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Dodgers Designate Adam Liberatore For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced Friday that they’ve designated left-hander Adam Liberatore for assignment. His roster spot will go to the newly acquired Ryan Madson, whose trade to the Dodgers is now official.

Liberatore, 31, enjoyed a terrific season with the 2016 Dodgers, working to a 3.38 ERA with 9.9 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 0.42 HR/9 and a 38.9 percent ground-ball rate. Lefties hit just .169/.250/.244 against him that season. However, Liberatore missed the bulk of the 2017 season with a forearm strain and has been injured in Triple-A this season as well. The southpaw does have a 2.77 ERA in 13 big league innings this year, but he’s issued eight walks and a hit a batter in that small sample and has yielded 16 runs (10 earned) and a whopping 29 hits in 17 Triple-A frames.

Though he hasn’t had a great season and was injured for most of 2017, Liberatore could yet appeal to other clubs. He’s held opposing left-handed hitters to a .204/.294/.311 slash in his Major League career and even held righties to a fairly tame .242/.318/.388 slash. Teams will have to weigh those results against the fact that his fastball is down nearly three miles per hour from his 2015 debut, though, as well as the fact that he’ll be out of minor league options in 2019.

Dodgers Acquire Ryan Madson

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1:50pm: The Dodgers have announced the trade.

1:06pm: The Dodgers are sending minor league right-hander Andrew Istler to the Nationals in return, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (via Twitter).

12:54pm: The Dodgers and Nationals have agreed to a trade that’ll send right-hander Ryan Madson from D.C. to L.A., reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Madson was placed on revocable waivers earlier this week, per the Washington Post’s Jorge Castillo. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com had previously reported that the Dodgers placed a claim on the veteran setup man.

Ryan Madson | Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Though the Nats could have simply let Madson go to the Dodgers and shed the remainder of his $7.5MM salary, Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets the Dodgers will indeed send a prospect to Washington in return for the right-hander. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale adds that the Dodgers are taking on all of the $1.24MM remaining on the 38-year-old Madson’s contract. He’s a free agent at season’s end, so Madson will be a rental piece for the Dodgers as they strive for a postseason berth in the competitive NL West.

Madson was only recently activated from the disabled list after missing time with a nerve issue in his back. He has a strong big league track record and has generally been a reliable late-inning arm in recent seasons since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2015, but he’s struggled with the Nats so far this season. Through 44 1/3 innings this year, Madson has posted an unsightly 5.28 ERA, though he’s averaged a healthy 95.8 mph on his heater and is still missing bats (8.3 K/9, 12.4 percent swinging-strike rate).

The Dodgers’ bullpen has been struggling to near unthinkable levels in the month of August, as manager Dave Roberts tried to use virtually every arm at his disposal in late-inning situations with star closer Kenley Jansen on the disabled list. The Dodger ’pen blew leads in seven straight games at one point, and when the team welcomed Jansen back from the DL, he too struggled to uncharacteristic levels. Jansen has allowed runs in each of his four appearances since returning from a DL stint due to an irregular heartbeat. With the bullpen reeling, Madson and this weekend’s slate of September call-ups will give Roberts some additional options to mix and match as he tries to keep his club in the race.

As for Istler, he wasn’t considered to be among the Dodgers’ top prospects but has enjoyed a solid season across three minor league levels. A 23rd-round pick in 2015, Istler opened the 2018 season at Class-A Advanced but has steadily risen through the ranks to Triple-A. He’s pitched to a combined 2.37 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a roughly 43 percent ground-ball rate through 79 2/3 innings. Istler, who has allowed just two homers on the season, could conceivably give the Nats a bullpen option as soon as next season given his 2018 ascension.

Rockies Acquire Drew Butera

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The Rockies announced Friday that they’ve acquired veteran catcher Drew Butera and cash from the Royals in exchange for minor league left-hander Jerry Vasto.

Butera, 35, has been the primary backup to Kansas City mainstay Salvador Perez for the past three seasons and will bring nine years of MLB experience to the Rockies’ roster. He’s hitting .188/.259/.289 through 166 plate appearances this season and is a lifetime .201/.258/.298 batter between the Royals, Angels, Dodgers and Twins.

