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Mets Claim Nick Tropeano Off Waivers From Giants

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The Mets announced they’ve claimed right-hander Nick Tropeano off waivers from the Giants. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Reliever Tommy Hunter was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to open 40-man roster space. The Giants designated Tropeano for assignment last week.

This marks the second time in nine months the Mets have snagged Tropeano off the waiver wire. New York claimed him from the Pirates after the conclusion of last season. Ultimately, they decided not to carry him over the winter, non-tendering him a little more than a month later. Tropeano then signed a minor league deal with the Giants and was selected to the major league roster on May 21.

The 30-year-old wound up appearing in four games with San Francisco, tossing six innings of relief. He only allowed one earned run in that time, but Tropeano also managed just a pair of strikeouts. While he didn’t punch many batters in his limited work in San Francisco, he flashed some bat-missing ability with Pittsburgh last season. Tropeano struck out a strong 28.8% of opposing hitters in 15 2/3 innings with the Pirates, allowing just a pair of runs in that time. He generated swings and misses on a strong 14.9% of his offerings in 2020, and that bat-missing ability and recent run of strong run prevention clearly holds some appeal to the Mets front office.

While Tropeano has only worked in relief at the major league level the past two seasons, he could serve as either rotation or bullpen depth for New York. He was a decent back-of-the-rotation arm for the Astros and Angels earlier in his career, and he’d started all three of his appearances with the Giants Triple-A affiliate this season (albeit without ever working into the sixth inning).

By claiming Tropeano, the Mets assume the remaining balance of his $1.1MM contract. He remains under team control via arbitration through 2022, so he could be a multi-year piece for New York if he performs well enough for the club to tender him a contract. Tropeano is in his final minor league option year, so he can be shuttled back and forth between Queens and Syracuse for the rest of this season if he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Hunter was placed on the IL on May 19 with the rather nebulous diagnosis of lower back pain. It’s not precisely clear when the team expects him to return this season, but he’ll now be out of action until at least late July. He has made four scoreless appearances in 2021.

Latest On Carlos Carrasco

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Right-hander Carlos Carrasco was one of several headlining offseason additions for the Mets, who acquired him from Cleveland as part of the teams’ Francisco Lindor trade. Unfortunately for Carrasco and New York, though, he hasn’t been able to contribute at all because of a torn right hamstring he suffered in mid-March. Three months later, Carrasco’s Mets debut still isn’t imminent.

Manager Luis Rojas told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com and other reporters on Wednesday that Carrasco is no longer throwing off the slope of the mound – which he was doing last week. While Rojas said “[t]here is no reinjury or anything like that,” he added that Carrasco needs “more strength in that hamstring before we ramp up his baseball progression.”

There’s no timetable for Carrasco’s return, Tim Healey of Newsday tweets, which is a tough blow for a Mets team that on May 27 shut down rehabbing starter Noah Syndergaard for six weeks because of his elbow. Both Carrasco and Syndergaard were supposed to be key complements to ace Jacob deGrom this year, but the club has instead relied on Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker in those roles. Stroman and Walker have been terrific, though the Mets’ rotation could use reinforcements after their top three. After all, David Peterson has gone through a difficult year after a promising rookie effort in 2020, while Joey Lucchesi has a 5.79 ERA and hasn’t lasted more than 4 2/3 frames in any of his outings.

If the Mets aren’t able to count on Carrasco or Syndergaard, it could lead them to make other rotation plans leading up to the July 30 trade deadline. The Mets are in first place by 2 1/2 games in the National League East, so they’re lining up as buyers right now.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/6/21

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A couple of minor moves from around the league:

  • Marlins infielder Luis Marté has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Marté was designated for assignment earlier this week when the club reinstated Elieser Hernández from the 60-day injured list. (Unfortunately, Hernández has subsequently gone back on the IL.) Marté officially debuted in the big leagues by appearing in one game with Miami, and he’ll now return to Triple-A, where he’s hitting .263/.279/.456 this season.
  • The Giants acquired minor league catcher Bruce Maxwell from the Mets in exchange for cash considerations, the two clubs announced. He’ll be assigned to Double-A Richmond, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Maxwell spent parts of the 2016-18 seasons across the Bay, appearing in 127 games with the A’s and posting a .240/.314/.347 line over 412 plate appearances at the MLB level. Maxwell signed a minor league deal with the Mets over the offseason, so he won’t require a 40-man roster spot. He’d only picked up 31 plate appearances for the Mets Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse.

