NL Notes: Turner, Reds, D’Backs, Mets
Cubs righty Jacob Turner will likely not return to action for another spring game, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reports, but medical review after he experienced elbow discomfort revealed no ligament damage. “I’m just going to see how it feels,” said Turner. “The plan is four to six weeks of not throwing, and then go off how I feel.” Given his lack of options, I would expect the club to bring him along quite slowly — possibly utilizing a 60-day DL stay to free a roster spot.
Meanwhile, here are some roster situations percolating elsewhere in the National League:
- We noted earlier today that Tony Cingrani is destined for the Reds pen. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer discusses the implications of that move for the team’s rotation battle. Another candidate — David Holmberg — was bumped down to minor league camp, leaving the relatively inexperienced Raisel Iglesias and Anthony DeSclafani to fight veteran non-roster invitees Jason Marquis and Paul Maholm for two permanent spots (and a temporary substitute for Homer Bailey to start the year). Skipper Bryan Price explained that considerations of control will come into play: “The thing is, we’ve got veteran guys like Marquis and Maholm and we don’t want to use them one start,” Price said. “If they’re going to be on our team, the hope is they’re on our team for the entire season if not longer. That’s how we have to look at it. You can back-and-forth a young guy. He can start a game or two, go down the minor leagues or go into the bullpen and help as a long guy. Marquis and Maholm are looking more like long-term, start-to-finish options for us.”
- The Diamondbacks will be fascinating to watch this year, albeit not necessarily in terms of the on-field product, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. As he notes, the team’s newly-installed front office leaders seem to have different ideas than many of their counterparts in the industry. While the organization is saddled with some less-than-ideal contracts, and seems higher on several players than others, it nevertheless has no shortage of young talent, trade chips, and roster options. That should make Arizona an active player in the transactional game over the course of the season.
- Meanwhile, it is time for the Mets to press forward with delivering a winning team, even with Zack Wheeler likely lost to Tommy John surgery, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes. In the immediate term, there have been conflicting signals on how the club will fill in for Wheeler, with skipper Terry Collins saying Dillon Gee will move back to the rotation, GM Sandy Alderson declining to provide such a clear answer, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reporting that prospect Rafael Montero could have a chance at breaking camp. In the aggregate, there is enough depth and talent to make up for losing Wheeler, says Davidoff, removing his injury as an excuse if a legitimate contender does not emerge. For his part, Sherman wonders whether the club has staked too much of its future on the health and development of young arms, though it seems worth echoing Davidoff’s point here: the sheer number and upside of the alternatives in camp give New York ample options.
NL East Notes: Wheeler, Braves, Lee, Halladay
ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden (Insider link) lists five spring transactions that ought to occur. Among them are trades involving two veteran Phillies players — Chase Utley and Jonathan Papelbon. While Papelbon has been discussed quite frequently this offseason, as has fellow hurler Cole Hamels, Utley has scarcely seen his name come up in rumors (and is only just returning to action after suffering a sprained ankle). Bowden also advocates an early-career extension for Christian Yelich of the Marlins
Here’s more from the NL East:
- Injured Mets starter Zack Wheeler dealt with rather significant elbow pain last year, as GM Sandy Alderson has indicated and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News further reports. Per Martino, the team maintains publicly and privately that Wheeler’s UCL never was a matter of concern for the team, but he details some of the developments last year that raised red flags about the young righty’s health. Of course, as Martino is right to explain, there are not only many unknown details but also plenty of medical uncertainties in the world of pitching elbows.
- The Braves are prepared to announce a deal with Comcast involving the team’s new ballpark and mixed-use development, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. It appears that the cable company will occupy office space and provide technology services for the controversial new facility.
- Of course, that stadium opening is still years away, and the Braves are still working to resolve numerous roster matters before the start of the upcoming season. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman updates the situation in camp, writing that Jace Peterson appears to have the inside track on a 25-man spot, if not the starting gig at second base. The team has numerous infield and outfield slots still up for grabs.
