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Angels Notes: Anderson, Escobar, Morris

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The Angels will induct former outfielder Garret Anderson into their Hall of Fame on Saturday, as Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register notes. Anderson hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since being released by the Dodgers in 2010, and he says he’s enjoyed his time away from the game, in which he hasn’t had to deal with the frustrations of failing. “I was a mess in the minors. If I struck out in my first at-bat, I was done. For a good player to become better, he has to put that aside,” he says. “I miss the one-on-one with the pitchers. I miss competing against Pedro Martinez, a guy who could make you miss. Other than that, I don’t miss anything. When it was over, I was going home to be with my family. The game was never my identity.” Interestingly, Anderson credits Mike Scioscia — who appears likely to remain with the Angels in 2017 — with instilling a winning culture that changed the Angels. “We had a third-place mentality,” he says. “We’d have good years but we wouldn’t get the player we needed, so that’s how we played. Then Mike Scioscia came in and after a while I realized, this guy really thinks we can win.” Here’s more from Anaheim.

  • Third baseman Yunel Escobar could wind up on the disabled list, Jeff Fletcher of the Register tweets. Escobar left yesterday’s game after bunting a ball off his face. X-rays came back negative, but he is sore. The 33-year-old is batting a strong .320/.368/.402 in his first season with the Angels. He has a $7MM club option for next season.
  • Angels pro scouting director Hal Morris is leaving the organization to work in athlete development for Fantex in San Francisco, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Fantex is the company that makes deals with athletes, paying them an upfront sum in exchange for a percentage of their future earnings and then offering shares of those players to investors. Its MLB players include Jonathan Schoop, Maikel Franco, Collin McHugh, Yangervis Solarte, Tyler Duffey and current Angel Andrew Heaney. Morris, the former Reds first baseman, was a candidate for the Angels’ GM job before the team hired Billy Eppler.

Angels Expect Mike Scioscia To Manage In 2017

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Angels GM Billy Eppler and owner Arte Moreno both suggested today that the organization expects to retain manager Mike Scioscia for the 2017 season, with reporting via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times and Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. (Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball also reported earlier this week that Scioscia’s job was safe.) Though neither made any firm statements in either direction, the pair of key figures expressed satisfaction with Scioscia’s work in the midst of a disappointing 2016 season.

Now in his 17th year in charge of the Halos dugout, Scioscia has overseen a team that currently owns the lowest winning percentage in any of his seasons as the skipper. The team did post a winning record last year, and ran up 98 wins two years ago, so it isn’t as if there hasn’t been recent success. And Scioscia owns an overall record of 1,467 wins against 1,246 losses.

“I have no reason to believe Mike wouldn’t be here managing our team next season,” said Eppler. “I think he’s done a great job. He’s dealt with multiple plates of adversity and handled them with energy and passion. He’s kept guys optimistic, driven, and I think that’s the mark of a good leader.”

Certainly, the poor results this year have deeper-seated roots than any errors in running the ballclub on a day-to-day basis. The organization’s farm system is stagnant and the team has a lot of unproductive money on its books — though it does employ the best player in baseball, Mike Trout, under favorable contract terms. Injuries have also played a major role in 2016, sapping the Angels of several top starters.

Moreno focused on those unavailable hurlers in his assessment, noting that “it’s pretty hard to win when you have no pitching.” He still seems confident in his long-time manager, who is still under contract for two more campaigns under his massive, ten-year extension.

“I’m not going to say anything [definitive] because I haven’t sat down with Billy [Eppler] or Mike, but I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be [back],” said Moreno. “… He has a contract. My expectation is he will be here, but I haven’t sat down with him.”

The Angels owner went on to say that he still thinks the current roster core is primed for contention in the near-term. “My belief is with a few moves, we can be highly competitive,” he said. Of course, the missing arms will need to come from somewhere, and Moreno observed that “there’s really not a lot of free agent pitching” to be had this winter. Whether or not Scioscia ultimately comes back for yet another campaign, Los Angeles obviously has its work cut out in revamping the roster this winter.

