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Royals Acquire Daniel Nava

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The Royals have acquired outfielder Daniel Nava from the Angels for a player to be named later or cash, the club announced. Nava will head to Triple-A Omaha.

Nava, 33, has spent the last month at the highest level of the minors after previously losing his roster spot with the Halos. He posted a meager .235/.309/.303 batting line over 136 plate appearances at the major league level, battling injuries along the way.

Things have pointed up since Nava reported to Triple-A, though, as Nava has compiled a .333/.390/.427 slash in 105 trips to the plate. That looks more like the peak 2013 big league numbers that Nava posted with the Red Sox.

While a return to his brief but plenty useful career-best campaign would be a lot to ask for, Kansas City is surely hopeful that Nava can provide a solid bench bat once rosters expand in a few days. The switch hitter has traditionally fared much better against right-handed pitching, so he’d most likely be utilized from the left side almost exclusively.

Angels Outright Johnny Giavotella To Triple-A

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The Angels have outrighted second baseman Johnny Giavotella to Triple-A, the club announced.  Giavotella cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.

After being acquired from Kansas City in a December 2014 trade, Giavotella has spent much of the last two seasons as the Angels’ starter at the keystone.  He didn’t provide much offensively (.267/.305/.375 over 869 plate appearances) or defensively (the UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved metrics indicate below-average glovework over the last two years) and Giavotella had recently lost playing time to Gregorio Petit and Cliff Pennington.  Second base certainly appears to be one of many areas of need for the Halos this winter as they look to recover from a thoroughly disappointing 2016 campaign.

As Pedro Moura of the L.A. Times tweets, the Angels will use Giavotella as a utilityman at Triple-A.  Giavotella has some experience at third base and left field in the minors, though he has only appeared at a position other than second once at the Major League level (a single game at shortstop).  Gaining some multi-position versatility could be helpful for Giavotella’s career prospects, given his lack of success against MLB pitching.  Giavotella will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is a potential non-tender candidate, though he doesn’t figure to be in line for a very big salary in his initial trip through the arb process.

AL Notes: Davis, Aoki, Jones, Ondrusek, Angels, A’s

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Wade Davis is making progress on his way back to the Royals, as he’s set for an inning of action at Triple-A, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets. Kansas City has thrived without their 30-year-old closer, but that doesn’t mean his return doesn’t come with anticipation. The defending World Series champs have clawed their way back into the postseason picture — no surprise for this group — but still sits four games out of Wild Card position and need every advantage that can be found.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Mariners optioned outfielder Nori Aoki to Triple-A tonight as part of a series of roster moves, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was among those to tweet. While he has struggled for much of the year, Aoki has actually been quite useful at the plate in August with a .338/.392/.426 batting line for the month. But Seattle needed fresh arms, and so took advantage of the ability to remove the veteran from the active roster for the time being. He’ll surely be back shortly with rosters expanding in a few days.
  • Orioles outfielder Adam Jones left tonight’s action with what the team is calling a hamstring strain. That could be a big problem for the O’s, who not only need Jones’s bat in the lineup but don’t have any ready replacements on their depth chart. But skipper Buck Showalter says that he doesn’t believe Jones will require a DL stint, as Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com tweets.
  • Earlier today, the Orioles designated righty Logan Ondrusek off of their active roster. Unlike a typical DFA, the move simply puts the player on ice while he is passed through optional assignment waives. The procedural step was taken to enable the team to reinstate lefty T.J. McFarland from the DL.
  • The Angels have hired a new amateur scouting, adding former Cardinals cross-checker Matt Swanson, as ESPN.com’s Keith Law reported on Twitter. Los Angeles has continued to experience change in the upper levels of its player intake and development departments, which is no surprise given that GM Billy Eppler only took the helm last October.
  • Just like their AL West rivals, the Athletics are engaged in a complicated ballpark situation, though their’s may be trending away from their current digs at the O.Co Coliseum. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Matier & Ross recently provided a look at the latest on the search for a new site, with quiet majority owner John Fisher said to be looking closely at a spot in Oakland’s Howard Terminal that is the preferred spot of mayor Libby Schaaf.

