Phillies Claim Jose Bautista On Revocable Waivers; No Agreement Reached Yet
1:57pm: SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that it’s “likely” the two sides will work something out, but there’s no agreement believed to be close just yet. Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets have told the Phillies they won’t simply let Bautista go on waivers, so it seems the two sides will have to match up on a minor leaguer or at least agree to a group of names from which the Mets can select a player to be named later.
1:47pm: The Phillies have claimed Mets outfielder Jose Bautista on revocable trade waivers, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The two sides are discussing a deal and have until tomorrow to complete a swap, Rosenthal adds. Technically, the Mets could also just let Bautista go to the Phillies, though with the Mets only paying him the league-minimum rate, there wouldn’t be any real cost-savings associated with doing so; they’d have to replace him by calling up another player earning at that same rate.
Bautista, 37, started out hot after signing with the Mets, hitting at a .266/.438/.506 pace with three homers and 10 doubles through his first 105 plate appearances with his new club. However, his offensive production cratered over the next few months, and he’s posted a dismal .178/.306/.307 slash in 193 plate appearances since that time. As Rosenthal points out, he’s swung the bat a bit better as of late, getting on base at a .368 clip over the past two weeks, but the veteran slugger simply hasn’t produced much since the calendar flipped to July.
Then again, the Phillies may not be looking at Bautista as much more than a right-handed pinch-hitting option to carry throughout the month of September once rosters expand. He wouldn’t cost them anything more than the pro-rated minimum, and it’s likely that the cost of acquisition would be negligible.
The Phils don’t have much in the way of right-handed bench bats on the current roster, nor do they possess many intriguing right-handed-hitting options at the upper levels of their minor league ranks. Aaron Altherr figures to rejoin the club, and Trevor Plouffe is still in the organization, but neither has been demonstrably better than Bautista at the plate in 2018. Journeyman Matt McBride and 26-year-old Joey Meneses are other righty bats who’ve had some success in Triple-A this season, but the roster could be expanded to give manager Gabe Kapler multiple options. Ultimately, so long as the Phillies don’t need to give up anything of real substance, there’s little harm in adding Bautista and his overall .340 OBP to the bench — even if the addition doesn’t do much to move the move the needle as the Phillies try to make up ground in both the NL East (3 games back) and the NL Wild Card race (2 games back).
Quick Hits: DeGrom, Bryant, Ohtani
The latest on a few of the majors’ biggest names…
- While Mets ace Jacob deGrom was popular in trade speculation leading up to the July 31 non-waiver deadline, the club “never seriously pursued” dealing the NL Cy Young hopeful, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. For now, deGrom remains under New York’s control through 2020, even though he and his agent have pushed for a contract extension. DeGrom addressed his future again Saturday, telling Sherman that the Mets “have every right to ride me for the next two years [until his free agency] and say, ‘See you later.’ ” However, the 30-year-old right-hander hopes it doesn’t come to that; rather, he’d prefer to stay with the Mets, according to Sherman.
- Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has been out since July 26 because of left shoulder inflammation, but it appears he’s about to serve as a key reinforcement for the NL Central leaders. Bryant could embark on a rehab assignment beginning Monday, and it’s possible he’ll return to the Cubs next week at the start of their 11-game road trip, per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic (subscription required). That road swing begins Aug. 30 in Atlanta.
- Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen session Saturday and then told reporters (including Maria Guardado of MLB.com) that he’s confident he’ll pitch again this year. A Grade 2 UCL sprain in Ohtani’s right elbow has kept him off a major league mound since June 6, though he’ll take another step toward a return when he throws a 45- to 50-pitch simulated game on Monday, Guardado reports. Ohtani’s injury has prevented him from making a significant impact as a pitcher this year, but the rookie has still held his own at the plate, having slashed .274/.354/.540 with 14 home runs in 255 PAs.
