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Giants To Place Steven Duggar On IL, Likely To Select Luis Gonzalez

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Giants center fielder Steven Duggar left yesterday’s game against the Mets in the second inning after feeling soreness in his left oblique area. After the game, manager Gabe Kapler indicated Duggar was likely to wind up on the injured list, a sentiment echoed by president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.

During an appearance on KNBR radio in San Francisco (h/t to KNBR’s Danny Emerman), Zaidi said Duggar was headed for an MRI today but conceded early indications are “that’s an injury that usually puts a guy on the sidelines for a few weeks.” It’s not uncommon for oblique strains to require a month or more of recovery. The team will know more about the severity of Duggar’s injury and be able to provide a more specific timetable for his return once the imaging results come back.

Duggar has been San Francisco’s primary center fielder this season, starting 11 of their first 13 games. Like many of his teammates, the 28-year-old had a quietly solid showing in 2021, when he hit .257/.330/.437 with eight homers and seven stolen bases over 297 plate appearances. That offensive production was reliant on a probably unsustainable .355 batting average on balls in play, though, with Duggar’s 29.6% strikeout rate and 73.4% contact percentage raising questions about his ability to continue producing at an above-average level.

The Giants were confident enough in his abilities not to bring in external center field help this past offseason. Duggar had gotten off to a slow start to the year, collecting just seven hits in 36 at-bats with two walks and 16 strikeouts. His efforts to work through that rough stretch will be put on hold, with the Giants looking for other options to cover the position in his absence.

The immediate replacement seems as if it’ll be Luis González, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports (on Twitter) the Giants are planning to select González onto the big league club. San Francisco claimed the 26-year-old off release waivers from the White Sox last August. González was on the minor league injured list at the time, and the Giants stashed him on the major league 60-day IL for the remainder of the season. By doing so, they added a player whom Baseball America had named a top 15 prospect in the Chicago farm system each year from 2018-21. That required paying him an MLB salary for the season’s final couple weeks, but the Giants evidently valued him enough to do so if it meant bringing him to the organization.

San Francisco non-tendered González at the start of the offseason, when teams are required to activate players from the IL and carry them on the 40-man roster. They quickly brought him back on a minor league deal, and he’s gotten off to a .283/.389/.500 start in 11 games with Triple-A Sacramento.

González only has nine games of big league experience under his belt, but he’s a .267/.346/.416 hitter in the minors. He can cover all three outfield spots and adds a left-handed bat to replace the lefty-swinging Duggar. The healthy center field options on San Francisco’s 40-man roster — Austin Slater, Luke Williams, Mauricio Dubón and prospect Heliot Ramos — all hit right-handed, and Zaidi spoke on KNBR about his desire to get another left-handed option in the mix for Kapler. The lefty-hitting LaMonte Wade Jr. is on the IL due to left knee inflammation; he’s set to begin a rehab assignment with Sacramento today, and the team won’t reinstate him earlier than anticipated in response to Duggar’s injury (via Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic).

The Giants’ baseball ops leader also downplayed the possibility of recalling Ramos, who tallied seven plate appearances over four games during his first call-up earlier this season. “It was great seeing him up earlier, but not sure we want to bring him up to be in sort of a part-time role,” Zaidi said of the 22-year-old. “I think the next time he comes up, we want him to be in a situation where he can get everyday at-bats.”

For now, it seems the Giants are content to rotate a few players through center field based on match-ups. González isn’t yet on the 40-man roster, so there’ll be another move forthcoming to accommodate his selection.

Yankees, Padres Discussed Joey Gallo Deal In Spring Training

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Coming off a frustrating half-season in the Bronx last season, Joey Gallo was an oft-speculated trade candidate throughout the offseason. The Yankees indeed explored trade scenarios involving the 28-year-old slugger after the lockout, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who reports this morning that the Yanks spoke to the Padres about a possible swap during Spring Training.

It’s not the first time that the Padres have inquired on Gallo. San Diego looked into Gallo at last year’s trade deadline, and Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has made a habit of acquiring players he knows well from his days as an assistant GM in Texas. That no deal came together is surely reflective of multiple complicating factors.