AL Notes: Mariners, Angels, Red Sox, Aybar

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Major League Baseball’s owners have voted to approve the recent sale of the Mariners from Nintendo to a group led by new chairman and CEO John Stanton, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. That step was largely a formality to finalize the major transaction, which also transfers the team-owned Root Sports network. The sale placed the value of the franchise at $1.4B.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • Angels pro scouting director Hal Morris is leaving the organization, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The big league veteran had held his position since the fall of 2011, when he was hired by then-GM Jerry Dipoto. Much has changed since that time, of course, as Dipoto left his post last summer and the organization ended up replacing him with Billy Eppler over the offseason.
  • Of the five young Red Sox international signees who were recently returned to the open market as a penalty for the team’s signing violations, only one — righty Cesar Gonzalez — had failed to sign with a new organization in the immediate aftermath of the move. As Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald recently reported, Gonzalez has now found a new home with the Padres. The 17-year-old was not considered a significant prospect, and landed only $25K from San Diego, per MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter), though he’ll also get to hold onto his original signing bonus from Boston and will get a fresh start with a new organization.
  • The Tigers are looking to just-acquired infielder Erick Aybar for a boost, though they won’t necessarily install him as the regular shortstop, George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press writes. It seems that the 32-year-old is likely to share time up the middle with Dixon Machado for the time being, and presumably he’ll move into more of a utility role upon the anticipated return of Jose Iglesias and Nick Castellanos from the DL later this year. Aybar got off to a hideous start with the Braves, though he had hit much better leading up to the trade. “I know it’s been a down year,” manager Brad Ausmus said of Aybar’s season to date. “He’s not necessarily here to replace anybody. If he comes in here and plays well he’ll play. Simple as that. We’re in the business of winning baseball games. If he helps us win baseball games he’ll play.”

Injury Notes: McCullers, Cain, Gray, Ross, Soto

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The Astros still don’t know whether they can expect top young righty Lance McCullers Jr. to return this season from his elbow woes, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports on Twitter. “We won’t know until he gets evaluated in a week,” said manager A.J. Hinch. “It’s all guess work at this point.” After climbing back from a rough start to the year, Houston now sits just one game over .500 and is in danger of falling out of contention. The 22-year-old McCullers owns a 3.22 ERA — matching his results from a season ago — and is sorely missed.

Here are some more notable pieces of information on the injury front:

  • Giants righty Matt Cain is headed to the DL with a lower back strain, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to tweet. San Francisco activated righty Cory Gearrin from his own DL stint in a concurrent move, which does at least bolster the pen. It seems possible that veteran righty Jake Peavy could slide back into the rotation in place of Cain, who hasn’t completed six innings in a start since May 21st and was tagged for 11 earned runs over his last two outings.
  • While it’s still far from a sure thing, the Athletics may yet welcome back righty Sonny Gray this year, manager Bob Melvin said yesterday. As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, the 26-year-old staff ace is beginning plyometric workouts and is feeling better. He recently hit the disabled list with a forearm strain and has struggled all year long, compiling an uncharacteristic 5.74 ERA in 116 innings of work.
  • Tyson Ross has made it through a 30-pitch live BP session with added pen work, giving some hope that he’ll return for the Padres late this year, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). Still, the veteran righty will need to throw another such session before a rehab stint can be considered as he tries to return from shoulder troubles. With just one outing on his record for the season, Ross won’t command much if any raise on his $9.625MM arbitration salary in his final year of eligibility, but it will surely be difficult for the Pads to trade him over the winter if he can’t return to full health by the end of the year. Ross may yet feature as a spring or mid-season trade candidate next season, as he’ll qualify for free agency after the 2017 campaign.
  • The Angels placed catcher Geovany Soto on the 15-day DL with knee inflammation, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Soto had appeared to be a plausible August trade candidate, but his knee surgery earlier this year seems to have lingered. The 33-year-old carries a useful .269/.321/.487 slash on the year, though he has compiled that in only 86 plate appearances. He is set to return to the open market at season’s end.

Heyman’s Latest: Managers, White Sox, Yunel, Dodgers, Puig, Norris, Rangers

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Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports kicks off his weekly Inside Baseball column with a look at the job security of a number of managers, noting that Mets skipper Terry Collins, D-backs manager Chip Hale and White Sox manager Robin Ventura could all be on the hot seat, while Braves interim manager Brian Snitker doesn’t seem especially likely to shed the interim label and keep his post. Other names mentioned include Mike Scioscia (Angels), Brad Ausmus (Tigers), Kevin Cash (Rays), Paul Molitor (Twins), Bryan Price (Reds) and Walt Weiss (Rockies), but none from that group seems to be eminently in danger of losing his job even at season’s end, per Heyman.

