Braves Rumors

Braves Rumors: Duvall, Outfield, Pitching Staff

By Steve Adams | March 20, 2019 at 7:54pm CDT

It seems the Braves may be looking at alternatives in the outfield, with David O’Brien of The Athletic tweeting that Adam Duvall’s hold on a roster spot is “tenuous at best.” The Braves acquired Duvall from the Reds in a minor trade last July, and while they didn’t give up much in the way of long-term value, the trade simply hasn’t paid dividends. Duvall was slumping at the time of the acquisition and cratered further with a disastrous .132/.193/.151 through 57 trips to the plate with the Atlanta organization. Despite struggling through the worst season of his career in 2018, Duvall was surprisingly tendered a contract by the Braves, who avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a $2.875MM salary. If the Braves cut ties with Duvall, they’d only be responsible for about $696K of that non-guaranteed sum. O’Brien notes that if another fourth-outfield type becomes available in the next few days, it wouldn’t be surprising if Atlanta moves on from Duvall, who is 5-for-37 with seven walks and six strikeouts so far in camp.

More out of Atlanta…

On the pitching side, O’Brien took a look yesterday (subscription link) at a roster that’s loaded with possibilities but also a number of health questions. The Atlanta organization will be piecing things together at the back of the bullpen while A.J. Minter and Darren O’Day work back to full health. Both will open the season on the injured list. Some young starters could be tasked with relief duties to open the year, though the rotation is also missing its top piece in Mike Foltynewicz.
Not only is Foltynewicz headed for the injured list to start the season, Kevin Gausman’s status for the early portion of the season is seemingly up in the air, writes MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Gausman did throw 58 pitches in an intrasquad game yesterday, but the organization would like him to be built up to 90 pitches before joining the big league rotation. Thankfully for Braves fans, it doesn’t seem as though there’s much long-term concern following Gausman’s early camp shoulder issues. If he’s not ready to go for the opening week, then it’s possible that each of Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson and Max Fried could make the roster.
Meanwhile, the Braves announced today that Mike Soroka has been optioned to Triple-A, where he’ll get at least a few outings under his belt before he’s reconsidered for the MLB staff. That’s actually positive news, it seems, since it indicates that Soroka is healthy enough that he did not require a trip to the injured list to open the season. Soroka was limited in camp with problems in his throwing shoulder, though if he can put that issue behind him he should quickly emerge as a candidate to rejoin the Atlanta rotation.

East Notes: Orioles, Hays, Yankees, Hicks, Braves, Anibal

By Connor Byrne | March 17, 2019 at 10:12am CDT

The Orioles announced several roster cuts Sunday, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to cover. Outfielder Austin Hays, who looked like a strong contender for a season-opening starting role, is the most notable player returning to the minors. General manager Mike Elias insisted service time didn’t factor into the decision, suggesting it’s irrelevant in Hays’ case because he already debuted in 2017, Kubatko tweets. Based on his spring, in which he put together a video game-like .351/.385/.892 line with five home runs in 37 at-bats, Hays deserved a roster spot in Baltimore. The promising prospect is coming off an injury-shortened season in which he posted underwhelming minor league numbers across 327 plate appearances, however. Per Kubatko, Hays and the Orioles believe there’s more for him to work on at the Triple-A level, where he hasn’t yet played. “I still haven’t played too many games in the minor leagues,” Hays said. “I haven’t had too many at-bats. I missed almost a whole year last year due to injuries, so there’s some time I need to make up.”

SP Notes: Keuchel, Braves, Eovaldi, Astros, Angels, Phils, Kershaw

By Connor Byrne | March 16, 2019 at 7:53pm CDT

With left-hander Dallas Keuchel still unemployed, the big-name free agent’s preparing for the season by “going through a full Spring Training, just like [Kyle] Lohse did,” agent Scott Boras told Jon Morosi of MLB.com earlier this week. Boras was referring to Lohse’s protracted trip to free agency six years ago, which ended March 25, 2013, with a three-year, $33MM agreement to join the Brewers. The majority of MLB followers expected Keuchel, 31, to land a far richer deal than that when the offseason began, but the onetime AL Cy Young winner has instead watched in recent months as most of the majors’ other high-profile free agents have come off the board. Still, the longtime Astro “is receiving offers,” Boras informed Morosi, who writes that the Braves are monitoring Keuchel’s market but are leery of surrendering a draft pick to sign the qualifying offer recipient. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported earlier this week Atlanta would “consider” Keuchel on a short-term deal; regardless of contract length, signing Keuchel would only cost the Braves their third-highest draft pick in 2019.

