Phillies Acquire Luis Avilan
The Phillies announced that they have acquired lefty Luis Avilan from the White Sox. Righty Felix Paulino will go to Chicago in return.
The Philadelphia organization designated righty Jose Taveras to create 40-man roster space for the move. An active roster spot was already open with Yacksel Rios being optioned after last night’s game.
On the other side, the White Sox also announced some corresponding moves. The club purchased the contract of righty Ryan Burr to take Avilan’s spot. Additionally, first baseman Jose Abreu was placed on the DL (as expected) and infielder Jose Rondon was recalled.
Avilan will be tasked with helping the Phillies retire tough lefty hitters down the stretch. His solid work this year earned him the #15 spot on MLBTR’s recently released list of the top 20 remaining August trade candidates.
Though his 3.86 ERA doesn’t jump off the page, earned-run numbers aren’t the most relevant statistic for him. The 29-year-old has thrown only 39 2/3 innings in 58 appearances, a reflection of his specialist usage. He has also been hurt by a .352 BABIP-against that seems in line for some regression.
As has long been the case, Avilan has been stingy against opposing lefty batters in 2018. Through 77 plate appearances this year, they’re hitting just .214/.276/.286 against him without a single home run. Hitters with the platoon advantage carry a .785 OPS against Avilan, though that’s a palatable enough number and he has been quite solid against righties (.678 OPS-against) in his career.
The Phillies will presumably take over the balance of Avilan’s manageable $2.45MM salary, though that has not yet been made clear. He’ll be eligible for arbitration one final time this coming offseason, so the Phils will have an opportunity to keep him around if they so choose.
In return, the South Siders will add a 23-year-old hurler who has reached the Double-A level this year. Paulino has split his time this year between High-A and Double-A and between the rotation and bullpen. All told, he carries a 3.91 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. Paulino will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter if he is not added to the Chicago 40-man roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/22/18
We’ll use this post to track the day’s minor moves …
- The Pirates announced that right-hander Casey Sadler has been outrighted after clearing waivers. He lost his roster spot recently as the organization called up prospect Kevin Newman, bringing a close to a brief return to the majors for the 28-year-old. Sadler had turned in a useful showing at Triple-A to earn his way back to the big leagues. In 76 frames over eight starts and 18 relief appearances at the highest level of the minors this year, he carries a 3.43 ERA with 7.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and a 44.2% groundball rate.
Nationals Notes In Wake Of Murphy & Adams Trades
Yesterday provided a notable turning point for the Nationals, who’ve struggled to build momentum all season long. The organization shipped out a pair of big lefty bats — Daniel Murphy to the Cubs and Matt Adams to the Cardinals — though it decided to keep another in Bryce Harper. While it’s still not impossible to imagine a late-season run, the organization obviously decided it would no longer forego cost savings and prospects in order to maximize its chances.
Here are some notes on the disappointing ballclub:
- Principal owner Mark Lerner penned a letter to fans in which he characterized August 21st as the point at which the time came for the organization “to make decisions that will bolster our roster for next season and beyond.” With an eye to the future, he says, the Nats moved Murphy and Adams to achieve “roster flexibility” and audition younger players. Still, Lerner emphasized, “this is not a rebuilding effort.”
- It’s not surprising to hear that the D.C. organization intends to re-tool and make another run in 2019, of course. The roster is still loaded with high-end talent, with some promising players rising up through the system. But there are many needs to be accounted for in the coming winter, and Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post takes an early look. It’s not a short list, though the club will have plenty of payroll space to work with. As Svrluga notes, Nationals president of baseball ops Mike Rizzo emphasized that the club would reinvest the money it has saved through its dealing into baseball ops, saying: “The money that we are making from the cash considerations goes directly into procuring talent for us to compete in the future.”