NL Injury Notes: Voth, Naquin, Molina, Mets

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Nationals pitcher Austin Voth suffered a broken nose after being hit in the face by a Vince Velasquez pitch.  In the third inning of today’s 12-6 Nats loss to the Phillies, Voth squared to bunt but couldn’t avoid Velasquez’s off-target fastball in time.  Voth did walk off the field under his own power, and Washington manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com) that the right-hander would have his nose reset tonight.

Today was Voth’s first official start of the season, though it was intended as something of a glorified opener/piggyback outing since Voth has worked out of the bullpen all season.  After inconsistent results as a starter over his first three seasons, Voth has delivered strong bottom-line results in the form of a 2.73 ERA over 29 2/3 innings in his multi-inning reliever role, though advanced metrics (like a 92.3% strand rate and a .239 BABIP) indicate some good fortune.

Martinez also related the incident to the league’s efforts to crack down on pitchers’ use of foreign substances on the ball, saying that “you’ll see more [hit by pitches] if we keep messing around with the stuff about the balls.  I understand them trying to clean some stuff up.  But it’s hot, it’s slippery, it’s sweaty.  I know Velasquez didn’t throw in there intentionally, but I’m afraid that if we don’t come up with something unified for everybody, you’ll see a lot more of that.  And that’s a scary feeling.”

More injury updates from the Senior Circuit…

  • Tyler Naquin left Sunday’s 8-7 Reds victory over the Cardinals due to left hamstring tightness.  Naquin took something of an awkward slide into second base in the first inning, and was replaced by a pinch-hitter for his next plate appearance in the top of the third.  Naquin has cooled down after a scorching-hot opening month of the season, but the outfielder still has an impressive .257/.333/.509 slash line and 11 homers over 189 plate appearances while emerging as Cincinnati’s everyday center fielder.  Reds manager David Bell told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters that the removal was precautionary in nature, and Naquin could be back as early as Tuesday for the Reds’ next game.
  • Yadier Molina left yesterday’s game after taking a foul tip off his kneecap, and the veteran catcher wasn’t in today’s Cardinals lineup.  However, manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including Stu Durando of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that “it looks like a little-bit-of-rest situation” and that Molina might have been able to play today in the event of an emergency.  The Cards have off-days both tomorrow and Thursday, so Molina might not miss much time even if he does need more than a day to recover.
  • There isn’t much new progress with the status of either Brandon Nimmo or J.D. Davis, as neither Mets regular seems close to a return.  As Mets manager Luis Rojas told The New York Daily News’ Deesha Thosar and other reporters, Nimmo is taking swings but not off a tee or against actual pitches, as he continues to recover from a nerve problem in his left index finger.  Davis isn’t swinging whatsoever, as his sprained left hand will be in a splint for the next few days.  Jonathan Villar is battling a tight hamstring and wasn’t in today’s starting lineup, as Rojas said the team is being cautious with Villar after he was able to come off the bench on both Friday and Saturday.

Mets To Sign Cesar Puello

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The Mets are signing outfielder César Puello to a minor league contract, reports Tim Healey of Newsday (Twitter link). He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.

Puello, 30, has appeared in the big leagues with four different teams across parts of three seasons. Altogether, he’s tallied 197 plate appearances at the highest level, compiling a useful .246/.354/.347 line while lining up at all three outfield positions. A one-time top prospect during his first stint in the Mets system (2008-15), Puello has spent significantly more time at the Triple-A level, where’s posted a .289/.391/.439 slash over parts of six seasons.

