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Angels Designate Luis Valbuena For Assignment

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In a surprise move, the Angels announced that they’ve designated corner infielder Luis Valbuena for assignment. To take his 25-man roster spot, the team recalled right-hander Deck McGuire from Triple-A Salt Lake.

Prior to his ouster, Valbuena had been two months from completing the two-year, $15MM guarantee the Angels awarded him as a free agent before last season. The deal also comes with an $8.5MM mutual option for 2019, but given his poor production in their uniform, the Angels would have bought him out for $500K instead. While the Angels will now have a week to find a taker for Valbuena via trade, that seems unlikely to happen. Instead, it’s fair to guess that the 32-year-old will clear waivers and end up back on the free-agent market soon after that.

Valbuena, who’s on an $8MM salary this year, has hit a horrid .199/.253/.335 with nine home runs and a .135 ISO in 288 plate appearances in 2018. He also batted .199 over 401 PAs in 2017, though Valbuena still offered far better overall production than he has this year, as he posted a .294 on-base percentage, a .432 slugging percentage, 22 homers and a .233 ISO. During what amounted to nearly a two-year run in Anaheim, Valbuena slashed .199/.277/.390 in 689 PAs.

The lefty-swinging Valbuena had been an above-average offensive player earlier in his career, which led the Angels to hand him a sizable payday. From 2013-16, which he divided between the Cubs and Astros, Valbuena hit .237/.333/.428 (112 wRC+) with 66 homers, a .191 ISO and respectable walk (12.0) and strikeout (20.5) percentages in 1,773 PAs.

Injury Notes: Snell, Dickerson, Fowler, Williams, Skaggs

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As expected, the Rays have activated left-hander Blake Snell to start tonight’s game against the White Sox. The first-time All-Star will be on a limited pitch count following a two-week DL stint for left shoulder fatigue. Following a trade of Chris Archer to the Pirates, Snell looks like the only reliable starter in a Rays rotation that continues to see relievers open games more often than the starters themselves. Snell’s pre-injury performance, of course, was phenomenal; his 2.27 ERA would be more than a run lower than his career best season.

Here are a few other disabled list transactions from around the league…

  • Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson has been activated after a short stint on the disabled list; he’d been sidelined with a left hamstring strain. They’ll surely be glad to have him back after the club traded away notable outfield depth in the form of Austin Meadows at the July 31st deadline. While he’s active, Dickerson won’t be starting today’s game against the Cardinals (though he’ll presumably be available off the bench).
  • As expected after last night’s news, Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler will hit the DL after suffering a fractured foot. Fowler’s enduring a miserable season that’s by far his career worst; he’s managed to hit an absolutely wretched .180/.278/.298 across 334 plate appearances while playing middling outfield defense. Fangraphs rates him as being 1.2 wins below replacement level on the season after a 2.5 fWAR debut with the Cards last year.
  • Switch-hitting relief pitcher Taylor Williams is headed to the DL with right elbow soreness. It’s certainly bad news for a Brewers bullpen that’s seeing Corey Knebel struggle mightily of late. Williams has tossed 42 2/3 relief innings and managed to strike out 10.43 batters per nine innings, though he’s only managed to keep the ball on the ground 34.8% of the time and has walked a batter nearly every other inning on average. Williams is in the midst of his first full season in the majors after a 4 2/3 inning cup of coffee last year.
  • Angels hurler Tyler Skaggs is headed to the disabled list with a left adductor strain, the club has announced. Skaggs has described the injury as “extremely frustrating”, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. He apparently sustained it during his last start. In his stead, the Angels have called up right-hander Taylor Cole. The Angels, of course, have already seen their rotation annihilated by injuries this year, with Garrett Richards, Shohei Ohtani, J.C. Ramirez and Matt Shoemaker among the affected starters.

Chris Young Undergoes Hip Surgery

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Angels outfielder Chris Young has undergone right hip surgery, per a club announcement. He will need an additional procedure on his left hip as well. Both are to address labral tears.

The 34-year-old’s outlook isn’t immediately clear, but it seems reasonable to guess it’ll be challenging for him to make it back this year. He has already been on the shelf for a month with a hamstring strain. With just two months of the season left to be played, Young may be looking at a return next spring.

Regardless, the Halos likely will not get value on the $2MM they invested in Young over the winter. That was certainly a reasonable amount to pay for the veteran reserve, who has mostly provided solid overall output over his 13-year career. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked out as hoped.

In 128 plate appearances on the year, Young carries only a .168/.252/.363 batting line with six home runs. It’s fair to note that he’s only carrying a .183 BABIP, but Young is also producing soft contact at a whopping 38.5% rate and his strikeout rate has jumped to 28.9% after sitting in the twenty percent range in recent years. Plus, he has graded as a below-average defender in the outfield.

