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N.L. Injury Notes: Rodriguez, Wright, Goeddel, Schwarber, Flores

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Braves GM John Coppolella spoke with Bill Shanks of The Macon Telegraph in a wide-ranging interview (audio link) that has plenty of interesting info for Atlanta fans. For our purposes, the most notable segment involved the team’s addition of second baseman Brandon Phillips after the terrifying car crash involving recently added infielder Sean Rodriguez. Per Coppolella, the organization reignited prior talks with the Reds shortly after learning of the accident. It seems that Atlanta isn’t sure as yet just when Rodriguez will be able to join the organization. “We hope that Sean’s family can heal and get right,” said the GM. “… [W]e don’t know when Sean’s going to be back, it’s going to be a long time.”

Here are a host of other notes on injury situations around the National League as pitchers and catchers report:

  • Mets third baseman David Wright has yet even to throw a baseball since his season-ending neck surgery, Marc Carig of Newsday reports on Twitter. Though the club has seemingly given some consideration to trying him out at first base this spring, it seems that there are plenty of prior hurdles to clear before any position change is attempted. It remains unclear just what kind of timeline the veteran will take this spring, or whether there’s a realistic chance he’ll be ready for Opening Day.
  • Meanwhile, the Mets are hoping that bone chip surgery for righty Erik Goeddel could help him return to the solid former he showed as a rookie in 2015. As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports, the reliever feels healthy after recovering from the procedure, which was performed to help relieve aching that wouldn’t go away. He’ll compete for a pen role this spring.
  • The Cubs are set to find out today whether slugger Kyle Schwarber will be cleared to get behind the plate, though the organization plans to be cautious regardless. As Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein put it in colorful terms, saying that “we’ll walk before we squat.” Regardless, Schwarber is expected to spend the bulk of his time in left field while serving as at most a third catcher, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.
  • Cardinals non-roster camp invitee Kendry Flores is heading for an MRI after reporting shoulder discomfort, according to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch (via Twitter). The 25-year-old was added on a minor-league deal over the winter, so was likely seen more as a depth piece than a key member of the staff. He owns a 3.78 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 150 career innings at Triple-A.

Cuban Left-Hander Osvaldo Hernandez Declared Free Agent

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Cuban left-hander Osvaldo Hernandez has been declared a free agent and can now sign with any team, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (via Twitter).  Several teams are already interested in the 18-year-old southpaw, including the Astros, Braves, Mets, Padres, Rangers, Reds and Red Sox.

Due to Hernandez’s young age, his signing is subject to international bonus pools.  (As a reminder of how the international signing system has been altered by the new collective bargaining agreement, check out this refresher from Baseball America’s Ben Badler).  One factor that hasn’t changed is that teams who exceeded their international spending limits in the last two July 2 classes are still serving their previously-mandated penalties, i.e. limited to spending no more than $300K on any pool-eligible player.  By waiting until this July 2 to sign, Hernandez could open his market up to teams like the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Angels, Rays, Yankees and Red Sox, as those six clubs would no longer be held to the $300K limit.  Boston, it should be noted, can’t sign Hernandez at all until July 2 since the Sox were banned from signing any pool-eligible players whatsoever during this signing class.

With significant interest in Hernandez’s services already, however, the young southpaw may not feel the need to wait.  Also, since the old CBA’s rules are still in effect until the 2017-18 international signing period begins, Hernandez probably stands a better chance of scoring a richer contract now than he will when the stricter pool rules are instituted after July 2.  Of the teams connected to Hernandez already, the Braves, Astros, Reds and Padres have already surpassed their bonus pools for the 2016-17 international signing period, so they would be paying a 100 percent tax on Hernandez’s signing bonus if a deal was reached.

Hernandez didn’t appear on any of the top prospects lists from Baseball America, Fangraphs or MLB.com for the current international signing period, though BA’s list didn’t include players who weren’t already eligible to sign.  The 18-year-old does already possess a fastball clocked between 92-94mph, according to Sanchez.

