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Troy Tulowitzki Announces Retirement

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Veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has announced his retirement after 13 Major League seasons.  His full statement, as per a Yankees media release:

“I wanted to take this opportunity to announce my retirement as a Major League Baseball player.

For as long as I can remember, my dream was to compete at the highest level as a Major League Baseball Player … to wear a big league uniform and play hard for my teammates and the fans. I will forever be grateful for every day that I’ve had to live out my dream.  It has been an absolute honor.

I will always look back with tremendous gratitude for having the privilege of playing as long as I did. There is no way to truly express my gratitude to the fans of Colorado, Toronto and New York. They always made my family and I feel so welcome.

I want to thank the Yankees organization and Brian Cashman for giving me the opportunity to wear the Yankees uniform and live out another childhood dream. I wish that my health had allowed for a different ending to that chapter.

To the coaches, training staff and baseball executives who helped me in my career … I am incredibly grateful to all of you. To my teammates throughout the years, thank you for grinding with me. I truly value all the relationships that were built through this game.

None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my family and friends. To my wife, my son and my parents … you helped make my dreams come true. To my agent Paul Cohen and TWC Sports Management … thank you for taking care of everything. You all allowed me to play the game I love without distractions.

While this chapter is now over, I look forward to continuing my involvement in the game that I love … instructing and helping young players to achieve their goals and dreams. 

I’m saying goodbye to Major League Baseball, but I will never say goodbye 2 the game I love. Thanks again 2 all of you!“

Tulowitzki’s final season consisted of only five games, as he was sidelined by a calf strain early in his tenure with the Yankees.  It seems like his latest injury might have well been the last straw after a long series of ailments that have limited Tulowitzki for more or less his entire career, but particularly over the last few years.  Tulowitzki missed all of 2018 after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs from his heels, and after the Blue Jays released him in Spring Training, he caught on with the Yankees on a minor league deal in the hopes of following in the footsteps of his childhood hero Derek Jeter as New York’s shortstop.

One can’t discuss Tulowitzki’s career without mentioning his injury history, as he played more than 130 games just three times over his 13 seasons.  It’s quite possible that a healthy Tulowitzki could have potentially garnered himself some consideration as a Hall-of-Famer.  On the other hand, a more optimistic view is that given all of his health issues, the fact that Tulowitzki was still able to perform as well as he did is extraordinary.

Selected by the Rockies seventh overall in the 2005 draft, Tulowitzki will long be remembered for his glory days in Colorado.  “Tulo” racked up five All-Star appearances, two Silver Slugger Awards, two Gold Gloves and a pair of fifth-place NL MVP finishes over his 10 seasons and 1048 games in Rockies purple.  He was also a second-place finisher in NL Rookie Of The Year voting in 2007, as Tulowitzki’s emergence was a major factor in the vaunted “Rocktober” team that virtually ran the table down the stretch and through the postseason en route to a surprise NL pennant and the only World Series appearance in Colorado’s franchise history.

After signing a pair of long-term contract extensions with the Rockies, Tulowitzki seemed like a Rox lifer before a blockbuster trade deadline deal that sent him to the Blue Jays in July 2015.  Though Tulowitzki was openly surprised and even dismayed to be leaving his longtime team, Tulowitzki nevertheless helped stabilize Toronto’s shortstop situation as the Jays reached the ALCS in both 2015 and 2016.

Over his entire career, Tulowitzki will finish with a .290/.361/.495 slash line and 225 career home runs.  Like most hitters, Tulowitzki enjoyed a boost from playing the bulk of his home games at Coors Field, though his career 118 OPS+ and 119 wRC+ indicate that he was certainly an above-average offensive player full stop.

Tulowitzki earned slightly less than $164MM over the course of his career, as per Baseball Reference.  This includes the remainder of his current contract, which runs through the end of the 2020 season and the bulk of which is being covered by the Blue Jays after their release of the shortstop.

We at MLB Trade Rumors wish Tulowitzki our congratulations on an outstanding playing career, and we wish him the best in his future role teaching the next generations of players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Blake Snell To Undergo Elbow Surgery, Miss At Least Four Weeks

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Rays ace Blake Snell is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery in his left elbow, as per The Athletic’s Josh Tolentino (subscription required).  The procedure will remove some a loose body from Snell’s elbow and will cost the southpaw at least four weeks of action, though he and the Rays “are confident he will pitch again this season.”

