Do The Braves Need Another Starter?
Braves General Manager Alex Anthopolous struck out in his attempt to land a top-of-the-rotation arm during the offseason, he said recently on The Bill Shanks Show. Even without a fresh face at the top of the rotation, the Braves enter the season in pretty good hands with Max Fried and Charlie Morton leading the way.
The face of the Braves’ title defense season, however, may depend more on the next two arms in the rotation: Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson. If the young duo can fully establish themselves as mainstays in the rotation, the future in Atlanta is bright.
Anderson is further along than Wright at the moment, having made 24 starts in the 2021 season, finishing with a 3.58 ERA/4.12 FIP over 128 1/3 innings. He then made four starts in the postseason, all four of which the Braves won. In fact, over the past two postseasons, the Braves are 7-1 in games Anderson starts, while he owns a 1.26 ERA over 35 2/3 postseason innings. After 30 career regular-season starts, Anderson’s rotation spot is secure. The only question remaining relates to his ceiling.
Wright, meanwhile, made just two starts with the big league squad during the regular season, and then matched that total in the World Series alone, tossing 5 2/3 innings and serving up just one earned run. Wright should finally get his opportunity to stay in the rotation this year.
The final spot in the rotation is where the Braves were presumably looking to upgrade. Mike Soroka lurks somewhere in the organization, but he can hardly be counted on until proven healthy. For now, they will rely on a depth group that includes Huascar Ynoa, Tucker Davidson, Kyle Muller, Touki Toussaint, and Bryce Elder. That group carries more upside than most depth stables, but for a team with aspirations of back-to-back titles, upside can mask inefficiency.
The Braves have won the division four years running, and they’re the defending World Series champions. To suggest that they need anything is premature. But with the Mets and Phillies both nipping hard at their heels, nothing is guaranteed. It’s certainly interesting to note that Anthopolous explored frontline rotation additions this offseason. As the season progresses and new names become available on the trade market, the Braves may again look to engage the trade market.
Blake Snell Scratched From Start
8:50 PM: Snell is likely headed to the injured list, per Cassavell (via Twitter). Crismatt tossed three scoreless innings in Snell’s place today. The Padres play the next ten games without a day off, so they will certainly move some roster pieces around if Snell is going to be out for that time.
3:38 PM: San Diego Padres starter Blake Snell was a last-minute scratch from his first scheduled start of the season today. The issue is left adductor tightness, the same injury that troubled Snell at the end of last season, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter).
Nabil Crismatt took the ball to start the ballgame in Snell’s stead. The 27-year-old swingman should be fresh, as he has yet to appear in a game so far this season. Today marks the first start of his Major League career, though he was mostly a starter coming up through the Mets’ minor league system. Crismatt owns a 3.71 ERA in 51 career appearances out of the pen.
Crismatt would be a candidate to stay in the rotation for a turn or two if Snell ends up needing a stint on the injured list. Reiss Knehr would be a prospective call-up if the Padres decide to go that route. They just dealt away Chris Paddack, but of course, they wouldn’t have done so with the expectation of needing just five starters to get through the season. They no doubt have a hierarchy in place for just this sort of contingency.
Snell’s first season in San Diego didn’t exactly go as planned for either party, and this marks an inauspicious start to year two. The 2018 AL Cy Young winner put up a 4.20 ERA/3.82 FIP over 128 2/3 innings over 27 starts.
Rays To Promote Tommy Romero
The Rays are promoting right-hander Tommy Romero to the big-league squad, per Jeff Passan of ESPN (via Twitter). Romero will make his debut whenever he first appears in a game.
Passan notes that Romero’s stay may not be long, which would certainly follow Tampa’s pattern of giving promising arms a taste of Major League action without overcommitting. The 24-year-old Romero may not be a household name, but he is one of many promising arms on their way to contributing this season. He was the 18th-ranked prospect in the system per MLB.com and 21st by Baseball America, while Fangraphs was less bullish, placing him 32nd in the system.
The discrepancy largely lies in the fact that Romero is a spin rate darling who only recently has seen a jump in velocity. Regardless, Romero has consistently posted solid numbers in the minors, including a 2.61 ERA across 110 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season. Like many Rays arms, Romero is likely to begin in a swingman or multi-inning relief role.
In a corresponding move, southpaw Ryan Yarbrough will head to the 10-day injured list, per John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Yarbrough suffered a minor groin injury, which is not expected to be serious. He did not appear in the Rays’ opening series sweep of the Orioles. Luis Patino is set to take the hill tomorrow as the Athletics come to town.
Yarbrough serves a bit of a unique role for the Rays, as perhaps their most traditional innings-eater over the past four seasons. The Rays, of course, don’t usually prescribe to the “innings-eater” role, instead pulling starters early and not shying away from utilizing relievers in a piggyback or multi-inning role. Yarbrough led the team in innings pitched last season with 155 innings over 30 appearances (21 starts). He was second in innings pitched during each of the 2020, 2019, and 2018 seasons.
