Dodgers Considering Promoting Julio Urias
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says the team is considering promoting one of baseball’s top prospects, lefty Julio Urias, to join its bullpen, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets. “We’re looking through options and (Julio) Urias is definitely at the top of the list,” Hoornstra says. The team could also promote Jharel Cotton or Jose De Leon instead, however, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles times notes (also on Twitter).
Urias has been dominant in the rotation at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season even though he’s still just 19. The lefty has pitched 24 innings so far, posting a 1.88 ERA while whiffing 29 and walking just three. Via MLB.com, Urias rates as the second-best prospect in baseball. Heading into the season, Baseball America rated Urias fourth, while ESPN’s Keith Law rated him fifth. MLB.com notes that Urias throws in the 91-94 MPH range, can throw as hard as 97 MPH, has good secondary pitches, and could eventually become an ace.
Urias joined the Dodgers organization in 2012 and has rocketed through the minors since then, making stunningly quick work of the lower levels and reaching Triple-A in his age-18 season. He has a career 2.81 ERA, 10.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 and has spent almost his entire minor-league career as a starter, the role he figures to occupy in the big leagues over the long term.
Of course, the reason the Dodgers are considering promoting Urias right now is because they need help in their bullpen, as the team has struggled to find trustworthy relief help beyond closer Kenley Jansen. Promoting Urias to help in relief would allow him to limit his innings for the season and ease his transition to the big leagues. If they were to promote him and he were to stick, he would likely become eligible for arbitration after the 2018 season and for free agency after 2022.
Garrett Richards Requires Tommy John Surgery; Andrew Heaney Has UCL Damage
12:10pm: Angels GM Billy Eppler tells reporters that Heaney was examined by multiple doctors, with opinions ranging from “normal wear and tear” to “some degree of tear.” (Twitter links via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) For the time being, at least, Eppler said that Heaney will not undergo Tommy John surgery. Heaney, instead, is “opting for conservative care like other pitchers have done.”
MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez, meanwhile, tweets that sources tell him that Tommy John surgery for Richards is “inevitable” due to the degree of the tear in his elbow.
9:26am: In a stunning bombshell that casts considerable doubt on the Angels’ ability to contend this season, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reports that both ace Garrett Richards and left-hander Andrew Heaney have damaged ulnar collateral ligaments in their pitching elbows. Richards has a tear in the ligament and is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery, Passan reports, while Heaney has some damage to the ligament and is hoping to rehab and avoid the same surgery at this time. Richards and Heaney entered the season as the Halos’ top two starters.
The news comes as a dagger to what has already been an injury-depleted Angels rotation. Left-hander C.J. Wilson has yet to pitch this season as he recovers from elbow surgery to remove bone spurs, and Heaney has been on the shelf since early April with what has been termed a strained flexor muscle. Jered Weaver, meanwhile, has struggled to a 5.40 ERA while averaging a career-worst 81.9 mph on his fastball. To make matters worse, left-hander Tyler Skaggs, on his way back from his own Tommy John surgery (late in 2014), has seen his rehab slowed by biceps tendinitis. The Halos had originally patched up Heaney’s spot in the rotation with right-hander Nick Tropeano, but with the club now facing the remainder of the season without Richards and perhaps Heaney, in addition to another six or so weeks without Wilson, it’s difficult to envision the club climbing back from its current 13-15 record and factoring into the mix in the American League West.
Richards, 27, has stepped up and cemented himself as the Angels’ top starter since Opening Day 2014. The former No. 42 overall pick has worked to a very strong 3.11 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 52.5 percent ground-ball rate across 410 2/3 innings in that time. While his 2014 campaign was cut short by a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, Richards rebounded to throw a career-high 207 1/3 innings last season and was expected to front the Angels’ rotation with a similar workload in 2016. Instead, his season will come to an end with just 34 2/3 innings of 2.34 ERA ball under his belt. In a best-case scenario, he’d return to the club in early May of 2017, but targeting a June or July return next season is more realistic.
Richards agreed to a $6.425MM contract this winter to avoid arbitration in his second trip through the process. As a Super Two player, he’ll be eligible in each of the next two offseasons before hitting free agency upon conclusion of the 2018 season. Because he threw just 34 2/3 innings this season, the raise he can expect upon that $6.425MM salary is minimal, though the quality of said innings should give him somewhat of a bump. Even at $7MM, he should be an easy call for the Halos to tender a contract, however, especially considering the fact that doing so entitles them not only to a partial season in 2017 but a full season in 2018.
