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Reds Claim Freddy Galvis

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The Reds have claimed shortstop Freddy Galvis off waivers from the Blue Jays, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.

This is the second notable waiver claim in the past week for the Reds, who are taking advantage of a system now devoid of an August trade deadline in an attempt to bolster their roster. The Reds grabbed right-hander Kevin Gausman off waivers from the Braves last Monday.

Gausman and Galvis could boost the Reds’ playoff chances this year – they’re five games back of a wild-card spot right now – and will be able to contribute to the club in 2020. In Galvis’ case, he’s on a $4MM salary this year, which the Reds will have to assume the rest of, and can be controlled with a $5.5MM club option (or a $1MM buyout) next season.

Also a former Phillie and Padre, the durable, switch-hitting Galvis, 29, has slashed a respectable .267/.299/.444 (93 wRC+) with 18 home runs and 1.4 fWAR in 473 plate appearances this year. He was expendable to the Blue Jays, who have seen youngsters Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio come up from the minors this season to grab a stranglehold on their middle infield spots.

The Reds’ middle infield doesn’t boast the type of promise the Blue Jays’ does, on the other hand. Free agent-to-be Jose Iglesias has been dealing with a biceps injury, which has left shortstop of late to the struggling Jose Peraza, and the light-hitting Iglesias’ offensive numbers have largely cratered since a decent start over the season’s first couple months. Meanwhile, having traded Scooter Gennett to the Giants at last month’s deadline, the Reds have turned to a combination of Peraza, Josh VanMeter, Kyle Farmer and Derek Dietrich at the keystone in the past couple weeks. Perhaps Galvis will also factor in at second, though he has spent almost all of his career at short since debuting in 2012.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mets Sign Joe Panik

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1:10pm: Panik’s going to the Mets, Heyman tweets. They just have to clear a roster spot for him.

10:11am: The Mets are “expected to sign” second baseman Joe Panik, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports (Mike Anthony of MetsmerizedOnline.com first reported the news). Panik will first need to clear waivers, which will occur at 1 p.m. ET, but that looks like a formality. He should join the Mets for Friday night’s game, per Andy Martino of SNY.

It’ll go down as a short stay without a team for Panik, whom the Giants designated for assignment Tuesday and then subsequently released. Because no one will take on Panik via waivers, the Giants will have to pay him the balance of his $3.8MM salary. The Mets will be able to add him for a prorated league-minimum salary.

Panik, 28, was a quality producer as a Giant from 2014-17, but his production has cratered since the beginning of last season. He has slashed just .245/.308/.325 with seven home runs in 780 plate appearances going back to 2018, giving him the majors’ fourth-worst wRC+ (72) among hitters with at least 700 PA. Panik remains a bear to strike out (9.8 K rate, 9.3 BB percentage), but that wasn’t enough to keep him in San Francisco. When the Giants acquired fellow second basemen Scooter Gennett and Mauricio Dubon at last week’s trade deadline, it sealed Panik’s fate with the franchise.

Panik, a Yonkers native who attended St. John’s University, will now try to bounce back in the familiar surroundings of New York. The Mets have an opening at second now that Robinson Cano’s dealing with a hamstring tear. The Cano injury is one of the few things to go wrong of late for the hard-charging Mets, who’ve gone from laughingstocks to serious playoff contenders in a matter of weeks. Winners of 13 of 14, the Mets suddenly own a 59-56 record and sit a mere half-game back in a congested National League wild-card race.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jays Claim Zack Godley

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TODAY: The Jays officially added Godley to the active roster, optioning right-hander Brock Stewart to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

YESTERDAY: The Blue Jays have claimed righty Zack Godley off waivers from the Diamondbacks, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Toronto will owe Godley the remainder of his $609K salary.

It’s easy to see why the Jays took a shot on the 29-year-old Godley. In need of some additional arms to finish out the season, there’s no harm in giving him an opportunity. And the club could tender Godley a contract for 2020 if he manages to bounce back.

Make no mistake, though: it has been a rough campaign to this point for Godley. His strikeout rate has plummeted to just 6.9 K/9 after sitting at better than a batter-per-inning in the prior two seasons. Godley is giving up more homers than he had in those immediately preceding campaigns as well. The result: a 6.39 ERA over 76 innings.

