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Trea Turner Discusses Lack Of Extension Talks With Nationals

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The trade deadline’s biggest swap saw Max Scherzer and Trea Turner sent to the Dodgers in exchange for four prospects, officially marking the end of an era for the Nationals.  Due to a positive COVID-19 test and a subsequent quarantine, Turner didn’t make his Dodgers debut until yesterday, and didn’t officially meet with the media (including Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post) until today, and the shortstop shared some details about the end of his time in D.C.

For starters, Turner confirmed reports that the Nats hadn’t made him a new extension offer since their earlier talks concluded in March 2020.  Last week, Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said talks were being held off due to a request from Turner and his CAA Sports representatives, as Turner’s camp preferred to see how this winter’s free agent shortstop class reset market expectations.  (Turner himself isn’t scheduled for free agency until after the 2022 season.)

However, Turner had a different version of events, telling reporters “I said I would talk about an extension whenever and waited for that to happen, and it didn’t happen.  So I’ve been told a lot of things over the last two years and, for me, actions speak louder than words.  That’s kind of in the past now, it’s over with, and excited to start a new chapter.”

Back in March, Rizzo said the Nats were planning to issue long-term extension offers to both Turner and Juan Soto, yet it appears nothing was sent in Turner’s direction.  It could be that the club did plan to re-engage with Turner’s agents at some point, except the team’s slide down the standings in July then altered Washington’s plans for both the short- and long-term.  Four days prior to the trade deadline, Peter Gammons reported that Nationals ownership wasn’t planning to retain Turner on an extension, which kicked the rumor mill into high gear.

Not only did the Nats clean house and move most of their players signed only through 2021, the fire sale also extended to players with slightly more team control.  Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, and Will Harris are now the only Nationals on guaranteed money for 2022, and the Nats now seem to be aiming towards a somewhat larger-scale retrenching around Soto (controlled via arbitration through 2024) as their cornerstone.

That made Turner expendable, and adding him along with Scherzer resulted in a nice haul of prospects from Los Angeles.The next interesting wrinkle will be to see how extension talks might develop between Turner and the Dodgers during the 2021-22 offseason.  Turner’s presence gives the Dodgers a logical replacement if Corey Seager leaves in free agency this winter, and as we’ve seen with several notable names (i.e. Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner), the Dodgers have been aggressive in locking up players they see as major building blocks.

Dodgers Sign Tony Wolters To Minors Contract

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The Dodgers have signed catcher Tony Wolters to a minor league deal, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports (via Twitter).  Wolters is expected to report to the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate.

Wolters had been playing in the Cubs’ farm system on another minor league deal, but the catcher was released earlier this week.  Since Chicago had previously outrighted Wolters off the 40-man roster twice this season, it was apparent he wasn’t in the team’s plans, especially when Wolters wasn’t recalled even after multiple other Cubs catchers went down to injury.

The 29-year-old will now get another shot in the NL West, as Wolters began his career by playing with the Rockies from 2016-20.  Between that action and his 14 games with the Cubs this season, Wolters hasn’t done much at the plate (.236/.322/.315 in 1262 career plate appearances) but he is a well-regarded defensive catcher.  Wolters and fellow veteran Tim Federowicz will provide some Triple-A depth behind the Dodgers’ established catching combo of Will Smith and Austin Barnes.

Dodgers Select Kevin Quackenbush, Place Darien Nunez On Injured List

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The Dodgers have placed left-hander Darien Nunez on the injured list, the team announced.  Right-hander Kevin Quackenbush’s contract has been selected from Triple-A, and the reliever will now take Nunez’s spot on the active roster.

Quackenbush signed a minor league deal in May and has looked quite impressive at Triple-A Oklahoma City, recording an 0.61 ERA and 27.5% strikeout rate over 29 1/3 relief innings.  Quackenbush also pitched for Oklahoma City in 2019 on a previous minors contract with L.A., though he was let go after the season, and a subsequent minor league deal with the Nationals in 2020 didn’t lead anywhere.

The 32-year-old Quackenbush will now get an opportunity with the World Series champions after not pitching in the majors since 2018.  Quackenbush posted a 4.38 ERA over 207 2/3 innings with the Padres and Reds from 2014-18, breaking into the big leagues with three years of solid work in San Diego’s bullpen before running into some major struggles in 2017.

