Mets Rumors

Mets Sign First-Rounder Anthony Kay, 11th-Rounder Cameron Planck

By Steve Adams | July 13, 2016 at 4:50pm CDT

The Mets announced today that they’ve signed first-round pick Anthony Kay and 11th-round pick Cameron Planck (Twitter link). The team didn’t disclose the bonus information, but MLB.com’s Jim Callis, who first reported the deals (links to Twitter), reported that Kay received a bonus of $1.1MM, which is $872K under slot. The reason for the below-slot deal, per Callis, is likely that Kay’s physical exam raised some concerns about the left-hander’s elbow.

The majority of those savings appear to be going to Planck, according to Callis (Twitter link), who received a bonus of $1,000,001. Players signing after the 10th round do not count against a club’s bonus pool unless the bonus exceeds $100K. As such, $900,001 of Planck’s bonus will count against the Mets’ pool. However, having saved $872,100 on Kay’s bonus, Planck’s deal doesn’t really impact the Mets any more than simply signing Kay at full slot value would have.

Kay, 21, starred at the University of Connecticut and rated within the top 50 on pre-draft rankings of ESPN’s Keith Law (No. 28), Baseball America (No. 35) and Callis and Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com (No. 43). ESPN’s scouting report notes that Kay’s changeup could be the best in this year’s draft class, though Callis and Mayo note that he will at times telegraph the pitch by dropping his arm slot when he throws it. Kay’s fastball sits in the low 90s and reaches 95 mph early in his starts, per BA, who notes that his “wide, sturdy build” offsets some concerns about his height (he’s listed at 6’0″). He’s the second of two first-round Mets selections to sign this year, as New York agreed to terms with Boston College righty Justin Dunn (19th overall) back in mid-June. The Mets picked up the No. 31 overall selection as compensation for the loss of Daniel Murphy to the division rival Nationals after Murphy rejected the club’s qualifying offer.

Planck, meanwhile, rated 228th among draft prospects on BA’s Top 500 list. The high school right-hander out of Kentucky had been committed to Louisville but will instead embark on his pro career. BA praises his physicality and velocity (low 90s fastball that tops out at 95 mph) but raises questions about his mechanics and his inconsistent slider.

NL Notes: Mets, Nats, Pirates, Cardinals, D-backs

By Connor Byrne | July 10, 2016 at 1:29pm CDT

With right-hander Matt Harvey’s season over thanks to thoracic outlet syndrome, the reigning National League champion Mets are unsure if it makes sense to deal prospects for major league help at this year’s trade deadline, according to the New York Daily News’ John Harper. “There’s a lot of grey area right now,’’ a Mets source told Harper. Only two Mets prospects – shortstop Amed Rosario (No. 18) and first baseman Dominic Smith (No. 76) – cracked Baseball America’s just-released midseason top 100 prospects, notes Harper, who points out that the 47-40 team lacks blue-chip pipeline talent to trade. Harper’s also skeptical of the quality of starters set to move by the deadline, though he adds that the Wild Card-holding Mets might be willing to part with Smith for a capable rotation piece.

More on New York and four other NL cities:

The Mets’ tough-it-out approach with injured young starters Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz is backfiring on them, while the Nationals are benefiting from a more guarded method, opines Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. Harvey missed the entire 2014 season because of Tommy John surgery and then responded with a 238 2/3-inning workload last year, writes Boswell, who points out that Harvey and agent Scott Boras expected the Mets to shut him down late in the campaign. However, general manager Sandy Alderson had no such expectation and Harvey elected to keep pitching after dealing with backlash from fans and media. Meanwhile, the Nats have taken care of ace Stephen Strasburg, another Boras client, having shut him down early during their 98-win showing in 2012. They also sent Strasburg to the disabled list last month rather than take a chance with his upper back injury. Strasburg dominated before landing on the DL and has continued doing so since returning July 3. Moreover, while Strasburg might have been this year’s NL All-Star starter, he and the club made the “mutual decision” to keep him out of the game, per president and GM Mike Rizzo.
Having won 12 of 15, the 46-42 Pirates now sit just 1.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. Thus, they’re approaching the trade deadline as buyers. “Our expectation is we are going to add,” GM Neal Huntington told Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Our mindset is we are going to add and put ourselves, for the first time in the franchise history, in position to make the postseason four consecutive years.” The Pirates’ resurgence has come without ace Gerrit Cole and catcher Francisco Cervelli, of which Huntington is cognizant. “We’ve gone through this toughest part of our schedule,” he said. “We’re going to get guys back healthy.”
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak acknowledged that the idea of promoting Baseball America’s second-ranked prospect, Triple-A right-hander Alex Reyes, as a bullpen option is an enticing one. “So when you think about that type of tool set and putting it in the bullpen it’s certainly exciting,” Mozeliak told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “You’d be hard pressed to find that type of talent in the trade market and let alone (it would be a) zero acquisition cost.” On the other hand, the flame-throwing 21-year-old hasn’t totaled more than 116 1/3 frames in a season since joining the Cardinals organization in 2013, and they want him to accrue innings so he can help their rotation in 2017. “If all he ended up with is 75 innings what can we expect from him as a starter next year?” Mozeliak said. Reyes, who served a 50-game marijuana suspension to begin the season, has racked up 41 1/3 innings this year.
Before the Diamondbacks traded Brad Ziegler to Boston on Saturday, they asked the pending free agent reliever if he’d be open to a contract extension. Ziegler said yes, but, “Next time I heard from them, they told me I was traded” (via ESPN’s Scott Lauber).

Rosenthal’s Latest: Hill, Upton, Bruce, Hellickson, Stanley, Mets, Puig

By charliewilmoth | July 9, 2016 at 11:05pm CDT

Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal, via a pair of videos on FOX Sports:

When the Athletics put Rich Hill on the market, they can be expected to charge a high price for him, Rosenthal says. Hill’s stats — if only for this season — compare favorably to David Price’s last year, and he might be amenable to an extension with his new team.
Prior to this season, there was no trade interest in Melvin Upton unless the Padres took on the rest of his contract. After a .268/.315/.464 performance this year, though, that’s changing, at least to a degree. San Diego still owes Upton a little under $40MM through 2017, but teams are now willing to give up talent, with the Padres’ return increasing depending upon how much salary they’re willing to take on. The Padres might be motivated to deal Upton and/or Matt Kemp to clear space for former first-round pick Hunter Renfroe, who’s batting .335/.362/.611 for Triple-A El Paso. Austin Hedges has also hit well for the Chihuahuas, which means the Padres could also look to move fellow catcher Derek Norris to clear space in the big leagues.
Jay Bruce to the Blue Jays would make sense, Rosenthal opines. Acquiring Bruce from the Reds would allow the Jays to move Jose Bautista (who’s currently on the DL with a toe injury) to DH and reduce playing time for the underwhelming Justin Smoak. The Jays have a greater need for pitching, but might play to the strengths of the market by acquiring hitting instead.
The Phillies could consider keeping Jeremy Hellickson, who’s in the midst of a solid season — he could eat innings for them down the stretch, with the Phillies perhaps gambling on him by extending a qualifying offer this coming winter and hoping to grab a draft pick as a result. But they would still “jump” at a good trade offer. Of their relievers, the Phils are more likely to deal David Hernandez or Andrew Bailey than Jeanmar Gomez, who they can control for 2017. Other Phillies candidates to be dealt include Andres Blanco and Peter Bourjos.
Rosenthal begins the second video with a brief discussion of an article of his from earlier today about former Cardinals minor leaguer Cody Stanley, who has already received a 162-game suspension and expects to receive a lifetime ban for repeatedly testing positive for the steroid Turinabol. Stanley claims to not know why he keeps testing positive. “I will never apologize for something I didn’t do,” Stanley said in a statement. “We will not stop searching for why all of this has happened.” Chris Colabello of the Blue Jays, Alec Asher and Daniel Stumpf of the Phillies and Boog Powell of the Mariners have all tested positive for Turinabol and received suspensions, and all claim not to know what happened. “Who would be stupid enough to take the same steroid again?” Stanley asks Rosenthal.
The Mets are likely to trade for pitching after a series of injuries to their hurlers, Rosenthal says. Recent injuries to Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard could have the team looking in different directions this month than previously anticipated, perhaps to starters, perhaps to relievers.
The Dodgers will consider dealing Yasiel Puig before the August 1 deadline, Rosenthal suggests. Whether they actually do deal him could depend, however, on the timing of Andre Ethier’s return and whether they acquire another outfielder.