East Notes: G. Sanchez, Pedroia, Mets, Alonso, Braves
Catcher Gary Sanchez may be in line to rejoin the Yankees on Sept. 3, when they start what could be a crucial series in Oakland, per George A. King III of the New York Post. Sanchez, out since July 24 with a groin injury, began a rehab assignment at the rookie level Saturday and will eventually progress to Triple-A before returning to the majors. This has been a surprisingly rough year for Sanchez, a star from 2016-17 who has endured two DL stints and slashed a disappointing .188/.283/.416 in 279 plate appearances. Nevertheless, Sanchez’s return will be a welcome one for New York, which has seen backup catcher Austin Romine plummet to earth offensively after a terrific first half of the season.
Here’s more from the East Coast:
- Left knee problems have limited Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia to 13 PAs this season and shelved him since May 31, though there is optimism he’ll return in 2018, according to manager Alex Cora (via Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald). “We don’t have anything set as far as timetables, but we’re feeling good with the progress,” Cora said of Pedroia, adding that the 35-year-old will “contribute here in the dugout” even if he’s unable to play again this season. The Pedroia-less Red Sox haven’t gotten much production from any of their second base options this year, evidenced in part by their minus-0.2 fWAR at the position, though the team has still managed easily the majors’ best record (90-40).
- The Mets may promote one of their top prospects, first baseman Peter Alonso, when rosters expand next month, manager Mickey Callaway told Brian Heyman of MLB.com and other reporters on Saturday. The 23-year-old Alonso, whom Baseball America, MLB.com and FanGraphs regard as a top-75 prospect, has slashed .243/.345/.545 with 17 home runs in the hitter-friendly environs of Triple-A Las Vegas this season. In the process, Alonso has overtaken the struggling Dominic Smith as the Mets’ best first base prospect. Smith earned his first promotion last August, when multiple outlets viewed him as a top-50 prospect, but his stock has plunged since then. The Mets, despite being well out of contention, demoted him to Las Vegas on Friday in order to give veteran outfielder Jay Bruce an extended look at first.
- The NL East-leading Braves expect to get closer Arodys Vizcaino and fellow relievers Shane Carle, Brandon McCarthy and Peter Moylan back by mid-September, perhaps “much sooner” in some cases, Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The two most effective members of that group this season have been Vizcaino and Carle, though both have battled shoulder issues. McCarthy has been on the shelf since June 24 because of knee troubles, meanwhile, and he’ll be pitching the final innings of his career when he does come back. The 34-year-old announced earlier this month that he’s going to retire at season’s end.
Mets Notes: Wright, Smith, International Signing
Seven-time All-Star David Wright has no quit in him. The 35-year-old has been rehabbing with the St. Lucie Mets since August 12th, and Marc Carig of The Athletic details his grueling push for a return to the majors against all odds. After undergoing three different surgeries in the past 26 months, Wright’s day involves painstaking attention to detail in his pre-game routine, and his overall rehabbing process has included broader-scale challenges up to and including completely relearning how to play catch. The Mets’ captain, however, has chosen to embark on this arduous journey back to the majors in part because (as Carig says) “even in the face of long odds, the fear of regret is a powerful motivator.” In Wright’s own words, “I guess it’s stubbornness on my part, wanting to give this another try and do this on my terms.” Carig’s piece is a length read that does an excellent job of providing insight into Wright’s struggles and perseverance.
Some other recent notes out of Queens…
- The Mets are making a mistake by not giving Dominic Smith an extended audition, David Lennon of Newsday writes, suggesting that the club appears to be entering the “evaluation period of this lost season, to see who should stick in 2019 and beyond.” If that’s true, Lennon writes, then the club ought to be giving Smith more playing time to see if he can develop into an everyday first baseman. The “jerking around of Smith” in an effort to give Wilmer Flores reps at first and make him more versatile doesn’t compute with Lennon. After all, the kid isn’t too far removed from being the 11th-overall pick in the 2013 draft, and it’s far too early to consider him a failed prospect. Since Lennon wrote his piece, the Mets have gone so far as to option Smith to Triple-A in favor of giving veteran Jay Bruce reps first.
