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Quick Hits: Franchise Values, Rays, Cardinals

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Major League Baseball teams are up in value by 3 percent from 2020, per the annual report from Forbes’ Mike Ozanian. Baseball’s 30 clubs are now being valued at an all-time high of $1.9 billion. The Yankees saw a 5 percent bump to $5.25 billion at the top of the list. They are not only the most valuable franchise in baseball, but one of the top three most valuable franchises in North America, along with the Cowboys and Knicks. Despite the operating losses many franchises suffered because of the pandemic, the long-term values were buoyed by the sale of the Mets and the valuation of the Boston Red Sox with their pending private equity deal. Ozanian reports that revenue was down 65 percent in 2020 as teams lost $1.8 billion after raking in a $1.5 billion profit the year prior. Check out the full article for the list and methodology. More from around the game…

  • “Complex information and simple messages,” that’s the key to the Rays’ run prevention plan, per MLB.com’s Adam Berry. The Rays believe in their ability to develop arms and find value where other teams have missed it.  The Rays are famous for their analytical approach, but it might be their ability to effectively communicate their findings to the players on the field that truly makes them stand out as a development center. Throwing strikes and simplifying the approach is a big part of that, but so is giving confidence to guys who have struggled with other organizations. This year, the Rays’ approach will truly be put to the test as they attempt to replace nominal stars like Blake Snell and Charlie Morton with veterans like Chris Archer, Michael Wacha, and Rich Hill.
  • After the bullpen logged more innings than starters in their opening series against the Reds, the Cardinals may soon have to consider adding a ninth reliever to the roster, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Jake Woodford made the opening day roster exactly for this possibility, and he soaked up 2 1/3 innings on Saturday afternoon. Seth Elledge and Kodi Whitley are two bullpen arms on the taxi squad that could be added to the roster if the Cardinals decide they need another arm for their series against the Marlins.

AL Injury Notes: Pinder, Laureano, Brantley, Dozier, Britton

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The Athletics were outscored by a 35-9 margin over the course of a four-game sweep at the hands of the Astros, and some injury concerns only further worsened Oakland’s nightmare of a series.  Chad Pinder will receive an MRI after suffering a left knee sprain while making a jumping catch at the wall in the first inning of today’s game.  Pinder made an awkward landing while completing the play, and though he finished the inning, he was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the frame.

Losing a valuable utilityman like Pinder would be another blow to an A’s lineup that is already missing some key names, though manager Bob Melvin suggested Ramon Laureano could potentially be back in action on Monday.  Laureano “feels a lot better today…I think we’re getting a little bit closer with him,” Melvin told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos and other reporters.  After jamming his wrist during a slide on Friday, Laureano has missed the Athletics’ last two games.  Sean Murphy was hit in the hand with a pitch during that same Friday game, and Melvin said Murphy will be sidelined for at least one more game since the catcher had some discomfort swinging during Sunday’s batting practice.

More from around the American League…

  • Astros manager Dusty Baker updated reporters (including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart) on Michael Brantley’s status, after the outfielder was hit in the left wrist by a pitch during Saturday’s game.  X-rays were negative on Brantley’s wrist, so “when he’s coming back, it just depends on his body and how he heals,” Baker said.  “We dodged a major bullet by him having no fractures or broken wrists or anything like that.  I’m sure his bone is bruised and whenever you have a bone bruise, different people heal at different time intervals.”  It isn’t out of the question that Brantley could play on Tuesday, Baker said, but “we’ve just got to wait and see on a daily basis without rushing him back.”
  • The swelling in Hunter Dozier’s right thumb has gone down, Royals manager Mike Matheny told the Kansas City Star’s Lynn Worthy and other reporters, and Dozier was set to participate in an on-field workout.  While Dozier didn’t make a defensive appearance during today’s game, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be out of the lineup for much longer.  The newly-extended infielder hasn’t played since leaving Thursday’s game with the thumb issue.
  • After undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow in March, Zack Britton is “doing really well” in his recovery, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told ESPN.com’s Marly Rivera and other reporters.  Britton “is scheduled to play catch this week.  He has full range of motion already,” Boone said.  It isn’t yet clear whether or not this progress could mean that Britton returns at the shorter end of the 3-to-4 month projection initially attached to his surgery.

Luke Voit To Return In May

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided an update on injured first baseman Luke Voit today, per Marly Rivera of ESPN (via Twitter). Boone put a four to six week timeline on Voit’s return, putting him on track for a May return. The reigning AL home run king had to have a torn meniscus in his left knee repaired, which has shut him down completely for three weeks. It’s sounding like he won’t make his debut this season until mid-May.

