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Rangers Place Keone Kela On 10-Day DL

By Jeff Todd | July 3, 2017 at 4:30pm CDT

The Rangers have placed righty Keone Kela on the 10-day DL, according to an announcement from VP of communications John Blake. He is said to be dealing with soreness in his pitching shoulder, though further indication of the seriousness of the injury is not yet known.

Kela, 24, opened the season in the minors as a disciplinary measure. But he has swiftly reestablished himself as a critical component of the late-inning relief corps. Through 30 2/3 innings on the year, he owns a 2.64 ERA with 12.3 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9.

Indeed, Kela’s importance has only increased as the season has progressed. Sam Dyson was shipped out after opening the year as the closer, while Matt Bush has since struggled in that role. While the team’s near-term intentions weren’t yet clear, Kela seemed the odds-on favorite to seize the reins in the 9th.

Without Kela as an option for at least some stretch, the Rangers’ struggling pen will be stretched yet further. On the positive side, the team has activated starter Martin Perez. To create space for just-added reliever Jason Grilli, the club optioned southpaw Dario Alvarez.

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Blue Jays Designate Glenn Sparkman For Assignment

By Steve Adams | July 3, 2017 at 2:36pm CDT

The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of righty Mike Bolsinger from Triple-A Buffalo and designated fellow right-hander and Rule 5 pick Glenn Sparkman for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man and 25-man rosters.

[Related: Updated Toronto Blue Jays depth chart]

The 25-year-old Sparkman missed the majority of the season to this point recovering from a fractured right thumb and made his big league debut over the weekend, though his two appearances proved to be a nightmare. Sparkman made it through his first without allowing an earned run, but he was torched for seven runs on eight hits in just a third of an inning on Sunday. He has a nice track record in a limited sample of work at the Double-A level and in Class-A Advanced as well, but he’ll have to clear waivers and be offered back to Kansas City if the Jays have any hope of retaining him, and there’s little reason for the Royals not to take him back.

Bolsinger, 29, returns to the Jays after previously being outrighted on the heels of a 5.61 ERA and a 21-to-19 K/BB ratio in 25 2/3 frames with Toronto. He’s been lights-out in Triple-A this year, though, with a 1.60 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9 through 33 2/3 innings there.

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MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Steve Adams | July 3, 2017 at 2:20pm CDT

Impromptu chat! Click here to read a transcript of Monday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.

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MLBTR Chats

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2017 Opt-Out Clause Update

By Steve Adams | July 3, 2017 at 2:04pm CDT

It’s been more than a month since we last looked in on the crop of eight players that can opt out of their current contracts and reenter the free-agent market following the 2017 campaign. With more than half the season in the books, a few cases look relatively certain, but there are plenty of questions surrounding several such players…

[Related: 2018 Vesting Options Update]

