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MLB Completes Mike Clevinger Investigation, No Discipline Forthcoming

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News broke in January that Mike Clevinger was under investigation from the league, as per allegations of domestic violence and child abuse.  Major League Baseball announced the results of that investigation today, and Clevinger will not face any suspension or other discipline from the league.

MLB’s statement: “The comprehensive investigation included interviews of more than 15 individuals, in addition to Mr. Clevinger and the complainant, as well as a review of available documents, such as thousands of electronic communication records.  The Office of the Commissioner has closed this investigation and, barring the receipt of any new information or evidence, the Office of the Commissioner will not be imposing discipline on Mr. Clevinger in connection with these allegations.

As part of his path forward, Mr. Clevinger has voluntarily agreed to submit to evaluations by the joint treatment boards under the collectively bargained policies, and to comply with any of the boards’ recommendations.  MLB will continue to make support services available to Mr. Clevinger, his family, and other individuals involved in the investigation.”

The league’s investigation has been ongoing since last summer, as Olivia Finestead (the mother of Clevinger’s 10-month-old child) told The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang in that January story.  The allegations included two incidents where Clevinger was accused of choking Finestead, and another when he slapped her and threw used chewing tobacco on their child.  Clevinger’s lawyers “emphatically” denied the charges, calling the allegations “false” and saying that “the simple truth is that Mike has done nothing wrong.”

In regards to the end of the league’s investigation today, Clevinger released his own statement, via the MLB Players Association (Twitter link).  “I had nothing to hide and cooperated fully with MLB,” Clevinger said.  “This situation has been stressful for my family, and I thank them for their strength and support.  I asked everyone not to rush to judgement until MLB’s investigation was concluded, and I appreciate everyone who had faith in me, including the White Sox organization and my teammates.  I am looking forward to the 2023 season and helping the White Sox win a championship this year.”

Under the broad purview of the MLB/MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy established in August 2015, the league had the ability to impose a wide range of disciplinary actions against Clevinger.  In most cases, discipline takes the form of suspensions without pay, with past suspensions ranging anywhere from 15 games to the record 324 games issued against Trevor Bauer (with Bauer’s suspension later reduced to 194 games by a neutral arbitrator).

The allegations issued against Clevinger came when he was a member of the Padres, and the right-hander then signed with the White Sox for a one-year deal worth $12MM in guaranteed money.  (Clevinger earns $8MM in 2023, and there is a $4MM buyout of a mutual option on his services for 2024.)  According to a statement from the team when news of the investigation went public, the Sox “were not aware of the allegations or the investigation at the time of [Clevinger’s] signing.”  Clevinger was signed to provide essentially replace Johnny Cueto in Chicago’s rotation, as Clevinger will join Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Michael Kopech in the starting five.

Rockies To Sign Mike Moustakas

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12:02PM: Moustakas isn’t being considered for second base duty, Harding tweets.  In other Twitter links, Harding shared some comments from Moustakas, who said “I finally feel good” in the wake of his injuries, and he didn’t want to sign anywhere until he was closer to full health.  The Moose was non-committal about the idea of accepting a minor league assignment to Triple-A if he didn’t make the Rockies’ Opening Day roster, saying “that’s something we’ll talk about if it happens.”

8:44AM: The Rockies have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran infielder Mike Moustakas, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports (Twitter link).  Moustakas is represented by the Boras Corporation, and he became a free agent after being released by the Reds in early January.

Assuming Moustakas makes Colorado’s roster, the Rockies will only owe him the Major League minimum salary.  The Reds will be responsible for the rest of the $22MM salary Moustakas is slated to earn in 2023, as per the four-year, $64MM deal he signed with Cincinnati during the 2019-20 offseason.  The Moose will earn $18MM in salary, and the Reds are also on the hook for a $4MM buyout of a $20MM club option for the 2024 season.

