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Mike Trout Undergoes Hamate Surgery
July 5: Manager Phil Nevin tells reporters, including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, that Trout underwent surgery to address his fracture. His timeline for return is four to eight weeks.
July 4: The Angels announced that Mike Trout has been placed on the injured list with a left hamate fracture. Right-hander Víctor Mederos was also optioned to Double-A Rocket City. In corresponding moves, outfielder Jo Adell and right-hander Gerardo Reyes were recalled.
The club has yet to provide any kind of estimate timeline on Trout but an absence from a hamate fracture is typically measured in weeks. For example, Mariners outfielder Taylor Trammell was diagnosed with a hamate fracture in February with a provided seven-week timeline for his recovery and he began a rehab assignment two months later. Andrew Benintendi suffered the same injury at the start of September while with the Yankees last year and never returned, despite the Yanks making it to the ALCS and playing until October 23. Each player and injury is different, but it seems reasonable to expect Trout will be out of action for roughly six to eight weeks.
Obviously, this is a tremendous blow for the Angels on a number of fronts. Trout has been one of the better players in baseball for over a decade now, having already won three Most Valuable Player awards and a litany of other accolades. He’s hit .301/.412/.582 in his career for a wRC+ of 170 while stealing 206 bases and providing excellent center field defense. He’s been a bit below that this year, but even his relative “down” year still has him at .263/.369/.493 and a 137 wRC+.
Losing one of the best players in the world for an extended stretch of time would be rough news for any club, but it will be particularly noteworthy for this Angels squad. Despite a roster featuring superstars like Trout, Shohei Ohtani and others in recent years, they have frequently been felled by injuries and a lack of depth. They haven’t had a winning record since 2015, haven’t made the playoffs since 2014 and haven’t won a postseason game since 2009.
The 2023 season has already been in the spotlight since Ohtani is in his final year of club control before he qualifies for free agency. The club has been acting aggressively to try to win this year, both to take advantage of Ohtani’s production while they still have him and to convince him to stay by constructing a winning roster around him. They spent their offseason acquiring complementary players like Brandon Drury, Hunter Renfroe and Carlos Estévez. They aggressively promoted prospects like Zach Neto, Ben Joyce and Sam Bachman. Due to a recent rash of injuries to infielders like Neto, Drury, Gio Urshela and Anthony Rendon, they went out and traded for veterans Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas.
Currently, the club is 45-42, three games back of the Yankees for the final Wild Card spot in the American League, with the Blue Jays in between them. They certainly have a shot to break their postseason drought, but their odds will certainly go down without Trout. Some fans of other clubs may start salivating at the idea of the club deciding to blow it all up and trade Ohtani, but given the way the Angels have behaved this year, it seems more likely that they will be aggressive in adding to the roster to make up for Trout’s absence.
For now, they will likely use Mickey Moniak in center. He’s having a breakout year at the plate, hitting .307/.336/.658 through 119 plate appearances for a 168 wRC+. He’s mostly played the corners in deference to Trout but has solid defensive marks in center. That will create challenges though, as the left-handed hitting Moniak has largely been shielded from lefties, having just 10 trips to the plate this year without the platoon advantage. Adell hits from the right side and could take the short side of the platoon but he’s struggled in the big leagues overall. In 561 plate appearances dating back to 2020, he’s hit just .215/.261/.362. He’s performing better in Triple-A this year but that’s nothing new for him.
However it plays out, the Angels are in a challenging spot for now and will be a fascinating club to watch. With less than a month until the August 1 deadline and the team just outside the postseason picture, each game will continue to take on increased significance as things progress.
Yankees’ Jimmy Cordero Suspended Remainder Of Season Under MLB’s Domestic Violence Policy
Yankees reliever Jimmy Cordero has accepted a suspension for the remainder of the regular season and the 2023 postseason under MLB’s domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy, per a league announcement. He’s been placed on the restricted list. Cordero will not be paid and will not count against the team’s 40-man roster while on the restricted list.
“The Yankees are fully supportive of Major League Baseball’s investigative process and the disciplinary action applied to Jimmy Cordero,” the team stated in a press release shortly following MLB’s announcement. “There is no justification for domestic violence, and we stand with the objectives, standards and enforcement of MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.”
