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NL West Notes: Withrow, Black, Billingsley, Romak, Rockies

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Yet another name can be added to the long list of Tommy John victims this season, as Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times tweets that Dodgers right-hander Chris Withrow has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, and Tommy John is, unsurprisingly, the recommended treatment. The 25-year-old Withrow had a 2.95 ERA in 21 1/3 innings for the Dodgers this season, averaging 11.8 K/9 but also an unsightly 7.6 BB/9. His loss only further depletes a Dodger bullpen that entered Thursday with just the 22nd-ranked bullpen ERA in the Majors at 4.03. More from the NL West…

  • MLB.com’s Barry M. Bloom looks at what a stabilizing force manager Bud Black has been on the Padres since assuming the role in 2007. Bloom asked Black if his team being in a constant state of rebuilding or recovering from overwhelming injuries is taxing, to which Black replied: “It makes it tough in the short term. You hope you have some players who do find their way and become successful Major Leaguers. I mean, all of us want to win whether you’re in New York, L.A., Detroit or Texas.” As Bloom notes, Black has been a constant through three ownership groups, three GMs and multiple club presidents.
  • Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley is on the comeback trail from Tommy John surgery and took a positive step in his recovery by throwing a 30-pitch simulated game today, writes MLB.com’s Earl Bloom. Manager Don Mattingly said Billingsley could either have one more simulated game or head right to a minor league rehab assignment, depending on how his arm reacts to today’s work. Billingsley’s rehab is worth keeping an eye on, as he has a $14MM club option ($3MM buyout) and could be an interesting free agent if that option isn’t exercised.
  • It’s been a long road to the Majors for Dodgers outfielder Jamie Romak, writes Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Romak, who is in his 12th minor league season since being drafted in the eighth round by the Braves back in 2003, was called up to replace Carl Crawford on the active roster when Crawford hit the DL. He called the promotion a “dream come true.”
  • Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post wrote earlier in the week that the Rockies need to take action by promoting some of their highly touted Double-A Tulsa right-handers. Saunders wrote that the “Tulsa Trio” — Eddie Butler, Jon Gray and Daniel Winkler — are all near-MLB-ready and should be leveraged to give the Rox a shot at their first NL West title. He opines that the offense is good enough to win the division if the team can improve its 4.09 rotation ERA. Manager Walt Weiss told Saunders that when it comes to Butler “the development is behind him,” and he doesn’t have much to prove in the minor leagues.

Minor Moves: Johnny Monell, Nationals

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Dodgers have acquired catcher Johnny Monell from the Orioles, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (Twitter link). In a followup tweet, he adds that “future considerations” are being sent to the Orioles in exchange, likely indicating cash. The 28-year-old Monell is hitting .209/.280/.286 with a homer in exactly 100 plate appearances for Triple-a Norfolk this season. He has limited Major League experience, as he appeared in eight games for the Giants last year, collecting one hit in nine trips to the plate. Monell will serve as catching depth and head to Triple-A Albuquerque for the Dodgers.
  • MLB.com’s Bill Ladson tweets that the Nationals have released a trio of minor leaguers: right-hander Andy Santana, left-hander Niko Spezial and outfielder Hayden Jennings. None of the three had progressed to full-season ball since joining the Nats organization, though Spezial did pitch at short-season Low Class A last year.

Dodgers Links: Crawford, Kemp, Payroll

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The carousel of playing time in the Dodgers’ outfield may settle for the time being, as Carl Crawford is headed to the disabled list after rolling his ankle in last night’s win over the Reds. As MLB.com’s Earl Bloom wrote, manager Don Mattingly said the injury “didn’t look good,” though x-rays on Crawford’s ankle did at least come back negative. Here’s more on the team that trails the Giants by 4.5 games in the NL West…

  • Prior to last night’s Crawford injury, Bloom wrote that Matt Kemp would begin to see some time in left field, despite not having played there since he was a rookie in 2006. The Dodgers feel that Kemp, he of an eight-year, $160MM contract, is currently better suited for left, as he’s lost a step in breaking on fly balls and doesn’t run as strong of routes as Andre Ethier. Crawford’s injury, of course, simplifies the division of playing time for now, but conventional wisdom suggests that at some point, something has to give with the Dodgers’ four high-priced outfielders.
  • General manager Ned Colletti and president Stan Kasten spoke with Howard Bryant of ESPN about the club’s payroll. Colletti told Bryant that the Dodgers admittedly don’t plan to spend at their current $229MM level forever, but they felt the need to turn things around “overnight” and make up for a four-year span of disappointment as they fought irrelevancy. Kasten told Bryant, “I always say that smart beats rich. But it’s better to be smart and rich.” He went on to say that his club is trying to find a balance of the financial power we’ve seen from the Red Sox and Yankees over the past 15 years and combine it the intelligence consistently shown by the Athletics and Rays.

