AL East Notes: Harvey, Orioles, Rays, Eovaldi
Some rumblings from around the AL East…
- The Yankees are known to be exploring the starting pitching market but Matt Harvey isn’t a big target for the team, Fancred’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). Harvey has recovered a bit of his former value by pitching well over 10 starts for the Reds, though the Yankees are wary of the right-hander due to the “potential circus” of extra media attention that would accompany Harvey’s return to New York.
- The Orioles are taking a new approach to this year’s trade deadline, rival evaluators tell ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). The O’s “seem much more focused, much more organized, much more aggressive, much more engaged” this season than in past years. Baltimore is facing some pivotal, long-term decisions in weighing trades of Manny Machado and other major stars, and so it isn’t any surprise that the organization is looking at this deadline with particular intensity. The change in approach could also have something to do the seemingly power shift in the ownership and front office, as Peter Angelos’ sons have been taking larger roles in the Orioles’ operations.
- Evaluators from the Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs, and Braves were on hand to watch Nathan Eovaldi‘s Monday start for the Rays, MLB.com’s Bill Chastain writes. Of course, several other players on the Rays or Marlins were also likely under observation, though Eovaldi represents an interesting low-cost option for teams in need of rotation help — of the teams listed, only the Cubs wouldn’t appear to be in need of starting pitching depth. After missing all of 2017 recovering from Tommy John surgery and then missing time due to minor elbow surgery and a rib muscle strain at the beginning of this season, Eovaldi has returned to post a 3.92 ERA, 49.6% grounder rate, 7.6 K/9, and a minuscule 1.3 BB/9 rate over his first 41 1/3 frames. He has received some significant help in the form of a .211 BABIP, a 79.6% strand rate and a .285 wOBA that is well under his .321 xwOBA, though ERA indicators (4.75 FIP, 3.59 xFIP, 3.57 SIERA) are largely in line with his real-world ERA. Eovaldi is also averaging 97mph on his fastball.
Yankees Place Gleyber Torres On 10-Day DL
The Yankees have placed rookie phenom Gleyber Torres on the 10-day DL due to a right hip strain. The injury caused Torres to be removed in the fourth inning of today’s game with the Braves, though Torres also didn’t play yesterday due to hip soreness. It isn’t clear when Torres will be back in action, though the Yankees described the injury as “mild” (hat tip to Newsday’s David Lennon). A corresponding move wasn’t immediately announced, and likely won’t be known until before to the Yankees’ next game, which is on Friday against Toronto.
Torres has been nothing less than spectacular in his rookie season, living up to his top prospect billing with a .294/.350/.555 slash line and 15 home runs over his first 241 Major League plate appearances. He has immediately become New York’s everyday second baseman and thus his absence will create a significant hole in the lineup, though the club has several notable second base options on hand to fill the void.
Manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The Athletic’s Marc Carig) that Neil Walker is the likeliest candidate to play the keystone while Torres is out, plus the Yankees also have Brandon Drury on the bench and Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade at Triple-A.
AL East Notes: MASN, Happ, Estrada, Machado
While the ongoing television rights dispute between the Orioles and Nationals has been out of the news for some time, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any action behind the scenes. Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun recently provided a notable update on the situation. While the Baltimore organization has “grown weary of battling Major League Baseball over the [MASN] network” and has tried to work out a settlement, there’s still no resolution. At present, there’s no indication that the stalemate will be broken voluntarily; barring a change in that dynamic, the next big event on the calendar is a scheduled arbitration hearing in November.
Here’s the latest from the AL East:
- The Yankees may be the “main player” for Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). Not only is Happ arguably the best rental starter on the market, but it seems the Yanks hold him in high regard. They won’t be alone in pursuing the Toronto southpaw, however. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that the Jays are directing some scouting resources toward the Brewers farm system, perhaps in anticipation of interest from the Milwaukee organization.
- Fellow Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada left last night’s game with a sore hip, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm was among those to tweet. For now, the severity isn’t known, though perhaps it’s promising that the Toronto organization made a roster transaction today but did not feel compelled to rush Estrada onto the disabled list. As we recently examined, Estrada’s strong performance of late has made him seem increasingly like a potential trade candidate this summer, but he’ll only be a useful asset for the Jays if he’s in good health.
- Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is said to be drawing wide and increasingly active interest from a variety of rival organizations. That’s no surprise, as he’s a mid-prime rental asset of rare ability. The Diamondbacks have held “consistent” talks with the Baltimore organization, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (Twitter links), which largely confirms the steady stream of reports we’ve seen on Arizona’s engagement. Morosi adds that the O’s are interested in young D-Backs prospect Jon Duplantier, whose current injury has “complicated” efforts to put together a package that suits both teams. It’s hard to gauge to what extent Duplantier’s status will impact the broader Machado situation, in no small part because it is not apparent whether he’s a player the Snakes would be willing to part with for a rental. Meanwhile, the Braves do have some interest in Machado, Morosi also tweets, but are mostly exploring the market for “controllable relievers” at the moment. Again, that dovetails with what we’ve heard out of Atlanta in recent weeks.