Further details were not provided by the league, which stated that Cordero will “participate in a confidential and comprehensive evaluation and treatment program.”
The Yankees signed the now-31-year-old Cordero to a minor league deal in March 2022. He’s appeared in 31 games this season and posted 32 2/3 innings of 3.86 ERA ball, striking out 25.8% of his opponents against a 7.8% walk rate.
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Orioles To Promote Colton Cowser
According to Roch Kubatko of MASN, the Orioles are expected to select the contract of outfield prospect Colton Cowser ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Yankees. Baltimore has a full 40-man roster, meaning the club will need to clear space for the youngster before he can join the team. The impending move will put Cowser in line to make his major league debut.
Cowser, 23, was selected by the Orioles with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft. After a sensational professional debut late in the 2021 campaign that saw him slash .375/.490/.492 with more walks than strikeouts between rookie ball and Single-A, Cowser entered the 2022 campaign as a consensus top 100 prospect in the sport. He delivered on that promise and then some, advancing from High-A all the way to Triple-A by the end of 2022 while slashing a solid .278/.406/.469 across three levels of the minor leagues.
While Cowser’s 2022 vaulted him up prospect rankings to the point where he entered 2023 as a consensus top 40 prospect in all of baseball, the Orioles opted to take things slowly with the lefty slugger during his age-23 campaign after he slashed just .219/.339/.429 in 124 Triple-A plate appearances last year. In his return to the club’s Norfolk affiliate, Cowser has proven that he’s mastered the Triple-A level: he’s slashed a whopping .330/.459/.537 with a phenomenal 18.7% walk rate in 257 plate appearances at the level this year.
In making his MLB debut, Cowser joins Baltimore’s youth movement that began with the promotion of Adley Rutschman last summer. Since then, the club has seen top prospects Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez, Joey Ortiz, and Jordan Westburg all debut in the big leagues. The surge of young talent has helped buoy the Orioles throughout a fantastic first half. The club is currently 49-35, second in a highly competitive AL East division and in the driver’s seat of the AL wild card race.
Going forward, Cowser figures to slot into the club’s outfield mix. With Cedric Mullins entrenched in center field and both Austin Hays (132 wRC+) and Anthony Santander (122 wRC+) having excellent seasons, it seems likely that Cowser’s arrival leaves Aaron Hicks ticketed for a smaller role. The 33-year-old veteran has had a resurgence since joining the Orioles after being designated for assignment by the Yankees earlier this season, slashing .262/.374/.464 in 99 plate appearances with Baltimore. Going forward, Hicks seems likely to fill the reserve outfielder role currently occupied by Ryan McKenna.
Dustin May To Undergo Season-Ending Flexor Tendon Surgery
Dodgers right-hander Dustin May will undergo surgery on his right elbow to repair the flexor tendon later this month, per a team announcement. The surgery will bring an end to May’s 2023 campaign. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic adds that May will also undergo a Tommy John revision for a Grade 2 UCL sprain, noting that the Dodgers hope May will be able to return midseason in 2024.
May initially went on the injured list back in May with a flexor pronator strain that offered an initial recovery timeline of just four to six weeks. That, of course, didn’t come to pass. LA placed May on the 60-day injured list less than a week later, a move that suggested the injury could be more significant than the club initially believed and pushed the earliest possible date for May’s return until after the All Star break. Now, the question of May’s return to action will be pushed to the 2024 campaign.
It’s a serious blow to the club’s rotation, as May posted an impressive 2.63 ERA (68% better than league average by ERA+) and a 3.27 FIP in 48 innings of work this season prior to his placement on the IL. May is far from the only arm in the club’s rotation picture who’s struggling with injuries or ineffectiveness, as well. Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard are both on the shelf at the moment, while Walker Buehler and Ryan Pepiot have yet to throw a pitch for the club during the 2023 regular season.
Meanwhile, Julio Urias is coming off a six week trip to the IL of his own and has struggled to a 4.94 ERA and 5.30 FIP in the 11 starts he’s made this season. Tony Gonsolin has mostly pitched well this season, with a 3.69 ERA in 61 innings, but has also spent time on the injured list and owns a 9.42 ERA across his last three starts. Youngsters Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, Michael Grove, and Gavin Stone have been tasked with picking up the rotation’s slack to mixed results; while Miller and Sheehan have largely proven successful, Grove and Stone haven’t done the same. Altogether, the quartet of prospects has posted a 6.01 ERA in 106 1/3 innings this season.