Red Sox Exploring Trade Market For Center Field Help

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While nothing appears imminent at this time, an industry source tells WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford that the Red Sox are exploring the trade market for outfielders — particularly those that can provide some help in center field to remove some pressure from the struggling Jackie Bradley Jr.

One name that often surfaces on the rumor circuit when mentioning outfield trade candidates is the Dodgers’ Andre Ethier, but Bradford reports that he is not someone the Red Sox are interested in at this time. Including the remainder of the 2014 season and the $2.5MM buyout on his vesting option for the 2018 campaign, Ethier is still owed more than $66MM total.

Publicly, as Bradford notes, Cherington said to media members yesterday that it’s “a little bit early to think about trades because teams are not really of that mindset yet,” but that doesn’t mean the team is stating the same thing behind closed doors, of course. Bradley is batting just .193/.280/.283 and has fanned in 30 percent of his plate appearances. Shane Victorino, one logical alternative, is on the disabled list for the second time in 2014 already. And Grady Sizemore, who has played left field more than center field, is hitting just .221/.291/.353.

Cherington touched on the topic of Mookie Betts in the outfield during yesterday’s media session but said the top second base prospect is merely  “starting to be exposed to the outfield,” and the GM doesn’t think that will be an option for the team at this point of the season. Betts is hitting .363/.451/.568 with six homers and 22 steals through 48 games at Double-A Portland, but he’s played just seven games in center field this season — the first seven of his pro career.

NL Notes: Ryu, Alderson, Ramirez

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Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett threw the season’s first no-hitter on Sunday, an act that must have seemed hard to follow. But fellow Dodgers hurler Hyun-Jin Ryu did his best on Monday, pitching seven perfect innings before allowing a double to the Reds’ Todd Frazier to lead off the eighth inning. Including a hitless inning by Paul Maholm against the Phillies in the eighth inning Saturday, the Dodgers pitched 17 straight no-hit innings this weekend. Here are more notes from around the National League.

  • It was a hard day for Mets GM Sandy Alderson, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports. He only reluctantly fired hitting coach Dave Hudgens, with whom he also worked in Oakland. “This is a very difficult decision to have to make,” said Alderson. “I’ve known Dave for many years — decades. I have tremendous respect for him, his expertise, his work ethic, his personal relationships with players.” Alderson says the Mets’ approach to hitting will not change dramatically under new hitting coach Lamar Johnson. Martino suggests that Hudgens was merely “the fall guy” for the performance of the team Alderson assembled.
  • David Ortiz believes the Cubs’ decision to hire his former Red Sox teammate Manny Ramirez as a Triple-A player/coach was a good one, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe writes. Ortiz believes Ramirez has changed since he and the Red Sox parted company in 2008. “It’s a different guy. He’s been doing different things for the past couple of years,” says Ortiz. “I’ve been talking to him a lot on the phone and sometimes I get confused because I don’t know if I’m talking to him or not. This is legit.”

Minor Moves: Zagurski, Carson, Rogers, Storey, Loe

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Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball.