Some highlights from the lengthy column…

  • White Sox GM Rick Hahn was far more in favor of a deadline sale than owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Heyman writes, but the Sox ultimately held onto nearly all of their tradeable assets, with the exception of left-hander Zach Duke, suggesting that Hahn ultimately wasn’t given the go-ahead to operate as he might’ve wished. The Sox haven’t put Chris Sale on trade waivers yet, Heyman notes, though that decision is a moot point. He’d be claimed by the first team available — the Twins, as things currently stand — and pulled back off waivers. Chicago had interest in Gary Sanchez when the Yankees were looking at Sale, he adds, though that’s not much of a surprise. Catcher has long been a weak spot in Chicago, and Sanchez is among the more highly regarded prospects in all of baseball.
  • There wasn’t much chatter pertaining to Yunel Escobar prior to the non-waiver trade deadline (and there’s been less in August), but Heyman writes that Escobar did draw interest in July. However, the Angels like what he’s been able to give to the club offensively, batting .316/.365/.397 in 474 plate appearances. I’m not sure I see the logic behind not being willing to move Escobar but trading a similarly priced and very arguably more valuable asset with the same amount of club control (Hector Santiago) for what amounted to an injured prospect, but perhaps the Halos simply didn’t receive an offer to their liking for Escobar.
  • The Dodgers “love” Rich Hill and were planning to pursue him last winter until Brett Anderson accepted the team’s qualifying offer, per Heyman. Those two don’t seem like they should’ve been mutually exclusive — the Dodgers went out and signed Kenta Maeda and Scott Kazmir following Anderson’s acceptance of the QO, after all — but perhaps the Dodgers either couldn’t guarantee a rotation spot or didn’t find the notion of two starters with such recent injury woes to be palatable. Either way, if the Dodgers are as fond of Hill as Heyman indicates, it seems likely that they’ll be in the mix to re-sign him come the offseason.
  • One executive from a non-Dodgers club opined to Heyman that no team will claim Yasiel Puig if and when he’s placed on revocable waivers and added, “…if they do, they’re going to get him.” Furthermore, Heyman writes that it isn’t likely that Puig will rejoin the Dodgers at any point this season, as he has “turned off” many of his teammates. It seems difficult to fathom that the Dodgers wouldn’t bring him back in the month of September when rosters expand, but we’ll find out in just a few weeks — if Puig isn’t dealt first.
  • The Padres have yet to put Derek Norris on trade waivers, and Heyman calls him a more likely offseason trade candidate. The Indians showed mild interest but ultimately decided that their internal options were preferable to Norris, who is once again struggling tremendously following a strong showing at the plate from May 1 through the All-Star break. Heyman also notes that the Padres are interested enough in Puig to at least be thinking about it and points out the connection between pro scouting director Logan White and Puig. White was the Dodgers VP of amateur scouting prior to his Padres gig and was one of the execs that recommended Puig to his colleagues.
  • The Rangers weren’t able to swing a deal for any of the big-name starters they pursued, but that’s in part due to the asking prices they received. The Rays asked the Rangers for Jurickson Profar and other pieces in exchange for Matt Moore, while Rougned Odor’s name was suggested by the Rays in Chris Archer talks and by the White Sox in talks for Chris Sale.

Garrett Richards Resumes Throwing

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It’s not often that news relating to an ulnar collateral ligament is promising, but it certainly seems as if there’s now real hope that Angels righty Garrett Richards can avoid Tommy John surgery. The staff ace’s latest trip to the doctor revealed sufficient healing that he can begin throwing, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report (Twitter links).

Richards did indeed pick up the ball today, making 25 tosses from 45 feet. He says that it felt like the first day of spring camp — which seemingly represents yet another sign of hope. Presumably, his throwing program will be heavily dependent upon how he feels and will proceed at a measured pace.

