West Notes: D-backs, Rangers, Dodgers, Mariners
Diamondbacks righty Jon Duplantier is back from the injured list, but he’s not heading onto the MLB roster. He’ll be optioned back to Triple-A, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert tweets. It’s good to see that he’s ready to get back to action already. When Duplantier hit the shelf in mid-June with shoulder inflammation, there was at least some fear of a reasonably significant injury. In his first 25 frames of MLB action, the now-25-year-old worked to a 4.32 ERA with 24 strikeouts and nine walks.
- After a brief run in their rotation, righty Jesse Chavez has returned to the Rangers’ bullpen, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports on Twitter. The club will recall lefty Joe Palumbo from Triple-A Nashville to start Monday in Seattle. Chavez is coming off three straight starts in which he yielded at least four earned runs, and his outing against Arizona on Wednesday was especially grisly. Chavez coughed up seven earned runs on five hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
- The Dodgers announced Friday that reliever Dylan Floro has been placed on the 10-day injured list with neck inflammation. He’s replaced by fellow righty Casey Sadler. Injury aside, Floro has been one of several Dodgers relievers to take steps back since last season. Floro combined for a 2.25 ERA and a 55.1 percent groundball rate in 64 innings between LA and Cincinnati in 2018, but he’s at 4.11 and 51.9 in those categories across 35 frames this year. While Floro has walked fewer hitters, his strikeout and home run rates have gone in the wrong direction.
- Mariners reliever Hunter Strickland is on track for potential activation next weekend, per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer (via Twitter). He’ll first need to make it through three rehab appearances at Triple-A, but it’s good news for the 30-year-old reliever, who has been sidelined for a long stretch with a lat injury. Strickland had been slated to serve as the Seattle closer until going on the IL on March 30 with a right lat strain.
Report: “Scarce” Interest In Wilson Ramos
Even though Wilson Ramos is only in the first season of a two-year, $19MM contract, the struggling Mets could attempt to trade him before the July 31 deadline. The problem is that teams aren’t exactly lining up to acquire Ramos, per the New York Post’s Mike Puma, who reports inquiries have been “scarce.”
The Ramos pickup is one of several splashy offseason moves that haven’t gone to New York’s liking during a campaign to forget. On the positive side, the offensively accomplished Ramos has continued to post respectable production with the bat. With a .267/.345/.396 line in 304 plate appearances, Ramos’ 99 wRC+ is 12 points higher than the average catcher’s. Still, it probably isn’t the type of output the Mets were envisioning they’d get from Ramos, whose wRC+ has dropped 32 points from the career-best 131 he recorded with the Rays and Phillies in 2018.
Although Ramos hasn’t been the legitimately great offensive catcher he was a year ago, his defensive decline is the bigger concern for the Mets. Going by Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric, Ramos has been one of the worst behind-the-plate defenders in the majors this season. The 31-year-old has gotten negative reviews as a framer and a blocker, and to make matters worse, he has thrown out only 9 of 71 would-be base stealers. Ramos’ 13 percent caught-stealing rate is down 16 percent from his career mark.
Ramos’ defensive woes aren’t lost on the Mets’ best pitchers, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, who Puma notes have expressed that they’d rather pitch to light-hitting backup Tomas Nido. If Ramos isn’t going to catch either deGrom or Syndergaard, it clearly makes his contract and presence that much less desirable for New York. However, with seemingly no playoff contenders in the market for a pricey catcher having a disappointing season, the Mets may be stuck with Ramos until at least the winter.
Checking In On Largest One-Year Deals: Hitters
In the wake of Angels right-hander Matt Harvey‘s designation for assignment Friday, we took a look at how the other seven pitchers who signed one-year contracts worth at least $5MM have performed so far in 2019. We’ll do the same here with the 13 hitters who received $5MM-plus last offseason. While most of the pitchers we covered have endured disappointing years, the majority of the offensive players have helped their teams…
Josh Donaldson, 3B, Braves ($23MM):
- After an injury-marred 2018 with the Blue Jays and Indians, the Bringer of Rain said yes to the Braves’ gargantuan one-year offer early last winter. The deal has gone swimmingly for both parties so far. The 33-year-old Donaldson has enjoyed a healthy season and slashed .255/.373/.517 with 22 home runs and 2.7 fWAR in 397 plate appearances. Donaldson’s age will prevent him from landing a long-term contract in the offseason, but it’s safe to say the overall value of the deal will outdo his current pact at the rate he’s going.