NL Notes: Diamondbacks, Phillips, Cards, Mets

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If the Diamondbacks endure another non-contending season and decide to enter a rebuild, they might have to consider trading their two best players – first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and center fielder A.J. Pollock – writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Goldschmidt and Pollock are running out of team control (three and two years remaining, respectively), and it would behoove the Diamondbacks to somehow replenish a farm system that ESPN’s Keith Law ranks as the majors’ worst (subscription required/recommended). While moving the two bona fide stars would certainly help Arizona beef up its prospect pool, new general manager Mike Hazen unsurprisingly told Piecoro that such drastic measures aren’t under consideration at this point. “We’re not really there yet in terms of sort of long-term strategic thinking,” Hazen said. “We like this team. We’ll see where this team goes. If we have to make some adjustments, we will.”

More from the National League:

  • The Cincinnati-Atlanta trade that Brandon Phillips blocked in November would have resulted in a better return for the second baseman than the one the Reds have since received from the Braves, reports Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Phillips finally agreed to waive his no-trade rights Sunday, largely because he’s going to get more playing time this year with the Braves than he would have with the rebuilding Reds, observes ESPN’s Buster Olney (subscription required/recommended).
  • Even though Jedd Gyorko led the Cardinals with 30 home runs last season, he’ll enter spring training as the underdog to Jhonny Peralta in the team’s third base competition, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Peralta was far less productive than Gyorko in 2016, when he batted .260/307/.408 with eight homers in 313 plate appearances, but a hand injury may have been a key reason for the normally steady contributor’s drop-off. “My hope is that he is 100 percent,” GM John Mozeliak said of Peralta, who’s going into a contract year. “My hope is that he has a little spring in his step. And my hope is that he can either give us a lot of flexibility in the infield or be our anchor at third. He’s one guy who has the ability to hit home runs and hit with power.” Ultimately, despite both Gyorko’s output last season and Mozeliak’s optimism regarding Peralta, Matt Carpenter could see more time at third than either of them if first baseman Matt Adams reemerges as a quality performer this year, posits Goold. For now, Carpenter is penciled in as the Cardinals’ starter at first.
  • The Mets “absolutely” believe in corner outfielder Michael Conforto, GM Sandy Alderson told Steve Serby of the New York Post, but the executive didn’t mention the 23-year-old when discussing the club’s outfield. “If Bruce is in right and [Curtis] Granderson and [Juan] Lagares in center, Cespedes in left — Cespedes is an excellent left fielder, Granderson did a nice job for us in center last year, Lagares is excellent, and Jay Bruce I would say he’s league average at least,” said Alderson. Given the amount of major league-caliber outfielders the Mets have, Conforto’s status is “something we’d have to work out in spring training,” Alderson acknowledged. “I don’t think that Michael is the kind of player that we want to be sitting on the bench.” Conforto has two minor league options remaining, so he could again go to Triple-A Las Vegas after embarrassing opposing pitchers there last year (.422/.483/.727 in 143 PAs). The Mets will give the left-handed-hitting Conforto some reps at first base and center field this spring, tweets Newsday’s Marc Carig, though they already have an established, lefty-swinging option manning first in Lucas Duda. And Granderson and Lagares will occupy center, as Alderson mentioned.

Orioles Acquire Gabriel Ynoa From Mets, Designate Francisco Pena

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The Orioles have acquired right-hander Gabriel Ynoa from the Mets in exchange for cash and designated catcher Francisco Pena for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, per a team announcement. The move opens a spot on the Mets’ 40-man roster, which the team still needed to do in order to make the re-signing of Fernando Salas official.

The 23-year-old Ynoa made his MLB debut with the Mets this past season, tossing 18 1/3 innings with a 6.38 ERA. His 17-to-7 K/BB ratio, 49.2 percent ground-ball rate and average fastball velocity of 93.5 mph were all more encouraging numbers than the unsightly ERA in that small sample. In 154 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this past season, Ynoa posted a 3.97 ERA with 4.5 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 48.8 percent grounder rate.

