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Mike Clevinger

Mike Clevinger To Undergo Tommy John Surgery; 2-Year Deal Official

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The Padres announced that right-hander Mike Clevinger will undergo Tommy John surgery. He’ll miss the entire 2021 season as a result.

This is stunning news, though it won’t bring an end to Clevinger’s run with the Padres. The team announced that the two-year deal it was working on with Clevinger last week is now official, so he will remain with the organization for his final pair of seasons of club control. Clevinger will earn $11.5MM on the pact, Joel Sherman of the New York Post was among those to report. Unsurprisingly, it’s a backloaded agreement that will see Clevinger take home a $2MM salary in 2021 and $6.5MM in 2022, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. He also received a $3MM signing bonus. Clevinger will earn $250K in incentives if he starts five games in ’22 and another $250K if he starts 10, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.

Now 29 years old, Clevinger has been one of the majors’ most effective starters since he broke out in Cleveland in 2017. But the Indians decided to part with Clevinger this past August when they sent him to the Padres in a mega-deal before the trade deadline. Clevinger then helped the Padres to their first playoff berth since 2006, throwing 19 innings of six-run ball with 9.0 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9, though he battled elbow issues in his brief debut with the club. He only threw one playoff inning, which came in a start against the Dodgers in the NLDS, before departing.

Little did the Padres know that Clevinger’s most recent outing on Oct. 6 would be his last until at least the start of the 2022 season. Until now, it seemed safe to assume Clevinger would rejoin Dinelson Lamet and Zach Davies near the top of the Padres’ rotation next year. In light of this news, though, it’s unclear how the Padres will fill out their starting five beyond Lamet, Davies and Chris Paddack. There are some in-house possibilities in MacKenzie Gore, Luis Patino, Adrian Morejon, Joey Lucchesi and Ryan Weathers. Otherwise, the Padres could turn to the free-agent market or look to acquire help via trade. Either way, losing Clevinger for all of next year looks like a devastating blow for the up-and-coming San Diego franchise.

Padres, Mike Clevinger Working Toward Two-Year Deal

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The Padres are working toward a two-year contract with right-hander Mike Clevinger, reports Fansided’s Robert Murray (via Twitter). A two-year pact would buy out Clevinger’s remaining two years of arbitration, creating cost certainty for the Friars and granting some extra financial security for the pitcher himself. It would not, however, provide the Padres with any additional club control over Clevinger, who is currently on track to reach free agency after the 2022 campaign.

It’s sensible for both the Padres and Clevinger, who’ll turn 30 next month, to proactively look to avoid the arbitration process entirely. Arbitration figures to be messier than ever this offseason in the wake of the league’s broad-reaching revenue losses, so it behooves San Diego to get some cost certainty — particularly if doing so allows them to backload Clevinger’s salary. For Clevinger himself, he’ll avoid a potentially contentious process and lock in not only his 2021 salary but his 2022 contract on the heels of a season that ended with elbow concerns.

Clevinger earned $4.1MM in 2020, and using MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s 37-percent projection method, he’d land at a $4.8MM salary in 2021. That’s obviously a rather modest bump, and the uncertainties surrounding this year’s arbitration process in general inherently create a fairly broad range of variance. Still, a two-year deal figures to check in south of $20MM, given that Clevinger’s second- and third-time arbitration salaries would have only been a fraction of his open-market value, as is typically the case with arb numbers.

The 2020 season saw Clevinger again pitch at a very high level, as he worked 41 2/3 frames of 3.02 ERA ball with a 40-to-14 K/BB ratio. He struggled with his control a bit early on but righted the ship with the Padres, issuing just three walks in 19 regular-season innings following the blockbuster trade that shipped him from Cleveland to San Diego. Clevinger came under fire early in the season not only breaking Covid-19 protocols but traveling with the Indians after doing so. Cleveland learned of his infraction after the fact and subsequently optioned him to their alternate training site; Clevinger was traded not long after, although the organization denied that his rule violations played a role in driving the move.

