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Nationals Activate Gerardo Parra, Place Josh Rogers On 10-Day Injured List

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The Nationals have placed starter Josh Rogers on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain. The move allows local legend Gerardo Parra to return to the active roster from the injured list. Parra will bring baby shark back to Nats Park for the final two games of the season.

The 34-year-old Parra received more run than one might have expected this season, stepping to the plate 105 times and slashing .232/.288/.347 with a pair of home runs. Parra continues to be a positive clubhouse influence and fan favorite. Just two years removed from their title run, Parra is one of surprising few links left to that title team.

As for Rogers, the southpaw was a scrap heap pickup from the Orioles who gave the Nats some valuable innings down the stretch. The 27-year-old has some fan fav flair of his own, bringing a bouncy energy to the mound in six starts totaling 35 2/3 innings. Rogers did enough to likely earn himself a look next year for the pitching-needy Nationals.

Rogers finishes the year with a 3.28 ERA/5.83 FIP, the latter number due to a disinclination to miss bats. Rogers has just a 14.6 percent strikeout rate and 8.6 percent swinging strike rate, well below the 22.6 percent and 10.9 percent mark averaged by starters throughout the game. Regardless, with only Patrick Corbin, Josiah Gray, and Stephen Strasburg (if healthy) guaranteed rotation spots next season, Rogers should have a continued opportunity to prove he can continue to keep runs off the board in Washington.

Red Sox Bullpen Changing Shape

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The Red Sox bullpen – ranked 12th in the Majors with a collective 3.97 ERA – will have to make room for a couple of extra bodies today. With the season coming down to two final games against the Nationals, manager Alex Cora is all-hands-on-deck, telling starters Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta to be ready out the bullpen, if necessary, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). Both Pivetta and Eovaldi have spent the entire season pitching out of Boston’s rotation.

Eovaldi and Pivetta are a necessary safeguard in part because Garrett Whitlock still isn’t ready to return. Whitlock has a chance to return for Sunday’s game, which is more than can get said for Josh Taylor. The 28-year-old southpaw is out for the foreseeable future, per The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey (via Twitter). Taylor has been a major contributor, pitching in 61 games and serving as the primary southpaw among Boston’s relief corps. A back injury has ended his season. He has a 3.40 ERA/2.83 FIP, holding same-handed hitters to a measly .146/.222/.159 line in 90 plate appearances.

Without Taylor, Darwinzon Hernandez, Austin Davis, and deposed starter Martin Perez are the other lefties available to Cora against the Nats, who boast a lineup heavy on lefties or switch-hitters, most notably Juan Soto, but also Josh Bell, Yadiel Hernandez, and Keibert Ruiz, whom the Nats often feature near the middle of the order.

As for Whitlock, he’s been one of Boston’s most valuable players, which is certainly a surprising development for the Rule 5 pick. Regardless, the 25-year-old stabilized the Red Sox bullpen with 72 1/3 innings spread across 45 appearances, good for a 1.99 ERA/2.89 FIP. Whitlock has picked up eight wins, two saves, and 14 holds en route to a 1.5 fWAR season.

Without Whitlock, Cora will leave open the possibility of using Eovaldi or Pivetta out of the pen. Tanner Houck and Chris Sale are set to start the final two ballgames, making everyone else on the roster on call as they try to hold off the Mariners and Blue Jays for the final playoff spot in the American League. Presumably, Eduardo Rodriguez would be available to start a potential one-game playoff.

Free Agent Notes: Correa, Iglesias, Rodriguez

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The upcoming free agent shortstop market has been talked about for awhile now, and we’re still a few months off from seeing how the whole thing plays out. Perhaps the most coveted of the soon-to-be available shortstops is the Astros’ Carlos Correa. One potential match for Correa’s services will be the Tigers, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

The Tigers are an up-and-coming team with plenty of financial flexibility, and it’s certainly interesting to think about Correa once again teaming up with his former skipper A.J. Hinch. As hard as it is to imagine Correa leaving Houston, they do have prospect Jeremy Pena waiting in the wings, making an exit at least feasible. The Tigers, meanwhile, have one of the most open shortstop situations in the game, with incumbent Niko Goodrum easily able to shift into a super-utility role.