  • Greg Holland, RP, Rockies: Holland’s $10MM mutual option became a $15MM player option when he finished his 30th game of the season for the Rox a little more than a week ago. His recent brush with wildness is of mild concern, but Holland has a ridiculous 1.48 ERA with 11.9 K/9, 4.2 BB/9 and a 39.7 percent ground-ball rate. In a year when homers are being hit more than ever and he’s tackling Coors Field for the first time, Holland has managed to limit opponents to just one big fly in 30 1/3 innings. So long as his arm holds up for the remainder of the season — no sure thing considering this is his first year back from 2015 Tommy John surgery — he’ll 100 percent turn down that player option in search of a huge multi-year deal. Agent Scott Boras will undoubtedly look to vault Mark Melancon’s four-year, $62MM pact and could seek a five-year deal.
  • Johnny Cueto, SP, Giants: Cueto is still a workhorse, by today’s standards, as he’s on pace to reach 200 innings for the fourth straight year if he can make 33 starts. He’s logged a 3.97 ERA in eight starts since we last looked at the opt-out crop, though he continues to be abnormally homer prone (though that’s a league-wide trend, as homers are up across the board). Cueto has a 4.26 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.7 40BB/9 and a 40.3 percent ground-ball rate. If he can rediscover his pinpoint control and/or his grounder rate from previous years (1.8 BB/9, 50.2 GB% in 2016), he could make this an easier decision come October. Cueto still ranks third on MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings, and FanRag’s Jon Heyman has reported that he’s still planning to opt out of the remaining four years and $84MM on his deal. I think there’s a decent chance he once again hits the open market in search of a five-year deal in the Jordan Zimmermann mold.
  • Welington Castillo, C, Orioles: Castillo’s bat has seen a precipitous decline in effectiveness since our mid-May check-in on opt-out clauses, as he’s batted .205/.250/.349 in 88 plate appearances since that time. He perhaps deserves somewhat of a pass, given the cringe-inducing groin injury he suffered on an ill-placed foul ball deflection that landed him on the DL for 10 days in late May/early June. His overall .272/.307/.439 slash is solid for a catcher, and he’s thrown out a ridiculous 48 percent of opposing stolen base attempts (12-for-25). Framing will probably never be his strong suit, but he’s made some incremental improvements in recent years (though he still grades out below average). With a fairly small one-year, $7MM player option on his deal, it’s certainly plausible that Castillo hits free agency this winter and scores a better payday than that option would afford.
  • Justin Upton, LF, Tigers: I understand the doubt around the possibility of Upton turning away an extra four years and $88.5MM to once again test free agency this winter; he’s 30 years old with questionable defensive value and a strikeout that has soared since his peak year in Arizona. Corner-limited sluggers also fared quite poorly on last year’s market, for the most part. Nonetheless, Upton is having his best offensive season since 2014 and is hitting .267/.351/.500 with 15 homers. Dating back to last year’s All-Star break, he’s slashing .264/.344/.537 with 37 bombs in 575 plate appearances. He’d need a big finish to be confident enough to top four years and $88MM, but that’s the same mark Hanley Ramirez signed for in Boston when he was a year older. If Upton’s camp feels that there’s a chance to approach the $110MM that Yoenis Cespedes received on a four-year pact last winter (again, when he was a year older than Upton), Upton’s reps could elect to search elsewhere. He can’t receive a qualifying offer this time around.
  • Matt Wieters, C, Nationals: Wieters is hitting .205/.224/.328 through 125 plate appearances since the last time we checked in on this group. Overall, he’s batting .244/.293/.384 with a substandard 22 percent caught-stealing rate and the worst framing marks of his career. It’s possible that the one year, $10.5MM player option on his contract is still beatable in a thin market for catching this coming winter, but opting into the deal and remaining with a competitive team is going to look pretty appealing if he can’t get his bat going once again.
  • Masahiro Tanaka, SP, Yankees: Tanaka has picked a poor time to have the worst season of his career, though he’s showing signs of life on the mound. He’s tossed 14 innings with a 14-to-4 K/BB ratio and a huge ground-ball rate in his past two starts and also gone without a home run allowed in that brief stretch. Tanaka is still sitting on a 5.56 ERA with an awful 2.1 HR/9 mark, but he’s averaging 8.9 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 with a 49.3 percent ground-ball rate. xFIP is much more favorable than his ERA at 3.87, and SIERA agrees with a 3.91 mark. Three of his past four starts have been brilliant, and if he can continue that momentum he could still do better than the three years and $67MM remaining on his contract and hit the open market in search of a larger deal. Age is on his side as well. He’ll turn just 29 this winter.
  • Ian Kennedy, SP, Royals: The 32-year-old Kennedy’s walk and strikeout rates have gone in the wrong direction by a substantial amount this season, and he’s more homer-prone than ever (1.9 HR/9). Starting pitching is almost always in heavy demand on the free-agent market (as Kennedy’s five-year, $70MM deal and opt-out clause illustrate), but he’s sporting a 4.72 ERA with FIP, xFIP and SIERA marks all well north of 5.00. Barring a miraculous turnaround, he’s not topping the remaining three years and $49MM on his deal as a free agent this winter, so expect him to stay in Kansas City.
  • Wei-Yin Chen, SP: Marlins: Chen hasn’t thrown a single pitch since we last checked in on May 22, as he continues to attempt to work his way back from a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. With three years and $52MM remaining on his contract, he’s a lock to forgo his opt-out provision.
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Rizzo: Nats Exploring Bullpen Market, Unlikely To Pursue Shortstop Trades

By Steve Adams | July 3, 2017 at 11:16am CDT

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo appeared on today’s Baseball Tonight Podcast with Buster Olney (audio link) to discuss an number of topics, ranging from Ryan Zimmerman’s return to prominence in the National League to his team’s plans at the trade deadline to his own personal philosophies on making trades (Rizzo joins the show at roughly the 26-minute mark, though the entire podcast is a good listen).