Whatever the motivation, the Padres stand to benefit in the years to come. Clevinger joins Dinelson Lamet as a front-of-the-rotation arm at Petco Park, and the Padres have a wealth of other pitching talent on hand as well. Chris Paddack struggled in 2020 but was dominant as a rookie a year prior. Zach Davies enjoyed a breakout year this season following a trade from the Brewers. Top prospect Luis Patino made his big league debut in 2020, and the even more ballyhooed MacKenzie Gore should do so in 2021. Lefty Adrian Morejon gives San Diego yet another intriguing, high-upside option.

All told, it’s a both enviable and inexpensive crop of arms that give the Padres considerable long-term depth and upside. The Padres have some high-priced players on the position side of things — Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers — and will likely explore a long-term deal for Fernando Tatis Jr. at some point. Nailing down Clevinger’s price helps the front office and ownership alike get a better sense of the budget for that and other moves over the next two years.

Padres, Indians Complete Mike Clevinger Trade

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The Indians and Padres have completed their massive Aug. 31 trade in which Cleveland sent right-hander Mike Clevinger to San Diego. Per announcements from both teams, the Padres have acquired right-hander Matt Waldron.

Waldron, who turned 24 in September, joined the Indians when they chose him in the 18th round of the 2019 draft. He made a good impression during his first minor league season, in which he amassed 45 2/3 innings of 2.96 ERA pitching with 11.2 K/9 against a measly 0.8 BB/9 between the rookie and Low-A levels. Of course, Waldron wasn’t able to build on those numbers this year because the pandemic wiped out the minor league season.

However Waldron pans out, the Padres probably don’t regret making the deal. Even though he missed time with injuries after the team picked him up, Clevinger helped the Friars to the playoffs with 19 innings of six-run ball in September. Clevinger has two more years of affordable control left, so he’ll remain a key cog for the Padres going forward.

The Indians, meanwhile, saw three of the six players they acquired for Clevinger and outfielder Greg Allen don their uniform in 2020. Righty Cal Quantrill was highly effective over a small sample of work; outfielder/first baseman Josh Naylor went on a tear during their two-game playoff loss to the Yankees after a subpar regular campaign; and catcher Austin Hedges’ struggles at the plate continued.

Latest On Dinelson Lamet, Mike Clevinger

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OCT. 14: Good news for Lamet, Clevinger and the Padres: General manager A.J. Preller said Wednesday (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com) that it doesn’t seem “either situation is surgical,” so the two righties should be ready for the spring.

OCT. 13: Padres righty Dinelson Lamet has begun platelet-rich plasma therapy on his right elbow, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.  Lamet has been out of action since September 25 due to biceps tightness, though examinations of his arm revealed “no ligament issues” according to one of Acee’s sources, and Lamet is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training.

Lamet was unable to pitch during the Padres’ postseason run, bringing a sour end to an otherwise dream season for the 28-year-old.  Seen as a potential breakout candidate after a promising 2019, Lamet more than lived up to expectations by posting a 2.09 ERA, 4.65 K/BB rate, and 12.1 K/9 over 69 innings for San Diego.  Armed with a 97mph fastball that sat in the 91st percentile of spin rate, Lamet’s 2.4 fWAR tied him for fifth among all Major League pitchers in 2020.

After Lamet missed all of 2018 due to Tommy John surgery, there was natural concern about another arm injury, but the issue didn’t sideline Lamet entirely.  As Acee notes, Lamet kept playing catch in order to keep his arm loose, just in case he received clearance to pitch in some capacity during the playoffs.

It’s quite possible that the Padres could still be playing had Lamet and Mike Clevinger both been healthy for October.  Clevinger is also expected to be ready for the start of the 2021 season since his elbow impingement is thought to require arthroscopic surgery at the most, though Acee adds today that Clevinger will be examined by doctors this week and “no definite plan has been established.”

Latest On Mike Clevinger

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A late-season elbow impingement forced Mike Clevinger to sit out the Padres’ wild card series with the Cardinals, and an attempt return in Game 1 of the NLCS resulted in just 24 pitches and a second-inning removal.  There is some reason for optimism, however, as “according to multiple people familiar with his injury, [Clevinger] is likely headed for nothing more invasive than arthroscopic surgery,” Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This would put the right-hander on track to be ready to roll for the start of the 2021 season.  While arthroscopic surgery isn’t exactly routine, it would certainly be a relief to Clevinger and the Padres that his elbow problem is minor enough that it can be corrected with such a relatively straight-forward procedure (if even that step is required).

