Blue Jays Designate Bobby Korecky, Promote Stroman
The Blue Jays have designated righty Bobby Korecky for assignment, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm reports on Twitter. His roster spot will go to top prospect Marcus Stroman, who is expected to start tomorrow for Toronto.
Korecky was called up to the big league club today and threw a clean inning and a third in mop-up duty. The 34-year-old righty saw his most extensive MLB action in 2008 with the Twins, when he tossed 17 2/3 innings of 4.58 ERA ball. He has only made six appearances since before today’s game.
Meanwhile, Stroman will take his second turn with the Jays this year. Regarded as one of the game’s best pitching prospects, the 23-year-old righty was promoted earlier this month to join the bullpen, but was only up for about two weeks. Now, he’ll have his first chance to take the ball to start a game in the bigs. According to John Lott of the National Post (via Twitter), manager John Gibbons did not address whether Stroman would step into a regular turn in the rotation.
Cardinals To Promote Oscar Taveras
The Cardinals have informed top prospect Oscar Taveras that he will be elevated to the big league club for the first time, reports Dionisio Soldevila of ESPNDeportes (Twitter links). Taveras, 21, has risen steadily through the organization’s system since being signed as an international free agent in 2008.
Taveras, who hits and throws from the left side, has been a consensus top-five prospect league-wide entering each of the last two seasons. Entering 2014, MLB.com has him in the second slot, Baseball America ranked him third, and ESPN.com’s Keith Law placed him in the fifth slot to open the year, but just bumped him up to fourth. Regardless of precisely where he falls on that list, all agree that Taveras has impact talent who projects to hit for average and power at the MLB level.
Indeed, the minor league results have generally been there for the 6’2″ Dominican. Taveras entered 2013 after shredding the High-A and Double-A levels over consecutive seasons (at age 19 and 20, respectively). But he missed much of last season due to ankle issues, which slowed his start and may have delayed his ascension to the bigs. Nevertheless, through 395 Triple-A plate appearances over this year and last, he has posted a .316/.358/.495 triple-slash. While adding 12 home runs and six steals over that stretch, Taveras has struck out just 47 times (good for a strong 11.9% strikeout rate).
We just looked at the Cardinals’ glut of outfielding options (courtesy of Bernie Miklasz). GM John Mozeliak made clear that he was not interested in burning service time for his prized prospect unless he was going to play regularly. If that is to be the case, the obvious question becomes where that playing time will come from. Though Taveras has spent much of his minor league career at center field, most evaluators agree that he is better suited for right field, where he brings a big arm to the table. Currently, St. Louis runs out two highly-paid veterans — Matt Holliday and Allen Craig — to its corner outfield spots.
One solution, of course, would be to open a spot for Taveras by shifting Craig to first, which is currently manned by Matt Adams. Indeed, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that Adams may be headed for a DL stint. If that proves to be the case, it could be that this promotion does not represent a plan to integrate Taveras into the lineup permanently.
On the other hand, of course, he clearly has the talent to play himself into a regular role. Having entered the year with no service time, Taveras could still pick up enough days on the MLB roster to position himself for Super Two status. Assuming that he is officially added to the active roster tomorrow, Taveras could accrue as many as 121 days of service in 2014. Over the last five seasons, the Super Two cutoff has never fallen below 2.122 days of service. Whether or not Taveras is able to earn a fourth year of arbitration, the Cardinals will control his rights through at least 2020.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Photos.
Cardinals Could Deal From Outfield Surplus
While the Cardinals’ compilation of outfield talent is enviable, it nonetheless presents real difficulties to the team’s front office, Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes in a piece that is well worth a full read. Indeed, that is precisely how GM John Mozeliak described things. “When you look at depth in baseball, it’s a good problem to have,” he said. “But I think we’re starting to get to the point where it might become a problem. So even though it’s a nice thing to have true depth in your system, at some point you’ve got to be able to play the depth.”
The club’s big league outfielders are off to a somewhat underwhelming start, combining for just a 95 wRC+. A group of four primary options — Matt Holliday, Allen Craig, Peter Bourjos, and Jon Jay — is responsible for most of that line. Meanwhile, a trio of well-regarded younger options has gathered at Triple-A, with top prospects Oscar Taveras and Stephen Piscotty joined by offseason trade acquisition Randal Grichuk (whose big numbers in his first Triple-A campaign make the Bourjos and Grichuk for David Freese and Fernando Salas deal look even better for St. Louis.)
