Headlines

  • Angels Sign Anthony Rendon
  • Mets, Yoenis Cespedes Agree To Amended Contract
  • Brewers Sign Brett Anderson
  • Tigers Sign Austin Romine
  • Rays, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo Finalizing Two-Year Contract
  • Phillies Sign Didi Gregorius
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Indians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2019-20 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • 2019-20 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2019-20 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2020
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • Last 100 Comments
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mitch Keller

Injury Notes: Dyson, Cueto, Polanco, Dominguez, Morejon

By Jeff Todd | September 4, 2019 at 11:45pm CDT

The Twins are waiting to see how reliever Sam Dyson responds to some time off to deal with recurring biceps soreness. Chief baseball officer Derek Falvey discussed the matter with reporters including Phil Miller of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). It’s an effort to “get out ahead” of things, says Falvey. The Twins need their most significant trade deadline acquisition at top form with a major postseason clash beckoning. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been himself since coming over. Dyson owns a 7.15 ERA in a dozen appearances in Minnesota.

More injury updates from around the game …

  • Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto, on the mend from 2018 Tommy John surgery, experienced a setback in his most recent rehab outing, tweets Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News. He’ll be reevaluated in the next few days but won’t be an option for the team as soon as originally hoped. Manager Bruce Bochy had previously put a tentative date of Sept. 8 on a return for Cueto, but that no longer appears to be a plausible timeline. Back tightness, rather than arm issues, has caused the revised timeline. While there’s still hope that Cueto will make it back to the big-league bump this season, the organization will surely avoid any unnecessary risks.
  • A few Pirates outfielders won’t return to action this year, as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (Twitter links). Gregory Polanco will receive platelet-rich plasma injections in a bid to spur healing in his troublesome shoulder. That’ll be a key situation to monitor in the offseason for the Pittsburgh organization. Jason Martin now has his own shoulder malady to deal with: a separation suffered yesterday. He’s expected to miss the rest of the year. Infielder Kevin Kramer will come up to the active roster due in part to Martin’s absence. Though Bucs righty Mitch Keller was hit in the wrist with a batted ball yesterday, he was able to play catch today. his timeline isn’t clear, but that certainly seems like promising news.
  • The Phillies got some promising news on righty reliever Seranthony Dominguez, who has at times seemed destined to miss the rest of the season. Despite a recent scare, he has shown enough progress in his elbow health to resume throwing, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters including Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philly (via tweet). It’s still not clear that Dominguez will have enough time to ramp up and return to active duty, though perhaps there’s still an outside shot.
  • Padres southpaw Adrian Morejon will not make it back to the bigs in 2019, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets. That’s not to say that the widely hailed 20-year-old isn’t making progress. His injured shoulder is in good enough shape to allow Morejon to resume throwing. Though he struggled quite a bit in limited MLB action, Morejon has generally shown all the skills that made him a consensus top-100 leaguewide prospect. He’ll likely again factor into the San Diego plans next season, though he’ll do so without much of an innings base to work from. Morejon has not yet thrown more than 65 1/3 frames in a given campaign and fell shy of that mark this year.
Share 0 Retweet 6 Send via email0

Adrian Morejon Gregory Polanco Jason Martin Johnny Cueto Kevin Kramer Minnesota Twins Mitch Keller Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates Sam Dyson San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Seranthony Dominguez

20 comments

NL Notes: D-Backs/Greinke, Keller/Rodriguez, Cards, Nats

By Jeff Todd | August 13, 2019 at 12:52pm CDT

Zach Buchanan of The Athletic recently took an interesting look at the Diamondbacks’ recently concluded experience with big-money starter Zack Greinke. While you’ll want to read the entire piece (subscription link), a few comments from team president Derrick Hall are worth highlighting here in particular. “If you’re going to make that kind of commitment, you have to be sure that it’s going to push you over the top,” said Hall of the Greinke signing. “That was clearly a lesson learned.” Though the contract didn’t exactly sink the club — Greinke generally performed to his pay grade and the Snakes were able to get some value out of the tail end — it did make it difficult for the organization to put together a complete roster that was truly competitive and surely shaped the team’s decisionmaking when it came to retaining (or not) core talent. Hall did not rule out any major future splashes, but did suggest a somewhat different strategy is likelier going forward. The Arizona org will “probably prefer spreading and balancing out those salaries more evenly,” he says, thus “making sure you have that flexibility so that, when the time comes, if you want to add more significantly, you can.”