Angels’ closer Raisel Iglesias figures to be another in-demand free agent this winter. His priority, however, is re-signing with the Angels, writes Jeff Fletcher of the Orange-County Register. Iglesias made the most of his first season with the Angels, tossing 69 innings in 64 appearances with a 2.61 ERA/2.87 FIP. He has notched 34 saves, a mark that will look attractive to contenders this offseason.

In terms of rotations arms, there are few with the upside of the Red Sox’ Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez and the Red Sox spoke about a possible extension earlier in the year, but there wasn’t much progress made and the two sides ultimately decided to table talks until the offseason, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. After complications from COVID-19 cost Rodriguez all of 2020, he has returned to his usual stable workload, making 31 starts for the playoff hopefuls.

Rodriguez hasn’t quite pitched to his pre-2020 level, though his 4.77 ERA may be a touch inflated. A 3.33 FIP suggests the 28-year-old hasn’t lost a step. He’s tossed 156 2/3 innings with an above-average 27.4 percent strikeout rate, 7.0 percent walk rate, 44.2 percent groundball rate, all numbers that will look good on Rodriguez’s free agent resume this winter.

Yankees Recall Andrew Velazquez, Option Albert Abreu

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The Yankees have recalled Andrew Velazquez and put him right into the starting lineup at shortstop. In a corresponding roster move, right-hander Albert Abreu was optioned to Triple-A, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter).

Velazquez’s return to the lineup provided the Yankees with some infield insurance over these final two games while DJ LeMahieu deals with a sports hernia. LeMahieu had a cortisone injection, but the hernia will require further treatment in the offseason, per The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler (via Twitter).

The Yankees have had to cover at shortstop since finally moving Gleyber Torres off the position. Gio Urshela has taken the bulk of the snaps at short, but Velazquez can share the burden. The 27-year-old former Ray has a .234/.246/.375 triple slash line over 65 plate appearances.

Abreu has a 5.15 ERA/5.89 FIP in 28 appearances out of the pen covering 36 2/3 innings. The overall run prevention numbers aren’t great, but the 26-year-old has contributed as a multi-inning arm capable of eating innings. Abreu 2/3 innings yesterday in his first appearance in almost two weeks.

Rays Recall Chris Mazza, Option Louis Head

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We still have two days left in the regular season, so the Rays roster churn continues. Chris Mazza has been recalled from Triple-A, while Louis Head has been optioned, though he’ll remain on-hand as part of the taxi squad, per the team.

Head is no stranger to the taxi squad. The 31-year-old has put together a solid rookie season with a 2.31 ERA/3.11 FIP in 35 innings of work. Head has a 23.9 percent strikeout rate, enviable 6.7 percent walk rate, and 31.1 percent groundball rate. Despite keeping the ball in the air, he’s limited long balls to just a 1.5 percent home run rate.

Mazza will be available out of the bullpen for these final two regular season games. Mazza, also 31, has appeared in 13 games for the Rays, pitching to a 4.97 ERA/4.35 FIP across 25 1/3 innings.

NL Notes: Padres, Cubs, Mets

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Fernando Tatis Jr. made no two ways about it when discussing his future as a shortstop. “(A.J. Preller) signed a shortstop, and he’s gonna have a shortstop,” he said, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic (via Twitter). “That’s the plan so far, and I’m not planning on moving for a very long time from there.” Tatis moved to the outfield this season after being slowed by a repeated shoulder injury. The Padres are flush with infielders under team control for next season, including Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim, both of whom are capable of manning short. Regardless, Tatis Jr. sounds dedicated to reclaiming his natural position.

Elsewhere in the National League…

  • Willson Contreras gave an honest assessment of what he thinks the Cubs need heading into next season, while acknowledging that he thought he was going to be traded in this piece from The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma. Despite being the “last man standing” in many respects, Contreras continue to say all the right things about wanting to stay and be a leader on the next generation of Cubs’ contender. They have some money to spend this offseason, but for the first time in awhile, many teams seem to, and there are only so many “foundational” pieces available in that market.
  • The Mets biggest decision this winter will be finding the right man to lead their front office. After a number of missteps, the Mets will look to some high profile names to come in and right the ship. Of the most noteworthy, Oakland’s Billy Beane may be the most realistic target, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). In the Mets favor is the fact that the Athletics are often looking to save money, and at this point in his storied career, Beane comes at a significant cost. Still, Beane has been the driving force behind a successful couple of decades of A’s baseball, and it’s hard to imagine him walking.

