Angels Acquire Drew Hutchison
The Angels have acquired right-hander Drew Hutchison from the Twins, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. Cash considerations went in return, per Morrie Silver of the Rochester Red Wings (via Twitter).
Hutchison, who’ll soon turn 29, will add to the depth for an Angels organization that has had to work to keep its MLB staff afloat. The staff has been taxed again recently by more injuries.
Conditions are tough for hurlers in the International League, where Hutchison has pitched all year long. He owns a 5.55 ERA in 108 2/3 frames, with 9.4 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9. Through 460 1/3 career innings at the game’s highest level, Hutchison carries a 5.10 ERA.
Twins’ Brusdar Graterol Could Earn Promotion Soon
The AL Central-leading Twins could promote well-regarded pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to the majors as early as this month, assistant general manager Rob Antony told SKOR North. The right-hander will likely work as a reliever this year if he does come up to the bigs, Antony suggested.
The 20-year-old Graterol has missed time this season with shoulder issues, but he’s back now and has turned in encouraging results when healthy. In his first Double-A action this year, Graterol has logged a 1.89 ERA/3.26 FIP with 8.69 K/9, 3.59 BB/9 and a 52.1 percent groundball rate across 47 2/3 innings. Moreover, Baseball America (No. 34), FanGraphs (52) and MLB.com (58) all rank Graterol among the best prospects in the game.
Capable of hitting triple digits on the radar gun, Graterol could be a serious late-season weapon (perhaps a multi-inning one, per Antony) for a Twins bullpen that hasn’t been great at preventing runs this year. The unit sits a middle-of-the-pack 14th in ERA (4.45), and it has undergone major changes of late. The Twins recently rid themselves of Blake Parker, Matt Magill, Mike Morin and Adalberto Mejia – who combined for upward of 100 innings from their bullpen – and then tried to upgrade their relief corps by adding Sergio Romo and Sam Dyson prior to the trade deadline.
Romo has thrown 4 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball since Minnesota acquired him from Miami, but the Dyson pickup has surprisingly blown up in the Twins’ faces so far. After an impressive start to the season with the Giants, Dyson surrendered a total of six earned runs on six hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning in his first two appearances as a Twin. Dyson then hit the injured list with right biceps tendinitis, which he alarmingly revealed has been bothering him since mid-July.
AL Injury Notes: Dyson, Rangers, Luzardo, Zimmermann
Newly acquired Twins reliever Sam Dyson went to the injured list Sunday with right biceps tendinitis. It turns out the issue has been bothering him since mid-July, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com tweets. Dyson let Twins general manager Thad Levine know about the discomfort “a few days ago,” per Park, who reports the club decided to shut him down thereafter. It’s an unfortunate turn of events for Dyson, who had been enjoying a great year before Minnesota acquired him from San Francisco at the trade deadline, and for a Twins team that made him its headlining July pickup. Dyson pitched twice for the Twins before going on the IL and put up calamitous numbers in both outings, yielding six earned runs on six hits and retiring just two hitters.
- The Rangers have shut left-handed prospect Taylor Hearn down for the season because of renewed irritation in his pitching elbow, though doctors don’t believe it’s related to his ulnar collateral ligament, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. Hearn originally suffered the injury during a nightmare of a major league debut against the Mariners on April 25. The 24-year-old Hearn started the game, but he ultimately recorded only one out and gave up five runs (four earned) on four walks and three hits. MLB.com ranked Hearn as the Rangers’ 11th-best prospect the day of his first promotion. He’s now 26th on the list.
- Better news from Grant, who reports injured Rangers righties Edinson Volquez and Shawn Kelley are progressing toward returns. Volquez, who’s set to retire after the season, will start a rehab assignment Wednesday as he works back from an elbow strain that has shelved him for almost the whole year. Biceps soreness has kept Kelley out since July 12, though the Rangers could activate him Tuesday. The 35-year-old has served as the Rangers’ closer at times this season, saving 11 of 15 chances, and has posted an effective 3.00 ERA/4.10 FIP with 8.73 K/9, 1.36 BB/9 and a 30.1 percent groundball rate in 33 innings.
