NL East Notes: Marlins, Hill, Hellickson, Swarzak, Phillies
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
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
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
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
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.
Mets Designate P.J. Conlon For Assignment
The Mets announced that they’ve designated left-hander P.J. Conlon for assignment and transferred Juan Lagares to the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday. Their spots on the 40-man roster will go to right-handers Tim Peterson and Scott Copeland, each of whom has been selected to the Major League roster (as was reported earlier today). Furthermore, New York optioned right-hander Jacob Rhame and infielder Phillip Evans to Triple-A Las Vegas and recalled left-hander Buddy Baumann from Triple-A.
Conlon, 24, enjoyed a strong season with the Mets’ Double-A affiliate in 2017, tossing 136 innings of 3.38 ERA ball with 7.2 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9, but he’s endured a disastrous 2018 campaign so far. Though Conlon has had one significant milestone in 2018, making his MLB debut, his results on the mound have been ugly in both the Majors and the minors. The former 13th-round pick (2015) was tagged for seven runs on 12 hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings for the Mets, and he’s limped to a 6.58 ERA with 7.5 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 in 39 2/3 innings out of the rotation in Las Vegas.
The Mets will have a week to trade Conlon or place him on outright or release waivers. He’s not considered to be an elite prospect, but he entered the year ranked 24th among Mets farmhands, per MLB.com, where Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo suggested that he could ultimately function as a multi-inning bullpen piece capable of setting down both lefties and righties.
Mets To Select Contracts Of Tim Peterson, Scott Copeland
11:55am: Righty Scott Copeland is the other pitcher heading up, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). He’ll also need to be added to the 40-man.
Copeland, 30, briefly cracked the majors back in 2015. He has taken five starts this year in the upper minors, working to a 3.81 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against 5.4 BB/9 in 28 1/3 innings.
11:48am: New York will likely also add another arm, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports on Twitter. It’s not yet clear who that will be, but Puma says the mystery hurler may currently be on the Double-A roster.
11:12am: The Mets are set to promote right-hander Tim Peterson to the majors, per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. Corresponding roster moves have yet to be announced.
Peterson, 27, has pitched in the minors since 2012, when he was taken with a 20th round pick out of the University of Kentucky. He reached the Triple-A level briefly last year after a strong showing at Double-A, then returned to Las Vegas to begin the current campaign.
Over his 22 appearances this year, Peterson has thrown 27 2/3 innings of 3.58 ERA ball. He has held opposing batters to 18 hits and eight walks while racking up forty strikeouts.
While the New York organization surely preferred not to make any 40-man moves, the club’s pitching depth has been pressed to its limits by recent injuries. Noah Syndergaard was supposed to start today but ended up on the DL, leaving Jason Vargas to take the ball on short rest. And Steven Matz left his outing yesterday early, putting further strain on the relief unit. (Rather improbably, both he and Syndergaard were felled in succession by finger injuries.)
Injury Notes: Samardzija, Tigers, Pollock, Maeda, Mets
Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija exited Tuesday’s start after just one inning due to tightness in his right shoulder, writes Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Any shoulder trouble for a pitcher, of course, is concerning to an extent, but Samardzija’s early exit comes with extra cause for worry given that his fastball was sitting at 91 mph on Tuesday, per Pavlovic. Samardzija’s velocity has been down, in general, early this season, but he’d previously averaged 92.4 mph. The injury to Samardzija is the latest blow to a Giants rotation that has yet to receive a single inning from Madison Bumgarner this season and also lost Johnny Cueto for an extended period earlier this month. In 35 2/3 innings this season, Samardzija has lumped to a 6.56 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 5.8 BB/9, 1.51 HR/9 and a 33.9 percent ground-ball rate.
Some more injury updates from around baseball…
- Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters tonight that the team has placed left-handers Francisco Liriano and Daniel Stumpf on the disabled list due to a right hamstring strain and ulnar nerve irritation, respectively (Twitter links via Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press). It’s not clear exactly how long either is expected to miss, though the move will send one of the team’s top trade chips shelf (Liriano) while leaving Gardenhire without a left-handed option in the bullpen. Ryan Carpenter is coming up to join the team’s rotation for the time being, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (on Twitter), while right-hander Johnny Barbato will be added to the bullpen.
- A.J. Pollock‘s fractured thumb has not yet fully healed, D-backs skipper Torey Lovullo told reporters (Twitter link via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). That didn’t come as a surprise to the organization, per Lovullo, who said that Pollock’s progress is “exactly where we thought it would be.” As Piecoro indicates, the latest update suggests that Pollock’s return won’t come on the short end of his originally projected timetable of four to eight weeks. The short end of that timeline would’ve lined up Pollock for a return in mid-June, but the eight-week timeline would extend his absence closer to the All-Star break.
- The Dodgers pulled Kenta Maeda from tonight’s start in the second inning due to a right hip strain, tweets Alanna Rizzo of SportsNetLA. The Dodgers trainers checked on Maeda on two separate occasions in the second frame, and he was pulled on the trainer’s second trip to the mound. Los Angeles is already without Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu, each of whom is on the disabled list, though Kershaw is likely to return this week. Maeda, who owns a 3.61 ERA and a 68-to-18 K/BB ratio in 52 1/3 frames this season, would represent another costly loss at a time when L.A. was hoping to see its rotation begin inching toward better health with the return of Kershaw.