As for Heaney, there’s no telling exactly how long he’ll remain sidelined until the specific nature of his UCL damage is known. However, even if the Angels and Heaney continue down the rehabilitation path, it seems likely that the UCL damage will lead to a prolonged absence. Masahiro Tanaka, for instance, elected to rehab a minor tear of his UCL in his rookie season but still didn’t set foot on a big league mound between July 8 and Sept. 21.
If the Angels choose to go outside the organization to add some pitching depth, there are a few options available. Tim Lincecum, of course, is slated to host his much-ballyhooed showcase today, though it seems unlikely that he’d be able to step into a rotation with any sort of immediacy, as he’d need some work in the minors to re-acclimate himself with pitching in a game setting. Kyle Lohse, too, is said to be auditioning for teams. His workout hasn’t generated the fanfare of Lincecum’s, of course, though Lohse notably has been a vastly superior pitcher to Lincecum across the past five seasons. Left-hander John Danks is set to be released by the White Sox following his DFA, and the Twins recently placed a viable back-of-the-rotation candidate, Tommy Milone, on waivers.
Looking internally, the Halos unfortunately thinned out the upper levels of their system this winter by trading lefty Sean Newcomb and right-hander Chris Ellis to the Braves in exchange for Andrelton Simmons. That removed two near-MLB arms from the picture, though the team does still have a somewhat intriguing arm at the Triple-A level in the form of left-hander Nate Smith. The former eighth-round pick has a 3.79 ERA with 7.8 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 through his first 35 2/3 innings this season, and both MLB.com and Baseball America rated him third in a weak Angels farm system while writing that he could be a fourth or fifth starter. Obviously, that doesn’t make up for the loss of an arm like Richards or Heaney, but he could reasonably provide the club with an option to at least turn in competitive innings on a regular basis.
Pablo Sandoval Out For Season After Shoulder Surgery
TODAY: Sandoval underwent the repair of a labrum tear as well as a general clean-up of his rotator cuff, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). He will miss the entire rest of the season.
YESTERDAY: Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval will undergo surgery on his left shoulder, the club announced. He’s unlikely to return to action in 2016 after undergoing a “significant,” “reconstructive” procedure, according to reports from Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) and ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link).
Boston says it will provide more information on the precise nature of the surgery once it is completed by Dr. James Andrews in the coming days. Sandoval has been on the DL since April 13th with somewhat vague shoulder issues; in the announcement, the team labels the injury a “strain.”
The hope will be that the procedure, and the time away that it will afford the 29-year-old, can help spark a turnaround. Quite apart from his shoulder difficulties, Sandoval has long been dogged by struggles to keep his weight in check, and that has increasingly seemed to be a major problem since he signed with Boston.
Sandoval lost his starting third base job to Travis Shaw out of camp, just one season after joining the Red Sox on a five-year, $95MM free agent contract. He was hitless in seven plate appearances in a reserve capacity in the early going in 2016.
In 505 plate appearances last year, Sandoval slashed just .245/.292/.366 and didn’t appear to be headed for much improvement this spring. He also received terrible ratings from both UZR and DRS for his glovework at third in 2015 after previously rating as an average or better defender. Before that, Sandoval was long a quality performer for the Giants; he compiled a .294/.346/.465 batting line in just over 3,500 plate appearances over seven seasons with San Francisco.
Boston, of course, remains on the hook for Sandoval’s contract, which includes $17MM this year and $58MM more thereafter, including a buyout on the club’s 2020 option. (The team does not have an insurance policy on the deal, as Rob Bradford of WEEI.com has indicated and as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.) That looks like wasted payroll space as things stand, but Sandoval is young enough and has a long enough track record of success to believe that some value can still be reaped if he can get his mind and body back into playing shape.
Devin Mesoraco To DL With Torn Labrum In Left Shoulder
10:22pm: Mesoraco says he’s “going to definitely have to get surgery at some point,” as Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. But he’s still considering whether to try playing through the injury.
5:40pm: The Reds announced today that catcher Devin Mesoraco has suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He’ll go on the 15-day DL for now. It certainly seems likely that he’ll require an extended absence, though it remains to be seen whether surgery will be required.
