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NL West Notes: Martinez, Cain, Urias, Padres

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J.D. Martinez has been an incredible source of power for the D-backs, slugging 18 homers in just 173 plate appearances with his new team. There’s mutual interest between the two sides in extending their relationship beyond the 2017 season, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, though there are clear challenges that stand in the way of that possibility. With Zack Greinke, Yasmany Tomas and Paul Goldschmidt already under contract in 2018 plus an enormous arbitration class (A.J. Pollock, Robbie Ray, Jake Lamb, David Peralta, Shelby Miller, Chris Owings, Patrick Corbin, Taijuan Walker, Randall Delgado, Andrew Chafin), Arizona is already likely to approach or replicate 2017’s Opening Day payroll of $103MM. Martinez suggested that he’d prefer to sign with a winning team rather than a rebuilding club that offered more money, while GM Mike Hazen (without mentioning any possible payroll constraints) said he wouldn’t rule anything out. That said, with a five-year deal looking firmly plausible for Martinez this winter, it seems to me that a reunion between the two sides is a considerable long shot, as other contenders will surely be making lucrative offers as well.

Elsewhere in the division…

  • Right-hander Matt Cain isn’t sure what the future holds for him, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The former Giants ace and longtime rotation stalwart tells Shea that “being able to be a career guy (with one team) is something that’s dear to my heart.” Cain adds that he values the loyalty that the organization has shown to him over the course of his career and that he’d relish the chance to become just the fourth player to ever have spent at least 10 years in the Majors — all with the Giants. Cain, though, does not firmly rule out the possibility of continuing his career, even if it’s with another club. Giants fans will want to check out the full column, as it’s filled with anecdotes related to Cain’s legacy in San Francisco and features quotes from teammates Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey as well as pitching coach Dave Righetti, skipper Bruce Bochy and of course, Cain himself.
  • Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias underwent shoulder surgery to repair his left anterior capsule earlier this season, and FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes in his weekly NL Notes roundup that the procedure actually went better than expected. Per Heyman, Dr. Neal ElAttrache anticipates a full recovery for the highly touted 21-year-old, although Urias still appears to be facing a significant layoff. Dodgers president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman said at the time of the surgery (in late June) that a rehab period of 12 months was expected for Urias.
  • The progress of Colin Rea and Robbie Erlin, both rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, gives the Padres another pair of arms to add to next spring’s rotation battle, writes MLB.com’s A.J. Cassavell. Both pitchers joined the team in September (though not the active roster, to be clear) as they continue their rehab process. Erlin is facing live hitters and is throwing every fifth day, alternating between bullpen sessions and live batting practice. Rea, meanwhile, is up to five bullpen sessions and will keep throwing into mid-October before a six-week break. They’ll join any offseason additions as well as injured rotation hopefuls such as Matt Strahm, Christian Friedrich and Jarred Cosart in vying for starting jobs with the Friars next March.

Julio Urias To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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Young Dodgers southpaw Julio Urias will require anterior capsule surgery on his left shoulder, according to a team announcement. It’s a major operation that clouds the future of the 20-year-old hurler.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says that the expectation is Urias will require an absence of between twelve and fourteen months, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports (links to Twitter). It’s even possible that Urias could pitch in the majors in 2018, he emphasized.

Though the procedure is a scary one for any pitcher, there are some mitigating factors here. Friedman says that Urias suffered the injury in an acute manner and is not dealing with any other injuries in his shoulder. That makes for a relatively more constrained problem than many prior pitchers have dealt with.

Still, it’s hard not to cringe when looking at the list of pitchers who have gone before Urias — though Friedman did specify that none were truly direct comparables. The most famous case is that of Johan Santana, who never really made it back. This 2012 piece from Adam Rubin of ESPN.com talks about the history (before Santana’s ultimate fate was known). And this deep dive from Jon Shepherd of Camden Depot covers the nuts and bolts.

It’s notable that the injury — so far as is presently known — occurred while Urias was on optional assignment. That would mean he will not accrue MLB service time during his recovery. Service-time considerations were only part of the picture for the Dodgers as they handled Urias with care over the past several seasons. Even as he showed immense aptitude for his age, the team took great care to limit his workload and ease him towards the big leagues.