Voit’s 22 home runs in 56 games last year not only led the league, but it marked a career high for the now 29-year-old. He broke out as a 26-year-old for the Cardinals, but 2020 was the first time he was able to be a consistent everyday regular. His 118 games played in 2019 remain a career-high, however, because of the shortened season. Whenever healthy, Voit has been a power dynamo with a .254 career ISO, .527 career slugging, and 62 home runs in 1,029 plate appearances.

In the meantime, veteran Jay Bruce got the start on opening day, and he will be at first base again today. DJ LeMahieu slid to first late in the season opener as Tyler Wade took over at the keystone. That’s a likely defensive alignment that the Yankees will deploy late in games until Voit returns.

Yankees Select Lucas Luetge

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The Yankees announced that they have selected the contract of left-handed reliever Lucas Luetge, whom they signed to a minor league contract in the offseason. To make room for Luetge on their 40-man, the Yankees placed fellow southpaw reliever Zack Britton on the 60-day injured list. Britton will miss the first few months of the season as a result of elbow surgery.

Luetge makes for an interesting story as someone who hasn’t pitched in the majors in several years. A 21st-round pick of the Brewers in 2008, Luetge debuted with the Mariners in 2012 and stuck with the organization through 2015, though he combined for only 89 innings during that stretch. As a member of the M’s, Luetge logged a 4.35 ERA with unimpressive strikeout rates of 19 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively, while averaging a little over 90 mph on his fastball. He has since pitched in the minors with a handful of other teams, and he spent last year with the A’s organization.

To Luetge’s credit, he improbably shut down opposing hitters this spring with Yankees, as the 34-year-old tossed 10 1/3 innings of two-run, eight-hit ball with an eye-opening 18 strikeouts against two walks. Thanks to that tremendous performance and injuries to Britton and lefty Justin Wilson, whom the Yankees placed on the 10-day IL with shoulder inflammation, Luetge was able to earn a season-opening spot in the Yankees’ bullpen. He’ll be their relief corps’ top southpaw behind Aroldis Chapman until Wilson returns.

Along with the above moves, the Yankees placed first baseman Luke Voit (left knee) and third baseman/outfielder Miguel Andujar (right wrist) on the 10-day IL, retroactive to March 29. Neither decision came as a surprise – Voit just underwent surgery, while Andujar’s wrist has bothered him for a couple of weeks.

Reds Return Rule 5 Selection Kyle Holder To Yankees

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The Reds have returned Rule 5 Draft pick Kyle Holder to the Yankees, according to announcements from both teams. The Yankees subsequently assigned the infielder to their alternate training site.

It was actually the Phillies who used a Rule 5 selection on Holder last December, but they wound up trading him to the Reds for cash considerations in late January. The 26-year-old went on to total 32 at-bats in spring training with the Reds, but despite a solid on-base percentage (.350), he hit for little average (.219) or power (.250 slugging percentage).

Originally a first-round pick of the Yankees, who took him 30th overall in the 2015 amateur draft, Holder hasn’t climbed above the Double-A level yet. He did hit well there in 2019, though, as he slashed .265/.336/.405 with nine home runs, seven stolen bases and a 13.8 percent strikeout rate in 472 plate appearances. But Holder’s at his best in the field, where he has experience at both middle infield spots and third base. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote after the Rule 5 Draft that Holder “can absolutely pick it at shortstop,” adding he could turn into a defense-first utility player in the majors.

Yankees Notes: Wilson, Luetge, Voit, Wade, King, Nelson

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Yankees lefty Justin Wilson will open the 2021 season on the injured list, general manager Brian Cashman announced to reporters Monday. Wilson was slowed by some shoulder discomfort recently, though an MRI taken last week came back clean and the reliever recently threw from 90 feet. Cashman added that Wilson has “responded well” to the downtime he had when he was slowed down and threw a bullpen session today without issue. It seems this is likely just a matter of building him back up, but there is not sufficient time to do so before the season begins Thursday. With Wilson and Zack Britton both sidelined to open the season, the only lefty assured of a spot in the bullpen is closer Aroldis Chapman, though Lucas Luetge has turned heads this spring and could grab a spot, Erik Boland of Newsday tweets. Luetge hasn’t appeared in the bigs since 2015, but he signed a minors deal with the Yankees in the offseason and has since yielded just two earned runs on eight hits and two walks (with a whopping 18 strikeouts) in 10 1/3 innings.