- In his other comments yesterday, Rizzo struck a tone suggesting confidence in the future but disappointment in the present, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. Unsurprisingly, that seems to be the prevailing sentiment around the organization. In terms of the nuts and bolts of the deals that were and weren’t made, Rizzo explained that the financial savings won’t necessarily allow the club to dip below the luxury-tax line. (Additional moves later this month could do so, perhaps, though there’s no clear indication as of yet whether any will occur.) Dealing Harper would have helped, to be sure, but Rizzo says “you have to get a deal that makes sense to trade one of the elite players in the game.” Evidently, that was not forthcoming. (Indeed, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets, the Dodgers placed the claim to block other NL contenders from possibly working out a swap.)
- Most of the above discussion is forward-looking, but there’s certainly cause and opportunity to look back at what went wrong. Injuries were unquestionably a factor, as Lerner noted in his letter, but that hardly explains the disappointment in full. Notably, the Nats have drastically underperformed their expected outcomes by measure of Pythagorean W/L and BaseRuns. Failing to capture wins is a complicated area to address, but the Nationals’ bullpen woes surely are a prime factor. Before yesterday’s roster reckoning, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post documented the collapse of that unit over the course of the season. It’s a fascinating read that includes a detailed explication of the team’s decisionmaking and colorful accounts of the recent departures of Brandon Kintzler and Shawn Kelley. The piece is highly recommended, particularly for Nats fans.
Top 20 August Trade Candidates
This is our latest effort to assess the likeliest and most notable potential August trade candidates. In fact, it was nearly ready to go earlier today before a pair of moves from the Nationals knocked Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams off the list. With the Nats and possibly the Giants joining the selling ranks, there are still quite a few intriguing possibilities.
[Related: How August Trades Work | Players Who Have Reportedly Cleared Trade Waivers]
1. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Giants (placed on waivers; still pending): We’ve discussed him a fair bit of late — including in this poll on possible landing spots — so won’t go through all the details again here. Suffice to say that the Giants have good reason to send the veteran to a contender, at least if they have determined that they will not issue him a qualifying offer at season’s end. There’s about $3.23MM left on McCutchen’s contract between now and the end of the season, at which point he’ll be a free agent.
2. Curtis Granderson, OF, Blue Jays (cleared waivers): The 37-year-old Granderson is still owed about $1.1MM of his $5MM salary and has hit right-handers at a solid .245/.343/.440 clip with 11 home runs. He’s a renowned clubhouse presence who drew quality defensive marks in the outfield corners but has struggled a bit more in 2018. It’d be a surprise if the affable Granderson wasn’t moved to a contender looking to bolster its outfield mix and improve its output against right-handed pitching.
3. Sergio Romo, RHP, Rays: Romo’s return has proved fruitful for the Rays, who’ve received 54 1/3 innings of 3.48 ERA ball from Alex Colome‘s replacement as the team’s closer. Romo briefly dabbled as an “opener” for Tampa Bay, but other clubs will likely view him as a late-inning reliever who can still miss bats at a high clip despite a lack of premium (or even league-average) velocity. Romo has 10.0 K/9 against just 2.9 BB/9 and has turned in a quality 12.9 percent swinging-strike rate despite averaging just 86.2 mph on his fastball. He’s playing on a $2.5MM base salary, with about $548K yet to be paid out.
4. Jose Iglesias, SS, Tigers (cleared waivers): Still owed $1.38MM of this season’s $6.275MM salary, Iglesias may be a bit pricey for a defensive specialist, but his glovework at shortstop has once again drawn excellent ratings. His bat hasn’t returned to its 2013-15 levels, but his offense is up from 2016-17 as well. In 436 PAs this year, Iglesias is slashing .265/.309/.389 with five homers, 29 doubles and three triples. He’s swiped 14 bags and can provide value on the basepaths as well.