- Steven Matz exited tonight’s start with discomfort in his left middle finger, though the Mets said that x-rays have already ruled out a broken bone, per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. The injury occurred when swinging in his latest at-bat, and Matz is headed for an MRI for further evaluation, tweets Tim Britton of The Athletic. The Mets already lost Noah Syndergaard to the DL earlier today, so even a brief absence for Matz would be all the more problematic. On the plus side for the Mets, right-hander Anthony Swarzak made a rehab appearance in Triple-A Las Vegas tonight and threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and one hit allowed.
Mets Place Noah Syndergaard On DL With Strained Finger Ligament
1:16pm: It seems the injury is not viewed as a serious one. James Wagner of the New York Times tweets that Syndergaard could potentially return after the minimum absence. (The placement was backdated to May 26th.) He’ll wear a splint for the time being but could try throwing again this weekend to gauge his progress.
12:32pm: The Mets announced that righty Noah Syndergaard has been placed on the 10-day DL. He was diagnosed with a strained ligament in his right index finger, per the announcement.
At present, it’s not clear how long the Mets will go without their co-ace. But any absence is most unwelcome given the tightly packed group of contenders in the NL East.
The real question here, of course, is whether this injury holds any potential for long-term concern. That’s simply not apparent based upon what is known publicly at this point. Prior to the team’s announcement, after all, there was no indication that Syndergaard was dealing with a problem at all.
There are also more immediate needs to be dealt with. The New York organization is going to have to scramble to account for Syndergaard’s scheduled start tomorrow. That could mean that Jason Vargas takes the ball on short rest, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link), and/or that the club tries to find a fresh arm from its minor-league ranks.
Thus far in 2018, Syndergaard has been in fine form after missing much of the prior season with a lat injury. He owns a 3.06 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 through 64 2/3 innings, with a typically sturdy 47.7% groundball rate. He is throwing his fastballs in the upper-nineties range we’ve come to expect and carries a personal-high 15.0% swinging-strike rate.
Injury Notes: Vazquez, Darvish, Cordero, Renfroe, Flores
Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez felt soreness in his left forearm during the last two pitches of his appearance today against the Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Elizabeth Bloom reported. The southpaw didn’t speak to the media himself after the game, though Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk confirmed that Vazquez was receiving treatment. It’s too early to gauge the seriousness of the problem, though obviously any sort of forearm issue is of great concern, particularly for a pitcher who throws as hard as Vazquez. His fastball has dropped in velocity this season (96.8 mph as opposed to 98.5 mph in 2017), though this year’s total is closer to his career average, so it could be that 2017 proves to be something of an outlier, or perhaps it’s still too early in the 2018 campaign to make conclusions. Vazquez has a 3.54 ERA and 9.74 K/9 through 20 1/3 frames for the Bucs this year, with an increased walk rate and a decreased swinging-strike and grounder rate from his outstanding 2017 season. On the flip side, Vazquez has also yet to allow a home run this year, and he has had some bad luck the form of a .333 BABIP and only a 65.5% strand rate.
Vazquez’s breakout 2017 earned him a four-year, $22MM extension from the Pirates in the offseason, locking him up as a building block on the Pittsburgh roster. Losing Vazquez for any amount of time would be a significant blow to a Pirates team that has surpassed expectations by staying competitive in the NL Central and in the wild card race. Michael Feliz and Edgar Santana are likely the top candidates to take over as closer if Vazquez did have to hit the DL; it’s possible that the Bucs could target ninth-inning help at the deadline if they stayed in the race, though payroll would certainly play an issue in any acquisition.
Here’s some more on some injury situations around baseball…
- Yu Darvish will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reports (Twitter link), and the Cubs righty has said that the soreness in his right triceps is in a different place than it was in 2015, when Darvish underwent Tommy John surgery. This could be a further sign that Darvish’s current injury isn’t very serious, so he could be back in Chicago’s rotation sooner rather than later.
- Franchy Cordero will likely be placed on the 10-day DL tomorrow due to forearm soreness, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell tweets. The Padres believe the issue has recently been impacting Cordero’s swing, which could explain his .515 OPS over his last 47 plate appearances. This recent slide cooled off what had been a strong start for Cordero on the season, and the outfielder still owns an overall .237/307/.439 slash line and seven homers over 154 PA.
- Hunter Renfroe is expected to be activated from the disabled list tomorrow to take Cordero’s spot on the Padres roster, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Renfroe hasn’t played since April 17 due to elbow inflammation, and he has nine Triple-A rehab games under his belt as he prepared for his return to the majors. Acee notes that the rehab assignment may have essentially doubled as an opportunity for Renfroe to get his bat on track, as the former top prospect got off to a slow start this season and has yet to really break out in the big leagues, though Renfroe has crushed left-handed pitching.
- A DL stint could be in the offing for Wilmer Flores, as the Mets infielder left today’s game in the fourth inning due to back soreness. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports that Flores has flown back to New York for examination, and the Mets will have Phillip Evans on hand in Atlanta tomorrow if a roster move needs to be made. Flores is hitting .248/.320/.398 through 128 PA this season and has continued to be a versatile infield depth piece for the Mets, most recently seeing a lot of third base time filling in for the injured Todd Frazier.