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Braves Set Wild Card Series Roster; Pache In, Inciarte Out

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The Braves have formally announced their 28-man roster for their upcoming Wild Card Series against the Reds — a roster that includes some notable omissions of former key players and includes a few intriguing rookies. Here’s how it breaks down:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Longtime center fielder Ender Inciarte is the most notable player left off the roster. An All-Star in 2017 and a three-time Gold Glover, Inciarte’s bat has continued to wilt in recent seasons — culminating in a disastrous .190/.262/.250 slash through 131 plate appearances in 2020. With Ronald Acuna Jr. capable of handling center field and options like Marcell Ozuna, Nick Markakis and the hot-hitting Adam Duvall in the corners, the Braves have begun to cut back on Inciarte’s playing time.

While he could still have been carried as a game-changing defensive upgrade for the late innings, that role will instead go to the 21-year-old Pache — the organization’s top prospect who draws 80 grades for his defense on most scouting reports. It’s been increasingly clear that Inciarte’s role with the club is dwindling, but leaving him off the playoff roster only further highlights that reality.

Also absent from the club’s Round 1 roster is righty Luke Jackson. The mercurial reliever was outrighted in June 2018 only to surprisingly emerge as one of the club’s few reliable bullpen options in 2019 when he nailed down 18 saves. The pendulum has swung back in the other direction in 2020 though, as Jackson has been clobbered for a 6.84 ERA and seen his K/9 mark nearly halved (13.1 K/9 in 2019; 6.8 in 2020). Had the groin injury that forced righty Chris Martin from the Braves’ season finale proven more serious, perhaps Jackson would have been considered, but Braves fans are surely thrilled to see Martin’s name listed after his dominant 2020 effort.

Elsewhere, Atlanta will entrust its Game 2 outing to former No. 3 overall draft pick Ian Anderson, who rose from top prospect status to key rotation piece in 2020. Anderson still has just six big league starts, but he’s exceeded all expectations with a 1.95 ERA and 41 punchouts through 32 1/3 frames. Catching prospect William Contreras, the younger brother of Cubs star Willson Contreras, is on the roster mostly as a depth option, but his presence only further gives a glimpse into the organization’s future.

The Braves’ late pickup of Pablo Sandoval came as a surprise to many, but the organization clearly sees something in the former Giants star. Despite a dismal .214/.287/.262 slash on the year, including four hitless plate appearances with Atlanta (two walks), the Panda makes the Wild Card roster as a bench piece.

Reds Set Wild Card Series Roster

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The Reds have formally set their 28-man roster for their three-game Wild Card Series showdown against the Braves. Here’s how it breaks down:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

The Reds made the decision to leave off starter Anthony DeSclafani and reliever Sal Romano. Instead, they’re carrying right-handed-hitting infielder Matt Davidson as an additional weapon against left-handed pitching and outfielder Travis Jankowski to provide some speed off the bench and a potential late defensive upgrade. Versatile Kyle Farmer is listed with the team’s infielders but could just as easily have been listed as a catcher. He can play all over the infield and has gotten some outfield work in 2020 as well, but Farmer has nearly 2900 innings behind the dish between the big leagues and the minors as well.

As has been clear for some time now, the Reds will lean heavily on one of the game’s most formidable rotation trios: Trevor Bauer, Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray. The club was able to set up each right-hander to take the ball on regular rest — more than that in Bauer’s case, who last pitched on Sept. 23. This type of setup was the exact scenario the Reds envisioned 14 months ago when acquiring Bauer, and the presence of three legitimate front-of-the-rotation arms makes Cincinnati more dangerous than their No. 7 seed would lead many casual onlookers to believe.

Latest On Matt Klentak

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The Phillies hired Matt Klentak as their general manager before 2016. They were amid a four-year playoff drought then, and they haven’t gone to the postseason since. Even in 2020, a year with expanded playoffs, the Phillies finished just 28-32 and didn’t go anywhere, so Klentak’s job security seems to be in question. With that in mind, Phillies owner John Middleton is deciding what to do with Klentak, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports. Meanwhile, a team source told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the club’s likely to retain Klentak.

The Phillies haven’t had a single above-.500 campaign under Klentak, whose clubs’ best season came during an 81-81 effort in 2019. Manager Gabe Kapler then fell on the sword, leading Klentak and the rest of Philly management to replace him with Joe Girardi, but the bottom-line results certainly weren’t better this past regular season. The Phillies never got more than four games over .500 in 2020, and they finished with seven losses in their final eight games en route to another failed campaign.

There’s no doubt the Klentak-led Phillies have come up short of expectations; to Klentak’s credit, though, he has been in charge since they’ve brought in some of their premier players. Outfielder Bryce Harper, who signed what was then a record contract worth $330MM over 13 years, joined the club on Klentak’s watch heading into 2019. The Phillies also added well-compensated veterans such as Zack Wheeler, Andrew McCutchen and Didi Gregorius in free agency, and they’ve traded for the likes of J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura. For whatever reason, though, those pickups haven’t led to the Phillies earning another playoff berth.