- The newest member of the Mets organization is Dominican shortstop Willian Lugo, whom the club recently signed for $475K (h/t Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com). Notably, the club was able to bring on board in part due to the international bonus pool money they acquired as part of the trade that sent Jeurys Familia to the Athletics. Lugo did not rank among Baseball America’s list of the top 50 international prospects of the 2018-2019 signing period.
Mets Activate Jay Bruce, Option Dominic Smith
The Mets are planning to give veteran Jay Bruce a long look at first base over the final five weeks of the season, as Tim Healey of Newsday reports. Bruce was activated today from a long stay on the disabled list, with the club optioning former top first base prospect Dominic Smith as part of the day’s roster maneuvering.
It seems the idea is to assess what skipper Mickey Callaway called the “possibility” that Bruce could enter the 2019 campaign as a regular at first base. As the organization looks ahead to an offseason that will likely be overseen by a new general manager, no decisions have been made. Rather, Bruce will have an opportunity to show whether he looks to be a viable option at first and/or his customary corner outfield. Callaway says the veteran will appear in the infield “quite a bit moving forward.”
Of course, the Mets largely know what they have in Bruce, who was signed over the winter to a three-year, $39MM contract that includes consecutive $13MM salaries for the coming two campaigns. The 31-year-old has struggled to a .212/.292/.321 slash this year, though it’s probably reasonable to anticipate he’ll bounce back toward his typically above-average offensive levels. This is his 11th season in the majors, so there isn’t much mystery about his skillset with the bat (generally: good power and limited on-base ability).
Smith, though, is a former first-round pick who only just turned 23 years of age this summer. He carries only a .197/.251/.389 batting line in 263 MLB plate appearances over the past two seasons and also hasn’t hit much this year at Triple-A. But it wasn’t long ago that he was seen as a high-quality prospect; indeed, Smith earned his way into the majors in 2017 with a .330/.386/.519 performance in 500 plate appearances for Las Vegas last year.
Nevertheless, Smith is on his way back to Triple-A. While he’ll presumably re-join the MLB roster at some point in September, it seems he won’t receive a particularly close look in the final month of the season. Indeed, Callaway had some eye-opening comments on the youngster. “The deal here is you might not ever get a look,” he said. “That’s how it goes in the major leagues. Nothing is fair. It is what it is. But he has to keep on grinding and putting himself in a position where he can come up here and get at-bats.”
While it’s understandable that the organization may want Smith to force the issue somewhat, the decisionmaking process seems a mite curious, as David Lennon of Newsday suggested recently. True, another prospect — Peter Alonso — has likely now eclipsed Smith in the organization’s eyes. But Alonso is actually 190 days older than Smith. And as impressive as the 2016 second-rounder has been, the Mets surely would at a minimum prefer to boost Smith’s trade value if he’s going to end up making way for Bruce and/or Alonso in the near future.
Players Clearing Revocable Waivers: Smoak, Cron, Flores, Duda
The end of August is in sight, which means that final player transaction jockeying is taking place. To this point, we haven’t heard of many players to have cleared waivers, but the details of the process are rarely revealed as they unfold. August maneuvering involves multi-factor strategies that play out largely in the dark; that makes this time of year fascinating, in theory, but generally difficult to examine.
This evening’s reporting has revealed a few intriguing nuggets, though, two of which we’ve already covered (see here and here). And now we can add some new names to our list of players that can be freely traded, according to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak went through without a claim. While that’s perhaps surprising at first glance, other organizations are surely aware that the Jays won’t be allowing the 31-year-old to walk for nothing. Accordingly, a claim isn’t likely to do much to facilitate an agreement. The switch-hitting slugger has largely carried forward his surprising 2017 output, turning in 487 plate appearances of .257/.363/.465 hitting on the current season. But he’s cheap this year ($4.125MM) and controllable for an affordable rate ($6MM) for 2019. While there’s obviously no reason to believe that Smoak is particularly likely to be dealt, he could still be an interesting chip for the Toronto organization — particularly if other quality hitters don’t make it through the wire.