The Mexican prodigy cracked the majors last year at 19 years of age, turning in 77 impressive innings of 3.39 ERA pitching with 9.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. It seemed he’d be ready for a more-or-less full season of work in 2017, but struggled early and ended up back at Triple-A. While he was seemingly on track to sort things out and make it back up, Urias apparently suffered the injury in his most recent outing for Oklahoma City.

While Los Angeles can do little but wait and hope that Urias responds well, the news does have near-term ramifications. The Dodgers will no longer be able to count on a boost from the lefty down the stretch, making it seem all the more likely that the team will consider adding a starter at the deadline. Though the rotation goes at least six deep, with other options standing by, the Dodgers are facing a steep test in the NL West and are no doubt aware of the injury risks carried by most of the members of the current staff.

Latest On Injuries To Adrian Gonzalez, Julio Urias

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Adrian Gonzalez has been dealing with back pain for the better part of half a decade, writes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, and the longtime Dodgers first baseman tells Plunkett that if the discomfort doesn’t subside, this could be his final contract.

“[I]f I have to deal with this next year again?” Gonzalez asked rhetorically. “That’ll probably be it. My contract will be over, that’ll probably be it. I won’t play any more. If I can heal it and my body feels good? Now I can go out there and do the things I can do. Then I’ll keep playing.”

Gonzalez has been diagnosed with a herniated disk in his lower back, for which he has received an epidural injection and is on a regimen of anti-inflammatories and physical therapy. Doctors have informed him that surgical repair of the issue would require a process similar to the spinal fusion that Tiger Woods has gone through and would effectively end his career. Gonzalez acknowledges that he hopes to be able to get healthy enough to extend his career by another two to three years after his current deal runs out, but that’s up in the air at the moment. He’s earning $21.5MM in 2017, and his contract calls for the same salary in 2018.

It’ll be another month before Gonzalez is reevaluated, per Plunkett, and there’s no firm timetable on a return to the playing field for the five-time All-Star. The 35-year-old Gonzalez saw his production take a dip in 2016 but still turned in a solid .285/.349/.435 batting line in 633 plate appearances over 156 games. In 2017, however, he hit .255/.304/.339 and appeared in just 49 games (182 PAs) before landing on the shelf with back issues.

The unsettling injury news for Dodgers fans doesn’t stop there, however, as Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times reports that there’s “heightened concern” in the Dodgers organization about the severity of prized young left-hander Julio Urias’ shoulder injury. President of baseball ops Andrew Friedman tells McCullough that the team doesn’t have anything “definitive” to share on Urias, though they hope to have a more substantive update in the near future.

J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group writes that Urias will return to L.A. this weekend to have his shoulder examined. The 20-year-old hasn’t thrown a baseball since June 10, when he was initially diagnosed with inflammation. He could be headed for multiple opinions on the shoulder and further testing to better get to the root of the problem, writes Hoornstra.

Urias made his big league debut in 2016 as a 19-year-old and pitched like a future ace, tossing 77 innings of 3.39 ERA ball with 9.8 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 43.7 percent ground-ball rate. He’s struggled through 23 1/3 MLB innings this season but still turned in outstanding work in Triple-A: a 2.59 ERA, a 32-to-15 K/BB ratio and a 46.7 percent ground-ball rate in 31 1/3 innings.

Pitching Health Notes: Gray, ERod, Urias, MadBum, Chargois

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Rockies righty Jon Gray made his first rehab start, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. He may need only one or two more minor league outings before rejoining the Colorado rotation, but holds out the promise of providing a significant boost upon his return. Likewise, southpaw Tyler Anderson is making his way back toward the big leagues, meaning the Rox will face some rotation questions in short order.