While Snell hasn’t been as dominant this year as he was during his Cy Young Award-winning 2018 season, Snell was still posting good numbers.  In fact, as per ERA predictors such as xFIP (3.16 in 2018, 3.23 in 2019) and SIERA (3.30 in 2018, 3.50 in 2019), Snell was pitching just as well this season as he did last year.  An increase in home run rate, however, has ballooned Snell’s ERA to 4.28 this season, plus he hasn’t gotten the strand rate and BABIP benefits that he enjoyed in 2018.

Overall, the left-hander has a 4.28 ERA, 12.1 K/9, and 3.89 K/BB rate over 101 frames this year, and he has been on a particular run of good form over his last four starts.  The Rays have been able to stay competitive in the wild card race even without Snell at the top of his game, so it’s a particularly tough bit of news for the team that Snell will hit the injured list just as he has been getting his season on track.

With Snell out, Charlie Morton now stands as the only full-time healthy starting pitcher on the Tampa Bay roster.  Yonny Chirinos has started most of his appearances but has also worked as a bulk pitcher behind an opener, while Tyler Glasnow is on the IL himself with a forearm problem and there is at least some doubt as to whether he’ll be able to return before season’s end.

Brendan McKay is probably the likeliest candidate to replace Snell, as the two-way star was optioned back to Triple-A last week following an impressive four-start beginning to his MLB career.  McKay has already pitched 86 innings between the minors and big leagues this year, however, and since his previous season-high was only 78 1/3 frames (in 2018), Tampa isn’t likely to push McKay’s arm too much as a long-term answer this year.

In theory, McKay (with some judicious innings-management and some openers picking up the slack) could fill in long enough for Snell to get healthy.  As Tolentino notes, Nathan Eovaldi ended up missing three months after undergoing a similar elbow procedure earlier this season, and while situations obviously vary from player to player, Snell’s four-week recovery timeline shouldn’t be set in stone.

As the trade deadline approaches, the Rays could seek out some pitching help, at least a second-tier veteran arm simply as an innings-eater to bail out the rotation while Snell recovers.  Tampa Bay has been loath, however, to acquire such pitchers over the last two years, preferring to rely on in-house answers and their opener strategy rather than an innings-eater type.  Being in the heat of a postseason race could adjust the Rays’ perspective, of course, particularly if a traditional starter could be had at a relatively low price.  Alternatively, the Rays could also opt to make a big splash for a front-of-the-rotation type of arm, if they’re willing to give up the big prospect package such a hurler would naturally cost.

Astros To Activate Carlos Correa, Designate Tony Kemp For Assignment

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The Astros will designate second baseman/outfielder Tony Kemp for assignment tomorrow in order to open a roster spot for Carlos Correa, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic tweets. Correa is set to return from the 60-day injured list after missing two months due to a broke rib.

Entering the season, the roster status of Kemp and Tyler White were both in question. Both players are out of minor league options and were rumored to be possible trade candidates as a result, but Houston opted to carry each on the roster for the first two thirds of the season. White, however, was designated for assignment recently and is reportedly headed to the Dodgers in a trade. Kemp, too, will lose his roster spot and now seems a logical candidate to be included in a trade for pitching help in the next six days.

Kemp, 27, has turned in a .227/.308/.417 batting line with seven homers, six doubles, two triples and four stolen bases in 186 trips to the plate so far in 2019. He’s a relatively high-contact hitter (career 16 percent strikeout rate) with a bit of speed and pop who is capable of handling second base and left field. His lack of minor league options may limit his appeal among some contending clubs, but the fact that he’s controlled for another four seasons will surely hold appeal to rebuilding clubs. It’s also possible that a contending team such as the Cubs, who are looking for a contact-oriented bat and recently optioned Addison Russell, could be intrigued by Kemp’s skill set.

The decision to cut ties with Kemp is seemingly a vote of confidence in the younger Myles Straw, who can occupy a similar role with a similar skill set moving forward. Straw has batted .256/.376/.321 in 94 plate appearances with the Astros this season and is capable of playing shortstop, second base or the outfield. Unlike Kemp, he also has minor league options remaining, which gives the Astros some additional roster fluidity down the stretch. Houston’s ability to manipulate its roster has been somewhat limited this season by virtue of carrying a pair of out-of-options players, but that won’t be the case any longer.

The return of Correa, of course, is a major boon to a lineup that already ranks as one of the game’s most fearsome. The former No. 1 overall draft pick was excelling to the tune of a .295/.360/.547 batting line and 11 home runs through 214 plate appearances at the time he suffered one of the most bizarre injuries of any player in recent memory. Correa sustained a broken rib while receiving a massage at his home, and the injury ultimately cost him 50 games of his season.