While there are still many hurdles remaining for the 28-year-old, it is remarkable that he has made it this far in his endeavor to avoid going under the knife. At the time that Richards’s UCL tear was first reported, in early May, the assumption was that he was headed for a procedure. While some minor tears don’t require surgery, his was initially seen as a clear case.

It was surprising, then, when the news emerged that Richards — as well as lefty Andrew Heaney — would attempt a platelet-rich plasma and stem cell treatment. By not immediately undertaking a TJ procedure, Richards sacrificed any chance of returning for the end of next season if he did ultimately have it performed. But he also gained the possibility, however slight it seemed, of pitching a full 2017 season.

Heaney chose the same path, but ultimately did not show sufficient improvement and ended up with a replacement UCL. But Richards has continued to respond to the treatment, saying recently that his arm feels great. It still remained to be seen whether and when his doctors would clear him to throw, but he finally was allowed to do so with promising results.

While it is certainly fantastic news that Richards has reached this point, the true tests are yet to come. The expectation is that he’ll try to build up towards competitive action this fall — perhaps including a stint in the Arizona Fall League. If Richards can stay on that track and return to full mound work in live game action, then there would be sufficient confidence in the ligament that he’d look to prepare for Spring Training in 2017.

The stakes remain high for both player and team. Indeed, if anything, they are increasing. If he were to swap out UCLs within the next month or two, he’d likely be ready for the start of the 2018 campaign. If he ultimately needs it at a later date — say, early next year — then much of that season could too be in jeopardy.

In spite of the downside, it’s hard not to see the reasoning behind the decisionmaking. For Richards, a return to health now would mean a chance not only to return to action in short order, but also to earn a slight bump on his $6.425MM arbitration salary rather than potentially hitting the open market following a non-tender.

For the Halos, it’s an opportunity to reap the rewards of Richards’s highly valuable pre-free agent seasons. Even if he had gone through with the surgery in May, it would have been difficult to tender him a contract for each of the next two years just in hopes that he’d be ready to go for the start of the 2018 season — his final campaign before qualifying for free agency.

After all, a healthy Richards represents a powerful, top-of-the-rotation piece for a Los Angeles team that badly needs one. Working off of a mid-to-upper-nineties fastball, Richards has nudged his swinging strike rate upward in recent years while generally limiting the damage on balls put in play against him with a solid groundball rate. Since the start of his breakout 2014 season, Richards has worked to a 3.11 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over 410 2/3 innings.

This story is notable even beyond what it means for Richards and the Angels. It scarcely bears mentioning that the fragility of the ulnar collateral ligament has been a major issue in baseball in recent years. Numerous high-profile hurlers have succumbed to the surgery, and while its success rate remains quite high, it’s no sure thing — and also represents a major risk factor for another such procedure. If Richards’s seemingly novel treatment works out, it could provide an alternative in appropriate cases.

Angels Sign Andrew Bailey, Release Al Alburquerque

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The Angels have signed reliever Andrew Bailey to a minor league contract and released fellow bullpen option Al Alburquerque, per a club announcement. Bailey, an Excel Sports Management client, had been on the market since the Phillies released him last Saturday.

Injuries have helped derail the right-handed Bailey’s once-promising career, but he has finally stayed healthy this year. Unfortunately, an inability to prevent runs brought an end to the 32-year-old’s short tenure in Philadelphia. In 32 1/3 innings with the Phillies, Bailey posted a 6.40 ERA, but he did log a solid 9.2 K/9 and a usable 4.18 BB/9.

A former closer with the Athletics, Bailey has thrown 259 major league innings and recorded a 3.20 ERA, 9.24 K/9 and 3.09 BB/9 as a member of four different teams. While Bailey’s results and velocity have trended in the wrong directions since the impressive beginning of his career, he could work his way into an Angels bullpen that has been among the majors’ worst this season. Further, the Halos’ two primary late-game options – fellow righties Huston Street and the lights-out Cam Bedrosian – are currently on the disabled list, as their depth chart indicates.

Alburquere barely cracked LA’s ’pen this year, amassing only two innings. He spent the majority of his Angels stint at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he threw 23 2/3 innings and put up a 3.80 ERA, 9.89 K/9 and 4.94 BB/9. Alburquerque had a successful run in Detroit from 2011-15, during which time he posted a 3.20 ERA, 11.04 K/9, 5.00 BB/9 and 47.4 ground-ball rate across 225 frames.