The latest on a couple other established starters…

Nathan Eovaldi re-signed with the Red Sox on a four-year, $68MM contract in December, but only after the right-hander drew serious interest from elsewhere. The Angels and Phillies “really wanted” Eovaldi, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, though the feeling wasn’t mutual. During the free-agent process, Eovaldi informed his agency, ACES, he only wanted to sign with the Red Sox or his hometown Astros, according to Bradford. But the Astros, despite the questions in their rotation, didn’t pursue the 29-year-old. “Houston is home for me,” Eovaldi told Bradford. “I would have had more talks with the Astros but they just didn’t want any part of it so they were out of the question. While Eovaldi added that he was “a little surprised” the Astros ignored him, he’s happy to be back in Boston after helping the club to a championship in 2018.
Clayton Kershaw has been the starter for the Dodgers’ last eight Opening Days, but it appears the superstar southpaw’s streak is on the verge of ending. Manager Dave Roberts said Friday (via ESPN.com) it’s “unlikely” Kershaw will take the ball for the Dodgers on March 28 in their season-opening game against the Diamondbacks. Kershaw has been battling shoulder inflammation throughout the spring, which has prevented the three-time NL Cy Young winner from making an appearance in the Cactus League and from throwing offspeed pitches during his rehab. Set to turn 31 on March 19, Kershaw’s entering the first season of a three-year, $93MM contract – a deal that’s off to an inauspicious start.

Injury Notes: Harper, Castellanos, Foltynewicz, Senzatela, Nix

By TC Zencka and Ty Bradley | March 16, 2019 at 1:27pm CDT

With each bump and bruise this time of year comes the potential for missed time during the regular season, perhaps especially so for those late signees getting delayed starts to their Spring Training. As Opening Day fast approaches, let’s get the lowdown on a few injury reports from camp…

Latest Updates

Rockies righty Antonio Senzatela has an infected blister on his right heel and will be out “a while,” per manager Bud Black (via the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders). Senzatela, 24, was competing for the final spot in Colorado’s rotation with Chad Bettis, who now appears to have the role on lock. The Venezuelan-born righty had made just eight starts above the high-A level before opening the 2017 season with the team, and again played a major role in the club’s wild card-run last season. His fastball-heavy repertoire is devoid, at this point, of a true swing-and-miss pitch, so perhaps the 6’1 righty could indeed use further minor league seasoning. Still, despite some sophomore regression, Senzatela’s been reasonably effective thus far in his young MLB career, and the Rockies are almost certain to require his services at some point this season.
Padres righty Jacob Nix has been shut down with right arm soreness, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. Nix, 23, shares with Senzatela the same allergy to missing bats, but was a legitimate candidate for the fifth spot in a wide-open San Diego rotation. Once the victim of a too-clever Astros draft scheme, in which the team agreed to terms with the young righty but was forced to renege after a bonus-pool shortage resulting from the Brady Aiken fiasco, Nix has long flashed top-of-the-rotation tools but struggled with consistency. Last season’s debut was a disaster: the 6’5 righty was torched to the tune of a 7.02 ERA/5.83 FIP with 8 HRs allowed in just 42 1/3 IP. He, too, is due for a longer minors simmer, having made just one start above the AA level in his young career thus far.

Earlier Reports

Bryce Harper is day-to-day with ankle swelling, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). Harper was hit by a pinch in yesterday’s Phillies game, though even by this morning the swelling had reduced. All tests came back negative, per Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter), while a number of reporters quote manager Gabe Kapler as projecting confidence in Bryce’s ability to be ready by Opening Day. All in all, this appears to be much ado about nothing, but as is the case with any injury, it’s worth tracking for aftereffect. Due to the late date of his signing, Harper has seen limited action in spring thus far, going 0-5 with three strikeouts, three walks, and a stolen base, though the focus here is obviously not yet on production. The Phillies season opens less than two weeks from today with their home opener against the Braves on Thursday, March 28th.
Tigers presumptive right fielder Nick Castellanos remains out of the lineup for the time being, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (via Twitter). Castellanos is likely to return to Grapefruit League play within a couple of days. He was seen taking batting practice in the cage today and at least provided cursory affirmation that tests on his bruised left hand revealed no significant damage, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (via Twitter). Castellanos has been bandied about often here at MLBTR this winter as a trade candidate, which appears likely to continue as there have been no extension talks between the right-handed slugger and the club.
The Braves may be without their ace until “mid/late April,” per the Athletic’s David O’Brien (via Twitter). Mike Foltynewicz has missed most of Spring Training with a sore elbow after a breakout season. Folty was stellar in 2018 as he went 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA (3.37 FIP) over 183 frames. There was much speculation about the Braves bolstering their rotation this winter, either via free agency or by bundling their prospects in a trade, but they mostly hung tight despite losing Anibal Sanchez – who enjoyed a different variety of 2018 breakout – to the rival Nationals. The Braves have plenty of depth to cover, but much of their standing pat must have been predicated on a healthy Folynewicz leading the charge again in 2019. Atlanta will lean on Julio Teheran, Kevin Gausman, and Sean Newcomb to hold down the fort until Folty’s return.

