conclusion even before he weighed in.

Outrighted: Bruce Maxwell, Osmer Morales

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Here are today’s outright assignments, which come in the wake of a wide slate of 40-man roster moves at the outset of September…

  • Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville, the team announced via press release. Maxwell, 27, has been a lightning rod for criticism following his decision last season to take a knee during the National Anthem and his offseason arrest for aggravated assault. Though Athletics brass gave Maxwell a public vote of confidence as his court proceedings were ongoing, the Oakland organization ultimately bumped Maxwell down the depth chart by signing Jonathan Lucroy. On the field, Maxwell has struggled through a terrible season, hitting .182/.207/.309 in a small sample of 58 Major League plate appearances and just .219/.300/.281 through 200 PAs at the Triple-A level.
  • The Angels announced that right-hander Osmer Morales cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. Morales, 25, received an extremely brief call to the Majors, appearing in just one game, facing two batters, and recording one out. He’ll head back to the minors and hope for a lengthier audition in the future. The righty had solid numbers in 50 1/3 innings in Triple-A last season but was rocked for a 6.44 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 5.0 BB/9 and 1.4 HR/9 in 102 innings with Salt Lake this season.

Tommy John Surgery Recommended For Shohei Ohtani

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Sept. 6: Though Tommy John surgery would prevent Ohtani from pitching in 2019, Angels general manager Billy Eppler left no doubt that the Halos still view him as a two-way player in the long run when speaking to reporters in a conference call (link via the OC Register’s Jeff Fletcher).

“We do still see him as a two-way player,” said Eppler. “Shohei has demonstrated the ability to be impactful on both sides of the baseball and that is something that we, and I don’t want to speak for every other team, but I think every team would want impact in the batter’s box and on the mound.”

Eppler didn’t want to commit to the possibility of Ohtani serving as a regular designated hitter for the Angels next year. However, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports spoke with four surgeons who “regularly repair torn UCLs,” with each expressing the belief that Ohtani can indeed serve as the Angels’ DH next season — even while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Certainly, each case is unique, but Passan’s column provides a detailed walkthrough of just how and why those medical professionals believe it to be possible.

And, if there was any question as to whether Ohtani can make an impact at the plate as his right elbow mends, the 24-year-old may have given the most emphatic answer possible last night; just hours after the announcement that surgery was recommended, Ohtani went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs, a walk and a stolen base (video link).

Sept. 5: Tommy John surgery has been “recommended” for Angels starter/DH Shohei Ohtani after an MRI revealed additional damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, the club announced (h/t Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group, on Twitter). It is not yet certain whether he will undergo the surgery, but it certainly sounds as if that will be the case.

Ohtani, 24, has amply justified the hype that formed when it became clear he’d be coming to the majors in advance of the 2018 season. Though some questions formed during his showing in Spring Training, Ohtani has been outstanding both on the mound and at the plate.

While Ohtani has continued to knock the cover off the ball since being diagnosed with a second-degree UCL sprain earlier this year, that development led to obvious concern as to his outlook as a pitcher. He was able to make it back for one outing, showing his typical upper-nineties heat before suddenly dropping off in the third inning.

Whether or not the additional UCL damage occurred during the outing, the fact is that Ohtani will almost certainly miss the entirety of the 2019 season — as a pitcher, that is. Typically, position players are able to return from this particular injury on a much shorter timeline.

It’s important to bear in mind here just why Ohtani was put back on the hill late in a season in which the club was already out of contention. Having received platelet-rich plasma and stem cell treatment, and completed a course of rest and rehabilitation, Ohtani was deemed ready to test the ligament. Had Ohtani instead waited until next spring to take the bump, only then to find that it could not withstand full-throttle pitching, then the recovery timeline would have prevented him from hitting for much or all of the 2019 season and perhaps forced his pitching rehab to push into the 2020 campaign.

The good news for the Angels here is that they are still playing with house money so far as Ohtani is concerned. Because he chose to cross the Pacific before he was eligible to sign outside of the existing MLB international spending caps, he has been limited to a relatively meager signing bonus and the MLB minimum salary. The organization still possesses five full seasons of control beyond the present one.

Still, it’s another hugely disappointing injury for an organization that has had more than its fair share of late. Having already dealt with numerous pitching injuries in recent seasons, this year’s Halos roster went without players such as Zack Cozart, Garrett Richards, and Matt Shoemaker for long stretches. While Shoemaker is now back on track to be a factor in 2019, Richards will hit the open market after succumbing to TJS this summer. The Angels’ front office will face a difficult task in putting together a competitive rotation.