Angels Designate Sean Coyle For Assignment

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The Angels have designated infielder/outfielder Sean Coyle for assignment, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. The move clears space on the Angels’ 40-man roster for outfielder Nick Buss, whose contract has been selected. Buss will take Shane Robinson’s 25-man spot as Robinson hits the DL with a right hip flexor strain.

The Angels claimed Coyle from the Red Sox last month. The 24-year-old has never hit much (with a career .236/.317/.418 minor league line and a mere .159/.263/.274 performance in the high minors this season) and has never played in the Majors, although he does offer a bit of flexibility, since he can play second, third and center field.

Angels Claim Cody Ege

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The Angels have claimed southpaw Cody Ege off waivers from the Marlins, per an announcement from Los Angeles. Right-hander Nick Tropeano was moved to the 60-day DL to create a 40-man opening.

Ege, 25, will head to Triple-A Salt Lake City to begin his tenure in the Los Angeles organization. He has spent most of the year at that level with Miami, compiling a 4.50 ERA over 44 frames with 7.2 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9.

That obviously isn’t a terribly promising pitching line, though Ege did earn a brief MLB promotion. He was also much better in the upper minors last year — good enough, in fact, to be a part of an under-the-radar deadline trade that has turned out to be more important than it initially seemed.

Ege was dealt along with Tomas Telis in the deal that sent Sam Dyson to the Rangers. That swap has certainly had an impact on both organizations, as Texas has utilized Dyson as its closer while the Fish have been forced to hunt for extra arms at the back of their pen.

West Notes: Angels Stadium, Richards, Reynolds, Mariners, Hultzen

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The Angels’ bid to put together a stadium deal in Tustin has not panned out, leading the team to resume talks with the city of Anaheim, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. While teams like the Braves, Rangers, and D-Backs are in various stages of replacing their still-serviceable ballparks, the Halos are still playing in Angel Stadium, which opened in 1966. The current lease runs through the 2029 season, but includes a provision allowing the club to opt out before 2019. That, naturally, spurred talks of renovation work and a new agreement, with the Angels exploring alternatives when discussions didn’t proceed as hoped.

Here’s more from out west:

  • Angels righty Garrett Richards could be cleared to throw next week if his check-up on Monday goes as hoped, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. The 28-year-old is attempting to avoid Tommy John surgery despite a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He has been ramping up his workout regimen as his PRP/stem cell treatment has continued to show promise, and the next step may be to build up toward throwing and then full-blown mound work. The outlook remains uncertain, but Richards expressed loads of optimism. “I literally feel like my arm is just refreshed,” he said yesterday. “Everything feels great. My shoulder feels nice and loose. I feel zero discomfort in my arm. Nothing even close to what I was feeling when I was put on the DL.”
  • Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds left today’s action with an injury to the hamate bone in his left hand, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports. It has actually been a problem for some time, per the report, but Reynolds felt heightened discomfort after a swing. The expectation is that he’ll require a DL stint, though the severity isn’t yet known with an MRI scheduled for tomorrow. Colorado is already in a bit of a bind with Trevor Story likely out for the year. The team had avoided a sell-off at the trade deadline in hopes of making a post-season run, but the odds against it continue to build.
  • The Mariners’ trade deadline tightrope walk has paid off thus far, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. GM Jerry Dipoto ultimately settled on a few relatively modest moves to tweak the club’s roster and set of contractual obligations, but the M’s have responded by pushing to seven games over .500 — putting them right in the thick of the Wild Card hunt. The veteran executive suggested that the team looked at more significant transactions. “I’m a big fan of trying to pounce on opportunity,” he said. “We talked with a variety of clubs about acquisitions that maybe would have been more notable — I don’t want to say star quality, but more household-type names. We also talked about the possibility of moving players out who were more household names. … In the end, the best moves we could make were holding steady.”
  • Meanwhile, tough-luck Mariners lefty Danny Hultzen isn’t yet ready to give up pitching, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports. He has undergone another shoulder procedure in hopes of making it back to the hill. The former second overall pick, now 26, threw 124 innings back in 2012 but hasn’t even cracked fifty total in the four seasons since.
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