Ynoa ranked among the Mets’ top 20 prospects each year from 2012-15, with BA’s most recent report calling him a “control artist” and a potential fourth starter if he can make improvements to his secondary offerings. Also noted, though, was that while Ynoa has a knack for throwing strikes, he doesn’t hit his spot within the zone often enough, so honing his command could also be an area of focus moving forward.

“Our scouts feel he can develop into a Major League starting pitcher by developing a consistent breaking pitch,” said Orioles GM Dan Duquette of the newly acquired Ynoa. “We look forward to his contributions to the Orioles this season and beyond.”

Ynoa will give the Orioles some much-needed rotation depth beyond the quintet of Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Wade Miley and Ubaldo Jimenez. He has a minor league option remaining, which was likely a key factor for the Orioles, as there doesn’t look to be an immediate spot in the rotation for Ynoa, barring a spring injury to one of the previously listed rotation members. The 154 innings that Ynoa threw at Triple-A last season represent his only experience at that level, so it seems likely that he’ll head to Norfolk to open the season for further development. Should things pan out for Ynoa, he’ll be under club control through the 2022 season in Baltimore.

Pena, 27, appeared in 14 games and hit .200/.238/.275 across 43 plate appearances for the Orioles last season. He was expected to compete with Caleb Joseph for the backup catcher role this spring and may still do so if he clears waivers. The defensive-minded backstop was out of minor league options, which undoubtedly played a role in the Orioles’ decision to designate him. In parts of four Triple-A seasons (1188 plate appearances), Pena has displayed good power but struggled to get on base, as evidenced by his .248/.294/.453 batting line. He’s thrown out 32 percent base base thieves in his minor league career and routinely draws considerably above-average framing grades from Baseball Prospectus.

Mets Designate Ty Kelly For Assignment

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The Mets announced that they’ve designated infielder Ty Kelly for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for left-hander Jerry Blevins, whose one-year deal to return to the Mets is now official.

The 28-year-old Kelly made his Major League debut with New York last season, hitting .241/.352/.345 in 71 trips to the plate. Originally drafted by the Orioles in the 13th round of the 2009 draft, Kelly has spent the bulk of his minor league career playing second base and third base, though he does have more than 1000 innings of experience in left field as well. The switch-hitter has a lifetime .275/.382/.383 batting line in 397 games and 1586 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Mets Re-Sign Jerry Blevins

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FEB. 9: The Mets have announced the signing. FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Blevins will earn $5.5MM in 2017 and has a $7MM club option for the 2018 season that comes with a $1MM buyout.

FEB. 4: Blevins will make $6.5MM in 2017 and could earn $12.5MM over the next two seasons if the Mets exercise his 2018 club option, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. He’ll also get $100K in incentives in each year (Twitter links).

FEB. 3, 8:10pm: The deal includes an option, per James Wagner of the New York Times (via Twitter).

7:52pm: The Mets have agreed to a deal to bring back free-agent lefty Jerry Blevins, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He’ll be guaranteed around $6MM in the deal, per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (via Twitter).

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With the move, New York further adds to a relief corps that already saw new additions earlier today. The organization also brought back righty Fernando Salas and brought in southpaw Tom Gorzelanny on a minor-league pact for depth.

[RELATED: Updated Mets Depth Chart]

Blevins, though, was arguably a particular priority for New York. He’ll step in front of Josh Edgin and Sean Gilmartin in the pecking order among southpaws. Gorzelanny joins other depth options, including Josh Smoker and Adam Wilk.

Ultimately, it’s an appealing price tag for the Mets, who brought back Blevins last year for $4MM after an injury-shortened 2015 season. The results were excellent for both team and player, as Blevins turned in what was arguably his best full season as a big leaguer.

Over 42 innings last year — compiled across a personal-high 73 appearances — Blevins worked to a strong 2.79 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 to go with a 45.8% groundball rate. Long a weapon against opposing lefties, Blevins has increased his effectiveness against righties since coming to New York, perhaps aided by the increased deployment of his cut fastball. He also throws a sinker, a slider, and (much less frequently) a change.

