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J.T. Riddle

Pirates Sign JT Riddle

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5:12pm: Riddle’s deal with the Pirates will pay him $850K, MLBTR has learned.

3:25pm: The Pirates announced Friday that they’ve signed infielder JT Riddle to a Major League contract. The addition of Riddle, a Meister Sports client, fills Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster.

JT Riddle | Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Riddle, 28, was once considered to be among the more promising farmhands in the Marlins organization but was unable to establish himself in parts of three MLB seasons in Miami. Through 718 plate appearances, Riddle managed just a .229/.269/.368 batting line, which proved tepid enough that the Marlins eventually cut ties with him earlier this offseason.

Although he’s been unable to produce much at the MLB level, Riddle does carry a heartier .284/.321/.457 slash in 85 Triple-A contests. The former 13th-rounder and University of Kentucky product rose through Miami’s system primarily as a shortstop, but the Marlins began trying him out in center field in recent seasons as well. Riddle has played far more shortstop than any other position, but he does come to the Pirates with experience at second base, third base and in all three outfield slots.

Miami surely felt comfortable trying Riddle out at new defensive positions due to Miguel Rojas’ presence at shortstop, but the decision to pull Riddle away from short was still somewhat curious given how well he’s graded out at the position. In 1323 Major League innings at shortstop, Riddle notched 13 Defensive Runs Saved, 10 Outs Above Average and a 3.1 Ultimate Zone Rating.

Twenty-six-year-old Kevin Newman currently projects to be the Pirates’ everyday option at short, but Riddle can give the club some depth there while also presenting them an option to play in center field following the departure of the recently traded Starling Marte. In the days since that trade, general manager Ben Cherington has been open about his desire to add some more options in center field, and while Riddle would seemingly qualify, it’s also of some note that the team’s press release announcing the move refers to Riddle solely as an infielder.

Riddle is out of minor league options, so today’s signing is a clear indicator that the Pirates will carry him on the big league roster to open the season. He has two years, 118 days of Major League service time, meaning he’s controllable not just for the 2020 season but all the way through the 2022 campaign. Riddle will be arbitration-eligible next winter.

Super Two Cutoff Set At 2.115 Years Of Service

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NOV. 5: This year’s cutoff is set at precisely 2.115 days of service, MLBTR has learned.

OCT. 10: This year’s cutoff point to determine Super Two status will be unusually low, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (via Twitter). While an exact cutoff point is yet unclear, McCalvy reports that Josh Hader, who has two years and 115 days of MLB service time (abbreviated as 2.115) will be eligible for arbitration this winter. In essence, that means that Hader is about to become a very well-compensated reliever. That would’ve been the case in the 2020-21 offseason anyway, but he’ll now tap into that earning power a year early. It’s also worth noting that this cutoff point will place Miami’s JT Riddle, who finished the season at 2.118 years of service, into arbitration eligibility as well.

A 2.115 cutoff would already be the lowest Super Two threshold in the past decade. The previous lowpoints in that span came in 2010 and 2013, when the cutoff was 2.122. Last year, it settled at 2.134. If the threshold is any lower this season, others could also be impacted. Arizona’s Luke Weaver (2.112) and Oakland’s Matt Chapman (2.109) are the most notable names within reasonable distance of Hader’s 2.115.

Super Two designation is one of the innumerable quirks to the ever-confounding arbitration system. For the unfamiliar, Major League players earn “service time” for every day spent on an MLB roster. One year of MLB service is defined as 172 days — despite the fact that there are more days than that in the regular season. (This year’s season was 186 days; again — hooray for quirks!)

Upon reaching three years of service time, all players become eligible for salary arbitration. Prior to that point, teams are effectively able to set (most) player salaries at any rate they wish, so long as it is north of the league minimum. Many teams have formulas they use to determine pre-arbitration salaries, and it’s quite rare for pre-arb players to earn even $1MM (barring a long-term extension). Arbitration is the first point at which players and their agents can begin negotiating with teams regarding their salary, though arbitration prices still typically fall shy of open-market value.

The “Super Two” wrinkle further complicates matters. The top 22 percent of players (in terms of total service time) with between two and three years of service also are considered eligible for arbitration and termed “Super Two” players. Any player who falls into that service bucket and spent at least 86 days of the preceding season on a 25-man roster or the Major League injured list become eligible a year early and then go through the arbitration process four times.

In the case of Hader, he’s now in line for a fairly considerable salary. He has 37 more innings, eight more saves and a whopping 116 more strikeouts than his own teammate, Corey Knebel, had when reaching arbitration as a Super Two player last season. Knebel landed a $3.65MM salary, which Hader should handily top. Beyond that, Hader’s subsequent raises in 2021, 2022 and 2023 will be built off a higher base because of his early entry into the arbitration process.