This injury constitutes the latest setback for the 27-year-old, who missed most of last season after undergoing hip surgery. Mesoraco signed a four-year, $28MM extension before the 2015 season, with the club buying out all of his arbitration eligibility and buying up one free agent-eligible campaign.
That deal came together after Mesoraco’s breakout 2014, in which he slashed .273/.359/.534 with 25 home runs in 440 plate appearances. It’s been mostly downhill from there, as the former top prospect has struggled at the plate while battling his various ailments. In just 106 plate appearances since the start of 2015, he’s carrying a .158/.245/.200 batting line without a single long ball.
J.J. Hardy Out Four To Eight Weeks With Fractured Foot
2:08pm: CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Rich Dubroff (Twitter link) and Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun each have a slightly more optimistic take on Hardy’s timeline, as both cite sources in reportingt hat Hardy will miss four to six weeks, as opposed to six to eight weeks. Connolly tweets that he’s been told both four to six weeks and six to eight weeks.
1:32pm: Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy has suffered a small fracture in his foot and is heading to the disabled list, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com first reported (Twitter link). MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko adds more context, calling the injury a hairline fracture and reporting that Hardy is expected to miss six to eight weeks of action. Hardy suffered the injury in yesterday’s game after he fouled a ball off of his left foot.
Per Kubatko, the Orioles are expected to recall Ryan Flaherty from Triple-A Norfolk to take Hardy’s spot on the roster, and veteran infielder Paul Janish could also be an option once he returns from paternity leave (he’ll leave the Triple-A club Wednesday for the birth of his child). Janish isn’t currently on the 40-man roster and would thus require an additional 40-man move to be made. It’s also worth noting that Manny Machado could slide over to shortstop in Hardy’s absence, as he did for a bit in 2015 when he played seven games. Machado was originally drafted as a shortstop but moved over to third base due to Hardy’s presence when he was initially promoted to the Major Leagues.
Losing Hardy for up to two months is a notable blow to the Orioles, as the 33-year-old’s bat had bounced back somewhat early in the season, resulting in a .244/.291/.410 (90 wRC+) batting line in 86 plate appearances. While that production isn’t up to par for a league-average hitter, it’s a notable step up from the .246/.306/.372 (83 wRC+) batting line of the average big league shortstop and is more than serviceable when considering Hardy’s elite defensive contributions. While the Orioles should be able to maintain a quality infield defense with some combination of Machado, Flaherty and Janish comprising the left side of the infield, it’s likely that the net outcome of that trio — both on offense and defense — will fall shy of the would-be combination of Machado and Hardy on an everyday basis.
2017 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings
The first month of the 2016 MLB season is in the books, and we’ve got movement in our 2017 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings. These rankings apply to players projected to reach free agency after this season, and the players are ranked based on earning power. In the middle of April, the Rangers unsurprisingly extended Adrian Beltre, so he’s off the list. To see the full list of 2016-17 MLB Free Agents, click here.
1. Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg was dominant in the season’s first month, carrying over his success from last year. By measure of wins above replacement, only Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard have been better. With a full season of good health, agent Scott Boras could look to push a seven-year deal for Strasburg past $240MM. An opt-out clause or two will surely figure in as well. Strasburg doesn’t turn 28 until July.
2. Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes jumps up a spot after a huge April. In addition to seven home runs, he even managed to draw a few extra walks. A less streaky campaign than 2015, perhaps ending with around 35 home runs again, could net Cespedes the six-year deal that eluded him last winter. To take a shot at it, he’ll have to opt out of the remaining two years and $47.5MM on his current contract with the Mets.
3. Jose Bautista. Bautista continues to do his thing, hitting for power and drawing lots of walks. Last week, Jon Heyman tweeted that he believes Bautista will take less than his five-year, $150MM asking price but not less than $100MM. Something a bit north of $100MM on a four-year deal does seem plausible for Bautista, who told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe last month that he is willing to negotiate in-season with the Blue Jays.
4. Josh Reddick. Nothing out of the ordinary from Reddick in April. As a solid player who doesn’t turn 30 until February, Reddick could be a sneaky candidate for a five-year deal this winter. He told MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi that he’s not aware of any substantive extension talks with the A’s. In that column, Morosi had some interesting speculation about whether the Cubs could trade for Reddick this summer.