Braves Not “Engaged” With Kimbrel, Keuchel

By Jeff Todd | March 13, 2019 at 3:00pm CDT

The Braves “aren’t currently engaged” with the top two remaining free agents, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). While the Atlanta organization would “consider” both Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel on short-term pacts, per the report, the club is “assuming both pitchers would do better elsewhere.”

The Atlanta organization’s unwillingness to stretch its valuations on free agents has been a long-running theme of the offseason. In that light, perhaps, it’s not surprising to learn that the club is sitting back on these two accomplished hurlers.

On the other hand, organizational leadership has indicated that there will be an ongoing effort to improve the roster. Particularly with some pitching health questions in camp, a veteran addition would arguably be prudent. And the CEO of team owner Liberty Media did just say that the ballclub’s “management knows they have capacity to do more and are looking for the right deal.”

There has been speculation all winter long that the Braves could be a landing spot for Kimbrel, who could join backstop Brian McCann in making a memorable return to his former stomping grounds. MLBTR’s readers still feel it’s a compelling match, if the results from this morning’s poll is any indication.

Though GM Alex Anthopoulos has cast doubt on the possibility of spending “big, elite dollars” for a bullpen piece, he has also made clear that the club has money left to utilize. There’s certainly an argument to be made that bolstering the back of the pen (and thereby also improving the middle relief unit) would go a long way toward enhancing the team’s chances in a highly competitive division.

Liberty Media CEO Maffei Discusses Braves Outlook

By Jeff Todd | March 12, 2019 at 10:07am CDT

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei briefly discussed the Braves outlook at a conference yesterday, as Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The publicly traded conglomerate owns the Atlanta baseball club.

“I think the Atlanta management knows they have capacity to do more and are looking for the right deal,” Maffei said of the club’s present stance with regard to spending.

That sentence could be read in different ways. It’s unclear whether Maffei was referring to spending availability or trade capital. Neither is it evident how dedicated the club’s pursuit of “the right deal” is at present.

A few free agents would still fit the Braves roster, with former star closer Craig Kimbrel representing the most intriguing target for reasons practical and sentimental. Trade discussions could still be pursued as well; the deal that originally shipped Kimbrel out of Atlanta took place on the eve of Opening Day.

In their own recent commentary on the organization’s spending, Braves chairman Terry McGuirk and GM Alex Anthopoulos similarly cited remaining payroll flexibility. They also downplayed the possibility of a major spend on a relief arm, emphasized the need to avoid “dead money” risk, and called a major acquisition before the start of the season a “coin flip.”

Whether or not another move is made, Maffei says, the Braves are “well set-up” for the coming season and beyond. He also called it “unfortunate” that the club plays in a division embroiled in a winter-long “arms race” — a state of affairs that arguably supports more aggressive acquisition efforts from the reigning National League East champions.

Ramping up payroll and/or committing it more freely would surely boost the immediate outlook. McGuirk and Anthopoulos previously indicated, though, that the ballclub must also pursue long-term profitability to support a higher payroll in relation to peer organizations. Maffei suggests that the outlook is bullish on the income side of the equation, calling SunTrust Park and its surrounding development a “highly successful” venture that he believes has “only good news ahead.”

Mike Foltynewicz Won’t Be Ready For Start Of Season

By Steve Adams | March 11, 2019 at 9:33am CDT

Braves top starter Mike Foltynewicz won’t be ready for the start of the season, general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed Monday (Twitter link, with video, from 680 The Fan). The 27-year-old was scratched from a start nearly two weeks ago due to elbow soreness.