While Puello has generally been a productive minor league player, that hasn’t been the case so far in 2021. Signed to a minor league contract by the Red Sox over the winter, the right-handed hitter stumbled to a .158/.370/.184 mark over 54 plate appearances with Triple-A Worcester. The Sox released him earlier this week. Puello will now hook on with a Mets organization that is still without outfielders Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Albert Almora Jr., Johneshwy Fargas and José Martínez due to injury.

Additionally, Cameron Maybin and Wilfredo Tovar have accepted their outright assignments and reported to Syracuse. The pair of veterans cleared waivers earlier this week but have foregone their respective rights to elect free agency.

NL Injury Notes: Muncy, Guillorme, Blandino

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Let’s check in on a couple of injury situations in the National League…

  • The Dodgers got some good news today as X-Rays on Max Muncy’s ankle came back negative, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). Muncy is suffering from a mild ankle sprain, but he should be available to pinch-hit. Muncy has perhaps been even better than usual this season with a 165 wRC+ while handling 72 percent of the workload at first base and 12 percent of the playing time at second.
  • Luis Guillorme began a rehab assignment in Triple-A on Friday night as he recoveres from a right oblique strain, per Deesha Thosar of the NY Daily News (via Twitter). The Mets expect Guillorme to be healthy enough for activation by the end of the week.
  • Alex Blandino has a broken right hand, but no surgery will be required, so he could return to the Reds in three to six weeks, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). A first round pick back in 2014, Blandino has appeared at every infield position and left field while also toeing the rubber four times this season for the Reds. He owns a .200/.317/.257 in 82 plate appearances.

Padres Claim Sam McWilliams Off Waivers From Mets

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The Padres announced (via Twitter) that right-hander Sam McWilliams has been claimed off waivers from the Mets.  Right-hander Taylor Williams was moved to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space for McWilliams.

New York designated McWilliams for assignment earlier this week, as the righty had gotten off to a very rough start in his first 8 1/3 innings for Triple-A Syracuse.  McWilliams issued eight walks and also allowed three home runs over those 8 1/3 frames, en route to a 10.80 ERA.

Over 52 1/3 career innings at the Triple-A level in both the Mets and Rays organizations, McWilliams now has an 8.60 ERA.  Though he has yet to reach the big leagues, the Mets inked McWilliams to a one-year MLB deal worth $750K last November, taking a flier on a promising young arm.

The Padres will now assume the remainder of that salary as per their waiver claim, and they’ll see if they can get McWilliams on track.  Given the number of trades between the Padres and Rays in recent years, it wouldn’t be surprising if San Diego had initially had interest in McWilliams back in his days in Tampa’s farm system.

Red Sox Acquire Three Prospects To Complete Andrew Benintendi Trade

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Nearly four months after trading Andrew Benintendi to the Royals as part of a three-team swap also involving the Mets, the Red Sox announced that they’ve acquired outfielder Freddy Valdez from the Mets and right-handers Grant Gambrell and Luis De La Rosa from the Royals as players to be named later, officially completing the trade. The Red Sox acquired outfielder Franchy Cordero (from the Royals) and minor league righty Josh Winckowski (from the Mets) at the time of the trade, which also sent outfielder Khalil Lee from Kansas City to New York.

The 19-year-old Valdez has yet to progress to A-ball after splitting the 2019 season between the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League and Gulf Coast League. The Mets signed him for a $1.4MM bonus as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic back in 2018. In his lone season of pro ball, he hit .274/.367/.448 with an 18 percent strikeout rate and an 11.4 percent walk rate.

Valdez is generally regarded as one of the Mets’ top 20 prospects, ranking 13th at The Athletic, 14th at MLB.com, 17th at Baseball America and 18th at FanGraphs. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen calls Valdez an “absolute behemoth of a corner outfield prospect” with “thunderous” power, likening him to Indians slugger Franmil Reyes. The Athletic’s Keith Law writes that Valdez has “huge” power with above-average speed and a plus arm, though many scouting reports on Valdez raise questions about his hit tool and his defensive future.