NL Notes: Nats, D-backs, Mets, Pirates

By Connor Byrne and Jeff Todd | July 9, 2016 at 8:31pm CDT

The Nationals’ Trea Turner, whom Baseball America ranks as the sport’s fifth-best prospect, rejoined the club Friday when first baseman Ryan Zimmerman landed on the disabled list with a strained left rib. The middle infielder hasn’t slotted into the Nats’ lineup, though, which is no surprise in light of manager Dusty Baker’s comments on Friday. “Right now, there’s no real place for Trea to take,” Baker said, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. “This isn’t a tryout camp. This is try to play the best team overall to win the game and win the pennant. Hopefully Trea will be a part of that while he’s here.” Turner has garnered some center field experience at the Triple-A level, though Baker is wary of putting him out there in the majors at this point. “I’m sure in time, he’ll show us all, but right now, he’ll probably remain in the infield unless I have to make a move out there in the outfield,” stated Baker. Between second baseman Daniel Murphy and shortstop Danny Espinosa, the Nats have an outstanding middle infield, so it doesn’t appear Turner will make much of an impact if those two remain healthy. The 23-year-old has batted an excellent .302/.370/.471 with 36 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases in the minors this season.

Yoenis Cespedes, Noah Syndergaard Leave Game With Apparent Injuries

By Jeff Todd | July 8, 2016 at 11:19pm CDT

11:12pm: Both players suggested that there isn’t cause for alarm after the game, as Rubin reports. Syndergaard said he did not experience any elbow pain, but was dealing with “a little shoulder fatigue.”

Cespedes, meanwhile, said that he’s dealt with a similar issue and only missed a handful of days. He expressed hope that he’d avoid a DL stint. Skipper Terry Collins also sounded an optimistic tone, saying that the club would likely just go with a short-handed roster for the time being rather than rushing into any DL determinations.

10:14pm: Manager Terry Collins explains: “[Syndergaard] just said his arm went dead. It got tired on him.” (Via Rubin, on Twitter).

9:23pm: Syndergaard was suffering from “arm fatigue” when he was pulled, the Mets announced. The issue was “not elbow-related.”

8:19pm: Already dealing with the loss of Matt Harvey for the year, the Mets now have to new injury situations to watch. Star center fielder Yoenis Cespedes left the action with what’s being called a quadriceps strain, while budding staff ace Noah Syndergaard left in the middle of the fifth inning with an unknown malady.

It’s far too soon to know whether either player could be dealing with a significant issue, but the surrounding circumstances add to the concern. And that’s all before considering the fact that these two players have been the organization’s two best through the first half of the season.

In the case of Cespedes, ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin suggests on Twitter that the quick diagnosis of a strain — not a “mild” strain, or discomfort, say — is unusual for the tight-lipped organization. A full analysis will be required before the team will know more, but there’s at least some cause for added attention.

That’s all the more true for Syndergaard. While we’ve heard both team and player downplay the issue, he has dealt with a barking elbow at various points of the season. Syndergaard has a reputedly small bone spur, which is hardly uncommon, but this isn’t the first time he’s been pulled early. Something obviously triggered the move, as Syndergaard was pulled in the middle of the fifth inning while sitting at just 79 pitches. James Wagner of the New York Times tweets that his final two fastballs clocked in at 95 and 94 mph, which is well below his ridiculous 98+ average velocity but perhaps isn’t overly concerning in and of itself.

