Dodgers To Select Dinelson Lamet
The Dodgers are calling up right-hander Dinelson Lamet, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The righty is not currently on the 40-man roster and will require a corresponding move.
Lamet, 31, had to settle for a minor league deal this offseason after increasing struggles in recent seasons. Though he looked like one of the better pitchers in the league in the shortened 2020 season, his ERA jumped in each campaign after that. But he appeared to be in good form during Spring Training with the Dodgers, as he made four appearances with just one earned run allowed. He struck out five batters, walked just one and got grounders on 60% of balls in play.
If he were to get even partially back on track, it would be a nice find for the Dodgers. Lamet made 12 starts for the Padres in 2020 with a 2.09 earned run average, 34.8% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate, finishing fourth in National League Cy Young voting. But he missed the postseason due to biceps tightness and the health issues continued beyond that season.
He dealt with some forearm issues in 2021, with the ailment being labeled as tightness, fatigue and inflammation at various times. He also underwent a procedure for a hip infection that year. He made 22 appearances but only nine of them were starts as the Friars gradually moved him more to a relief role as he battled those issues, his ERA ticking up to 4.40 in the process.
His struggles worsened in 2022 and he got flipped to the Brewers as part of the Josh Hader deal. Milwaukee quickly put him on waivers, indicating his inclusion in the trade was mostly for financial reasons. He was claimed by the Rockies and finished the year with a 6.12 ERA. He split time between the Rockies and Red Sox in 2023 but his ERA jumped all the way to 11.41. His strikeout rate had fallen to 22.1% while his walk rate climbed to 15.9%.
The Dodgers will obviously be hoping to see that trend reversed and have Lamet in better form than that. He has more than five years of service time and can’t be optioned, meaning he’ll have to stick on the active roster or else be removed from the 40-man entirely at some future point.
Mets Talking With Julio Teheran
The Mets placed righty Tylor Megill on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain earlier this afternoon, and SNY’s Andy Martino reports that they’re open to pursuing external options to help bolster their depth while waiting on Megill and other injured arms to heal up. They’ve picked conversations back up with right-hander Julio Teheran, per Martino. The Mets also talked with Teheran before he signed a minor league deal to go to camp with the Orioles. He wound up opting out of that deal and, per Martino, has other teams currently showing interest in him at the moment.
The 33-year-old Teheran had a resurgence of sorts with the Brewers in 2023. He didn’t pitch in 2022, had just five innings in 2021 and had been rocked for a 10.05 ERA in 31 1/3 frames during the 2020 season. But Teheran wound up tossing 71 2/3 innings of serviceable 4.40 ERA ball for Milwaukee, fanning a well below-average 17.4% of his opponents but also issuing walks at just a 4.5% clip.
During his minor league days with the Braves, Teheran was considered one of the best prospects in the entire sport. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball in both 2011 and 2012. He made good on that billing for several seasons early in his career, too. Teheran logged a 3.03 ERA in 63 starts from 2013-14 and logged a collective 3.64 ERA in 1334 innings from 2013-19 before falling into a swift decline.
Last year’s showing in Milwaukee was the first time Teheran has had any consistent success since making 33 starts with a 3.81 ERA for the 2019 Braves. He pitched 13 1/3 official innings with the Orioles this spring, holding opponents to five runs (3.38 ERA) on nine hits … but with a lackluster 10-to-7 K/BB ratio in that time (17.5% strikeout rate, 12.3% walk rate).
Notably, current Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was still in the Brewers organization when they signed Teheran last summer, albeit in an advisory capacity rather than atop the baseball operations hierarchy, as he was from 2015-22. Still, there’s a connection, and we’ve seen Stearns bring in a handful of his former Brewers in his first year leading the Mets’ front office (e.g. Adrian Houser, Tyrone Taylor, Jorge Lopez). The Mets were also reported to have strong interest in former Brewers lefty Brent Suter as a free agent, but he opted to sign with his hometown Reds.
The Mets figure to be just one of several teams looking into Teheran. Already this season, we’ve seen the Yankees, Cubs, Astros, Twins, Rangers, Marlins and Red Sox incur injuries of note in the rotation. Any could make speculative sense for a low-cost veteran like Teheran.
Marlins Select Kent Emanuel, Designate Vladimir Gutierrez
The Marlins announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of lefty Kent Emanuel from Triple-A Jacksonville. Right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez, who was just selected to the big league roster prior to Sunday’s game, was designated for assignment to open a roster spot.