- The Phillies have insurance on Cliff Lee‘s contract and will have a chance to recover an unknown sum for the time he is expected to miss, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. That will not match the return the team had hoped to be able to achieve if a healthy Lee had turned into an attractive mid-season trade chip, of course. As part of his rest and rehab plan, Lee will not even throw a ball for several months. While the decision not to undergo surgery was announced a mutual one between team and player, Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets that all doctors consulted recommended surgery and that it was Lee’s decision not to pursue that option.
- As Lee faces the possibility of retirement, former teammate Roy Halladay says he is interested in pursuing sports psychology as a second act, as Zolecki reports.
Mets Showing Interest In Brian Matusz
2:42pm: Matusz isn’t the only trade option on the Mets’ radar, tweets Newsday’s Marc Carig, but the team does think that Matusz is someone who could help them.
8:50am: With lefty Josh Edgin slated to miss the 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery, the Mets have been scouting Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz, according to Dan Martin and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. The Mets have four internal options to replace Edgin in Scott Rice, Dario Alvarez, Jack Leathersich and Rule 5 pick Sean Gilmartin (selected from the Twins), but the team is “open to alternatives,” per the report. As the Post duo notes, none of the internal candidates have been particularly impressive thus far in Spring Training.
The 28-year-old Matusz has found a role as a lefty reliever with the Orioles after not panning out as a starter. Baltimore selected him fourth overall in the 2008 draft, but he’s posted a 5.51 ERA in 364 1/3 innings as a starter as opposed to a 3.26 mark out of the bullpen. Over the past two seasons, Matusz has been exceptional against 224 same-handed hitters, holding them to a .192/.251/.314 batting line.
Controllable through the 2016 season, Matusz is earning a not-insignificant $3.2MM after avoiding arbitration for the third time this winter. As a Super Two player, he is eligible for arbitration one more time before reaching free agency. Some have questioned exactly how much financial freedom GM Sandy Alderson truly has. If he is more limited than he has let on to the public, adding Matusz’s salary might be difficult without sending some salary back to the Orioles in the deal.
While some may speculate that Dillon Gee and his $5.3MM salary could be moved elsewhere, the Mets reportedly aren’t likely to trade him for a left-handed reliever, and Gee’s importance to the club has increased now that Zack Wheeler likely needs Tommy John surgery.
Whether or not the Orioles would even trade Matusz is, of course, unclear at this point. The team has a left-handed closer in Zach Britton and other internal lefty options on the 40-man roster, including Wesley Wright, T.J. McFarland and Tim Berry. However, Berry has no big league experience, while Wright and McFarland haven’t been as effective against lefties as Matusz over the past two seasons.
Mets Links: Wheeler, Montero, Gee, Collins
The Mets found out this morning that Zack Wheeler has a fully torn ulnar collateral ligament, which almost certainly means he’s headed for Tommy John surgery. As Mets fans deal with that difficult news, here’s the latest on the team…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post is told that Montero is being considered for the fifth spot in the rotation despite Gee’s preference not to pitch out of the bullpen (Twitter links). The likelier outcome is still that Gee lands in the rotation, as the team doesn’t want to “totally lose” Gee, but Alderson wouldn’t come out and say who would step into the vacated spot.
- ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin has a full story with quotes from Alderson as well as teammate Michael Cuddyer. The fresh MRI, according to Alderson, was scheduled after the area of pain in Wheeler’s elbow increased in size. Alderson called the finality of the situation and the fact that Wheeler won’t have to manage the type of pain he felt last season in future years a silver lining.
Earlier links
- GM Sandy Alderson said that the Mets had been forewarned that Wheeler’s elbow was an ongoing concern and the team would have to “manage his medical condition over the course of the season,” via Newsday’s Marc Carig (Twitter links). That would perhaps explain why the Mets weren’t exactly in a rush to trade Dillon Gee, Bartolo Colon or Jon Niese this offseason.