Regardless of whether Klentak remains at the helm after this season, the Phillies will have to work to keep Realmuto and Gregorius – a pair of pending free agents. The Phillies are in for a difficult winter as they try to keep those two, who will be among the best available players at their positions.

David Dahl Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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Rockies outfielder David Dahl, whose season ended Sept. 23 because of a right shoulder strain, underwent surgery on Tuesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com tweets. The surgery was a success, and the Rockies expect that Dahl will be ready for spring training, per Harding.

It’s a relief for the Rockies that Dahl’s on track for next season, as the 26-year-old has largely been a quality member of their offense since his career began in 2016. Dahl owns a .286/.334/.494 line with 38 home runs in 1,020 plate appearances, though his production went off the rails during a 2020 in which he batted a horrid .183/.222/.247 without a homer across 99 trips to the plate.

Of course, injuries have been the main problem for Dahl since his pre-MLB days started. He has never played more than 100 regular-season games (in 2019) with the Rockies and has appeared in just 264 dating back to his first year. Dahl appeared in a meager 24 of a possible 60 games this year, but the hope is that he’ll have a healthy, bounce-back campaign next season.

Athletics Interested In Re-Signing Tommy La Stella

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The American League West champion Athletics’ postseason got off to a less-than-ideal start Tuesday with a loss to the Lucas Giolito-led White Sox, who held the A’s to just three hits in a 4-1 defeat. One of those hits came from infielder Tommy La Stella, whom the A’s could see depart in free agency once their season ends, though they’re interested in re-signing him.

Oakland executive vice president Billy Beane lavished praise on La Stella this week, saying (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle), “I’ve known about La Stella going back to the Braves (2014), but you don’t realize how good this guy is until you see him on an everyday basis, he just puts a good at-bat on you every single time.”

As far as possibly retaining La Stella goes, Beane stated: “I would normally say, ‘We’ll deal with it at the end of the season.’ But based on what I just said about him — well, you’d be crazy not to put him at the top of your list. I normally kind of hedge on everything because you never know, but goodness, he’s been so impressive it would behoove us to put him at the top of the list, at least have a discussion with him.”

The Athletics paid a fairly high price for La Stella when they acquired him from the division-rival Angels before the July 31 deadline, as they gave up former top infield prospect Franklin Barreto in a one-for-one deal. Barreto never got much of a chance to establish himself in Oakland, whereas La Stella broke out as an Angel a year ago and has kept that momentum going between the Halos and A’s this season. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has slashed .289/.353/.483 with 20 home runs over 438 plate appearances dating back to 2019.

Along with providing well-above-average offensive production since last year, La Stella has logged a significant amount of innings at second and third, which should up his earning power if he reaches free agency. If La Stella stays with the A’s, he probably won’t get much playing time going forward at the hot corner, where Matt Chapman should return from hip surgery in 2021. On the other hand, there’s far less certainty for Oakland at the keystone. La Stella has been the team’s top producer there, outdoing Tony Kemp and Chad Pinder.

Rangers’ Jon Daniels On Rotation, Infield

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On the heels of another disappointing season, one that saw the Rangers finish 22-38 and extend their playoff drought to four years, general manager Jon Daniels spoke to media, including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and TR Sullivan of MLB.com.

With their starters having ended 2020 with the majors’ seventh-worst ERA (5.32), Daniels said the Rangers are interested in bringing in a veteran rotation member during the offseason. The only starter on the team who provided high-end production across a large number of innings in 2020 was Lance Lynn, who’s only signed for another year and whom the Rangers could trade for a solid haul. Kyle Cody gave the team outstanding results, albeit over a small number of innings, and the Rangers traded Mike Minor to the A’s before the Aug. 31 deadline.

Texas has Lynn, Cody, Jordan Lyles and Kyle Gibson (he and Lyles had rough years) among their most proven starters going into next season. Two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber’s still on the roster, but as someone who missed nearly the entire season with shoulder troubles, he seems like a shoo-in to be bought out for $1MM (as opposed to guaranteeing him $18MM).

Turning to the offensive side, the Rangers aren’t planning on gifting starting spots to second baseman Rougned Odor or shortstop Elvis Andrus going forward, per Daniels. Frankly, neither player deserves one. Both players could be trade candidates in the coming months, and if that’s the case, the Daniels-led Rangers are confident they won’t have to eat any of their contracts. That may be wishful thinking, as Odor has two more seasons and $27MM left on his contract, while Andrus has $28MM over two years remaining.

Odor has three seasons of two-plus fWAR in his past, and he’s someone the Rangers signed to a six-year, $49.5MM guarantee entering 2017, but his production has been terrible of late. Despite 10 home runs in 148 plate appearances, the 26-year-old ended 2020 with a .167/.209/.413 line. His 51 wRC+ ranked second to last among 223 hitters who racked up at least 140 PA this season.