The Nationals, of course, lost standout young shortstop Trea Turner for the foreseeable future last week when the 23-year-old suffered a nondisplaced fracture in his right wrist after being hit by a pitch. However, while there’s been some speculation about the Nats pursuing a trade for a shortstop (including some from myself here on MLBTR), Rizzo threw cold water on that notion.

“I don’t think so,” he said when asked by Olney if the Nationals would pursue shortstop help outside the organization. “Right now, we like the leadership, and we like the veteran presence that Stephen Drew gives us. He’s a very competent, steady defensive shortstop. … We know we have to protect his legs. He’s got the ankle issue that he’s had for a couple years now. We think with the combination, the mixing and matching that Dusty [Baker] will do with Stephen Drew and with [Wilmer] Difo, I think that we can weather the storm until Trea gets back.”

Of course, it wouldn’t exactly behoove Rizzo to broadcast that his team is actively seeking shortstop assistance, so perhaps he’s a bit more open then he let on. A number of shortstops (or at least shortstop-capable players) figure to be available, including Zack Cozart, Jed Lowrie and Eduardo Nunez.

Then again, Rizzo also had no reservations in acknowledging that he not only plans to seek bullpen help but has already actively been doing so. While the Washington GM characterized his current status as “testing the market,” he added that he’s already spoken to a number of GMs around the league to see where they’re at in the process.

“It’s no secret that we’re going to be looking for upgrades in the bullpen,” Rizzo stated. “With that said, people aren’t going to want to help us out of the goodness of their hearts. We’re going to have to see what deal makes sense for us in the long-term and short-term, and see if we can do our part, do my part, to improve this bullpen.”

Whether that means acquiring a top-end closer or simply bolstering the ’pen with one or more quality setup types remains to be seen and is “going to be a fluid decision,” as Rizzo characterized the matter. “The good thing is that we have a good team and we know what our flaws are,” he added. “They’re pretty clear. We’re going to have a strategy to see if we can improve it.”

As for a timeline of a move, Rizzo expressed an openness to getting something done in the near future but also suggested that other clubs may not be on that timeline just yet.

“I’ve always been willing to move,” he stated. “When I see a deal that I like, that works for us, I’m willing to make a move. I don’t need a lot of conversations or meetings with our staff. I’m constantly in conversations with my people. … I hate wasting other GMs’ time with deals that never come to fruition. For every deal you do, there’s 20 deals that you put just as much work into and don’t get done. To me, the most frustrating thing is if we were to talk about a trade, and I’m serious about the trade, and then it falls through and all this work is done, then that’s bad business for both guys.”

Olney suggested to Rizzo, however, that a number of people to whom he’s spoken are anticipating a late-moving trade market in 2017 due to the extreme level of parity in the American League. The Rays currently hold the second Wild Card spot in the AL, for instance, but there are six teams within two games of staking that claim. Rizzo agreed with the sentiment, suggesting that even though some contenders may be willing to move right now, other teams are going to “take most of that month of July to assess where [they’re] at and what [their] ownership wants to do.”

The entire interview with Rizzo spans about 10 minutes and includes insight into his strategies and tactics when negotiating with other clubs as well as his own assessment of the 2017 Nationals. It’s well worth checking out for Nats fans but also anyone who closely follows trades in baseball, as Rizzo’s thoughts on doing business with other clubs offer interesting perspective into the life of a GM this time of year.

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Blue Jays Acquire Miguel Montero

By Steve Adams | July 3, 2017 at 9:03am CDT

The Blue Jays announced that they’ve acquired catcher Miguel Montero and cash considerations from the Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Darrell Ceciliani has been moved to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported last week that the Jays had interest in Montero after the Cubs had designated him for assignment.

Miguel Montero | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Montero, 34 this weekend, sounded off on teammate Jake Arrieta and the rest of the Cubs’ pitching staff last week for slow delivery times, citing that as the reason that the Nationals were able to steal seven bases against the Cubs in one game. While Arrieta undoubtedly carried his share of the blame in that instance, the Cubs didn’t take kindly to Montero’s candid assessment with the media; Montero was designated for assignment roughly 12 hours later.