Though Clevinger couldn’t contribute much in the postseason, he posted a 2.84 ERA, 6.33 K/BB rate, and 9.0 K/9 over 19 innings for the Padres after being acquired from the Indians in a blockbuster deadline trade.  San Diego paid a significant price for Clevinger, not just because of what he could add to the 2020 team, but for his two remaining years of arbitration of control in 2021 and 2022.  While the Padres probably won’t entirely breathe easy until they see Clevinger healthy during offseason work or in Spring Training, it seems like the team can count on Clevinger being ready to anchor the rotation of what the Friars hope will be another pennant contender.

Padres Remove Mike Clevinger From NLDS Roster

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The Padres removed right-hander Mike Clevinger from their NL Division Series roster against the Dodgers, the club announced. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link) previously reported that such a move was a “virtual certainty.” By rule, removing a player mid-series also disqualifies them from the next round, so Clevinger is not eligible to participate in the NLCS. In a best case scenario, he’d return for the World Series if the Padres qualify.

Clevinger made it back from an elbow strain to start last night’s Game 1. Unfortunately, he was pulled just two pitches into the second inning after a marked dip in velocity. He’ll be reevaluated after “about a week” to allow the inflammation in his elbow to subside, Rosenthal adds. Fortunately, the belief is that Clevinger wouldn’t have done further damage had he continued pitching, hears Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). Rather, the bigger issue is whether he would’ve been capable of effectively working through the discomfort, per Acee. Given how obviously hampered Clevinger appeared to be last night, that would’ve been a real question.

Dan Altavilla is being added to the roster in a corresponding move. The 28-year-old reliever was active for San Diego’s Wild Card series against the Cardinals but scratched for the NLDS as San Diego looked for pitchers more experienced in working multiple innings.

Mike Clevinger Leaves Game 1 In Second Inning

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Padres right-hander Mike Clevinger was removed from tonight’s game after throwing two pitches in the bottom of the second inning.  After tossing 22 pitches in a scoreless first inning that included two walks and a wild pitch, Clevinger threw two balls to Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger before departing after a mound visit from manager Jayce Tingler and a team trainer.

It wasn’t clear until today whether San Diego would even include Clevinger on the NLDS roster, yet Clevinger was indeed on the hill to start Game 1.  The righty hadn’t pitched since September 23 due to an elbow strain that forced him to sit out the Padres’ wild card series victory over the Cardinals.

There hasn’t been any word on Clevinger’s status, though Tingler speculated during an in-game interview (hat tip to MLB.com’s Adam Berry) that “I think what happened was that long half-inning there and it tightened up and never warmed back up on him.”  The Padres sent six batters to the plate in the top of the second and forced Dodgers starter Walker Buehler to throw 33 pitches, which led to a lengthy wait for Clevinger.

While San Diego likely didn’t expect too long an outing for Clevinger given his return from injury, the Friars have now been forced into a makeshift bullpen game to begin their series with Los Angeles.  It will test the depth of a Padres team that is already missing a key arm in Dinelson Lamet and now faces the possibility that Clevinger could be done for at least the rest of this series.  As Berry noted, the Padres can make an injury replacement for Clevinger on the NLDS roster, but that would mean Clevinger is also not allowed to pitch should the Padres reach the NL Championship Series.

Latest On Mike Clevinger, Dinelson Lamet

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Oct. 6: There are “strong indications” that Clevinger will get the Game 1 nod, Robert Murray reports. H’s thrown a pair of flat-ground sessions and a bullpen session recently.

Oct. 5, 8:54 pm: The Padres are deciding between Clevinger and Chris Paddack to start tomorrow’s game one against the Dodgers, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune. Both threw bullpen sessions on Sunday, and if they deem Clevinger healthy enough, he’ll get the ball.

Starting Clevinger in game one would be an interesting call, because it could also set him up to start a potential game five on short rest. The Padres might be hesitant to do so given the injury concern. Perhaps more to the point, starting Clevinger tomorrow would mean Paddack would not be able to go in a potential series-deciding game five.

