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Diamondbacks Release James Sherfy

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The Diamondbacks have released reliever James Sherfy, per a team announcement. The right-hander had been part of their 60-man roster.

Sherfy will now have to find another organization for the first time in his career. The Diamondbacks used a 10th-round pick on Sherfy in 2013, and he went on to appear in the majors with the team in each of the previous three seasons. During that span Sherfy actually posted rather impressive overall numbers – a 2.98 ERA/3.82 FIP with 9.53 K/9 and 3.38 BB/9 – but he did so over just 45 1/3 innings and ended his D-backs career in poor fashion last season.

Sherfy threw a career-high 18 1/3 MLB frames in 2019, but opposing offenses pulverized him for 12 earned runs on 23 hits, including six homers. The 28-year-old did notch a 3.60 ERA with 12.6 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 over 35 Triple-A frames, though he dealt with an upper body injury along the way. Arizona then outrighted him during the winter.

NL West Notes: Oberg, Rockies, Bumgarner, Cueto

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Rockies reliever Scott Oberg is on the 45-day injured list due to blood clots in his throwing arm, marking the third time blood clots have interrupted Oberg’s career.  It remains to be seen if Oberg will be able to return during the 2020 season, though the right-hander told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that he fully intends to keep pitching.  “If this is what it’s going to have to be, it’s just another hurdle to overcome.  I’ve dealt with the adversity road plenty of times,” Oberg said.  After already undergoing three different procedures in the past, it isn’t yet certain if a fourth surgery will be required; Oberg has consulted with doctors and specialists about his latest issue, with more consultations planned for the coming week.

More from around the NL West…

  • With Oberg and the struggling Wade Davis both on the IL, the Rockies’ search for a closer is still ongoing.  It seemed as if Jairo Diaz was laying claim to the job, though after a rough outing (three walks, one hit, and two unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning) today, manager Bud Black told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post and other media that the club has no “designated closer.”  It seems likely that Diaz will still get some save chances as part of the Rockies’ closing committee, though Yency Almonte, Carlos Estevez, Daniel Bard, and possibly others could all figure into the ninth inning depending on the situation.
  • Madison Bumgarner will throw a 50-pitch simulated game on Monday, a week after the southpaw was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a back strain.  Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) that the simulated game “is a way for us to see how he looks, see how he feels and have him evaluate how his body feels and give us that information and determine what the next step is moving forward.”  Piecoro notes that Bumgarner is still expected to miss at least one more start while on the IL, though the left-hander might not miss much beyond the 10-day minimum if he reports a clean bill after the sim game.
  • Could Johnny Cueto be turning himself into a trade candidate?  With the Giants in last place and looking like deadline sellers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Cueto could get some attention from teams looking for veteran pitching.  Cueto has a 4.62 ERA, 1.73 K/BB rate, and 6.8 K/9 through 25 1/3 innings this season, some fairly middling numbers that ERA indicators (4.72 FIP, 5.55 xFIP, 5.28 SIERA) hint could or should be worse.  On the plus side, Statcast metrics show that Cueto is doing a good job of limiting hard contact, and Cueto is averaging 91 mph on his fastball, roughly the same average velocity he was posting in the couple of seasons prior to his August 2018 Tommy John surgery.  The Giants would likely have to eat some money to accommodate a trade, given that Cueto is owed $21MM in 2021, there is a $5MM buyout of his $22MM club option for 2022, and he is also owed the prorated remainder of his original $21MM salary for the rest of this season.

D-backs Trade Ildemaro Vargas To Twins

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The Twins announced that they have acquired switch-hitting utility infielder Ildemaro Vargas from the Diamondbacks for cash. Minnesota will make a 28-man roster move to accommodate Vargas’ activation at a later date. Arizona designated Vargas for assignment late last week.

Vargas, 29, has a strong Triple-A track record at the plate and plenty of versatility, given that he’s a switch-hitter with more than 1000 innings of experience at each of shortstop, second base and third base. Vargas has also seen time at all three outfield spots and first base, though only a few games’ worth of innings at each slot.

However, despite that versatility, Vargas’ production from Triple-A hasn’t really carried over to the Majors. He’s a career .326/.371/.464 hitter at the top minor league level but has mustered just a .257/.287/.357 slash in the Majors. He hasn’t received much of a look at the big league level with the D-backs, however, so perhaps the Twins feel that he can thrive with a bit more playing time. Then again, the Twins already have plenty of infield options themselves, so playing time could continue to be difficult to come by. Vargas is also out of minor league options, so the Twins can’t send him to their alternate training site in St. Paul unless they designate him for assignment themselves and Vargas subsequently goes unclaimed on waivers.

Diamondbacks Place Madison Bumgarner On Injured List, Select Jeremy Beasley

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4:01pm: The team has selected the contract of righty Jeremy Beasley and activated him to fulfill the open active roster spot. Beasley, a former 30th-round pick, gets his first taste of the majors after pitching to a 4.49 ERA in 122 1/3 innings in the upper minors last year.