Notable International Prospect Signings
With the 2018-19 international signing period kicking off today, there will be dozens of six- and seven-figure bonuses handed out to teenage prospects, primarily out of Latin America, filtering in throughout the day today. Many of these have been in the works for quite some time, as is reflected by the fact that most of the top players’ destinations and signing bonuses have been previously reported/projected (and by the fact that the top agreements will all be reported in one swift avalanche today).
We’ll keep track of the notable National League signings here and the notable American League signings in a separate post. Note that you can read up on each of these players with the dedicated international coverage available from Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required), Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com and Kiley McDaniel & Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs, each of whom has scouting info on the top echelon of international amateurs. Badler is also tracking the all of the signings from all 30 teams.
Onto some of the more notable signings…
Injury Notes: Tommy John Surgeries, Sanchez, Thornburg, Sandoval
Tommy John surgeries have become alarmingly common in today’s baseball climate, but the most disturbing trend is the age at which the bulk of these procedures are performed. Craig Davis of the Sun Sentinel sheds some spotlight on a recent study showing that teens between the ages of 15 and 19 account for 75% of all Tommy John surgeries. Davis cites the words of Dr. Tommy John (son of the former major league pitcher and the procedure’s namesake), who bluntly says, “The success rate after Tommy John surgery is not good. You don’t want this surgery, especially if you have it in your teenage years.” One possible reason for the dramatic increase in youth Tommy John surgeries is single-sport specialization; Dr. Randolph Cohen of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood seems to believe it’s a big issue. “There’s an overall kind of irrational push by parents on children who are playing sports for such long hours and such long durations and such great repetition that we’re seeing an increase in the injuries in children than say we saw 20 years ago, where injuries like that were much more rare,” he said.
A few injury-related notes from around major-league baseball…
- Though injured Yankees star Gary Sanchez hasn’t begun running drills yet, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that his recovery is going well. The Bombers are apparently hopeful he’ll be able to return around the All-Star break. Though he’s currently batting below the Mendoza line, the young Sanchez leads all MLB catchers with 14 homers to this point in the season.
- The Red Sox are set to add a valuable reliever even before the July 31st trade deadline hits, as Chris Cotillo of masslive.com reports that Tyler Thornburg is expected to return to the club this week. The 29-year-old right-hander has yet to pitch in a game for the Red Sox since being acquired from the Brewers in exchange for Travis Shaw and a pair of minor-leaguers. There wouldn’t appear to be a great chance of salvaging the trade at this point, but if Thornburg can return to post something close to the 2.15 ERA and 12.06 K/9 he posted with Milwaukee back in 2016, he could be of great help to an already-strong bridge to Craig Kimbrel.
- The Giants got some good news today, as it appears Pablo Sandoval has avoided any serious injury. Panda’s x-rays showed no fractures (according to a tweet from Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic), so his diagnosis is simply an elbow contusion after being hit by a Zack Godley pitch during today’s matchup against the Diamondbacks.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/1/18
Sunday’s minor moves…
- The Indians cleared room for Rzepczynski by releasing lefty Shawn Morimando, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com tweets. Morimando, 25, had been with the organization since it selected him in the 19th round of the 2011 draft. He ascended to Triple-A in 2016 and has since pitched to a 4.45 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 in 242 2/3 innings at the minors’ highest level. Morimando also had a 4 2/3-inning stint with the Tribe in 2016.
Earlier moves:
- The Indians have selected the contract of left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski from Triple-A Columbus, per a team announcement. The club will need to create 40-man room for Rzepczynski, whom it signed to a minor league deal two weeks ago. “Scrabble” had been with the Mariners, who released him after he pitched to a 9.38 ERA with 13 hits allowed, nine walks and 10 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings this season. In doing so, Seattle cut the cord on a player it signed to a two-year, $11MM deal entering 2017. Now, Rzepczynski’s set for his second stint in Cleveland, where he previously pitched from 2013-15. The 32-year-old, a veteran of seven major league teams, owns a 3.92 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 4.25 BB/9 and an impressive 59.7 percent groundball rate in 432 career innings. He has also held southpaw swingers to a weak .222/.295/.303 line in the bigs.