Obviously, given Valdez’s age and the fact that he’s yet to even take a single at-bat in A-ball, he’s years from factoring into the Red Sox’ big league plans. On some levels, there figure to be comparisons to another player the Red Sox received in this trade: Franchy Cordero. Valdez, by all accounts, is a physical specimen at a young age with a tantalizing set of loud tools but has a ways to go before scouts will be sold that those tools can translate at the Major League level. As far as lower-level lottery tickets go, he’s the type that comes with considerable upside but also a fair bit of risk.

Gambrell, 23, is the more highly regarded of the two players coming over from the Royals and also much nearer to the big leagues. Kansas City’s third-round pick out of Oregon State in 2019, Gambrell has tossed 22 2/3 innings of 4.37 ERA ball in Class-A Advanced to begin the season, recording a 19.8 percent strikeout rate, 7.6 percent walk rate and 50 percent ground-ball rate in that time. Longenhagen ranked him 21st among K.C. prospects, noting that Gambrell used the off-time in 2020 to get into better shape and reported to camp in 2021 with a “totally different body” and improved velocity.

De La Rosa is even more of a lottery ticket than Valdez. Still just 18 years old, he signed as a 16-year-old in 2018 and carved up the Dominican Summer League a year later, tossing 38 2/3 innings with a 2.33 ERA, a ridiculous 52-to-7 K/BB ratio and a strong 48.9 percent grounder rate. Despite that exceptional short-season debut, De La Rosa isn’t ranked among the Royals’ best prospects, although he could certainly generate some further recognition if he can back up that dominant 2019 showing at a more advanced level.

The Athletic’s Chad Jennings first reported that the Red Sox would acquire Valdez from the Mets (Twitter link). Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe reported (via Twitter) that Gambrell and De La Rosa were also headed to the Sox.

Mets Sign Cheslor Cuthbert To Minor League Contract

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The Mets have signed infielder Cheslor Cuthbert to a minors contract, according to Levi Luna of TN8 Nicaragua (Twitter link).  Cuthbert didn’t last long on the open market, as the Reds just released him from a previous minor league deal on Tuesday.

While the Mets are slowly starting to get some injured personnel back onto the field, Cuthbert will help provide some depth for a club that is still very short-handed.  He has played most of his MLB career as a third baseman, with a good chunk of playing time at first base and a handful of games at second.

Cuthbert hit .250/.300/.378 over 1160 plate appearances with the Royals from 2015-19, coming up through the pipeline as a notable prospect in Kansas City’s farm system and working as the regular third baseman in 2016.  K.C. non-tendered Cuthbert following the 2019 season and he joined the White Sox on a minors deal, ultimately appearing in one big league game in 2020.

Mets Outright Cameron Maybin, Wilfredo Tovar

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The Mets have outrighted outfielder Cameron Maybin and infielder Wilfredo Tovar to Triple-A Syracuse after both cleared waivers, notes Tim Healey of Newsday (Twitter link). Both players have the right to refuse a minor league assignment and elect free agency.

With their outfield in shambles, New York acquired Maybin from the Cubs a few weeks ago. The hope was the respected veteran would prove a competent fill-in while many of the Mets regulars recovered from various injuries. That didn’t prove to be the case, though, as the 34-year-old went just 1-28 with three walks and twelve strikeouts in nine games. The Mets designated Maybin for assignment on Monday, selecting the hot-hitting Mason Williams from Triple-A in his place.

Tovar’s major league work was even sparser than Maybin’s. Selected to the roster on May 18, Tovar only picked up twelve plate appearances in six games before being removed from the roster. The Mets designated the 29-year-old for assignment after claiming Travis Blankenhorn off waivers on Tuesday.

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