More from the Bronx…

  • Luke Voit’s surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee will be performed tonight, according to Cashman. There’s still no firm timetable for his return to the active roster, though at the time the injury was reported, it was said that the slugging first baseman would go three weeks without baseball activity following the procedure. That alone will take him to April 20 or so, and then Voit will of course need to ramp back up and get in some reps at the alternate site or in a Triple-A game, depending on what happens with the Triple-A season. Cashman added that Britton, who is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow, is doing well but is also still without a timeline.
  • Tyler Wade, Michael King and Nick Nelson each made the roster, according to Cashman. Wade has barely hit since he debuted in 2016, having slashed .190/.274/.301 in 361 plate appearances, but he’s a speedster who can play several positions. Meanwhile, King and Nelson – both righties – will be part of the Yankees’ bullpen. King has struggled to a 7.22 ERA over 26 2/3 frames in the majors since 2019, but the 25-year-old owns an excellent 2.30 mark with almost a strikeout per inning and fewer than two walks per nine in 62 2/3 Triple-A frames. Nelson, also 25, didn’t post exceptional numbers with the Yankees last year, when he tossed 20 2/3 innings of 4.79 ERA ball with poor strikeout and walk rates (20.0 and 12.2 percent, respectively). However, Nelson dominated this spring, allowing one earned run on six hits and a walk (10 strikeouts) across 10 frames.

Chacin Granted Release By Yankees; Dietrich, Chirinos Agree To New Contracts

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The Yankees have granted veteran right-hander Jhoulys Chacin so that he may explore options with other teams, general manager Brian Cashman announced to reporters Monday (Twitter link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Fellow veterans Derek Dietrich and Robinson Chirinos have agreed to new deals that will keep them with the Yankees, per the GM. They’ll head to the team’s alternate site to begin the season.

Chacin, 33, pitched just five big league innings with the Braves in 2020 and struggled considerably between Milwaukee and Boston through 103 1/3 frames in 2019. As recently as 2018, he was a solid member of the Brewers’ rotation, though, pitching to a 3.50 ERA through 192 2/3 innings. He’s spent parts of a dozen seasons in the Majors and carries a career 4.04 ERA in 1324 innings — despite many of those innings coming at the hitter-friendly Coors Field in Colorado. Chacin has been solid in camp with the Yankees, allowing four runs on eight hits and four walks with nine strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings.

The 31-year-old Dietrich drew five walks in just 33 plate appearances, showing the type of discipline that he’s developed in recent years. However, he was just 4-for-24 with a homer overall and didn’t do enough to beat out fellow veteran Jay Bruce for a roster spot, even though Dietrich has more defensive versatility.

Dietrich, a lefty-hitting utility man, has ample experience at second base and all four corner spots, so he could be called upon in the event of a variety of injury scenarios at the MLB level. He’s morphed into a three-true-outcomes slugger over the past couple years, hitting .189/.332/.462 with 24 homers in just 381 plate appearances dating back to 2019.

The 36-year-old Chirinos, meanwhile, appeared in just five games and recorded seven plate appearances before suffering a fractured wrist that sidelined him for much of camp. The veteran catcher will continue his rehab with the Yankees at their alternate site and could eventually emerge as an option at the big league level depending on health and performance of top catchers Gary Sanchez and Kyle Higashioka. Chirinos posted poor numbers in a small sample of 82 plate appearances between the Rangers and Mets in 2020, but he batted .238/.347/.443 with 17 homers in 114 games as recently as 2019.

AL Notes: Santander, Astros, Indians, Taillon, Yankees

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Anthony Santander isn’t in the Orioles lineup today, and it seems as if the outfielder will miss his fifth consecutive spring game.  Manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters that Santander has been bothered by a sore oblique, though Santander has still been working out and could potentially get back on the field as early as Monday.

Such a quick return would probably mean Santander is ready to roll for Opening Day, but the O’s are likely to be cautious considering that an oblique strain brought Santander’s 2020 season to an early end in September.  The injury cut short a breakout year for the 26-year-old, as Santander hit .261/.315/.575 with 11 homers in 165 plate appearances.

More from around the American League…

  • The Astros are looking for possible outfield or pitching additions as spring camps draw to a close, manager Dusty Baker told reporters (including Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle).  While every team keeps an eye on other clubs’ cuts or waiver moves at this time of year, the Astros may be more inclined than usual to make a move, given both some recent absences due to COVID concerns and the fact that outfield depth was already something of an issue.  Chas McCormick looks like the favorite for the fourth outfielder job, and Houston would have to make a 40-man move to include either Jose Siri or Bryan De La Cruz on the active roster.  None of this trio has any MLB experience, and starting center fielder Myles Straw could be facing some time on the COVID-related injury list.
  • Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill, and Logan Allen were all competing for the final two spots in the Indians’ rotation, and McKenzie and Allen have won the jobs, though their roles have yet to be specifically determined.  (The Athletic’s Zack Meisel was among those to report the news.)  McKenzie and Allen could be used in regular turns throughout the rotation, or the Tribe might use either in piggyback outings, or perhaps use an opener for an inning or two before giving way to McKenzie or Allen as the bulk pitcher.  Quantrill might factor into this situation as well, since Quantrill also made the roster and will work out of the bullpen.
  • Manager Aaron Boone announced the Yankees’ starting rotation for its first six games of the year, and Jameson Taillon won’t make his debut in the pinstripes until the sixth game.  The intent, as Boone told The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler (Twitter links) and other reporters, is to ease Taillon back into action after the righty missed the entire 2020 season recovering from his second Tommy John procedure.  New York will start Gerrit Cole in both the first and fifth games of the year thanks to an early off-day, with Corey Kluber, Domingo German, and Jordan Montgomery slated to take the mound in between Cole’s two outings.  The Yankees will also likely adopt a six-man rotation for at least part of April, Boone said.