While adding one of those names to the MLB outfield mix is surely tempting, Miklasz explains that the scenarios for doing so all come with complications. “You look at how we’re constituted at the major league level,” Mozeliak said, “and it’s difficult trying to find major league at-bats for Taveras, Grichuk, and, not too far down the road, Piscotty.” (Grichuk was actually brought back up today for his second run with the big club, though that move likely relates to the team’s need for a DH for a lengthy run of road match-ups against American League clubs.)
Service time is also an issue that the club will weigh in the balance. As Mozeliak explains, “you’re not going to start somebody’s [service] clock and then have them sit.” All three outfield prospects entered the year without MLB service to their credit, and only Grichuk has begun a tally thus far. It is worth bearing in mind also that all four of the team’s regular big league outfielders are under contract (Holliday, Craig) or control through arbitration (Bourjos, Jay) through at least 2016.
Looking ahead to the summer, more decisive action will likely prove necessary, says Miklasz. The Cards’ GM certainly left the impression that a trade deadline move could be explored, using interesting terms to describe his thinking. “[W]e are going to have to look at what our arbitrage possibilities are with this,” said Mozeliak. “And we will have to explore what that looks like between now and the end of July.” As Miklasz explains, a bold maneuver would not be surprising, though what form it might take — dealing away a prospect, a veteran, or even first baseman Matt Adams (while shifting Craig back to the infield) — is still anybody’s guess.
Pirates Place Wandy Rodriguez On Release Waivers
MAY 30: The Pirates have placed Rodriguez on unconditional release waivers, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter).
MAY 22: The Pirates announced that they have re-instated Russell Martin from the 15-day disabled list and designated left-hander Wandy Rodriguez for assignment.
The DFA marks a somewhat surprising end to what has been an injury-riddled Pirates tenure for Rodriguez. Acquired from the Astros in 2012 (in exchange for Colton Cain, Rudy Owens and Robbie Grossman), Rodriguez totaled just 164 1/3 innings in parts of three seasons with Pittsburgh.
Rodriguez was healthy and effective for the Bucs after the acquisition in 2012, pitching to a 3.72 ERA in 75 innings. However, a forearm strain limited him to just 62 2/3 innings last season, and right knee inflammation cost him three weeks earlier this season. Still, with the exception of 2014, the veteran southpaw has pitched well when healthy.
This season, he’s registered a 6.75 ERA with a 20-to-8 K/BB ratio and a whopping 10 homers in 26 2/3 innings. Never one to throw particularly hard, Rodriguez’s average fastball velocity is a career-worst 88.3 mph this season. Still, given his $13MM salary ($5.5MM of which is being paid by Houston) and the fact that the Pirates have previously bought low on pitchers with potentially fluky homer-to-flyball ratios (A.J. Burnett, Mark Melancon and, to a lesser extent, Francisco Liriano), it’s a bit surprising that Rodriguez was the odd man out.
Pittsburgh will have 10 days to trade, outright or release Rodriguez, though his salary and recent injury problems make it highly unlikely that someone would claim him on waivers. A trade is unlikely for the same reason, unless the Pirates were to kick in some cash. Rodriguez is earning $13MM in 2014 — $5.5MM of which is being covered by the Astros. In other words, with more than a quarter of the season gone, Pittsburgh is eating roughly $5.33MM worth of salary, which is a sizable chunk of its $72MM Opening Day payroll.
Rougned Odor Changes Representation
Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor, who is in the midst of his first MLB stint at age 20, has switched agencies, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The Venezuelan has returned to Beverly Hills Sports Council after spending time under the representation of Relativity Baseball.
Odor is one of the game’s better-regarded middle infield prospects, appearing consistently on top-100 prospect lists and rating as high as 42nd overall (by Baseball America). He is off to a solid start in his first big league action, especially given his young age and the expectation that he would take somewhat longer to reach the game’s highest level. Through 55 plate appearances, Odor has posted a league-average 100 OPS+ (.275/.283/.451) with one long ball. (He has, however, been thrown out on three steal attempts without successfully swiping a bag.)
If Odor plays his way into a permanent role on the big league club, he would stand to add 143 days of service this year and be well-positioned to achieve Super Two status. Of course, he will face significant competition for a place on the active roster both this year and into the future, with youthful middle infielders Jurickson Profar and Luis Sardinas also in the mix along with incumbent shortstop Elvis Andrus.
