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Mets Claim P.J. Conlon From Dodgers, Designate Phillip Evans

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The Mets have re-claimed left-hander P.J. Conlon off waivers from the Dodgers and designated infielder Phillip Evans for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the team announced to reporters following this afternoon’s game (Twitter link via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). Conlon has been optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Conlon’s time with the Dodgers, clearly, will prove to be abbreviated. Los Angeles only claimed him off waivers from the Mets last week, and the southpaw had yet to even pitch in a game with his new organization before being placed back on waivers. It’s nothing new for the Dodgers to claim a player and then try to run him through waivers themselves as a means of keeping him in the organization without committing a 40-man roster spot. It’s a move they’ve had a fair amount of success with in past seasons, though the Mets clearly didn’t see fit to let Conlon get away and seized the opportunity to reclaim the depth they lost last week.

Conlon, 24, allowed seven earned runs in his first two big league starts with the Mets this season, spanning just 5 2/3 innings. His struggles weren’t contained to the MLB level, either, as he posted a whopping 6.58 ERA in 39 2/3 innings spanning eight starts with Vegas this year. However, Conlon possesses solid numbers up through the the Double-A level and turned in promising K/BB numbers in Triple-A this year even while struggling with his bottom-line run prevention numbers. He’ll now return to the organization that originally drafted him and continue on as a depth piece.

As for the 25-year-old Evans, this’ll be the second time he’s been designated for assignment by the Mets in the past calendar year. He’s just 1-for-9 on the young season but hit .303/.395/.364 in a tiny sample of 38 plate appearances in the Majors last year. Evans is a career .273/.337/.445 hitter in 671 PAs at the Triple-A level and has experience at every position other than center field, first base and catcher. If he clears waivers, he’ll have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, given that he was outrighted the last time he was designated by the Mets.

Mets Have Considered Releasing Jose Reyes

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The Mets have had internal discussions about cutting ties with veteran infielder Jose Reyes, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). With some upcoming roster decisions as players return to health, there could soon be added pressure to do just that.

Certainly, Reyes has done little on the field this year to stave off such a move. He’s slashing a meager .141/.208/.197, with just two extra-base hits through 71 plate appearances. While Statcast paints a slightly more promising picture — Reyes carries a .187 wOBA that’s well shy of his .250 xwOBA — the struggles can hardly be attributed solely to batted-ball misfortune.

While he brings defensive flexibility, Reyes hasn’t graded particularly well with the glove. Likewise, despite grading as a premium baserunner last year, he’s sitting at average in that regard so far in 2018. Just days away from his 35th birthday, Reyes has produced more negative value (-0.9 fWAR) than all but four other position players in the game.

Despite those less-than-promising numbers, Puma reports that there’s some hesitation from the Mets organization. Citing Reyes’s “roots” with the club, Puma says there’s a belief that he deserves a “proper sendoff.” That’s understandable, on the one hand, given that this is his 12th campaign with the club. That said, the circumstances under which Reyes came back to Queens — the Mets took him in when he was released by the Rockies after serving a domestic violence suspension — do not really speak in favor of any kind of preferential treatment.

Beyond off-the-field considerations, it’ll be tough for the Mets to hang onto Reyes given what he has shown thus far, despite the fact that he was a useful contributor over the prior two campaigns. As Tim Britton wrote today for The Athletic (subscription link), there’s a sense that the team is “teetering on the brink of another long, irrelevant summer” after it took a fifth-straight loss. While GM Sandy Alderson insists that he’s still optimistic and isn’t weighing a summer sell-off, climbing back into the postseason picture will obviously require the team to field a healthy and productive mix of players.

The Reyes question isn’t pressing just yet, but could be in the near-term. The team is carrying a five-man bench at present, with a roster that includes three catchers, four starters, and eight relievers. Upheaval is imminent, with Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes, and Wilmer Flores currently rehabbing and perhaps not too far off from returns. With a wide variety of considerations in play, it’ll certainly be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Alderson: Chances Of Major Mets Sell-Off “Remote”

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In a candid interview with Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Mets GM Sandy Alderson suggested that it’s quite unlikely his organization will oversee a franchise-altering sell-off of MLB assets this summer. The post is a must-read for Mets fans.