Young has been more effective against left-handers (85 wRC+) than against same-handed pitchers, but obviously he has lagged even in that regard. The expectation was that he’d provide something of a platoon partner for Kole Calhoun and a back-up for Mike Trout and Justin Upton, helping to form a highly productive outfield unit on a contending team. Instead, with the since-rejuvenated Calhoun embroiled in a miserable slump to begin the year, right field became one of the problem areas for a club that has fallen short of expectations.

Deadline Day Bullpen Rumors: Padres, Diekman, Halos

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It’s a buyers’ market for bullpen help with just over two hours until the non-waiver trade deadline, as there’s a significant supply of arms thought to be available on the market. Here’s some of the latest chatter as contenders look to bolster their relief corps:

  • The Cubs had scouts on hand to watch the Padres — likely relievers Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen — last night, tweets Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Chicago was tied to Brad Ziegler recently but didn’t land the submariner, as he instead went to the D-backs recently. Lin’s colleague, Ken Rosenthal, tweets that the A’s also have interest in Stammen. Rosenthal also tweeted earlier today that the Pirates watched Yates before acquiring Keone Kela. The addition of Kela could take them out of that market, of course, but the Pirates could speculatively still be in the market for another arm. Both relievers are controlled beyond the 2018 season.
  • The Rangers have accelerated their efforts to move lefty reliever Jake Diekman, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Texas has already moved Cole Hamels, Jesse Chavez and Kela in the days leading up to the deadline, and Diekman represents perhaps the top remaining trade chip they have — certainly the top remaining rental, especially with Adrian Beltre unlikely to approve a deal. Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweeted recently that the Phillies have checked in on Diekman.
  • USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that the Angels are drawing “serious interest” in lefty Jose Alvarez and Blake Parker, though as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register pointed out earlier today, it’d be tough for the Halos to part with either controllable reliever (Twitter links). The Angels hope for better health and a return to contention in 2019, and each of Alvarez, Parker and Cam Bedrosian could factor prominently into those plans. Fletcher notes that perhaps the organization would be more apt to move one of those relievers if it meant landing a nar-MLB commodity at a thin position such as catcher.

Red Sox Acquire Ian Kinsler

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The Red Sox have struck a deal to bring in second baseman Ian Kinsler from the Angels, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Minor-leaguers Williams Jerez and Ty Buttrey are going to the Halos in return, as Jon Heyman of Fancred was first to tweet.

Boston will also receive some money in the deal, per reports from Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter links) and Rosenthal (via Twitter). The Sox will receive $1.83MM, about half of the $3.6MM or so still owed to Kinsler, who is earning $11MM this year before reaching free agency at season’s end.

Kinsler, 36, remains a solid performer at his native second base. He has boosted his output at the plate with a recent tear, leaving him with a .239/.304/.406 slash for the season — good for a 97 wRC+. He still produces his share of home runs (13) and steals (9). And Kinsler remains a top-end defender.

All told, Kinsler seems to be quite a worthwhile addition for the Sox, who needed to account for ongoing uncertainty surrounding Dustin Pedroia. While the team has generally struck an optimistic tone on Pedroia, it’s anyone’s guess whether and when he’ll be back in action. At the very least, he’ll now face much less pressure to get on the field quickly, which may be best for both him and the team in the long run.

Certainly, the veteran second bagger is a known commodity to Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who previously brought Kinsler onto the Tigers. Dombrowski might have stayed his hand, or opted for a lesser addition. But third baseman Rafael Devers recently went down as well further increasing the need to boost the infield depth. And given Boston’s compelling start to the season, there’s every reason to push the pedal to the floor to maximize the team’s chances of taking the AL East and navigating what promises to be a powerhouse AL postseason field.

Meanwhile, this deal delivers a consolation prize to the Angels, whose season started with great promise but crumbled as injuries mounted. Both of the team’s new assets are reasonably interesting, advanced pitchers who ought to help pad the organization’s depth charts as it enters an interesting offseason.

The 25-year-old Buttrey ranked 19th on MLB.com’s mid-season ranking of the Red Sox’ top prospects. The scouting report isn’t particularly optimistic, noting that he lacks movement and command on his high-velo heater and still hasn’t fully developed a reliable secondary offering. Still, Buttrey has impressed this year at Triple-A, turning in 44 frames of 2.25 ERA pitching with 13.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

Jerez, 26, was also listed among Boston’s top thirty farm assets. The southpaw is a converted outfielder who has been working things out in the upper minors for several seasons now. While Jerez is currently showing a nice boost in his strikeout rate, which is up to 11.8 per nine at Triple-A, he’s also issuing a few too many walks (4.2 per nine) and has continued to struggle against right-handed batters. As things stand, he seems to profile mostly as a lefty specialist.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jays Claim Oliver Drake

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The Blue Jays have claimed right-hander Oliver Drake has off waivers from the Angels, the teams announced Thursday. He’d been designated for assignment by the Halos earlier this week. Drake will join the Major League bullpen, per the Blue Jays.