Yasmani Grandal, C, Brewers ($18.25MM):
- Grandal turned down a lucrative multiyear offer from the Mets’ before settling for the Brewers’ short-term pact – a contract that has worked out beautifully for the Brew Crew. Not only has the switch-hitting Grandal batted .252/.372/.502 with 19 HRs and 3.1 fWAR across 366 trips to the plate, but he has continued to provide high-quality defense. Grandal’s deal does include a $16MM mutual option for 2020, but he’s almost certain to reject his half of it in favor of another free-agency experience. The soon-to-be 31-year-old won’t have a qualifying offer hanging over him then, as he did last offseason.
Nelson Cruz, DH, Twins ($14MM):
- Now a member of his fifth team, the ageless Cruz, 39, continues to rake. Cruz has torched opposing pitchers for a .271/.365/.541 line with 18 homers and a .271 ISO in 299 PA, making him one of the chief threats on a Minnesota team with no shortage of formidable hitters.
Mike Moustakas, 3B/2B, Brewers ($10MM):
- For the second straight winter, Moustakas wound up with a one-year contract. There’s also an $11MM mutual option for 2020, but it’s likely he’ll decline it to try his hand at free agency yet again. After all, Moustakas is in the midst of one of his best seasons. The 30-year-old Moose has not only slashed .265/.334/.544 with 25 homers and a .279 ISO over 386 PA, but he has been an asset at two defensive positions. Between his customary spot (third base) and his new one (second), Moustakas has logged 5 DRS with a 1.6 UZR. The newfound defensive flexibility should serve him well during the upcoming winter.
Brian Dozier, 2B, Nationals ($9MM):
- Dozier had been a star in Minnesota until last season, when the Twins traded him to the Dodgers during the summer, but he was uncharacteristically subpar between the two clubs in 2018. The 32-year-old carried those struggles into the beginning of this season with the Nationals, though he has rebounded at the plate over the past several weeks. In all, Dozier has hit a useful .235/.333/.436 and swatted 14 homers with a .201 ISO through 333 PA. Contrary to past seasons, Dozier no longer runs much – he has attempted just three steals, succeeding on two. Meanwhile, his work in the field (minus-4 DRS, minus-0.9 UZR) has earned below-average reviews.
Brett Gardner, OF, Yankees ($7.5MM):
- The Yankees opted to continue their relationship with their longest-tenured player, which has been a wise choice. Their outfield has battled major injuries to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks, but the long-steady Gardner has been around to help pick up the pieces. The 35-year-old’s a 2.1-fWAR player through 350 PA on the strength of .245/.326/.465 hitting with 15 homers and an effective defense and base running mix. He also delivered one of the greatest dugout conniptions in recent memory on Thursday.
Jonathan Schoop, 2B, Twins ($7.25MM):
- Schoop couldn’t secure a multiyear contract in the offseason after a rough 2018 divided between Baltimore and Milwaukee. The 27-year-old has bounced back this season to give the Twins league-average offensive production (100 wRC+) with 15 bombs and 1.1 fWAR in 321 PA. Still, it doesn’t look as if he’ll come close to replicating the career year he enjoyed in 2017.
Steve Pearce, IF, Red Sox ($6.25MM):
- Pearce was one of the toasts of Boston last autumn, earning World Series MVP honors after the team’s Fall Classic triumph over the Dodgers. As we covered Thursday, though, this year hasn’t been nearly as fruitful for Pearce. At this point, hindsight says the Red Sox would have been better off letting the 36-year-old go. Multiple injuries have kept Pearce out since May 31 (and a return isn’t close). Perhaps of greater concern, the 2018 standout has hit a disastrous .180/.245/.258 with one homer in the 99 trips to the plate he has taken this season.