It’s a quick turnaround for Gutierrez, who returned to the majors Sunday for the first time in two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery as a member of the Reds. He tossed four innings of long relief and was tagged for three runs on three hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts. He’d been called up with Miami needing some length in the bullpen following a grueling first three games of the season for the relief corps, and while the right-hander filled the role that was asked, he’ll be removed from the 40-man roster to get another fresh arm up for today’s game. Gutierrez wouldn’t have been available for a couple days after that workload yesterday.
Gutierrez, 28, was a high-profile prospect out of Cuba who signed for a $4.75MM bonus (plus a 100% tax on that sum) with the Reds back in 2016. He wound up pitching just 150 2/3 innings between 2021-22 in Cincinnati, logging a 5.44 ERA with worse-than-average strikeout and walk rates of 17.3% and 10.4%, respectively. As a prospect, he was touted as having a solid heater with a potentially plus slate of secondary offerings (curve, slider, changeup) — but he’s yet to find much consistency in the majors. The Marlins will have a week to trade Gutierrez, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.
Emanuel, 31, has 17 2/3 big league innings under his belt, all of which came with the 2021 Astros. Houston selected him out of UNC in the third round of the 2013 draft. The 6’4″ lefty impressed in his first MLB cup of coffee, posting a 2.55 ERA with a 19.1% strikeout rate, a 5.9% walk rate and a sizable 50% grounder rate. A UCL injury led to surgery in the summer of 2021. He didn’t require a full Tommy John procedure but had an internal brace surgery that wiped out the rest of that ’21 season.
Because he had the less invasive UCL operation, Emanuel was back on the mound for 58 1/3 minor league innings in 2022. He pitched well (2.64 ERA, 52-to-8 K/BB ratio) but didn’t get a look in the big leagues. He spent the 2023 season in the Pirates organization and posted solid K-BB marks but an ugly 6.12 ERA, working primarily as a starter, due in part to a sky-high .370 average on balls in play and some uncharacteristic susceptibility to home runs (1.39 HR/9, 18.1% HR/FB ratio).
As with Gutierrez, Emanuel will give the Marlins some more length in the ‘pen — and as with Gutierrez, it could be a short stay on the MLB roster for him if he pitches multiple innings and the Fish want to get another rested arm into the bullpen.
Brewers Outright Eric Haase
Catcher/outfielder Eric Haase cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Brewers, tweets Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Nashville. Haase has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, but doing so would require forfeiting the $1MM base rate at which he’d earn in the big leagues, plus the potential for a $50K incentive he can unlock for every 25th game he plays in the big leagues. Presumably, Haase’s split major league deal also has a nice rate of pay at the Triple-A level.
The 31-year-old Haase was one of baseball’s hottest hitters during spring training. That he went unclaimed on waivers serves as a reminder that spring stats don’t carry much weight with big league clubs. Haase slashed .395/.465/.868 with five homers, three doubles, five walks and six strikeouts in 43 trips to the plate.
After signing his deal with the Brewers back in December, Haase appeared slated to open the season as the backup to William Contreras. But the Brewers came to terms late in the offseason on a one-year deal with veteran Gary Sanchez, pushing Haase down the depth chart. The nature of his contract likely helped him pass through waivers, and he’ll now serve as a nice depth option for the Brew Crew in Triple-A.
Prior to the 2024 season, Haase’s entire career has been split between Detroit and Cleveland. His 2023 season was a down year that saw him slash just .201/.247/.281, prompting the Tigers to make a change of their own behind the plate. But from 2021-22, Haase split time between catcher and left field for the Tigers and turned in a combined .242/.295/.451 line with 36 big flies in 732 plate appearances.
Last year’s downturn at the plate was in part due to a reduction in average on balls in play (.297 from 2021-22 but just .268 in 2023), however it also can’t simply be chalked up to poor fortune. Haase made hard contact at a far lower rate (45.1% in 2021-22, just 35.9% in 2023) and put the ball on the ground more often than in any full big league season prior. He also hit infield flies at the highest rate of his career and saw a career-low 5.6% of his fly-balls become home runs after enjoying an 18.8% mark in that regard in the two preceding seasons.
Defensively, Haase is something of a mixed bag. Last year’s 24% caught-stealing rate was actually three percentage points higher than the 21% league average, and he showed improved framing marks after struggling in that regard in previous seasons. He also graded poorly in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt, however, and his broader body of work behind the plate has drawn below-average reviews overall.