Matt Harvey To Undergo Surgery For Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

By Steve Adams | July 8, 2016 at 11:18am CDT

Matt Harvey has elected to undergo surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome in his right shoulder, agent Scott Boras tells ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin. The operation will end Harvey’s 2016 season.

Harvey was placed on the disabled list earlier this week, and it was reported soon after that he was to be evaluated for thoracic outlet syndrome — a compression of nerves and blood vessels in the shoulder area that is often alleviated by the removal of a rib in the patient. Twins right-hander Phil Hughes underwent the same procedure earlier this week, and other recent examples of players to undergo the procedure include Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia and Chris Young.

The injury has undoubtedly contributed to Harvey’s down season. The 26-year-old has posted a 4.86 ERA with diminished strikeout (7.4 K/9), walk (2.4 BB/9) and ground-ball (40.8 percent) rates while also seeing a 1.5 mph dip in his fastball velocity. Harvey has reportedly been experiencing numbness in his hand while pitching and, via Newsday’s Marc Carig (on Twitter), told manager Terry Collins following his most recent start (in Collins’ words): “My shoulder’s dead. My arm’s dead. There’s no energy there. I couldn’t feel the ball.”

The loss of Harvey is magnified by the fact that two of the Mets’ excellent young starters, Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard, are pitching through bone spurs in their elbows. Matz’s spur is said to be the larger and more severe of the two, and surgery has been mentioned as an option for him as well, though he’s hoping to delay the procedure until the offseason, as going under the knife would essentially end his 2016 campaign as well. Right-hander Zack Wheeler, too, has suffered some setbacks in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and doesn’t currently have a projected return date.

For now, the Mets will utilize Syndergaard, Matz, Jacob deGrom and Bartolo Colon as their front four starters, with right-hander Logan Verrett stepping into the rotation this weekend. Additional alternatives include lefty Sean Gilmartin and right-handers Rafael Montero, Robert Gsellman, Gabriel Ynoa and Seth Lugo (as can be seen on their depth chart), though several of those pitchers have struggled while pitching in the hitter-friendly environs of Triple-A Las Vegas this season.

Matt Harvey Weighing Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Treatment Options

By Jeff Todd and Steve Adams | July 7, 2016 at 2:51pm CDT

Mets righty Matt Harvey has been found to have symptoms consistent with thoracic outlet syndrome, GM Sandy Alderson told reporters including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (Twitter link). Harvey is still weighing whether to have season-ending surgery now or instead to undergo a therapy for the time being. ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin writes that the alternative to surgery would be a nerve-block injection, though that would merely be a temporary fix to the problem at hand. Surgery to alleviate his symptoms are inevitable, but it’s possible that he could delay the procedure until the offseason if he elects the injection route.

Harvey’s dilemma marks a continuation of injury problems that have impacted the Mets’ much-ballyhooed young rotation. Right-hander Noah Syndergaard is pitching through a minor bone spur in his right elbow, while lefty Steven Matz is currently pitching through a bone spur in his own elbow that is said to be larger than that of Syndergaard. And, of course, the Mets have been without the highly talented Zack Wheeler since 2014, as the now-26-year-old righty underwent Tommy John surgery just prior to Opening Day 2015. Notably, DiComo tweets that Wheeler isn’t an option to replace Harvey anytime in the near future, as the club has stopped providing a timetable for his return.

The 2016 season has been a struggle for Harvey, as he’s pitched to a 4.86 ERA with diminished strikeout (7.4 K/9), walk (2.4 BB/9) and ground-ball (40.8 percent) rates while also seeing a 1.5 mph dip in his fastball velocity. Those hardships come on the heels of a 2015 campaign in which his innings total was the source of a prolonged controversy. There was talk of shutting Harvey down for the year, as he had undergone his own Tommy John surgery in 2014, but he ultimately tossed a combined 216 innings between the regular season and the playoffs — the highest total ever for a pitcher in his first full season back from Tommy John. Of course, it’s not clear that last season’s workload had any direct impact on his new injury.