Let’s catch up on a few notes from around the National League …

  • The Pirates welcomed prized righty Mitch Keller back to the big leagues yesterday. It was a long-anticipated return after a rough showing in his initial promotion earlier this year. Keller was effective through five innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while recording four strikeouts and a pair of walks. He is now in line to get a full trial down the stretch. Before the game, the team created roster space by placing reliever Richard Rodriguez on the 10-day injured list. Rodriguez is said to be dealing with shoulder inflammation. The 29-year-old has certainly not been in top form this year, turning south after a breakout 2018 showing. While his velocity has held steady, his swinging-strike rate has plummeted from 13.8% to 9.6%. Though Rodriguez has maintained a solid 3.72 ERA, it has come in spite of his poor peripherals (7.6 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 1.9 HR/9).
  • The Cardinals announced yesterday that they have relieved assistant hitting coach Mark Budaska of his duties. He’ll be replaced by Jobel Jimenez, who had served as the club’s Triple-A hitting coach prior to his promotion. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) interprets the decision as one that “underscores [the] commitment to hitting coach Jeff Albert.” Indeed, the organization is working to spread Albert’s “comprehensive offensive strategy throughout [its] system.” Albert, who has spent time in the Cardinals and Astros organizations prior to taking on the current role in the fall of 2018, discussed his philosophies with David Laurila of Fangraphs not long after getting the gig. Goold had previously examined Budaska’s importance to the Cards’ developmental system before the hiring of Albert. As for Jimenez, he’s a well-known commodity to the St. Louis front office, having spent more than a decade working on the Cardinals farm.
  • Finally, the Nationals appear optimistic on the health outlooks of two superstars. The club believes it has dodged a bullet with outfielder Juan Soto, as Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic was among those to cover (Twitter links). Soto was able to participate in baseball activities yesterday after initially fearing he had suffered a significant ankle injury in his latest contest. Meanwhile, ace Max Scherzer continues to make steady progress in his quest to move past a back issue. He remains slated for a sim game and is said to be feeling well, but the team still isn’t confident of a particular timeline. ***Update: Soto is in today’s lineup, while Scherzer threw his sim game as scheduled.
Share 0 Retweet 4 Send via email0

Arizona Diamondbacks Juan Soto Max Scherzer Mitch Keller Notes Pittsburgh Pirates Richard Rodriguez St. Louis Cardinals Washington Nationals Zack Greinke

26 comments

NL Notes: Castellanos, Cubs, Padres, Richards, Pirates

By Connor Byrne | August 8, 2019 at 12:17am CDT

Outfielder Nicholas Castellanos is only about a week into his Cubs tenure, but Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (subscription link) wonders if the free agent-to-be will work his way into the team’s plans past this season. Castellanos has excelled at the plate over a rather small sample of work as a Cub, and as Mooney explains, the former Tiger has taken a liking to his new franchise. While the 27-year-old Castellanos will be one of the top hitters in the upcoming winter’s free-agent class, a lack of defensive value figures to limit his earning power. The price could be palatable enough for the Cubs to retain him, but it wouldn’t be ideal that Castellanos would have to remain a full-time outfielder in a DH-less league.