Mets Have Not Engaged Brandon Nimmo In Extension Talks
The Mets have not approached outfielder Brandon Nimmo about a potential extension, despite his apparent willingness to stay in New York, per Tim Healey of Newsday (via Twitter). Nimmo will reach free agency after this season, his age-29 season. Nimmo is an on-base machine when healthy, but he’s only once appeared in more than 100 games in a season.
It’s certainly possible that New York is ready to let Nimmo walk after the season. The Mets proved their willingness to take a hard line with departing free agents with Michael Conforto, Nimmo’s longtime running mate in the outfield. Conforto remains a free agent now.
Furthermore, this winter’s signings of Mark Canha and Starling Marte protect New York somewhat against Nimmo’s potential departure. Center fielders are in short supply leaguewide, which could make Nimmo an intriguing target despite his injury history. And the duo of Marte and Canha don’t perhaps carry enough glove to man the position full-time. But they ought to be enough to provide the Mets leverage in a potential Nimmo negotiation. According to Nimmo’s comments, however, that discussion is entirely hypothetical.
When healthy, Nimmo has been a first-class performer, posting a 135 wRC+ for his career and roughly 4.4 fWAR per 600 plate appearances. On the other hand, Nimmo’s never actually had 600 plate appearances in a season. Therein lies the issue facing the Mets in deciding whether or not to offer Nimmo a long-term deal.
Orioles Option DJ Stewart To Triple-A
The Orioles have optioned DJ Stewart to Triple-A Norfolk, per the Orioles.
Counting the two plate appearances Stewart made before today’s game, Stewart has not appeared in five consecutive seasons for the Orioles. He saw the most action of his career last season, stepping to the plate 318 times with a triple-slash line of .204/.324/.374 with 12 long balls.
More roster moves appear to be on the way for Baltimore. Dean Kremer warmed up in the bullpen, but sat down again after apparently suffering an injury, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports. He appeared to have injured his left oblique. Stewart’s demotion could be meant to create roster space to add another arm while they await an update on Kremer, though that’s speculative.
The Orioles have a day or so to figure out their next move. With a day off on Monday, the Orioles will likely wait until early Tuesday to make an addition to the roster.
Outrights: Godoy, Bazardo, Adolfo
Twins catcher Jose Godoy has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A. The 27-year-old made his Major League debut last season with the Mariners, stepping to the plate 40 times and posting a .162/.225/.189 line. Of course, a catcher’s contribution to a club can hardly to counted solely through a batting line. Gary Sanchez and Ryan Jeffers figure to handle the bulk of the catching responsibilities in Minnesota, but Godoy will compete with Chance Sisco, David Banuelos, and Stevie Berman to be the first call-up. Elsewhere around the sport…
- Micker Adolfo has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte, per the White Sox. It’s just a little surprising that Adolfo wasn’t claimed, as there was thought to be some interest in the powerful righty bat. Adolfo displayed his typical power swing last year, slashing .245/.311/.520 in 405 plate appearances between Double-and-Triple-A. Health has been a bugaboo for Aldofo, so he will aim to stay in the lineup this year in Triple-A while awaiting an opportunity with the big league club.
- Eduard Bazardo has cleared waivers after being outrighted to Triple-A, per the Red Sox. The 26-year-old appeared in two games for the Red Sox last season, and he’ll head to Triple-A to serve as bullpen depth. Like Adolfo, Bazardo has been stung with the injury bug in recent years, dealing with a lat strain that shut him down for much of last season.
Injured List Placements: Thompson, Bolt, Cabrera
Catching up on some of today’s injury news…
- Nationals right-hander Mason Thompson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right biceps strain. Washington called up Hunter Harvey from Triple-A in the corresponding move, with the former Orioles top prospect getting his first look with his new team since the Nats claimed him off waivers from the Giants two weeks ago. Thompson threw only three pitches before being forced out of last night’s outing against the Mets. X-rays are negative, and Thompson is also undergoing an MRI today, Washington manager Dave Martinez told MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato and other reporters.
- The Athletics placed Skye Bolt on the 10-day IL with a right oblique strain. Left-hander Adam Kolarek was called up from Triple-A. After debuting with five games for Oakland in 2019, Bolt didn’t see any action in 2020 and then played in 34 total games with the Giants and A’s last season. Bolt has some big numbers with Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate but hasn’t brought that pop to the majors, with only an .090/.116/.164 slash line over 71 career plate appearances in the Show.
- Edward Cabrera has been placed on the minor league injured list, as the former Marlins top prospect is dealing with a right biceps injury. Beyond the delayed start that everyone faced for Spring Training, Cabrera’s spring work was also delayed by a visa issue, hence his extra time in the minors. While this particular injury isn’t thought to be too serious, Cabrera did miss two months last season due to an inflamed nerve in that same right biceps. Among the many highly-touted young arms in the Marlins organization, Cabrera is one of the most promising, regularly featuring on top-100 lists over the last three seasons. The right-hander made his MLB debut last season, posting a 5.81 ERA over 26 1/3 innings for Miami.