“Can circumstances change that, yes,” Alderson said of the possibility of a significant roster tear-down. “But I think that would be very, very remote. It’s not something we’re even considering or talking about.”

Even more interesting than that statement, though, was Alderson’s explication of his philosophy on roster building and team performance. He tells Nightengale that he rejects the notion — which he says is prevalent in the broader MLB culture — that “you’re either really good or you stink.” Alderson generally explains that he doesn’t adhere to that level of extremism and notes that a significant rebuild, while coming with the potential for great success, also doesn’t guarantee a return to prominence.

That line of thinking seems to hint that the Mets will not feel pressured to take a dramatic approach to the deadline. Of course, Alderson has also proven willing to do so in recent years, having adopted both buying and selling postures as situations warranted. Memorably, the club struck a pair of 2015 blockbusters — one foiled by medicals, one consummated — with a resulting butterfly effect of rare significance. Last year, the club shipped out a bevy of veterans on expiring contracts after a disappointing and injury-riddled first half of the season.

This time around, the hope was — and still is — that the roster would perform much better. The Mets ponied up some cash for solid veterans at areas of need, though certainly some would have argued that a bigger spend on more elite talent was warranted. Things looked promising after an initial run of success, but the club entered play today three games under .500.

Alderson is taking the long view and remaining optimistic despite the team’s recent struggles, bemoaning a “temporary loss of perspective” and citing “the possibilities when we get players back from injuries.” Indeed, the team is welcoming back two significant offseason additions — Todd Frazier and Anthony Swarzak — for today’s game, while Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes are perhaps not far behind. Those returns won’t ensure an upswing in the standings and don’t explain all of the difficulties the Mets have encountered, but each absence has also undoubtedly been a significant component in the club’s overall struggles.

Mets Designate Buddy Baumann

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The Mets have designated lefty Buddy Baumann for assignment, per a club announcement. Also departing the active roster is righty Gerson Bautista, who was optioned to Triple-A.

These moves will create the roster space needed for the Mets to activate Todd Frazier and Anthony Swarzak. We covered their activations from the DL earlier today.

Baumann, 30, was hit hard in his three appearances this year with the Mets. He has shown swing-and-miss ability at the game’s highest level, but has yet to fully establish himself in the majors. In 14 Triple-A innings this season, Baumann has allowed only a pair of earned runs on seven hits, with 18 strikeouts and ten walks.

Mets To Activate Todd Frazier, Anthony Swarzak

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The Mets have announced that they will activate third baseman Todd Frazier and righty Anthony Swarzak from the disabled list today, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. Corresponding roster moves are not yet known.

Frazier will end up missing just under a month with a hamstring strain. The veteran was off to a solid start to the year before that, slashing .237/.357/.412 with five home runs and a 15.0% walk rate over his first 140 plate appearances with the organization. He inked a two-year, $17MM contract over the winter.

Likewise, Swarzak joined the Mets on a two-year free agent pact; in his case, it came with a $14MM guarantee. But he made only two appearances before going down to an oblique injury.

Both players represent significant pieces of the Mets roster. The news is most welcome given the team’s struggles of late. With a number of players on the DL, the club has carried three catchers and utilized youngster Luis Guillorme quite a lot at second and third.

Given his struggles at the plate, Guillorme could simply be sent down to make way for Frazier. Complicating matters, though, is the fact that Swarzak will require a 40-man spot since he’s coming back from the 60-day DL. Veteran utilityman Jose Reyes has been even worse offensively than Guillorme, and trimming him from the roster would allow the club to maintain greater pitching depth by optioning (rather than designating) a reliever. That said, there are also some reasonable DFA candidates on the current staff and there has been no indication to date that Reyes is at risk.