More from the NL…

  • The Padres don’t expect the shoulder tightness that forced right-hander Garrett Richards from his latest rehab start to require an MRI, per Jeff Sanders on the San Diego Union-Tribune. “We’ll see how it responds over the coming week to treatment and when he picks up a ball in the near future,” manager Andy Green said of Richards. If all goes well, the former Angel could debut with the Padres sometime before this season ends. The Padres signed Richards to a two-year, $15.5MM contract last winter just a few months after he underwent Tommy John surgery.
  • Prized Pirates righty Mitch Keller is likely to return to the majors for a start next Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests. The 23-year-old is one of the game’s highest-ranked pitching prospects, but a three-start audition in the majors from May to June didn’t go well. Keller allowed 14 earned runs on 21 hits and six walks in a 12-inning span, though he did strike out 15 batters. And Keller has held his own this year in his debut in the offense-driven International League. In 103 2/3 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis, he has pitched to a 3.56 ERA/3.60 FIP with 10.68 K/9 and 3.04 BB/9.
  • More on the Pirates from Mackey, who has the latest on injured outfielder Gregory Polanco and catcher Francisco Cervelli. Polanco, who hasn’t played since June 16 because of left shoulder problems, has received clearance to restart baseball activities. It’s still not clear when he might return to the Bucs, however. Polanco also sat out the first couple weeks of 2019 on account of his shoulder, which required season-ending surgery last September. Cervelli, trying to work back from a concussion that has shelved him since May 25, is progressing toward catching again this season. The concussion-prone Cervelli will first need “final clearances from our doctors, the commissioner’s office and the [MLBPA],” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said.
Share 0 Retweet 5 Send via email0

Chicago Cubs Francisco Cervelli Garrett Richards Gregory Polanco Mitch Keller Nick Castellanos Notes Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres

71 comments

Pirates Activate Trevor Williams, Option Mitch Keller

By Jeff Todd and Connor Byrne | June 19, 2019 at 2:53pm CDT

The Pirates announced today that they have activated right-hander Trevor Williams. To open an active roster spot, the club optioned fellow righty Mitch Keller.

Williams ended up missing just over a month of action with a side strain. Before going on the injured list on May 17, the 27-year-old Williams pitched to a matching 3.33 ERA/3.33 FIP with 7.0 K/9, 1.67 BB/9 and .67 HR/9 in 54 innings. Williams, Joe Musgrove and the currently injured pair of Jordan Lyles and Jameson Taillon have been the Pirates’ most productive starters this season. Lyles, out since June 10 with left hamstring tightness, will make a minor league rehab start Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com tweets.

Pittsburgh turned to Keller, 23, in hopes the premier prospect would help provide answers for an injury-laden rotation. Instead, Keller has allowed 14 earned runs on 21 hits and six walks through 12 innings and three starts thus far. But Keller was fairly effective in a loss to Detroit on Tuesday, when he yielded two earned runs (four total) on four hits and two walks in five innings, and has already notched 15 strikeouts in his big league career.

Share 0 Retweet 2 Send via email0

Jordan Lyles Mitch Keller Pittsburgh Pirates Trevor Williams

22 comments

Pirates To Recall Mitch Keller

By Steve Adams | June 11, 2019 at 3:58pm CDT

Mitch Keller will be recalled from Triple-A to start tomorrow’s game against the Braves, MLB.com’s Adam Berry tweets. The Pirates also announced that they’ve recalled Dovydas Neverauskas from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned Alex McRae in his place, giving them a fresh arm in the bullpen.

Tomorrow will be the second big league start for Keller, long lauded as one of the game’s premier pitching prospects. The 23-year-old was promoted for his MLB debut against the Reds in late May and struggled through a shaky outing that saw him yield six runs in four innings. Since that time, he’s gone back to Indy and allowed two runs on four hits and five walks with 18 strikeouts in 11 innings of work — including 12 consecutive outs recorded via strikeout in his most recent outing.

Earlier this week, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington indicated that while Keller was an option to start Wednesday, the team would also look outside the organization. The Pirates, as Huntington explained, do not want to continually shuttle Keller back and forth between the Majors and Triple-A. Rather, the organizational preference is that when Keller comes back up, he simply remains at the MLB level. That’s far from a declaration that this is a permanent call to the big leagues for Keller, but it stands to reason that he’ll have the opportunity to prove that he is worthy of an extended look. Throwing well against a tough Braves lineup on the road in their hitter-friendly park tomorrow would be one such way to make an impression.