Looking ahead for Ohtani, the news will no doubt re-spark the debate as to whether he would be able to perform as both a pitcher and a hitter at the game’s highest level. Some may now wonder whether that effort will be shelved. But it’s frankly hard to imagine either player or team desiring to cut short what has thus far been an unbelievably successful attempt. In his first attempt at the major leagues, Ohtani has turned in 274 plate appearances of .276/.355/.547 hitting, with 16 home runs and six steals, along with 51 2/3 innings of 3.31 ERA pitching, supported by 11.0 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9.

If anything, perhaps, Ohtani and the Halos will need to assess just how to allow him to perform with the bat in 2018 without jeopardizing his throwing rehab. With nearly six months to go before camp opens, there’s plenty of time for a plan to be mapped out. Though we’ll all be robbed of a chance to see Ohtani’s amazing two-way spectacle for the time being, there’s still reason to hope he’ll be able to resume the grand experiment in 2020.

Angels Select Joe Hudson, Release Nolan Fontana

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The Angels announced Tuesday that they’ve selected catcher Joe Hudson’s contract from Triple-A Salt Lake and created a spot on the 40-man roster by requesting release waivers on infielder Nolan Fontana. Additionally, the Halos called up outfielders Jabari Blash and Michael Hermosillo from Salt Lake.

Hudson’s promotion was necessitated by a pair of moves the Angels made earlier this summer — the trade of Martin Maldonado to the division-rival Astros as well as the Braves’ claim of Rene Rivera on revocable trade waivers. (The Angels opted to let Rivera and his remaining salary go.)

The 27-year-old Hudson doesn’t have the youth or track record to be deemed a prospect, but since being traded from the Reds to the Angels for cash back on June 30, he’s hit well in Double-A and Triple-A — admittedly in minuscule samples. Hudson notched a .970 OPS in seven games with the Angels’ Double-A club before moving up to Triple-A and hitting .311/.380/.478 in 101 PAs. He’s also drawn solid framing marks over the past couple of seasons in the minors and has a career 43 percent caught-stealing rate.

Fontana, also 27, was placed on release waivers after hitting .234/.397/.414 in 191 plate appearances with the Angels’ Triple-A club this season. He’s been on the minor league disabled list since late July due to a hand injury, though, and was a candidate to be outrighted off the 40-man roster following the season anyhow. The former second-round pick was once a fairly well-regarded prospect in the Astros’ system and has consistently demonstrated strong plate discipline skills in the minors.

Angels Claim Luke Farrell, Designate Osmer Morales

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The Angels have claimed righty Luke Farrell off waivers from the Cubs, per a club announcement. To create space on the 40-man roster, the Halos designated Osmer Morales for assignment.

Tonight’s starter, Matt Shoemaker, also needed a 40-man spot after returning from the 60-day DL. He’ll change places with first baseman/DH Albert Pujols, who was shifted to the 60-day DL after undergoing season-ending surgery recently.

Farrell, 27, was knocked off the Cubs’ 40-man roster recently to make way for some preferred late-season roster assets. He has managed only a 5.17 ERA through 31 1/3 MLB frames on the season, though he did post 11.2 K/9 (on the basis of a much-improved 11.4% swinging-strike rate) to go with 4.6 BB/9.

As for the 25-year-old Morales, he recently made his first MLB appearance but obviously did not have a clear place in the organization’s near-future plans. In 102 innings at Triple-A this year, he carried a 6.44 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 5.0 BB/9.

Quick Hits: Buxton, Upton, Nationals, A’s

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The Twins won’t be recalling Byron Buxton to the Major League roster, a decision that puts the team in line to gain an extra year of control over the young outfielder.  The situation has already created controversy, and there seems to be at least a chance that Buxton and his representatives at Jet Sports Management could look into filing a grievance with the league.  In a statement to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), agency owner B.B. Abbott said “We will examine this against the rights provided to all players under the CBA.  Until then, we will let Twins fans form their own opinions about this decision.”  MLBPA executive director Tony Clark also commented on Buxton, saying that the union “will review all options with Byron and his representatives.”

Minnesota GM Thad Levine did mention that the team was aware of Buxton’s service time circumstances, and Rosenthal is skeptical about the three larger factors (concerns about the wrist injury that sent Buxton to the DL, a lack of room in the Twins outfield, and “a performance standpoint factor“) that Levine cited as the chief reasons for Buxton remaining in Triple-A.  Buxton has not only been healthy enough to play regularly in Triple-A, Rosenthal observes, but the outfielder has also been hitting quite well in recent games.  Rosenthal wonders if the Twins’ desire to retain Buxton for an extra season will cost them in the long run, as Buxton may now be soured on signing a longer-term extension to remain in Minnesota beyond 2022.