As always, you can find player representation information in MLBTR’s Agency Database.
Anthopoulos Confident Jays Can Add Payroll In Trades
Though the club had some very notable payroll issues in Spring Training, the Blue Jays will likely be able to take on additional payroll in summer trades if they have a need, general manager Alex Anthopoulos told reporters yesterday, including the Toronto Star’s Brendan Kennedy (Twitter links). It was fair to assume they were “at [their] number to start the year,” said Anthopoulos, but he described that number as “fluid,” and said he has “every confidence” that his club will have the necessary resources from ownership.
The fact that they had reached their preseason “number” may have significantly impacted both the AL East and the NL East, as the team was unable to top Atlanta’s one-year, $14.1MM offer to Ervin Santana, who has pitched well for the Braves to this point. Blue Jays players, at one point, were willing to defer some of their salary in order to help the team meet Santana’s asking price.
Anthopoulos’ comments are a departure from comments he made to Peter Gammons earlier in the week, in which he termed the team’s payroll as “maxed out.” At that point — just six days ago — he also hinted that the Jays preferred rental pitchers rather than paying the steep price of pursuing a pitcher that is controllable beyond the 2014 season (and would therefore come with a higher price tag). Said Anthopoulos at the time: “I think we’d probably look at something where we have a pitcher for the rest of this season. That makes sense.”
Among strictly rental pitchers that could be available at this summer’s trade deadline are Jason Hammel, Brandon McCarthy, A.J. Burnett, Kyle Kendrick, Roberto Hernandez, Justin Masterson, Francisco Liriano, and Edinson Volquez. Obviously, the next two months of play for the Phillies, Indians and Pirates will go a long way in determining which of those arms are available. As it is right now, no team in all of baseball is more than eight games removed from a Wild Card berth in the standings. One big fish for contending teams to monitor would be James Shields, though the Royals would probably need to really tank before biting the bullet and trading their ace.
Anthopoulos himself noted that it’s too early to know who will be available (more Twitter links from Kennedy), saying that “so much can change in the next six weeks” and adding that he’s not currently involved in any trade discussions.
Raciel Iglesias To Showcase For MLB Teams Friday
Cuban right-hander Raciel Iglesias is set to host a showcase for Major League teams in Haiti tomorrow, reports MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds (also via Twitter) that many clubs are expected to attend, as Iglesias is seen by some as a potential reliever that could make an impact at the Major League level late in the season.
The 24-year-old defected from Cuba this winter, though as of this writing, there’s been no indication that he has been cleared by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a necessary step before he can sign with a big league team. Because he’s older than 23 and has three or more years of professional experience, Iglesias will not be subject to international spending limitations once he is cleared to sign. Any club can sign him for any amount, though that doesn’t guarantee a massive payday, as we’ve seen with the minor league deals signed recently by Yenier Bello (Braves) and Odrisamer Despaigne (Padres).
As Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote last fall upon Iglesias original attempt to defect — he was detained once prior to successfully defecting to Mexico — Iglesias threw 88 to 92 mph at last year’s World Baseball Classic but has been considerably more impressive in the past, flashing 92 to 95 mph velocity and a sweeping breaking ball that sat between 76 and 81 mph. Badler did note on more than one occasion that Iglesias would likely need to begin his career in the minor leagues rather than jumping directly to the Majors.
Iglesias’ stats are available over at ObstructedView.com, which shows that in his past 82 2/3 innings, he’s posted a 3.05 ERA with a 74-to-30 K/BB ratio (five of those walks were intentional). He was connected to both the Red Sox and Diamondbacks in the offseason, though it’s not clear if either club would still have interest at this point.
Red Sox Expect Further Extension Talks With Jon Lester
The Red Sox are still holding out hope of keeping staff ace Jon Lester from reaching the open market, club president and CEO Larry Lucchino indicated in an appearance this morning on WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan (audio link). Lester, 30, owns a 3.45 ERA through 73 innings as he plays out the last year of an earlier extension.
Lucchino said that he “certainly expect[s]” to engage in further extension talks with Lester’s representatives at ACES before the big lefty becomes a free agent. Lucchino also downplayed the importance of the club’s reported offer to Lester of $70MM over four years, suggesting that it was a starting point rather than a maximum figure. “I think it’s a mistake to discuss the status of ongoing negotiations as it is a mistake to get fixated on an opening offer,” he said.
