White Sox Release 5 Players
The White Sox have released five players – infielders Matt Skole and Ramon Torres, right-hander Zach Putnam, and lefties Caleb Frare and Matt Tomshaw – according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Frare, Skole and Tomshaw spent time in major league camp during the first version of spring training, but the White Sox reassigned them to the minors in March.
The most big league experience in the group belongs to the 32-year-old Putnam, who was rather adept at keeping runs off the board with the White Sox from 2014-17. During that 139 1/3-inning span, he posted a 2.71 ERA/3.34 FIP with 9.62 K/9, 3.62 BB/9 and a 47.6 percent groundball rate. Putnam hasn’t pitched in the majors since then, though, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and then, as a member of the Red Sox organization last year, battled a hamstring injury. He returned to the White Sox on a minor league contract in March.
Skole was once a solid prospect with the Nationals, and while he did slash .248/.384/.497 with 21 home runs in 391 plate appearances with the White Sox’s Triple-A team last season, he hasn’t seen much action in the majors. The 30-year-old owns a meager .567 OPS at the game’s highest level in 93 PA. Likewise, Torres, Frare and Tomshaw have shown well at times in the minors, but they haven’t made noteworthy impacts in MLB in their small sample sizes of work (Tomshaw hasn’t reached the majors thus far).
Giants Release Tyson Ross, Nick Vincent
The Giants have released former MLB hurlers Tyson Ross and Nick Vincent, KNBR’s Mark Sanchez reports on Twitter. Also cut loose was utilityman Jamie Westbrook.
Ross and Vincent are each 33-year-old righties who had inked minor-league deals in the offseason. The former is best known for his days in the Padres rotation. The latter, a reliever, was also once an effective hurler in San Diego as well as with the Mariners.
Though he struggled in limited big league action last year, and has never recovered from serious shoulder injuries, Ross has a lifetime 4.04 ERA in ten MLB campaigns. He didn’t have much hope of cracking the starting staff, but was perhaps a multi-inning relief candidate. Ross struggled in his three outings in camp before the pandemic paused the action.
As for Vincent, he struggled with the long ball during a stint with the Giants last year. But he turned in a strong 14-inning run to end the season — 1.93 ERA with 17:4 K/BB — with a Phillies team that was managed by new Giants skipper Gabe Kapler. Vincent had coughed up three homers and seven earned runs in four Spring Training frames.
Westbrook has yet to appear in the majors, having reached minor league free agency after seven seasons in the Diamondbacks system. He turned in 514 plate appearances of .281/.358/.451 hitting in the upper minors last year, but obviously didn’t show enough in camp for the Giants to keep him in their 60-man player pool.
Andrew Toles Arrested On Trespassing Charge
Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles was arrested on a trespassing charge in Florida on June 22, Gwen Filosa of the Miami Herald reports. Police found Toles asleep in his car behind the Key West Airport, and he was jailed after he refused to leave the scene. Toles remained at the Stock Island Detention Center on a $500 bond on Friday, according to Filosa. He has a court date scheduled for July 2.
This is the latest sad development for Toles, who has dealt with personal struggles dating back to his time in college, as Michael Duarte of NBC 7 San Diego detailed a few years ago. The University of Tennessee’s baseball team dismissed Toles in 2011 for lacking a “certain standard of accountability,” leading him to transfer to Chipola Junior College, where he battled anxiety issues. While Toles still went to the Rays in the third round of the 2012 draft, they ultimately released him for “personal reasons” before the 2015 campaign.
After his time with the Rays concluded, Toles went home to Georgia and bagged groceries, hoping to land another major league opportunity. Toles received that chance when the Dodgers signed him to a minor league pact in October 2015. He then produced quality numbers as a major leaguer in 2016-17, hitting .294/.341/.483 (119 wRC+) with 1.8 fWAR in 217 plate appearances. But Toles suffered an ACL tear in May 2017, ending his season, and then spent most of the next year in Triple-A.
Toles didn’t play at all last year, as the Dodgers placed him on the restricted list in March 2019 on account of an undisclosed personal matter. According to Roster Resource, the 28-year-old remains on the list. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com wrote in February that Toles also wasn’t expected to be in the mix for the Dodgers this season. This week’s arrest casts further doubt on whether Toles will return at any point.
Rangers Will Not Include Brian Flynn In 60-Man Player Pool
The Rangers on Friday advised left-hander Brian Flynn that he will not land a spot on Texas’ 60-man player pool, MLBTR has learned. The former Royals southpaw had been in Spring Training on a minor league deal.