From a replacement standpoint, the Mets have a number of options, as can be seen on their depth chart. Logan Verrett will start this weekend in Harvey’s place and could be a rotation option alongside Syndergaard, Matz, Jacob deGrom and Bartolo Colon. Alternatively, Sean Gilmartin could make some starts for the club after enjoying a successful 2015 run as a member of the bullpen following his selection in the Rule 5 Draft (he’s been starting at Triple-A this year). Rafael Montero could again be an option, though he’s struggled tremendously in the minors this season. Right-handers Robert Gsellman and Gabriel Ynoa are in the Triple-A rotation and already on the 40-man roster. And, the Mets have also already brought Seth Lugo up to the Majors once this season and could turn to him for spot starts or long relief work if needed.

While surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome isn’t as common as Tommy John surgery, there’s no shortage of pitchers that have elected the procedure in recent years. Twins right-hander Phil Hughes had this exact surgical procedure earlier this week, and Royals righty Chris Young credits this surgery for revitalizing his career. Others that have undergone the operation include Mike Adams, Jaime Garcia, Shaun Marcum, Chris Carpenter and Josh Beckett. There are varying levels of success in the treatment, as explored by Nick Lampe of SB Nation’s Beyond the Box Score last summer.

Mets Place Matt Harvey On 15-Day DL

By Jeff Todd | July 6, 2016 at 4:35pm CDT

5:07pm: Harvey is seeing Dr. Thompson to check out the team’s “suspicion” that Harvey could be dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome, Newsday’s David Lennon tweets. The syndrome involves a compression of nerves and/or blood vessels in the shoulder area, and can be quite painful.

Several hurlers have dealt with it in recent years; most recently, Phil Hughes underwent season-ending surgery to treat his own bout with the issue. In his case, though, he had been pitching through it for quite some time. Royals righty Chris Young also had work done to alleviate his issues, which gave his career new life. Beyond the Box Score’s Nick Lampe took an interesting look at pitchers who have undergone surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome, with mixed results.

4:35pm: The Mets have placed righty Matt Harvey on the 15-day DL, per a club announcement. The teams says that Harvey is dealing with right shoulder discomfort.

This news raises yet more serious concerns about a pitcher who already hasn’t looked himself this year. Expected to lead a rotation full of outstanding arms, Harvey has instead been the black sheep of the group, pitching to a 4.86 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over 92 2/3 innings. There have been some ups and downs mixed in, but the aggregate falls shy of the ace-level results that Harvey has traditionally posted.

It’s not immediately clear whether this is a long-simmering issue or a newly-arising problem, but a glance at Harvey’s Brooks Baseball page shows one apparent change in recent weeks: a sudden and drastic shift in his horizontal arm slot. He’ll visit shoulder specialist Dr. Robert Thompson, who — as Marc Carig of Newsday notes on Twitter — is an expert in vascular issues such as thoracic outlet syndrome.

Harvey had returned from Tommy John surgery last year in dramatic fashion, logging 189 1/3 innings of 2.71 ERA ball with 8.9 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. That was a largely unprecedented jump in innings for a pitcher who was working with a new UCL, and Harvey went on to throw another 26 2/3 in the post-season — which also shortened his winter rest period. While we haven’t heard of any elbow-related concerns, it’s hard not to wonder whether there could be any connection between that series of events and Harvey’s current malady.

New York has called up righty Seth Lugo to take Harvey’s place on the active roster, but he’s not an option to step into the rotation. For the time being, the club will likely go to swingman Logan Verrett, as they have on several prior occasions this year.