Here’s more on a few other pitching health matters from around the league:

  • It’s possible that the Red Sox may soon welcome back lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. per an update from manager John Farrell (h/t Peter Abraham of the Boston Glove; links to Twitter). Rodriguez was “ecstatic” after a 33-pitch pen session today, says Farrell, who indicated that the southpaw may be only one rehab start away from returning to the majors. That would surely be excellent news for Boston; Rodriguez’s knee issue seemed rather frightening when it arose, since he has dealt with significant problems in the joint in the past.
  • Likewise, the Dodgers got good news on young southpaw Julio Urias, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter links). While he’ll still be shut down until the soreness in his shoulder subsides, Urias did not exhibit any structural issues in an MRI.
  • With the Giants back in Colorado, the team is seeing continued progress from ace Madison Bumgarner, who is still recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered in an off-day dirtbiking accident during the team’s prior trip out to Denver. As John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, Bumgarner is set to face live hitting on Sunday and report to the organization’s spring facility. After that, he’d only be a rehab assignment away from a return, though the club will undoubtedly exercise ample caution given the club’s unenviable position in the standings.
  • As the Twins continue to hold onto a surprising AL Central lead, despite one of the league’s worst bullpens, the front office is surely at least thinking of ways to bolster the MLB roster while also remaining mindful of the broader organizational mission. Unfortunately, the club seemingly won’t be able to call upon relief prospect J.T. Chargois, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, who tweets that a “stress reaction on the outside of his elbow” will keep the young righty out for some time. The fireballer already missed significant time earlier in his career with elbow problems. Minnesota already lost out on another possible mid-season boost to the bullpen when Nick Burdi required Tommy John surgery earlier this year.

Injury Notes: Shields, Walker, Harvey, Johnson, Zobrist, Skaggs, Hamels, Cosart, Urias

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The White Sox will activate righty James Shields to make a start on Sunday, as JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago reports (Twitter links). That’ll leave plenty of time for the veteran to show not only that he’s back from a lat strain, but also that he still has some gas left in the tank. Shields, 35, turned in three solid starts to open the year after a terrible 2016 season. Possible trade suitors will be looking to see whether he can manage extended productivity between now and the deadline.

Here’s more on the injury front:

  • Mets second baseman Neil Walker appeared to suffer a left hamstring injury while trying to leg out a bunt single in tonight’s game. The club did not reveal any details in an official announcement, though the team did state that Walker is already slated to undergo an MRI tomorrow. Not coincidentally, perhaps, infielder Gavin Cecchini was removed from the Triple-A Las Vegas lineup, as Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review Journal tweets.
  • There were also some fresh concerns on the pitching side of the equation for the Mets. Matt Harvey was hooked after four innings and 58 pitches, as David Lennon of Newsday reports (Twitter links). He’ll head in for a medical check tomorrow after what he called a “fatigued” outing in which his fastball velocity dropped as low as 87 mph — a level that, per Harvey, he hadn’t visited since he was a freshman in high school. Also, before the game, the Mets placed lefty Josh Smoker on the DL with a left shoulder strain. New York was forced to lean on the reliever for four innings and 81 pitches last night. Righty Rafael Montero will return to the majors in his stead.
  • The Red Sox saw another starter leave with an injury tonight, as southpaw Brian Johnson exited with what the team is calling left shoulder discomfort, as Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports. While all involved expressed hope that the issue wouldn’t turn out to be anything significant, Johnson will be given a full checkup in Boston tomorrow to be sure.
  • The Cubs are weighing a DL move for Ben Zobrist, as Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune was among those to report. His left wrist isn’t healing up as hoped, so Zobrist will be looked at more closely tomorrow. If he’s not able to suit up, then a DL placement seems likely.
  • There’s some positive news on Angels southpaw Tyler Skaggs. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets, the 25-year-old is heading to the team’s spring complex with an eye on making back to the majors by early July. Hell be hoping to finally put an end to the string of injuries that have slowed his promising career. Skaggs is currently working back from an oblique strain.
  • Also now looking toward a return is Rangers lefty Cole Hamels. As Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports, Hamels could take a rehab start on Friday — the same day that Tyson Ross is set to make his Rangers debut. That could potentially line Hamels up to return to the majors before month’s end. That’s promising news for a Texas team that is off to a middling start to the season. The Rangers are also likely to welcome back first baseman Mike Napoli and outfielder Carlos Gomez in the coming days.
  • Things aren’t looking as promising for Padres righty Jarred Cosart. According to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, on Twitter, Cosart has been diagnosed with a flexor strain. He’s not yet ready to begin throwing and will partake in some rehab efforts at the club’s spring facility.
  • Finally, the Dodgers are holding their breath as prized young lefty Julio Urias reports to Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a look at his shoulder. As Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links), soreness in the joint has forced the 20-year-old to the DL at Triple-A. Things haven’t gone as hoped this year for Urias, who showed immense promise in 2016. He largely struggled in five MLB starts and was carrying higher-than-usual walk totals at Triple-A.