NL East Notes: Marlins, Hill, Hellickson, Swarzak, Phillies

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Many of the free agent mistakes that have plagued the Marlins in recent years weren’t the fault of president of baseball operations Michael Hill, a source tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.  “People without full accountability had more power under Jeffrey [Loria]” than Hill did, the source said, and Jackson’s piece details some of the thought process that led to the Marlins’ ill-fated signings of Wei-Yin Chen, Martin Prado, Edinson Volquez, Jeff Locke, Brad Ziegler, and Junichi Tazawa.  Hill’s lack of culpability in these signings could explain why he kept his job once the Derek Jeter/Bruce Sherman ownership group took over the team last year, amidst a general housecleaning of former front office staff.  Hill was already under contract through 2020, though that doesn’t appear to have been a major factor in his retention, since the team has eaten quite a bit of salary in letting go of other executives.  According to Jackson, roughly $18MM in total salary was owed to departed front office members Mike Berger, Jeff McAvoy, Marc DelPiano, and Jim Benedict through the 2020 season.

Here’s some more from the NL East…

  • Jeremy Hellickson left during the first inning of today’s game due to a right hamstring strain.  MLB.com’s Jamal Collier was among those to report that Hellickson would undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury.  Signed to a minor league deal last offseason, Hellickson has delivered tremendous results over his first 43 1/3 innings, posting a 2.28 ERA, 7.06 K/9 and 5.67 K/BB rate.  The Nationals don’t need a fifth starter until June 19 thanks to multiple off-days in the schedule, though Hellickson is hopeful of avoiding a DL stint since he noted that his current injury isn’t as painful as another hamstring strain he suffered a few years ago.
  • The Mets are expected to activate reliever Anthony Swarzak from the disabled list on Tuesday, Newsday’s Tim Healey reports.  Swarzak, who signed a two-year/$14MM free agent deal last winter, made just two appearances for the team before hitting the DL due to an oblique injury in early April.
  • In a chat with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury and other reporters, Phillies scouting director Johnny Almaraz implied that the team will look to take a college player with the third overall pick in tomorrow’s amateur draft.  Alvarez agreed with the general outlook that the draft is deep in quality college talent, noting “I see a lot of clubs moving in that direction where we’re going to try and get on these college players pretty quickly.”  Oregon State infielder Nick Madrigal, Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm, and Florida pitcher Brady Singer have all been noted as potential picks for the Phils, and Salisbury believes one of the trio will be the choice, barring an unexpected development (like the Tigers passing on Casey Mize as the first overall pick).

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/3/18

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Sunday’s minor moves from around the game:

  • The Mets have assigned Scott Copeland to Double-A after the right-hander cleared waivers, The Athletic’s Tim Healey reports (Twitter link).  Copeland was designated for assignment on Friday after just a two-day stint in the majors, though he did chalk up his first MLB appearance since the 2015 season.  The 30-year-old has a 3.22 ERA over 22 1/3 IP (all as a starter) at the Double-A level this season.
  • The Diamondbacks have acquired right-handed reliever Brad Goldberg from the White Sox for cash considerations, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com and Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. Goldberg, 28, will now head to his second organization after initially joining Chicago in the 10th round of the 2013 draft. The hard thrower debuted in the majors last year with 12 innings of 8.25 ERA ball, but other than that, he has worked exclusively in the minors (including a 22 1/3-inning run at Double-A this season).  Goldberg owns a 3.07 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 91 Triple-A innings.

Injury Notes: Murphy, Archer, T. Frazier, Graveman

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Unfortunately for the Nationals, second baseman Daniel Murphy doesn’t seem close to making his 2018 debut. Manager Dave Martinez told Jamal Collier of MLB.com and other reporters Sunday that Murphy remains “a ways” away from coming off the disabled list. What’s more, Murphy – who underwent microfracture surgery in his right knee last October – has not looked healthy during his Double-A rehab assignment, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post hears. A scout informed Janes that Murphy has been “gimpy,” “struggling to move laterally” and lacking “straight-ahead speed” during action this weekend. Not only is that bad news for the Nats, with whom Murphy starred from 2016-17, but also for the impending free agent. While Murphy did all he could to set himself up for another nice payday over the previous couple seasons, the 33-year-old is now amid a less-than-ideal platform campaign.