5. Derek Holland, LHP, Giants: If the Giants are indeed willing to move McCutchen, then it can be argued that they should be similarly open to parting with Holland, who has been one of the best comeback stories of the 2018 season. The 31-year-old has tossed 134 1/3 innings of 3.75 ERA ball with quality peripherals: 9.2 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 1.07 HR/9, a 38.4 percent ground-ball rate and a 10.5 percent swinging-strike rate. He’s done that while playing on an extremely affordable $1.75MM base salary, which has about $384K left to be paid out.
6. Kelvin Herrera, RHP, Nationals: Herrera hasn’t pitched that well with the Nationals since being acquired in June, but he dominated with the Royals earlier this season and has a lengthy track record of strong relief work. The Nats have little reason to hang onto him until the end of the year after Tuesday’s moves, and while they won’t get back as much as they gave up, they could still salvage some prospect value or, at the very least save on the $1.7MM Herrera is owed through the end of the year. Herrera was on the disabled list for just under two weeks due to a seemingly minor shoulder issue, but he was activated Tuesday and pitched a perfect ninth inning against the Phillies.
7. Jerry Blevins, LHP, Mets: Blevins hasn’t allowed a run since the All-Star break and is sporting a 9-to-2 K/BB ratio across 8 2/3 innings in that time. He’s curiously been terrible against lefties this season while dominating righties — a strange reversal for a pitcher who has in the past thrived as a specialist. The Mets would presumably need to eat some of the remainder of his $7MM salary — he’s still owed about $1.5MM of that sum — but contenders are always on the hunt for lefty relievers this time of season. Even with this year’s struggles, Blevins’ track record should hold some appeal.
8. Gio Gonzalez, LHP, Nationals: The Nats have already shipped out a pair of useful veterans in Murphy and Adams, and while they hung onto Bryce Harper, Gonzalez isn’t likely to receive a qualifying offer and thus won’t bring back any compensation in free agency as Harper will if he leaves. (Nor, presumably, is re-signing him viewed as a similarly important priority.) Soon to turn 33, Gonzalez has had a decent season with a solid 8.0 K/9 mark and 47.1 percent ground-ball rate. He’s issuing too many walks but his 4.26 FIP paints a slightly better picture than his 4.51 ERA. Gonzalez is still owed $2.63MM of this year’s $12MM salary.
9. Derek Dietrich, 1B/2B/3B/OF, Marlins: Miami controls Dietrich beyond the 2018 season, so there’s no urgency to move him, but he’s a versatile player and an above-average bat against right-handed pitching who could deepen a contender’s bench. The Fish have played Dietrich at every infield position besides shortstop and in the outfield corners, and he’s hitting .282/.350/.441 against righties while earning a modest $2.9MM salary in 2018.
10. Logan Forsythe, 2B, Twins (cleared waivers): It’s doubtful that Forsythe’s surge since coming over from the Dodgers has made him a highly coveted commodity, but the 31-year-old’s .361/.418/.426 slash in 67 plate appearances still represents a much-needed sign of life. It’s generally been a terrible season for Forsythe, who hit only .207/.270/.290 in a part-time role with the Dodgers. There aren’t too many clubs looking for help at second base, though he’s played his fair share of third base and first base as well. He’s already cleared waivers, making him free to be dealt anywhere.
11. Marco Estrada, RHP, Blue Jays: The 35-year-old Estrada has been clobbered in three of his past four outings, but he’s still sporting a 4.00 ERA with 6.8 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9. As he typically does, Estrada is leading the league in an underrated pitching category, having induced 31 infield pop-ups this season — most in the game despite the fact that he doesn’t even currently qualify for the ERA title. He’s still owed about $3.2MM of his $13MM salary, so he’s a bit on the expensive side for a back-of-the-rotation arm, but he’d be a plausible starting piece for a team in need of arms down the stretch. The Mariners and A’s come to mind as potential fits.