While he’s clearly never been much of a threat with the bat, Butera has a strong defensive reputation, even if his performance in 2018 has been more questionable in that regard. He’s prevented 30 percent of stolen-base attempts against him in his career but has seen that number plummet to 13 percent in 2018. He’s been a quality pitch-framer in the past as well, but Baseball Prospectus grades his efforts in that regard to be below average this season.

Butera inked a two-year, $3.8MM contract with the Royals prior to the 2017 season and will be a free agent following the current campaign. He’s earning $2.3MM this year and is still owed about $381K of that sum through the end of the year. He becomes the latest backup catcher to swap hands in the past 48 hours, as each of Rene Rivera, Chris Stewart, Bobby Wilson and Chris Gimenez have also changed hands with teams looking to add veteran catching help in advance of expanded September rosters.

Vasto, 26, made his MLB debut with the Rockies earlier this year but appeared in just one game and tossed only two-thirds of an inning. He was hit hard in his first season of Triple-A duty in 2017 but has turned in considerably more promising results in 2018: a 3.16 ERA, 10.7 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9 and a 43.5 percent ground-ball rate in 37 innings. He’ll give the Royals a controllable left-handed option for their bullpen. Because his contract was only selected this season, he comes with the added bonus of having multiple minor league options remaining beyond the 2018 campaign.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/31/18

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Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the game…

  • The Blue Jays announced that they’ve sent right-hander Luis Santos outright to Triple-A after he cleared waivers. The 27-year-old logged 20 innings out of the Toronto bullpen in 2018 but struggled to a 7.20 ERA with four homers allowed. Santos did rack up 24 strikeouts in that time, but he also issued 10 walks and hit a batter. Santos was primarily a starter in the Blue Jays’ system in 2016-17 but shifted to the ’pen for the most part in 2018 and enjoyed solid results in Triple-A. The Jays already outrighted Santos off the roster once this season, so he’ll have the option to elect free agency if he wishes to look for an opportunity with another organization.

Yankees Acquire Andrew McCutchen

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The Yankees and Giants have struck a trade that will send veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen to New York, the teams announced on Friday. Minor league infielder Abiatal Avelino and minor league right-hander Juan De Paula are heading to the Giants in exchange.

McCutchen has reportedly cleared revocable waivers, which freed the Giants to shop him around the league without restriction. We had recently looked at some plausible landing spots for the veteran, with MLBTR readers pegging the Yanks as one of the likeliest suitors. McCutchen also topped MLBTR’s most recent ranking of the top August trade candidates.

While the Yanks still are counting on top slugger Aaron Judge to return in time for the postseason, it’s increasingly worrisome that he remains sidelined by a chip fracture in his wrist. And though the Yanks are all but certain to end up in a Wild Card play-in, the club still needs to prepare both to maximize its chances of winning that game and to be ready for a full postseason series of it does so.

Presently, the Yankees are utilizing long-time infielder Neil Walker in the outfield while also giving a roster spot to the light-hitting Shane Robinson. While Clint Frazier would be an appealing option, he’s just launching a rehab assignment after a lengthy DL stint of his own. Under the circumstances, it’s not hard to see why the Yankees held interest in McCutchen, who has produced solid offensive numbers this year despite failing to play to his once-great levels.

True, McCutchen’s batting line — .255/.357/.415 — doesn’t look all that appealing at first glance for a corner outfielder, though it’s roughly 15 percent better than that of a league-average bat when adjusting for his cavernous home park (by measure of wRC+). McCutchen is drawing walks at a strong 12.9% clip and has perhaps been unfortunate only to carry a .160 isolated power that’s lower than any full-season mark in his career. There’s a statistical argument to be made that his overall numbers are worse than should be expected of someone who makes the quality of contact McCutchen has made so far in 2018; Statcast credits him with a .364 xwOBA that lands well over his actual .339 wOBA output.

Nonetheless, as he closes in on his 32nd birthday, McCutchen simply isn’t the player that he once was. But he’s still a solid performer who is still capable of playing on a near-regular basis. McCutchen has hit more against lefties and isn’t grading well on the bases despite 13 steals, however, so once the Yankees’ roster is at full strength, he could potentially be deployed more selectively. He has generated average or better grades for his glovework in right, a welcome change after some rough seasons in center field.