It makes for a pretty low-risk experiment for a Rockies team that is suddenly short on infielders, given how Brendan Rodgers seems likely to miss most or all of the 2023 season while recovering from a dislocated shoulder.  With surgery a distinct possibility for Rodgers, Colorado was aiming to fill his second base spot by moving Ryan McMahon over from third base, except Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Moustakas is now being tabbed to fill in at the keystone.  This plan would allow the Rox to keep McMahon at third base, and keep second-year players Nolan Jones and Elehuris Montero (who were lined up to take over at the hot corner) in backup roles.

Moustakas has played 613 2/3 big league innings as a second baseman, almost entirely in 2019-20 with the Brewers and Reds.  While he was a passable option at the position, public defensive metrics rated Moustakas below average, with a -0.9 UZR/150, -4 Defensive Runs Saved, and -2 Outs Above Average.  There isn’t an easy way for Rodgers to be replaced, naturally, but it represents something of a curious move for Colorado to target Moustakas as an answer given how other more experienced middle infielders were available in free agency, or on the trade market.

That said, Moustakas comes at a far lesser financial cost than most other options, and it could be that Colorado simply didn’t want too much of a lineup shuffle given McMahon’s defensive prowess at third base.  With Opening Day still weeks away, the Rockies’ plans might yet still change, as Moustakas can theoretically fit at several other spots around the infield.  His left-handed bat might factor into the Rockies’ plans at first base and DH, since C.J. Cron and Sean Bouchard are both right-handed hitters.

While Moustakas is a good fit on paper, however, it remains to be seen what version of the Moose the Rockies are getting as he enters his age-34 season.  Moustakas was plagued by injuries (a heel contusion and a calf strain) over his last two years in Cincinnati, resulting in a mediocre .212/.289/.356 slash line in 491 plate appearances since the start of the 2021 season.  With those two sub-replacement level seasons cratering his trade value, the Reds opted to simply release Moustakas heading into the final guaranteed year of his contract, eating his salary and opening up more playing time as Cincinnati continues its rebuild.

Prior to those injury-shortened 2021-22 seasons, Moustakas was a solid performer for the Royals, Brewers, and Reds from 2015-20, hitting .262/.326/.490 with 138 homers over 2707 plate appearances (good for a 113 wRC+).  The Moose was named to three All-Star games during that stretch, and he was also a big part of Kansas City’s World Series championship team in 2015.

While staying healthy is naturally the key to any hope for a rebound season, Moustakas’ move to Coors Field might help reinvigorate his bat.  The new defensive rules would seemingly help given how Moustakas faced shifts 81 percent of the time in 2022, though his production against shifts (in the Statcast era) has fluctuated heavily, with some seasons of better production hitting into shifts than against a regular fielding alignment.  If anything, the new defensive rules might put more pressure on Moustakas from a second base perspective, as he’ll now be asked to cover more ground in the field.

The Rockies have now made two veteran additions in as many days, between the Moustakas signing and their one-year deal yesterday with left-handed reliever Brad Hand.  It’s a quick pivot for the team, who learned earlier this week about Rodgers and the strong possibility that reliever Lucas Gilbreath will need Tommy John surgery.

Twins’ Nick Gordon Diagnosed With High Ankle Sprain

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TODAY: Gordon’s MRI didn’t show any damage beyond the sprain, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters (including Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune).

MARCH 3: Twins utilityman Nick Gordon exited today’s game after making an off-balance throw to first base, and he’s been diagnosed with a “mild to moderate” high ankle sprain, tweets Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic. Gordon, who was in the game at second base, was wearing a walking boot and on crutches after the game. He’s out through at least Monday, though he’ll continue to be evaluated in the interim.

Manager Rocco Baldelli fortunately told reporters after the game that the issue doesn’t look too severe, though he noted “there’s a wide range of outcomes” in his return timetable (via Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). Even if turns out to be a relatively minor concern, Baldelli suggested Gordon was likely to require “a little time off his feet.”

