Trevor Rosenthal Drawing Trade Interest
“Several teams” have been in touch with the Royals about right-hander Trevor Rosenthal, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (Twitter link). There seems to be enough interest in Rosenthal that “many expect” the veteran reliever to be moved prior to the August 31st trade deadline, Feinsand writes.
After missing 2018 due to Tommy John surgery and then struggling badly over 15 1/3 innings (with the Nationals and Tigers) last season, Rosenthal has seemingly gotten back to his old All-Star form in Kansas City. The 30-year-old has a tiny 0.87 ERA over 10 1/3 innings this season, recording six saves with a 3.50 K/BB rate and 12.2 K/9. While a .211 BABIP and a perfect 100% strand rate indicate that at least some regression is inevitable, Rosenthal’s fastball appears to be in prime form, with a 98mph velocity that actually tops his 97.5mph career average.
The Royals entered today’s action with a 11-15 record, five games back of Cleveland for second place in the AL Central and three games out of a wild card spot. As with all but a small handful of teams in this compressed season, the Royals might not have decided yet whether they’ll be buyers, sellers, or a combination of both, as one good week could get K.C. back over the .500 mark and more firmly in the postseason race.
On paper, Rosenthal seems like a logical trade candidate if the Royals did plan to sell. The 30-year-old is only under contract through the 2020 season, as per the terms of a minor league pact he signed last winter. Reaching Kansas City’s MLB roster locked in the prorated portion of a $2MM salary for Rosenthal, and with a month of games already in the books, a new team would only be on the hook for roughly $350K if they acquired Rosenthal at full price.
Could a trip to Miami be in Rosenthal’s future? MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reported that the Marlins are looking at the Royals’ bullpen as part of their wide-ranging search for bullpen help prior to the deadline, and while Rosenthal’s name wasn’t specifically mentioned as a target, it’s logical to assume that the closer would be on Miami’s radar. Greg Holland is another veteran rental who would make sense as a K.C. trade chip, while hurlers like Josh Staumont or Scott Barlow would have a higher asking price due to their extra years of control.
Marlins Activate Jorge Alfaro, Designate Ryan Lavarnway For Assignment
The Marlins made a series of roster moves Friday, announcing that catcher Jorge Alfaro and lefty Richard Bleier have been reinstated from the injured list. Fellow catcher Ryan Lavarnway was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Alfaro. Miami also confirmed its previously reported promotion of top outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez, optioned fellow outfield prospect Monte Harrison to the alternate training site and placed infielder Eddy Alvarez on the paternity list.
Alfaro, 27, is being activated for his first action of the 2020 campaign after spending the entire season to date on the injured list. He’ll take over primary catching duties from veteran Francisco Cervelli. Acquired as one of the main pieces in the blockbuster deal that sent J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia, Alfaro hit .262/.312/.425 with a career-best 18 home runs in his first season with the Fish last year. He’s controlled through the 2023 season.
The well-traveled Lavarnway was 4-for-11 in his limited time with the Marlins, but his stay on the active roster always figured to be limited. Such is the life for the journeyman 33-year-old, who has appeared in the Majors in nine separate seasons for seven teams but never tallied more than 46 games or 166 plate appearances. Lavarnway is a career .215/.272/.344 hitter in 456 Major League plate appearances and a .272/.364/.426 batter in parts of nine Triple-A campaigns. The Marlins have a week to trade him, release him or run him through waivers.
Marlins To Promote Sixto Sanchez, Jesus Sanchez
1:18pm: Miami is also promoting top outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez, Heyman tweets.
1:02pm: The Marlins are calling up top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The flamethrowing righty will likely step into Miami’s rotation.
Sixto Sanchez was the centerpiece of the trade package the sent J.T. Realmuto from the Marlins to Philadelphia. He immediately became one of the Marlins’ top prospects and didn’t disappoint in 2019, his first full season with the team. Last year, as a 21-year-old, he pitched to a combined 2.76 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in 114 frames between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. Sanchez can reach triple digits with his fastball and also garners praise for a wipeout changeup that is regarded as a plus offering. He’s considered to be among the best pitching prospects in all of baseball, ranking No. 18 at Baseball America, No. 24 at MLB.com and No. 48 at FanGraphs. Keith Law’s preseason rankings at The Athletic had him at 49, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel listed him at No. 55.
Jesus Sanchez, who is about 300 days older than Sixto but still 22 himself, came to the Marlins alongside Ryne Stanek in the trade that sent Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards to the Rays last summer. He’s a top 100 prospect himself on most lists, garnering praise for exceptional bat speed, plus raw power and a feel for hitting. He’s played some center field but is more likely to end up in a corner. The hope for Sanchez is that he’ll eventually be a quality corner defender who hits for power and average, but he’s yet to see that raw power manifest in game settings. He split last year between Double-A and Triple-A, slashing .260/.325/.398 in 465 plate appearances. He’s not a big strikeout concern, but Sanchez also only walks in about six percent of his plate appearances.