Pitcher Notes: Dodgers, Gray, E-Rod, Yankees, Fiers

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The Dodgers are still deciding among fifth starter options, manager Dave Roberts informed Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters Friday. Southpaw David Price is competing against righties Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, who impressed as rookies during the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series-winning campaign. As a five-time All-Star and a former AL Cy Young winner, Price certainly carries the best track record of the three – not to mention the highest salary – but he didn’t pitch at all last season after opting out over COVID-19 concerns. Any of those three would join Trevor Bauer, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urías in what will be a loaded season-opening starting five.

The latest on a few more pitchers around the game:

  • Reds righty Sonny Gray, who has been dealing with a back problem for a couple of weeks, came out of a sim game unscathed Friday, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. After throwing two innings and 30 pitches, Gray said, “I felt good. It was definitely a step in the right direction.” Gray will start the season on the injured list, but he doesn’t expect to miss much time. That’s uplifting news for a Reds starting staff that lost the aforementioned Bauer during the offseason.
  • Eduardo Rodríguez was recently set back by a dead arm but seemed to make some progress this morning. The Red Sox left-hander came out of a bullpen session feeling good about his chances of soon returning to game action, although a season-opening injured list stint remains a possibility (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com and Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe). Manager Alex Cora says the club will evaluate how Rodríguez feels tomorrow before making any decisions about his recovery timeline.
  • The Yankees have optioned right-hander Deivi García to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to a team announcement. The move suggests Domingo Germán will enter the season as the No. 5 in the Yankees’ rotation behind Gerrit Cole, Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon and Jordan Montgomery, though odds are that García will make his share of starts this season. The 21-year-old, a former top 100 prospect, made his debut last season with a 4.98 ERA/4.21 SIERA with a 22.6 percent strikeout rate against a stingy 4.1 percent walk rate in 34 1/3 innings.
  • Athletics righty Mike Fiers will begin the season on the injured list, manager Bob Melvin announced to Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters. Fiers has been dealing with left hip inflammation since midway through the month and hasn’t faced live hitters during his recovery. His injury could open the door for any of Daulton Jefferies, Cole Irvin or A.J. Puk to at least temporarily join the A’s rotation. Fiers tied for the A’s lead in starts (11) and finished second in innings (59) last season, but he struggled to a 4.58 ERA/5.41 SIERA and managed a personal-worst 14.4 percent K rate.

Luke Voit To Start Season On Injured List; Yankees Select Jay Bruce

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11:53 am: The Yankees have officially selected Bruce to the 40-man roster. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt was placed on the 60-day injured list (elbow) in a corresponding move. Additionally, non-roster invitees Robinson Chirinos and Derek Dietrich have been released from their minor-league contracts. Both are now free agents.

11:14 am: The Yankees are planning on selecting the contract of outfielder/first baseman Jay Bruce, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (Twitter link). The veteran slugger had been in camp as a non-roster invitee. New York is also expected to hold onto Mike Tauchman, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). At the very least, the Yankees don’t plan on exposing the out-of-options Tauchman to waivers, says Andy Martino of SNY (Twitter link), although a trade could still be a possibility.

Expected starting first baseman Luke Voit will begin the year on the injured list, Marly Rivera of ESPN was first to report. Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed Voit has suffered a meniscus tear in his knee and will undergo surgery. He’ll be shut down from baseball activities for the next three weeks (via Erik Boland of Newsday). New York expects Voit back “considerably sooner than” June, Boone said (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com), but it seems possible the reigning home run champ could be out of action into May. In the interim, Bruce will be New York’s primary first baseman, relays Hoch.

The Yankees will have to officially add Bruce to the 40-man roster before Opening Day. The 33-year-old has hit for plenty of power but struggled to reach base in recent years, combining for a .212/.259/.510 line with 32 home runs across 436 plate appearances since the start of 2019. That kind of production would be a steep drop-off from Voit, who raked at a .277/.338/.610 clip last year.

Bruce will at least offer a left-handed bat to help balance a righty-heavy lineup. Tauchman also offers a lefty bat off the bench, and he’s capable of playing anywhere in the outfield. He’ll be limited to reserve duty behind Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier and Brett Gardner, assuming he isn’t traded. The 30-year-old has drawn rather strong interest around the league.

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