Gordon, 27, broke out with a solid .272/.316/.427 batting line, nine homers, 28 doubles, four triples and six stolen bases in 443 plate appearances last season. The former No. 5 overall pick perhaps hasn’t lived up to that draft billing, but he entered spring training with a spot locked down as a vital utility option in Minnesota. Gordon saw time at second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield slots for the Twins in 2022, and his offensive output was 11% better than a league-average hitter, by measure of wRC+.

The Twins boast a deep group of position players, with Donovan Solano and Kyle Farmer both joining Gordon as backup infield options, while defensive standout Michael A. Taylor provides another option at all three outfield slots. Minnesota’s signing of Solano likely pushed corner outfielder/designated hitter Trevor Larnach off the big league roster by simple virtue of the fact that he has a minor league option remaining. If Gordon were to miss any time early in the season, Larnach would likely find himself all but assured an Opening Day roster spot — particularly since fellow outfielder Gilberto Celestino is out for the next six to eight weeks following thumb surgery.

Angels Hire Kurt Suzuki For Special Assistant Role

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The Angels have hired longtime catcher Kurt Suzuki as a special assistant to GM Perry Minasian, the team announced.  Suzuki moves into this new phase of his baseball career just months after ending his on-field endeavors, as he retired after the 2022 campaign.

Suzuki spent the last two of his 16 Major League seasons with the Angels, and he was also a member of the Braves in 2017-18 when Minasian was hired as Atlanta’s assistant general manager in September 2017.  When Suzuki announced his retirement in September, he said that he’d be interested in a new role “wherever I can help out” within the Angels organization.

The hiring continues Suzuki’s longstanding ties to the SoCal area, as beyond his two seasons with the Angels, he also played his college ball at Cal State Fullerton.  He made the move up to Northern California when he was a second-round pick for the Athletics in the 2004 draft, and Suzuki ended up playing 718 of his 1635 MLB games in an Oakland uniform.  Suzuki’s career highlights include an All-Star selection as a member of the Twins in 2014, and a World Series ring with the 2019 Nationals as Suzuki and Yan Gomes split catching duties for the champs.

Rays Radio Broadcaster Dave Wills Passes Away

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Longtime radio announcer Dave Wills passed away today at age 58, the Rays announced.  Wills has been the voice of the Rays since 2005, teaming with partner Andy Freed to work in alternating play-by-play/color roles for the last 18 seasons.

“Dave was an outstanding broadcaster, a great friend and an even better person.  He had a remarkable talent for bringing the game to life for our fans and was a vital part of the Rays family.  We will miss him dearly and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” said Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg.

A Chicago native, Wills worked as a baseball coach at Elmhurst College and the University of Chicago before taking on play-by-play duties with the Kane County Cougars (then an A-ball affiliate for the Orioles and Marlins) from 1991-95.  Wills’ other duties for the WMAQ and WMVP stations included pregame and postgame duties for Notre Dame football and basketball, and well as White Sox baseball, with Wills also getting some fill-in work for regular radio broadcaster John Rooney.

Today’s scheduled radio broadcast of the game between the Rays and Orioles won’t take place, and the Rays will honor Wills with a special pregame tribute at some point during the 2023 season.  We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our condolences to Wills’ family, friends, and fans.

Cardinals Notes: Walker, Flaherty, Wainwright

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Jordan Walker leads all hitters in baseball with a 1.667 OPS in Spring Training, as the young slugger continues to turn heads.  While Walker’s performance has come over only 18 plate appearances, his speed, power, and overall hitting prowess has created some buzz that he might break camp with the Cardinals, MLB.com’s John Denton writes.  Manager Oli Marmol didn’t close the door on the possibility, saying “I don’t know what the tipping point is, but he’s continuing to show he’s capable.  We went into this camp saying there is going to be real competition and that’s what he is making this — a real competition.”