Andrus was even worse than Odor this year, as he logged a 48 wRC+ in 111 trips to the plate. Like Odor, Andrus looked like a cornerstone for the Rangers in his earlier days, which is why they extended him to an eight-year, $120MM contract in early 2013. However, his production has fallen flat over the past few seasons.

Latest On Ronald Acuna Jr., Chris Martin

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Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and reliever Chris Martin dealt with injuries at the end of the regular season, but both players will be available when the team starts its playoff series against the Reds on Wednesday, David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets.

Acuna missed the Braves’ regular-season finale with left wrist irritation, but he’s now “fine,” according to manager Brian Snitker. That’s obviously excellent news for the Braves, with whom Acuna slashed .250/.406/.581 and totaled 14 home runs and eight stolen bases in 202 plate appearances. Acuna, potential MVP Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna, who each managed a wRC+ of no worse than 159, give the NL East-winning Braves a terrifying offensive trio as the team heads into the playoffs.

Along with their high-powered offense, the Braves’ bullpen was among the reasons they reigned supreme in their division for the third straight time. Their relief corps ranked fourth in ERA and ninth in fWAR, owing in part to Martin’s work. After re-signing with the Braves last winter on a two-year, $14MM contract, Martin fired 18 innings of 1.00 ERA/2.36 FIP ball with 10.0 K/9 against 1.5 BB/9. Martin left the Braves’ last game with groin troubles, but it appears he dodged a serious problem.

Yankees Set Wild Card Series Roster

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The Yankees have set their 28-man roster for their wild card series against the Indians, beginning tonight in Cleveland.  Gerrit Cole will start against the Tribe’s Shane Bieber in a great battle of aces in Game 1, and Masahiro Tanaka is lined up to start Game 2 for New York.  The Yankees known to be debating whether to carry 12 or 13 pitchers onto the playoff roster, and they opted for 13 arms to provide as much depth as possible.

On the position player front, Miguel Andujar is the most notable omission, as the Yankees decided on Mike Ford as the primary first base/DH counterpoint to Luke Voit.  Ford is a left-handed bat while Andujar and Voit both swing from the right side, which could have been the deciding factor given that New York’s lineup is already loaded with right-handed batters.  Erik Kratz was also included on the roster as a third catcher.

Left-Handed Pitchers

Right-Handed Pitchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Catchers

Rays Set Wild Card Series Roster

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The Rays have announced their 28-man roster for their wild card series with the Blue Jays, beginning today at Tropicana Field.  Blake Snell will start Game 1, while Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton are scheduled to start the next two games (in Morton’s case, if a Game 3 if necessary).

The surprise move was the selection of prospect Shane McClanahan, whose first Major League game could come under the bright lights of the postseason.  The Rays and Blue Jays are frequent opponents in the AL East, and the hard-throwing McClanahan represents a totally fresh weapon for the Rays to wield against Toronto hitters.

Yandy Diaz and Ji-Man Choi are both back from hamstring strains, as Diaz will see his first action since August 31 and Choi back for the first time since September 12.  These returns add a potent lefty-righty combination to the Rays’ corner infield mix, though neither Diaz or Choi are starting in Game 1.

Left-Handed Pitchers

Right-Handed Pitchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Catchers

White Sox Release Steve Cishek; Ross Detwiler Elects Free Agency

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The White Sox have released right-hander Steve Cishek, according to the MLB.com transactions page.  Both Cishek and left-hander Ross Detwiler were designated for assignment earlier this week, and Detwiler is also on the move, as the southpaw has elected to become a free agent.

After pitching for the Cubs in 2018-19, Cishek moved to the south side of Chicago after signing a one-year free agent deal with the White Sox last winter.  Cishek earned $5.25MM in guaranteed salary, and he will get $750K as a buyout of the $6.75MM club option on his services for the 2021 season.

For that $6MM investment, the White Sox received a 5.40 ERA, 2.33 K/BB rate, and 9.5 K/9 over 20 innings from Cishek.  As noted by MLBTR’s Steve Adams last Thursday, much of the damage done to Cishek’s ERA came early in the season — Cishek allowed seven runs over his first 5 2/3 innings of work (in seven games) before settling down to allow five runs over his next 14 1/3 innings (15 appearances).  That said, Cishek also had the highest HR/9 and the lowest ground-ball rate of his 11 MLB seasons, albeit in the small sample size of the abbreviated 2020 campaign.

While Cishek had a tough start and a solid finish to his season, Detwiler was the opposite story.  The lefty didn’t allow a run until his 10th appearance of the season, and had a sterling 1.47 ERA over his first 18 1/3 innings pitched.  Unfortunately for Detwiler, a disastrous final outing more than doubled his runs allowed total for the entire season, though his final numbers (3.20 ERA, 3.00 K/BB rate, 6.9 K/9 in 19 2/3 IP) are more than respectable.

With 23 combined Major League seasons on their resumes, Cishek and Detwiler offer a lot of experience for teams looking for veteran bullpen depth this offseason.  The two veterans, however, will face a lot of competition for jobs amidst a deep field of free agent relievers that will only grow longer once more teams begin their offseason roster maintenance.

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