Nick Markakis, RF, Braves ($6MM):
- Old reliable Markakis, 35, has added another effective season to a long line of them this year. A solid amount of walks, a dearth of strikeouts, below-average power and plenty of contact continue to define Markakis’ offensive game. He’s hitting .289/.361/.441 with nine long balls through 395 PA, though the lefty hasn’t fared nearly as well against southpaws this season. Nevertheless, this has been yet another impressively durable year for Markakis, who came into 2019 with six straight campaigns of 155-plus games and has appeared all of the Braves’ 99 contests this season.
Robinson Chirinos, C, Astros ($5.75MM):
- After the in-state rival Rangers passed on Chirinos’ 2019 option, the Astros scooped him up on a buy-low deal. As was the case with the Rangers, the 35-year-old Chirinos has given the Astros an offensively adept, defensively limited backstop. Despite a recent slump, Chirinos has still hit .218/.347/.424 and totaled 12 homers across 293 PA. The defense hasn’t been very good, though, which helps explain why the Astros had interest in Martin Maldonado before the Royals traded him to the Cubs.
Billy Hamilton, OF, Royals ($5.25MM):
- The out-of-contention Royals are primed to trade Hamilton, but the value’s minimal. It’s true Hamilton’s always imposing speed and defense could catch contenders’ eyes, though his typically punchless bat has been worse than ever this season. The 28-year-old’s wRC+ (50) ranks dead last among 217 hitters who have amassed at least 250 PA in 2019.
Jordy Mercer, SS, Tigers ($5.25MM):
- For the Tigers, the ideal endgame in signing Mercer – previously a usable shortstop with the Pirates – was likely to trade him in the summer. That’s going to be difficult, however, as Mercer hasn’t been good or healthy this season. He owns a miserable 62 wRC+ with minus-0.2 fWAR in 106 PA.
Freddy Galvis, SS, Blue Jays ($5MM):
- Never a significant threat at the plate, the switch-hitting Galvis has batted a personal-best .270/.307/.452 and slugged 15 dingers in 384 PA this season. The durable 29-year-old has been a fixture in the rebuilding Blue Jays’ lineup as a result, though that may come to an end in the next two weeks with the deadline nearing. The fact that Galvis seems to have trade value is a win for a Toronto team which was likely hoping to flip him this summer when it signed him.
Padres To Promote Adrian Morejon
The Padres will promote Double-A left-hander Adrian Morejon to the majors Saturday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports. The club’s 40-man roster is full, so it will need to make a corresponding move to clear a spot for Morejon.
Now 20, Morejon is three years removed from joining the Padres for a whopping $11MM bonus as an international free agent out of Cuba. Morejon has been somewhat injury plagued since signing that deal, ESPN’s Keith Law recently noted (subscription required), yet he’s still considered one of the game’s most exciting farmhands. Both Baseball America (No. 46) and MLB.com (No. 49) rank Morejon among the majors’ 50 best prospects. In their free scouting report, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com laud Morejon’s arsenal – which includes a mid- to high-90s fastball, two above-average kinds of changeups and a curveball – and add he could become a mid-rotation starter or better in the majors.
Morejon will work out of the bullpen in his first major league action, according to Lin, as he’s not stretched out to start in the bigs at this juncture. He has combined for just 36 innings in 16 appearances this year at the Double-A level, where he has posted a 4.25 ERA/3.69 FIP with 11.0 K/9, 3.75 BB/9 and a 50.6 percent groundball rate.
Morejon’s presence will give the slumping Padres a second lefty reliever to join Matt Strahm in a righty-heavy relief setup. In the event he stays up through the season, Morejon will accrue 71 days of service time.
Astros Designate Tyler White
The Astros have designated first baseman/DH Tyler White for assignment, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets. Right-hander Jose Urquidy will come up from Triple-A Round Rock to take White’s 25-man roster spot.
An Astro since they chose him in the 33rd round of the 2013 draft, White made his major league debut in 2016, during which he struggled in a small sample of work. However, White showed flashes of excellence from 2017-18 – a 304-plate appearance span in which he slashed .277/.349/.531 (140 wRC+) with 15 home runs.