With Blevins signed, the bulk of the left-handed relief market has now settled out. It’s interesting to see how things landed. Blevins, Boone Logan, and J.P. Howell all settled for single-season pacts, while Brett Cecil, Mike Dunn, and even Marc Rzepczynski landed bigger guarantees in multi-year arrangements.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

New York Notes: Yankees, Mets, Romo, Betances, Bullpens

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Here’s the latest baseball news from both Big Apple teams…

  • Both the Yankees and Rays made late pushes to sign right-hander Sergio Romo before he agreed to sign with the Dodgers, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports.  Romo, a southern California native, preferred to remain on the west coast, as FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets.  Heyman noted earlier that Romo had larger offers, including one from a “mystery” team that made a late increase in its offer to Romo.  The New York Post’s Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Yankees never made a formal offer to Romo, so the late increase would’ve had to have come from Tampa Bay or perhaps another mystery team in the mix.
  • There hasn’t been any change in the Yankees’ “file-and-trial” stance towards Dellin Betances’ arbitration hearing on February 17, George A. King III of the New York Post writes.  “Nothing has changed, we haven’t talked.  We have no intention of talking.  It’s not close. Somebody else will make the decision,” GM Brian Cashman said.  As King notes, other teams who have recently taken firm stances against negotiating prior to an arb hearing have instead worked out an agreement (such as the Royals and Kelvin Herrera or the Orioles and Kevin Gausman).  Betances filed for a $5MM salary in 2017 while the Yankees countered with a $3MM proposal.
  • In another piece from Joel Sherman, he looks at the contrast between how the Mets and Yankees are pursuing relief pitching upgrades.  Both teams seem to be operating under stringent budgets, though the Mets showed flexibility and a bit more of a win-now mentality in adding Jerry Blevins and Fernando Salas on deals that aren’t guaranteed beyond 2017.  The Yankees, meanwhile, missed out on Romo and don’t seem to have much willingness to add another veteran arm to their bullpen unless that pitcher meets their asking price.  It should be noted that the Yankees did make a big splash to sign Aroldis Chapman and, with the Chapman/Betances/Tyler Clippard trio in place at the end of games, the Yankees had less of a pressing need in the pen than the Mets did.  Still, as Sherman points out, the Yankees would like to add another experienced reliever to both add depth to the bullpen and to possibly allow the team’s young starters to stay stretched out in Triple-A rather than requiring them for relief work.
  • Better health from the rotation will be the biggest change to a Mets team that saw little roster turnover, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes.  Yoenis Cespedes, Neil Walker, Salas and Blevins are all returning to a roster that managed to reach the NL wild card game in 2016 despite injuries to virtually every member of the starting staff.  The Mets are aiming to keep their pitchers healthy by cutting short starts if necessary or skipping starts altogether, and by deploying a six-man rotation to keep everyone fresh.  If the rotation is healthier, it stands to reason the Mets could equal or surpass their 87-win total from last season.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Mets, Astros

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A few notes from around the majors:

  • Both the Marlins and Pirates have made changes to their outfield alignments this offseason, and the Rockies should follow suit, opines Jim Bowden of ESPN.com. Specifically, the club ought to flip center fielder Charlie Blackmon – who has spent most of his career manning the middle – and left fielder David Dahl, Bowden argues. Blackmon, 30, has been a plus defender in left (three Defensive Runs Saved, 3.2 Ultimate Zone Rating), albeit over only 574 innings, but a negative in center across a 3,126-inning sample size (minus-15 DRS, minus-27.1 UZR). Dahl, meanwhile, drew near-neutral grades (minus-1 DRS, 0.4 UZR) in a combined 481 innings at all three outfield positions in 2016, his rookie campaign. At the time of Dahl’s July promotion to the majors, Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser noted that the 22-year-old possesses “superb defensive skills” and should be the Rockies’ long-term answer in center.
  • When Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom underwent season-ending elbow surgery in September, the expectation was that he’d be ready for spring training. That remains the case, fortunately, as deGrom told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post he hasn’t “had any of the pain that was there” since having his ulnar nerve repositioned. The surgery, therefore, has been a success to this point, declared deGrom, who explained the issues that caused him to undergo the procedure. “It started with some tingling in my fingers,’’ said deGrom, whose last start of 2016 came Sept. 1. “Then it turned into a sharp pain. I don’t know if it’s because it was getting aggravated more, but that’s what was happening.”
  • After a 15 1/3-inning cup of coffee in the majors last season, right-handed reliever Jandel Gustave has a strong chance to make the Astros out of camp this year, writes Jake Kaplan of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended). Manager A.J. Hinch is bullish on the hard-throwing Gustave, who racked up 16 strikeouts against four walks and yielded six earned runs on 13 hits last year with Houston. “I think he’s right in the mix to make our bullpen, both by improvements that he’s made in the last couple of seasons but also the first impression in the big leagues,” Hinch said of the 24-year-old. “He has an elite fastball and a developing breaking ball.”