Royals Sign Brian O’Keefe To Minor League Deal
The Royals announced Monday that they’ve signed catcher Brian O’Keefe to a minor league contract. He’ll report to Triple-A Omaha tomorrow. O’Keefe spent spring training in the Twins organization after signing a minor league deal with Minnesota, but he was released late four days ago.
O’Keefe, 30, has appeared with the Mariners in each of the past two MLB seasons. He has only 25 big league plate appearances under his belt, during which he’s gone 3-for-22 with a pair of doubles. The former seventh-round pick (Cardinals, 2014) is a career .247/.333/.475 hitter in three minor league seasons — including a .238/.328/.504 slash (93 wRC+), 23 home runs and 25 doubles last season.
Behind the plate, O’Keefe has been roughly average in terms of controlling runners (career 25% caught-stealing rate; 18% in 2023). He’s regularly posted excellent framing marks in the upper minors, per Baseball Prospectus.
The Royals don’t have an immediate opening for help behind the plate. Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin are both on the big league roster and will handle the entirety of catching duties between them. Kansas City signed veteran Austin Nola to a one-year major league contract in the offseason and started him in Triple-A Omaha, but the Storm Chasers announced over the weekend that he’d been placed on the injured list. That created a need for some extra depth alongside Logan Porter and Tyler Cropley; O’Keefe will fill that role for the time being and give the Royals an experienced option in the event of an injury to Perez or Fermin.
Kendrick: D-backs Open To Further Payroll Increases At Trade Deadline
The Diamondbacks enter the season with an approximate payroll of $168MM (per RosterResource), shattering their prior franchise record of about $131MM. And while Arizona is among the many clubs to have been impacted by the recent bankruptcy filing of Diamond Sports Group, it doesn’t sound like concerns regarding the television outlook will prevent the club from adding further, if needed. Managing partner Ken Kendrick tells Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic that he’s “absolutely” willing to green-light further expenditures if needs arise prior to the summer trade deadline.
From a luxury tax standpoint, Arizona sits at a projected $216MM — about $21MM shy of the first-tier threshold. They shouldn’t have many, if any, limitations with regard to the competitive balance tax, as it’s quite rare for any team to take on that much prorated annual value at the deadline. Kendrick pointed to his team’s 2017 acquisition of J.D. Martinez as a prior example of an aggressive deadline approach and said he’ll be “prepared to do that yet again” if the right player is available this July.
Kendrick didn’t delve into this aspect of deadline shopping, but Arizona’s payroll is also well-positioned from a long-term standpoint. The Diamondbacks shouldn’t have an issues adding a player who is signed or arb-eligible beyond the current season. In fact, it could be argued they’d be wise to target such players, given the slate of high-profile free agents the D-backs have at season’s end. First baseman Christian Walker, closer Paul Sewald and left-hander Jordan Montgomery are all slated to hit free agency. Designated hitter Joc Pederson has a mutual option, as do reliever Scott McGough and outfielder Randal Grichuk. Mutual options are almost never exercised, so they’ll all likely hit the market, too.
That large slate of names coming off the books leaves the Diamondbacks with just $63.5MM on next year’s books, per RosterResource. That’ll jump when Kelly’s $7MM club option is picked up and when Gallen receives a hefty raise on this year’s $10.011MM salary in arbitration. But the rest of the D-backs’ arb class consists of middle relievers and first-time eligible players, meaning it shouldn’t be overly expensive. Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel, Joe Mantiply, Ryne Nelson, Geraldo Perdomo and Alek Thomas make up the rest of the class. Given this year’s new highwater mark and the comparatively minimal commitments on the docket in 2025, the Diamondbacks could add a player on a notable contract.
When we’re this far from the deadline, there’s no telling what exactly the Diamondbacks will be targeting — outside of bullpen help. That’s not a knock on Arizona’s relief corps, but rather just an observation that virtually every contending club shops around to deepen its bullpen at the deadline. The D-backs’ lineup is quite deep and largely set with established players. In the rotation, lefty Eduardo Rodriguez is expected to miss about a month with a lat strain and the aforementioned Montgomery is ramping up down in the minors. Once they’re both active, they’ll join Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Brandon Pfaadt in what should be one of the most talented rotations in the game.