Latest On Max Scherzer’s Free Agency

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Max Scherzer will hit free agency for the second time in his career this winter. His last trip to the open market resulted in a seven-year, $210MM deal with the Nationals that turned out to be one of the best free agent investments in recent memory. Scherzer posted a sub-3.00 ERA in five of his six full seasons in Washington, and he’s performing right at peak level in his platform campaign.

The three-time Cy Young award winner has worked 179 1/3 innings across 30 starts, working to a 2.46 ERA/2.89 SIERA. Among the 123 pitchers with 100+ innings, Scherzer ranks 3rd in ERA, 2nd in SIERA, 3rd in strikeout percentage (34.1%), 2nd in strikeout/walk rate differential (28.9 percentage points) and 3rd in swinging strike rate (15.9%).

Scherzer got off to a typically strong start to the year with the Nats, and he’s only taken things to another level after being moved to the Dodgers alongside Trea Turner in a deadline blockbuster. Since landing in Southern California, he’s worked 68 1/3 frames of 1.98 ERA ball, punching out 33.6% of opposing hitters while walking a minuscule 3.0%. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has already declared Scherzer would get the ball in next week’s single-elimination Wild Card game if the Dodgers can’t track down the Giants in the NL West (via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic).

That continued dominance should position Scherzer to land the highest average annual value of any player on the market this offseason, with a chance he could threaten Gerrit Cole’s record $36MM AAV for free agent contracts. Scherzer’s age will keep him from coming anywhere close to Cole’s nine-year term, but he’s still in line for a strong commitment over multiple seasons. Scherzer, who turned 37 years old in July, is looking to land a deal that’ll take him into his 40’s, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (Twitter link).

It’d register as a surprise if any club were willing to offer Scherzer an unprecedented deal in the realm of Cole’s record AAV over four seasons. But a three-year pact with a very strong annual salary indeed seems to be attainable. Scherzer’s former teammate, Justin Verlander, signed a two-year, $66MM extension with the Astros in March 2019 that took effect at the start of last season, his age-37 campaign. Verlander, who posted similar numbers in 2018 as Scherzer has this season, didn’t land a third year. But the Astros’ ace signed his deal a full season in advance of free agency without the benefit of an open market bidding. Scherzer, on the other hand, will have multiple suitors as the best-performing impending free agent pitcher.

And while Verlander’s extension has turned out poorly for the Astros — he’s thrown just six innings over the course of the deal because of an ill-timed Tommy John surgery — he still looks like a plausible qualifying offer candidate. Were the Houston front office to make him a QO (which is expected to land in the $19-20MM range), that’d bring Verlander’s potential earnings up to around $85-86MM over the three-season stretch from 2020-22. It’s not a perfectly analogous situation, of course, but it serves to highlight teams’ general willingness to pay a premium for an ace of that caliber, even as those players enter their late-30’s.

One potential wild card in the Scherzer free agent auction will be geography. At this summer’s trade deadline, he reportedly leveraged his no-trade rights to land with a West Coast contender, with the bidding ultimately coming down to the Padres and Dodgers. It’s possible he’ll prioritize staying out west in free agency, although there’s not yet been any indication that’s the case.

He’ll certainly have no shortage of interest, whether from teams in California or anywhere else. The game’s lowest spenders can safely be ruled out, since they’ll never sign a player who’ll command Scherzer’s level of annual salary. Virtually every pitching-needy contender with ample payroll capacity figures to at least be in contact with his representatives at the Boras Corporation. Where the future Hall of Famer winds up will be among the most fascinating storylines of the offseason.

Padres Select Pedro Avila

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6:06 pm: The Padres officially announced Avila’s promotion. Catcher Austin Nola was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open 40-man roster space. Nola underwent season-ending thumb surgery last week.

11:14 am: The Padres will select the contract of right-hander Pedro Avila and give him the start in tonight’s game, reports Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base (Twitter link). They’ll need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move.