12. Matt Harvey, RHP, Reds: Harvey was thought to have elevated his stock a bit with the Reds, but he apparently didn’t do so enough for the Reds to be offered any kind of prospect prior to the non-waiver deadline. He’s logged a 4.28 ERA with similar fielding-independent pitching marks since moving from Queens to Cincinnati, and his velocity, swinging-strike rate and chase rate have all taken a step forward since the trade. There’s little reason for the Reds to hang onto Harvey, who is still owed $1.26MM of this season’s $5.6MM salary, making a trade seem likelier than not.
13. Rene Rivera, C, Angels: The Halos recently activated Rivera from the disabled list, though they’re already out of the playoff picture. With Rivera playing on a one-year, $2.8MM contract and hitting well in his tiny sample of 70 plate appearances this season, he could appeal to a number of clubs as a potential backup. He has a tremendous defensive reputation and another 10 days or so to demonstrate his health in advance of a deal.
14. Tyler Clippard, RHP, Blue Jays: Clippard is averaging better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings for the fourth time in the past five seasons, but he’s more homer-prone than ever before (1.74 HR/9). His home park probably isn’t doing him any favors, but Clippard’s 20.7 percent ground-ball rate is also the worst of his career and the lowest of any MLB pitcher with at least 40 innings pitched. Clippard’s changeup has long made him effective against lefties, and he’s limited southpaw hitters to a .222/.260/.364 line in 2018.
15. Luis Avilan, LHP, White Sox: The Sox can control Avilan affordably through the 2019 season, but he’s somewhat quietly had a nice season after coming over in a three-team deal that also netted them Joakim Soria. The 29-year-old has a 3.86 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9, and he’s allowed just two homers in 39 2/3 innings this season. He’s earning $2.45MM in 2018 and will earn a raise this winter via arbitration before becoming a free agent after the 2019 season.
16. Mark Reynolds, 1B, Nationals: With Adams and Murphy departing, Reynolds stands out as a reasonable bet to follow his former teammates out of D.C. He’s already made teams regret passing on him entirely in the offseason — Reynolds didn’t sign until taking a minors deal with the Nats in April — having batted .257/.339/.500 with 11 homers in 171 PAs. Contenders looking for some right-handed punch off the bench won’t find many better options than Reynolds.
17. Lucas Duda, 1B, Royals (cleared waivers): Kansas City has played Duda against left-handed pitching far more than it should have, with nearly 30 percent of his PAs coming against southpaws. His overall numbers are ugly as a result, but Duda is hitting .260/.327/.455 against right-handers in 2018 while earning just $3MM. Playoff hopefuls in search of some pop off the bench could do worse than a rental who is owed about $674K through season’s end. In many ways, he’s a cheaper form of Adams, who was claimed by the Cardinals earlier today.
18. Francisco Liriano, LHP, Tigers (cleared waivers): It’s doubtful that any contender would look at Liriano and see a potential rotation option, given his considerable struggles in that department in 2018. However, he’s held fellow lefties to an awful .141/.247/.239 slash through 81 plate appearances. If nothing else, that could make him an interesting lefty specialist option to use with expanded rosters in the month of September. He’s owed $877K of this year’s $4MM base salary.
19. Starlin Castro, 2B, Marlins (cleared waivers): Castro was reported to have cleared waivers earlier tonight, and while he’s still owed more than $14MM through the end of the 2019 season, he’s had a fairly productive first season in Miami. There aren’t many contenders looking for upgrades at second base, and the fact that he’s signed through 2019 might make an offseason deal more likely. Still, the Marlins will gauge interest over the remainder of the month.
20. Shin-Soo Choo, OF/DH, Rangers: It’d be a shock if any team took on a notable portion of Choo’s remaining contract — he’s earning $21MM in both 2019 and 2020 — but he’s undeniably had a resurgent year at the plate. If the Rangers are willing to pay down a substantial portion of the deal, perhaps a contending team would find his bat too appealing to overlook. Choo’s defensive shortcomings don’t do him any favors, though; he’s best-suited for a DH role and only occasional work in the outfield corners.