Dodgers To Acquire Tyler White

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The Dodgers are acquiring corner infielder Tyler White from the Astros, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). White, who is out of minor league options, was designated for assignment by Houston last week. The Dodgers are sending righty Andre Scrubb to the Astros in the trade, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (Twitter link).

White, 28, was excellent for the Astros in a limited role from 2017-18 when he batted .277/.349/.531 with 15 homers, 18 doubles and three triples through 304 plate appearances. He was particularly a nuisance against left-handed pitching, slashing .299/.407/.642 in that time. White hasn’t done much against lefties or righties so far in 2019, though. Given a much larger role with the team, he’s managed only a .225/.320/.330 output at the plate. With the emergence of Yordan Alvarez and several injured Astros returning from the IL, there simply wasn’t room on the Houston roster for White.

The Dodgers recently lost a right-handed bat for the foreseeable future when Chris Taylor landed on the injured list with a fractured forearm. While White can’t match Taylor’s defensive versatility, he’s an affordable alternative with .780 OPS (112 wRC+) against left-handed pitching. And with so many other versatile defenders on the roster, the Dodgers likely don’t mind White’s limited defensive skill set as much.

In Scrubb, Houston will acquire a 24-year-old right-hander who is in the midst of a solid season with Double-A Tulsa. The Dodgers’ eighth-round pick in 2016, he’s pitched to a 2.45 ERA with 10.6 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, 0.57 HR/9 and a 53.4 percent ground-ball rate in 47 2/3 innings of work. He’s yet to pitch at the Triple-A level, but Scrubb has a 2.34 ERA and better than 10 punchouts per nine innings in 57 career frames at the Double-A level, suggesting that he could be a near-term bullpen option for the Astros — if not late in the 2019 season then at some point in 2020.

Twins Designate Blake Parker For Assignment

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The Twins announced that they’ve designated right-hander Blake Parker for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to veteran righty Carlos Torres, who signed a minor league contract last month and will have his contract selected from Triple-A Rochester. Minnesota has also optioned right-hander Kohl Stewart to Rochester and recalled lefty Devin Smeltzer in his place.

Parker, 34, was non-tendered by the Angels last fall despite putting up a 2.90 ERA in his two seasons there. The Minnesota org scooped him up for a $1.8MM guarantee. There were a series of roster bonuses that kicked off beginning 130 days into the season, a point less than two weeks away. While the Twins won’t owe any of the extra contemplated cash, they’ll be on the hook for the remainder of the salary unless another club takes over the contract or partially offsets what is owed by eventually bringing Parker onto their roster at a league-minimum rate of pay.

Though Parker seemed a reasonable risk for that rate of pay, he was probably miscast from the outset as a part of the team’s closer mix. He did pick up ten saves before being elbowed out of the ninth for good. Befitting a club that is turning over relief arms at a rapid pace in advance of the trade deadline, Parker was still trusted to work the eighth of a tight game just days ago.

After picking up a hold on Saturday against the A’s, Parker owned a 3.25 ERA on the season. But he was shredded for four earned runs while recording just one out yesterday, in what was in all likelihood his final appearance for the Twins this year. That left Parker with a cumulative 4.21 ERA through 36 1/3 innings on the season. The peripherals never inspired much confidence. He’s carrying 8.4 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 with seven long balls on the ledger. As it did last year, Statcast identified a worrying volume of hard contact. The batted-ball profile indicated that Parker has actually been somewhat fortunate (.333 wOBA vs. .360 xwOBA).

The 36-year-old Torres is back in the bigs once again after forgettable and brief stints in each of the past two seasons. He’s a ten-year MLB veteran but hasn’t had a full and effective campaign since 2016. Torres has been generating good outcomes this year at Triple-A, though, with a 2.79 ERA in 48 1/3 frames at the top affiliates of the Tigers, Padres, and Twins.

Angels Release Matt Harvey

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July 23: Harvey is now officially a free agent after clearing waivers, the Angels announced.

July 21: The Angels have requested unconditional release waivers on right-handed pitcher Matt Harvey, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. The move comes after Harvey was designated for assignment on Friday.

Thus continues a frustrating season for Harvey, who earned an $11MM contract from the Halos, representing an opportunity to re-establish himself as a viable rotation option after injuries derailed his career. Unfortunately, though, the contract has been a disaster for the playoff-hopeful Angels, who have by all measures received negative value from their one-year investment: Harvey’s ERA has ballooned to 7.09, the worst of his career. Other indicators paint a similar picture: with a 6.36 FIP and a .390 xwOBA, the Angels had little reason to continue trotting Harvey out to the mound every fifth day.