The Dodgers were already widely expected to pursue pitching upgrades ahead of the trade deadline on August 1, and today’s news should only increase the club’s urgency in that regard. It’s hard to say with certainty which players will be available, given the number of teams that have yet to commit to selling. That being said, Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly of the Cubs, Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty of the Cardinals, and Lucas Giolito of the White Sox are among the names that have garnered the most speculation to this point in the season.
Of course, there are plenty of names that would bolster weak Dodgers pitching staff that sports a bullpen ERA of 4.48 (third worst in the NL) in addition to the aforementioned rotation struggles, including relief arms like Reynaldo Lopez of the White Sox and Scott Barlow of the Royals. Considering the club’s 47-37 record that puts them just two games back in the NL West and gives them possession of the second NL wild card spot, the Dodgers are well positioned to make impactful adds to their pitching staff over the next few weeks.
In the longer term, May’s injury leaves an additional question mark for the Dodgers as they look ahead to 2024. The club’s starting rotation is slated to lose Kershaw, Urias, and Syndergaard to free agency this offseason. Buehler (who figures to pitch his first full season back from Tommy John surgery next year) and Gonsolin seem poised to occupy two spots in the club’s starting group.
While it seems reasonable to expect at least one empty slot in the rotation to be dedicated to the club’s current crop of youngsters, that still leaves two vacancies for the club to fill in its rotation for Opening Day 2024, whether that be by way of re-signing one of their outgoing free agents, dipping into the rest of a deep free agent pitching class, or by acquiring an arm controlled beyond this season via trade. Of course, the Dodgers are widely expected to have interest in two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani when he hits the open market after the 2023 campaign comes to an end, but Ohtani has pitched exclusively as a member of a six-man rotation during his time in the majors, meaning his hypothetical addition wouldn’t change the club’s need for additional arms.
Padres Designate Nelson Cruz For Assignment
The Padres announced a series of roster moves today, recalled left-hander José Castillo, right-hander Matt Waldron and infielder Matthew Batten. In corresponding moves, right-hander Domingo Tapia was optioned to Triple-A El Paso, righty Michael Wacha was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 2) with right shoulder inflammation and designated hitter Nelson Cruz was designated for assignment.
Cruz, 43, has long been one of the most feared sluggers in the league but has struggled over the past couple of years. In 2021, he was hitting .294/.370/.537 for the Twins with a 142 wRC+ when they flipped him to the Rays. That deal worked out very well for the Twins but Cruz slumped after switching jerseys, hitting just .226/.283/.442, 95 wRC+. He then signed with the Nats for 2022 but hit just .234/.313/.337 for a wRC+ of 85.
As last season was winding down, he underwent surgery to address some inflammation in his eye, which he said was impacting his ability to pick up spin on the ball. The Padres took a gamble on a bounceback from Cruz, giving him a $1MM guarantee on a one-year deal. Unfortunately, that hasn’t come to pass, with Cruz hitting just .245/.283/.399 thus far for a wRC+ of 85. He’s striking out at a 30.3% rate and walking just 3.9% of the time, both of those marks easily the worst of his career.
He’s essentially just a designated hitter at this point in his career, having not played the outfield since 2018 and logging just one inning at first base this year. That makes it especially important that he produce at the plate, something he hasn’t been able to do for a couple of years now.
The Padres will now have one week to trade Cruz or pass him through waivers. It’s possible that some club is intrigued based on his past production and modest salary, though that remains to be seen. As a veteran with more than five years of service time, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment in the event he clears waivers while retaining his salary. That means he’s likely to end up released if the Friars can’t find a trade partner in the coming days.
As for Wacha, his shoulder has been an ongoing minor issue. His start on June 24 was skipped due to fatigue in that shoulder, though he did later take the ball on July 1 and toss five innings. Manager Bob Melvin tells AJ Cassavell of MLB.com that the club is trying to use next week’s All-Star break to give him a chance to fully heal up. He has a 2.84 ERA through 15 starts this year, so the team will surely be hoping that a little breather is all he needs to get back on track.