A mid-season move to a multi-inning relief role did help, as Godley’s velocity turned up a bit. He held opposing hitters to a .218/.297/.414 batting line and posted an improved 28:13 K/BB ratio. But he was also tagged for seven long balls and a 4.62 ERA in his 37 relief frames.

Godley is just two years removed from an excellent 2017 campaign and also posted reasonably promising peripherals last year. But he’ll have to figure some things out if he’s to get back on an upward trajectory. Rediscovering some of the lost velo would help. He’s generating swinging-strikes at a significantly lower rate than he did in his ’17 effort (10.1% vs. 13.3%), with the difference residing almost entirely in the fact that hitters have made way more contact on pitches out of the zone. His groundball rate has sagged from 55.3% at its peak to to just 43.0% this year.

Diamondbacks Designate Greg Holland, Reinstate Blake Swihart

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4:30pm: Arizona has announced Holland’s DFA and reinstated Blake Swihart from the 60-day injured list, thus filling his spot on the 25-man and 40-man rosters.

10:07am: The Diamondbacks will designate veteran reliever Greg Holland for assignment, according to Robert Murray of The Athletic (via Twitter). Holland cannot be traded out of DFA limbo but can be claimed by a rival organization.

It’s somewhat difficult, but not impossible, to imagine another club stepping into the shoes of the Holland contract. He’s due the remainder of a $3.25MM guarantee and is also in line to pick up some added bonuses. Having already finished 27 games over forty appearances, Holland is already owed an additional $650K by the Snakes. He can still earn another $100K upon throwing in his 45th and 50th games along with $200K apiece if he reaches 55 and 60. There are also additional potential earnings for further games finished — not that a contender would be likely to utilize Holland in the ninth inning.

If he clears waivers, the 33-year-old Holland will either be released or have the right to elect free agency by virtue of his service time. Regardless, the D-Backs would remain on the hook for all that’s still owed to Holland — except for a pro-rated portion of the league-minimum salary for any time the veteran spends pitching for another team.

Holland seemed to be humming along nicely through June, at which point he had secured a dozen saves and thrown 27 innings of 2.33 ERA ball. As we explained when the struggles began, there were plenty of warning signs of good old-fashioned regression but no particular indications that Holland would completely fall apart.

The situation has simply not improved since. Over his 8 2/3 frames of work since the calendar flipped to July, Holland has dished out eleven free passes to go with nine strikeouts. Opposing batters have plated eleven earned runs. And though he posted a run of five consecutive saves in the midst of that stretch, Holland was removed from the ninth after a pair of brutal late-July appearances against the Marlins.

Even as the results have suffered, Holland has seen his velocity embark upon a steady downturn — with a corresponding decline in the swings and misses against his four-seamer. That fact will surely weigh heavily in the minds of organization’s considering a move for the once-great closer, who has had some stretches of good work in recent years while struggling to maintain consistency.

Cubs Sign Jonathan Lucroy

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4:23pm: The Cubs announced the signing. Davis has been optioned to Triple-A to open a roster spot, and Lucroy will join the team tomorrow.

2:25pm: The Cubs are set to sign catcher Jonathan Lucroy following his release by the Angels, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this week that Chicago had interest in Lucroy after he’d been designated for assignment by the Halos.

Jonathan Lucroy | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Cubs dealt away Martin Maldonado prior to the trade deadline but suddenly found themselves with a unexpected need for help behind the plate when Willson Contreras went down with a hamstring injury that is expected to cost him four weeks of action. Lucroy will step in and share catching duties with Victor Caratini in Contreras’ absence.

Lucroy, now 33, was a thorn in the side of the Cubs and their fanbase for when he was one of the best all-around catchers and a two-time All-Star for the division-rival Brewers. Those days are a distant memory at this point, however, as Lucroy has seen both his bat and his defensive skills erode in recent seasons. Dating back to 2017, he’s authored a well below-average .250/.317/.353 batting line despite spending ample time in hitter-friendly settings in Colorado and Texas (78 OPS+).

Defensively speaking, Lucroy was among the game’s best at preventing steals in 2016 (39 percent), but he’s been league average in the three subsequent seasons. His once-elite framing numbers now check in below the league average, and Baseball Prospectus rates Lucroy as the game’s weakest pitch blocker.