- The Rays have been rewarded for rolling the dice on first baseman C.J. Cron over the winter, and could now cash him in via trade. Of course, the 28-year-old first baseman cleared waivers in large part because there’s no pressure for the Tampa Bay club to part ways with him. Cron is earning just $2.3MM in 2018 with two more years of arbitration control remaining. He’s sporting a .250/.317/.480 slash with a career-high 24 long balls.
- Elsewhere, Mets infielder Wilmer Flores has long seemed like an interesting target for a club in need of a little defensive versatility and an option against left-handed pitching (though he has, atypically, produced reverse splits this year). He’s earning a reasonable $3.4MM this year and comes with another arb year as well. Flores has been a steadily above-average producer at the plate for the last several years and has taken his plate discipline to another level this season (7.2% walk rate vs. 9.4% strikeout rate). While he has never been loved for his baserunning or glovework, he’s capable of playing anywhere on the infield (at short only in a pinch).
- Former Flores teammate Lucas Duda, on the other hand, finds himself on this list for different reasons. The 32-year-old has struggled this year with the Royals, slashing just .235/.304/.395 with 11 long balls in his 313 plate appearances. But he has still handled right-handed pitching, with a 111 wRC+ when batting with the platoon advantages this year, and has certainly shown more overall in years past. Duda is also earning just $3.5MM this year before reaching free agency.
Injury Notes: Jansen, Nimmo, Trumbo, Twins, Giants
It seems the Dodgers will activate closer Kenley Jansen for tonight’s game, the relief ace tells reporters including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (Twitter links). That’s certainly good news for a club that has struggled to wrap up games in the late innings without him. More importantly, it seems as if there’s ongoing cause for optimism that Jansen will not be limited by the irregular heartbeat that forced him to the hospital earlier this month.
More injury news from around the league…
- The Mets announced this afternoon that they’ve placed outfielder Brandon Nimmo on the 10-day disabled list due to a bruised left index finger. With Nimmo out for at least the next week-plus, the Mets will keep Dominic Smith on the 25-man roster for the time being. Smith had been with the club on Sunday as the 26th man in New York’s doubleheader, and while he’d been slated to return to Triple-A Las Vegas, he’ll now remain in the bigs. It seems likely that he’ll stay up long enough for rosters to expand on Sept. 1.
- Likewise, the Orioles say that they’ve placed Mark Trumbo on the disabled list due to inflammation in his right knee. In a pair of corresponding moves, Baltimore reinstated Adam Jones from the bereavement list and also recalled outfielder John Andreoli from Triple-A Norfolk after claiming him off outright waivers from the Mariners organization over the weekend. The rebuilding O’s owe Trumbo another $13.5MM next year and they’d no doubt like to find a way to trim back that commitment. This injury could take him out of any consideration for a late-August swap — not that a deal ever seemed particularly likely in the first place. While the 32-year-old is posting a solid .261/.313/.452 slash with 17 homers in 358 plate appearances, his defensive limitations will severely limit interest from contenders (whether now or in the offseason to come).
- While Logan Morrison was originally diagnosed with a hip impingement that necessitated season-ending surgery, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that the Twins first baseman/designated hitter actually had a torn labrum repaired and a bone spur removed from the ailing hip. Meanwhile, right-hander Ervin Santana is seeing a hand specialist to examine the surgically repaired middle finger on his right hand (also via Berardino, on Twitter). Initially projected to require a 12-month recovery that would’ve had Santana back in early May, the issue has proven to be considerably more problematic. Santana didn’t pitch until late July and has made just five starts with an 8.03 ERA in 2018.
- Giants righty Jeff Samardzija is still hoping to make it back from shoulder issues this season. As Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group tweets, Samardzija is set for his first of two rehab starts this Wednesday. That would put the veteran hurler on track to start on the first day of September, when active rosters expand. Whether or not he’ll do so remains to be seen. For the Giants, any contribution will likely be too little, too late. But there is still time for the 33-year-old to put a more positive spin on his 2018 season. When he has been available to pitch this year, Samardzija has produced an ugly 6.25 ERA with an even more concerning 30:26 K/BB ratio in 44 2/3 innings over ten starts.
