Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rangers Add Yohander Mendez To 60-Player Pool

By | at

The Rangers reinstated left-hander Yohander Mendez on Wednesday and added him to their 60-man player pool, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes. The move leaves the Rangers with two open spots on their Summer Camp roster.

Mendez had been on the club’s suspended list since March for seeking unauthorized medical care as a result of shoulder inflammation. His team-imposed ban was the most recent disappointment in a career that hasn’t gone according to plan thus far. When he debuted in the majors in 2016, multiple outlets considered Mendez a top 50 prospect. The 25-year-old hasn’t seen much action in the bigs since then, though, and the results haven’t been pretty when he has pitched. Mendez owns a 6.23 ERA with a matching 6.23 K/9 against 4.72 BB/9 across 47 2/3 innings in a Rangers uniform. Home runs have been a problem for Mendez, whose difficulty keeping the ball out of the air (35.5 percent groundball rate) has led to 1.7 HRs per nine.

To his credit, Mendez has been much better at the Triple-A level, where he has logged 97 innings of 3.71 ERA ball with 8.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. But with no minor league season in 2020, MLB is Mendez’s only hope of pitching competitively this year.

Hector Noesi Opts Out Of 2020 Season; Keone Kela Still Not In Camp

By | at

Pirates hurler Hector Noesi has opted out of participation in the 2020 season, manager Derek Shelton told reporters including Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic (via Twitter). Noesi cited family reasons in asking out of his minor-league deal.

In other Pirates news, top relief pitcher Keone Kela still has not appeared at camp, Shelton further advised. (Via MLB.com’s Adam Berry, on Twitter.) The organization has not provided further information on the matter. It certainly could be that Kela is in some stage of protocols relating to COVID-19, though it would be unwise to assume anything about his situation.

Noesi had been looking for another big league opportunity after appearing last year with the Marlins. He struggled quite a bit in his time in Miami, his first MLB action since 2015. In the interim, the journeyman hurler — once a small part of a busted blockbuster — had a few nice campaigns in the KBO.

Kela’s situation is of greater concern to the Pirates from a competitive standpoint. If the club struggles as most anticipated, he’d be an obvious mid-season trade piece as a 2020-21 free agent. Kela turned in 29 2/3 innings of 2.12 ERA ball last year.

Jorge Mateo Tests Positive For COVID-19

By | at

Recently acquired infielder Jorge Mateo tested positive for COVID-19 at intake testing, Padres manager Jayce Tingler revealed to reporters in a Zoom call today (Twitter link via Dennis Lin of The Athletic). He’s been dealing with mild symptoms, including loss of smell and taste. Mateo, acquired from the Athletics last week in exchange for a player to be named later, has not been to Petco Park and has been isolating since his test result. Once he tests negative on two occasions, at least 24 hours apart, he’ll be cleared to join his new club.

It’s an unfortunate start to Mateo’s tenure with the Padres, though it’s encouraging to hear Tingler relay that the 25-year-old is already beginning to feel a bit better. If he’s able to make a full recovery in time for the season opener, Mateo is likely to land on the Padres’ Opening Day roster. He’s out of minor league options and, if healthy, can’t be sent down to the team’s alternative training site without being exposed to waivers.

Mateo’s trade came before intake testing had begun, so there’s no way the A’s could’ve been reasonably expected to know about it (if he was even positive at the time of the deal), but the trade nevertheless underscores the importance of prompt turnaround time on testing. Delays have been prominent this week, even as MLB has sought to downplay them, and one can only imagine the complications that would arise were a player to test positive in-season immediately after being moved to a new club. Trade volume in general could be down this year given the unprecedented circumstances under which front offices are operating, but having as close to a real-time indicator of a player’s health as possible will be imperative for transactions to be allowed.

That’s not to sound callous; minimizing health risks for all players, coaches, staff and their families is of course the primary reason that tests need to be processed in expeditious fashion. But if roster movement is to be allowed, as is currently planned, the types of delays we’ve seen this week will need to be smoothed out in order to provide for the orderly execution of the season.