- Athletics lefty Jesus Luzardo got through a two-inning rehab appearance unscathed Monday, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Luzardo will now move from the rookie level to Single-A ball, where he’ll make a three-inning start Saturday. The prized 21-year-old hasn’t been able to make his much-anticipated major league debut this season on account of shoulder and lat injuries. Luzardo could, however, serve as a late-season reinforcement for the wild card hopefuls.
- The Tigers placed righty Jordan Zimmermann on the IL on Monday with a right cervical spasm, the team announced. It’s the latest setback in an ugly Detroit tenure for Zimmermann, whose five-year, $110MM contract has been a bad investment for the club from the get-go. This season, Year 4 of the deal, Zimmermann has logged a 7.13 ERA (with a better, albeit unspectacular, 4.80 FIP) in 72 innings.
Twins Place Sam Dyson On IL
The Twins announced they have placed reliever Sam Dyson on the 10-day injured list with right biceps tendinitis. In his place, they’ve recalled prospect Devin Smeltzer, who will start this afternoon’s game against Kansas City.
Dyson has pitched just twice since Minnesota acquired him from the Giants at the trade deadline. He’s continued to ride a fastball-heavy approach to great success, working to a 3.48 ERA with a strong combination of strikeouts (23.3%), walks (4.4%), and groundballs (54.3%) in 2019. He’s not quite the groundball machine he was in his best days with the Rangers, but he’s still an integral part of the Twins’ bullpen. Fortunately, manager Rocco Baldelli told Dan Hayes of the Athletic that Dyson’s rest period will be measured in “days instead of weeks.” That’s welcome news for a club hanging onto a three-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central.
Smeltzer, a low-slot lefty acquired at the 2018 deadline from the Dodgers for Brian Dozier, will start his third game of the season for Minnesota. He’s been quite good in 16 starts in the high minors this year and ranks as the #23 prospect in a strong Twins’ farm system, per Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs.
Twins Place Buxton, Pineda On 10-Day IL
The Twins have placed outfielder Byron Buxton and righty Michael Pineda on the 10-Day IL, the team reports. Buxton’s injury, the third that’s forced him to the IL this season, is a left shoulder subluxation, which is potentially serious and will likely sideline the former number two overall pick for at least a few weeks (per MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park). Pineda strained his right triceps; the timetable for his return isn’t yet known, but the absence isn’t believed to be a lengthy one. 1B/DH C.J. Cron, reinstated from the IL, and outfielder Jake Cave were activated in their places.
It’s the latest in a series of early-career injuries for Buxton, who’d hoped to both shake the injury-prone label and deliver a productive season after a lost 2018 campaign. He’s at least cashed in on the latter, pairing a solid 110 wRC+ with his typically sensational center-field defense to post 2.6 fWAR in just 82 games for the division-leading Twins this season. The 25-year-old’s sliced his K rate to an easily-career-low 23.1% and made hard contact over 35% of the time, a near-eight percent jump from his previous career best of 27.6% in 2017. In his absence, the Twins’ll likely shift breakout star Max Kepler, 11th in MLB fWAR thus far, back to center, where he’s acquitted himself about as well as could be hoped over his young career, and have super-utilityman Marwin Gonzalez assume right-field duties.
Pineda, now 30 and no stranger himself to the DL/IL, has turned in yet another productive season for Minnesota, with identical 4.15 ERA/FIPs that, when adjusting for the suddenly-diminutive confines of Target Field, have been good for 2.0 fWAR in just 17 starts. The towering righty’s fastball velocity is down a bit this season, but still checks in at a respectable 92.6 MPH in this, the final year of a two-year, $10MM deal signed prior to the 2018 season. It’s unclear who’ll replace Pineda in the rotation – the team just sent down lefty Lewis Thorpe, and has needed only five starts from hurlers beyond the Opening-Day quintet of Pineda, Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi, and Martin Perez.
Twins GM Predicts Busy August Waiver Period
Baseball’s single trade deadline has passed, but there may yet be player movement on the horizon. Minnesota Twins GM Thad Levine even expects a head-spinner or two in August. With outright waiver claims still on the table, as well as other means of player acquisition, time remains for contenders to add personnel before the August 31 playoff eligibility deadline.
Said Levine on MLB Network Radio, “There will be a few players that change hands between now and the end of August that will leave some fans scratching their head that they were available just on an outright waiver claim.”