- Meanwhile, the Giants will welcome back emerging hurler Dereck Rodriguez, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, to take the ball on Friday. Clearly, Rodriguez’s hamstring issues weren’t serious at all, as he only just hit the DL. That’s certainly good news for an organization that has been in need of future bright spots. Rodriguez came out of nowhere to throw 80 innings of 2.25 ERA pitching.
Quick Hits: Contender Schedules, Pazos, Weaver, Mets, Giants
With several divisions throughout Major League Baseball still up for grabs and numerous contenders still in the hunt for the Wild Card, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports runs through the strength of the rest-of-season schedule for each of the 14 teams with realistic hopes of securing a postseason bid. The Diamondbacks draw the unwelcome distinction of facing the toughest schedule of any team in baseball between now and season’s end, Passan notes, pointing out that from Sept. 6-26 they’ll play 20 games in 20 days against a grouping of teams with a combined .560 winning percentage. The Indians, meanwhile, land on the other end of the spectrum. Despite the fact that they have seven games against the Red Sox remaining, the rest of their schedule is more or less a romp through the hapless AL Central, with 10 games against the Royals and six against the White Sox highlighting what should be an easy path to the AL Central crown.
Some other miscellaneous items for your afternoon perusal…
- Lefty James Pazos has been among the Mariners‘ best relievers over the past two seasons, but Seattle optioned him to Triple-A on Sunday. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times examines the move, citing manager Scott Servais in writing that the organization feels that Pazos is in need of some mechanical corrections to get back into top form. Specifically, Servais indicated that Pazos “hasn’t been as consistent with his fastball” over the past six weeks or so, which has gotten him into trouble at times. The Mariners don’t expect Pazos to spend much more, if any, than the 10-day minimum in the minors as he works out the kinks, but Servais notes that he’s been falling behind hitters of late due to that fastball inconsistency. The organization, per Divish, has a “very detailed” plan for Pazos to follow in what sounds to be a brief trip to Tacoma.
- Cardinals manager Mike Shildt tells Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the decision to move right-hander Luke Weaver from the rotation to the bullpen was “not an easy one.” Weaver looked to be among the game’s more promising young starters in 2017, and he’s shown flashes of brilliance in 2018, too, but has generally been inconsistent. Weaver cites his own lack of fastball control as the root of his struggles in a harsh self-evaluation but sounds to be taking the move in stride. “This move is not a slap in the face,” says the soon-to-be 25-year-old. “It’s about … finding a way where I can help the team, wherever it is. … It’s not going to shake me.”
- The upcoming Mets/Giants series will provide fans with a contrast between a club that has excelled in terms of building minor league depth (the Giants) and one that has failed at doing so in recent seasons (the Mets), writes Tim Britton of The Athletic (subscription required). Britton notes that in Ryan Vogelsong, Santiago Casilla, Andres Torres and several others, San Francisco has consistently found value in minor league free agency. This season alone, he observes, the Giants have three minor league signees — Derek Holland, Dereck Rodriguez, Alen Hanson — who’ve provided the team with more than a win above replacement (per Fangraphs); conversely, the Mets have had only two players over the past four seasons combined that have reached even half a win by that same measure: Rene Rivera and Jose Reyes. Britton explores the Giants’ method of aggressively approaching minor league free agency, headed by assistant GM Jeremy Shelley, in an interesting look at the stark difference between the two clubs.
Heyman’s Latest: Mets, Alderson, Didi, Gallo
While Mets owner Fred Wilpon would reportedly prefer to hire a general manager from a more traditional scouting background, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman hears that team COO Jeff Wilpon could prefer a GM in the younger, analytics-based mold. Essentially, the Mets’ search is still in its very early stages, so it isn’t clear what type of executive the club will ultimately pursue. For instance, Heyman reports that the Mets have interest in Astros assistant GM Mike Elias and former Brewers and Rangers general manager Doug Melvin, who each respectively represent the new-school and old-school approaches. It’s also possible the team could end up hiring from within after all, giving the job to longtime assistant GM John Ricco or special assistant (and former general manager) Omar Minaya.