The 31-year-old Drake has already pitched for the Brewers, Indians and Angels this season, and the Jays will add a fourth entrant to that list. Drake has been clobbered for a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 innings this year, but he’s put averaged 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched and has registered a solid 13.7 percent swinging-strike rate. He also comes to Toronto with a brilliant track record in Triple-A, where he’s pitched to a 2.05 ERA with 155 punchouts against 43 walks in 110 innings of work.

Astros Acquire Martin Maldonado

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The Astros have struck a deal with the division-rival Angels to acquire backstop Martin Maldonado, as Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group first reported (via Twitter). Young lefty Patrick Sandoval will go to the Angels along with $250K in international pool money.

With the move, Houston has bolstered its catching unit as it awaits the return of veteran Brian McCann from the DL. Maldonado will displace Tim Federowicz, who has been designated for assignment, per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Astros’ new catcher will pair with the emergent Max Stassi to split up the work behind the dish for at least the next several weeks.

Maldonado is earning $3.9MM this year before qualifying for free agency at season’s end. He originally came to Los Angeles in the deal that sent fellow receiver Jett Bandy to the Brewers before the 2017 season.

Over the past two years, Maldonado has performed at the plate much as he did in his prior MLB action. He’s a weak on-base threat who only partially makes up for that with some pop. For his career, Maldonado owns a .219/.291/.347 batting line — good for a 72 OPS+ that he has matched almost exactly in both 2017 and 2018.

Clearly, the appeal lies more in Maldonado’s work with his gear on. The 31-year-old is a well-regarded all-around performer behind the dish. In particular, though he has not earned prime grades for his framing in 2018, Maldonado has in years past rated as one of the sport’s best at winning strikes for his pitchers.

If nothing else, the addition of Maldonado will give the Astros some much-needed insurance with McCann still working back from a knee surgery. Just how things will be sorted out in the postseason remains to be seen, but the Astros will surely feel confident they’ll have solid options available the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the Halos are more or less acknowledging the obvious: this won’t be the year they break back into the postseason. The 21-year-old Sandoval represents something of a consolation prize for a disappointing campaign.

Sandoval was an 11th-round pick in 2015. He has turned in an impressive campaign thus far, working to a 2.56 ERA in 88 frames — most of them at the Class A level but his more recently at High-A. Sandoval has struck out 9.9 and walked just 1.5 batters per nine on the year. Baseball America recently wrote up the young southpaw, characterizing him as a legitimately interesting prospect.

Fletcher tweeted Sandoval’s inclusion. Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link) had the international money.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Angels Designate Oliver Drake

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The Angels announced today that they have designated righty Oliver Drake for assignment. His roster spot was needed for a series of other moves.

The Halos have made two additions to their active roster, activating veteran slugger Albert Pujols and recalling young starter Jaime Barria. In addition to dropping the out-of-options Drake, the club optioned right-hander Deck McGuire.

Drake, 31, has mostly sported strong K/BB numbers in the majors, but has continued to struggle to get outs. In 8 2/3 innings this year with the Angels, his third organization of the season, Drake recorded eight strikeouts while issuing just one walk but also coughed up five earned runs on 15 hits.

It’s certainly possible that Drake will end up staying in the Los Angeles organization if he clears waivers. But he has landed on another 40-man roster two of the prior times he was designated for assignment this year. (Drake also once ended up being outrighted by the Angels.)

There are certainly some positives for the right-hander. Drake has a solid 13.7% swinging-strike rate in his 25 2/3 total MLB innings this year and is averaging a career-best 93.4 mph with his fastball. He has likely been hurt by some poor batted-ball fortune: opposing hitters carry a .425 batting average on balls in play as well as a .377 wOBA that’s well over the .331 xwOBA that Statcast tracking suggests.

At the same time, it’s tough to dismiss completely that Drake carries a 7.01 ERA this season. Indeed, despite generally promising assessments from ERA estimators (3.35 FIP / 3.67 xFIP / 3.69 SIERA) over his 115 1/3 career frames, Drake has allowed 4.84 earned runs to cross the plate for every nine innings he has pitched in the majors.