Injured
Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays; Ryan Madson, RP, Nationals; Jordy Mercer, SS, Pirates; Tony Barnette, RP, Rangers; Jay Bruce, Mets; Ervin Santana, SP, Twins; Logan Morrison, 1B, Twins; Martin Prado, Marlins; Mark Trumbo, Orioles
Also Considered
Starting Pitchers: Bartolo Colon, Rangers; Jaime Garcia, Blue Jays; Andrew Cashner & Alex Cobb, Orioles; Jordan Zimmermann, Tigers; James Shields, White Sox; Yovani Gallardo, Rangers
Relievers: Mark Melancon & Sam Dyson, Giants; Addison Reed, Twins; Anthony Swarzak, Mets; Jake Petricka, Blue Jays; Xavier Cedeno & Hector Santiago, White Sox; Chris Martin, Rangers; Greg Holland, Nationals
Infielders: Freddy Galvis, Padres; Elvis Andrus & Adrian Beltre, Rangers; Todd Frazier, Mets; Kendrys Morales, Blue Jays; Chase d’Arnaud, Giants
Catchers: A.J. Ellis, Padres; Nick Hundley, Giants; Matt Wieters, Nationals; Devin Mesoraco, Mets
Outfielders: Carlos Gomez, Rays; Adam Jones, Orioles; Eric Young & Kole Calhoun, Angels; Billy Hamilton, Reds; Jose Bautista, Mets
Injury Notes: Upton, Abreu, Garcia, Ervin, Goody, Chisenhall
The Angels announced Tuesday that they’ve placed outfielder Justin Upton on the 10-day disabled list due to a laceration on his index finger. Jack Magruder of MLB.com writes that Upton required stitches after he sustained a severe cut at his home on a wine glass that had broken. Upton expressed frustration and regret over incurring an off-field injury in this manner, though it sounds as if he’ll only require a short-term absence from the team. The Angels aren’t contending for the postseason anyhow, but Upton would surely like to be on the field competing and pursuing a third consecutive 30-homer season. The slugger is in the first season of a five-year, $106MM extension with the Angels and has batted .267/.352/.474 with 26 big flies on the year.
Some more injury news from around the league…
- The White Sox will be without Jose Abreu for the next two weeks after he underwent outpatient surgery on his groin area, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Abreu reported to Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday complaining of pain in his abdomen and was hospitalized prior to the start of the game. He figures to be formally placed on the 10-day disabled list tomorrow, giving the Sox an open roster spot. The ChiSox also lost Leury Garcia to a Grade 2 hamstring strain that could end his season, as he’s projected to miss anywhere from three to six weeks with the injury.
- There’s heightened “concern” regarding Ervin Santana following the right-hander’s visit with a hand specialist, tweets Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Twins skipper Paul Molitor told reporters that Santana is slated to undergo followup x-rays and an MRI to further determine the extent of the damage in his still-ailing right middle finger. The organization isn’t sure whether Santana will return in 2018, but Molitor said that it’s looking “less likely.” Santana has made just five starts in 2018 and struggled to an 8.03 ERA after undergoing surgery on that finger back in February. The Twins hold a $14MM club option on him, but given his injuries and poor performance, that seems unlikely to be exercised.
- The Indians could welcome Edwin Encarnacion back to the lineup as soon as Thursday, writes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, but they’ve received less encouraging news on outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall and right-hander Nick Goody. Chisenhall hasn’t progressed as quickly as the team would’ve hoped as he rehabs a severe calf strain and is still working his way back at the team’s Spring Training facility in Arizona, per manager Terry Francona. Goody, meanwhile, suffered a setback in his rehab from an elbow injury. He’s been shelved for three and a half months and is slated to meet with Dr. Keith Meister and Dr. James Andrews later this week.
MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Altuve, Gregorius, Jansen, Segura, Upton
ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(August 20th-August 21st)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
- ATLANTA BRAVES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: OF Michael Reed, SP Bryse Wilson (contract purchased)
- Wilson made his MLB debut on Monday. He was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday.