NL Notes: Pirates, Cardinals, Urias

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Pirates GM Neal Huntington says the team plans to spend money the team recently saved from Starling Marte’s PED suspension, Jung Ho Kang’s prolonged visa issues, and the release of Jared Hughes, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. “As soon as that option becomes available, we’ll gladly pour the money back into the club,” Huntington says. Of course, as Huntington notes, early-season trades are rare. It’s also far from clear that the Pirates, who are currently just 20-24, will head toward the trade deadline as buyers in the conventional sense. If the Bucs are in contention come July, though, it sounds like they’ll have money to spend — the combined total they’ve saved from Marte, Kang and Hughes (minus the 45 days’ salary they paid Hughes as a he departed near the end of Spring Training) comes out to over $5MM. Here’s more from the National League.

  • Brett Cecil’s struggles in his first season with the Cardinals after signing a $30.5MM contract, as well as seemingly minor injury issues to pitchers like Trevor Rosenthal (arm soreness) and Kevin Siegrist (neck), have strained the team’s bullpen, Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Cecil has allowed 11 runs (nine earned) and nine walks in 14 1/3 innings thus far (although he’s struck out 18). It doesn’t sound, however, like GM John Mozeliak is yet on the lookout for late-inning relief help. “On paper I feel like it’s a luxury to have three players who can pitch the eighth and ninth,” Mozeliak says, presumably meaning Cecil, Rosenthal and closer Seung Hwan Oh, although Siegrist has also frequently pitched in the late innings this season. “Clearly, the way Cecil’s performed to date, it’s been tough, it’s been better and it’s been tough again. I still think over the course of the year he’s going to be somebody we can count on, but he’s certainly having to work through some early struggles.”
  • The Dodgers have announced that they’ve optioned young lefty Julio Urias to Triple-A Oklahoma City, recalling righty Josh Ravin from Oklahoma City to take his place. Urias allowed seven runs (six earned) in 2 1/3 innings against the Marlins yesterday, giving him a 5.40 ERA with just 4.2 K/9 and a 5.4 BB/9 over five starts this season despite allowing just two runs total in his first three. The Dodgers currently have six potential starting pitchers either on their 25-man or soon to be available (Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Alex Wood, plus Kenta Maeda, who is expected to return from the disabled list this week) so they can afford to let the 20-year-old Urias continue to develop in the minors for the time being.

Dodgers Place Joc Pederson On 10-Day DL; Julio Urias To Make Season Debut

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The Dodgers have placed center fielder Joc Pederson on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by outfielder Brett Eibner.

Pederson, who just turned 25, has a groin injury. It doesn’t seem likely to keep him out for a lengthy stretch, but the Dodgers evidently felt it was worth getting out ahead of with a DL placement. He’ll look to pick up his hitting a bit upon his return, after posting a tepid .220/.322/.340 mark through his first 18 games of the season.

Notably, too, Los Angeles is set to bring up talented young starter Julio Urias for his 2017 debut, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group (Twitter link). The 20-year-old had opened the year at Triple-A as part of an effort to control his innings.

Urias has unsurprisingly dominated at the highest level of the minors, though he has also permitted nine walks in his 14 frames. Still, he has nothing left to prove there; the young southpaw already turned in 77 innings of 3.39 ERA ball in the majors last season.

It seems that Urias will take the ball Thursday, meaning that righty Kenta Maeda will be bumped from his next scheduled start. He’ll pitch Friday, per skipper Dave Roberts, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets. The 29-year-old has been hit hard in the early going, with 24 hits and seven long balls recorded against him through 19 innings — though he has also maintained his excellent strikeout (9.0 K/9) and walk (2.4 BB/9) rates.