“Folty’s the one guy that, building him up as a starter, he’s not going to be ready,” said Anthopoulos. “Feeling great. Throwing. We were just mapping out his throwing program this morning in terms of bullpens, live BPs — all those type of things. We’re just trying to figure out what point do we get him up to five innings?”

Anthopoulos wouldn’t forecast specifically how much time Foltynewicz would need to get ready, as he’s not yet progressed to throwing off a mound. The GM speculated on anywhere from one to three would-be turns through the rotation, though the situation remains fluid. Anthopoulos did acknowledge that had Foltynewicz been healthy, he’d likely have been given the Opening Day nod for the Braves.

With Foltynewicz out for the start of the year, the Braves will open with Julio Teheran, Sean Newcomb and Kevin Gausman locked into rotation spots. As Anthopoulos noted, the significant number of off-days the Braves have early in the year will allow them to work with only a four-man rotation early on, so there may only be one other spot up for grabs. Atlanta isn’t lacking for options to take that fourth spot in the rotation to open the year; Touki Toussaint, Kyle Wright, Max Fried and Bryse Wilson have all made multiple starts already this spring — Wright will make a third today — and could all conceivably get a look in that spot. Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that with Foltynewicz sidelined, Teheran or Newcomb (likely the former) will receive the actual Opening Day start.

NL Notes: Uecker, McCann, Cubs, Braves, Pache, Conforto

By Mark Polishuk | March 10, 2019 at 8:14pm CDT

Few people in baseball are as well-liked as legendary Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker, and he garners so much respect within the team’s clubhouse that the players voted Uecker for a full share of playoff money from their NLCS run last season, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Uecker will divide the full $123K amount amongst four charities, and was humbled to receive such a gesture. “I would never keep the money, but I sure appreciated what they did. I’m proud of that. When I talked to them about it, they said, ’Ueck, that was no big deal. You were part of that.’ Still, I was shocked when they did it,” Uecker said.

Some more from around the National League…

The Cubs made an offer to Brian McCann this offseason that was worth more than the one-year, $2MM deal that McCann eventually received from the Braves, The Athletic’s David O’Brien reports (subscription required). The money wasn’t the primary factor in McCann’s choice, however, as the catcher wanted to either return to the Astros or to the Braves, his original team. It doesn’t seem that any other suitors were given serious consideration, as McCann “had no interest in being a hired gun and going elsewhere to play what could be the final season of his career,” O’Brien writes. Between this item and reports from earlier today that the Cubs had interest in Martin Maldonado, it seems as if Chicago was a quiet player in the catching market this offseason. Willson Contreras is the incumbent starter, though the Cubs are looking for more depth beyond Victor Caratini and minor league signing Francisco Arcia.
Also from O’Brien’s piece, he mentions that Braves prospect Cristian Pache received trade interest from rival teams this winter as part of a larger profile on Pache. It would’ve been surprising, frankly, if Atlanta hadn’t gotten calls on the 20-year-old outfielder, given Pache’s emergence as one of the team’s (and baseball’s) most intriguing young players. Though he hit only a modest .279/.307/.410 over 495 combined PA in A-ball and Double-A last season, Pache is beginning to show more power potential, as evidenced by some big numbers in Atlanta’s Spring Training camp. If Pache can develop into even a passable hitter at the MLB level, he’ll still have enormous value given his widely-touted speed, throwing arm, and defensive play. Even prior to 2018, some Braves scouts considered Pache to be the organization’s best defensive outfielder, ahead of even Ender Inciarte or Ronald Acuna. Pache made his debut in the preseason top-100 prospect lists, with varied assessments from MLB.com (who ranked him 37th), ESPN.com’s Keith Law (45th), Baseball Prospectus (62nd), Baseball America (85th). The Marlins were one club known to have Pache on their radar, as he was on the short list of prospects Miami wanted from Atlanta as part of a J.T. Realmuto trade package.
Michael Conforto will stick to right field this season, Mets manager Mickey Callaway told Newsday’s Anthony Rieber and other media. Over Conforto’s four MLB seasons, he has actually spent the least amount of action in right field (208 1/3 innings) of any of the three outfield spots, as he has 869 1/3 innings as a center fielder and 2045 innings in left field. As per UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved, Conforto has struggled in center field but been solidly above-average in the corner outfield spots, so keeping in right field should enhance his overall value. Conforto’s placement should provide some stability within a very in-flux Mets’ outfield situation, as Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo are slated to see much of the work in left field, with Nimmo, Keon Broxton, and Juan Lagares all in the mix in center field. Veterans Carlos Gomez and Rajai Davis are also in camp, and there’s still a slim chance that Yoenis Cespedes could return from the injured list at some point in 2019.