Some In Angels Org Believe Jered Weaver May Retire

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  • Angels righty Jered Weaver has already made clear that he isn’t ready to discuss his plans for 2017, when he’ll be a free agent, but Heyman says that some in the organization believe he may retire. The 33-year-old is struggling through his worst season in the majors, with a 5.47 ERA over 138 1/3 innings.

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Bedrosian Diagnosed With Blood Clot In Right Arm

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  • The Angels announced on Wednesday that doctors have discovered a blood clot in the upper right arm of breakout reliever Cam Bedrosian. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes, the 24-year-old will see a vascular specialist before a next step is determined, but season-ending surgery is a possibility. Bedrosian was already on the disabled list due to tendinitis in his right middle finger. If this new issue does end his season, he’ll wrap up the year with a scintillating 1.12 ERA, 11.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 49.5 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 innings.

Angels, Anaheim Off To Rocky Start In Renewed Talks

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  • Renewed talks between the Angels and the city of Anaheim on a new lease arrangement for Angels Stadium are off to something of a rocky start, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. While the Halos organization had objected to the construction of a 15-acre, multi-use development project that will be raised next to the ballpark’s parking lot. Despite the team’s claim that the complex would compete with the stadium’s own concessions — and, therefore, “fundamentally undermine the Angels’ negotiations to remain in Anaheim over the long term” — the Anaheim Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve it. Final approval still must be obtained from city council, and it’s still unclear just how much of an impediment this matter will prove to be, but it seems that the Angels and the city still have some differences to smooth out.

Huston Street To Undergo Knee Surgery

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Angels closer Huston Street’s season is over,  as he’ll undergo arthroscopic surgery due to “persistent medial knee pain,” tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The 33-year-old is expected to be healthy for Spring Training 2017. The Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher wrote over the weekend that surgery was possible and called it “likely” earlier this afternoon.

Street’s 2016 season has been a disaster, as the former Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star has struggled considerably since returning from an oblique issue that cost him a month earlier this year. Street yielded just one run through his first 7 2/3 innings before that oblique injury sidelined him for nearly all of the month of May. In the 14 2/3 innings that followed, Street surrendered 15 runs on 27 hits (four homers) and 10 walks with 10 strikeouts. The 88.2 mph he averaged on his fastball this season was the lowest average velocity of any season in his 12-year big league career, and his 5.6 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 were also career-worsts.

The 2016 campaign marked the first season of a two-year, $18MM contract extension signed by Street back in May of 2015. He’s guaranteed a $9MM salary next season plus at least a $1MM buyout on a $10MM club option for the 2018 season. That salary and Street’s experience (324 career saves) probably make him a lock to serve as the team’s closer in 2017, but the emergence of Cam Bedrosian could at least give the Angels some reason to consider a change next year. Bedrosian is currently on the DL himself due to a finger issue, but the 24-year-old broke out with a 1.12 ERA, 11.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 49.5 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 innings this season.

The lost year for Street is just one entry in what is a seemingly endless list of things that have gone wrong for the Halos in 2016. The Angels have lost both Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano to Tommy John surgery, while Garrett Richards hasn’t taken the mound since May 1 due to a UCL injury of his own. C.J. Wilson never pitched for the Angels this year, and Jered Weaver has been a shell of his former self, working with an 82-84 mph fastball and surrendering a woeful 5.47 ERA.

Huston Street Likely To Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

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AUG. 23: Fletcher now writes that Street is “likely” to undergo season-ending surgery on his right knee, which was set to be re-evaluated today before a final announcement is made.

AUG. 21: Angels closer Huston Street might have to undergo season-ending surgery on his right knee, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Street has been on the disabled list with inflammation in his knee since Aug. 3 and hasn’t pitched since July 31. Manager Mike Scioscia said Sunday that Street will go for a second opinion. If it’s determined then that surgery is the right path, it’s unlikely to affect the right-hander’s long-term availability, per Scioscia.

Whether the last-place Angels get Street back this year isn’t going to matter in the standings, but it could impact their offseason, notes Fletcher. If Street returns and fares well down the stretch, it would seemingly better the Angels’ chances of trading him during the offseason (the Giants were reportedly interested in him as of late July).