Mariners Trade Trevor Gott, Chris Flexen To Mets; Mets Designate Flexen For Assignment
The Mets added to their bullpen Monday afternoon, acquiring Trevor Gott from the Mariners. New York also acquired Chris Flexen, whom they immediately designated for assignment. Seattle receives lefty reliever Zach Muckenhirn, whom New York had designated for assignment earlier today. The Mets transferred righty Edwin Uceta to the 60-day injured list to clear roster space for Gott.
New York is taking on a decent amount of money to plug Gott into the bullpen. They’re reportedly assuming the remainder of the contracts for both Flexen, whom Seattle had designated for assignment last week, and Gott. That’s about $3.9MM for Flexen and about $587K for Gott.
Originally a Mets draftee back in 2012, Flexen found success overseas pitching in the Korea Baseball Organization and returned to North American ball on a two-year deal with the Mariners. He made good on Seattle’s modest investment, pitching to a sharp 3.66 ERA in 317 1/3 innings over the first two seasons of the contract. Flexen worked primarily as a starter — though he was dropped to the ‘pen last year after the Mariners’ acquisition of Luis Castillo — and shouldered a heavy enough workload that he triggered an $8MM vesting option for the current season.
While Flexen didn’t have a rotation spot heading into the season, he was locked in as a long reliever and sixth starter — the first man up in the event of a rotation injury. The Mariners incurred such an injury early in the season when Robbie Ray went down with an arm injury that eventually resulted in Tommy John surgery. Flexen, however, scuffled in the rotation when attempting to fill that void and hasn’t generated good results in the bullpen either. He’s appeared in 17 games for the Mariners and logged an ugly 7.71 ERA over the course of 42 innings.
Flexen’s 3.66 ERA from 2021-22 never quite lined up with his pedestrian strikeout rate (just north of 16%), but a downturn of this magnitude still couldn’t have been expected. He’s been extraordinarily homer-prone this year (2.36 per nine innings) but has also been plagued by a .350 average on balls in play.
The Mets’ willingness to take on the remainder of his salary will effectively allow them to purchase the veteran Gott in the midst of a solid year with Seattle. The 30-year-old Gott has thus far posted a pedestrian 4.03 ERA but with much stronger secondary marks: 24.8% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate, 0.62 HR/9, 42.5% ground-ball rate, 3.01 FIP, 3.47 SIERA. He’ll give the Mets an experienced middle relief option to help bridge the gap to veterans David Robertson and Adam Ottavino.
Gott is also still controllable through the 2024 season via arbitration. If he pitches well for the remainder of the season, he’d be owed a raise on this year’s $1.2MM salary but would still be highly affordable — especially for a high-payroll club like the Mets.
The whole gambit underscores Mets owner Steve Cohen’s willingness to spend. Not only are the Mets taking on about $4.5MM in total salary, they’ll also pay a 90% tax given their status as luxury tax payors who are in the newly created fourth tier of penalization. It boils down to a roughly $8.55MM in additional spending — a fairly stunning number to acquire a journeyman reliever.
It’s also surely a frustrating series of events for Flexen. He’s already spent a week in DFA limbo wondering where he’ll land, and he’ll now restart that process. The Mets could quickly place him on waivers rather than taking the maximum five days to do so, but it’s hardly a direct trip through the DFA process.
MLBTR confirmed with a source last week that Flexen can reject an outright assignment and retain his salary, despite the fact that he doesn’t have five years of Major League service time. That’s attributable to the nature of the contract he signed when returning from the KBO, which also stipulates that he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent and that he would become a free agent at the deal’s conclusion despite being shy of six years of MLB service.
Because of that contract, Flexen will become a free agent if the Mets aren’t able to find a trade partner of their own. Barring a trade, Flexen will hit waivers and surely clear, as other clubs aren’t going to want to be on the hook for that $3.9MM or so in salary. Once he clears, a new team would be able to sign him and only owe Flexen the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the MLB roster. The Mets would remain on the hook for the rest of that salary.
As for the Mariners, they’ll save more than $4.5MM on that pair of relievers and also add an optionable lefty in the 28-year-old Muckenhirn. The southpaw signed a minor league deal with the Mets over the winter and made his big league debut earlier this season. He’s tallied six innings in the Majors, yielding four runs on 11 hits and a pair of walks with three strikeouts.