Flynn, 30, spent the 2016-19 seasons in Kansas City, working to a combined 3.76 ERA with 6.3 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 0.66 HR/9 and a 49.4 percent ground-ball rate in 162 2/3 frames. He’s primarily worked as a reliever throughout his big league career, although he’s made six starts between the Royals and his earlier seasons in Miami.
The 2019 season was particularly rough for Flynn, as a UCL sprain early in the year limited him to 29 1/3 innings. He struggled to a 5.22 ERA upon returning from that injury, turning in a 22-to-17 K/BB ratio and a 42.4 percent grounder rate that was a ways off the 52 percent mark at which he’d sat during his best seasons.
Back during the initial version of Spring Training, Flynn had allowed one run on two hits and four walks with eight strikeouts in six innings of work.
*The original version of this post indicated that Flynn had been released. MLBTR has since learned that he will not be released from his contract but will not be part of the club’s 60-man player pool.
Dodgers Have Diversified Slate Of Future Commitments
2020 salary terms may finally be sorted out. But what about what’s owed to players beyond that point? The near-term economic picture remains questionable at best. That’ll make teams all the more cautious with guaranteed future salaries.
Every organization has some amount of future cash committed to players, all of it done before the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe. There are several different ways to look at salaries; for instance, for purposes of calculating the luxury tax, the average annual value is the touchstone, with up-front bonuses spread over the life of the deal. For this exercise, we’ll focus on actual cash outlays that still have yet to be paid.
We’ll run through every team, with a big assist from the Cot’s Baseball Contracts database. Prior entries can be found here. Next up is the Dodgers:
*Includes buyouts on club options over Joe Kelly, Max Muncy
*Reflects remaining portion of David Price salary owed by Red Sox
*Includes 2023 player option of A.J. Pollock (due $5MM buyout if he declines)
(click to expand/view detail list)
Braves Place Jeremy Walker On 45-Day Injured List
The Braves announced Friday that they’ve placed right-hander Jeremy Walker on the newly created 45-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement. The issue initially arose in the original Spring Training, David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets. The 45-day IL took the place of the 60-day IL given the shortened nature of the 2020 season, so shelving Walker in this manner opens a 40-man spot for Atlanta.
Walker, 25, made his big league debut with the Braves in 2019. In 9 1/3 frames, he allowed a pair of runs on nine hits and four walks with six punchouts. Prior to that, the 2016 fifth-rounder had split the season between Double-A and Triple-A, where he compiled a combined 2.88 ERA with a sterling 82-to-11 K/BB ratio in 81 1/3 innings.
The Braves previously had a full 40-man roster, and while this could free them up to make a move now that MLB’s transactions freeze has been lifted — be it a signing, trade or waiver claim — they also had several non-roster veterans in camp who seemed likely to be added to the 40-man roster. Felix Hernandez, Charlie Culberson and Josh Tomlin were all non-roster invitees, and each of the three appeared to have a solid chance at making the club even before Opening Day rosters were set to expand to 30 players.
Reds To Sign Austin Hendrick
The Reds have agreed to terms on a $4MM signing bonus with first-round pick Austin Hendrick, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). That’s a bit shy of the $4,366,400 value associated with Hendrick’s No. 12 slot. A high school outfielder from Pennsylvania, the 19-year-old Hendrick had been committed to Mississippi State but will instead turn pro.
Widely regarded as one of the top prep bats in this year’s draft, Hendrick is touted for his raw power and bat speed — two traits that landed him as a slam-dunk first-rounder on virtually any pre-draft rankings one could find. Baseball America tabbed him ninth in this year’s class. MLB.com ranked him 13th, as did FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. Keith Law of The Athletic ranked Hendrick 21st. He’s also credited with an above-average arm, giving him the profile of a prototypical slugging right fielder. He’s seen as an average or better runner for now, though, so Callis notes that there’s a chance he could handle center field at the game’s top level as well.
If there are red flags in the reports on Hendrick, it’s his penchant for swinging and missing and the fact that he’s a bit old for the class, having turned 19 shortly after the draft. Hendrick didn’t face tons of premium pitching in high school, either, so he could have some adjustments to make in pro ball. As with so many high school draftees, then, there’s a fair bit of risk associated with Hendrick but also tantalizing upside. He’ll bring one of the draft’s most powerful bats to a Reds system that is currently lacking on premium outfield prospects.