First and foremost, the Padres appeared to be generally hamstrung for much of the offseason, as they signaled limited payroll capacity while seeking to shed salary (e.g. Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers) in trades. Even in their trade sending Chris Paddack, Emilio Pagan and a PTBNL to the Twins in exchange for Taylor Rogers, the Padres had Minnesota take on $6.6MM of Rogers’ $7.3MM salary — effectively reducing him to a league-minimum player.

Secondly, Heyman suggests that the Yankees weren’t looking to sell low on Gallo. Rather, they were seeking a return that did not discount for his recent struggles and was more commensurate with his overall ability. Gallo hit .223/.379/.490 with 25 homers in 388 plate appearances with the Rangers prior to last July’s trade but fell into a .160/.303/.404 swoon in 228 trips to the plate as a Yankee. His gaudy 19.1% walk rate dipped to a still-excellent 16.2% in New York, but Gallo’s already problematic 32.2% strikeout rate as a Ranger soared to 38.6% with his new club.

Gallo, of course, is an excellent defensive outfielder with surprising speed, an elite walk rate and perhaps as much raw power as any hitter in the game today. Those perks have been well known for some time, and they’ve tantalized scouts even as the slugger’s contact woes have led to him regularly punching out in more than a third of his plate appearances. Gallo embodies the three-true-outcome approach as much as any hitter in baseball, making him one of the game’s most polarizing talents.

We can’t know how Gallo might have fared upon moving from New York to San Diego, but the start of the 2022 season hasn’t been been a good one for the impending free agent. Gallo had a decent Spring Training, but he’s currently hitting .121/.256/.121 through his first 39 plate appearances. He’s made some hard contact — half the balls he’s put into play have been hit at 95 mph or more — but Gallo is also putting the ball on the ground more than usual and has generally mirrored the worsened K-BB profile he showed following last summer’s trade.

Obviously, we’re just 12 games into a 162-game marathon, so there’s ample time for Gallo to right the ship. When he gets hot, he’s the type of bat who can absolutely carry an offense — evidenced by the outrageous .308/.479/.813 slash he posted from early June through the All-Star break last season. A stretch like that will earn him plenty of leeway, but Gallo has yet to truly ignite in that fashion since being traded. And, given that the Yankees currently rank 25th in runs scored, there’s some extra attention on Gallo and others who are struggling (e.g. Josh Donaldson, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton, Kyle Higashioka).

Ultimately, past efforts to trade Gallo could be taken as little more than anecdotal. However, it’s of some note that Preller’s Padres still harbored interest as recently as a few weeks ago and, of course, that the Yankees were indeed open to moving Gallo in the run-up to the season. April or May trades involving a player of Gallo’s stature are quite rare, so it’s not especially likely that we’ll see a move involving him in the near future. That said, he could very well be a name to keep in mind again this summer as teams begin to explore the trade market more earnestly.

Gallo is playing the 2022 season on a $10.275MM salary and is slated to become a free agent at season’s end.

Marlins, Joey Wendle Avoid Arbitration

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8:51pm: Wendle and the Marlins settled at $4.55MM, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (on Twitter). He’d also receive a $75K buyout if the team declines its end of next season’s mutual option. That brings the total guarantee to $4.625MM, the midpoint between the parties’ filings in arbitration. The infielder’s camp had filed at $4.9MM, while the team countered at $4.35MM.

5:13pm: The Marlins and Joey Wendle have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2023, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. The terms have not been disclosed.

Wendle qualified for arbitration for the first time last year as a member of the Rays, earning a salary of $2.25MM. He had been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a modest raise to $4MM this year. Due to the lockout, the salary negotiation process was put on hold and delayed substantially, with hearings now set to take place in season. That creates the potential for awkward situations where a team lays out a player’s flaws in front of an arbiter in order to argue against the player’s salary request, but then expects the player to go out and produce on the field after. Wendle and the Marlins can now avoid such a fate, after agreeing on terms for 2022.