President of baseball operations Theo Epstein told reporters after the fact that the organization considered that an instance of Montero “not being a good teammate,” while Anthony Rizzo offered some pointed criticism of Montero in a radio interview the next morning. Said Rizzo on ESPN 1000 (Twitter link): “When you point fingers you’re a selfish player. We have another catcher that throws everyone out.”

At the plate, Montero figures to give the Jays a boost in production. Toronto catchers have posted a putrid .168/.280/.280 batting line in 2017 on the whole. While Russell Martin isn’t hitting for average, he’s still getting on base and showing a bit of power, as evidenced by his .213/.369/.368 line. However, the combination of Luke Maile, Mike Ohlman and Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been a black hole for the Jays, from an offensive standpoint, hitting a combined .108/.140/.162 in 136 plate appearances. Montero isn’t the hitter that he once was, but he’s still touting a .286/.366/.439 batting line in 2017, albeit in a small sample of 112 plate appearances (just 13 of which have come against fellow lefties).

From a defensive standpoint, there are more questions with Montero. While he’s long rated as a plus framer and again has positive marks in 2017, he’s also thrown out just one of the 32 men that have attempted to steal a base against him this year. Last season he managed to halt a mere 11 percent of stolen base attempts against him, and he was at just 20 percent with the Cubs back in 2015. While there’s assuredly some level of truth to Montero’s comments — many stolen bases, after all, are swiped primarily at the expense of the pitcher — Montero certainly isn’t without blame. As Rizzo alluded to, Montero’s now-former teammate, Willson Contreras, has managed to throw out 35 percent of his opponents over the past two seasons.

Montero is earning $14MM this season in the final year of a five-year, $60MM contract extension that he signed with the Diamondbacks in 2012. Of that $14MM sum, approximately $6.96MM remains. Unsurprisingly, FOX’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Cubs will pay the “vast majority” of the sum that remains on that deal as a means of facilitating the deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Quick Hits: HRs, Velocity, Rockies, A’s

By Connor Byrne | July 2, 2017 at 10:59pm CDT

Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis underwent chemotherapy earlier this year to treat testicular cancer, but it doesn’t look as if that’s going to stop him from taking the mound in 2017. In terrific news, the 28-year-old has progressed enough in his recovery that he’s on pace to begin a minor league rehab assignment during the upcoming All-Star break, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “It’s a really good feeling to watch this unfold,” said manager Bud Black, whose playoff-contending team could use more rotation depth. Bettis would provide that, having served as a solid starter for the Rockies since joining their rotation on a full-time basis in 2015.

More from around the game:

  • With home runs having spiked over the past couple seasons, Ben Lindbergh and Mitchel Lichtman of The Ringer concluded earlier this month that Major League Baseball is playing with a juiced ball. However, MLB insists that’s not the case. On Saturday, the league sent a memo to all 30 teams declaring that “there is no evidence that the composition of the ball has changed in any way,” reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The ball’s size, weight, COR (bounciness), seam height and circumference are tested at least three times a year at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell Baseball Research Center, according to the league. The exact cause for the HR increase is up for debate, but an all-time high 13.7 percent of fly balls have cleared fences this year. That’s up from 12.8 percent last season, which was a record at the time.
  • Given the high frequency of pitcher injuries, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson believes teams will soon begin valuing durability over velocity, as Roger Rubin of Newsday writes. “I think what you’ll find over the next several years is clubs will be more interested in ‘pack horses’ instead of ‘thoroughbreds’ because it’s about being able to go out . . . and get 30 starts,” Alderson said Friday. There’s an emphasis on velocity at all levels, but Alderson noted that throwing harder “often leads to injury,” adding, “The things that might be the difference between good pitching and great pitching may also be the difference between health and an injury.”
  • Jesse Hahn is tied for second among Athletics in starts (13), yet the team demoted him to Triple-A on Sunday. In response, Hahn told reporters (including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle): “It’s a little frustrating. I thought I’d been having a really good season up until these last two starts. I don’t want to say it’s unfair because I understand it’s a business thing, but I don’t like that I was kind of judged off of two starts there.” Hahn’s ERA climbed from 3.56 to 5.30 thanks to those outings, both of which came against the formidable Astros. They racked up 15 earned runs over just four innings against Hahn. His trip to the minors will lead to more starts for rookie righty Paul Blackburn, whom the A’s acquired from the Mariners over the winter for Danny Valencia. Blackburn, 23, made his major league debut Saturday and held the Braves to three hits, a walk and an unearned run across six frames.
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Pirates Notes: Marte, Cutch, Cole, Rangers, Phillies

By Connor Byrne | July 2, 2017 at 9:30pm CDT

Eligible to return from his 80-game PED suspension July 18, Pirates outfielder Starling Marte began a High-A rehab assignment Sunday. When Marte does rejoin the Bucs, he’ll do so as a left fielder, manager Clint Hurdle told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and other reporters. Marte has spent the majority of his career in left since debuting in 2012, but thanks to both his excellent work there and Andrew McCutchen’s decline in center field, the Pirates moved the former to center and the latter to right in the offseason (Gregory Polanco shifted from right to left).