After this first outing, Urias could stay in the majors or head back to Albuquerque. How things shake out could also depend in part upon the status of Rich Hill, who is still on the DL with a troublesome blister.

Quick Hits: Cutch, Nats, Pirates, Crisp, Dodgers, Soler, Rangers

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Financial reasons played a key role in the Nationals’ offseason decision to trade for then-White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton instead of the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). With his $4MM salary this year, Eaton is much cheaper than McCutchen ($14MM), and acquiring the latter would have forced the Nationals to jettison left-hander Gio Gonzalez and his $12MM price tag in a separate deal, says Rosenthal. In addition to having concerns over how their payroll would have looked with McCutchen, the Nationals had no interest in meeting Pittsburgh’s lofty demands for the five-time All-Star. Washington bought high on Eaton, whose excellent 2016 helped convinced the club to give up high-end pitching prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning for him. McCutchen, on the other hand, had a career-worst season last year, yet the Pirates wanted an even more impressive package for him than the Nationals sent the White Sox, according to Rosenthal. Pittsburgh held out for both pitching prospects and major leaguers, leading the Nats to go in another direction.

More from around the sport:

  • Outfielder Coco Crisp said during the winter that he wasn’t ready to retire, and even though he still hasn’t landed a contract, the 37-year-old wants to continue playing, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Crisp hasn’t been able to find work on the heels of a season in which he hit an underwhelming .231/.302/.397 with 13 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a combined 498 plate appearances with the Athletics and Indians. He was worse in the field, accounting for minus-10 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-11.1 Ultimate Zone Rating.
  • Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias “might” make his first big league start of 2017 in the coming week, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday (via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). Urias would step in for Alex Wood, who Gurnick notes would return to the bullpen after making a start in place of the injured Rich Hill on Friday. The 20-year-old Urias tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings and 93 pitches Friday with Triple-A Oklahoma. As for Hill, who has dealt with chronic blister issues since last year, he has “tinkered” with a new grip during his latest DL stint, per Roberts. Hill has also tried to cure his problems with pickle juice and rice, among other methods mentioned by Gurnick. It seems the 37-year-old has made progress in his recovery. “It’s toughened up for sure,” Hill said of the blister.
  • Jorge Soler is getting closer to making his Royals debut. The outfielder, on the shelf since March with an oblique injury, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday, relays Dave Sessions of MLB.com. The Royals are unsure when they’ll call up Soler, whom they acquired from the Cubs for closer Wade Davis over the winter. When Soler is healthy enough to return, his bat “could be a big boost,” manager Ned Yost said. Kansas City’s offense entered Saturday dead last in the majors in both runs and wRC+, so its lineup certainly needs a jolt.
  • Rangers minor league left-hander Joe Palumbo will undergo Tommy John surgery during the upcoming week, tweets TR Sullivan of MLB.com. Palumbo, one of the Rangers’ 10 best prospects, will now lose a year of development as a result of a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The 22-year-old was extremely impressive this season at the High-A level, where he recorded a 0.66 ERA, 14.49 K/9 and 2.63 BB/9 in 13 2/3 innings.

NL West Notes: Greinke, Senzatela, Rockies/Dodgers Renewals

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Diamondbacks righty Zack Greinke again showed less-than-ideal velocity in his latest spring outing, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. The veteran hurler did push over 90 at times, but fell back to the 86 to 88 mph range later in his start. Still, pitching coach Mike Butcher said Greinke is “right where he needs to be at this point,” suggesting that the heat could still build over camp. As Piecoro explains, there’s plenty more to Greinke’s game than velocity, though clearly more is generally better. Last year, Greinke averaged 91.3 mph with his four-seamer and 90.7 with his two-seam fastball, both of which were career lows, but only by a half of a mile per hour or so.