Both players will be controlled through at least the 2026 season even if they’re in the Majors to stay, and they’ve been promoted late enough in the year that they should fall shy of Super Two status when arbitration rolls around for them in a few years’ time.
Marlins Announce Series Of Roster Moves
The Marlins announced a series of roster moves Tuesday, including the contract selections of right-hander Brett Eibner and lefty Brandon Leibrandt. They also optioned righties Jordan Yamamoto and Justin Shafer and infielder Lewin Diaz to their alternate training site; moved righty Mike Morin to the 45-day injured list; placed lefty Brian Moran on the 10-day IL with right knee patella tendonitis; recalled righty Humberto Mejia from their training site; and reinstated outfielder Corey Dickerson from the paternity list.
Eibner, a former Royals and Dodgers outfielder, last appeared in the majors in 2017. He switched to a two-way role thereafter and performed well enough as a pitcher in independent ball for the Marlins to recently purchase his contract from the Eastern Reyes del Tigre of the Constellation Energy League.
Leibrandt also isn’t far removed from joining the Marlins, who inked the ex-Phillies farmhand to a minors pact earlier this month. Most recently a member of the independent Somerset Patriots, the 27-year-old has never pitched in the bigs. He did enjoy a productive season in Triple-A ball in 2018, though, before succumbing to Tommy John surgery.
Several Marlins Players Cleared To Begin Workouts
August 16: As of today, all of the 18 Marlins who landed on the COVID-19 injured list have been cleared to resume baseball activities and have reported to the team’s alternate training site in Jupiter, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Surely, that group will collectively need some time to ramp back up to in-game action, but their impact should be felt in the near future. In particular, FNTSY’s Craig Mish suggests that pitcher Sandy Alcantara, throwing a bullpen session today, could be ready to start as early as next weekend. For that to happen, he (and any other players vying to return) would need to travel with the team to Washington on Thursday; if that doesn’t happen, the aforementioned August 28 home series is the likely target date.
August 15: Several of the 18 Marlins players who tested positive for the coronavirus have been cleared to start baseball activities and workouts. The exact number of clearances isn’t yet known, though the Associated Press described that “most” of the 18 were given the green light. In terms of specific names, Sportsgrid’s Craig Mish tweets that shortstop Miguel Rojas and right-hander Sandy Alcantara were two of the players cleared.
Needless to say, it’s wonderful news that many of these players are healthy and recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak that halted Miami’s season for a week and put the entire baseball world on notice. From an on-field perspective, the Marlins will surely benefit from the return of so many key performers, though the Fish have done well (a 9-5 record) even with a severely short-handed roster.
The AP article notes that August 28 might be a realistic target date for any of these cleared players to actually return to the Major League roster, as they will naturally need some time to get back up to speed after missing so much time. Should the team continue to be in playoff contention, this mass return will add another layer of uncertainty to any potential trade deadline moves the Miami front office could have under consideration. The return of at least 10 players could be enough of an in-house upgrade that the Marlins might prefer to see what they have internally rather than seek out a trade chip on another team.
Marlins Acquire Jesus Tinoco
The Marlins have acquired right-hander Jesus Tinoco from the Rockies for fellow righty Chad Smith, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports. Tinoco will join the Marlins’ player pool and report to their alternate training site.
This is the second trade involving Tinoco, who was part of the Troy Tulowitzki blockbuster between the Blue Jays and Rockies in 2015. Tinoco reached the Triple-A and major league levels for the first time last season, though he didn’t produce great numbers in either place. The 25-year-old did pitch to a 3.97 ERA in 34 innings at the minors’ top level, but he only logged 6.1 K/9 against 4.98 BB/9. In his MLB debut, Tinoco’s control issues continued, as he recorded a 5.5 BB/9 with a 4.75 ERA and 7.0 K/9 across 36 frames.
Smith, 25, was an 11th-rounder of the Marlins in 2016 who hasn’t advanced beyond Double-A yet. He owns a 4.46 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 149 1/3 minor league innings.
Marlins’ Roster Moves: Bleier, Venditte, Mejia, Moran
The Miami Marlins placed recent acquisition Richard Bleier on the injured list with a “mild strain in his elbow in his elbow bicep”, per MLB Network contributor Craig Mish (via Twitter). In corresponding moves, the Marlins selected the contract of Pat Venditte, the switch-pitcher recently brought to camp. Humberto Mejia has been optioned to the alternate site. Lefty Brian Moran has been put back on the active roster, per Mish.
Bleier made three appearances with the Fish since coming over via trade from the Orioles. He allowed 1 run on 1 hit in 1 1/3 innings. The 33-year-old southpaw didn’t make his big league debut until 2016 as a 29-year-old. In the 4+ seasons since, he has mustered a respectable 3.02 ERA/3.73 FIP across 169 appearances (179 innings) for the Yankees, Orioles, and Marlins.