The Pirates’ rotation has significantly underperformed so far in 2019, with Chris Archer taking a notable step back and both Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams missing extended periods on the injured list. Keller is the type of high-upside arm who could provide a boost to a Pittsburgh club that still hopes to contend despite a recent slide in the standings. Huntington has previously spoken about a desire to upgrade the team’s bullpen, and earlier this morning, it was reported that the team could look to trade Corey Dickerson given the team’s glut of productive outfielders. Suffice it to say, there are plenty of moving parts in Pittsburgh, and the next several weeks will prove pivotal in determining the team’s direction at the trade deadline.

Share 0 Retweet 7 Send via email0

Alex McRae Dovydas Neverauskas Mitch Keller Pittsburgh Pirates

8 comments

Pirates Rumors: Kingham, Keller, Outfield, Vazquez

By Steve Adams | June 10, 2019 at 9:26am CDT

The Pirates’ rotation in 2019 has been unexpectedly weak. Injuries to Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams and some alarming regression for Chris Archer have overshadowed solid performances by Joe Musgrove and offseason signee Jordan Lyles. Longtime prospect Nick Kingham entered the year out of minor league options and struggled so greatly that the team begrudgingly designated him for assignment last week and now seems likely to lose the righty.

Pittsburgh isn’t currently certain who’ll start for the organization on Wednesday this week, but general manager Neal Huntington told reporters that the Pirates will “look externally” to see if there are any palatable options available (links via Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Adam Berry of MLB.com). Top prospect Mitch Keller is a candidate to make that start, but the Bucs have already recalled and optioned Keller once this season. The next time Keller is called up to the Majors, Huntington noted, the team would like it to be a permanent promotion. Adding an external option would allow the team to give Keller a bit more time in Triple-A, where he has 100 1/3 total innings since last season, but the Bucs won’t find a more talented option than Keller to plug in for that Wednesday outing.

In the meantime, the Pirates will explore the trade market to see what kind of interest there is in Kingham. Huntington noted that players with that type of prospect pedigree “tend to get traded” if they’re designated for assignment and expressed optimism that he will “be able to get something for him” even in spite of his considerable 2019 struggles. Kingham allowed an incredible 38 runs on 54 hits and 17 walks in 34 2/3 innings to begin the 2019 season, but he has a solid Triple-A track record and was long viewed as a potential big league starter. A rebuilding club like the Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, Royals or Giants could be intrigued by seeing how he fares in a change of scenery. An injury-plagued team like the Angels or Athletics could make some sense, too.

Perhaps a more intriguing source of trade speculation surrounding the Pirates, however, resides in the outfield. Corey Dickerson returned from the IL to join a mix that already had Bryan Reynolds, Starling Marte and Melky Cabrera playing well. Gregory Polanco has posted roughly average numbers at the plate since returning from shoulder surgery and has a solid track record prior to this season. With all five healthy, it’ll be tough to sort out playing time Huntington unsurprisingly declined to go into specifics but did at least acknowledge the possibility of a trade, stating that while the Pirates like all five outfielder, they’re “always open to opportunities to make this club better.”

That said, with the team slipping in the National League Central, it’s only natural that there’ll be increased speculation about the possibility of trades in the coming weeks — particularly when dealing from a position of strength like the outfield. Moving an outfielder, even to another contender (probably not within the division) could potentially net some help for a pitching staff that hasn’t performed up to expectations so far. If the Pirates surge back into contention — they’re seven back in the NL Central and five and a half back of a Wild Card spot — moving a short-term piece like Dickerson for another veteran could boost the staff. If their slide in the standings worsens, the Bucs could even entertain offers on Marte, who is controlled through 2021 by way of a pair of club options ($11.5MM in 2020, $12.5MM in 2021). Doing so could reap prospect value while opening a long-term spot for the cost-controlled Reynolds.