Houston’s hope was that White would carry that production over to this season in a larger role, but the 28-year-old has instead been one of the worst regulars in its lineup. Prior to his designation, White hit .225/.320/.330 (81 wRC+) with three homers in 253 trips to the plate. Most of the right-handed White’s struggles have come against opposite-handed pitchers, who have held him to an unplayable .162/.267/.243 line in 86 PA.
White has seen a significant amount of action at first and DH this year, but he ran out of rope with the Astros having begun to get injured players back recently. A healthy Astros club will boast Yuli Gurriel at first, Yordan Alvarez at DH, Jose Altuve at second, Carlos Correa at shortstop and Alex Bregman at third. Correa has been out since late May with a fractured rib, while backup infielder Aledmys Diaz has been down for the same amount of time on account of a strained hamstring. Their absences have led the Astros to often deploy Gurriel at third and Bregman at short. However, both Correa and Diaz should return to Houston’s roster soon. Meanwhile, reserves Myles Straw and Tony Kemp have fared much better than White this season.
White could land with another team via trade or waivers within the next week, but the fact that he’s out of minor league options might work against him. If White passes through waivers, the Astros will have an opportunity to outright him to the minors. Should Houston lose White, though, he’d become the second once-promising first baseman/DH to exit the organization this month. The Astros previously designated AJ Reed, whom the White Sox claimed.
Phillies Interested In Jake Diekman
Royals left-handed reliever Jake Diekman continues to generate a solid amount of interest leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. Along with the previously reported Nationals and Dodgers, Diekman is on the Phillies’ radar, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.
Notably, Diekman entered the pros as a 30th-round pick of the Phillies in 2007 and then pitched for the team from 2012-15. The Phillies said goodbye to Diekman in the last of those seasons when they dealt him and Cole Hamels to the Rangers in a blockbuster swap.
This year’s Phillies won Friday to improve to 50-47, but their so-so record puts them 7 1/2 games back of the NL East-leading Braves. While the Phillies are tied for the NL’s second wild-card spot, it’s up for debate how aggressive they should be heading into the deadline. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail suggested last week the Phillies aren’t necessarily in position to make blockbuster additions before the end of the month. It’s unlikely his mind has changed in light of the up-and-down way the team has continued to play since MacPhail assessed its performance.
If Philadelphia is focused on making modest pickups to better its chances at earning a wild-card berth, Diekman would qualify. While the 32-year-old’s 4.89 ERA and 5.35 BB/9 in 38 2/3 innings say he wouldn’t do much to help the Phillies’ woeful bullpen, the rest of his numbers indicate otherwise. Diekman has notched a 3.60 FIP, 13-plus strikeouts per nine, a 47 percent groundball rate and induced infield flies at a 20 percent clip. He has also produced useful results against both lefties (.299 wOBA) and righties (.307).
Diekman does have a $5.75MM mutual option for 2020, which could make him more than a rental for an acquiring team if he pitches well down the stretch. Regardless, with the Royals nowhere near contention, he’s one of their prime trade chips remaining. The club has already dealt fellow veterans Homer Bailey and Martin Maldonado within the past week.
Orioles Re-Sign Jace Peterson
The Orioles’ top affiliate announced today that Jace Peterson is back in the organization on a minors deal. He had recently opted out of his prior minor-league pact.
While he went searching for a better opportunity elsewhere, the 29-year-old Peterson obviously was unable to find one. He hasn’t yet received a chance to appear at the MLB level this year in Baltimore. Over 360 plate appearances this season at Triple-A, he’s slashing a productive .309/.394/.505 with nine long balls and a dozen steals.
To be sure, that offensive output needs to be viewed in the context of the incredible explosion of runs in the International League. And it must been seen against the backdrop of Peterson’s five-year MLB career, over which he carries only a .228/.318/.330 slash.
While his defensive versatility still holds appeal, Peterson never seemed terribly likely to catch a MLB job at this stage of the season. But he could end up getting a shot with the O’s, depending upon how their trade plans and roster needs develop. And it’s also possible that Peterson could end up being traded in August if an organization comes up with a sudden need for depth. Since he’s not playing on a MLB contract, the new trade deadline rules wouldn’t prevent him from being swapped — unless the Orioles put him on their MLB roster, that is.