Presumably, Levine isn’t talking about the likes of Jonathan Lucroy, Tyler Austin, and Jung Ho Kang, some of the season’s earliest DFA casualties. A couple of intriguing names have hit the market – Brad Brach should catch on somewhere, Tony Sipp has a 2.76 ERA since April 15 – but Levine certainly suggests a sexier brand of ballplayer could find new homes in August.
Even before August trade prohibition there was the occasional outright claim of a large veteran contract. The White Sox claiming of Alex Rios in 2009 is an oft-cited example of this kind of roster action. Chicago was three games behind the Tigers in the AL Central when they relieved the Blue Jays of the five years, $60MM left on Rios’ deal. The Southsiders went just 22-27 from the date of the trade, falling to third place in finishing 79-83. To their credit, Rios did sandwich two productive seasons around a clunker in 2011 before the Sox would move him again in a trade with the Rangers.
Levine’s speculation here comes in part as a response to some disappointment in the new format. For the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who described this year’s deadline by saying “the life is getting sucked out of the sport,” further August action will be welcome. Writes Rosenthal, “The Astros and Diamondbacks rescued what otherwise might have been The Worst Deadline Day Ever on Wednesday, completing the Zack Greinke blockbuster with just moments to spare before 4 p.m. ET.”
Of course, the single deadline figured to drive more last minute action, so discounting the most impactful moments would certainly temper the results. Fangraphs’ Ben Clemens measured Wednesday as one of the busiest deadline days ever, though the flurry of activity was driven in part by the slow month that preceded it.
Pinpointing waiver claim candidates won’t be easy, as obvious candidates are by definition disqualified from Levine’s characterization, but large contracts on non-contenders would be a give good place to start sleuthing. Purely speculating, Wade Davis, Daniel Murphy, Justin Smoak could qualify, while the Blue Jays’ Randal Grichuk would be a near repeat of the Rios claim. Ultimately, whether Levine proves prescient or bombast likely depends on your level of excitement over “head-scratchers.”
Twins Acquire Brandon Barnes
The Twins have acquired outfielder Brandon Barnes from the Indians, per an announcement from the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate in Columbus. While the move will surely generate some confusion because it comes after the July 31 trade deadline, Barnes was still tradeable by virtue of the fact that he’s on a minor league deal and at no point had been on a 40-man roster this season. (We took a look at how these and other minor moves could still occur yesterday here at MLBTR.)
Cleveland didn’t specify a return, though it’s quite likely that the veteran Barnes was merely flipped to Minnesota for cash. The Twins have been looking for outfield depth in the minors — they signed Ramon Flores out of indie ball two days ago — and the Indians, conversely, have come into some newfound outfield depth. The trade of Trevor Bauer netted them both Franmil Reyes and Yasiel Puig, thus pushing Greg Allen and Jake Bauers to Triple-A Columbus and squeezing Barnes out of his everyday job there.
Barnes, 33, has posted a .271/.336/.529 batting line with 24 home runs, 25 doubles and nine steals in 420 plate appearances with Cleveland’s top affiliate in Columbus this season. He’s spent parts of six seasons at the Major League level, most recently appearing in 19 games with Cleveland just last season. Barnes is capable of playing all three outfield spots but carries an underwhelming .242/.290/.357 batting line through 1274 big league plate appearances. He’ll give the Twins some depth in Triple-A Rochester.
Details On The Twins’ Trade Deadline Talks
Sam Dyson and Sergio Romo represented the sum total of the Twins’ midseason additions as the club tries to hold its lead atop the AL Central. While Dyson and Romo address needs in the bullpen, Minnesota was also very aggressive in looking for starting pitching, though ultimately came up short in reinforcing the rotation.
Rival teams continually asked the Twins about top prospects Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff, with the Mets among the multiple clubs who asking for both youngsters. New York wanted both Lewis and Kiriloff in discussions about Noah Syndergaard, and if premium minor league talent wasn’t available for the ace, the Mets were also focused on adding Major League players, to the point of asking Minnesota about Byron Buxton in a possible Syndergaard deal.