[Related: Updated Mets Depth Chart]

In the event that Harvey requires a lengthier absence, things could begin to get tricky. Steven Matz is pitching through a painful bone spur at the moment, so he’s a bit of a question mark, too. And the obvious replacement – Tommy John rehabber Zack Wheeler — is still not throwing bullpen sessions, per another Carig tweet. That’s still an enviable pitching situation, but a piece or two of bad luck could raise some real depth concerns with the cub’s key area of strength.

That’s not to say that there aren’t other pieces on hand. Former top prospect Rafael Montero is still pitching at Triple-A, but the results haven’t been pretty. Also working in Las Vegas are hurlers such as Gabriel Ynoa and Sean Gilmartin. Ynoa may be at the top of the team’s list among its farmhands, Mike Puma of the New York Post suggests on Twitter.

Mets To Activate Jose Reyes On Tuesday

By Mark Polishuk | July 4, 2016 at 8:25pm CDT

The Mets expect to activate Jose Reyes on their Major League roster tomorrow, as per the club’s official Twitter feed. Reyes is on his way to New York for Tuesday’s game between the Mets and Marlins.

A corresponding move to create room for Reyes on the 25-man roster will presumably come tomorrow. Looking at their roster, Matt Reynolds or Alejandro De Aza stand out as possible cuts — Reyes could take Reynolds’ place as a backup shortstop, while De Aza has essentially been an odd man out on New York’s roster all season. While Reyes is expected to take over from Wilmer Flores as the regular third baseman, Flores may have saved his roster spot with an incredible 6-for-6 performance on Sunday. Reyes has also never played as much as a single game at the hot corner in his MLB career, so Flores can stick around to step back into the position if necessary.

Reyes signed a minor league deal with the Mets last week and he has since played in a combined 10 games at the low-A and Double-A levels, all at third base. The Mets owe Reyes just a prorated league minimum salary as the Rockies will absorb most of the roughly $37.9MM owed to him through the end of the 2017 season.

Reyes hasn’t played in a Major League game this season in the wake of the domestic violence incident that led to a league investigation and a suspension. The Mets’ signing of Reyes drew no shortage of criticism given this recent history, though Reyes has expressed remorse about his actions and the team believes he is deserving of another chance.

NL East Notes: Teheran, Albies, Wright, Alderson, Phillies

By Jeff Todd | July 1, 2016 at 11:34pm CDT

The Braves are giving teams the impression that it’ll take a huge haul to land Julio Teheran, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). In fact, Atlanta is signaling that it wants a return that’s “better than the Shelby Miller deal,” per a rival executive. Despite their many young arms, and ongoing rumblings regarding Teheran, the Braves are actually looking at starting pitching, GM John Coppolella tells David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). Atlanta has had talks about controllable arms, per the report. Presumably, the organization is looking for value opportunities that fit its contention timeline.

Here’s more from the NL East:

The Braves have moved hyped prospect Ozhaino Albies down to Double-A, O’Brien tweets. It’s not a demotion, though Albies was struggling a bit at Triple-A. He’ll play second base there, pairing up with shortstop Dansby Swanson as the team’s hopeful future double-play combo gets comfortable together.
Injured Mets third baseman David Wright spoke to the media today and left the impression that he’s unlikely to return this year, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo was among those to report. (Twitter links.) When asked whether he thought he’d be back for 2016, Wright responded: “I don’t know. I really don’t know.” But the veteran did emphasize that he has every expectation of returning to the field at some point in the future.
Meanwhile, Mets GM Sandy Alderson suggested recently that he doesn’t believe a major new addition is necessary to boost the team. As Marc Carig of Newsday tweets, Alderson says: “We have the capacity in the 25-man roster at this point to improve over what we’ve done over the last couple of months.”
The Phillies don’t expect any major player movement this summer, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes. Notably, Philadelphia isn’t even sure it’ll deal righty Jeremy Hellickson, who is only under contract for this season and is pitching well enough that he’ll draw interest (though probably not a terribly exciting return). The club is under even less pressure with its relief corps, which hasn’t been quite as electric in recent weeks but still has several interesting options.

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