5. Carlos Gomez. Gomez is hitting .245/.303/.364 since June of last year, and I’ve dropped him three spots since our last rankings. The Astros’ center fielder is currently battling rib cage soreness and is trying to avoid the DL. For the Astros, Gomez just hasn’t looked like the player he was with the Brewers. Even if he performs to projections from here on out, which is a total unknown, Gomez could be limited to a four-year deal in the range of Alex Gordon‘s $72MM. He carries further downside risk if this becomes a lost season.
6. Kenley Jansen. Business as usual for Jansen, who has allowed one run in his first ten appearances. If the save opportunities continue coming as they did in April, perhaps the Dodgers’ closer can top his career high of 44 saves. It would be interesting to see a reliever earn the second-largest pitching contract of the offseason. Jansen could make that happen with a precedent-shattering five-year deal.
7. Edwin Encarnacion. Like last year, it was a rough April for Encarnacion. The Blue Jays’ designated hitter has shown many times he’s capable of going on a tear. Still, my confidence in a four-year deal for Encarnacion is wavering a bit. He’ll turn 34 in January.
8. Aroldis Chapman. Chapman’s 30-game suspension for a domestic violence incident ends a week from today, and he’ll presumably jump right into the Yankees’ closer role. He’s been working out at the Yankees’ minor league complex, taking some time last week to become a U.S. citizen. I expect Jansen to do better than Chapman in free agency, but Chapman should still land a huge contract if he stays incident-free until free agency.
9. Francisco Cervelli. Cervelli makes his first appearance in our top ten. The Pirates’ backstop has stepped it up a notch after a stellar 2015, and ranks fifth in the NL with a .438 on-base percentage. As it stands now I could see a four-year deal worth $60MM, and I think he could have a shot at five years if his offensive success continues. Quite the transformation for Cervelli, who will turn 31 shortly before the 2017 season.
10. Dexter Fowler. Like Cespedes, Fowler could find the contract that eluded him after another year back with his old team. So far in 2016, Fowler has been the best player in baseball. The Cubs’ center fielder boasts an MLB-best .470 OBP. Though he’s never approached four wins above replacement, Fowler already has two in the books after one month. If he stays healthy and productive, Fowler should be able to get a four-year deal in free agency.
Neil Walker and Michael Saunders are both pushing for a spot in our top ten after stellar starts to their seasons. Walker has already crushed nine home runs, and could reach 30 this year. Saunders is healthy and hitting after a lost 2015. Typically weaker against left-handed pitching, Saunders smacked three home runs off southpaws in April, including two off Drew Smyly. Colby Rasmus, Mark Trumbo, Martin Prado, and Rich Hill are a few others off to hot starts in 2016. Andrew Cashner drops out of our top ten after a lackluster April.
Dee Gordon Receives 80-Game PED Suspension
10:39am: Gordon tested positive for the pair of substances in Spring Training, a league source tells ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
12:20am: In a stunning development, Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon has been hit with an eighty-game suspension for PEDs, according to a league announcement. He tested positive for the banned substances exogenous testosterone and clostebol.
Needless to say, the news represents a sudden turnaround for a player who had risen to become one of the game’s more celebrated personalities. Gordon, the 28-year-old son of longtime major leaguer Tom Gordon and brother of Twins’ prospect Nick Gordon, inked a five-year, $50MM extension with the Marlins over the winter after an excellent 2015 season.
Gordon will sacrifice about half of his $3MM salary for the present season under that contract. He’ll also obviously miss out on a chance to defend his National League batting and stolen base titles from a year ago. And if Miami manages to right the ship — an even taller order now with Gordon out — he won’t be eligible for postseason play.
It seems likely that the Fish will turn to Derek Dietrich to occupy at least a good portion of the time at the keystone. He has plenty of experience there, though he’s not much of a fielder. The left-handed-swinging 26-year-old is a promising hitter, though. Alternatively, the club could utilize Martin Prado at second while deploying Dietrich and/or Chris Johnson at third base.
Regardless, the overall mix is substantially weakened. Gordon was off to a slow start this year, but he doesn’t need to keep up quite his 2015 pace to be of value. He had already enjoyed a breakout in the season prior before being dealt by the Dodgers, but Gordon stepped up even further in his first year in Miami with a .333/.359/.418 slash, 58 stolen bases, and highly-regarded glovework.