- While Gee seems the likeliest option to step into the rotation, Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron writes that he’s not the best option for the Mets to replace Wheeler. Rather, Rafael Montero, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz all project to be superior to Gee this offseason and should perhaps be ahead of him on the list of replacements. However, none of that group is making any significant money this season, whereas Gee is earning $5.3MM, which likely plays a role in any potential decision the team will make.
- Manager Terry Collins’ 2016 club option is valued at $1.2MM, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Heyman feels that the Mets should exercise the option now as a show of good faith, though it’s perhaps more likely that Collins’ 2016 fate will be at least in part determined by the performance of a 2015 club that will still be expected to take a step forward even with the loss of Wheeler.
- For those who didn’t see earlier today, the Mets have reportedly been scouting Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz in the wake of Josh Edgin‘s elbow injury.
NL East Notes: Mets, Coke, Braves
Scouts have identified Cardinals left-hander Sam Freeman and Nationals left-hander Xavier Cedeno as logical trade candidates for the Mets, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Both relievers are out of options and unlikely to make their clubs’ Opening Day rosters, though Rubin stresses that the Mets’ level of interest in either player is unknown. The Mets could be on the lookout for a lefty reliever in the wake of Josh Edgin‘s decision to undergo Tommy John surgery. Here’s more on the Mets and other news out of the NL East..
- The Mets don’t see Phil Coke as someone who can help them, Marc Carig of Newsday tweets. That has been their internal evaluation for some time and that has not changed in the wake of Edgin’s injury. Coke signed a minor league deal with the Cubs earlier this month and apparently chose that opportunity over at least one MLB offer.
- Veteran Wandy Rodriguez has pitched effectively enough to position himself for one of the two vacant spots in the Braves‘ rotation, but the team will still have to decide whether its worth taking a $2MM gamble on a pitcher who has made just 18 starts over the last two years, Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes. The left-hander inked a minor league deal with Atlanta after failing a physical with the Phillies.
- The Mets have four lefty options in camp in Sean Gilmartin, Dario Alvarez, Jack Leathersich and Scott Rice, but none have shined thus far, as Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record writes.
- Meanwhile, the Mets will be keeping their fingers crossed when it comes to starter Zack Wheeler as they’re sending his MRI results to team medical director Dr. David Altchek, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. The Mets, meanwhile, are still saying they’re not concerned about Wheeler’s long-term situation.
Mets Unlikely To Trade Gee For Lefty Reliever
After losing left-handed reliever Josh Edgin to Tommy John surgery, the Mets are ostensibly in need of a southpaw in the bullpen. A source tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) that it’s not probable that the Mets will trade right-hander Dillon Gee to land that lefty reliever they desire, though it’s also not 100% impossible.
Meanwhile, Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter links) says the Mets don’t seem to be in much of a panic since they’re confident in the options that will be available at the end of camp. Carig heard that the Mets wouldn’t rule out someone like Dana Eveland, who is in camp with the Red Sox now and not projected to make the team. Eveland is just one of the several names that could be available to the Mets, he says, and the larger point is that the team expects that they’ll have plenty of choices.
While Gee stands as a solid trade chip, there’s no clear overlap between that teams that have interest in Gee and teams with quality available left-handed relievers. Moving Gee, in theory, would be a great way for the Mets to use their starting pitching surplus to help supplement their relief situation. Gee is slated to start the year in the Mets’ bullpen thanks to a projected starting five of Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom, Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon.
Mets GM Sandy Alderson recently admitted there have been few recent trade talks involving Gee. The Rangers appeared to be a logical suitor for Gee, but they apparently haven’t been in discussions with the Mets since learning that Yu Darvish will be lost for the season.
We learned on Sunday morning that Edgin, 28, opted to undergo Tommy John surgery for his elbow trouble. Edgin tossed 27 1/3 innings last season in 47 appearances, striking out 9.2 and walking only 2.0 batters per nine innings while posting a 1.32 ERA.