For the Yankees, the optimal roster situation does not include McCutchen as an everyday presence. But, once Judge is back, he could potentially be quite a useful player by entering the mix with Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner.

For the Giants, there isn’t much reason to hold onto McCutchen at this point. The club isn’t going to make the postseason regardless, barring a miracle. And the veteran likely won’t be worth a qualifying offer. If the Giants want him back, they can still pursue him on the open market.

Meanwhile, the Giants will pick up some new assets. Avelino, 23, raked at Double-A to open the year but has fallen back to earth upon ascending to the highest level of the minors. He’s struggling to reach base and hasn’t sustained the power burst he showed earlier in the year, though it’s still notable that he has hit 15 home runs in 501 plate appearances after never previously even reaching double digits in a full season.

Avelino also runs well and has mostly played shortstop as a professional, though he also has seen significant time at second and third. He rated 23rd among Yankees prospects on MLB.com’s midseason ranking of the Yankees’ best prospects, so the scouting community has recognized his intriguing recent developments. While Avelino will need to be added to the 40-man roster to be protected from Rule 5 draft consideration, the Giants likely won’t find that too onerous and may consider allowing him to compete for a job in camp next spring.

In De Paula, the Yanks will add a hard-throwing 20-year-old who has spent the summer playing with the Yankees’ short-season Class-A affiliate in Staten Island. In 47 1/3 innings (nine starts, one relief appearance), he’s worked to a 1.71 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent ground-ball rate. De Paula ranked 26th among Yankees prospect, per MLB.com, drawing praise for a curveball and changeup that give him a chance for three above-average pitches.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that a deal was close and that Avelino would head to the Giants (Twitter links). ESPN’s Buster Olney reported an agreement had been reached (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal and Jim Bowden of The Athletic added financial details and that De Paula would be the second prospect in the deal (Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

International Notes & Signings: D-Backs, Angels, Orioles, Royals

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Here’s the latest news from the international scene:

  • Major League Baseball announced on Thursday the launch of a new Trainer Partnership Program that will strive to combat PED use among international amateurs prior to their signing with MLB organizations. The new partnership, per the league’s formal announcement, will require participating trainers to “enroll their players in MLB’s drug testing program, submit themselves and their employees to background checks, keep updated records of amateur players in their care, and comply with MLB rules regarding international players.” In exchange for that level of transparency, MLB will provide enrolled trainers and their players with “enhanced scouting opportunities.” The league will also promote trainers who are enrolled in the Partnership Program to Latin American players and their families.
  • It’s obviously good to hear of an initiative that holds out the promise of improving the health and wellness of young amateur players, though of course many have argued that the trainers (generally known as “buscones” in Latin America) have themselves played a major role in creating the problematic conditions in the first place. MLB’s engagement with this shadowy world has long been a point of controversy without clear solutions. It seems that this agreement represents quite a notable step toward a more formalized relationship between the league and at least certain trainers, though no doubt there’ll still be quite a lot to sort out along the way.
  • In Japan, meanwhile, MLB teams interact with amateur and professional talent under quite different circumstances. Generally, young Japanese players spend quite a bit of time playing professionally in their home country before the possibility of hopping the Pacific is entertained. But there have been notable exceptions — specifically, Junichi Tazawa — and now the Diamondbacks have potentially upset the apple cart by reportedly agreeing to terms with a 23-year-old amateur Japanese hurler named Shumpei Yoshikawa. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says there is indeed an agreement in place, as Japanese media reports had indicated, with a $650K bonus going to Yoshikawa if it is finalized. As Piecoro explains, that signing seemingly violates the norms of player movement between Japan and the majors. While in this case the player in question was pitching in the Industrial League after previously being bypassed in the Nippon Professional Baseball draft, he had emerged as a significant NPB draft target. It’s certainly an interesting development; those who wish to learn more on the subject should read the full article.
  • While many teams have already done the bulk of their heavy lifting on the international prospect market, additional signings will nonetheless filter in between now and next June. A few that have surfaced over the past couple of days …
  • The Angels have signed Dominican outfield prospect Alexander Ramirez, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Ramirez, who took home a $1MM bonus according to Ben Badler of Baseball America (also via Twitter), ranked 24th on MLB.com’s rankings of this year’s international prospects and 25th on Badler’s rankings over at BA. He had to wait until his 16th birthday (yesterday) for the signing to become official. Badler noted that Ramirez has average tools across the board, adding that scouts who like him the most are highest on his hit tool.
  • Elsewhere, the Orioles announced another pair of international signings this week, adding 16-year-old infielder Moises Ramirez and right-hander Carlos Del Rosario — both out of the Dominican Republic. Neither was considered among the top 50 amateurs on this offseason’s class, per Baseball America’s rankings, though it’s nonetheless notable to see Baltimore continue to make some additions from a market they’d previously avoided almost entirely. Then again, the O’s did still dish out $750K of their 2018-19 pool in order to acquire first-base prospect Jack Zoellner — a 23-year-old 2017 ninth-rounder still in Rookie ball — in a trade with the Phillies earlier this week. And the Royals have signed right-hander Jin Woo-young — a high school righty out of South Korea (h/t: Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net, on Twitter). Naver Sports reports that he received a bonus of $150K.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Gyorko, Morton, Pujols, Upton, Votto