As a consensus top-five prospect in baseball, Walker isn’t exactly coming out of nowhere, but the expectation was that he would begin the season in the minors since Walker has yet to play any Triple-A ball.  Even if Walker’s bat might be ready for prime time, he only started playing in the outfield last season, as the Cards moved him off his original third base position since Nolan Arenado obviously has the hot corner spoken for at the MLB level.  St. Louis also technically has a full outfield complement already, with Dylan Carlson, Tyler O’Neill, and Lars Nootbaar slated for starting duty, Alec Burleson and Juan Yepez in backup roles, and versatile infielders Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan able to play on the grass when they aren’t elsewhere on the diamond.  That said, the Cardinals have traditionally not been shy about promoting their top prospects, and the team’s decision-makers might face a real choice if Walker keeps crushing the ball.

More from St. Louis…

  • Jack Flaherty is tentatively scheduled for his first spring outing as part of a piggyback start with Jordan Montgomery, though Flaherty has been dealing with both flu-like symptoms and discomfort in his calf.  Marmol told John Denton and other reporters that the team was monitoring Flaherty’s health and could push the right-hander’s debut back for a second time, with an eye towards getting Flaherty on the mound later this week.  Neither the illness or injury seem like any major concern at this time, and Flaherty was able to throw a simulated game last week. [UPDATE: Flaherty’s outing will be pushed to Monday, Marmol told Denton and other reporters.  Flaherty will get an extra day to recuperate, and is scheduled for three innings of work against the Astros.]
  • Adam Wainwright is also dealing with some aches and pains, as the veteran starter told reporters (including Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that “I had some back spasms stuff going on a couple weeks ago, and it shut a muscle down that I’m really trying to get to turn back on right now.”  Between the back spasms, the related glute muscle issue that is impacting Wainwright’s running, and a minor blister problem, it isn’t surprising that Wainwright’s first couple of Grapefruit League outings have been forgettable, with a 7.20 ERA over five innings.  Wainwright did note that his velocity was slightly up in his second start, and feels he’ll be ready to go when he pitches for the United States team during the World Baseball Classic.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Slater, Groshans, Cabrera

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The start of spring training always brings plenty of reports of players experiencing ’tightness’ or ’discomfort’, and while many of those wind up being rather minor, the Rangers in particular are dealing with plenty of seemingly minor ailments this spring, as Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Star winter signing Jacob deGrom was experiencing left-side tightness early in camp, but is scheduled to now throw his first live bullpen session on Wednesday, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Fellow off-season recruit Nathan Eovaldi is also experiencing some left-side tightness, and is taking a few days off. Jon Gray was a late scratch from Friday’s spring game with back tightness, while Jake Odorizzi is dealing with arm fatigue and is a bit behind in his schedule. It doesn’t stop there, as Jose LeClerc and Owen White are both feeling neck tightness.

There doesn’t appear to be a great deal of concern within the Rangers, and instead it seems the team is just being extra cautious so early in the spring. “When we started spring, in addressing the pitchers especially, we said, ‘Hey, in the early part here, let us know. Anything going on, we don’t want any major setbacks. We can back off at this time.’ Spring training can be pretty long, so in the early part, you’re going to be a little bit more cautious,” manager Bruce Bochy said Friday.

Here’s some more bits and pieces from around baseball:

  • Austin Slater had an MRI on his elbow but it came back clear, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants announced during the week that Slater would rest for a week with elbow neuritis. The news that the MRI is clear is certainly a positive one for Slater, and it seems it won’t be long before he’s able to make his spring debut for the team. Slater hit .242/.337/.392 with seven home runs across 259 plate appearances for San Francisco last season, and looks set to serve as a bench bat for the Giants with Joc Pederson, Mitch Haniger, Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski to get the bulk of the outfield reps.
  • The Marlins are giving youngster Jordan Groshans time at first base this spring, as Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports. Groshans typically handled the other infield spots coming up through the minors, and spent just 40 previous innings at first. Groshans is on the fringes of cracking Miami’s opening day roster, but if he can show he can handle first adequately it would certainly provide a boost to his chances. A first round pick by the Blue Jays in 2018, Groshans came over to the Marlins in the Anthony Bass deal last year. He got a brief cup of coffee in the big leagues, hitting .262/.308/.311 across 65 plate appearances. With Garrett Cooper, Joey Wendle, Luis Arraez and Jean Segura fairly well locked in as Miami’s infield starters, there’s no obvious path to a starting job there but the Marlins bench is a lot less certain, providing Groshans with a solid chance to stick on the active roster to begin the season.
  • Speaking of positional changes, the Yankees are planning to give Oswaldo Cabrera some time in center field this spring, Aaron Boone told the YES Network’s broadcast during today’s game against the Rays. Cabrera impressed during his rookie year, posting a respectable .247/.312/.429 line with six home runs across 171 plate appearances. Yet it was his defense that really stood out, as Cabrera, an infielder for almost all of his career, took to the outfield extremely well, earning nine Defensive Runs Saved for his work on the grass. That’s put him firmly in the race with Aaron Hicks, Estevan Florial and Rafael Ortega to be the Yankees’ opening day left fielder. It does seem more likely he winds up in a utility role though, covering the infield, corner outfield spots, and now, perhaps, center field.

Injury Notes: Peterson, Yarbrough, Garcia,

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Mets starter David Peterson will get an x-ray on his left foot after being struck by a ball there, manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including Tim Healey of Newsday). Peterson tossed two innings in the Mets 15-4 win over Miami today.

Peterson isn’t expected to crack New York’s opening day rotation, although there’s a good chance he’d be one of the first options they called on in the event of an injury to any of the other starters. We’re obviously short on detail until the results of Peterson’s x-ray come back, but any serious injury would be a blow to the Mets’ pitching depth. Peterson worked to a 3.83 ERA over 105 2/3 innings for the Mets last year, combining a 27.8% strikeout rate with a 10.6% walk rate. The 27-year-old does have minor league options remaining, so he could either operate as a starter at Triple-A or out of New York’s bullpen. The Mets do have solid pitching depth behind their projected rotation of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Kodai Senga, Carlos Carrasco and Jose Quintana, with Peterson, Tylor Megill and Joey Lucchesi all shaping up as solid depth options. [UPDATE May 5: Peterson’s x-rays were inconclusive, and he will now get a CT scan, Showalter told Healey and other reporters.]

Here’s a couple of other injury notes from around the game:

  • Royals starter Ryan Yarbrough is dealing with a “slight groin strain” that doesn’t appear to be too serious, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Yarbrough is scheduled to throw a bullpen session tomorrow to see how he feels. Yarbrough tossed 80 innings of 4.50 ERA ball for the Rays last year across nine starts and 11 relief appearances. Tampa Bay designated Yarbrough for assignment and then non-tendered him this winter, and he latched on with the Royals on a one-year, $3MM deal. The leftie owns a career 4.33 ERA over five seasons in the bigs, all for the Rays.
  • Pirates left-hander Jarlin Garcia left today’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies with what the team describes as left arm tightness, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com relays. Garcia gave up four earned runs on a walk and four hits in 1/3 of an inning of work. Unsurprisingly, the language used to describe the injury is very vague, and the outcome could range from a serious injury to nothing at all, and we should know more once the Pirates have evaluated him. Garcia joined the Pirates on a one-year, $2.5MM deal this winter. He’d been a successful member of the Giants bullpen for the past few seasons, working to a 2.84 ERA over 152 innings of work between 2020-22. Like many southpaws, he worked especially well against left-handed hitters, restricting them to a .192/.245/.364 line in 2022, against a .275/.327/.450 line against right-handed hitters. Rule 5 pick Jose Hernandez is the only other left-handed reliever currently projected to be on the Pirates active roster to start the year, although the team does have a number of non-roster invitees, including Caleb Smith, Daniel Zamora and Rob Zastryzny, who could come into the picture should Garcia’s tightness turn into anything that puts him in doubt for opening day.

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