Also of interest in a selling scenario would be whether the Pirates make standout closer Felipe Vazquez available, but the fact that he is cheaply controlled through the 2023 season would make it extremely difficult to bite the bullet on a deal. “The ask will be big, and they won’t move from it,” one rival executive told ESPN’s Buster Olney when asked about a potential Vazquez deal (subscription required).

That’s probably an understatement. Vazquez has a 2.30 ERA with 14.2 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 0.99 HR/9 and a 34.4 percent ground-ball rate in 27 1/3 innings so far in 2019. He’s being paid $4MM this year, $5.25MM in 2020 and $7.25MM in 2021 before the team will be able to decide on a pair of club options in 2022 and 2023 — both valued at $10MM. That’s four and a half seasons of control over Vazquez, who’ll turn 28 in July, for a shade under $35MM.

For the time being, it’s likely that the Bucs will find some kind of deal for Kingham (or that he’ll be claimed on waivers) and monitor the market for at least a potential spot-start option Wednesday. There’s sure to be more afoot over the next several weeks, as the Pirates will soon have to give a long-term audition to one of the game’s best overall prospects (Keller) and perhaps resolve an outfield logjam on the trade market. Whether that move is made with an eye toward 2019 or an eye toward 2020 and beyond will probably be dictated by the team’s performance in the near term.

Share 0 Retweet 9 Send via email0

Bryan Reynolds Corey Dickerson Felipe Vazquez Gregory Polanco Melky Cabrera Mitch Keller Nick Kingham Pittsburgh Pirates Starling Marte

47 comments

Pirates To Promote Mitch Keller

By Connor Byrne | May 25, 2019 at 8:57pm CDT

The Pirates are set to promote top pitching prospect Mitch Keller, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports. Keller will start one of the Pirates’ games against the Reds on Monday. The right-hander is already on the Pirates’ 40-man roster, so they won’t have to make a corresponding move in that regard.

Now 23, Keller joined the Pirates as a second-round pick (No. 64 overall) in the 2014 draft and has blossomed into a premier prospect during his time in the organization. MLB.com (No. 21), ESPN’s Keith Law (No. 24), Baseball America (No. 30) and FanGraphs (No. 37) each consider Keller one of baseball’s 40 finest farmhands. MLB.com notes Keller possesses a “plus 11-to-5 downer curve,” and BA lauds his “easy,” high-velocity fastball.

Keller’s primary offerings, not to mention his changeup and a newfound slider, have helped him ascend through the minors, though he’s still fairly new to the Triple-A level. He got to Pittsburgh’s top affiliate in Indianapolis for the first time last year, when he threw 52 1/3 innings, and has added another 47 this season. In those 99 1/3 frames, Keller owns a 4.17 ERA with 10.2 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9.

In his first taste of big league action, Keller will slot into a rotation which has been a mixed bag in 2019. The Pirates have gotten impressive production from Trevor Williams, Joe Musgrove and Jordan Lyles. But Williams is on the injured list, as is Jameson Taillon – the Pirates’ usual No. 1 starter. Taillon hasn’t pitched since May 1 because of an elbow injury and won’t return until at least July. Meanwhile, Chris Archer hasn’t performed to expectations since Pittsburgh acquired him in a blockbuster trade with Tampa Bay last summer. Likewise, Nick Kingham, Steven Brault and Montana DuRapau have struggled over a combined six starts.

Pittsburgh’s injuries and the issues in its rotation behind Musgrove and Lyles helped create an opening for Keller. It’s unclear how long Keller will stay up, but for now, the Pirates are left to hope he’ll come out firing and aid in their quest to earn a playoff spot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Share 0 Retweet 19 Send via email0

Mitch Keller Newsstand Pittsburgh Pirates Top Prospect Promotions Transactions

22 comments

Pirates Demote Top Prospect Mitch Keller, 7 Others

By TC Zencka | March 9, 2019 at 9:19am CDT

The Pirates announced a number of roster moves today, optioning pitcher Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker and Luis Escobar to Triple-A Indianapolis. Pitchers Dario Agrazal, Elvis Escobar, Eduardo Vera, Blake Weiman, as well as catcher Jason Delay were re-assigned to minor league camp.