As things stand, Street’s injury, decline in performance and contract status make a deal unlikely. The 33-year-old is in the midst of a career-worst season, having logged two DL stints (one for an oblique strain) and posted a 6.45 ERA, 5.64 K/9 and 4.84 BB/9 in 22 1/3 innings. Street had been a reliable late-game option until this year, as the former Athletic, Rockie and Padre recorded a 3.18 ERA, 8.23 K/9 and 2.89 BB/9 in 62 1/3 frames last season. While all of those numbers are in line with Street’s career stats, his days as an end-of-game solution look to be in the past at this point.

Assuming the Angels aren’t able to trade Street during the winter, he’ll be on their books for $9MM next season. Street also has a $10MM club option for 2018, though that’s in serious danger of being declined in favor of a $1MM buyout. Should Street come back healthy next season, he might not have many opportunities to add to his 324 career saves thanks to the emergence of 24-year-old Cam Bedrosian. The hard-throwing righty has been among the most dominant relievers in baseball this season and at least has a chance to serve as the Angels’ near-term solution at closer. However, Bedrosian is on the DL with finger tendinitis and hasn’t made an appearance since Aug. 3.

“He’s feeling better but not quite where he’s ready to get back out there and get after it,” Scioscia said of Bedrosian. “Progress has been slow, but we’re getting more answers in the next couple days.”

Jered Weaver Not Ready To Decide Whether He'll Pitch In 2017

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Angels righty Jered Weaver isn’t ready to decide whether or not he’ll be back in 2017, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. “There’s still a lot of season left,” said the veteran hurler. “When the time comes to answer those questions, I will.” Though Weaver has been hit hard this year, there are some positives, including a steadily rising average fastball velocity (albeit one that still sits in the mid-eighties). Both Angels GM Billy Eppler and Weaver’s agent Scott Boras note that the 33-year-old has been durable this year, though he is now two seasons removed from being a high-quality major league starter. It’s not yet clear whether the Halos will have interest in continuing their longstanding relationship with Weaver, who has spent all 11 years of his career with the organization and is finishing out a five-year, $85MM contract.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/22/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league, each courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted…

  • The D-backs have outrighted left-hander Adam Loewen to Triple-A Reno following last week’s DFA. The 32-year-old has spent time as both a pitcher and an outfielder over the life of his pro career but has returned to the mound for the past few seasons. He yielded 10 runs in six big league innings with the D-backs this year but had a 3.43 ERA in 39 1/3 innings with Reno prior to the original purchase of his contract. Loewen has whiffed 44 batters in that time, but he’s also walked 28, demonstrating some significant control problems.
  • Outfielder Daniel Robertson has been outrighted to Triple-A by the Mariners. He, too, was designated for assignment last week but, like Loewen, ultimately cleared waivers. The 30-year-old can handle all three outfield positions and has a solid .289/.361/.394 batting line in parts of five Triple-A seasons to go along with a .277/.322/.325 slash in 298 big league PAs.
  • The Angels have outrighted second baseman Sean Coyle to Double-A after he was designated for assignment last weekend. The Halos picked up the former Red Sox prospect on waivers earlier this year, but his .140/.252/.237 slash in 110 plate appearances with the Angels’ Double-A affiliate led to the loss of his 40-man roster spot.
  • The Angels also released fleet-footed outfielder Quintin Berry from their Triple-A affiliate. The 31-year-old Berry batted .270/.348/.325 with 35 stolen bases in 45 attempts over the life of 100 games/395 plate appearances this season. Berry’s wheels have landed him a big league job in each of the past three Septembers, and another club could look to add him to the 40-man roster when rosters expand in September in order to give its manager a late-inning weapon on the basepaths.
  • Left-hander Josh Outman has been released by the Pirates. The 31-year-old inked a minor league deal with Pittsburgh earlier this summer and wound up posting a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings with the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis. That number isn’t exactly eye-catching, but Outman did post a solid 15-to-3 K/BB ratio and, in 23 plate appearances, limited left-handed hitters to a miserable .100/.217/.100 batting line with eight punchouts, so perhaps a team in need of a lefty specialist will consider him for the season’s final month.
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