Josh Edgin To Have Tommy John Surgery
SUNDAY: Edgin will undergo Tommy John surgery, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
The Mets left the decision up to Edgin, but Rubin (link) doesn’t believe that this was the course of action that they preferred. The Mets, he says, wanted Edgin to give rehab a try for two or three weeks before making a determination. Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters (link) that the team was in accord with Edgin on having surgery. The pitcher felt that he rested all winter and a few weeks wouldn’t have made a difference in his condition.
THURSDAY: Mets southpaw reliever Josh Edgin is likely to start the season on the disabled list with a stretched elbow ligament, GM Sandy Alderson told reporters today, including Matt Ehalt of the Record (Twitter links). Rest and rehab is an option, but season-ending Tommy John surgery is on the table.
Regardless which way Edgin decides to proceed, the news has ramifications for a Mets club that was relying on him as its top left-handed option out of the pen. New York had already seemed a bit thin in that department, and will now be forced to turn for at least some portion of the season to options such as the more senior Scott Rice and younger players like Rule 5 pick Sean Gilmartin, Jack Leathersich, and Dario Alvarez.
Of course, it would not be surprising to see the Mets make a play to bolster that group. Joe Beimel and Phil Coke were snatched up only last week, taking away the best remaining options for immediate help. But other players surely will become available as roster battles and opt-out situations shake out, and there is always the possibility of a trade.
It is also a disappointing turn for the 28-year-old Edgin, who was excellent last year and is entering his arbitration platform season. He tossed 27 1/3 innings last season in 47 appearances, striking out 9.2 and walking only 2.0 batters per nine innings. ERA estimators support the underlying quality of his effort in 2014. While Edgin was limited to facing same-handed hitters as much as possible — he faced lefties as opposed to righties at nearly a 2:1 ratio — he actually posted even better numbers against right-handed hitters in a short sample and has rather palatable overall career splits.
Mets Notes: Wheeler, Lefties, Puello
Mets starter Zack Wheeler is experiencing elbow discomfort due to tendinitis, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Wheeler has dealt with similar discomfort throughout his career, and the pain increased during last season. At no point did it require an injection, but the club has used “anti-inflammatories and other treatments” in the past. For now, Wheeler will rest to see how it responds. Should it progress to a more serious level, the club could turn to Dillon Gee, Noah Syndergaard, or a number of other pitching prospects.
- With left-handed reliever Josh Edgin headed to the disabled list, the Mets are keeping tabs on the lefty relief market, writes Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. Two early trade candidates are Cardinals southpaw Sam Freeman and Nationals lefty Xavier Cedeno. Both pitchers are out of options and unlikely to make their respective clubs. A scout also floated the idea of Nationals lefty Jerry Blevins. He’s owed $2.4MM, which may exceed what the club is looking to spend. Internal options include Scott Rice, Sean Gilmartin, Dario Alvarez, and Jack Leathersich.
- Mets outfielder Cesar Puello appears to be in the same situation as Freeman and Cedeno, writes Rubin. Puello is out of options, and he’s either sixth or seventh on the outfield depth chart. If Puello doesn’t make the club, he’ll be exposed to waivers. Last year in Triple-A, the soon-to-be 24-year-old hit .252/.355/.393 with seven home runs and 13 stolen bases.
NL East Notes: Storen, Span, Mets, Lee, Harang
The Nationals announced today that closer Drew Storen underwent surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand (Twitter links). Storen, a right-handed thrower, will be down for about two or three days before resuming his throwing program and is expected to be ready for Opening Day, however, according to the Nats.