To be sure, Gordon is not the lumbering slugger who is traditionally associated with performance enhancing drugs. But this represents the latest reminder that such substances aren’t reserved for bulking up; they can also improve athletic performance in other ways and, especially, aid in injury recovery.
Quite unlike the situation facing the Blue Jays with regard to Chris Colabello, who was also just suspended, the Marlins are committed to Gordon via the aforementioned contract. Miami will simply need to hope that he’s able to repair his image and maintain his performance on the field upon his return.
That’s the message given by club president David Samson, who said the organization was disappointed but would welcome Gordon back when his suspension ends. (Video via the Miami Herald.) The Marlins did not learn about the suspension until today, per Samson. Miami has obviously have placed high expectations on Gordon to “do whatever is necessary to make it up to our fans, to his teammates, and to this organization.”
Gordon apparently decided to drop his appeal at this time, making the suspension effective after tonight’s game, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports tweets. (Notably, Gordon just finished helping the club to a four-game sweep of his former team.) It’s still not clear precisely when the positive test occurred, though it’s certainly possible that — as with Colabello — it took place at some point during Spring Training.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Follow Pro Football Rumors For The Latest NFL Draft News
It’s NFL Draft day! Whether you’re a hardcore football fan or more of a casual observer, the NFL Draft is a can’t-miss event. We encourage you to follow @pfrumors on Twitter for up-to-the-second updates on today’s madness. 
The Rams and Eagles are expected to take Jared Goff and Carson Wentz with the top two picks, but things are wide open after that point. Many view Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil as the best tackle in this year’s class, but the Chargers could go against the grain and take Notre Dame tackle Ronnie Stanley at No. 3. At No. 4, the Cowboys have long been linked to defensive back Jalen Ramsey (an FSU product, just like Deion Sanders), but Jerry Jones is said to be infatuated with Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. Beyond that, the Jaguars could shock some people by taking Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd at No. 5, the Ravens could trade down at No. 6, and no one is quite sure what the 49ers are thinking at No. 7. From there, the rest of the first round promises to be full of surprises and our latest mock draft has some bold predictions based off of informed speculation.
Of course, the draft can also spur teams to move established veterans. In the coming days, we could see the 49ers finally pull the trigger on a Colin Kaepernick deal with the Broncos. Meanwhile, quarterback Sam Bradford is mad at the Eagles for trading to get one of the top QBs in this year’s draft and is pushing hard for a trade.
So, what are you waiting for? Follow @pfrumors on Twitter and stay tuned to ProFootballRumors.com for all the latest NFL Draft news.
Five MLB Players Enter Into Brand Contracts With Fantex
Fantex, Inc. announced today that it has entered into brand contracts with five Major Leaguers: Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco, Astros right-hander Collin McHugh, Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop, Twins right-hander Tyler Duffey and Padres third baseman Yangervis Solarte (as noted on BusinessWire.com).
Fantex offers professional athletes an up-front, one-time payment in exchange for a portion of that player’s future earnings both on and off the field. Fantex then sells “shares” of that player to public investors for a set price (thus covering the up-front payment to the player), allowing those investors to turn a profit if said player crosses a certain threshold in his career earnings. Obviously, that creates risk for the investors, who stand to take a financial loss if the player fails to earn enough money in his career to justify the shareholders’ investment. Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney became the first player to enter into an agreement with Fantex last September, taking a $3.34MM up-front payment in exchange for 10 percent of his future earnings. (Notably, the league and the MLBPA each approved that agreement, and Fantex’s announcement seemingly suggests that the same is true of these five agreements.)
As for the new wave of Fantex additions, Schoop secured the largest sum, agreeing to an up-front payment of $4.91MM. Franco, meanwhile, will earn $4.35MM, while McHugh will take home $3.96MM, Solarte will take home $3.15MM and Duffey will earn $2.23MM. Notably, Solarte’s agreement is for 11 percent of his “brand,” while the other four (and Heaney) signed away 10 percent.
With six big leaguers now on board in addition to 14 athletes from other sports, it stands to reason that the number of professional baseball players willing to enter into such agreements will increase. It’s an interesting proposition for Major Leaguers — not entirely dissimilar from agreeing to an early contract extension; in essence, the players in question are taking a life-changing sum of money early in their career in exchange for limiting their earning capacity once they’ve navigated through their arbitration years and entered their free-agent seasons. Those same principles are all true of players that sign contract extensions, though the extent of the up-front sum and the long-term risk obviously vary.
