- Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets that an examination of Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs confirmed that the rehabbing southpaw is dealing with tendinitis in his biceps. Skaggs, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, won’t throw for a week and will be re-evaluated at that time to see if he can begin his rehab work.
Angels Rumors
Latest On Tim Lincecum Showcase
We learned recently that free agent righty Tim Lincecum is preparing for a long-awaited showcase on Friday. Once one of the best pitchers in the game, Lincecum has been slowed by a variety of injury and performance issues more recently — including, particularly, hip surgery this past September — and is looking to show that he’s back to full health before signing.
Here’s the latest, with links to the Twitter account of MLB Network’s Jon Heyman unless otherwise noted:
- The showcase will be held at Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants’ spring home, per Heyman. While Lincecum has availed himself of his long-time team’s facilities during his ramp-up, it shouldn’t be supposed that a return to San Francisco is particularly likely. As we’ve covered before, the Giants are said to be interested in Lincecum as a bullpen option, while he’s hoping to find a shot as a starter.
- This particular event was always going to draw more fanfare than a typical bullpen session for a free agent who hasn’t posted a sub-4.00 ERA since 2011, but it appears that it could be made into a bigger spectacle than anyone would have foreseen. ESPN may be on hand to broadcast the outing, Heyman tweets, which would certainly lend an interesting combine-esque quality to the proceedings.
- Beyond the Giants, we heard previously that the Orioles, Padres, and Athletics plan to have a scouting presence on hand. The White Sox, too, will be there, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link), as will the Angels, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (via Twitter). And the Blue Jays will also take a look, John Lott tweets.
- Heyman also adds several more clubs that plant to send eyes (links: 1; 2; 3; 4). The Dodgers, Cubs, Nationals, and Marlins will be there from the National League side of things. And American League teams with at least one scout in the stands will include the Rangers and Astros.
Update On Ryan Braun’s No-Trade List
The no-trade protection in Ryan Braun’s contract allows the star outfielder to block a deal to every team besides the Angels, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Marlins and Padres, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link). Like most players with partial no-trade clauses, Braun has the ability to change the teams on his no-trade list each year; last season, the Angels, Dodgers, Marlins, Nationals and Rays were the only clubs that escaped Braun’s veto power.
Braun is in his first season of a five-year, $105MM extension that he signed way back in 2011, when he still had almost five full years remaining on his previous extension with the Brewers. It’s been a roller-coaster for Braun and the Brewers ever since — superstar seasons in 2011 and 2012, a 65-game suspension in 2013 for his role in the Biogenesis scandal and some recurring injuries, particularly to his thumb.
Braun rebounded for a very productive year in 2015, though his future salary commitments have made him a possible trade chip now that the Brewers are rebuilding. That same contract, as well as Braun’s age (32) and PED history, could also just as easily limit his trade market unless the Brewers ate some salary in a trade or took on another big contract.
There are any number of reasons why a player could include or omit a team on a no-trade list, though in Braun’s case, geography could be a factor. Braun was born and raised in the Los Angeles suburbs and he went to school at the University of Miami, which could explain why the Angels, Dodgers and Marlins didn’t appear on either no-trade list. The Dodgers and Marlins are rather unlikely trade partners, however, given that both teams are already set for corner outfielders. The Angels have a big vacancy in left field, though they may not be a fit for Braun for a variety of other reasons, as Rosenthal explained yesterday.
Braun’s southern California roots may also explain why he wouldn’t block a trade to the relatively-nearby D’Backs, Padres or Giants. It generally appears as though Braun would prefer to stay in the National League, as the Angels are the only AL team on his current veto list.
If the Brewers worked out a trade that would send Braun to a team on his no-trade list, of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean the former NL MVP would choose to remain in Milwaukee. He could decide to join a contender rather than stick it out through the Brewers’ rebuilding process. Like other players with no-trade protection, Braun could ask for more financial incentive in order to allow a deal to be consummated. Braun’s deal contains a $15MM mutual option for the 2021 season that can be bought out for $4MM, so it’s possible he could ask to have that option year guaranteed to allow a trade to happen, though that would be a tough ask to give him another $11MM in his age-37 season.