- The Yankees announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander David Hale from Triple-A. The 30-year-old has yo-yoed between the Yankees and their top affiliate in Scranton this season, and he has also had a stint with the Twins. Hale has combined for just eight innings between New York and Minnesota in 2018, but he has amassed 55 frames in Scranton and pitched to a 4.20 ERA with 7.11 K/9 and 2.75 BB/9.
- The Orioles announced that they’ve outrighted infielder Corban Joseph to Double-A Bowie. The club designated Joseph for assignment this week after he saw limited action in Baltimore, collecting just 10 plate appearances. The 29-year-old Joseph has spent most of this season with Bowie, where he has hit .332/.398/.534 in 281 PAs.
AL East Notes: Machado, Sabathia, Blue Jays
With the Orioles having failed to extend Manny Machado in the past, the shortstop noted this weekend (via Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun) that “they never reached out and showed that appreciation like the Angels did to (Mike) Trout. It was a totally different situation.” Machado was referring to the Angels’ decision in 2014 to give the then-22-year-old Trout a six-year, $144.5MM extension – one that canceled out three arbitration-eligible seasons and three free-agent years. Now, Machado says he’s “grateful” he’ll hit free agency this offseason at the age of 26. So, while the Orioles are all but guaranteed to trade Machado to a contender in the next few months, it doesn’t sound as if his next employer will have a legitimate chance to prevent him from reaching the open market with a new contract. Of course, given that Machado is in line to sign one of the majors’ richest deals ever, it’s no surprise he’s eager to test the open market.
Here’s more on a couple other AL East teams:
- Left-hander CC Sabathia suggested last month that he’d retire at year’s end if the Yankees were to win the World Series. But the 37-year-old now seems more open to returning in 2019 even if the Yankees aren’t the last team standing this season. “If we win the World Series and I pitch well and I’m healthy at the end of the year, then it’s 50-50 that I come back,” Sabathia said (via Marc Carig of The Athletic; subscription required). “It’s not an absolute.” Considering how well he’s pitching, it stands to reason the Yankees would welcome back a healthy Sabathia next year if he decides to keep pitching. In his age 37-season, Sabathia has pitched to a 3.02 ERA/4.04 FIP in 83 1/3 innings, thanks in part to his ability to limit hard contact. Sabathia ranks third among qualified pitchers in average exit velocity against (84.2 mph).
- The value of Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak‘s 2019 club option has climbed from $6MM to $7MM, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets. In order for that to happen, Smoak needed to accrue 950 plate appearances from 2017-18. He surpassed that figure Saturday. And Smoak’s option will go from $7MM to $8MM if he amasses 150 more PAs this year (1,100 total from 2017-18), Davidi notes. Whether his salary ends up at $7MM or $8MM, both numbers look like reasonable salaries for Smoak – who’s enjoying his second straight above-average offensive season. Although, Smoak’s .235/.359/.438 line in 315 PAs falls well short of last year’s .270/.355/.529 showing.
- More on the Blue Jays, whose willingness to eat portions of veterans’ contracts in trades has them in a good position as the July 31 non-waiver deadline nears, Davidi observes. When Toronto sent infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce to Boston this week, it acquired infield prospect Santiago Espinal in part because it ate $1.66MM of Pearce’s remaining salary. With Pearce gone, the Jays still have several other veteran trade candidates, and paying some of their contracts would improve the team’s returns in deals. Notably, the Jays “have the support of the organization to do it,” general manager Ross Atkins said.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Moustakas, Merrifield, Duffy, Fulmer, Drury
The Cardinals have “renewed interest” in Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports in his latest notes column (subscription required). It isn’t clear how seriously interested St. Louis is, however, and Rosenthal notes that adding Moustakas would lead to a crowded infield situation. Matt Carpenter would have to be moved to either second base or first base, displacing either the light-hitting but defensively brilliant Kolten Wong, or the hard-hitting Jose Martinez and his sub-par first base glove. One option could be to flip Martinez for some immediate help in another area, Rosenthal suggests, listing the Twins as a potential suitor for Martinez — Minnesota, of course, is a fringe contender at best right now, but Martinez would be a long-term piece at first base and DH. On the other hand, Martinez has been perhaps the Cardinals’ best hitter this season and he is controllable through the 2022 season. This is just one of many scenarios that could play out involving these players, of course, as the Cards (like every front office in the game) is weighing dozens of potential scenarios as we approach the trade deadline. St. Louis still seems to be in the planning stages, as Rosenthal writes that the Cards “have yet to engage seriously on any one player.”
Here are some more hot stove items from Rosenthal’s column…
- The Brewers were interested in Royals second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield this past offseason and are once again inquiring on his services. The late-blooming Merrifield has continued to establish himself as a solid everyday player this season, batting .284/.358/.401 over 339 PA, plus 16 steals in 20 chances. Second base has been a problem spot for Milwaukee, and while the Brewers recently acquired Brad Miller as infield depth, Merrifield would represent a more solid upgrade at the keystone. Though the Brewers could also need rotation help, Rosenthal reports that they haven’t discussed Danny Duffy as part of their talks with Kansas City.
- Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer is drawing a lot of interest from not just contenders like the Phillies, Dodgers and Yankees, but also from rebuilding teams like the Padres. Clearly Fulmer would be a fit for a lot of teams considering both his ability and his years of control; he isn’t arbitration-eligible until this winter, and he has four years of arbitration coming as a Super Two player. Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman wrote earlier this week that it could be unlikely that Fulmer is actually dealt, as Detroit has naturally put a big price tag on the righty in trade talks. San Diego is deep in prospects, however, so the Friars could be one of the few teams who wouldn’t immediately balk at the Tigers’ demands.
- Brandon Drury‘s return to the Yankees came with some service time implications, as Rosenthal notes that New York could have gained an extra year of control over the utilityman by keeping him in the minors until Sunday. It’s possible Drury could still be demoted again at some point this season, and if so, he wouldn’t qualify for free agency until after the 2022 season. This could potentially make Drury more valuable to other teams in trade talks, as the Yankees are deep in long-term infield options and might see Drury as expendable.
Brian Cashman On Yankees’ Deadline Plans
Yankees GM Brian Cashman addressed a few topics of interest with the rival Red Sox in town. Lindsey Adler of The Athletic (subscription link) and MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch were among those to write up the chat.
Of greatest significance, perhaps, were Cashman’s comments on his organization’s intentions regarding its rotation. The veteran executive left little doubt that, as expected, he’ll be looking hard for upgrades to the staff.
Cashman did allow that there were circumstances under which the team would hold pat with its existing group. But that’d only be the case, he said, if “we didn’t think the price tags were appropriate.” A failure to land a starter, he added, would “be more reflective of the inability to find a match comfortable enough to follow through with” than any lack of desire to add an arm.
That’s hardly surprising to hear, as the rotation has long been an obvious area to target for improvement, particularly since Jordan Montgomery went down for the year. But it’s notable that the Yankees are willing to acknowledge their intentions publicly — and at a relatively early stage in the summer trade market’s development.
At a minimum, these comments seem to indicate, the Yanks will likely add a solid depth starter. Even marginal improvements will matter, after all; every regular season win will count in a tight divisional race with the Red Sox. Of course, there’s also still every possibility that the club will aim quite a bit higher.
Getting a significant starter would mean parting with some hard-earned prospect capital. Cashman acknowledges as much. “I have a lot of high-end talent that’s taken a long time to acquire and cultivate, but it’s gonna cost something to get stuff, so we’ll play that game here over the next month,” he said. Cashman indicated that he won’t take top outfield prospect Clint Frazier off the table, though he did note that he’d prefer to retain the young talent.
Of course, some of the most intriguing outside arms are already pitching in New York for the rival Mets. Cashman said he has already been in touch with Mets executive Omar Minaya, who is one of the three executives who are filling in for GM Sandy Alderson. Cashman expressed interest in maintaining an open dialogue. Of course, it still would make for a surprise if those two organizations get together on a significant trade.
Yankees Recall Brandon Drury
1:19pm: The Yankees have formally announced the move.
11:00am: The Yankees will recall infielder Brandon Drury from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Drury will fill the roster spot of Luis Cessa, who the team has already formally optioned to Triple-A.
It’s been a strange season for Drury, who was acquired in February to provide depth at both second base and third base for a Yankees team that eventually had those positions earmarked for top prospects Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres. Drury opened the season on the roster but quickly was placed on the disabled list due to severe migraines that were causing blurred vision.
By the time he was healthy enough to return to action, however, both Torres and Andujar were enjoying productive stretches at the big league level. Rather than activate Drury and utilize him in a utility role, the Yankees made the somewhat surprising decision to simply option Drury to Triple-A.
[Related: New York Yankees depth chart]
Drury was understandably frustrated to be spending time in the minors after having previously established himself as a solid big league contributor with the Diamondbacks, and his play in Scranton certainly showed that he was worthy of playing in the Majors. In 203 Triple-A plate appearances, Drury hit .314/.419/.488 with five homers, 13 doubles and a triple.
With Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade currently in Triple-A, Drury will join Neil Walker as a utility option who can bounce around to several positions. It’s possible that Drury could see some time at first base in the immediate future, as George A. King III of the New York Post writes. Given Greg Bird‘s recent struggles and an injury to Tyler Austin in Triple-A, the right-handed-hitting Drury could be called upon with the Red Sox set to throw three consecutive lefties at the Yankees this weekend.