Ryan Zimmerman: “I’m Still Deciding Whether To Play”
As most players prepare to report to summer training camp, longtime Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman writes in a guest piece for the Associated Press that he’s “still deciding whether to play” in 2020. Like many players throughout the league, while he’s not personally a high-risk patient in the event of a positive COVID-19 test, he has loved ones who are of greater concern. Writes Zimmerman:
When it comes down to it, it’s a decision not just for me, but for my family as well. I have a 3-week-old baby. My mother has multiple sclerosis and is super high-risk; if I end up playing, I can pretty much throw out the idea of seeing her until weeks after the season is over.
Under the health and safety protocols laid out by Major League Baseball and agreed to by the Players Association, Zimmerman wouldn’t receive service time or be paid, should he choose to opt out. Only players who are high-risk cases themselves, as determined by team medical personnel, are eligible for that benefit.
Zimmerman will be far from the only player making a decision of this nature in the coming days. High-risk individuals exist throughout the league, be it due to recent battles with cancer, preexisting respiratory conditions or any number of other risk-increasing conditions. The number of players with such risks is surely higher than most are aware of, and the number of players with concerns more in line with Zimmerman is even greater yet. There will very likely be some players who opt not to play in 2020, and Zimmerman provides a candid and thoughtful look at the factors he’s weighing in a piece that’s well worth a full read.
This past offseason, Zimmerman inked a one-year, $2MM contract to return to the Nationals for what would his 16th season with the only franchise he’s ever known. Foot injuries limited him to just 52 games in 2019 and likely impacted his performance at the plate, but he batted a combined .289/.350/.542 in 899 plate appearances from 2017-18.
Seeking Writers For Pro Hockey Rumors
As our sister site Pro Hockey Rumors celebrates its four-year anniversary, we’re looking to add to the writing staff! In particular, we’re seeking someone with strong daytime availability Monday through Friday. The position pays hourly. The criteria:
- Exceptional knowledge of all 31 NHL teams, no discernible bias.
- Knowledge of the salary cap, CBA and transaction-related concepts.
- At least some college education.
- Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both strongly preferred.
- Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is strongly preferred.
- Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
- Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
- Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance creating quick copy with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers or links to other relevant articles.
- Ability to use Twitter and Tweetdeck.
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- If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com and explain how you stand out and qualify in a couple of short paragraphs. Please attach your resume to the email. Unfortunately we may not be able to reply to every applicant.
Tigers Expected To Sign Spencer Torkelson Before Players Report
The Tigers are expected to finalize a deal with No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson prior to the resumption of training camps, Jason Beck of MLB.com writes. Lynn Henning of the Detroit News tweets that Torkelson is expected to sign his deal as soon as Sunday and will likely receive a bonus slightly north of his $8,415,300 slot value. MLB.com’s Jim Callis notes that the Tigers can pay as much $8,441,985 without being penalized with the loss of future picks.
Torkelson is regarded as one of the best bats to come out of the draft in decades. The 21-year-old posted an otherworldly .337/.463/.729 with 54 home runs, 33 doubles and a 110-to-104 BB/K ratio in 628 plate appearances as Arizona State’s regular first baseman. The 20-year-old slugger was long the favorite to go No. 1 overall in this year’s draft and is viewed as a fast-moving bat who could be a fixture in the middle of a big league lineup for years to come. Baseball America has already ranked him as the game’s No. 11 overall prospect on its updated Top 100 list, and Torkelson now checks in at No. 38 on the updated rankings from FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen.
While it’s unlikely that Torkelson will be brought to the big leagues this season, of course, Beck notes that the club is still at least considering Torkelson for its 60-player pool that must be submitted to MLB by Sunday evening. Placing Torkelson in that pool would afford him some developmental opportunities in the rebooted Spring Training and then with non-active-roster players throughout the duration of the relaunched 2020 season. Torkelson can obviously be placed on that list without being added to the 40-man roster and wouldn’t get service time simply for being in the 60-player pool, so there’s little downside for the Tigers when it comes to including him.
Tigers GM Al Avila announced earlier this week that the club had signed Competitive Balance pick Daniel Cabrera, and the club has also announced deals with second-round pick Dillon Dingler, third-round pick Trei Cruz, fourth-rounder Gage Workman and fifth-round selection Colt Keith. Torkelson is the lone unsigned player among the bunch, but it sounds as though he’ll put pen to paper and officially begin his pro career in the near future.