Muckenhirn’s work in Triple-A has produced far better results. He boasts a sensational 0.88 ERA in 30 2/3 frames, although his 15.7% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate don’t exactly support that minuscule number. Muckenhirn has induced grounders at a hearty 50% clip, but he’s also benefited from a .230 average on balls in play and a mammoth 95.2% strand rate in Triple-A so far. He’ll give the Mariners a third left-handed bullpen option on the 40-man roster, joining Tayler Saucedo and Gabe Speier in that regard.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported the Mets were acquiring Flexen and Gott for Muckenhirn. Andy Martino of SNY was first to report the Mets planned to designate Flexen for assignment. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the Mets were assuming the remainder of Flexen’s and Gott’s deals.
MLB Announces 2023 All-Star Rosters
The starters for the 2023 All-Star Game were already announced earlier this week, and today the league revealed the reserve selections and the pitching staffs for the National League and American League teams. Fan balloting determined the game’s starters, while the reserves and pitchers were picked by a combination of the player ballot and selections from the league office.
This won’t be the final list of players involved, as some more substitutions will be announced later for players who are injured or who have opted not to participate. Every team must have at least one player represented at the Midsummer Classic, and the starting pitchers for the game will be announced on July 10.
Of note, Shohei Ohtani will be in the game as both a DH and as a pitcher for the third consecutive season. The Braves led all teams with eight All-Stars, while the Rangers weren’t far behind with six players chosen. This year’s All-Star Game takes place in Seattle on July 11.
National League
- Catcher: Sean Murphy, Braves
- First Base: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
- Second Base: Luis Arraez, Marlins
- Third Base: Nolan Arenado, Cardinals
- Shortstop: Orlando Arcia, Braves
- Outfield: Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
- Outfield: Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks
- Outfield: Mookie Betts, Dodgers
- Designated Hitter: J.D. Martinez, Dodgers
- Pitchers: Alexis Diaz/Reds, Camilo Doval/Giants, Bryce Elder/Braves, Zac Gallen/Diamondbacks, Josiah Gray/Nationals, Josh Hader/Padres, Mitch Keller/Pirates, Clayton Kershaw/Dodgers, Justin Steele/Cubs, Spencer Strider/Braves, Marcus Stroman/Cubs, Devin Williams/Brewers
- Position Players: Ozzie Albies/Braves, Pete Alonso/Mets, Nick Castellanos/Phillies, Elias Diaz/Rockies, Lourdes Gurriel Jr./Diamondbacks, Matt Olson/Braves, Austin Riley/Braves, Will Smith/Dodgers, Jorge Soler/Marlins, Juan Soto/Padres, Dansby Swanson/Cubs
American League
- Catcher: Jonah Heim, Rangers
- First Base: Yandy Díaz, Rays
- Second Base: Marcus Semien, Rangers
- Third Base: Josh Jung, Rangers
- Shortstop: Corey Seager, Rangers
- Outfield: Randy Arozarena, Rays
- Outfield: Mike Trout, Angels
- Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees
- Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Angels
- Pitchers: Felix Bautista/Orioles, Yennier Cano/Orioles, Emmanuel Clase/Guardians, Luis Castillo/Mariners, Gerrit Cole/Yankees, Nathan Eovaldi/Rangers, Kevin Gausman/Blue Jays, Sonny Gray/Twins, Kenley Jansen/Red Sox, Michael Lorenzen/Tigers, Shane McClanahan/Rays, Shohei Ohtani/Angels, Framber Valdez/Astros
- Position Players: Yordan Alvarez/Astros, Bo Bichette/Blue Jays, Adolis Garcia/Rangers, Vladimir Guerrero Jr./Blue Jays, Austin Hays/Orioles, Whit Merrifield/Blue Jays, Salvador Perez/Royals, Jose Ramirez/Guardians, Luis Robert Jr./White Sox, Brent Rooker/Athletics, Adley Rutschman/Orioles
Cubs “Not Inclined” To Extend Marcus Stroman Prior To Trade Deadline
The Cubs are currently “not inclined” to extend right-hander Marcus Stroman prior to August 1’s trade deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. The report comes weeks after Stroman stressed his desire to sign a new deal in Chicago but indicated that the club had previously declined to begin extension talks, sparking trade speculation regarding the 32-year-old right-hander.