Acquired from the Rays in an offseason trade, Wendle has between four and five years of MLB service time. That means he’s currently lined up to reach free agency after the 2023 season. This deal won’t affect that timeline, but will merely provide a bit of cost certainty, at least for this year. Wendle is off to a great start as a Marlin, hitting .323/.382/.419 in his first ten games.

The Marlins recently reached a similar deal with Jesus Aguilar, although that situation is slightly different in that Aguilar is one year closer to free agency. If the mutual option is not triggered by both parties, he will become a free agent. In Wendle’s case, he could still be controlled by Miami for 2023 via arbitration.

Greg Holland Elects Free Agency

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The Rangers announced this evening that reliever Greg Holland has cleared outright waivers and elected minor league free agency. That was always the likeliest outcome once Texas designated him for assignment on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old will now have an opportunity to explore offers from all 30 clubs. He’ll presumably be looking at minor league pacts, as he was this past offseason. Holland tossed 55 2/3 innings over 57 outings for the Royals last year, but he managed below-average production. He posted a 4.85 ERA with a personal-low 21.8% strikeout percentage and an elevated 10.7% walk rate. That led him to sign a non-roster deal with Texas, although Holland cracked the Opening Day roster and locked in a $2.1MM base salary for this season.

Texas remains on the hook for that money. Any team that signs Holland would only owe him a prorated portion of the league minimum salary for whatever time he spends in the big leagues, which would be subtracted from the Rangers’ tab. Despite feeling comfortable enough with his Spring Training form to carry him out of camp, Texas didn’t give Holland much of a look. He made just five appearances in Arlington, serving up as many runs over 4 2/3 innings on six hits (including a trio of homers).

One of the game’s elite late-inning stoppers during his 2011-15 peak in Kansas City, Holland’s performance has been up-and-down since he underwent Tommy John surgery late in the 2015 campaign. He returned to save 41 games with a 3.61 ERA for the Rockies in 2017, but he posted an ERA of 4.54 or higher in three of the four seasons between 2018-21. The lone exception was the shortened 2020 season, when he pitched to a sterling 1.91 mark with a 27.7% strikeout rate during a reunion year with the Royals.

Despite his recent struggles, Holland shouldn’t have a problem finding a minor league deal somewhere. Not only is he a respected 12-year MLB veteran who reached heights few of his peers matched, Holland has still generated swinging strikes at a solid rate in recent seasons. His average fastball checked in at a capable 93.8 MPH during his brief look in Texas.

Trevor Bauer’s Administrative Leave Extended Through April 29

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APRIL 21: The league and union have agreed to extend Bauer’s administrative leave period through April 22, reports Britt Ghiroli of the Athletic (Twitter link).

APRIL 15: Last month, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association jointly agreed to extend Trevor Bauer’s paid administrative leave period through April 16 while MLB continues its investigation into assault allegations made against him by a woman last year. On Wednesday, multiple reporters (including Jon Heyman of the New York Post) relayed that the league and union had jointly agreed to extend the leave again through next Friday, April 22.

That seems to push back any determination on his status for at least another six days, but Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported this afternoon that Bauer is “exploring whether there is in fact a binding agreement in place.” It isn’t clear what Bauer may be looking into, but a source tells Shaikin there is a written agreement between MLB and the MLBPA codifying the leave extension through next Friday — one MLB considers binding.

The administrative leave period is not considered disciplinary; it’s a measure designed to afford the league more time to investigate possible violations of the Domestic Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual Assault policy. Bauer was not charged criminally, but the policy allows commissioner Rob Manfred to levy a punishment even in the absence of charges if the league determines there was a violation. Players have the right to appeal a disciplinary action to an arbitrator.

Bauer is in the second season of a three-year, $102MM contract. He is playing this year on a $32MM salary and has an opt-out clause at the end of the season.

Julio Teheran Signs With Atlantic League’s Staten Island FerryHawks

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Right-handed pitcher Julio Teheran has signed with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League, according to an announcement from the team.

Teheran, 31, made his MLB debut with the Braves back in 2011, at the age of 20. He would spend close to a decade in Atlanta, pitching with the club until 2019, having his best years from 2013 to 2019. In that seven-year stretch, he threw 1334 innings with a 3.64 ERA, 21.1% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. In the estimation of FanGraphs, he was worth 13.8 wins above replacement during that run.