Keller, 23, is the biggest name of the bunch, the Pirates top prospect and the #19 prospect overall according to MLB.com’s rankings. GM Neil Huntington provided commentary on the demoted pitchers to reporters today, including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. On Keller, he said (via Brink’s Twitter), “He’s not the first or the last guy to have some struggles in spring training, but what’s really encouraging is his attitude about it going out. It’s not what he wanted, it’s not what we expected, but he’s ready to tackle it head-on.” Keller surrendered 10 earned runs in only 4 innings of work this spring, including 3 home runs. He struck out only one batter out of the twenty-five faced.

On Brubaker, 25, Huntington said (Twitter link), “J.T.’s been a guy for about four years now that we’ve liked much more than kind of the external noise is on him.” Brubaker put together a strong showing in Double-A and Triple-A last season, earning an overall 10-6 record with 2.81 ERA in 154 innings.

After this first round of roster moves, the Pirates big-league camp is down to 54 players, including 18 non-roster invites.

Share 0 Retweet 4 Send via email0

Dario Agrazal Mitch Keller Pittsburgh Pirates

18 comments

Players Added To The 40-Man Roster

By Steve Adams | November 20, 2018 at 6:15pm CDT

Tonight marks the deadline for players to be added to their respective organizations’ 40-man rosters. Over the nine hours, there’ll be a flurry of moves, ranging from minor trades (like the one the Indians and Rays made yesterday), waiver claims and players being designated for assignment or outrighted. Each will be made to clear room for players who need protection from this year’s Rule 5 Draft. As a reminder, players who signed at 18 years of age or younger and have five professional seasons are eligible, as are players who signed at 19 or older and have four professional seasons under their belts.

Here’s a rundown of players who’ve been added to their respective 40-man rosters (which will be updated throughout the day)…

  • There are three additions for the Twins: outfielder LaMonte Wade and infielders Nick Gordon and Luis Arraez.
  • The Giants announced that they have added a trio of righties: Melvin Adon, Sam Coonrod, and Logan Webb.
  • Lefty Justin Steele is now a member of the Cubs’ 40-man, per an announcement.
  • The Rangers announced that they are protecting veteran hurler Edinson Volquez, who’s returning from Tommy John surgery, along with outfielder Scott Heineman, righty Wei-Chieh Huang, and lefty Taylor Hearn.
  • Righties Mitch Keller and JT Brubaker, infielder Cole Tucker, and outfielder Jason Martin are all joining the Pirates’ 40-man, per Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects (via Twitter).
  • The Blue Jays will add righty Patrick Murphy to their 40-man, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Toronto has announced his addition, along with those of fellow righties Trent Thornton, Yennsy Diaz, Hector Perez, and Jacob Waguespack.
  • Three Indians players have been boosted up to the 40-man, the club announced: first baseman Bobby Bradley, southpaw Sam Hentges, and righty Jean Carlos Mejίa.
  • Righty Joe Harvey is joining the Yankees’ MLB roster, the club announced.
  • The Phillies have added shortstop Arquimedes Gamboa along with righties Edgar Garcia and Adonis Medina to the 40-man, per a club announcement.
  • Former first-round draft pick Dillon Tate, a right-handed pitcher, was selected to the Orioles’ 40-man.