- Designated for assignment: INF/OF Ryan Flaherty
- Outrighted: P Chad Bell
- Optioned: SP Bryse Wilson
- Promoted: OF Michael Reed, SP Bryse Wilson (contract purchased)
- CHICAGO CUBS | Depth Chart
- Acquired: INF Daniel Murphy (acquired from Nationals)
- Injury update: SP Yu Darvish (stress reaction in elbow) will not return in 2018.
- LOS ANGELES DODGERS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: RP Kenley Jansen
- Placed on 10-Day DL: RP Pat Venditte
- Placed on 10-Day DL:RP JT Chargois (neck discomfort), RP Zac Rosscup (strained calf)
- MIAMI MARLINS | Depth Chart
- Suspended: SP Jose Ureña (six-game suspension: 8/21-8/26)
- Ureña will likely return to the rotation on Tuesday August 28th.
- Suspended: SP Jose Ureña (six-game suspension: 8/21-8/26)
- NEW YORK METS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: OF Brandon Nimmo (finger contusion)
- 1B/OF Dominic Smith remained on the roster after he was the 26th man for Sunday’s Little League Classic game.
- Placed on 10-Day DL: OF Brandon Nimmo (finger contusion)
- PITTSBURGH PIRATES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: RP Steven Brault, RP Clay Holmes
- Optioned: OF Jordan Luplow, RP Buddy Boshers
- SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: SP Chris Stratton, RP Derek Law
- Optioned: RP Ray Black, RP Derek Law
- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: P Carlos Martinez
- Martinez will work out of the bullpen.
- Acquired: 1B/OF Matt Adams (claimed off waivers from Nationals)
- Adams is expected to join the team prior to Wednesday’s game.
- Optioned: 3B/1B Patrick Wisdom
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: OF Dexter Fowler
- Activated from 10-Day DL: P Carlos Martinez
- WASHINGTON NATIONALS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: RP Kelvin Herrera
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Tommy Milone (shoulder soreness)
- Promoted: INF Adrian Sanchez, OF Andrew Stevenson
—
AMERICAN LEAGUE
- BALTIMORE ORIOLES | Depth Chart
- Reinstated from Bereavement List: OF Adam Jones
- Jones played RF and batted 4th on Monday.
- Placed on 10-Day DL: 1B/OF Mark Trumbo (knee inflammation)
- Activated from 10-Day DL: INF/OF Steve Wilkerson
- Wilkerson was optioned to Triple-A.
- Promoted: OF John Andreoli
- Optioned: OF Joey Rickard
- Reinstated from Bereavement List: OF Adam Jones
- CHICAGO WHITE SOX | Depth Chart
- Promoted: OF Ryan LaMarre, SP Michael Kopech (contract purchased)
- Kopech made his MLB debut on Tuesday.
- Placed on 10-Day DL: OF/INF Leury Garcia (strained hamstring)
- Optioned: RP Tyler Danish
- Promoted: OF Ryan LaMarre, SP Michael Kopech (contract purchased)
- HOUSTON ASTROS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: 2B Jose Altuve
- Altuve played 2B and batted 2nd on Tuesday.
- Role change: RP Roberto Osuna will now get the majority of save chances and Hector Rondon will be used more often in the 7th and 8th innings, according to manager A.J. Hinch.
- Promoted: RP Framber Valdez (contract purchased)
- Optioned: OF Kyle Tucker, RP Cionel Perez
- Activated from 10-Day DL: 2B Jose Altuve
- LOS ANGELES ANGELS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: OF Justin Upton (finger laceration)
- Kaleb Cowart played LF on Monday and Tuesday with Upton out.
- Optioned: OF Jabari Blash
- Placed on 10-Day DL: OF Justin Upton (finger laceration)
- MINNESOTA TWINS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: SP Stephen Gonsalves
- Gonsalves made his MLB debut on Monday.