After reaching free agency for the first time, Teheran signed a one-year, $9MM deal with the Angels. Unfortunately, the pandemic shortened that season to 60 games and Teheran actually caught the virus in July, missing part of the season. Once he was able to get back on the hill, he struggled to get into a groove and put up an ERA of 10.05 in 31 1/3 innings. Based on that awful campaign, he had to settle for a non-guaranteed deal with the Tigers for 2021. He eventually had his contract selected, earning a $3MM salary for the year. However, after one five-inning start, he was placed on the injured list with a shoulder strain and never returned.

Back in March, free agents Anibal Sanchez, Erasmo Ramirez and Teheran held a showcase for scouts in Miami. Sanchez and Ramirez both ended up signing minor league deals with the Nationals and eventually made it back to the big leagues. But a deal for Teheran apparently never materialized from an MLB club, at least not one that he liked enough to sign. Now he will head to the expansion Staten Island FerryHawks for their inaugural season in the Atlantic League.

Pirates Select Chase De Jong, Designate Luis Oviedo

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The Pirates have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Chase De Jong, per a team announcement. Fellow righty Roansy Contreras has been optioned to create move on the active roster. Another righty, Luis Oviedo, was designated for assignment to create space on the 40-man roster. (Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette broke the news of De Jong’s selection and Contreras being optioned before the team announced the full slate of transactions.)

A second round pick of the Blue Jays in 2012, De Jong has become a journeyman, also spending time in the organizations of the Dodgers, Mariners, Twins, Astros and Pirates. He’s seen some MLB time in each of the last five seasons but only has 98 total innings under his belt. Last year was his most extensive look, as he made nine starts for the Bucs and logged 43 2/3 innings with a 5.77 ERA. Unfortunately, he was hit on the knee by a comebacker in July, leading to knee surgery and finishing his season.

At the end of the year, he was outrighted by the Pirates, elected free agency and re-signed on a minor league deal. In 13 Triple-A innings so far this season, he has a 2.08 ERA, 37.3% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate. De Jong is out of options and will need to stick on the club’s roster or else be designated for assignment. But if he can carry any that Triple-A performance to the majors, it would be a boon for Pittsburgh. The 28-year-old has just over a year of service time and could be controlled cheaply for years if he pitches well enough to hang onto his spot.

As for Oviedo, who turns 23 next month, he started his career in the Cleveland organization. In the 2020 Rule 5 draft, he was selected by the Mets and flipped to the Pirates. He lasted the full year on the big league club (apart from a rehab assignment), throwing 29 2/3 innings of 8.80 ERA ball, which allowed the Pirates to option him to the minors this year. He’s logged 3 2/3 innings between A-ball and Double-A so far this year. If any team were to claim him, he still has options and exactly one year of MLB service time.

Angels Select Kenny Rosenberg, Outright Brian Moran

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Apr. 21: The Angels announced that Moran has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Apr. 18: The Angels announced this evening they’ve selected left-hander Kenny Rosenberg onto the major league roster. Fellow southpaw Brian Moran has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

It’s the first major league call for the 26-year-old Rosenberg. Selected by the Rays in the eighth round of the 2016 draft out of Cal State Northridge, he spent five seasons in the Tampa Bay farm system. The 6’1″ hurler pitched his way as high as Triple-A Durham, where he tossed 30 2/3 innings across 14 relief appearances last season. Rosenberg posted a 2.35 ERA with an excellent 35% strikeout rate against the minors’ top hitters, but the Rays didn’t give him a big league look.

Tampa Bay also declined to protect Rosenberg from the minor league phase of last winter’s Rule 5 draft. The Angels selected him with the eighth pick in that process, and he impressed the front office enough this spring to put himself on the radar for a quick big league call. He has made just one appearance with Triple-A Salt Lake this season, working four innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts and two walks.

Rosenberg worked as starting pitcher up through Double-A in 2019. He spent most of last season in the bullpen but started his aforementioned lone appearance with the Bees thus far in 2022. Presumably, he’ll step into a multi-inning relief role for manager Joe Maddon, pairing with offseason signee Aaron Loup as the left-handed options in the middle innings.