Read more

Earlier Additions

  • The Marlins and Padres each made numerous additions. We covered the Angels and Athletics elsewhere as well.
  • The Red Sox have bumped several players onto the MLB roster: infielder Michael Chavis, righties Colten Brewer, Travis Lakins and Denyi Reyes, lefties Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez. Brewer was just picked up via trade.
  • Righty Jimmy Herget is the only player added to the Reds’ 40-man today, per a club announcement.
  • Per a Diamondbacks announcement, they’ve selected the contracts of first baseman Kevin Cron and four right-handed pitchers: Taylor Clarke, Joel Payamps, Bo Takahashi and Emilio Vargas.
  • There are three new additions to the Astros roster, per a club announcement. Righties Bryan Abreu and Rogelio Armenteros have had their contracts selected along with catcher Garrett Stubbs.
  • The White Sox announced that they’ve selected the contracts of right-handers Dylan Cease and Jordan Stephens, left-hander Kodi Medeiros and catcher Seby Zavala. Cease, one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, joined the Sox in the Jose Quintana trade two years ago. Chicago added Medeiros this summer in the trade that sent Joakim Soria to the Brewers.
  • Right-hander Justin Lawrence is being added to the Rockies’ roster, reports Fancred’s Jon Heyman (on Twitter). The 2015 12th-rounder posted a 2.65 ERA with better than 10 punchouts per nine innings in Class-A Advanced this season — a fine followup to a 1.65 ERA at Class-A in 2017. The club has announced that move, along with the additinos of righty Ryan Castellani infielder Josh Fuentes and outfielder Sam Hilliard.
  • The Brewers have selected the contracts of outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. and right-hander Trey Supak, reports Robert Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Stokes hit .233/.343/.430 in 551 PAs as a 22-year-old in Double-A this past season. Supak, acquired from the Pirates three years ago, logged a tidy 2.48 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 137 2/3 innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A in 2018.
  • The Royals selected the contracts of right-handers Josh Staumont, Scott Blewett and Arnaldo Hernandez, per a team announcement. Staumont is among the team’s most promising arms but has plenty of control issues to accompany big strikeout numbers out of the ’pen. The other two have worked as starters in Double-A.
  • The Mariners selected the contract of righty Erik Swanson, whom they acquired from the Yankees as part of last night’s James Paxton trade. The 25-year-old righty posted a 2.66 ERA with a 139-to-29 K/BB ratio across multiple minor league levels in ’18 and could surface as a rotation option for Seattle in 2019.
  • The Tigers selected the contract of right-hander Franklin Perez, the team announced. Perez, the top prospect acquired in the Justin Verlander blockbuster, was an easy call to add to the 40-man even after slogging through an injury-ruined season. As Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press wrote in August, Perez missed two-plus months with a lat strain and pitched just 19 1/3 innings before going down for the season with a shoulder injury. Perez is still widely considered to be a premium pitching prospect even after the 2018 injury woes.
  • The Nationals announced that righty James Bourque has been added to the 40-man roster. A 14th-round pick in 2014, Bourque moved from the rotation to the ’pen in 2018 and broke out with a 1.70 ERA, 12.9 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 53 innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A.
  • The Braves announced that they’ve selected the contracts of catcher Alex Jackson and right-handers Patrick Weigel, Jacob Webb and Huascar Ynoa. Jackson, the No. 6 pick in the 2014 draft, struggled through a miserable 2018 season, but the organization clearly didn’t want to risk losing him. Webb turned in a big season out of the bullpen across two levels, while Weigel, one of the organization’s top arms, should be back from Tommy John in 2019. The 20-year-old Ynoa didn’t post great numbers but was up to 100 mph in velocity this year, per Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs (Twitter link).
Share 0 Retweet 2 Send via email0

Alex Jackson Arizona Diamondbacks Arnaldo Hernandez Atlanta Braves Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians Colorado Rockies Colten Brewer Detroit Tigers Dillon Tate Dylan Cease Edinson Volquez Erik Swanson Franklin Perez Houston Astros Huascar Ynoa Isan Diaz Jacob Webb James Bourque Jordan Stephens Jordan Yamamoto Jorge Guzman Jose Quijada Jose Quintana Josh Staumont Josh Taylor Justin Lawrence Kansas City Royals Kodi Medeiros Kyle Keller Los Angeles Angels Miami Marlins Michael Chavis Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Mitch Keller New York Yankees Nick Gordon Oakland Athletics Patrick Weigel Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Scott Blewett Seattle Mariners Seby Zavala Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Trey Supak Troy Stokes Washington Nationals

59 comments

Agent Jason Wood Fired From Agency, Suspended By MLBPA

By Jeff Todd | January 10, 2018 at 6:48pm CDT

6:48pm: Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports that Benintendi is not involved in the allegations against Wood. To this point, law enforcement is not involved in the matter, either. Drellich notes that a source “confirmed the nature of the allegation” to him.