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ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(August 29th-August 30th)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

  • NEW YORK METS | Depth Chart
    • Promoted: RP Jacob Rhame
      • Rhame was the 26th man for Wednesday’s games (continuation from Tuesday and regularly scheduled game)
  • PITTSBURGH PIRATES | Depth Chart
    • Activated from 10-Day DL: SS Jordy Mercer
      • Mercer played SS and batted 8th on Wednesday and 7th on Thursday.
    • Designated for assignment: INF/OF Sean Rodriguez

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

Agency Changes: Maldonado, Moya

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Astros catcher Martin Maldonado has enlisted the Boras Corporation to represent him in his upcoming free agency, reports Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter links). Twins lefty Gabriel Moya is also under new representation, having enlisted the Beverly Hills Sports Council, per Heyman.

Maldonado, 32, is a month from his first trip to the open market after spending parts of eight seasons with the Brewers, Angels and Astros. He’s hitting a combined .222/.279/.359 in 350 plate appearances between the Halos and Astros. His power has trended up since the trade, however, as he’s hit three homers, four doubles and a triple in just 60 trips to the plate with his new club.

Maldonado has never been much of a threat at the plate but is considered one of baseball’s premier defenders behind it; the 2017 Gold Glove winner has thrown out a remarkable 40 percent of would-be base thieves (82 of 205) dating back to 2015 and regularly ranks among the game’s top pitch framers.

That profile is enough to draw strong interest. The catching market includes some fairly notable names, including a few backstops who’ll certainly draw greater interest than Maldonado. But with Tyler Flowers deciding to re-up with the Braves in advance of free agency, there’s now one less competitor.

As for Moya, 23, he’s still looking to establish himself in the majors. In 31 frames over the past two seasons, he carries only a 4.94 ERA with 8.4 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. Still, he has put up awfully impressive numbers in the upper minors, including a 1.90 ERA with 50 strikeouts against a dozen walks in 42 2/3 Triple-A innings this year and an eye-opening 0.77 earned-run mark with an 87:15 K/BB ratio over 58 1/3 Double-A frames last year.

As always, you can find the most up-to-date agency information in MLBTR’s Agency Database.

Dodgers Activate Josh Fields, Designate Rob Segedin

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The Dodgers announced today that they have activated righty Josh Fields from the 60-day disabled list. To clear a 40-man roster spot, the organization designated corner infielder/outfielder Rob Segedin for assignment. Righty Yimi Garcia was optioned to open active roster space.

Fields has missed a lengthy stretch owing to shoulder issues. His return is most welcome for a Los Angeles organization that has had its share of bullpen woes. In 34 1/3 innings earlier this year, Fields worked to a 2.36 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.

The 29-year-old Segedin, meanwhile, received brief MLB action with L.A. in each of the prior two seasons, though he was not able to match his healthy Triple-A output at the game’s highest level. This year, he has fallen well short of his usual numbers at Oklahoma City, slashing just .211/.299/.325 in 134 plate appearances.

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