Checking In On Largest One-Year Deals: Pitchers
Seven months after signing right-hander Matt Harvey to an $11MM guarantee, the Angels are moving on from the floundering former ace. By my count, Harvey’s one of eight pitchers to receive at least $5MM on a one-year contract since the winter. It’s an arbitrary amount, but as you’ll see below, most of the game’s other fairly expensive short-term hurlers also haven’t lived up to their paydays so far in 2019. To the Angels’ chagrin, Harvey’s not the lone free-agent signing of theirs on this list.
Dallas Keuchel, SP, Braves ($13MM):
- Unlike the other members of this group, Keuchel was not a winter pickup for his team. He instead went without a club until early June, owing to a steep asking price and a qualifying offer hanging over his head, before accepting the Braves’ one-year offer. The former Cy Young winner with Houston has been a mixed bag in his first month in Atlanta, though it’s worth pointing out he didn’t have the benefit of a spring training. The 31-year-old southpaw has taken the ball six times for the Braves and notched a 3.58 ERA with a 2.87 BB/9 and a 57.7 percent groundball rate, all of which are appealing. Conversely, Keuchel’s 5.23 FIP and 5.26 K/9 through 37 2/3 innings may be cause for alarm.
Trevor Cahill, SP/RP, Angels ($9MM):
- Cahill was a low-cost signing entering 2018 for the Athletics, who profited from the 110 effective innings the right-hander gave them as part of a patchwork rotation. The Angels expected something similar this season, but the Cahill addition has blown up in their faces thus far. Cahill was so disappointing as a member of the Halos’ starting staff that they moved him to a relief position several weeks back. Neither role has suited the 31-year-old in 2019, evidenced by his 6.56 ERA/6.20 FIP with 6.81 K/9 and 3.09 BB/9 across 70 innings.
Cody Allen, RP, Angels ($8.5MM):
- Yet another regrettable investment for the Angels, Allen lost his place in the organization a month ago and then had to settle for a minor league contract with the Twins. Allen joined the Angels off a mediocre-at-best 2018 with the Indians, but he was an imposing late-game reliever in the preceding years. The Angels were banking on Allen revisiting his halcyon days. Instead, they got a 6.26 ERA/8.39 FIP over 23 innings from the righty. Allen did fan upward of 11 hitters per nine in that span, but he also walked almost eight, induced groundballs at a measly 19.7 percent clip, gave up nine home runs, and experienced a drop in velocity for the second straight season.
CC Sabathia, SP, Yankees ($8MM):
- It was no surprise Sabathia and the Yankees stayed together last winter for the final season of the potential Hall of Famer’s career. The 38-year-old lefty has since repaid the Yankees with 82 innings of 4.06 ERA ball and 8.45 K/9 against 3.07 BB/9. Sabathia’s 5.29 FIP and 4.77 xFIP are much less encouraging, but it’s worth noting he also outpitched those metrics in the prior couple years after reinventing himself as a soft-contact specialist. While Sabathia’s average exit velocity against has gone up more than 2 mph since last year, per Statcast, he still ranks in the league’s 88th percentile in terms of hard-hit rate.
Derek Holland, SP/RP, Giants ($7MM):
- The former Ranger and White Sox revived his career with the Giants last season after they took a flier on him on a minor league pact. That led the Giants to bring back Holland on a guaranteed deal, but the move hasn’t worked out. Holland began the season with seven starts and 32 innings of 6.75 ERA/6.44 FIP pitching, which forced the Giants to demote him to their bullpen in the first half of May. The 32-year-old has done better as a reliever since then, though he still hasn’t been particularly good. Through 33 frames, Holland has recorded a 4.09 ERA/5.03 FIP with 7.64 K/9 against 4.09 BB/9.
Trevor Rosenthal, RP, Nationals ($7MM):
- Rosenthal’s similar to Allen as a former standout closer whose career has gone in the tank recently. The Rosenthal signing went so poorly for the Nationals that they released him toward the end of June. The flamethrowing Rosenthal was a stud at times for the Cardinals from 2012-17, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in the last of those seasons and sat out all of 2018. In his return to the majors with the Nationals this year, Rosenthal logged an unfathomable 22.74 ERA with 21.32 BB/9 in 6 1/3 innings. He also spent more than a month on the injured list with a viral infection while on Washington’s roster. After the Nats cut Rosenthal, he caught on with the Tigers on a minor league contract. The 29-year-old is now back in the majors with rebuilding Detroit, having tossed a pair of scoreless innings and posted two strikeouts and two walks as a Tiger.