It’s not a terribly appealing profile, especially relative to Lucroy’s peak years, but he’s an experienced backstop who can at the very least be considered an upgrade over current backup Taylor Davis. Caratini was also spiked in the hand in last night’s game, though he didn’t come out of the game and the Cubs have given no reason to be concerned about a trip to the injured list for the young switch-hitter.

Lucroy will only cost the Cubs the prorated portion of the league minimum — about $158K between now and season’s end. The Angels will be spared that sum but remain on the hook for the remaining $797K or so of Lucroy’s $3.35MM base salary this season. Lucroy will be a free agent once again this offseason.

Jonathan Lucroy Clears Release Waivers

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Aug. 7: Lucroy has cleared release waivers, the Angels announced. He’s now a free agent and can sign with any team for the prorated league minimum.

Aug. 5: The Angels announced today that they have requested release waivers on veteran backstop Jonathan Lucroy. He had been designated for assignment recently.

Any team can place a claim on the veteran backstop, stepping into his contract rights if awarded. The order of priority is based upon inverse record, without reference to league.

Lucroy, 33, is guaranteed $3.35MM this season, so it’s far from certainly any team will choose to take on the remainder of what’s owed. But that’s the surest way to gain control over a player during the month of August. If Lucroy clears waivers, interested orgs will be competing for his services based upon opportunity and any other considerations he values (location, for instance).

While Lucroy struggled badly at the plate with the Halos, sporting an ugly .242/.310/.371 batting line, he remains a trustworthy veteran receiver. For a team that needs depth, an improved backup situation, or a temporary replacement, there may not be a better option.

Giants Designate Joe Panik For Assignment

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The Giants announced Tuesday that they’ve designated second baseman Joe Panik for assignment and optioned lefty Sam Selman to Triple-A Sacramento. Southpaws Conner Menez and Williams Jerez were recalled from Sacramento in their place.

Panik’s future with the Giants looked to be in question when the club not only acquired well-regarded second base prospect Mauricio Dubon from the Brewers but also veteran second bagger Scooter Gennett from the Reds. Panik, a former first-round pick, has been the Giants’ regular second baseman since debuting in 2014 but has seen his production crater over the past two seasons. In 780 plate appearances dating back to 2018, he’s managed only a .245/.308/.325 batting line.

Injuries have hampered Panik’s career in recent seasons, as he’s missed time due to thumb, groin and back injuries in addition to (most notably) multiple concussions. Panik made the 2015 All-Star team when he hit .312/.378/.455, but he’s never come close to replicating those offensive heights. He’d have been a non-tender candidate this winter by virtue of the fact that he’d be in line for a raise on this season’s $3.8MM salary.

Normally, the Giants would have a week to trade Panik or put him on outright or release waivers. However, with the elimination of August trades, San Francisco’s only recourse will be to waive Panik — likely in the hopes that another club will save them some money by claiming the remainder of his salary. Panik is owed about $1.12MM through season’s end, and any team to claim him would be responsible for the entirety of that sum. If he goes unclaimed, Panik can become a free agent without forfeiting any of that salary. At that point, any team to sign him would only owe him the prorated league minimum through the end of the year — about $164K.

There’s an obvious connection between the Mets, who have lost Robinson Cano to the injured list, and the New York-born Panik. Whether the Mets deem him an upgrade over internal options, based on his past two seasons of play, remains to be seen though. New York could simply slide Jeff McNeil from the outfield back to second base and pursue an additional outfielder, which figure to be in greater supply in the coming weeks.

Tim Beckham Receives 80-Game PED Suspension

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Mariners infielder Tim Beckham has been suspended for eighty games under the MLB-MLBPA Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, according to a league announcement. The league says that Beckham tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug Stanozolol.

The 29-year-old Beckham was the first overall pick of the 2008 draft. He joined the Seattle organization on a one-year, $1.75MM contract over the winter after struggling last season with the Orioles.

In a statement, Beckham places the blame on a “tainted” substance he was given by “a trusted source.” (Twitter link via MLBPA.) But his appeal to the league was already considered and rejected.

Beckham had been in the midst of a solid bounceback season. He has continued to struggle to reach base consistently, but made up for that with sufficient pop to produce at a league-average rate. Over 328 plate appearances in Seattle, he owns a .237/.293/.461 slash with 15 home runs.