- Optioned: RP Tyler Duffey
- Promoted: SP Stephen Gonsalves
- NEW YORK YANKEES | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SS Didi Gregorius (heel contusion)
- Gleyber Torres will shift over from 2B to SS while Gregorius is out.
- Promoted: 1B/OF Luke Voit
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SS Didi Gregorius (heel contusion)
- SEATTLE MARINERS | Depth Chart
- Reinstated from Paternity List: SS Jean Segura
- Segura played SS and batted 3rd on Monday.
- Promoted: OF Ben Gamel, RP Ross Detwiler (contract purchased)
- Gamel played RF and batted 7th on Monday.
- Optioned: OF Guillermo Heredia, RP Chasen Bradford, RP Matt Festa
- Designated for assignment: INF Zach Vincej
- Reinstated from Paternity List: SS Jean Segura
- TORONTO BLUE JAYS | Depth Chart
- Reinstated from Paternity List: C Luke Maile
- Optioned: SP Sean Reid-Foley
—
FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES
- CWS: 1B Jose Abreu underwent surgery on his lower abdomen/groin area on Tuesday and won’t resume baseball activities for two weeks, according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Sun Times. He’ll be placed on the 10-Day DL.
- CIN: OF Scott Schebler is expected to return from the 10-Day DL on Thursday August 23rd, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
- CLE: 1B Edwin Encarnacion is on track to return on Thursday August 23rd, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
- KCR: SP Danny Duffy will probably return from the 10-Day DL on Thursday August 23rd, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.
- NYY: SP CC Sabathia will be activated from the 10-Day DL on Friday August 24th, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
- SFG: SP Dereck Rodriguez will return from the 10-Day DL on Friday August 24th, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.
- WSH: SP Stephen Strasburg will return from the 10-Day DL on Wednesday August 22nd, according to Jamal Collier of MLB.com.
Nationals Pull Back Bryce Harper From Revocable Waivers Following Claim By Dodgers
8:10pm: Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets that the Dodgers did indeed claim Harper, but they did so purely as a means of blocking other contenders from landing him. Los Angeles had “no expectation” of completing a trade when it claimed Harper, per Plunkett.
2:03pm: Despite moving other pending free agents today, the Nationals have pulled back superstar Bryce Harper from revocable waivers. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com tweeted that the Nationals had not reached any further agreements after their two earlier swaps, meaning Harper’s previously reported trip onto the waiver wire would not result in an agreement. More specifically, Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets that Harper’s waiver period has expired, and no deal has been announced.
Harper, who’ll qualify for the open market at season’s end, had evidently been claimed by the Dodgers, per Grant Paulsen of MLB Network Radio (via Twitter). But he won’t be following Manny Machado in making a mid-season, pre-free agency move from the Mid-Atlantic to Los Angeles.
Having failed to work out a deal with the Dodgers, the Nationals revoked the waiver request rather than letting Harper walk for nothing. That means that the Nats will still be on the hook for nearly $5MM of salary between now and the end of the season.
To be sure, Harper could in theory be placed on waivers again later this month. But that’d almost certainly mean losing a franchise player for no compensation other than salary relief — an outcome the team just rejected by pulling him back today. Instead, the Nationals surely plan to issue Harper a qualifying offer, setting the stage for draft compensation if he does not end up reaching a new deal to remain in D.C.
Mariners Select Ross Detwiler, Designate Zach Vincej
The Mariners announced that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Ross Detwiler from Triple-A Tacoma and designated infielder Zach Vincej for assignment to open space on the 40-man roster. Righty Chasen Bradford was optioned to Tacoma to open a spot for Detwiler on the active roster.
The move will give the Mariners some important length in the bullpen, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that Mike Leake has been scratched from tonight’s start due to illness. Reliever Nick Vincent will start in his place, so the Mariner look to have a bullpen day on their hands with Leake unable to take the ball.