Nunez only made his MLB debut this season, appearing in five games with Los Angeles and posting a 6.14 ERA over his first 7 1/3 innings in the Show.  The Cuban southpaw signed with the Dodgers in 2018 and delivered some big numbers in the minors, with a 2.34 ERA and 39.76% strikeout rate over 104 innings as a relief pitcher.

Angels Claim Chad Wallach Off Waivers From Dodgers

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The Angels have claimed catcher Chad Wallach off waivers from the Dodgers and optioned him to Triple-A, per the team. In a corresponding move, Anthony Bemboom has been designated for assignment.

Wallach never appeared with the Dodgers in the Majors after being claimed off waivers from the Marlins. The Dodgers had hoped Wallach could serve as backstop insurance for Will Smith and Austin Barnes after the deadline departure of Keibert Ruiz. Still, he was only an extra man for the Dodgers, who still have Tim Federowicz in the organization as their presumptive third catcher.

As for Wallach, he heads to the Angels, where he will slot in behind Kurt Suzuki and Max Stassi in the depth chart. Most of Wallach’s Major League playing time came with the Marlins over the last four seasons, though he did make his debut with the Reds back in 2017. In total, he owns a .207/.271/.303 line across 231 plate appearances.

As for Bemboom, the 31-year-old heads to the waiver wire. While his success in the bigs has been fleeting — from an offensive standpoint — he’s having a nice year at Triple-A this season, slashing .255/.364/.482 in 165 trips to the plate.

Dodgers Activate Trea Turner; Jimmy Nelson To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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The Dodgers announced they’ve reinstated Trea Turner from the COVID-19 injured list. He’s not in tonight’s starting lineup, but he could make his team debut off the bench this evening. Reliever Victor González has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 4, with right knee inflammation to open active roster space. To create 40-man roster space, the team has transferred righty Jimmy Nelson to the 60-day injured list. Nelson will undergo Tommy John surgery and a right flexor tendon repair procedure.

Whether tonight or tomorrow, Turner is soon to get into his first game as a Dodger. The All-Star shortstop came over alongside Max Scherzer last week as part of deadline season’s top blockbuster. The 28-year-old had tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before the trade, though, so he’s remained in isolation until today.

Turner adds another elite player to a lineup already chock-full of stars. He’s hitting .322/.369/.521 with eighteen home runs across 420 plate appearances, his second consecutive season of elite offensive output. One of the game’s best baserunners, Turner has also swiped 21 bags, all while playing average or better defense at shortstop. The whole package makes Turner one of the sport’s most valuable position players, although he seems likely to slide over to second base in deference to Corey Seager in L.A. Wherever he plays, Turner should be a massive boon to a Dodger club that trails the league-best Giants by four games in the NL West.

It’s not all positive news on the health front for the Dodgers with Nelson undergoing surgery. While the club didn’t provide a timetable for his return beyond ruling him out for the rest of this season, it seems likely he’ll miss the entire 2022 campaign rehabbing. It’s crushing news for a respected, high-quality pitcher who has been plagued by a series of long-term health issues in recent seasons.

Nelson looked like a potential top-of-the-rotation starter after a stellar 2017 season with the Brewers. A shoulder injury cost him the entire 2018 campaign, though. That kept him out for a good chunk of the 2019 season too, with an elbow injury costing him another month that year. Nelson was ineffective when he was healthy enough to pitch, and Milwaukee non-tendered him at the end of that season.

The Dodgers signed Nelson during the 2019-20 offseason, but a July back surgery prevented him from pitching all year. Los Angeles brought Nelson back on a minor league deal to work in relief, and he made good on his end of that agreement. The 32-year-old pitched to a sterling 1.86 ERA over 29 frames this year, emerging as a potential high-leverage option for manager Dave Roberts. Unfortunately, he landed on the IL with elbow inflammation on Wednesday. That issue apparently requires surgical repair.

Nelson will hit free agency at the end of this season. He could field some multi-year offers from teams with an eye toward the 2023 campaign. Alternatively, Nelson could rehab the injury on his own and look to market himself to clubs after he has returned to health. Either way, it’s a devastating turn of events for a player who has already overcome more than his fair share of health issues.

Dodgers, Nick Tropeano Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have agreed to a deal with veteran right-hander Nick Tropeano, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Tropeano, a client of the Bledsoe Agency, rejected an outright assignment from the Mets in favor of free agency earlier in the week. It’s a minor league deal between the two parties, MLBTR has learned.