Harvey has seen his fastball velocity take yet another step back this season, continuing a trend that began after his peak in 2013. In 2019, Harvey’s fastball has averaged 93.68 mph per Brooks Baseball, a far cry from the 96.96 mark he posted in his All-Star season. While the former number still comes in slightly above average, the declining velocity mirrors an overall trend in Harvey’s performance, with his strikeout rate declining to a career-worst 14.7%. That, coupled with a walk rate that is likewise trending in the wrong direction, has led to an abysmal 1.34 K:BB ratio.

With his Angels tenure now in the rear-view, it will be intriguing to monitor Harvey’s status in free agency. Given the prodigious success that he enjoyed early in his career, it seems likely that several teams will have interest in taking a flyer on the veteran, especially at a much more affordable price; in light of his recent performance, Harvey may only garner a minor-league deal. Perhaps teams would be interested in converting Harvey to a bullpen role in hopes that his stuff would play up, though it’s unclear if Harvey himself would be open to such a change. The Mets experimented with Harvey as a reliever prior to his departure in 2018, though he only made four appearances, making it hard to draw any conclusions about his viability out of the bullpen.

Brewers To Place Brandon Woodruff On 10-Day IL Due To Oblique Injury

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TODAY: Skipper Craig Counsell says the organization anticipates about a six-week absence, as Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel was among those to cover on Twitter. More will be known after the club learns the results of a full examination and MRi today.

YESTERDAY: The Brewers are placing Brandon Woodruff on the 10-day injured list after the right-hander suffered a left oblique injury during today’s game.  (Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel was among those to report the news.)  Woodruff was two pitches into the fourth inning of today’s start against Arizona when he suffered the injury, and left the game after a visit from the team trainer.

An MRI is scheduled for Monday to determine the extent of the injury, though the best-case scenario is at least a couple of weeks on the IL.  Depending on the severity, many oblique injuries usually require a month or more of recovery time, so the Brewers could potentially be without arguably their best starting pitcher for much (or all) of the pennant race.

Woodruff emerged as both a starter and a multi-inning bullpen weapon for the Brewers down the stretch and into the postseason last year, and earned enough trust from Milwaukee brass to begin the season in the rotation.  That decision proved to be a great one, as Woodruff ended up earning a spot on the NL All-Star team.  Including today’s abbreviated outing against the D’Backs, Woodruff has posted a 3.75 ERA, 10.4 K/9 and only a 2.22 K/BB rate over 117 2/3 innings in 2019.  As per Statcast numbers, he has been one of the league’s best pitchers at limiting exit velocity and hard-hit contract, holding opposing batters to a .286 xwOBA.

Woodruff has been a stabilizing force within a Brewers rotation that has generally delivered middle-of-the-pack numbers this year.  Among the most frustrating parts of Woodruff’s injury was that Milwaukee’s starters were beginning to show signs of rounding into form as a whole, as Gio Gonzalez was back from an IL stint and Chase Anderson has quietly re-established himself as a solid starter after beginning the season in the bullpen.  Zach Davies has also continued to pitch well in terms of bottom-line results, posting a 2.79 ERA despite some questionable advanced metrics.  In terms of a short-term replacement for Woodruff, Adrian Houser is likely the top choice to pick up starts in Woodruff’s place, though a pair of upcoming off-days on the schedule means that a fifth starter likely won’t be needed until sometime next week.

Today’s news will only intensify the Brewers’ search for pitching at the trade deadline, as the team had already been linked to such names as Madison Bumgarner, Zack Wheeler, and Noah Syndergaard on the starter front, and the Giants’ Will Smith as a potential bullpen upgrade.  Despite some unimpressive play in recent weeks, the Brewers are still in possession of an NL wild card berth, and are two games behind the Cubs for first place in the NL Central.  GM David Stearns said earlier this week that his club was planning to be deadline buyers, though left the door to perhaps standing pat (or at least not making any major splashes) unless the Brewers started to string together some wins.  Today’s win over the D’Backs gave Milwaukee five victories in its last six games.

Giants Designate Derek Holland, Ryder Jones

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The Giants have designated left-hander Derek Holland for assignment, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. In addition, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Ryder Jones has also been designated for assignment, clearing a second spot on the Giants’ 40-man roster.

Holland, formerly with the Rangers and White Sox, joined the Giants entering 2018 on a minor league contract. He was coming off multiple rough seasons at the time, but Holland made his way to San Francisco last year and enjoyed a career renaissance. Holland’s output a year ago was enough to convince new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi to make the 32-year-old his most expensive free-agent signing in a modest winter for the club.