9:33 am: The Padres are “optimistic” right-hander Mike Clevinger will be able to return for their National League Division Series against the Dodgers, hears Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). However, fellow starter Dinelson Lamet “likely won’t be ready for this round,” Nightengale adds. Both pitchers missed the playoffs’ opening set, but San Diego leaned heavily on their bullpen to advance past the Cardinals in three games.

Clevinger has generally seemed the more likely of the duo to work his way back to the mound this week. Sidelined since September 23 due to an elbow strain, the 29-year-old threw a “high-intensity” bullpen session yesterday, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network (via Twitter). The highest-profile of San Diego’s myriad deadline season acquisitions, Clevinger has a 3.02 ERA/4.15 FIP in 41.2 innings between the Indians and Padres this season.

Lamet emerged as an NL Cy Young contender this year, pitching to a 2.09 ERA/2.48 FIP across 69 innings. Unfortunately, he exited his final start of the regular season with biceps tightness. The Padres have until tomorrow to formally set their NLDS roster.

NL Notes: Padres, Clevinger, Lamet, Marlins, Marte

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Padres manager Jayce Tingler spoke to the media regarding injured starters Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet, saying that both hurlers are playing catch but not yet throwing bullpen sessions. Their official status remains day-to-day, per The Athletic’s Andy McCullough. With the NLDS consisting of 5 games over 5 consecutive days this season, the Padres don’t have the luxury of using a roster spot on a pitcher who’s not going to be ready to throw. Clevinger and Lamet will likely be healthy enough to start, or they won’t be on the NLDS roster. The Padres will set their NLDS roster on Tuesday, per Dennis Lin of the Athletic (via Twitter).

  • Miami will likewise take as much time as possible before making a decision on Starling Marte. In the meantime, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter), it’s “Rest. Recovery. Treatment.” The Marlins will likely start Magneuris Sierra if Marte isn’t on the roster. Unlike with the Padres’ starters, there is a scenario where Marte is available to pinch-hit, but not to start. Sierra had just 53 plate appearance during the regular season, but he’s a burner who put together some nice at-bats against the Cubs in the wild card round.
  • Game one, of course, would likely pit the Marlins against southpaw Max Fried. In that case, Monte Harrison or Lewis Brinson would be more likely to get the nod. Brinson saw the most playing time during the season, slashing .226/.268/.368 across 112 plate appearances in 47 games. Brinson started 28 of the Marlins 60 games in the outfield, but he saw more time in the corners than in center. For what it’s worth, Brinson’s triple slash jumped to .260/.315/.480 in his 54 plate appearances against left-handers in 2020.

Latest On Dinelson Lamet, Mike Clevinger

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OCTOBER 3: There’s seemingly cause for optimism regarding Clevinger. ESPN’s Pedro Gomez hears (Twitter link) that he could be in line to return to the mound for next week’s NLDS against the Dodgers.

OCTOBER 2: Tonight could prove to be the end of the line for the 2020 Padres, who are gearing up to face the Cardinals in a do-or-die Game 3 of their first-round series. The Padres have gone the series without their two best starting pitchers, right-handers Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger, and they’ll turn to reliever Craig Stammen as an opener Friday. If Stammen & Co. manage to lead San Diego past St. Louis, though, the Padres could see Lamet and Clevinger return in the second round.

Both Lamet and Clevinger played catch Friday, per the San Diego Union Tribune’s Kevin Acee, and manager Jayce Tingler said it’s a “possibility” they’d be around for the NLDS. Lamet has been dealing with biceps discomfort, while Clevinger has been out with an elbow strain. Fortunately, Clevinger came out of his throwing session “feeling great,” Robert Murray reports.

Lamet and Clevinger are undoubtedly two of the main reasons the Padres reached the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Lamet turned in a Cy Young-caliber season with a 2.09 ERA/2.48 FIP and 12.13 K/9 against 2.61 BB/9 in 69 innings. Clevinger, whom the Padres acquired from the Indians at the Aug. 31 trade deadline, pitched to a 3.02 ERA/4.15 FIP and notched 8.64 K/9 against 3.02 BB/9 over 41 2/3 frames between the teams. Healthy versions of the two hurlers would have played prominent roles versus the Cardinals, but perhaps they’ll still have a chance to help the Padres this postseason.

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