Moran occupied that second lefty relief spot last week, heading to the majors eight days ago when the Halos lost José Quijada to an oblique strain. The 33-year-old made just one appearance, though, allowing four of five Rangers’ hitters he faced to reach base on Thursday. That was his first MLB appearance since he came out of the bullpen seven times between the Marlins and Blue Jays in 2020. The Angels have a week to trade Moran or place him on waivers.

Giants To Acquire Cory Abbott, Designate Jaylin Davis

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2:35pm: The Giants have announced the trade, with Abbott being optioned to Triple-A. Outfielder Jaylin Davis has been designated for assignment to make room for Abbott on the 40-man roster. Davis came to the Giants as part of the 2019 trade that sent Sam Dyson to the Twins. Last year, injuries limited him to just 43 Triple-A games and 5 MLB games. In the minors last year, he hit .230/.317/.503, 96 wRC+. His 11 home runs in that small sample were offset by a 31.7% strikeout rate. In 10 Triple-A games so far this year, he’s hitting .295/.340/.500, 105 wRC+, with a 29.8% strikeout rate. The 27-year-old still can be optioned this year and only has 28 days of MLB service time, which could give him appeal to rebuilding teams or those with the need for some outfield depth.

1:15pm: The Cubs are trading right-handed pitcher Cory Abbott to the Giants, reports Russell Dorsey of Bally Sports. It’ll be cash considerations going the other way, per Robert Murray of FanSided.

Abbott was selected by the Cubs in the second round of the 2017 draft and was well-regarded among Chicago farmhands almost immediately. Baseball America has ranked him between #8 and #23 in the system since 2018. Primarily working as a starter, he climbed the ranks of the minors and was selected to the club’s 40-man roster in advance of the 2020 Rule 5 draft. Last year, he threw 17 1/3 innings for the big league club with a 6.75 ERA, 14.6% strikeout rate and 13.4% walk rate. He was much better in 96 Triple-A innings, however, striking out 29.8% of batters, though he still had a high walk rate of 12.2% and a 5.91 ERA.

Abbott was designated for assignment last week and will now head out to his new team on the West Coast. For the Giants, there’s almost no risk in throwing some cash to the Cubs and seeing if Abbott can find another gear to make good on the promise he showed as a prospect. He’s still only 26 years old and has options. The club recently put Alex Cobb on the injured list, which dinged their rotation slightly, though he’s not expected to be out for an extended period of time.

Nationals Select Erasmo Ramirez, Place Hunter Harvey On Injured List

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The Nationals announced that they have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramirez. To make room on the active roster, fellow righty Hunter Harvey was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right pronator strain. Utility player Ehire Adrianza was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Ramirez, who turns 32 next month, has appeared in each of the past ten MLB seasons, spending time with the Mariners, Rays, Red Sox, Mets and Tigers. Although he began his career as a starting pitcher, he has spent more time as a reliever as time has gone on, with his last MLB start occuring back in 2018. Last year, he threw 26 2/3 innings out of Detroit’s bullpen, with a 5.74 ERA. His 18.3% strikeout rate was subpar, but he avoided free passes with a 4.6% rate that was about half the league average. In seven Triple-A innings so far this year, he’s yet to allow a run, with 12 strikeouts and a single walk.

Harvey was a first round pick of the Orioles in 2013 but had his career trajectory repeatedly derailed by injuries. He pitched a few innings out of Baltimore’s bullpen in each of the 2019-21 seasons, but they gave up on him this offseason and put him on waivers. He was claimed by the Giants, who put him on waivers again, this time landing with the Nats. In 2 2/3 scoreless innings thus far, Harvey has struck three and walked one. The club didn’t provide a timeline for his recovery.

As for Adrianza, he was signed to a one-year, $1.5MM deal in the offseason to help the club’s infield depth. However, he began the year on the IL with a quad strain and now won’t be able to help the team until June at the earliest. The 32-year-old has appeared in the past nine MLB seasons, spending time with the Giants, Twins and Braves while playing every position on the diamond except catcher.

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