Per Rosenthal and Mooney, Chicago’s hesitance in inking Stroman to a long-term deal ahead of the deadline comes from uncertainty regarding the club’s path forward. The pair indicate that the club’s baseball operations budget in 2024 will be impacted by the club’s finish to the 2023 campaign, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has expressed a willingness to hold out on making a decision between buying and selling until the last minute.
If the club’s front office plans to hold off on deciding between buying and selling, it’s of little surprise that they would not be interested in extending Stroman. The righty is having a career season in 2023 with a sterling 2.47 ERA that’s 78% better than league average by measure of ERA+ across 102 innings of work. He’s backed that up with a solid 20.8% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate, and a phenomenal 59.3% groundball rate that would be his best since 2018 over a full season.
There are signs that regression may be in Stroman’s future. Most notably, just 8.3% of the veteran’s fly balls have left the yard for home runs this season, a mark considerably below his career 13.1% figure. Even in spite of that potential red flag, however, Stroman still figures to be one of the hottest commodities on the free agent market should he opt out of the final one year and $21MM left on his contract at the end of the season. MLBTR rated Stroman as the ninth best pending free agent in the most recent update to our 2023-24 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings, and the Cubs surely expect Stroman to be similarly coveted by rival clubs at the trade deadline if they decide to sell.
Of course, the Cubs deciding to sell is no guarantee at this point. The club is 4.5 games out of first place in a weak NL Central as things standing, locked in a virtual tie with a Pirates team they just swept twice last month behind the Brewers and Reds. Additionally, their +32 run differential is the fifth best figure in the NL and the only positive mark of any team in the NL Central. With a four game set against Milwaukee set to start on Monday, Chicago’s standing in the division could look very different by the time the All Star break rolls around, one way or another.
For Stroman’s part, the veteran right-hander seems largely unfazed by the swirling rumors. Asked on Friday if there had been movement in contract negotiations, Stroman confirmed on Friday that there was “nothing new” before praising the organization to reporters (including Mooney): “I have a great relationship with Jed and Carter. It’s been awesome here. I just don’t think they’re in a position right now for me to extend my (time here). Which, I don’t even care. I feel good here. I would love for them to be in play in the offseason. I would love to have an opportunity to sign back here in free agency after the year is done.”
Such praise certainly seems to leave the door open for Stroman to re-up with the club in free agency, or even sooner. As Rosenthal and Mooney note, there’s nothing stopping them from pivoting toward extension talks after the trade deadline in the run-up to free agency. Such a strategy would be risky, of course, as few players extend once they’re that close to hitting the open market and the Cubs don’t have the ability to extend Stroman a Qualifying Offer after the season after he accepted a QO from the Mets prior to the 2021 campaign.
On the other hand, the upcoming free agent class figures to be unusually deep in pitching. Even setting aside two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, interesting names such as Julio Urias, Aaron Nola, Lucas Giolito, Jordan Montgomery, and Sonny Gray all figure to hit the open market this winter, leaving the Cubs with plenty of options to replace Stroman at the top of their rotation alongside Justin Steele should he exit the organization by way of trade or free agency.
Rangers Acquire Aroldis Chapman
The Rangers made a significant bullpen addition Friday evening, announcing the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman from the Royals. Left-hander Cole Ragans and rookie ball outfielder Roni Cabrera are going to Kansas City.
Chapman had a strong few months in Royal blue. Kansas City signed the seven-time All-Star to a $3.75MM free agent guarantee, buying low after a rough final season in the Bronx. Chapman had posted a 4.46 ERA in his final year with the Yankees and was left off their playoff roster after missing a team workout. He returned to quality high-leverage work after the change of scenery.
The hard-throwing southpaw owns a 2.45 ERA over 29 1/3 innings in 31 appearances. He’s striking out an eye-popping 43.4% of opponents, his highest rate since 2020. Among relievers with 20+ frames, only Orioles closer Félix Bautista is fanning hitters at a better clip. Chapman ranks eighth among that group in whiffs, picking up swinging strikes on 17.8% of his offerings.