Cubs Release Brandon Morrow

By | at

The Cubs have released right-handed hurler Brandon Morrow, according to the latest transactions report from Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle. He had been with the organization on a minor-league deal.

This would appear to bring an end to the saga of Morrow’s tenure with the Cubs. He had already wrapped up a two-year deal that began with immense promise and ended in disappointment. An attempted comeback this season ran into trouble from the jump, as Morrow was sidelined early in camp with a calf injury.

Soon to turn 36, Morrow last threw in the majors in the first half of the 2018 season. But it sounds as if he’s still hoping to take another crack at getting his roller-coaster career back on track with another organization. Morrow is presently recovering from a “minor nerve procedure,” per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link), but will attempt to play in 2020.

It may seem like an unlikely quest, but it’s worth remembering just how good Morrow was when last we saw him. In 30 2/3 innings for the Cubs, he racked up 22 saves and allowed just five earned runs with a 31:9 K/BB ratio. When he first experienced mid-season forearm issues, the hope was that he’d only be out for a brief stretch. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case.

Morrow’s entire career has been marked by ups and downs, with health generally playing a significant role. The former fifth overall pick showed ample talent at times with the Mariners and Blue Jays, but never consistently delivered results while dealing with intermittent arm problems. He had some moments in a halting attempt to get back in a groove with the Padres, but only managed to throw 49 innings over two seasons.

It all finally seemed to come together with the Dodgers in 2017, as Morrow emerged as a late-inning force over the course of the season and through a run to the World Series. The L.A. organization came to rely upon him heavily, calling upon him for 13 2/3 innings over the postseason — including appearances in every single contest of the seven-game World Series. Morrow answered the bell repeatedly, outside of a Game 5 blip. While that showing ultimately earned Morrow a two-year, $21MM deal, it may also have set the stage for the eventual recurrence of the arm issues that had limited him earlier in his career.

Orioles Add Ryan Mountcastle, Mason Williams To Player Pool

By | at

The Orioles have added top prospect Ryan Mountcastle and outfielder Mason Williams to their 60-man player pool, manager Brandon Hyde revealed to reporters at Summer Camp today (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Joe Trezza). That pair of additions brings the team’s total to 47 players.

Mountcastle, 23, was the No. 36 pick in the draft by the Orioles back in 2015 and has rated among the organization’s best prospects ever since. Questions persist about just where on the field Mountcastle will play — he was a shortstop in high school but has since played third base, left field and first base — but his bat is generally very well regarded. Mountcastle followed up 2018’s .297/.341/.464 slash (121 wRC+) in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting with a .312/.344/.527 slash (117 wRC+) in Triple-A last year. He doesn’t walk much but also doesn’t strike out at an alarming rate and has never batted worse than .281 in a full professional season.

Wherever Mountcastle settles in defensively, he’s viewed as a potential long-term piece who could fit into the middle of the team’s lineup. Given last year’s solid showing in Triple-A and the lack of a minor league season in 2020, it’ll be a surprise if Mountcastle doesn’t log significant at-bats with the Orioles.

As for Williams, he’s a former top prospect himself, although at 29 years of age, those days are behind him. Williams has seen MLB time in each of the past five seasons but has never found extended playing time or had much success in his fleeting big league auditions. He hit .267/.324/.300 in 11 games with the O’s last year and is a lifetime .286/.325/.382 hitter in the big leagues. That’s a generally respectable line, but Williams has never tallied more than 132 plate appearances in a Major League season. He’s a career .288/.341/.405 hitter in more than 1500 Triple-A plate appearances.

Blue Jays Agree To Terms With Austin Martin

By | at

July 8: Martin has signed his deal and will be paid a $7,000,825 bonus, tweets MLB.com’s Jim Callis. That’s roughly $800K over slot and makes Martin the second-highest-paid player in this year’s draft — trailing only top overall pick Spencer Torkelson. An official announcement from the Jays should come in the near future.