Avila, 24, will be returning to the big leagues for his second stint. He first debuted as a 22-year-old back in 2019, making an April spot start in which he allowed just one run in 5 1/3 innings. San Diego optioned him back to Triple-A El Paso the next day, and he’d continue to pitch there until sustaining an elbow injury that eventually led to Tommy John surgery. The Padres removed him from the 40-man roster that winter as they made a series of transactions in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, but they re-signed Avila to a new minor league pact the day after he elected free agency.

Avila wasn’t in the Padres’ player pool during last year’s shortened season, but he’s returned to the mound in 2021 and split the season between Double-A and Triple-A. In a combined 74 2/3 frames, Avila has worked to a 4.22 ERA with a solid 25.1 percent strikeout rate but a lofty 11 percent walk rate.

San Diego’s rotation has been decimated by injury in 2021. Joe Musgrove and Vince Velasquez — the latter of whom was signed after being released by the Phillies — are the only healthy starters on the active roster at the moment (with Dinelson Lamet currently working out of the bullpen). Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Chris Paddack and Adrian Morejon are all on the injured list. Top prospect Ryan Weathers, meanwhile, is down in Triple-A after struggling badly following an impressive two-month stretch to begin his MLB career.

All of that will lead to a late cup of coffee for Avila, who could function as a depth option for the Padres next year if he sticks on the 40-man roster all winter. Avila still has a pair of minor league option years remaining, which is critical for him given the lack of an obvious path to a rotation spot next season. Darvish, Snell, Musgrove, Lamet, Paddack, Morejon and Mike Clevinger are all either signed or under team control in 2022 and figure to be in the mix for rotation innings. Alternatively, Avila could vie for a spot in next year’s bullpen; he’s split his time in the minors as a starter and reliever in 2021.

Cubs Select Johneshwy Fargas, Tyler Ladendorf

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The Cubs are selecting outfielder Johneshwy Fargas and infielder Tyler Ladendorf to the major league roster, the team informed reporters (including Jordan Bastian of MLB.com). Outfielder Nick Martini and infielder David Bote were placed on the COVID-19 injured list in corresponding moves. Additionally, Chicago placed infielder Nico Hoerner on the 10-day IL due to right oblique tightness and recalled righty Cory Abbott to start this evening’s game.

Fargas opened this season with the Mets after signing a minor league deal last winter. He popped four extra-base hits in his first 22 MLB plate appearances but landed on the injured list after hurting his shoulder running into an outfield wall. By the time he returned, the Mets’ previously-injured outfield had returned to health and he was squeezed back off the roster. Chicago claimed him off waivers but designated him for assignment themselves just a few weeks later.

Between the two clubs, Fargas hit .277/.292/.426 over 49 trips to the dish. He’s hitting .246/.295/.395 in a bit more playing time at Triple-A. Now that he’s back on the 40-man roster, Fargas technically remains controllable for the foreseeable future. It’s possible the Cubs remove him from the roster again after this final weekend of play, though. If that were to happen, the 26-year-old would qualify for minor league free agency this offseason.

Ladendorf is back in the big leagues for the first time in five years. He picked up 68 plate appearances between 2015-16 with the A’s but hasn’t played at the highest level since. The right-handed hitter has bounced between a few Triple-A clubs and independent ball, landing with the Cubs on a minor league deal in May. Through 210 plate appearances with their top farm team in Iowa, the 33-year-old Ladendorf hit .241/.297/.424 with eight homers.

Ramon Laureano Undergoes Core Surgery

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The A’s announced this afternoon that center fielder Ramón Laureano underwent core surgery yesterday. He suffered the injury during his personal training regimen. The team expects he’ll still be ready for Spring Training.

Laureano hasn’t played since August 6, when MLB handed down an 80-game suspension after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. That ruled him out for this season’s final 53 contests, and he’ll miss the first 27 games of next season to complete that punishment.

Over 378 plate appearances, Laureano hit .246/.317/.443 with fourteen home runs. He’s eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason, where he’ll be part of a loaded class that could lead to some significant roster changes for the low-payroll A’s. Oakland looked to be in solid playoff position for much of the year, but they’ll head into the winter having come up a few games short of the postseason for the first time since 2017.

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