Chapman doesn’t throw quite as hard as he had during his days with the Reds, but he’s still the hardest-throwing southpaw in the sport. He’s averaging 99.4 MPH on his four-seam fastball and throwing his slider at an 88.2 MPH clip. Both are up a couple ticks relative to last season’s level, explaining his bounceback in whiffs. Chapman has overpowered hitters from both sides of the plate, holding lefties to a .211 batting average without an extra-base hit and right-handers to a .146 average and .183 slugging mark.
The sole concern with Chapman’s production this season is inconsistent strike-throwing. He has walked 16.4% of opponents, a rate topped by only five relievers with at least 20 innings. It has been a boom-or-bust profile, with nearly three-fifths of hitters going down on strikes or taking a free pass.
Texas rolls the dice on the scattershot control to inject some needed swing-and-miss to the relief corps. Rangers relievers enter play Friday ranked 19th in MLB with a 23.1% strikeout percentage. They’re 24th with a 4.37 ERA. Texas ranks second in rotation ERA and leads the majors in run-scoring. The bullpen stood out as the obvious priority for GM Chris Young and his staff entering trade season, and they’ve started by landing one of the best relievers available.
Chapman joins Will Smith, Josh Sborz and Brock Burke in the high-leverage mix. Sborz and Smith have been excellent, while rookie Grant Anderson is off to a nice start to his MLB career. There’s still room for another addition at the back end, particularly a right-hander.
Texas will certainly further add to the roster over the coming weeks. As an impending free agent reliever, Chapman was never going to require them to dip deep into the farm system. He’s also an affordable pickup; the Rangers assume just under $2MM in remaining salary.
They’ll add a little more in incentives, as Chapman will receive $312,500 for every fifth appearance between 35 and 55 outings. Triggering all those bonuses, as he’s on pace to do, would tack on another $1.563MM. He’d land a matching $312,500 for every fourth game finished between 12 and 40; he has finished nine games thus far.
Those are relatively small margins for an aggressive Texas club. The Rangers are spending just under $201MM on player payroll, as calculated by Roster Resource. They’re up to around $224MM in luxury tax obligations, placing them roughly $9MM south of the $233MM base threshold. The Rangers have never paid the competitive balance tax, but owner Ray Davis has signed off on aggressive spending sprees in each of the past two winters to quickly push the club to the top of the AL West.
The Royals are at the opposite end of the spectrum, one of a handful of teams that are certain to miss the postseason. Kansas City has shown a willingness to sell off pieces early if they’re out of contention. They dealt Carlos Santana to the Mariners around this time last season. Chapman was rumored to be available by early June.
In Ragans, Kansas City got a pitcher they like enough to jump on a Chapman deal a few weeks early. The 25-year-old is an upper level arm who could factor into the rotation this year. The 30th overall pick in the 2016 draft, he has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past two seasons.
Ragans made nine starts last year, working to a 4.95 ERA in 40 innings. He has pitched in relief this season, tallying 24 1/3 frames of 5.92 ERA ball out of the bullpen. Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets that K.C. will send Ragans to Triple-A to build back up as a starter with an eye towards a second-half return to the big leagues.
The 6’4″ southpaw has yet to find MLB success. Alongside the mediocre ERA, he has a below-average 18.2% strikeout rate and slightly elevated 10.7% walk percentage. He owns a solid 3.64 ERA in five minor league seasons, though, striking out 29.6% of opponents along the way. His fastball has averaged a little north of 96 MPH in short stints — well above last year’s 92.1 MPH average speed out of the rotation — and prospect evaluators have long credited him with a potential plus changeup.
Whether Ragans will stick as a starter remains to be seen. Kansas City can give him some runway. The Royals’ rotation ranks 27th with a 5.43 ERA. Ragans is in his first of three minor league option seasons and won’t be eligible for arbitration until the 2025-26 offseason at the earliest. If he develops as hoped, he could work as an affordable back-end starter at Kauffman Stadium in the near future.
Cabrera is much further off. A native of the Dominican Republic, he’s a right-handed hitting outfielder who has spent the past two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. He turns 18 next month and won’t be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until after the 2026 season. Keith Law of the Athletic writes that Cabrera has some power potential and projects as a corner outfielder.
This evening’s swap is the start of what’ll likely be multiple moves of this ilk from both teams. Texas could add more bullpen help and perhaps augment the corner outfield or rotation depth. Kansas City figures to listen to offers on closer Scott Barlow and could take calls on rentals like Zack Greinke and Matt Duffy.
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