Once the exact cutoff is determined, we’ll add projections for Hader, Riddle and any other newly minted arbitration-eligible players to our just-released annual list of arbitration projections.

Marlins Claim Josh Smith

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The Miami Marlins have claimed left-handed pitcher Josh Smith off waivers from the Indians., per an official team announcement. The 29-year-old Smith, who made eight appearances for the Indians this year, will join his new team on Monday, while infielder JT Riddle has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Smith had been designated for assignment yesterday.

While a 29-year-old rookie is certainly not a headline-grabbing acquisition, Smith does offer some intrigue beneath the surface. And for a Marlins team that needs talent from wherever it can be had, this has the potential to be an interesting addition. It’s a low-cost tryout for player that could turn into a fine reliever.

In his eighth year as a professional, Smith is enjoying arguably his best minor-league season since the Pirates made him their 25th-round draft choice in 2012. This year, he’s shredding Triple-A hitters, striking out an average of 12.6 batters per nine innings, en route to a 2.43 ERA.

He’s yet to translate those results into success at the big-league level, as he has surrendered five runs in his first 8 1/3 innings of work. However, it’s been just a handful of games, and he’s managed to strike out 12 batters in that same span. Smith’s flyball tendencies and a high LOB% in the minors might lead to some early struggles in the Majors, but the Marlins will look to mitigate those concerns and tap into an attractive high-strikeout profile that has produced a 22.7 K-BB% in the minors.

Marlins Activate Martin Prado, Place JT Riddle On IL

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The Marlins have announced that they have activated veteran infielder Martin Prado from the 10-day injured list. He’ll take the place of utilityman JT Riddle, who’s headed for his own IL stint with a forearm strain.

Prado, 35, is back in action in time to feature as a trade candidate — in theory. Trouble is, his nosedive at the plate has shown no signs of abating over the past three years. And his latest hamstring injury is the latest in a string of leg maladies.

When the Fish inked Prado to a questionable three-year extension late in the 2016 season, he was putting the finishing touches on a solid campaign and was still at least carrying a recent track record of slightly above-average offensive work. Three years and $40MM seemed like a rather heavy commitment, particularly for an organization with the outlook of the Miami club, but he’d have been a reasonably sought-after free agent had he not re-upped with the Marlins.

That deal has turned out to be a complete bust in spite of the best efforts of the respected veteran. Prado has played in only 142 games, slashing a combined .244/.277/.319. While he’s still a solid defender, Prado is a negative on the basepaths and has in the aggregate played at or below replacement level.

Perhaps it’s still possible to squint and imagine a contender taking a flier on Prado as a 25th man who’d contribute in the clubhouse. He has been on a tear on his rehab assignment; if he shows up to the majors looking particularly spry, there’s an outside chance at a trade. Even then, it’s tough to imagine the Marlins shedding any noticeable amount of salary or recouping anything in the way of prospect value in return.

Injury Notes: Gomez, Sanchez, Marte, Bird, Prado

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Rays outfielder Carlos Gomez has been activated from the 10-day disabled list; he’d been sidelined since May 16th with a strained groin. The injury was thought to be minor at the time, and the fact that Gomez missed only the ten-day minimum leaves little room to doubt his health at this time. That doesn’t mean his performance comes without questions, though, as the veteran is slashing just .200/.252/.345 on the season. No corresponding move was required for Tampa Bay, as their roster was two men short following yesterday’s surprising trade with Seattle.

And now a flurry of other injury-related items from around the league…

  • David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests that Anibal Sanchez could be the Braves’ starter on Tuesday following a successful rehab start on Friday. Mark Bowman of MLB.com takes it a step further by quoting manager Brian Snitker, who reportedly said that Sanchez is indeed penciled in to start Tuesday’s game. Sanchez has a 1.29 ERA in three appearances (two starts) on the season.
  • Adam Berry of MLB.com writes that Starling Marte will be activated from the DL by the Pirates today if he reports to the ballpark feeling ready to play. It’d be a remarkably quick return for the 29-year-old outfielder, who has been sidelined with an oblique injury. Injuries of that type have a reputation for lingering and causing players to miss extended time. One has to wonder what Marte’s potential activation would mean for the red-hot Austin Meadows, who’s managed more homers in the big leagues thus far (3) than strikeouts (2).
  • The Yankees have reinstated first baseman Greg Bird from the disabled list, optioning infielder Ronald Torreyes to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Marc Carig of The Athletic notes that the move makes plenty of sense considering the versatility of Gleyber Torres and the fact that a removal of Neil Walker from the roster isn’t reversible. Bird entered the season with plenty of hype surrounding him, but has yet to make his 2018 debut thanks to right foot surgery.
  • In a move that was widely expected, the Marlins placed Martin Prado (hamstring) on the 10-day DL today, recalling J.T. Riddle from Triple-A to take his place on the roster. It’s the latest in an unfortunate series of injuries for the formerly-durable Prado, who made only 147 trips to the plate last year following eight straight seasons with at least 500 PA.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/2/18