July 3: The Blue Jays have reached a deal with first-round pick Austin Martin, reports Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae (Twitter link). The former Vanderbilt shortstop/third baseman will need to pass a physical before his deal with the club becomes official. Bonus details aren’t yet known, but Martin’s No. 5 overall draft slot is valued at $6.18MM.

Austin Martin | Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Considered by some to be the best all-around player in this year’s draft, Martin went a slight bit later than was generally expected after the O’s cut a deal with No. 2 pick Keston Hjerstad, thus saving some pool space for harder signs further down the line. The Marlins and Royals opted for pitchers with the next two selections, suddenly leaving a player who at times was in the conversation at No. 1 overall for the Jays to scoop up at No. 5.

Martin doesn’t have the massive power that top pick Spencer Torkelson possesses, but he’s a left-side infielder or center field option, giving him more defensive value. And he’s still a high-end offensive prospect in his own right. MLB.com gives Martin a hearty 65-grade hit tool and 50-grade (solid-average) power, while FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen gives him a 60 future hit tool and 55 power.

Martin’s natural hitting ability was on display for all to see throughout his NCAA career, as he posted video-game-esque numbers dating back to his freshman season. In all, his Commodores career comes to a close with a ridiculous .376/.479/.521 batting line. He also struck out in fewer than 10 percent of his plate appearances between his sophomore and junior seasons.

The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Martin as the best all-around prospect in this year’s draft “due to his combination of performance, athleticism and all-around quickness.” Baseball America, MLB.com and ESPN all ranked him behind Torkelson only, while FanGraphs had him third behind Torkelson and eventual No. 4 pick Asa Lacy (a lefty out of Texas A&M).

There’s some debate as to Martin’s final position, but it’s not for lack of defensive aptitude. Rather, most scouts seem to think he could handle any of third base, second base or center field, with shortstop not entirely out of the question. Toronto hopes to have Bo Bichette installed there for years to come, of course, so perhaps one of the other spots on the field is likelier. Regardless, the consensus on Martin is that he possesses elite bat-to-ball skills with still-developing power, speed, raw athleticism and a broad range of potential defensive homes. For a Jays club that saw Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio all graduate to the Majors this past year, with Nate Pearson sure to follow in 2020, Martin represents yet another potential core piece to bring the club back to prominence in the ever-competitive AL East.

 

Angels Claim Jacob Rhame

By | at

The Angels announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed right-handed reliever Jacob Rhame off waivers from the Mets. Rhame was in the Mets’ 60-man player pool, and the Mets have already announced that his spot will be filled by right-hander Ryley Gilliam. The Angels’ pool will grow to 57 with the claim — assuming Rhame is indeed added.

Rhame, 27, was originally a sixth-round pick of the Dodgers back in 2013 but landed in the Mets organization via the trade that sent Curtis Granderson from New York to L.A. He’s spent parts of three seasons in the Mets’ bullpen but has yet to find much success. In 47 2/3 MLB innings, Rhame has worked to a 6.23 ERA and 6.06 FIP with averages of 7.6 strikeouts, 4.5 walks and 2.08 homers per nine innings pitched.

That said, Rhame also averages just under 96 mph on his fastball and, in 2018, posted impressive swinging-strike and opponents’ chase rates (13.4 percent and 35.8 percent, respectively). The spin rate on both his four-seam fastball and his curveball ranked among the game’s elite that season, so the Angels are surely hoping that with some adjustments to his approach, Rhame’s raw abilities will translate to improved bottom-line results.

Rhame underwent ulnar nerve transposition surgery last August, but MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets that he’s been throwing off a mound in Summer Camp, which bodes well for his readiness to return. He’s out of minor league options, so Rhame will either need to break camp on the team’s expanded 30-man roster or else once again be exposed to waivers.