Injury Notes: Reds, Cespedes, Angels, Rangers

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Reds infielder Alex Blandino suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on Friday, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Blandino will miss the rest of the season, though the length of the recovery period (five to six months, Fay writes) suggests his 2019 isn’t in jeopardy. A first-round pick (No. 29 overall) of the Reds in 2014, Blandino debuted in the majors this year and batted .234/.324/.289 in 147 plate appearances. Defensively, he saw action at several positions, logging double-digit appearances at second, third and shortstop.

A few more injury updates from around the game…

  • After returning Friday from a two-month absence, left fielder Yoenis Cespedes missed the Mets’ game Saturday while dealing with soreness, Tim Healey of Newsday reports. Cespedes, who revealed Friday that he has calcification in his heels and may need surgery, will meet with a foot specialist and have an MRI next week, per Healey. Despite that, the Mets haven’t ruled Cespedes out for Sunday’s game, according to manager Mickey Callaway.
  • The Angels activated right-hander Nick Tropeano from the disabled list and optioned fellow righty Eduardo Paredes to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday. Tropeano, who started the Angels’ game Saturday, missed just under a month and a half with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. He’s among a cavalcade of Angels who haven’t been able to get through the season unscathed, which helps explain their disappointing record (49-49). The 27-year-old entered Saturday with a 4.83 ERA/4.86 FIP, 7.33 K/9 and 3.33 BB/9 over a 10-start, 54-inning span.
  • Rangers catcher Jose Trevino has undergone season-ending left shoulder surgery, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports, adding that he should be ready for spring training in 2019. The 25-year-old had a poor season at the plate at the Triple-A level (.234/.284/.332 in 201 trips), but he’s a well-regarded defender who ranks as the Rangers’ 21st-best prospect at MLB Pipeline. Trevino also earned his first major league promotion this season, collecting eight PAs.

Shohei Ohtani Cleared To Begin Throwing Progression

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Angels starter/DH Shohei Ohtani has been cleared medically to resume throwing, per a club announcement. The news came on the heels of his examination after six weeks of rest following stem cell and platelet-rich plasma treatment.

Ohtani, who took MLB by storm in his first season after coming over from Japan, hit the shelf in early June after being diagnosed with a grade 2 sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament. The two-way star has since returned to the active roster to continue working as a hitter, but has not yet begun moving back toward the mound.

It obviously seems to be promising news that Ohtani will be able to attempt to return to the hill as soon as the present season. The announcement states that Ohtani’s UCL “continues to show improved healing.” He’ll doubtlessly be watched closely as he ramps back up and will certainly need some time to get back to full speed. It’ll also be interesting to see how the Halos balance the need to get Ohtani rehab outings with the fact that he’s already an active part of the MLB roster.

Of course, skeptics will note that this club has pursued this route before, with at most a mixed record. While Garrett Richards was able to stave off Tommy John surgery for a while after electing not to undergo the procedure in May of 2016, he experienced some intervening setbacks and only made it back for 22 total starts before ultimately requiring a UCL replacement. Teammate Andrew Heaney initially charted a similar course at nearly the exact same time, but ultimately did not return to competitive action before needing a TJ procedure. Interestingly, though, to this point Heaney has 22 MLB outings of his own since both he and Richards faced the same choice.

It’s worth noting that Ohtani has been cleared to begin ramping up after just six weeks of rest. That’s the same hope that was expressed at the time that Richards underwent his initial treatment, but he ultimately did not begin his own throwing program until mid-August of 2016 — about three months later. Whether that suggests greater cause for optimism in Ohtani’s case isn’t really clear.

Of course, even if Ohtani is able to make it back later this year, it’s far from clear that he’ll have any impact on the team’s 2018 prospects for reaching the postseason. Since he left the rotation, the club has plummeted in the standings and now sits nine games out of a Wild Card spot.

That’s not to say that there isn’t anything to be gained by avoiding the surgery. At this stage of the year, TJ would likely prevent Ohtani from pitching for most or all of the 2019 season. That essential outlook would remain the same if, say, Ohtani ends up undergoing a procedure this fall. The Richards example shows that there are risks in the rehab approach, too, but it’s also far from guaranteed that a pitcher who undertakes such a serious surgery will end up back at full strength.

Fortunately, Ohtani has impressed nearly as much with his bat as with his arm, though it’s the combination of the two areas that makes him utterly unique at the game’s highest level. Through 157 plate appearances, he carries a .283/.365/.522 slash line with seven home runs. In nine starts, he posted a 3.10 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. The Angels are clearly much better, and the overall game of baseball much richer, with Ohtani functioning in both a hitting and a pitching capacity

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