Angels Make Handful Of Roster Moves
The Angels have made several roster moves, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com was among those to report (Twitter link). The team has placed outfielder Craig Gentry on the 15-day disabled list with a right lumbar spine strain, transferred left-hander C.J. Wilson to the 60-day DL with a shoulder injury, and called up outfielder Shane Robinson and right-hander A.J. Achter from Triple-A Salt Lake. Additionally, they’ve demoted righty Matt Shoemaker to Salt Lake, writes Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
Gentry, 32, had a rough first month of the season, going 5 for 34 at the plate with just one extra-base hit before landing on the DL. The lion’s share of his playing time came against left-handed pitchers (26 PAs), as expected. Gentry owns a career .268/.350/.357 line in 582 PAs versus southpaws.
Unlike Gentry, Robinson has been better against right-handers than lefties during his major league career, though he hasn’t been particularly effective versus either. In 649 total PAs, Robinson has hit just .237/.302/.313, but he has been a defensive asset in the majors at all three outfield positions. As MLBTR reported Saturday, Robinson has an opt-out in his contract for Monday. The fact that the Angels have recalled Robinson will obviously prevent him from requesting his release.
Achter has tossed 25 1/3 innings of 4.97 ERA ball (7.11 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9) during his big league career, including a scoreless frame for the Angels this season. The 27-year-old has been a success in the minors, compiling 379 1/3 innings of 2.87 ERA pitching to go with a 9.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.
Wilson, by far the most accomplished player of the group, hasn’t yet pitched this season. The 35-year-old was reportedly targeting a mid-June return as of earlier this week. Over his four years with the Angels, Wilson has averaged 181 innings per season with a 3.87 ERA, 7.7 K/9 and 2.03 K/BB ratio.
Shoemaker had a breakout 2014 for the Angels (3.04 ERA, 8.21 K/9, 1.59 BB/9 in 136 innings), but his performance has fallen off precipitously since. The 29-year-old surrendered 21 earned runs in 20 2/3 innings and posted a poor K/BB ratio of 1.6 in April. The Angels won’t need a fifth starter again until May 14, and whether Shoemaker will be on the mound for the club then will be determined by his minors showing.
“We’re going to see where we are in a couple weeks, but no doubt (Shoemaker) needs to work on a couple things,” manager Mike Scioscia said, per Fletcher.
Rosenthal: Ryan Braun Makes Sense For Angels
Brewers star left fielder Ryan Braun can veto a trade to all teams except the Dodgers, Angels, Marlins, Rays and Nationals, but the idea of rebuilding Milwaukee dealing him “is becoming more realistic,” FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (video link). Braun, 32, will have four years and $76MM left on his contract after this season, and Rosenthal believes he’d make plenty of sense as a complement to Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun in the Angels’ outfield. However, the Angels’ dearth of quality prospects and a potential reluctance on owner Arte Moreno’s part to acquire Braun, given his contract and past suspension for PEDs, are factors that could stand in the way of a trade, Rosenthal adds.
Andrew Heaney Out 6-12 More Weeks
- Angels lefty Andrew Heaney won’t need surgery on the forearm strain that has kept him out for nearly all of April, but he still hasn’t been cleared to throw, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register and Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (Twitter links). Heaney will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in his left arm, which will keep him out for six to 12 more weeks, GM Billy Eppler said (Twitter link via Fletcher). Heaney started for the Halos on April 5 and put up a decent line against the Cubs (six innings, seven strikeouts, no walks, seven hits, four runs), but he complained of left forearm tightness afterward and landed on the disabled list the next day.
Shane Robinson Has Opt-Out Monday
Angels outfielder Shane Robinson has an upcoming opt-out, MLBTR has learned. On Monday, Robinson can request his release, and the Angels have to either promote to the big leagues or grant his request. Robinson was in camp this season with the Indians, but exercised an opt-out from his minor-league deal and signed with the Angels in late March. Since then, he’s hit .306/.348/.371 with Triple-A Salt Lake. The 31-year-old is a veteran of six big-league seasons, most recently hitting .250/.299/.322 while playing all three outfield positions for the Twins in 2015. Here’s more from around the league.