The Giants inked Holland to a one-year, $7MM guarantee with a matching club option for 2020. They’re now likely have to eat the approximately $2.67MM remaining on Holland’s deal, as it’s difficult to believe a team would take on him and his money in light of the subpar production he has put up this season.

Holland got off to such a poor start out of the Giants’ rotation this season that they shifted him to their bullpen. Neither job has worked out that well in 2019 for Holland, though. Across 68 2/3 innings, Holland has pitched to a 5.90 ERA/6.08 FIP with 9.31 K/9, 4.59 BB/9 and a 41.4 percent groundball rate. Home runs helped lead to the death of Holland’s Giants tenure, as he yielded them on 23 percent of fly balls this year en route to his designation. He did, however, stymie same-handed hitters, who batted .182/.276/.195 against him. With that in mind, perhaps a team will take a chance on Holland as a LOOGY. Regardless, his next deal will likely be of the minor league variety.

Jones, meanwhile, has largely failed to live up to expectations after the Giants made him a second-round draft selection in 2013. With just four home runs and a .133 ISO in his Major League career, he has yet to show the power that is necessary for a lumbering corner infielder. Jones’s struggles this season—the first under Zaidi—may have sealed his fate; the 25-year-old has managed just a .529 OPS across several levels of the minor leagues, though injuries have limited his availability, having appeared in just 12 games. Jones could be an intriguing case for teams eyeing the waiver wire, given his draft history, age, and raw power.

Padres To Promote Adrian Morejon

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The Padres will promote Double-A left-hander Adrian Morejon to the majors Saturday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports. The club’s 40-man roster is full, so it will need to make a corresponding move to clear a spot for Morejon.

Now 20, Morejon is three years removed from joining the Padres for a whopping $11MM bonus as an international free agent out of Cuba. Morejon has been somewhat injury plagued since signing that deal, ESPN’s Keith Law recently noted (subscription required), yet he’s still considered one of the game’s most exciting farmhands. Both Baseball America (No. 46) and MLB.com (No. 49) rank Morejon among the majors’ 50 best prospects. In their free scouting report, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com laud Morejon’s arsenal – which includes a mid- to high-90s fastball, two above-average kinds of changeups and a curveball – and add he could become a mid-rotation starter or better in the majors.

Morejon will work out of the bullpen in his first major league action, according to Lin, as he’s not stretched out to start in the bigs at this juncture. He has combined for just 36 innings in 16 appearances this year at the Double-A level, where he has posted a 4.25 ERA/3.69 FIP with 11.0 K/9, 3.75 BB/9 and a 50.6 percent groundball rate.

Morejon’s presence will give the slumping Padres a second lefty reliever to join Matt Strahm in a righty-heavy relief setup. In the event he stays up through the season, Morejon will accrue 71 days of service time.

Astros Designate Tyler White

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The Astros have designated first baseman/DH Tyler White for assignment, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets. Right-hander Jose Urquidy will come up from Triple-A Round Rock to take White’s 25-man roster spot.

An Astro since they chose him in the 33rd round of the 2013 draft, White made his major league debut in 2016, during which he struggled in a small sample of work. However, White showed flashes of excellence from 2017-18 – a 304-plate appearance span in which he slashed .277/.349/.531 (140 wRC+) with 15 home runs.

Houston’s hope was that White would carry that production over to this season in a larger role, but the 28-year-old has instead been one of the worst regulars in its lineup. Prior to his designation, White hit .225/.320/.330 (81 wRC+) with three homers in 253 trips to the plate. Most of the right-handed White’s struggles have come against opposite-handed pitchers, who have held him to an unplayable .162/.267/.243 line in 86 PA.

White has seen a significant amount of action at first and DH this year, but he ran out of rope with the Astros having begun to get injured players back recently. A healthy Astros club will boast Yuli Gurriel at first, Yordan Alvarez at DH, Jose Altuve at second, Carlos Correa at shortstop and Alex Bregman at third. Correa has been out since late May with a fractured rib, while backup infielder Aledmys Diaz has been down for the same amount of time on account of a strained hamstring. Their absences have led the Astros to often deploy Gurriel at third and Bregman at short. However, both Correa and Diaz should return to Houston’s roster soon. Meanwhile, reserves Myles Straw and Tony Kemp have fared much better than White this season.

White could land with another team via trade or waivers within the next week, but the fact that he’s out of minor league options might work against him. If White passes through waivers, the Astros will have an opportunity to outright him to the minors. Should Houston lose White, though, he’d become the second once-promising first baseman/DH to exit the organization this month. The Astros previously designated AJ Reed, whom the White Sox claimed.

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