Here’s more from around baseball on this Labor Day weekend…

  • Justin Upton suffered a concussion while avoiding a collision with Angels teammate Andrelton Simmons during Saturday’s game, the outfielder told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters.  Upton came out of the game and didn’t play on Sunday, as he’ll be out of action until his symptoms fully subside.  Upton’s first full season in a Halos uniform has been an impressive one, as the 31-year-old has 26 homers and a .265/.349/.467 slash line over 533 plate appearances.
  • The Nationals will activate right-hander Erick Fedde from the 60-day DL to start Tuesday’s game, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes.  Fedde has been sidelined with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, the latest in a series of injuries that has set back his young career.  Fedde has only 43 1/3 Major League innings to his name over 2017-18, though he’ll get a chance at showcasing himself in September.  As Zuckerman notes, the Nationals may use Gio Gonzalez’s former rotation spot to give starts to multiple young arms, including Fedde and possibly Joe Ross, who is on track to make his return from Tommy John surgery sometime this month.
  • With the Athletics rolling, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders why the team hasn’t extended manager Bob Melvin, who is only under contract through the 2019 season.  Failing to keep Melvin (or, for that matter, baseball operations head Billy Beane and GM David Forst) from “lame-duck status” in the final year of their deals threatens to undermine the progress that the A’s have made this season, Shea opines.  Back in June, the Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reported that there some belief that the team’s upper management wouldn’t retain Beane, Forst, and/or Melvin beyond the end of their current contracts.  If this was ownership’s plan, however, one wonders if things have changed in the wake of the Athletics’ hot streak and return to contention.

Minor MLB Transactions: 9/1/18

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Angels have selected right-handed reliever Junichi Tazawa’s contract from Triple-A Salt Lake, the team announced. The 32-year-old Tazawa is finally in position to make his Halos debut nearly two months after signing a minor league deal with the organization. Tazawa has been an effective major leaguer at times dating back to his 2009 debut with the Red Sox, but his career has hit the skids since he signed a two-year, $12MM deal with the Marlins entering 2017. He ended up tossing 75 1/3 innings in Miami from 2017-18 and logging an ugly 6.57 ERA/5.40 FIP, leading the team to release him in late May.
  • The Pirates announced that they’ve selected infielder/outfielder Pablo Reyes from Triple-A Indianapolis and reinstated righty Nick Burdi from the 60-day DL. The club has also released veteran infielder/outfielder Sean Rodriguez, whom it designated for assignment Wednesday. A Pirate since they signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, the 24-year-old Reyes saw his first Triple-A action this season and slashed .289/.341/.435 with eight home runs and 13 stolen bases over 398 plate appearances. Burdi, whom the Pirates acquired via trade from the Phillies at the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, has rebounded nicely after multiple arm injuries slowed his development. The hard-throwing reliever missed most of 2016 with elbow issues and then underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017, keeping him out for the majority of that season and the current campaign. Despite his injury woes, Burdi – originally a second-round selection of the Twins in the 2014 amateur draft – still ranks as the Pirates’ 20th-best prospect, per MLB.com. Now that he’s healthy, the former Rule 5 choice will have to spend 90 days on the Pirates’ active roster in order to avoid going on waivers.
  • The Brewers have released infielder Eric Sogard for the second time this season. Milwaukee parted with Sogard on July 12, only to re-sign him to a minor league deal two weeks later. The 32-year-old hasn’t produced at either the Triple-A level or in the majors this year, however, after offering respectable production in 2017 with the Brewers.

Shohei Ohtani Will Start For Angels On Sunday; Matt Shoemaker To Start Monday

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SEPT. 1: Shoemaker will start Monday in Texas, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

AUG. 30: The Angels announced today that Shohei Ohtani will return to the mound on Sunday, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was among those to report on Twitter. He had not thrown in the majors since being diagnosed with a grade 2 UCL sprain in early June.

In other news, the Halos have activated outfielder Justin Upton from the DL. And the organization called up backstop Jose Briceno to take the roster spot and role vacated by the just-dealt Bobby Wilson.

Additionally, the team indicated that right-hander Matt Shoemaker is nearing his own activation, as Fletcher further tweets. That’s another good bit of injury news for an organization that needs as many as it can get.

Ohtani, 24, has been active on the MLB roster in the meantime, of course. He was cleared to resume performing his services as a designated hitter prior to being ready to return to the hill. While continuing to post impressive numbers with the bat, the Japanese star has been building up his stamina in hopes of making it back into the rotation.

For the Halos, the late-season return of Ohtani as a pitcher won’t make up for the club’s intervening struggles. But his showing will certainly be important for the future. If the right-hander can return to full strength this year without issue, then he and the organization can go into the offseason feeling reasonably confident that he’ll be able to ramp up next spring and turn in a full 2019 season. If things go south, then more drastic scenarios may need to be considered.

It’s not an altogether different scenario for Shoemaker, who has only made one start to this point of the season and was limited to 14 outings last year. The 31-year-old, who’ll be eligible for his third of four potential trips through the arbitration process this fall, had been a solid rotation presence for the club in the prior three campaigns.

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