It had seemed that Beckham was a candidate to be traded at the deadline — or, perhaps, to move via waiver claim this month. Instead, he’ll spend the rest of the year on the restricted list and seek a new chance next year. Beckham will still have to sit out for 32 games to begin the 2020 season.

Nationals To Sign Asdrubal Cabrera

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Not long after his formal release by the Rangers, veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera has agreed to join the Nationals, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). It’s a major-league deal, per the report.

Because Cabrera was cut loose, the Rangers will remain obligated to him for the remainder of his $3.5MM salary. But they’ll save a pro-rated portion of the league minimum for whatever time Cabrera remains with the Nats.

It has been a few years, but Cabrera is a familiar face in D.C. He spent the last few months of the 2014 season with the club after a trade from the Indians, his long-time team. Cabrera has appeared with four additional teams in the intervening years.

The match is a clear one given the current roster demands faced by the Nationals. Howie Kendrick just joined Ryan Zimmerman on the injured list, leaving the team with light-hitting utilityman Adrian Sanchez as its lone reserve infielder.

It remains to be seen whether Cabrera will be a temporary fill-in or key roster piece down the stretch. His performance will no doubt help dictate the situation.

The switch-hitting Cabrera will be looking to bounce back from a brutal run with the Rangers. Not only did he limp to a .235/.318/.393 batting output, one of the worst extended runs of his career, but Cabrera was actually fortunate to post those numbers in light of the low-quality contact he made (.308 wOBA, .287 xwOBA).

Reds Claim Kevin Gausman

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1:00pm: The teams have announced the move. Atlanta also announced that Mike Foltynewicz is up from Triple-A Gwinnett, so he’ll take Gausman’s spot in the rotation.

12:25pm: The Reds have claimed right-hander Kevin Gausman off outright waivers from the Braves, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That’s not to be mistaken with the now-defunct revocable August trade waivers, to be clear. The claim means that Gausman is now a member of the Reds, who by claiming him are agreeing to take on the remainder of the right-hander’s $9.35MM salary — a sum of about $2.815MM between now and season’s end.

Cincinnati is obviously banking on a return to form following a change of scenery, as Gausman is mired in the worst season of his big league career. The former No. 4 overall draft pick (Orioles, 2012) joined Atlanta last season in a deadline trade that saw Atlanta take on the remainder of Darren O’Day’s salary while also shipping out international bonus allotments and minor leaguers Brett Cumberland, JC Encarnacion, Bruce Zimmermann and Evan Phillips.

Gausman performed admirably down the stretch in 2018 and was a big part of the Braves’ rotation (2.87 ERA in 59 2/3 innings), but he’s been among the league’s least effective pitchers in 2019. Through 80 innings, he’s pitched to a 6.19 earned run average with 9.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.35 HR/9 and a career-low 37 percent ground-ball rate.

There’s little denying that Gausman has had his share of poor fortune in 2019. His .345 average on balls in play is well north of both his career mark (.313) and the league average (.299), and his 59.3 percent strand rate appears fluky and due for some positive regression toward his lifetime mark of 74.1 percent. Fielding-independent metrics peg him as a candidate for considerable improvement (4.20 FIP, 4.40 SIERA, 4.47 xFIP).

Gausman’s average fastball velocity (93.8 mph) is down from its 95 mph peak, however, and he’s allowing line drives at a career-worst 24.7 percent clip. Opposing hitters are barreling up Gausman’s offerings at a higher rate than ever before, per Statcast, and the increased number of hard-hit balls in the air has come back to bite him.

The Reds don’t appear to have an immediate need for starting pitching, with Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer, Sonny Gray, Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood all in the rotation at the moment. It’s possible that Cincinnati could utilize Gausman out of the bullpen or deploy a six-man rotation to keep their arms fresh down the stretch.

The move could very well have been made with an eye toward 2020 as well — as was the case with their acquisition of Bauer. Gausman is controllable via arbitration for the third and final time this winter, although at present he looks like a potential non-tender candidate. Still, perhaps a strong showing to the season will convince the Cincinnati front office that Gausman is deserving of the $10MM+ salary he’d command in arbitration this offseason. If he is able to return to form, Gausman would slot in fourth behind the formidable trio of Bauer, Castillo and Gray.

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