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves in this post:

  • The Marlins announced that catcher Tomas Telis has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. He had been designated for assignment recently. Telis, a 26-year-old switch-hitter, was hitting just .207/.258/.241 through 31 plate appearances on the year and hasn’t shown much more than that with the bat in his limited action over the past five seasons. Additionally, infielder JT Riddle was activate from the DL and optioned to New Orleans.

Marlins Place J.T. Realmuto, Dan Straily, J.T. Riddle On Disabled List

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TUESDAY: Realmuto and Riddle have indeed been placed on the DL, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports (Twitter links).  Realmuto has a bone bruise, though the problem doesn’t sound too serious, as Frisaro said he is just “not being rushed” to be ready for Opening Day.

SATURDAY: The Marlins have placed right-handed starter Dan Straily on the 10-day disabled list, according to a report from Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. In a separate tweet, Spencer notes that catcher J.T. Realmuto and shortstop J.T. Riddle are also likely to begin the season on the DL.

Straily was recently diagnosed with a “slight elbow strain” after experiencing some elbow inflammation.While Straily has told reporters that he doesn’t feel any pain (h/t Joe Frisaro of MLB.com), he’ll reportedly refrain from throwing for the time being. His early-season absence is terrible news for an already-thin Marlins rotation that’s now projected to feature Jose Urena as its opening day starter. Roster Resource assumes that non-roster invite Jacob Turner and Rule 5 pick Elieser Hernandez will be forced into rotation roles at the season’s outset. The Marlins recently optioned offseason acquisition Sandy Alcantara to Triple-A, but it’s fair to think he could be next in line if any of the club’s starting five struggle out of the gates or suffer an injury.

Beyond rotation implications, Straily’s elbow troubles are of serious concern to a Marlins club that held onto him amidst an offseason fire sale of its top players. With Miami clearly beginning a full-scale rebuild, Straily was considered one of the club’s top remaining trade assets. Whether or not the club had any thoughts about trading him prior to this year’s deadline, a serious injury to his elbow would figure to take that option off the table.

Speaking of injured trade candidates, Realmuto hasn’t played since suffering a back contusion on March 11th. The Marlins catcher collided with Gleyber Torres on a pickoff play in the fourth inning of a Grapefruit League game. The injury hasn’t been described as serious in any outlets, so it’s certainly feasible that the club might simply be taking a cautious path with their most valuable asset. Still, a report that he’s likely to go on the DL means that any remaining chance him being traded prior to the season has reduced to near zero.

If Realmuto does end up going on the DL, non-roster invite Bryan Holaday could be called upon to fill in alongside usual backup Tomas Telis. Chad Wallach is already on the 40-man roster after being claimed from the Reds in November, so he presents another option for the Fish.

As for Riddle, he’s yet to play in a game this spring. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com recently reported that he was “a little sore” after ramping up throwing activity. Riddle underwent season-ending surgery last August after suffering a slap-tear in his left shoulder, but figured to be a part of the Marlins’ opening day roster. The odds of that are beginning to look grim. Reserve infield options for the club are few and far between, with non-roster invite Peter Mooney presenting the best option at present.

 

Edinson Volquez, JT Riddle Out For Season; Bour Out Until September

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7:32pm: Riddle will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, writes Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He adds that it’s not yet clear what exactly is ending Volquez’s season, but there appears to be more at play than just his knee troubles.

“There’s different issues,” said Mattingly. “I know we’re getting close to talking about it, making sure everybody is on the same page with exactly what’s going to happen.”

Furthermore, Healey reports that the Marlins got bad news on Justin Bour’s strained oblique, as the strain is more severe than originally believed. He’s now at least three weeks out from even beginning baseball activities and won’t return to the lineup until early-to-mid September.

4:12pm: The Marlins were hit with a double dose of bad news on the injury front on Tuesday, as manager Don Mattingly announced to reporters that right-hander Edinson Volquez and shortstop JT Riddle will be out for the remainder of the season (via Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald).

Volquez has been on the disabled list with tendinitis in his knee since early July and was reportedly experiencing discomfort last week. Riddle, meanwhile, was on the shelf with biceps tendinitis, but an MRI revealed a shoulder injury that may require surgical repair, according to Mattingly.