Injuries can quickly change that calculus and necessitate short-term acquisitions. Kendrick’s comments suggest he’ll be willing to be flexible in allowing GM Mike Hazen and his staff when they look to fortify a roster that hopes for another deep postseason run.
Free Agent Prediction Contest Winners Notified
In early November, we ran our annual free agent prediction contest here at MLBTR. We had 6,135 entrants, which I believe is an all-time record.
The contest concluded last week on Opening Day, with the unsigned Mike Clevinger and Brandon Belt excluded from the results. Tasked with predicting the destinations of our other 48 top free agents, one contestant managed to guess 13 players correctly for a .271 batting average. Congratulations to Jeff Freedman, who correctly predicted where Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, Aaron Nola, Matt Chapman, Sonny Gray, Teoscar Hernandez, Lucas Giolito, J.D. Martinez, Jack Flaherty, Reynaldo Lopez, Jason Heyward, and Tim Anderson would sign. Jeff wins $500 for his prognostication abilities.
No one else exceeded 11 correct guesses, which was good for a .229 average. As for the MLBTR staff race, Leo Morgenstern and Nick Deeds beat the rest of us with an excellent nine correct. You can check out the leaderboard here.
The first, second, and third place finishers won cash prizes, and the entire top 15 snagged a free one-year subscription to Trade Rumors Front Office. All winners have been notified, so if you’re in the top 15 on the leaderboard be sure to check the email you used to sign up for the contest. Thanks for playing and we look forward to doing it again next winter!
The Opener: Jiménez, Injuries, Giants/Dodgers
As we enter the second week of the MLB regular season, here are three things to keep an eye on around the league:
1. Is Eloy Jiménez headed for the IL?
White Sox DH Eloy Jiménez left Sunday’s contest against the Tigers with what the team originally deemed “left adductor soreness” and manager Pedro Grifol later called “an adductor strain” (per Scott Merkin of MLB.com). The adductors are muscles that run from the pelvic bone to the knee along the inner thigh.
After the game, Grifol said, “We’ll see tomorrow how [Jiménez] wakes up. They’re going to do some testing on it… We’re not sure until tomorrow” (per Merkin). While we should know more about the severity of Jiménez’s injury sometime today, James Fegan of Sox Machine notes that the oft-injured DH previously suffered an adductor strain as a minor leaguer in 2018. That particular injury kept him on the shelf for two weeks. Fegan also mentions that Lenyn Sosa is being recalled from Triple-A, which seems to indicate an incoming IL stint announcement.
2. More teams waiting on injury updates:
The White Sox aren’t the only team waiting on injury updates today. Two Giants players exited yesterday’s action early, and the team said both would be reevaluated on Monday. First baseman Wilmer Flores suffered a shoulder contusion after falling into the dugout while trying to catch a foul ball. An inning later, starting pitcher Daulton Jefferies left the game himself due to right hip discomfort.
On the minor league side, Rays infielder (and star prospect) Junior Caminero suffered a quad injury at Triple-A on Sunday. It looked exceptionally painful as the young infielder limped to first base before dropping to the ground, but there is no word yet on the severity of the injury. Like Flores and Jefferies, Caminero will undergo testing today.
3. The Giants take on the Dodgers:
As the Giants wait for updates on Flores and Jefferies, they will head to Chavez Ravine to take on the Dodgers. San Francisco made a push to sign superstar Shohei Ohtani this offseason, and now the Giants will get their first look at the two-time MVP playing for their long-time rivals. San Francisco was also a finalist to land NPB ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, although the Giants won’t see him this week in L.A.
For their part, the Dodgers get a chance to take on the new-look Giants. Although Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi didn’t land the two biggest fish of the offseason, he still transformed his team’s roster, adding Jung Hoo Lee, Jorge Soler, and Matt Chapman to the top of the lineup and Blake Snell and Jordan Hicks to the starting rotation.
East Notes: Caminero, Senzel, Megill
After hitting his first Triple-A home run earlier in the game, Rays top prospect Junior Caminero was forced to make an early exit from Sunday afternoon’s contest against the Norfolk Tides. He injured his left quad while running to first. According to Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times, Caminero “limped the last few steps to first base and eventually needed to be helped off the field.”
Caminero is set for further evaluation tomorrow. The severity of his injury is not yet clear, but it is worrisome that he was unable to walk off the field without assistance. The 20-year-old infielder is a consensus top-10 prospect in the game. While he failed to earn a spot on Tampa Bay’s Opening Day roster, he was a likely candidate to earn a call-up mid-season after gaining some experience at Triple-A. The extent of his injury will surely play a role in how soon he can make an impact at the big league level.