Here’s more from the NL West:

  • The Rockies are giving a real look at young righty Antonio Senzatela in their suddenly wide-open rotation battle, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes. Though he only managed seven starts at Double-A last year, owing to a conservative course of care for shoulder soreness, Senzatela has impressed this spring. With Colorado seeking to fill two jobs, the 22-year-old could be in the running. While it seems likely he’ll have rather strict innings limits for the upcoming season, Senzatela could conceivably be of greater utility early on. Manager Bud Black praised his repeatable mechanics and  ability to spot multiple pitches in the zone, which led to some “funny swings” in his most recent outing.
  • Meanwhile, the Rockies have continued to decline to consider large raises for their pre-arb players, with Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reporting that the organization renewed several important youngsters. Shortstop Trevor Story, outfielder David Dahl, catcher Tom Murphy, and righties Chad Bettis and Jon Gray were all renewed after failing to agree with the team’s proposed numbers. Story and Gray each got marginal raises over the minimum, earning $540K apiece; it’s not clear what the remaining players will get. Colorado has long drawn the ire of agents for its approach to setting pre-arb salaries, though it’s entirely within the rules to handle things this way.
  • It’s a similar situation with the Dodgers, though young stars Corey Seager and Joc Pederson will earn somewhat more than their peers in Colorado. As Heyman reports, both players were renewed after highly productive seasons, with Seager receiving $575K and Pederson checking in at $555K. Though the latter was nearly as productive offensively as the former, and is one service class ahead, the club likely saw fit to recognize Seager’s NL Rookie of the Year nod and third-place finish in the MVP voting. Meanwhile, exciting young southpaw Julio Urias was also renewed, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register. He’ll receive $540K during whatever portion of the season he ends up playing in the majors.

Quick Hits: Dodgers, Astros, Royals, Gagne

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Two weeks ago, the Dodgers were leaning toward having left-hander Julio Urias open the season in their rotation. It now appears he’ll begin in the minors as they attempt to tamp down his workload, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The 20-year-old phenom threw a career-high 122 innings between the majors and minors in 2016, and LA wants to keep him fresh this season for a potential playoff run. Should the Dodgers send down Urias, they’d choose among Brandon McCarthy, Alex Wood and “wild card” Hyun-Jin Ryu to fill their final two rotation spots, adds Sherman (Twitter links here).

Elsewhere around the majors…

  • Houston’s acquisition of catcher Brian McCann from the Yankees in November played a key role in their December signing of designated hitter Carlos Beltran, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow informed Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. “As we recruited Beltran, bringing McCann over was a big part of getting Beltran to accept coming over here,” said Luhnow. Teammates in New York from 2014-16, McCann and Beltran have already been quite valuable behind the scenes for the Astros, per Luhnow. “These two guys have been a tremendous boost to the environment in our clubhouse,” he stated. “I’m so glad they’re here.”
  • When he accepted the Royals’ two-year, $12MM guarantee as a free agent last month, southpaw Travis Wood seemed like a decent bet to start 2017 in their rotation. But another offseason acquisition, trade pickup Nate Karns, has emerged over Wood and Chris Young as the clear favorite for Kansas City’s last starting spot, tweets Sherman. The right-handed Karns, 29, made 46 starts with the Nationals, Rays and Mariners from 2013-16 and logged a 4.19 ERA, 9.0 K/9 and 3.69 BB/9 over 249 innings. The 30-year-old Wood worked solely as a reliever with the World Series champion Cubs last season, which came after he racked up 133 starts in Cincinnati and Chicago from 2010-15. He recorded the same ERA as Karns (4.19) to go with 7.11 K/9 against 3.15 BB/9 during that 776-inning span.
  • Free agent reliever Eric Gagne, 41, is making a case for a contract in the World Baseball Classic, though the Team Canada righty and 2003 NL Cy Young winner realizes he’d first have to succeed in the minors to have any chance at returning to the majors. “I know the game, I know how it happens, I know they need spots on the 40-man roster and don’t want to release a young guy for a 41 year old, so of course I’d be willing to do anything,” the former closer told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Gagne, who hasn’t pitched in the bigs since 2008, worked out for five teams before the WBC, writes Davidi, and has since fared well in the tournament. “Words are irrelevant at this point. Clubs are seeing it with their own eyes,” Gagne’s agent, Scott Leventhal, told FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link).

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