[Related: Miami Marlins depth chart]

The loss of Volquez is a tough pill for the Marlins to swallow, as the veteran righty had rounded into form after a poor start to his Marlins career and looked to be a potential trade chip — if not in July then certainly in August. Volquez threw a no-hitter against the D-backs in his first start of June, but he’d tossed quality starts in each of his two prior performances and had generally looked like an improved pitcher after a rocky start.

In eight starts prior to hitting the DL, he tossed 45 2/3 innings with 7.5 K/9, 4.7 BB/9 and a 47.9 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 3.55 ERA and 3.70 FIP. His control was clearly still a red flag, but as a typically durable source of innings with a not-unreasonable $11MM annual rate, he could have had value to teams seeking rotation stabilizers for the stretch run (and for the 2018 campaign.

As for Riddle, he was never likely to be moved anywhere, but the injury will deprive the 25-year-old rookie of some vital development time. Miami had already traded Adeiny Hechavarria, paving a path to regular playing time for Riddle, but he’ll now have to wait until Spring Training 2018 to get back on the field and will miss some valuable reps against top-level pitching. Riddle hit just .250/.282/.355 in 247 big league plate appearances, though he’d begun to break out of a lengthy slump at the time he was placed on the DL.

With Riddle out for the remainder of the year, Miguel Rojas will likely see the bulk of time at shortstop. The rotation is less certain, though right-handers Dan Straily and Jose Urena figure to be locks to hold down spots, while left-hander Adam Conley has delivered much better results in his past three starts after a lengthy demotion to Triple-A New Orleans. The pair of injuries will eventually open a pair of roster spots, as both can be moved from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL. That could clear the path for someone like Dillon Peters or Trevor Richards to eventually get a look, though that’s simply speculation on my part.

Marlins Place Martin Prado On Disabled List

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The Marlins announced today that third baseman Martin Prado, who missed the bulk of the season’s first month due to a hamstring strain, has been placed back on the 10-day disabled list with another hamstring strain. Infielder J.T. Riddle has been recalled from Triple-A New Orleans to fill his spot on the roster.

[Related: Updated Miami Marlins Depth Chart]

There’s been no timetable given by the Marlins just yet, though Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel provided some context on the injury last night. Healey, who notes that Prado appears to have injured a different portion of the same hamstring, was able to walk on the injury after suffering a Grade 1 strain in the World Baseball Classic. This time, however, Prado told reporters that walking on the injury was more difficult. Prado was out through April 17 with the first hamstring strain.

In Prado’s previous absence, Derek Dietrich shouldered the workload at third base, and that’s likely to be the arrangement for the Marlins once again. Riddle could see some time at third base as well, although like Dietrich, he’s a left-handed bat, so there’s no opportunity for a platoon setup. To this point in the season, Prado had batted .290/.315/.406 in 73 plate appearances, whereas Dietrich has hit .224/.348/.293 in roughly the same sample size.

Marlins Place Adeiny Hechavarria On 10-Day DL With Oblique Strain

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The Marlins have placed shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria on the 10-day DL due to a left oblique strain.  Infielder J.T. Riddle will take Hechavarria’s spot on Miami’s 25-man roster.  The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, though even mild oblique injuries have a tendency to linger, so the Fish could be careful with Hechavarria this early in the season.

Acquired as part of the 12-player blockbuster trade with the Blue Jays in November 2012, Hechavarria has since become Miami’s everyday shortstop with a track record of excellent defense and below-average hitting.  Hechavarria has particularly come into his own with his glove since the start of the 2015 season, accumulating 19 Defensive Runs Saved and a +13 UZR/150 in that span.  At the plate, however, Hechavarria has managed just a .254/.291/.335 slash line in 2356 career PA, including an ugly .594 OPS over 547 PA in 2016.  The Marlins were reportedly willing to discuss Hechavarria in trades for pitching this winter, though no deal materialized in what was a pretty quiet offseason market for shortstops.

Hechavarria’s injury further hampers an already thinned-out infield situation for the Marlins, as Martin Prado is still on the DL with a strained hamstring.  Derek Dietrich has been manning third base with Prado out, and Miguel Rojas is likely to get most of the playing time at short with Hechavarria out, though the Marlins could use the left-handed hitting Riddle in a temporary platoon with Rojas (a righty-swinger) as Riddle gets his first taste of big league action.

A 13th-round pick for Miami in the 2013 draft, the 25-year-old Riddle has a .276/.319/.370 slash line over 1613 career plate appearances in the minors.  Baseball America ranked Riddle as the 21st-best prospect in the Marlins’ system, describing the Kentucky product as a possible future utilityman with a good glove and a strikeout-limiting swing, plus “high marks for leadership and makeup.”

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