The Rays are already low on infield depth early in the season. Shortstop Taylor Walls is currently out recovering from offseason hip surgery, while first/second/third baseman Jonathan Aranda broke a finger during spring training. In addition, utility player Amed Rosario made his first two starts in right field with outfielders Josh Lowe and Jonny DeLuca on the IL.
More news from around MLB’s East divisions…
- The Nationals got some good news on Saturday, learning that third baseman Nick Senzel will not need surgery to repair his broken thumb (per Mark Zuckerman of MASN). That should mean he’ll return to play significantly sooner than he otherwise would. Senzel, 28, is no longer the top prospect he once was, but the Nationals were counting on him to keep third base warm this season on a one-year deal. Trey Lipscomb, 23, has done good work covering the hot corner over the past two days – he hit his first big league home run this afternoon – but presumably, the Nationals would rather the youngster get a little more seasoning in Triple-A. He was supposed to start there this season before Senzel’s injury rushed him to the show.
- Mets right-hander Tylor Megill left his start early on Sunday, pitching just four innings against the Brewers. After the game, bench coach John Gibbons told reporters (including Joel Sherman of the New York Post) that Megill’s shoulder felt tender and he would need an MRI. Shoulder pain is particularly troubling for Megill, who spent three months on the IL in 2022 with a shoulder strain. Thus, the Mets will hope the MRI doesn’t reveal any serious damage. New York is already thin on starting pitching: Kodai Senga is nursing a shoulder injury of his own, while David Peterson will be out until late May after offseason hip surgery. Finally, Max Kranick, whom the Mets picked up as additional starting depth this winter, is on the IL with a hamstring strain.
NL West Notes: Flores, Jefferies, Thomas, Grichuk, Buehler
Giants first baseman Wilmer Flores exited before the second inning of today’s game against the Padres after falling into the opposing dugout while attempting to catch a foul ball. He initially stayed in the game but was replaced by a pinch hitter before his first plate appearance. During the game, the team told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area) that Flores had suffered a right shoulder contusion. Afterward, Pavlovic added that the first baseman also had a cut on his finger and the Giants will reevaluate his condition tomorrow. Flores confirmed to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he had not hit his head.
Flores, 32, is coming off a career year for the Giants, in which he hit 22 doubles and 23 home runs with an .863 OPS over 126 games. His overall defensive metrics were not particularly impressive, but as usual, he did his best work at first base, producing 6 DRS and 1 OAA. He made just two errors in 61 games.
In additional Giants news, starting pitcher Daulton Jefferies also left the game early on Sunday, after giving up nine runs (five earned) in just two innings of work. According to Slusser, the righty felt some discomfort in his left hip. Like Flores, he will be re-evaluated tomorrow.
Jefferies, 28, had his contract officially selected today, ahead of his first MLB start in nearly two years. He underwent surgery for both thoracic outlet syndrome and a torn UCL in 2022, so he and the Giants will hope his latest injury is nothing more serious than mild discomfort.
In other news from around the NL West…
- Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas left Sunday’s game against the Rockies in the fourth inning with what the team later announced as “left hamstring tightness.” Speaking after the game, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters that he decided to take Thomas out of the game, while the center fielder wanted to stay on the field (per Arizona Sports). Hopefully for the D-backs, that is a sign that this was merely a precautionary measure. Lovullo said the team will continue evaluating the 23-year-old over the rest of the night.
- Earlier in the day, Lovullo provided an update on another one of his outfielders. Randal Grichuk, 32, is currently on a rehab stint with the Triple-A Reno Aces, and the skipper told reporters (including Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports) that he expects him to return soon after his minimum 10 days on the IL are up. Lovullo said Grichuk is already prepared to face major league pitching, but he needed a little more time to prep in the outfield after missing all of spring training recovering from ankle surgery.
- Walker Buehler made his first rehab start today, pitching into the fourth inning for Triple-A Oklahoma City. His fastball velocity sat around 94 mph (h/t to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic), not quite as high as it was in 2021 and ’22, but promising for an early rehab appearance. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Jack Harris of The Los Angeles Times) that Buehler would need to make around four rehab starts, with Juan Toribio of MLB.com noting that Buehler likely needs to build up to throwing 90 pitches; his goal today was 40-45.