Tyson Ross, SP, Tigers ($5.75MM):
- As has often been the case during Ross’ career, an injury – an elbow issue this time – has largely kept him from contributing. Ross hasn’t taken a major league mound since May 10, nor does it look as if a return is imminent. Before landing on the shelf, Ross, 32, put up an ugly 6.11 ERA/5.99 FIP with 6.37 K/9 and 4.58 BB/9 in 35 1/3 frames. Ross was serviceable last year between San Diego and St. Louis, however, so the Tigers were likely hoping he’d perform similarly over this season’s first few months and turn into a trade chip around the July 31 deadline. That dream died weeks ago.
Padres To Recall Luis Urias
The Padres are bringing young infielder Luis Urias back onto the active roster, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). He had been at Triple-A since a brief, early-season stint. The corresponding roster move isn’t yet known.
Many fans would’ve preferred to see Urias spending more time in the majors at an earlier point. Indeed, it came as no small surprise that he did not open the year on the active roster. An offseason call to sign Ian Kinsler combined with the undeniable rise of Fernando Tatis Jr. conspired to force Urias back to the upper minors.
While he scuffled in a brief MLB showing and during his even shorter stint this year, Urias remains a highly touted prospect. Indeed, the 22-year-old has raised his stock with a strong output this year with El Paso. Over 339 plate appearances, he carries a .315/.398/.600 batting line with 19 home runs. Even in the offensively favorable context he’s playing in, that’s a notable power breakout.
Better still, Urias hasn’t been forced to sacrifice other aspects of his game to generate the pop. That .398 OBP? Remarkably, it’s precisely the same mark he posted in each of his two prior minor-league campaigns. The difference is that he has steadily increased his slugging output from .380 to .447 to this year’s eyebrow-raising .600 level.
Entering the season, Urias had accrued 34 days of MLB service. He spent another 13 days up in 2019 before the forthcoming promotion. If he stays up with the San Diego club after joining it tomorrow, Urias can tack on another 72 days down the stretch. In total, then, he cannot finish the present season with no more than 119 total days of service — a number that will almost certainly not be enough to allow him to qualify for an extra season of arbitration eligibility as a Super Two player.
Latest On Zack Wheeler
Mets righty Zack Wheeler got back on the mound today, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo was among those to report on Twitter. Though he only threw 13 pitches, and did so from the slope of the mound rather than the rubber, it’s a notable sign for a significant potential New York trade chip.
When we put up MLBTR’s ranking of the top sixty trade deadline candidates last week, we had Wheeler in the third slot. The live-armed hurler hasn’t turned in an impressive earned run average this year (4.69) but otherwise looks like much the same pitcher who was so impressive in 2018.
Unfortunately, the Mets’ already gloomy season took another turn for the worse when Wheeler promptly came down with a shoulder impingement. He has been on the injured list since. Though the team has generally put out optimistic vibes, there’s no shortage of uncertainty as to his trade status with the deadline just a dozen days off.
It seems the major test for Wheeler, a free agent at season’s end, will come in the next few days. Assuming he recovers well from today’s limited session, Wheeler will likely be tasked with a full pen session. If all checks out at that point, per DiComo, the righty could be ready to start a big league game by the middle of next week.
If that timeline holds, Wheeler would theoretically be able to make two starts before July 31st. That ought to give interested teams enough time to get comfortable with his health and get a sense for the current status of his arsenal. Whether there’ll be any impact on Wheeler’s value remains to be seen. The team still believes it can procure “something decent” in a trade, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets.
If Wheeler isn’t able to make it back before the deadline for some reason, it’s still possible he could be dealt. But it’s quite possible the return wouldn’t be sufficient to prompt a move. The Mets can always hold on to Wheeler, hoping he can help spur a surprise run late this year while returning to full health, and then extend him a qualifying offer at season’s end.