Venditte got into a game for the first time in 2020 tonight, but he previously appeared in parts of four seasons for the A’s, Blue Jays, Mariners, Dodgers, and Giants. Venditte’s gimmick is well-known throughout baseball as an ambidextrous pitcher, but he’s struggled on the whole as a major leaguer. In 58 appearances, Venditte owns a 5.03 ERA/5.04 FIP, though the 35-year-old continues to see opportunities. To his credit, he also continues to post solid numbers in Triple-A, including a 2.85 ERA across 47 1/3 innings with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in 2019.
Mejia, 23, will no doubt find his way back to the majors after a fine debut. The Panamanian right-hander started one game as an extended opener, going 2 1/3 innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out six. In a year of unprecedented roster moves, it’s a safe bet that Mejia will find his way back to the show at some point in 2020.
Last but not least, Moran, 31, made his major-league debut as a 30-year-old with the Marlins last season. He appeared in 10 games going 6 1/3 innings with a 4.26 ERA/4.00 FIP. The lefty hurler notably made MLB history by striking out his younger brother Colin Moran in the first-ever brother-brother showdown. He signed with the Blue Jays this offseason after the Marlins made him a free agent, only to be claimed off waivers last week.
Marlins Sign Brandon Leibrandt
The Marlins have inked lefty Brandon Leibrandt, Craig Mish of Sports Grid reports on Twitter. He’ll join the organization’s 60-man player pool.
There’s little doubt the deal is of the minor-league variety. Liebrandt, son of Charlie, comes aboard after participating in the Somerset Professional Baseball Series staged by the indy ball Somerset Patriots.
The 27-year-old Leibrandt, a former sixth-round pick, turned in a sterling 1.42 ERA over 50 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2018. Despite recording only 32 strikeouts, he also limited opposing hitters to ten walks and just a single long ball.
Unfortunately, Leibrandt ended up requiring Tommy John surgery and was sidelined for all of the 2019 season. He had not returned to the affiliated ranks until this move to join the Miami organization.
No New Positive COVID-19 Tests For Marlins, Cardinals
8:39pm: The Cardinals have been cleared to travel and return to the field, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. They’re in line to resume their season Friday.
10:12am: There was finally some good news on the coronavirus front, with Jon Heyman of MLB Network reporting (Twitter links) the latest test results from two hard-hit teams. Neither the Marlins nor the Cardinals registered any new positive tests for COVID-19.
That means that the Marlins will finally get back to action this evening. That had been the expectation, but the team still needed to log another day without any new positive coronavirus tests.
The Marlins ultimately had 18 players test positive, gutting their active roster. They’ll hope there isn’t another infection lurking in the clubhouse while returning to action with an entirely different roster.
As for the Cards, who had seven positive player tests (among others in the organization), they’re still waiting anxiously in a hotel in Milwaukee. It’ll take another clean set of tests before the team can get back to the playing field, but that’s now a distinct near-term possibility.
As Heyman notes, the St. Louis club could resume play on Friday. That would give the league a full 15-game slate … if nothing goes askew in the meantime.
Marlins Place 13 Players On Injured List
The Marlins announced today that they’ve placed 13 players on the injured list. Those going on the IL include right-handers Sandy Alcantara, Jeff Brigham, Robert Dugger, Yimi Garcia, Jordan Holloway, Nick Neidert and Ryne Stanek; left-handers Adam Conley, Caleb Smith and Alex Vesia; infielders Sean Rodriguez and Miguel Rojas; and catcher Chad Wallach.
Miami also made official a previously reported slate of roster moves. Lefty Richard Bleier was acquired from the Orioles in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Right-hander James Hoyt was acquired from the Indians for cash. The club also claimed relievers Justin Shafer and Josh D. Smith from the Reds, claimed reliever Mike Morin from the Brewers and claimed reliever (and former Marlin) Brian Moran from the Blue Jays. Veteran infielder Logan Forsythe signed a one-year, Major League deal.
As for internal moves, the Fish called up right-hander Jorge Guzman, outfielder Monte Harrison and righty Jordan Yamamoto. The club also selected the contracts of left-hander Dan Castano, right-hander Josh A. Smith, right-hander Nick Vincent, catcher Ryan Lavarnway and infielder Eddy Alvarez. Outfielders Matt Joyce and Lewis Brinson were activated from the injured list.
It’s a dizzying sequence of moves brought about by the Covid-19 outbreak that decimated the organization’s Major League roster. Miami ultimately wound up with a reported 18 players and two coaches testing positive, and the outbreak caused scheduling delays with the Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays and Nationals in addition to the Marlins. Miami was left with a depleted roster and forced to scramble to simply cobble together a roster and continue its season.
The losses of Alcantara and Smith will remove two of Miami’s top rotation options from the mix for the time being, while Rojas was the team’s starting shortstop. Stanek had been expected to occupy a high-leverage late-inning role, and Conley is one of the team’s most experienced bullpen pieces.