Gilliam, 23, was the Mets’ fifth-round pick just two summers ago and quickly rose through the ranks in the system, topping out in Triple-A last year. The Clemson product breezed through Class-A Advanced in 2019 and posted respectable numbers in Double-A before being torched in 9 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball. But Gilliam has punched out 87 hitters in just 56 pro innings (14.0 K/9, 35.1 percent overall strikeout rate) and ranks inside the organization’s top 30 prospects at both MLB.com and FanGraphs. He’s said to have a pair of above-average to potentially plus pitches: his heater and curveball. With no minor league season in 2020, it’s possible that Gilliam will largely skip over Triple-A and make his big league debut at some point this summer.

Giants Add Three To 60-Man Player Pool

By | at

The Giants announced Wednesday that they’ve added lefty Caleb Baragar, outfielder Alexander Canario and right-hander Sam Wolff to their 60-man player pool. They still have one vacancy if they wish to make another addition. Of the bunch, Canario is the most highly regarded prospect, but his inclusion is surely just for developmental purposes, as he is just 20 years old and has yet to play above short-season Class-A.

Baragar, 26, was the Giants’ ninth-round pick in 2016. He’s pitched in three Triple-A games but spent the vast majority of the 2019 campaign in Double-A, where he pitched to a 3.45 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 0.9 HR/9 in 120 innings as a starter. He’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher, evidenced by a tiny 28.7 percent ground-ball rate in those 120 frames.

Wolff, 29, is a pure reliever who came over to the Giants organization in the 2017 trade that sent Matt Moore to the Rangers. Despite his age, he’s scarcely pitched in Triple-A (28 1/3 innings), but he posted strong numbers in Double-A last year when he compiled a 1.78 ERA and a 42-to-11 K/BB ratio in 35 1/3 innings of work.

Canario signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in the 2016-17 international class, and the Giants look to have found something of a gem (relative to his meager $60K signing bonus, at least). He ripped through opposing pitchers in Rookie ball and Low-A, posting a combined .318/.377/.623 batting line with 16 home runs, 20 doubles and a pair of triples in just 265 trips to the plate.

Canario ranks in the club’s top 10 prospects at Baseball America (fifth), MLB.com (sixth) and FanGraphs (ninth) thanks to considerable raw power, average or better speed and a plus throwing arm. FanGraphs Eric Longenhagen notes that he needs a lot of work on his approach at the plate but has a “huge ceiling if the hit/approach component improves.”

Cubs Add Hernan Perez To 60-Man Player Pool

By | at

The Cubs have added veteran infielder/outfielder Hernan Perez to their 60-man player pool, bringing their total number up to 51. He’ll report to Wrigley Field to work out with the team’s infielders tomorrow, tweets Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

Perez, 29, has seen action in parts of eight big league seasons and is likely a familiar name for many Cubs fans after spending the past five seasons as a heavily used utility piece for the division-rival Brewers. The versatile Perez suited up for 572 games with Milwaukee, hitting .258/.288/.400 in just over 1700 plate appearances dating back to the 2015 season.

A poor walk rate has weighed down Perez’s on-base percentage throughout his career, but he’s shown off some modest pop and plenty of speed since establishing himself with the Brewers. That includes a 13-homer, 34-steal season back in 2016 (despite tallying just 430 plate appearances that year). Perez hasn’t approached those stolen-base levels since, but he still checked in with above-average speed in 2019, per Statcast.

On the other side of the ball, Perez has played everywhere on the field with the exception of catcher — including 7 1/3 innings of mop-up work on the mound (where he’s allowed six runs on 10 hits and four walks with three strikeouts). He’s been above-average at both third base and second base in his career, per Defensive Runs Saved, and while he’s not a good defender at shortstop he can at least handle the position should a need arise.

Perez isn’t on the 40-man roster and would need to be added if he’s to emerge as a legitimate Major League option in 2020. But given the expanded rosters early in the season and his ability to effectively play anywhere that manager David Ross asks, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him log some big league time at Wrigley Field in 2020.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top