NL East Notes: Kimbrel, Conforto, Braves Pitching

By Jeff Todd | March 9, 2019 at 12:55am CDT

The Nationals and Braves “are not ’in’ on” free agent closer Craig Kimbrel, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic (via Twitter). Whether that’s a truly definitive statement on those two clubs’ engagement with Kimbrel isn’t clear; each has been linked (his former team in Atlanta, especially) over the course of the winter and would surely be interested at the right price. The arms race in the NL East has continued all offseason long and has not really halted with the start of Spring Training. Financial considerations make several teams in the division conceivable suitors for Kimbrel, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams examined in depth.

Latest On Dallas Keuchel

By Steve Adams | March 4, 2019 at 1:33pm CDT

The Astros haven’t been engaged on Dallas Keuchel in recent weeks, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes in his latest look at the free-agent left-hander’s apparently stagnant market (subscription required). The Phillies, he adds, still have interest only in a “very” short-term deal, as was reported last week. Meanwhile, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that unless Keuchel or free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel is suddenly willing to take a one-year deal, the Twins aren’t likely to sign either pitcher three weeks into Spring Training. As for the Braves, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman wrote late last week that spring ailments for Mike Foltynewicz and Kevin Gausman haven’t been deemed concerning enough for Atlanta to pursue Keuchel.

It’s hardly an encouraging set of updates for either free agent, particularly Keuchel, whom Olney suggests is being harmed to an extent by the fact that he doesn’t fit today’s mold of hard throwers that permeate the game. Olney notes that Keuchel’s average fastball (89.3 mph) ranked 55th of 57 starters who qualified for the ERA title in 2018.

While perhaps some teams would prefer harder-throwing options, that stat doesn’t seem especially concerning when presented with further context. Keuchel’s average fastball last season was actually improved over a pair of seasons in which he was slowed by back and neck injuries in 2016-17. In fact, in Keuchel’s Cy Young-winning 2015 season, he averaged just 89.6 mph on his heater, so it’d be puzzling to see significant level of concern over that fastball velocity. Furthermore, a look at the names around Keuchel near the bottom of the fastball velocity leaderboard includes quality arms such as Marco Gonzales, Zack Greinke and Kyle Hendricks. Patrick Corbin, meanwhile, ranked only 43rd among those 57 qualified starters at 90.8 mph, and he secured a six-year contract that promises him $140MM. That deal came at a younger age and on the heels of a better season, clearly, but the contract still runs counter to the idea that teams will only pay for premium velocity.

None of that is to say that Keuchel isn’t without red flags, of course. The lefty’s strikeout percentage dipped from 21.4 percent in 2017 to 17.5 percent in 2018 (7.7 K/9 vs. 6.7), and his swinging-strike rate fell from 10.9 percent to 8.3 percent. His ground-ball rate of 53.7 percent, while well north of the league average, also represented a substantial step back from 2017’s 66.8 percent mark and from his overall career mark of 58.8 percent. All of that surely sets off some alarms for interested teams, but Keuchel was nevertheless a quality starter in 2018, as has been the case for several years. Both Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference suggest he’s been worth 18 wins above replacement over the past five seasons — including a combined six or more WAR over his past two campaigns.

It’s not a stretch to suggest that virtually any team in baseball would be improved by swapping out Keuchel for its current weakest starter, but as is always the case in free agency, the financial element plays a significant role. It seems quite likely that some clubs that had interest in Keuchel and Kimbrel early this winter balked at the duo’s reported nine-figure asking prices and went on to spend their money elsewhere. Now, even if those asking prices have come down, some previously interested teams may simply not have ownership permission to spend significant dollars on another free agent. Both pitchers also rejected qualifying offers, meaning a team signing either former All-Star would be subject to the forfeiture of at least one draft pick (and potentially some international bonus pool space).

It’ll be worth keeping an eye on injuries to prominent pitchers throughout the league in the coming days to see if a new window opens. Clayton Kershaw has been battling a shoulder issue, for instance. The Braves, as previously mentioned, have multiple starters who have been dealing with injuries thus far in camp. The Cardinals may be without Carlos Martinez to open the season. Further injuries will surely arise elsewhere, although the longer Keuchel and Kimbrel wait, the more questionable it is whether either will be ready to pitch in a big league game come Opening Day.

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