Angels Place Jose Quijada On 10-Day Injured List, Select Brian Moran, Designate Kyle Tyler
The Angels announced a trio of corresponding roster moves, including the placement of left-hander Jose Quijada on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. Quijada’s placement is retroactive to April 8. Fellow southpaw Brian Moran will replace Quijada on the active roster after the Halos selected his contract, and right-hander Kyle Tyler was designated for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot.
It seems as though Quijada’s injury may have taken place last night, as Jeff Fletcher of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link) notes that Quijada was warming up in the bullpen, but then didn’t come into the game as expected to face a left-handed batter. The southpaw might now face a lengthy absence given the nature of oblique injuries, and depending on the severity of the strain.
Quijada has spent three of his four MLB seasons with Los Angeles, amassing a 4.85 ERA over 29 2/3 relief innings. Counting his rookie season with the Marlins in 2019, Quijada has a 5.31 ERA in 59 1/3 career innings, as his tenure has included a lot of missed bats (32% strikeout rate) but also a lot of wildness (15.6% walk rate).
Aaron Loup was the only other lefty in the Angels’ bullpen, necessitating the selection of Moran’s minor league contract. After joining L.A. on that minors deal back in November, Moran is now lined up to make his first MLB appearance since 2020. Moran is another former Marlin, with a 6.55 ERA over 11 career Major League innings with Miami and Toronto in 2019-20.
While that represents Moran’s big league resume, he has bounced around to several different organizations since the Mariners picked him in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. This is actually Moran’s second stint with the Angels, as the Halos acquired him via a post-Rule 5 Draft trade in 2013, but Tommy John surgery sidelined Moran for all of 2014 and kept him from ever pitching for L.A. Moran has a solid 3.05 ERA over 516 1/3 career innings in the minors.
Tyler has now been designated for assignment four times in under a month, and his first three trips to the DFA wire saw the righty switch teams. Originally an Angel back on March 19, Tyler was designated and then claimed/designated by both the Red Sox and Padres before landing back in Anaheim on another waiver claim on Friday. Tyler made his Major League debut last season, with a 2.92 ERA over 12 1/3 innings out of the Angels’ bullpen
Twins Considering Justin Upton
The Twins “have checked in on” Justin Upton now that the veteran outfielder has hit the open market, SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson reports (Twitter link). The Angels designated Upton for assignment last week and then released him after he cleared DFA waivers.
Should Minnesota or any other team sign Upton, they would only owe him a prorated minimum salary. The Angels are still responsible for the remainder of the $28MM owed to Upton for the 2022 season (minus that minimum salary). As such, it isn’t surprising that Upton sailed through the waiver wire without a claim, as any club claiming Upton would’ve absorbed that entire salary.
This isn’t to say that Upton didn’t receive some looks while in DFA limbo, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that two “small-market, non-contending teams” were in touch with the Angels about potential trades. It isn’t known how far along trade talks actually got between Los Angeles and these two mystery clubs, but it was a moot point, since Upton used his full no-trade protection to reject the possibility of going to either team.
This sets up an interesting guessing game about what teams might have asked about an Upton trade. Nightengale’s description could include such teams as the rebuilding Pirates and Orioles, or perhaps teams like the Reds or Athletics who spent the offseason cutting payroll, if not going into full overhaul mode. The Diamondbacks (Upton’s initial team) could also perhaps fit, though the D’Backs did make some modest moves to improve themselves for 2022.
As to what could have been offered in an Upton trade, an interested team could have looked to acquire Upton and a chunk of his salary if the Angels had included a notable prospect to sweeten the pot. Or, perhaps a team was looking to unload another undesirable contract in exchange, either in pure salary dump fashion, or maybe this other big-mooney player might have provided some help to the Angels’ roster.
For a Twins team that had two left-handed hitters (Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff) in corner outfield positions, the right-handed hitting Upton could be a nice veteran complement. Upton has been a replacement-level player over the last three seasons, but could benefit from a part-time role, as most of his struggles over the last two seasons have come against right-handed pitching.
Diamondbacks Place Luke Weaver On 10-Day IL
The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Luke Weaver has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation. The placement is retroactive to April 8. Left-hander Kyle Nelson has been called up from Triple-A to take Weaver’s spot on the active roster. In other moves, the D’Backs outrighted southpaw Caleb Baragar and righty Humberto Mejia to Triple-A, as both of the recently-designated pitchers cleared waivers.
Weaver tossed two-thirds of an inning of relief work in Thursday’s 4-2 Arizona win over the Padres, allowing a run on three hits. An elbow issue could be the reason behind that shaky outing, though Weaver was also dealing with a blister problem during the end of Spring Training. Weaver worked exclusively as a starter in 2019-21, but the D’Backs are using him as a reliever in the early going of the season, so this IL stint could delay any eventual return to the rotation.
Nelson will now step into Arizona’s bullpen, and the southpaw’s first appearance will mark his Diamondbacks debut. Nelson has pitched in each of the last two seasons, with only a 12.19 ERA to show for 10 1/3 innings in The Show. The D’Backs claimed Nelson off waivers from the Guardians in November, after Nelson had spent all five of his professional seasons in Cleveland’s organization.