Detwiler, 32, returns to the big leagues after spending the entire 2017 season at the Triple-A level between the Athletics and the Cubs. The former No. 6 overall pick was a solid back-of-the-rotation arm for the Nationals earlier in his career and had success out of the Nationals’ bullpen in 2014 as well. However, his career took a turn for the worse following a trade to the Rangers in 2015, and he was clobbered for a combined 6.73 ERA in 107 innings between Texas, Atlanta, Oakland and Cleveland from 2015-16.
Detwiler opened the 2018 season with the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League and pitched 30 strong innings before the Seattle organization purchased his rights. In 71 1/3 frames with Tacoma, he’s posted an uninspiring 5.15 ERA with a 46-to-24 K/BB ratio. He was slated to start tonight before being scratched from his start, though, and since he’s been working in the rotation anyhow, he could enter the game in relief of Vincent and give the Mariners several innings.
Vincej, 27, went 2-for-4 in his lone game with the Mariners earlier this season but has spent the rest of the year in Tacoma. An offseason waiver claim out of the Reds organization, he’s capable of playing multiple infield positions and has batted .246/.314/.346 with six homers, 13 doubles and a pair of triples in 391 plate appearances so far in Tacoma. He’s a former 37th-round pick (Reds, 2012) who owns a career .268/.336/.359 batting line in the minors while playing shortstop, second base and third base.
Starlin Castro Reportedly Clears Revocable Trade Waivers
Marlins second baseman Starlin Castro has cleared revocable trade waivers and is now eligible to be dealt to any club, reports SiriusXM’s Craig Mish (Twitter link).
Castro, 28, is still owed the balance of this season’s $10MM salary (roughly $2.19MM) in addition to next year’s $11MM salary and a $1MM buyout of a $16MM option for the 2020 season. In total, Miami still owes him a fairly sizable $14.19MM through the end of the 2019 campaign. Given the team’s salary-shedding measures in the 2017-18 offseason, it’s possible that the Marlins would’ve been happy to simply let another club pick up the remainder of that tab and further clear payroll, so it’s not a huge surprise to see him go unclaimed.
That’s not to say that Castro is overpaid, though. He’s more than lived up to his contract thus far in 2018, hitting at a .287/.335/.407 clip with 10 homers, 26 doubles and a triple while playing roughly average defense at second base. While other clubs may not be keen on absorbing the remainder of his salary obligations at this time of year, especially with few contenders in the market for second base upgrades, the Marlins could potentially drum up some interest if they express a willingness to offset some of that salary.
The Indians, in particular, have been connected to some second basemen on the rumor circuit in recent weeks, though there’s been nothing to suggest that Cleveland (or any other club) has any substantial interest in Castro. To that end, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported earlier this month that the Marlins didn’t receive any serious interest in Castro prior to the non-waiver trade deadline.
Castro doesn’t seem especially likely to move even after today’s report, but even if he stays put, the Miami front office figures to gauge interest in him (and other shorter-term assets) once again this offseason as it continues to take a long-term approach to rebuilding the organization.
Astros Activate Jose Altuve From Disabled List
The Astros announced tonight that they’ve activated reigning American League MVP Jose Altuve from the disabled list. He’d been out since July 26 due to a right knee injury. Houston also selected the contract of lefty Framber Valdez (as had already been reported) and optioned both Cionel Perez and Kyle Tucker to Triple-A Fresno.
Altuve returns amid a pivotal series against the Mariners, who sit just 3.5 games back of the Astros and the surprising Athletics in an AL West race that is vastly closer than most expected heading into the season. Prior to landing on the shelf, he was in the midst of another excellent season, albeit one that hasn’t quite matched last year’s extraordinary pace. Through 454 trips to the plate, Altuve is hitting .329/.392/.464 with nine homers, 24 doubles, two triples and 14 steals.
In Altuve’s absence, Yuli Gurriel and Marwin Gonzalez picked up much of the slack at second base. Gurriel now figures to return to first base, with Gonzalez continuing to be deployed all over the diamond in a super-utility role.