6:12pm: Wood reached out to Passan to issue a staunch denial of the reported allegations against him (Twitter link):

“The allegations that have surfaced today are absurd and untrue. Over the past 13 years I have worked tirelessly to build a successful agency through integrity and hard work. I am disappointed that there are those who have chosen to spread such irresponsible and harmful rumors.”

3:27pm: Certified player agent Jason Wood has been fired from his post as head of the baseball division of the Career Sports Entertainment agency and suspended by the MLB Player’s Association, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports on Twitter. As Passan notes, and Robert Murray of Fan Rag Sports reports in more detail, Wood stands accused of using a hidden camera on his own clients.

Clearly, it’s premature to jump to any conclusions in this odd and troublesome story. Murray, though, says that seven sources tell him that Wood is under investigation by the union for “allegedly filming numerous clients while they were using his shower” — including one that found a camera and confronted the alleged perpetrator.

CSE has issued a statement from president Danny Martoe, which Passan conveyed on Twitter. It reads as follows:

“For over 32 years, CSE Talent has prided itself on our moral and ethical standards and have built a solid reputation within the industry. We take pride in working with people who represent these values. It’s unfortunate that CSE Talent aligned itself with someone who didn’t uphold these same standards and therefore we chose to terminate with cause Wood’s employment.”

Identities of the apparent victims of Wood are not known at this time. It’s also not clear whether there is any criminal investigation, though the situation certainly could warrant such treatment.

MLBTR’s agency database shows many of Wood’s client relationships. He had operated an entity known as Arland Sports, which is still reflected in the database but has since been purchased by the CSE agency. Just which of those players was still represented by Wood at the time the allegations arose is not known (agency switches often go unreported), though Andrew Benintendi was a known client, and Wood has also repped other notable MLB players such as Jake Odorizzi and David Phelps, as well as prospects Riley Pint, Joey Wentz, and Mitch Keller, among others.

Many of the players that had been represented by Wood are now said to be seeking alternative agencies. Keller has already terminated his relationship with CSE and hired Excel Sports Management, Murray tweets.

Share 0 Retweet 4 Send via email0

Andrew Benintendi Jake Odorizzi Mitch Keller

94 comments

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Angels Sign Anthony Rendon

    Mets, Yoenis Cespedes Agree To Amended Contract

    Brewers Sign Brett Anderson

    Tigers Sign Austin Romine

    Rays, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo Finalizing Two-Year Contract

    Phillies Sign Didi Gregorius

    Red Sox To Sign Martin Perez

    Giants Acquire Zack Cozart

    Yankees To Re-Sign Brett Gardner

    Mets To Sign Rick Porcello

    Dodgers To Sign Blake Treinen

    Brewers To Sign Josh Lindblom

    Blue Jays To Sign Tanner Roark

    Rockies Extend Scott Oberg

    Mets Agree To Sign Michael Wacha

    Recent

    MLBTR Poll: Hyun-Jin Ryu’s Next Contract

    NL Notes: Giants, Bumgarner, Bauer, Manfred, Padres, Yates

    Tensions Rising In MLB, MiLB Negotiations

    Latest On Angels’ Pitching Pursuits

    AL Notes: Mariners, Seager, Orioles, Davis, Matheny

    Latest On Corey Kluber

    Twins Remain Engaged With Josh Donaldson

    Quick Hits: Sign-Stealing Investigation Update, Padres, Myers, Hedges, Kluber, Braves, Culberson

    Rangers Notes: Rendon Offer, Lyles

    Quick Hits: Brewers, Garcia, Phillies, Bumgarner, Red Sox, Price

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • 2019-20 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2019-20 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2020 Arbitration Tracker
    • Free Agent Contest Leaderboard
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2020
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Indians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version