  • The Indians have released lefty reliever Mike Zagurski, according to MiLB.com. Zagurski pitched well for Triple-A Columbus, posting a 2.76 ERA with 12.1 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 16 1/3 innings, but his minor-league contract had a June 1 opt-out date, so Zagurski may be hoping to find work in the big leagues. (Zagurski did, in fact, opt out of his deal, as the Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes tweets.) Zagurski appeared with the Pirates and Yankees in 2013, and has also pitched for the Phillies and Diamondbacks.
  • The Dodgers have signed pitchers Robert Carson and Jhan Marinez to minor-league deals, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy tweets. The Angels recently released Carson after he walked 13 batters in 15 2/3 innings for Triple-A Salt Lake. He pitched a total of 33 innings of relief for the Mets in 2012 and 2013. The Tigers released Marinez last week after he struggled out of the bullpen at Triple-A Toledo. He appeared briefly with the Marlins in 2010 and the White Sox in 2012.
  • The Blue Jays have outrighted pitcher Esmil Rogers to Triple-A Buffalo, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm tweets. The Jays designated Rogers for assignment yesterday. Rogers had posted a 6.97 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 20 2/3 innings with the big-league club this season. He pitched 137 2/3 innings for Toronto in 2013.
  • The Jays have also re-signed pitcher Mickey Storey to a minor-league deal, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The Jays released Storey last month, clearing space on their 40-man roster. He’ll head back to Triple-A Buffalo, where he struggled in four outings early in the year. Storey posted a 2.56 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 for Buffalo in 2013.
  • The Phillies have announced that they have placed pitcher Luis Garcia on the 15-day DL with a right forearm strain and have selected David Buchanan’s contract from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Buchanan, 25, had posted a 3.98 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 40 2/3 innings at Triple-A this season. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2010 draft. Buchanan will start today against the Dodgers.
  • The Royals have released pitcher Kameron Loe, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star tweets. The Royals had signed Loe to a minor-league deal in April, and he pitched in 11 innings for Triple-A Omaha, posting a 4.09 ERA while striking out four batters and walking seven. Last season, Loe pitched for the Mariners, Cubs and Braves, posting a 7.09 ERA with 5.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 over 26 2/3 innings. The 32-year-old has also pitched for the Rangers and Brewers in his nine-year big-league career.

Dodgers Release Miguel Olivo

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The Dodgers have released catcher Miguel Olivo, the club announced via press release. With the move, Los Angeles has 39 slots filled on its 40-man roster.

It is not surprising to learn that the Dodgers decided to cut ties with the 35-year-old, who was just suspended for his disturbing assault on fellow minor leaguer Alex Guerrero. Olivo saw 25 big league plate appearances for the team, and had looked like a decent depth piece with his .368/.407/.605 line through 81 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

The veteran’s latest actions come after several other dramatic (albeit less concerning) confrontations. He had seemed on his way out of the Dodgers organization in the spring, when he requested his release upon being passed over for the club’s roster for Australia. And his time with the Marlins in 2013 came to an odd end after he reportedly told the club he was quitting over frustration at a lack of playing time.

Minor Moves: Maloney, Kulik, Olivo, Rodriguez

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Reds have inked former big leaguer Matt Maloney away from the independent Somerset Patriots, reports John Walk of the York Dispatch (via Twitter; hat tip to Chris Cotillo). Maloney, 30, gets a minor league deal with Cincinnati. He played in parts of four MLB seasons with the Reds and Twins, compiling a 5.74 ERA in 91 innings.
  • The Rockies have signed lefty Ryan Kulik to a minor league deal, according to the MLB transactions page. Kulik, 28, has played six seasons in the Cardinals system, the last of those coming in 2011. Through 18 1/3 innings with the Camden Riversharks this year, Kulik had worked to a 1.96 ERA.
  • Dodgers backstop Miguel Olivo has been placed on the suspended list by Triple-A Albuquerque in the aftermath of yesterday’s shocking dugout altercation with Alex Guerrero, the Dodgers announced. While the term of the ban has not yet been determined, the club says that he “will remain suspended pending the completion of an investigation.” Olivo is one of several backup catching options in the Los Angeles system, though it seems somewhat difficult to imagine the club keeping the 35-year-old around after what transpired.
  • The Cubs have purchased the contract of right-hander Julio Rodriguez from the Atlantic League’s Bridgeport Bluefish and assigned him to Double-A, Bluefish GM Ken Shepard announced on Twitter. The 23-year-old Rodriguez has six minor league seasons under his belt after being an eighth-round pick by the Phillies back in 2008. He’s pitched to a 3.65 ERA and averaged better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings in his time in affiliated ball. With the Bluefish this season, Rodriguez posted a 2.60 ERA with an 18-to-10 K/BB ratio in 17 1/3 innings. Baseball America ranked him among the Phillies’ Top 30 prospects prior to the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