A late-breaking extension would hardly be unprecedented. The Phillies retained fellow top southpaw Cole Hamels just before the trade deadline two years ago, for instance. And last year, the Giants pulled off new deals with a pair of veterans who had all but reached the open market, extending Hunter Pence at the tail end of the regular season and locking up starter Tim Lincecum just before he would have officially become a free agent.
Rangers Claim Phil Irwin
The Rangers have claimed right-hander Phil Irwin off waivers from the Pirates and optioned him to Triple-A Round Rock, executive vice president of communications John Blake announced (on Twitter). The Rangers’ 40-man roster is now full, Blake adds.
The 27-year-old Irwin is one of three players to have been designated for assignment by the Pirates in the past week, as Wandy Rodriguez and Vin Mazzaro both found themselves victim of the DFA as well. Irwin has a strong minor league track record, including a 3.25 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 445 1/3 innings since being selected in the 21st round of the 2009 draft.
Irwin pitched well in his Triple-A debut as a 25-year-old and was solid in 10 innings there last season as well (0.90 ERA). However, he missed most of the 2013 season after undergoing surgery to correct a nerve issue in his elbow and had allowed 21 runs in 21 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season. Irwin has one Major League appearance, which came last season when he made a spot start for the Bucs and allowed four earned runs on six hits and four walks with four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Orioles Showing Most Early Interest In Samardzija
2:27pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun adds to the story, reporting that the Cubs had one of their top talent evaluators — one who is not typically assigned to low-level minor league games — present at one of Harvey’s most recent start for Class-A Delmarva.
Connolly asked Orioles executive VP Dan Duquette about the timeline for trades, and Duquette replied by pointing out that the team just made a trade to acquire Nick Hundley this weekend. Duquette added that he and his staff are constantly talking to other teams, though naturally, he declined to comment on Samardzija specifically.
Of course, as Connolly points out, even if the O’s are being aggressive, it doesn’t necessarily behoove the Cubs to deal early. They could potentially extract more from a deal by getting other teams involved in the bidding to drive up the eventual return.
10:42am: While we’re still more than two months from the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, multiple sources have indicated to Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago that the Orioles are the “leading team of interest” in the early stages of the Jeff Samardzija sweepstakes. According to Levine, there’s mutual interest between the two teams, which isn’t surprising given the Orioles’ wealth of young pitching.
Baltimore has built up a strong crop of top-tier pitching prospects in the form of Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Hunter Harvey (who, as a 2013 draftee, is ineligible to be dealt until after this year’s draft) and Eduardo Rodriguez. Each of those players ranked inside the game’s top 61 prospects, per Baseball Prospectus. While Harvey didn’t crack the Top 100 lists of Baseball America or MLB.com, the other three are all present on those lists as well. That crop makes the O’s a particularly logical trading partner for the Cubs, who are stocked with high-end hitting prospects in their well-regarded farm system but lack potential high-impact arms.
Those names might seem a steep price to pay for Orioles fans, but it’s likely that the Cubs would ask for two from that list, in my opinion. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently reported that the Cubs asked for Drew Hutchison and one of Marcus Stroman or Aaron Sanchez from the Blue Jays this winter, and that was before Samardzija got off to the best start of his career.
The 29-year-old Samardzija ranks second only to Adam Wainwright with a 1.68 ERA among qualified starters (Wainwright, at 1.67, has only been nominally better in terms of ERA). He’s racked up 75 innings while averaging 7.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 to go along with a career-best 51 percent ground-ball rate. The Chicago ace is affordable, as he’s earning just $5.35MM after avoiding arbitration last winter, and he’s controllable through the 2015 season. Sabermetric estimators agree that Samardzija’s start has been outstanding, with FIP pegging him at 2.79 and xFIP estimating 3.27.
Last summer, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer and president Theo Epstein were able to extract a package of C.J. Edwards (now the game’s No. 28 ranked prospect, per BA), Mike Olt, Justin Grimm and Neil Ramirez for two months of Matt Garza. It seems logical that Chicago’s front office will look to exceed that package in order to deal a pitcher with more team control that is off to a better start and comes with far less injury concern than the one they traded away last summer.
Baltimore currently sits just 3.5 games back in the AL East, thanks largely to the team’s offense. Orioles starters have combined for a 4.57 ERA this season, which ranks 25th in the Majors.