  • Rays right-hander Chris Archer dealt with groin tightness during his start Saturday, helping lead to his exit after five innings of two-run ball, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. It doesn’t seem to be a major concern, but “he’ll probably get checked out here in the next day or two and see how it is,” manager Kevin Cash said. Thanks in part to Saturday’s performance, Archer has seen his ERA plummet from a season-worst 7.84 on April 14 to 4.24 over his past nine starts. That should help the hard-throwing 29-year-old’s stock if the Rays make him available in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, as some expect them to do.
  • Mets third baseman Todd Frazier is primed to come off the DL in time for the team’s series against Baltimore, which begins Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Record suggests. Indeed, Frazier tweeted Sunday that he’s on his way back to New York, thus wrapping up a Triple-A rehab assignment. His return will be a rare positive development for the free-falling Mets, who placed Frazier on the DL with a hamstring strain on May 8. Prior to suffering the injury, the offseason free-agent signing opened 2018 with a helpful .237/.357/.412 line and five home runs in 140 plate appearances.
  • The Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville has placed righty Kendall Graveman on the DL with a forearm strain, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Fortunately, Graveman doesn’t have any structural damage and should only miss 10 days, Slusser reports. Nevertheless, the injury continues a difficult year for Graveman, who entered 2018 off three straight respectable campaigns but has spent a large portion of the season in the minors. The 27-year-old worked to a 7.60 ERA in 34 1/3 innings prior to his demotion and also hasn’t been great in Nashville, where he has posted a 4.50 ERA in 24 frames.

Dodgers Claim P.J. Conlon

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The Dodgers have claimed left-hander P.J. Conlon off waivers from the Mets; the club announced the move. Conlon will be assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu has been transferred to the 60-day DL in order to make room on the 40-man roster.

Conlon hasn’t exactly impressed in his first taste of big league action; he’s allowed seven earned runs in his first two big league starts spanning just 5 2/3 innings. The Mets apparently didn’t need to see much more, as they designated him for assignment on Thursday in order to clear room to add a pair of right-handers to the roster. Juan Lagares was also transferred to the 60-day disabled list at that time.

Even in Triple-A last season, Conlon pitched to a whopping 6.58 ERA in 39 2/3 innings spanning eight starts. A mid-round pick of the Mets back in 2015, Conlon rocketed up the minor league ladder to make his MLB debut while spending no more than one year at each level of the minors. It’s almost curious that the Mets gave up on Conlon without ever giving him more than ten starts above the Double-A level, particularly given his serviceable results at Double-A in 2017.

The Dodgers have some rotation issues of their own, and Conlon could provide some decent minor-league depth. After all, they just learned they’ll be without fellow lefty Clayton Kershaw for another month (though obviously Conlon wouldn’t be much of a consolation prize in that regard).

Mets Select Jose Lobaton, Designate Scott Copeland

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The Mets have selected the contract of veteran catcher Jose Lobaton, as Tim Healey of The Athletic reports on Twitter. To open a roster spot, the team designated just-promoted righty Scott Copeland for assignment.

Lobaton already spent some time in the majors with the Mets earlier this year, but lost his roster spot after hitting just .152/.250/.239 in his 52 plate appearances in the majors. It’s certainly possible that this second stay will be even shorter, unless the club decides to keep three catchers for a stretch.

As for the 30-year-old Copeland, his return to the majors proved fleeting. Though he worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings last night, he was mostly called up to give the team a fresh arm. Now, unless he’s claimed, he’ll end up back in the minors, waiting for another opportunity.

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