West Links: Guerrero, Dodgers, A’s, Arencibia

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Dodgers infield prospect Alex Guerrero could miss up to five weeks after having part of his ear bitten off in an altercation with Triple-A teammate Miguel Olivo, reports Danny Knobler of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Agent Scott Boras told Knobler that Guerrero was taken to a hospital and had plastic surgery on the ear. GM Ned Colletti wouldn’t comment on potentially disciplining either player, though he expressed disappointment in the situation. Colletti said Guerrero is close to Major League ready, though the team wants him to continue to improve defensively. Obviously, that development will be on hold for awhile. As we process one of the most bizarre storylines in recent memory, here’s more from the game’s Western divisions…

  • The timing of the Guerrero/Olivo scuffle couldn’t be much worse for Guerrero or the Dodgers, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick writes that Juan Uribe could be headed to the DL. Gurnick looks at alternatives on the 40-man roster but also notes that with the Dodgers needing a roster spot for Hyun-jin Ryu, the team may not call up an infielder right away.
  • MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince points out that the Athletics’ only two homegrown (i.e. drafted and developed) players on the current active roster are Sonny Gray and Sean Doolittle. The team signed Yoenis Cespedes after he defected from Cuba, every other player was acquired via trade or signed as a free agent from another club. Castrovince looks at the team’s offense and their usage of platoons, which led rival skipper Terry Francona to sing the praises of manager Bob Melvin.
  • Rangers catcher J.P. Arencibia has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, and the team has purchased the contract of veteran Chris Gimenez, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweeted last night. Arencibia signed a one-year deal with Texas after being non-tendered by Toronto last winter, but he batted just .133/.182/.233 in 66 PA. No team has gotten less offense from the catcher position than Texas this season, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them pursue upgrades on the trade market.

NL West Notes: Ziegler, Dodgers, LaRussa, LaRocque, Hawkins

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Diamondbacks submariner Brad Ziegler is one of the most fascinating, and most effective, relievers in the game, Rany Jazayerli writes for Grantland. Tracking the notable successes of the small number of soft-throwing, under-handed throwers in baseball history, Jazayerli wonders whether there could be some value in looking for more such pitchers. Of course, as he explains, Ziegler is even more unique than most in that he has figured out how to retire opposite-handed hitters. Here’s more from the National League West:

  • For all its talent, the Dodgers’ roster lacks flexibility, writes Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. That, in turn, complicates any possible maneuvers to upgrade the team, which is off to an uninspiring start. But if upgrades are difficult to identify with regard to the team’s key roles, that could be because they may not really be needed. Los Angeles has an enviable rotation that is not likely to be altered substantially, and actually stands at fifth in the bigs in position player fWAR to date. While it is arguable that the team could stand to enjoy stronger performances out of the bullpen and bench, those are the spots most readily upgraded over the summer. The Dodgers can certainly look to do just that if the struggles continue over the summer, and might also consider displacing or supplementing A.J. Ellis behind the plate. (Of course, the more drastic move of shipping out a high-priced outfielder could also be on the table, even if the return is minimal.)
  • The unyielding Tony LaRussa is a poor fit for the Diamondbacks, opines Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. As Passan notes, he will become the game’s oldest head of baseball ops in his first time in the role, and will need to maintain a much broader focus than he did in the dugout. Moreover, while prominent owner Ken Kendrick has cited the need for the organization to better utilize analytics, says Passan, LaRussa is driven first and foremost by his gut and vast experience.
  • LaRussa talked about his view of sabermetrics today in an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (via Vince Marotta of ArizonaSports.com). “My opinion is that it’s a valuable tool, but mostly a tool to help you identify talent and then prepare the talent,” said LaRussa. “I think the biggest problem I see is there are teams that have gone way overboard and they are really interfering with the way the managers and coaches conduct strategy during the game by running the analytics and forcing them into it.”
  • If and when LaRussa moves to replace Kevin Towers as the team’s general manager, current Cardinals director of player development Gary LaRocque could be a prime candidate, reports Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com (Twitter links). LaRocque has an extensive scouting background, and has overseen the fast-tracked development of many of the Cards’ impressive young players.
  • Rockies closer LaTroy Hawkins says he does not expect his age-41 season to be his last, tweets Morosi. “If I stay healthy, I’ll play [in 2015],” said Hawkins. The veteran righty has worked to a 4.11 ERA in 15 1/3 innings, though he has struck out only 3.5 batters per nine (against 1.8 BB/9). He is earning $2.25MM this season, and Colorado has an equally-priced option ($250K buyout) for next year.
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