Tropeano, 30, will give the Dodgers some depth both in the rotation and the bullpen. The right-hander is no stranger to Southern California, having spent parts of five seasons in the Angels organization earlier in his career. Tropeano tallied 195 2/3 frames for the Halos from 2015-19, missing a season-plus in the middle due to Tommy John surgery but generally faring well when healthy (4.51 ERA, 4.48 SIERA, 21.5 strikeout percentage, 9.3 percent walk rate).

Since leaving the Halos organization, Tropeano has bounced between several teams without a lengthy look at the MLB level, but he’s pitched quite well in limited action both in 2020 and 2021. In 23 2/3 innings split between the Pirates, Giants and Mets across the past two seasons, Tropeano has logged a 1.52 ERA with an even 21 percent strikeout rate and a seven percent walk rate. He’s also pitched to a 2.18 ERA in 20 2/3 Triple-A frames between the top affiliates for the Giants and Mets so far in 2021.

Tropeano has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in his brief Pittsburgh, San Francisco and New York stints dating back to 2020, but he’s had several multi-inning outings along the way. His final big league appearance for the Mets was a two-inning effort that saw him tally 37 pitches, and he’s since had a pair of three-inning relief outings in Triple-A for the Mets, topping out at 54 pitches. Tropeano has made 39 big league starts to go along with 15 relief appearances, so he could certainly be stretched out as a fifth starter candidate or at least a long relief option for the Dodgers in short order.

The Dodgers aren’t expecting Clayton Kershaw back until September now, and their recent pickups of Cole Hamels (one-year deal) and Danny Duffy (trade) were both made knowing that neither would be an option in the short term. Hamels needs to build up arm strength after sitting out the season to date, while Duffy was acquired midway through a stint on the injured list due to a forearm strain. He’s expected back mid-month. Tropeano gives the Dodgers a more immediate option to plug into the staff at a time when Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin are on the injured list and Trevor Bauer is on administrative leave.

Clayton Kershaw Likely Out Until September

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There’d been some recent hope that Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw could make it back to the mound in the near future. The three-time Cy Young winner is on the IL with forearm inflammation but had progressed to throwing a bullpen session and was slated to throw a 60-pitch simulated game. Manager Dave Roberts, however, said recently that Kershaw was dealing with “residual soreness” following his latest session, and the skipper now tells reporters that he expects Kershaw to return “sometime in September” (Twitter link via Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times).

It’s been nearly a month since Kershaw initially landed on the injured list, and one can only imagine that the uncertainty surrounding his current status was a driving factor in the Dodgers’ decision to aggressively pursue rotation help over the past week. President of baseball ops Andrew Friedman and his staff have acquired Max Scherzer and Danny Duffy via trade, and they’ve also signed Cole Hamels to a Major League deal for the remainder of the season.

Duffy and Hamels, like Kershaw, are down-the-road additions. Duffy is on the injured list for a second time this season owing to a forearm strain and is likely out until the middle of this month. Hamels, meanwhile, needs to build up arm strength before returning to a Major League mound. He pitched just 3 1/3 innings for the Braves in 2020 due to shoulder and triceps injuries.

For the time being, they’ll lean on Scherzer, Walker Buehler and Julio Urias in the top three spots of the rotation. Former Cy Young winner David Price, who’d been in the bullpen, will start tonight for the fifth time since Kershaw went on the injured list. His most recent outing had been a one-inning relief stint on Aug. 1, but he tossed 64 pitches on July 29 and 74 pitches on July 23, so he’s still fairly well stretched out.

At 65-44, the Dodgers are tied with the Brewers for the second-best record in baseball. No club has a better run differential than L.A.’s mark of +164. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the only team in the game with a better record is the first-place Giants, who lead the NL West by a margin of four games as of this writing. Slotting Scherzer in alongside Buehler and Urias gives the Dodgers an outstanding top three on which to rely, but Kershaw’s absence still looms large.

The 33-year-old Kershaw is in the midst of yet another excellent season, having pitched to a 3.39 ERA in 106 2/3 frames. That earned run average, incredibly, is his “worst” since his rookie season in 2008, but Kershaw is also sporting his best strikeout percentage (30.1) since 2016 and the fifth-lowest walk percentage (4.5) of any Major League pitcher with at least 100 innings this season. He’s in the final season of a three-year, $93MM contract and is scheduled to become a free agent at season’s end.