Lewis and Kirilloff were also on the mind of the Blue Jays’ front office, as Toronto was looking for either of the prospects in exchange for Marcus Stroman. Minnesota turned down this initial request, and The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports that the Jays never called back with any other offers before trading Stroman to the Mets. This would seem to indicate that the Jays were only interested in Lewis and Kirilloff specifically, though Hayes writes that “the Twins were disappointed when Toronto didn’t give them a chance to match an offer they believed they could have outdone.”
Beyond the prospects, Hayes tweeted that Luis Arraez was “everyone’s favorite ask” amongst teams who were offering rental players to Minnesota. Arraez has been a revelation for the Twins over his first 43 Major League games, as the rookie is hitting .349/.422/.445 over 166 plate appearances. Arraez has long boasted strong averages and on-base numbers in the minors, and while regression is inevitable, his .361 xwOBA isn’t far off his .388 wOBA. With this much potential, it isn’t hard to see why the Twins were reluctant to part with a 22-year-old, multi-positional talent for only a rental player (or potentially anyone).
Hayes reports that the Twins were considering both Robbie Ray and Mike Minor, though concerns about Ray’s durability and Minor’s July struggles diminished the interest. On the relief front, the Twins also had interest in Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez.
“It was one of the most unique trade deadlines I’ve ever experienced,” Twins GM Thad Levine told Hayes and other reporters. “One error I made was assuming that early in the trade cycle that the leverage was towards the seller. I assumed that there was going to be a little bit of a shift of that see-saw back to the buyer as we got closer to the deadline. I’m not sure we ever saw the shift in the see-saw. The sellers felt pretty emboldened. They set the prices high, which is very normal in a trade deadline. But I’m not sure they moved off of those high asks at any point, and as a result, there were just a finite number of players that meaningfully changed the fortunes of playoff-contending teams.”
Early talks with the Giants involving multiple players (including Dyson, Madison Bumgarner, and Will Smith) did result in the late Dyson trade. Minnesota and San Francisco re-engaged in talks just 45 minutes before the 3pm CT deadline, medicals on the four players in the deal were exchanged at 2:50pm, and the trade was finalized with just five minutes to spare.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/1/19
We’ll track Thursday’s minor moves from around the league here…
- The Twins signed outfielder Ramon Flores and righty Jonathan Cheshire to minor league deals, per an announcement from the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League. Flores, who was assigned to Triple-A Rochester, has spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues but has played with the Patriots in each of the past two seasons. His 2019 output was particularly impressive, as he batted .311/.395/.467 with nearly as many walks (43) as strikeouts (49). The 27-year-old last appeared in the Majors when he got a brief three-game run with the Angels in 2017, but his most significant stint came with the 2016 Brewers. That season, the Venezuelan-born Flores hit .205/.294/.261 in 289 plate appearances while appearing at all three outfield positions. He’s yet to find Major League success, but Flores is a career .281/.373/.429 hitter in more than 1400 Triple-A plate appearances. As for Cheshire, he’s never been in the Majors but notched an impressive 19-to-3 K/BB ratio and a 0.55 ERA in 16 1/3 innings with the Patriots. Cheshire, 24, was cut loose by the Blue Jays earlier this year and has been assigned to Double-A Pensacola with the Twins.
Twins Release Cody Allen
The Twins have released reliever Cody Allen, according to Triple-A Rochester broadcaster Nate Rowan.
Allen joined the Twins on a minor league contract in late June, though he didn’t acquit himself particularly well at the Triple-A level. The 30-year-old only allowed three earned runs on seven hits in eight innings, but his 7:5 strikeout:walk ratio didn’t inspire much confidence. That came after an awful showing with the Angels for Allen, whom they signed to an $8.5MM guarantee last offseason. The Angels released Allen, a former star Indians closer, last month after he notched 23 innings of 6.26 ERA/8.40 FIP ball with 11.35 K/9, 7.83 BB/9, a shockingly low 19.7 percent groundball rate and a bloated 20.9 percent home run-to-fly ball rate.
Back when Allen signed with the Twins, a path to the majors looked realistic. However, the World Series hopeful Twins made a couple of notable bullpen trades in recent days, further blocking Allen’s path back to the bigs. The club acquired Sergio Romo from the Marlins last Saturday and Sam Dyson from the Giants on Wednesday.