Wilmer Flores Wins Arbitration Hearing Against Mets

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Infielder Wilmer Flores has won his arbitration hearing with the Mets, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Flores, who was arb-eligible for the first time this winter, will earn $2.2MM for the 2017 season; the Mets had countered with a $1.8MM figure.  Flores is represented by the McNamara Baseball Group.

Flores, 25, delivered something of a breakout offensive performance for the Mets in 2016, posting a career-best 112 wRC+ while hitting .267/.319/.469 with 16 homers over 335 plate appearances.  Much of that damage came from against left-handed pitching, as Flores delivered a whopping 1.093 OPS over 107 PA against southpaws.  He played a valuable utility role around the Mets’ infield, seeing action at all four spots but primarily serving as a third baseman in the wake of David Wright’s health issues.

Flores’ season was cut short on September 10 when he injured his wrist in a home-plate collision with A.J. Pierzynski, and he underwent hamate bone surgery in October to correct the problems.  With the minor procedure now behind him, Flores is again expected to play an important role for the Mets.  He and Jose Reyes will be the primary options at third should Wright again hit the DL, and Flores’ ability to hit lefty pitching makes him a strong compliment at first base alongside the left-handed hitting Lucas Duda.

The $2.2MM figure is slightly higher than the $1.9MM that MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Flores would earn.  With Flores’ case now in the books, the Mets’ busy winter of arbitration dealings is now complete; New York entered the offseason with 10 players eligible for arbitration.  You can follow the numbers for every arbitration-eligible player in baseball via MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker.

Mets To Re-Sign Fernando Salas

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2:18pm: Salas will earn $3MM and can tack on an additional $350K in incentives, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports on Twitter.

1:34pm: The Mets have reached an agreement to re-sign right-hander Fernando Salas, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Salas, a client of Paragon Sports, will receive a one-year deal, Rosenthal adds. The contract is pending a physical.

Fernando Salas | David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

[Related: Updated New York Mets Depth Chart]

The 31-year-old Salas opened the 2016 season with the Angels and posted fairly uninspiring results through 56 1/3 innings there, logging a 4.47 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 in what was his third season with the Halos. However, Salas was dominant following an August trade to the Mets, allowing just four runs in 17 1/3 innings (2.08 ERA) with 19 strikeouts and zero walks. He’ll now return to the Mets for a second season, joining Addison Reed as a right-handed bridge to closer Jeurys Familia.

Of course, Salas also will play a larger role with the Mets early in the season, as Familia figures to be suspended under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. With Familia on the restricted list, Reed seems likely to close, which could make Salas the primary setup man for manager Terry Collins for a portion of the season.

Much of the chatter surrounding the Mets and their desire to add a relief pitcher have centered around lefties — specifically former Met Jerry Blevins. New York has been said to be working with some financial constraints as their payroll approaches $150MM, but Newsday’s Marc Carig reports that the team is not yet out on Blevins (Twitter link).

Salas, for what it’s worth, has held opposing lefties to a .239/.294/.383 batting line in his career and limited lefties to a .237/.270/.412 slash in 2016. So, while not utterly dominant against opposite-handed batters, he does limit lefties more effectively than a number of right-handed middle relievers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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