Nationals Notes: Scherzer, Turner, Soto, Staff

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Prior to becoming a member of the Dodgers, there were rumors that the Red Sox were “in the mix” of the Max Scherzer sweepstakes. However, it doesn’t seem as if talks got very far, according to Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo. When asked about the report that Scherzer was willing to waive his no-trade rights to join Boston’s rotation, Rizzo said, “We never got that close to a deal with the Red Sox so that was never a question that was posed to him,” according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, relaying an interview with Rizzo on 106.7 The Fan.

Some other notes from DC…

  • Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that the Nats’ last extension offer to Trea Turner was for six years, $100MM. Heyman also says that the Nats didn’t make another offer in the spring of 2021, as had been reported. This would have been fairly close to the six-year, $120MM extension Xander Bogaerts signed with the Red Sox in April of 2019. Although Bogaerts was just a year away from free agency then, whereas Turner would have been three years away in March of 2020. Betting on himself seems to have paid off for Turner so far. His salary in 2020 was $7.45MM, though that was prorated to around $2.75MM with the shortened season. This year, he’s making $13MM and will be in line for a hefty arbitration raise in 2022. He could then go into free agency as a 29-year-old, having already banked around $35MM of that $100MM.
  • Juan Soto “felt something in his knee” in tonight’s game, manager Dave Martinez tells various reporters, including Bobby Blanco of MASN. After a trade deadline fire sale, Soto was the figurative last man standing, staying put and watching Scherzer and Turner walk out the door, as well as Josh Harrison, Yan Gomes, Kyle Schwarber and others. The lefty is having yet another excellent season, with a wRC+ of 144 and 3.1 fWAR. But since the team has seemingly already waved the white flag on the season with the aforementioned fire sale, they can afford to be cautious with their remaining star if any issues arise.
  • Martinez also says five members of his staff that tested positive for COVID-19 have been cleared to rejoin the club, according to Gene Wang of The Washington Post. These positive tests were part of the same outbreak that sent Trea Turner and Daniel Hudson to the IL last week.

Trevor Bauer’s Administrative Leave To Be Extended Through August 13

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AUGUST 5: Bauer’s administrative leave will be extended tomorrow, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). This extension will run through August 13, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).

JULY 27: The league announced that Bauer’s administrative leave has been extended through August 6.

JULY 26: “A majority of players do not want [Trevor] Bauer back under any circumstances,” writes Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, who cites “two people with knowledge of Dodgers clubhouse dynamics.”  Bauer’s paid administrative leave from the Dodgers, which the club has previously extended twice, runs through tomorrow.  In late June, news surfaced of an ex parte temporary restraining order a San Diego woman obtained against Bauer after she alleged sexual assault.

Bauer appeared at a court hearing Friday in Los Angeles, which was pushed to August 2 as his attorney seeks more time to prepare based on recently-received medical records and exhibits.  As Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic wrote, the three-day hearing is now set to take place on August 2, 3, and 19.  At least nine witnesses will be called at that hearing, according to Britt Ghiroli, Fabian Ardaya, and Katie Strang of The Athletic.  It’s known that the woman will call three police officers, while Bauer’s side is expected to call three witnesses of their own.  Bauer’s accuser will also testify, and her side will call Bauer as a witness.  Bauer’s attorney has advised him to invoke his fifth amendment rights.

DiGiovanna’s article is worth a read, as a well-done overview of where the Bauer situation stands at present and how he came to be a member of the Dodgers.  It’s notable that DiGiovanna describes Bauer as a “pariah in his own clubhouse,” as his teammates haven’t spoken publicly on the topic.  In the opinion of the L.A. Times scribe, Bauer’s entire career is in jeopardy.

The timing of a potential unpaid suspension by MLB remains unknown, as they investigate the allegations against Bauer on a parallel track with the Pasadena Police Department.

Dodgers Designate Yefry Ramirez For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced they’ve designated right-hander Yefry Ramírez for assignment. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for Cole Hamels, who has officially signed a major league contract.

Ramírez was just selected to the roster earlier this week, and he loses his spot after a single big league appearance. He’s otherwise spent the entire season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where’s made 15 appearances (12 starts). Ramírez pitched to a 5.49 ERA in that hitter-friendly league, striking out a solid 25% of batters faced but issuing walks at an alarming 11.1% clip.

The 27-year-old has pitched in parts of three big league seasons, seeing action with the Orioles and Pirates in addition to his briefest of stints in L.A. Ramírez will now be made available to other clubs via waivers, although any claiming team would have to keep the out-of-options hurler on the big league roster or designate him for assignment themselves. Having previously been passed through outright waivers in his career, Ramírez would have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency if he clears.

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