Here’s more from Heyman, via his weekly roundup of baseball notes…
- The Mets‘ extension with Sandy Alderson is up after this season, as Heyman corrected a report of his from June stating that Alderson’s deal ran through the 2019 campaign. It was widely believed that Alderson’s deal was a two-year pact, though it is perhaps notable in hindsight that the contract’s length wasn’t mentioned when the club announced the deal last December. Alderson is currently on a leave of absence to deal with a recurrence of cancer, and it is expected that the Mets will indeed hire a new GM once the season is over.
- “It seems like there’s interest” from the Yankees in a Didi Gregorius extension. Gregorius has emerged as a strong everyday player over the last two seasons thanks to an uptick in his offensive production, and it certainly makes sense that New York would see him as a cornerstone at shortstop even with a wealth of young prospects (i.e. Gleyber Torres) on hand to potentially step into the position. Gregorius is earning $8.25MM this season and has one final year of arbitration eligibility remaining as a Super Two player before hitting free agency after the 2019 season. There hadn’t been any talks between the two sides as of last April, when Gregorius expressed his desire to remain with the Yankees over the long term, though Heyman notes that any extension wouldn’t be signed until the calendar flips to 2019, when the team will have more payroll flexibility after escaping the maximum luxury tax penalty rate.
- Joey Gallo drew some interest at the trade deadline, though the Rangers weren’t close to a deal since they’d be “selling low,” as one source tells Heyman. Gallo is controlled through the 2022 season and still boasts great potential as a hitter, despite his penchant for strikeouts and low batting averages. It’s worth noting that Gallo had only a .187/.303/.454 slash line on July 31, though he has since been on fire, hitting .333/.394/.750 over 66 plate appearances in August. Trading Gallo would’ve signaled a larger rebuild for the Rangers, who thought to be looking at 2019 as a year of “retrenchment” before returning to contention in 2020 when their new ballpark opens.
Pitcher Notes: Stroman, Syndergaard, Ray, Cobb
Somewhat overlooked in last night’s rain-shortened 7-5 loss to the Yankees was the fact that Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman experienced a resurfacing of his blister issues. Though Stroman himself didn’t speak to reporters after the game, manager John Gibbons told reporters that Stroman’s blister tore in the seventh inning of a recent dominant start against the Red Sox (h/t Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca). Gibbons also admitted that the club is considering a DL stint in order to get Stroman right again after he took 88 pitches to get through four innings last night (while giving up five earned runs).
More notes on a few pitchers around the league…
- Packed deep in a piece by Laura Albanese of Newsday are a few notable quotes by Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard that shed some (admittedly vague) light on his struggles and seeming fall from “ace” status. Not only is Thor upset about his inability to hold baserunners (the Phillies swiped five bags off him and batterymate Kevin Plawecki last night), but he also hinted at some wider mechanical issues he’s trying to work through. “It’s something I battle every day when I go out there,” said Syndergaard. “I’m just trying to correct a lot of things that I’ve been doing wrong for a long time.”
- Elsewhere in the National League, Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray still hasn’t been able to get back on track, as Nick Piecoro details in a piece for the Arizona Republic. After a breakout 2017 campaign, Ray’s been unable to deliver any semblance of a repeat performance this season after starting the year with diminished velocity and succumbing to an oblique injury. After walking five batters last night, Ray had the following to say about his command issues. “I just need to get back to what I do best and that’s pound the zone. I’ve got too good of stuff to be pitching around the zone. I’ve just got to attack guys and then my off-speed stuff gets better.” Interestingly, Ray felt confident while warming up yesterday and felt in complete command of his pitches. He wonders whether a “lack of focus” could be to blame.
- Though the early returns of the Alex Cobb signing didn’t look good for the Orioles, the return to effectiveness of his change-up seems to have vaulted the right-hander back to his previous form, as Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun details in this piece. He notes that Cobb’s given up just nine hits on 184 change-ups since the All-Star break. His confidence in the pitch has led to him almost doubling its usage lately, and the results have spoken for themselves. Cobb’s strung together four consecutive quality starts of late, posting a 2.08 ERA with a 54.9% ground ball rate during that span.