3:47pm: The Diamondbacks have placed lefty Madison Bumgarner on the injured list, GM Mike Hazen told reporters including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). He’s said to be dealing with a mid-back strain.

The hope at this point is that Bumgarner won’t be sidelined for an extended stretch. But even a few missed outings could put a rather significant dent in his overall contribution in a shortened 2020 season.

More broadly, it’d probably be good news if a fairly minor back issue helps explain Bumgarner’s early struggles. The 31-year-old’s past two starts have been duds; he has allowed an eye-popping six home runs while registering just four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

Madison Bumgarner To Be Evaluated By Team Doctors

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Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters including The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan that big-ticket free-agent acquisition Madison Bumgarner was removed from today’s game due to back spasms (Twitter links). Bumgarner is returning to Phoenix to be looked at by team doctors.

It’s been a disappointing start to Bumgarner’s career outside of San Francisco. The former Giants’ ace signed a four-year, $72MM deal with the rival Diamondbacks this offseason, and their union is off to a rocky start. Bumgarner is 0-2 with a 7.04 ERA/6.03 FIP through 3 starts. His strikeouts are down to 6.5 K/9 while walks are up to 3.5 BB/9, though feel free to apply any/all small sample size warnings here as Bumgarner has logged just 15 1/3 frames.

The big question with Bumgarner regards his velocity. The former World Series hero is averaging just 87.9 mph on his four-seamer this season after an average of 91.4 mph last season. The fear with this kind of velocity drop is that there’s an arm issue, though there’s been no indication of that from Bumgarner or the Diamondbacks.

Diamondbacks Designate Ildemaro Vargas For Assignment

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The D-backs announced Thursday that they’ve designated infielder Ildemaro Vargas for assignment. The club also optioned righty Yoan Lopez to its alternate training site at Salt River Fields. The pair of moves drops Arizona’s roster from 30 to the newly requisite 28.

Vargas, 29, has a strong Triple-A track record at the plate and plenty of versatility, given that he’s a switch-hitter with more than 1000 innings of experience at each of shortstop, second base and third base. Vargas has also seen time at all three outfield spots and first base, though only a few games’ worth of innings at each slot.

However, despite that versatility, Vargas’ production from Triple-A hasn’t really carried over to the Majors. He’s a career .326/.371/.464 hitter at the top minor league level but has mustered just a .257/.287/.357 slash in the Majors. It’s true that he’s only had 137 plate appearances and never really gotten consistent playing time, but the D-backs clearly feel their other bench options to be superior.

Vargas’ case was surely hurt by the fact that his versatility isn’t exactly unique on a D-backs roster that is rife with Swiss army knives. Newly promoted Andy Young can play all over the infield, just as Vargas can, and top catching prospect Daulton Varsho is somewhat of an anomaly given his ability to capably handle catcher, center field and multiple infield positions. D-backs star Ketel Marte is quite obviously comfortable at second base or in the outfield, and third baseman Eduardo Escobar is no stranger to playing other infield spots as well.

Vargas, meanwhile, was out of minor league options and has only seen eight plate appearances this season in the Majors. Arizona hasn’t been able to find playing time for him, and carrying him as a seldom-used, out-of-options bench piece would’ve effectively reduced their roster size to 27 players. Arizona will have a week to trade Vargas, release him or place him on outright waivers. His Triple-A track record and versatility could get him a look in another organization.

 

Diamondbacks To Promote Andy Young

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The Diamondbacks will give infielder Andy Young his first Major League promotion, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Young is already on Arizona’s 40-man roster, though the D’Backs will have to make another move to find space on the 30-man active roster.

Originally a 37th-round pick for the Cardinals in the 2016 draft, Young is now on the cusp of the majors after that rather unheralded start to his pro career.  The 26-year-old posted some strong hitting numbers during his time in the St. Louis farm system, and came to the D’Backs in the 2018-19 offseason as part of the trade package in the deal that sent Paul Goldschmidt to the Cards.  The production continued for Young in his first season as a Diamondback, as he hit .271/.368/.535 with 29 homers over 540 combined plate appearances, split almost evenly between Arizona’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.

MLB Pipeline lists Young as the 15th-best Diamondbacks system, describing him as “a bat-first prospect” who “does enough damage from the right side of the plate to mitigate many of the concerns about his defense.”  Young has mostly played second base in the minors, though he has logged a substantial amount of time as both a third baseman and shortstop, plus a handful of games in the corner outfield.

There aren’t any immediate openings for Young at any of those positions on the Diamondbacks’ depth chart, though he can provide backup at multiple spots and also likely log some DH at-bats.  If nothing else, Young can add some pop to a D’Backs lineup that has been inconsistent at best over the team’s first eight games.