A bit more on the Nationals and their division…
- Injured Nationals center fielder Denard Span tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he began to feel pain in his abdomen about six to seven weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia in December. However, Span says he had both good days and “so-so” days an expected that the pain would eventually go away. Instead, of course, Span underwent core muscle surgery earlier this week and will now “optimistically” be back in the lineup by May, writes Ladson, indicating a fairly significant DL stint for the free-agent-to-be. However, Span says that he’s more disappointed to be missing part of a season where the Nationals could make a run at the World Series than to be injured in a contract year. “This is probably the last year this ballclub has a chance to be together,” Span tells Ladson. “We have a chance to do something special. That hurts more than the fact that I’m going to be a free agent.” Span and teammates Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond and Doug Fister will all be free agents next winter.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post questions the persistent claims of Mets GM Sandy Alderson when he says he has the financial flexibility to make roster moves as needed. As Sherman points out, the Mets didn’t invest any guaranteed money in left-handed relief pitching this winter, and they’re now facing the possibility of losing their top lefty reliever, Josh Edgin, to Tommy John surgery. Alderson told Sherman that the financial requests of the available left-handed relievers this winter didn’t match up with their quality, but he’ll have financial flexibility to add to the roster this season if the Mets are contending.
- Phillies lefty Cliff Lee threw again today and said he still felt discomfort in his left elbow, writes MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. Lee is trying to pitch through a torn flexor tendon in his elbow but will have to opt for season-ending surgery if some of the discomfort does not eventually dissipate.
- Meanwhile, Zolecki adds that offseason signee Aaron Harang was scratched from his upcoming start due to lower back discomfort. Manager Ryne Sandberg said he’s not worried and called it a “muscular thing,” but this is the second time Harang has been scratched for a back issue this spring. The Phillies will need a healthy Harang given their thin rotation depth. The veteran signed a one-year, $5MM contract with Philadelphia this offseason.
NL East Links: Dunn, Phillies, McDowell, Alderson
Lefty Mike Dunn is the rare player who hopes to be criticized for signing a multi-year deal, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. “I want it to be a situation where, at the end of it, someone can say to me, ‘Well, that was a terrible deal. If you would have done it year to year, you could have made more money,’ ” Dunn said. “That’s what I want it to be. I want to prove I’m worth more than that. I want to live up to that two-year deal, and hopefully surpass it.” The two-year, $5.8MM contract represents a rare multi-year commitment to a reliever for the Marlins, though they were comfortable giving Dunn two years because of his extreme durability. Dunn has averaged 70 appearances a year since 2011 and never been on the DL during his nine-year professional career.
Here’s some more from around the NL East…
- Should the Phillies trade Cole Hamels sooner rather than later? MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki makes the point that the club has already been burned by moving too quickly to deal other recent aces — Curt Schilling in 2000 and Cliff Lee in 2009 — and there’s no reason to rush into a Hamels deal just because of Lee’s current injury concerns.
- The presence of highly-regarded pitching coach Roger McDowell was a big reason why Eric Stults and Jim Johnson signed with the Braves, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.
- With Josh Edgin possibly facing Tommy John surgery, the Mets are even thinner on left-handed relief pitching options. Manager Terry Collins is “disappointed” (according to ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin) with how his southpaws have performed in Spring Training and said he could even consider having an all-righty bullpen, though GM Sandy Alderson told reporters (including Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal) that he “can’t forsee” a pen without at least one left-hander present.
- The lack of lefty bullpen depth is another example of how the Mets are hampering themselves by a lack of spending, Joel Sherman of the New York Post opines.
- Alderson spoke to reporters (including Adam Rubin) in order to clarify comments made in his biography about the Mets‘ payroll situation. “Some people want to interpret the last four years strictly in terms of what financial resources were available or not available to the Mets….From that standpoint, that’s never been an issue for me,” Alderson said. “I never talked about the payroll as an unfortunate limitation to us. I haven’t talked about it recently. I haven’t talked about it in the past. I don’t intend to. It’s not relevant to me….Look, our payroll is at $100 million right now, which is up about 20 percent from what it was last year. I don’t think anybody has any complaints at all on our end.”