Tyler Skaggs To Have Shoulder Evaluated
- The Angels are having Tyler Skaggs fly back to Los Angeles to evaluate his shoulder, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. Skaggs, who is recovering after having Tommy John surgery late in the 2014 season, made three rehab starts with Triple-A Salt Lake this month before being scratched last week due to what was initially described as “fatigue” but now appears to be shoulder tightness — a problem that would seem to be at least somewhat distinct from the elbow trouble that initially ailed him. Before his elbow injury, Skaggs was establishing himself as a solid young starting pitching option. It sounds like it might be a bit longer, at least, before he returns to where he was.
Huston Street Placed On DL With Oblique Strain
APRIL 29: Street has indeed been placed on the disabled list, the club announced. No timeline for his return was provided, and a corresponding roster move will be made today.
APRIL 28: Angels closer Huston Street was unavailable during last night’s game, and he revealed to reporters following the contest that he suffered a strained oblique muscle while playing catch on the outfield grass earlier in the evening (via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times). Street said that his best guess is that the injury will force him to the disabled list.
Street didn’t give a specific timeline for his recovery, but it’s fair to expect Street to miss anywhere from three to six weeks with the issue based on similar injuries to other players in the past. As MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez notes, teammate Mike Morin missed six weeks with an oblique strain last season, though Matt Shoemaker’s three-week absence in 2014 represents an example of someone coming in on the lower end of that spectrum. More recently, the Royals were without Jarrod Dyson for nearly seven weeks due to a Grade II oblique strain. The Angels haven’t announced the specific nature of the strain, though DiGiovanna and Gonzalez note that the injury was confirmed by a post-game MRI. Street said he’ll first take 72 hours to rest the injury before doctors determine a specific timeline
Right-hander Joe Smith stepped up in Street’s absence last night, nailing down a save with a scoreless ninth inning. He allowed just one hit and needed only eight pitches to tally his first save of the season. Smith is the clear top setup man in manager Mike Scioscia’s bullpen and also accumulated 20 saves from 2014-15 during times when Street was unavailable for injury or other reasons, so he’s the obvious choice to occupy the ninth inning while Street is on the shelf. Smith has had some difficulty with his control early in the season, which has perhaps contributed to an early diminished strikeout rate. While the struggles may not be immediately apparent when looking at his numbers — Smith has issued just one walk this season, and it was intentional — he’s hit four batters and thrown a first-pitch strike to a career-worst 49 percent of the batters he’s faced this season. Notably, he start off two of the three batters he faced last night with a strike, and he was at 64.5 percent in that regard from 2014-15, so the issue is probably not much to get concerned about.
Street is in the first season of a two-year, $18MM extension to which he agreed prior to the 2015 season. He’s making $8MM this season and $9MM in 2017, and the Angels hold a $10MM option (with a $1MM buyout) on the 2018 campaign. Smith, meanwhile, is in the final season of a three-year, $15.75MM contract that has worked out quite well for the Halos. In his two-plus seasons in Anaheim, he’s given the Angels 152 innings of 2.66 ERA ball, averaging 7.7 strikeouts and 2.1 walks per nine innings to go along with a robust 54.6 percent ground-ball rate. While the month or so worth of saves won’t dramatically alter Smith’s free-agent stock this coming winter, the fact that he could hit the market with 20 to 30 saves under his belt over the previous three seasons could give him a mild bump in terms of earning capacity.
Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes that right-handers Al Alburquerque and Cam Bedrosian are the likeliest candidates to be recalled from Triple-A if and when Street is officially placed on the disabled list.
Wilson Eyeing June Return; Heaney Seeking Second Opinion
- Angels lefty C.J. Wilson is now targeting a mid-June return, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. The 35-year-old southpaw is slated for a bullpen session on May 9 and a simulated game on May 18, each of which would precede a minor league rehab assignment that is currently scheduled to begin on May 23. “It feels like it’s taking forever,” Wilson said. “I want to pitch. I always want to pitch. When you have a light at the end of the tunnel, it feels a little longer as opposed to ’I’m not going to pitch till next year.'” Wilson added that he’s experimenting with a new arm slot in an effort to maintain his health.
- Another Angels lefty, Andrew Heaney, hasn’t received as optimistic news as Wilson. As MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets, the team said today that Heaney’s recovery “has slowed,” and the lefty will seek an “additional opinion” on his forearm strain. The club didn’t make any further comment on his health, but it’s now been several weeks since Heaney has thrown, and the continued uncertainty surrounding his recovery (or lack thereof) is discouraging for the team and for Angels fans.