Diamondbacks Promote Daulton Varsho

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4:38pm: The D-backs have formally announced the moves. Varsho’s contract has been selected, and Cron has been optioned to Salt River Fields.

1:50pm: The Diamondbacks are set to promote top catching prospect Daulton Varsho to the big leagues, as James Fox of FutureSox.com first reported (via Twitter). Varsho isn’t on the 40-man roster, so his contract will need to be formally selected. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets that first baseman/designated hitter Kevin Cron is being optioned to alternate camp in a corresponding move.

Daulton Varsho

Varsho, 24, entered the season widely considered to be among the game’s 100 best prospects. A second-round pick back in 2017, Varsho spent last season in Double-A, where he hit .301/.378/.520 with 18 home runs and 21 steals. Varsho ranked as the game’s No. 29 prospect on Keith Law’s preseason rankings at The Athletic and checked in at No. 34 on Kiley McDaniel’s list at ESPN.com. Baseball America (56), FanGraphs (61) and MLB.com (75) all rank him among the game’s best young talents as well. His father, Gary, spent part of eight seasons in the Majors from 1988-95, seeing time with the Cubs, Pirates, Reds and Phillies.

While the younger Varsho is a catcher first and foremost, he’s capable of playing all over the diamond. McDaniel calls him a passable defender at first base, second base, in the outfield corners and even in center field, citing his plus speed and athleticism. That ability to bounce all over the field would seem particularly valuable for a D-backs club that has demonstrated a fondness for carrying three catchers for several years now. Varsho can still serve as a backup for starter Carson Kelly and veteran Stephen Vogt behind the dish. Unlike most third catchers, though, he can get worked into the lineup on a fairly regular basis by spelling others on the diamond.

Even though we’re just a week into the season, enough time has passed that the D-backs have gained an additional year of control over Varsho by keeping him down this long. (Service time, like salary, is prorated this year.) As such, Arizona can control Varsho all the way through the 2026 season. He’d still be on track to be a surefire Super Two player and reach arbitration four times, but that’s typically of lesser concern for most organizations than delaying free agency entirely. Of course, those timelines could still change if Varsho is ultimately sent back down to alternate camp (or optioned to the minors in subsequent seasons).

Predict The NL West Division Winner

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With final roster decisions in the books and the 2020 season underway, it’s time to make some predictions. We’re polling the MLBTR readership on each of the game’s six divisions — though plenty more teams will crack the postseason under the rather inclusive new playoff qualification system. We’ve already surveyed the AL East, AL Central, AL West, NL Central, and NL East landscapes, so it’s time to wrap things up with the National League West.

The Dodgers have owned this division for some time now and are perhaps more laden with star-level talent than ever with Mookie Betts on board. Then again, they may be more vulnerable than ever in a short-season format. There’s a nice assembly of talent on the Diamondbacks roster, which includes an elite young player in Ketel Marte and a sturdy slate of veterans now highlighted by intra-division transferee Madison Bumgarner. Then again, you could argue that the Padres have the greatest capacity to surprise with their own budding legend in Fernando Tatis Jr., still-youthful star Manny Machado, and a potential-laden rotation. The Rockies have an excellent core unit in their own right and perhaps have more upside than is generally recognized. And while the Giants don’t really appear primed to compete, they managed to do so last year and still have a lot of players with lofty established performance ceilings at the game’s highest level — even if it has been a few years.

Which team do you think is going to take the division title? (Poll link for app users.)

Jon Jay Makes Diamondbacks’ Opening Day Roster

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Outfielder Jon Jay will be part of the Diamondbacks’ 30-man roster on Opening Day, the team announced.  A future transaction will need to take place to officially select Jay’s minor league deal to the active roster, but the 35-year-old will be on pace to play in his 11th Major League season.

As per the terms of the contract Jay signed with Arizona in February, making the MLB roster will guarantee him the prorated portion of a $1.5MM salary.  Prior to the league shutdown, Jay was already making a strong case for himself by posting a .947 OPS over 28 Spring Training plate appearances, though Jay’s ability to play all three outfield positions is probably more of a factor than a bat that has been increasingly shaky in regular-season action.

Jay hit .267/.311/.315 over 182 PA with the White Sox last season, though he was slowed by hip problems that eventually required surgery last August.  Overall, Jay generated a negative (-0.9) fWAR, thanks in large part to his struggles against right-handed pitching — over his career, the left-handed hitting Jay has been a decent (.286/.348/.389) if unspectacular performer against righties.

Jay and Tim Locastro will be Arizona’s primary backup outfielders behind the starting trio of David Peralta, Starling Marte, and Kole Calhoun.  Second-year player Josh Rojas still has a shot at making the team as a utility player, while Ketel Marte may get the occasional start in center field when he isn’t in his primary second base spot.  Trayce Thompson is also still an option for the outfield, though he was sent to the Diamondbacks’ minor league camp today.

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