Beyond the long-term impact on a player’s earnings, it also seems plausible that players who enter into agreements with Fantex could be less likely to sign long-term extensions with their current club. Extensions, after all, are most often signed to provide a player with his first fortune in exchange for giving the club a discount rate on would-be free-agent or arbitration seasons. Heaney, Franco, McHugh, Schoop, Duffey and Solarte, though, have each secured a sizable sum without altering their free agency timelines, thereby creating less urgency to sign an extension. (It should be noted, too, that players like Duffey and Solarte aren’t necessarily obvious extension candidates in the first place.) It seems reasonable to expect that some players and agents will view Fantex as a means of locking in that first payday while preserving the right to get to free agency at a younger age. In a market that places a premium on youth — as evidenced by contracts signed by Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Mike Leake and others — that comes with significant benefit.
The payments from Fantex, of course, are smaller than the sums that we’ve seen players haul in via contract extensions, but the trade-off that Fantex players face early in free agency figures to be more minimal than the trade-off of their peers that sign extensions. For instance, Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner will reach six years of Major League service time this season, but he remains under control for three more seasons; he’s guaranteed $11.5MM in 2017 and has a pair of $12MM club options on each of the two subsequent seasons. Bumgarner’s contract guaranteed him $35MM ($57.5MM if each of those options is exercised), but he’ll earn a maximum of $35.5MM over what would have been his first three free-agent seasons — a fraction of what he could earn were all 30 teams allowed to bid on him. Bumgarner’s open-market annual value could be $25MM or more over the life of a six- or seven-year term. Ten percent of a theoretical $150-175MM contract is a smaller loss for the player than the difference between the free-agent seasons on an extension and the aforementioned market value.
I should note that this isn’t a knock on Bumgarner’s contract by any means — it was a record-setting deal for a pitcher in his service class and comes with the same potential risk/reward that many early extensions carry. Conversely, Jon Singleton locked in $10MM and has yet to see his big league career get off the ground. If Singleton never develops into an MLB-caliber hitter, he’ll receive significantly more than he would have by entering into a Fantex deal. Balancing that risk and reward is likely something with which players and their agents will wrestle if Fantex agreements continue to increase in popularity.
From a more general standpoint, there’s quite a bit we don’t know about the finer details of Fantex. The method by which each player’s up-front valuation is determined, for instance, isn’t known. Accurate reporting of off-field income (e.g. endorsements) would be paramount (and is presumably mandated within the contract agreements), and the unproven model in question seemingly only works if Fantex is able to raise enough investor funding to finance the initial payment to the player. This is all relatively new territory, though, and additional information pertaining to the new opportunity for pro athletes should become increasingly available in the months to come.
Charlie Morton Requires Hamstring Surgery, Out For Season
Phillies righty Charlie Morton will require season-ending surgery on a torn left hamstring, the club announced. He is expected to require a six to eight month recovery time after undergoing the procedure.
Indications were that an MRI had revealed more extensive damage than was initially hoped, and today’s news certainly reflects that. It’s obviously a disappointing turn of events for the veteran starter, who was acquired over the winter for righty David Whitehead.
The Phils had added Morton in hopes that he’d help to stabilize a young rotation while getting his career back on a positive trajectory. He seemed on track to do just that, contributing a 4.15 ERA through 17 1/3 innings in four starts with promising peripherals. Morton had a 19:8 K:BB ratio with an outstanding 62.8% groundball rate in the early going.
Philadelphia owes Morton $8MM for the 2016 campaign. He also has a mutual option at $9.5MM for 2017 that comes with a $1MM buyout. (That was originally a club option under the extension he signed with the Pirates, but converted with the trade.) While mutual options are rarely exercised by both sides, the promising start and subsequent injury could theoretically lead to a match if both sides see the value in a one-year arrangement.
With Morton down, the Phillies will need to find alternatives to fill out the staff. Young hurlers Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, and Vince Velasquez have all shown real promise, while Jeremy Hellickson was added for much the same reason as was Morton. But the fifth starter’s role will now likely go to another internal option. Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice noted yesterday that 26-year-old southpaw Adam Morgan was scratched from his upcoming Triple-A start, likely in anticipation of a call-up, so it seems he’ll get the first crack.