Now, with McCutchen enjoying a bounce-back season at the plate, Pittsburgh will keep its longtime face of the franchise in the outfield’s most important position. McCutchen is in the midst of his second straight poor year in center, though, as he posted minus-28 defensive runs saved and a minus-18.7 Ultimate Zone Rating in 2016 and already has a minus-15 DRS and a minus 18.5 UZR/150 this season. But general manager Neal Huntington has seen improvement, noting: “His metrics are better this year. Part of that … is we’ve pushed him back a little bit to play to his strengths and to his confidence, playing gap to gap.”

  • It’s possible Marte will head back to center if the Pirates trade McCutchen before this month’s deadline, and Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette observes that the value of both McCutchen and right-hander Gerrit Cole is increasing. Rival evaluators have pointed to Texas as a fit for the two, with one evaluator suggesting that the Rangers would have to give up outfielder Leody Taveras or left-hander Yohander Mendez just for McCutchen, according to Brink. Both Taveras (No. 45) and Mendez (No. 46) rank among MLB Pipeline’s top 50 prospects.
  • Sticking with the McCutchen theme, Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com opines that the in-state rival Phillies should pursue a deal for the 30-year-old. Given that the Phillies have the majors’ worst record (27-53), McCutchen wouldn’t help them vie for a playoff berth this year, but Lawrence argues that he’d still be a worthwhile addition. Philadelphia could acquire McCutchen with the goal of extending him past next season, when his team control expires. If they fail to reach a multiyear agreement by next summer and the Phillies aren’t in the playoff hunt, they’d potentially be able to flip McCutchen, contends Lawrence.
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MLBTR Originals

By Connor Byrne | July 2, 2017 at 8:39pm CDT

Here’s a recap of the original content featured at MLBTR over the past week:

  • Tim Dierkes updated his free agent power rankings for the first time since mid-May, listing the 10 players likely to earn the most money if they hit the open market in the offseason. Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish is No. 1, as he was in the previous edition, while teammate Jonathan Lucroy was among those who dropped out of the top 10.
  • Athletics righty Sonny Gray could end up elsewhere by this month’s trade deadline, so Steve Adams searched for a fit for the affordable 27-year-old. As Steve detailed, there are plenty of clubs that could involve themselves in a possible Gray sweepstakes.
  • The Red Sox have a gaping hole at third base, leading Jeff Todd to look for hot corner upgrades for the first-place club. As Jeff noted, there are lots of pre-deadline possibilities for Boston but not much demand elsewhere for third basemen, which could be advantageous for president Dave Dombrowski in trade discussions.
  • Jeff took a look at 2018 vesting options, offering updates on Greg Holland, Gio Gonzalez, Ricky Nolasco, Matt Cain, Hisashi Iwakuma, Andre Ethier, Matt Garza and J.J. Hardy.
  • Jason Martinez highlighted rising prospects from the Brewers, Twins, Reds, Diamondbacks and Yankees in this week’s version of his Knocking Down The Door series.
  • In the latest editions of MLBTR’s Taking Inventory series, Jeff analyzed potential trade chips for the Mets, and he and Steve also broke down which Marlins could soon be on the move.
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MLBTR Originals

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Cubs, Bucs, Jays, Cards, Phils, Tigers, O’s

By Connor Byrne | July 2, 2017 at 7:32pm CDT

This week in baseball blogs:

  • Big Three Sports examines Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant’s batted-ball data and suggests that he could be underappreciated.
  • The Point of Pittsburgh and Pirates Breakdown have pieces on resurgent Bucs outfielder Andrew McCutchen.
  • Jays Journal and Everything Bluebirds address Toronto closer Roberto Osuna’s anxiety issues.
  • The Intrepid STL uses Statcast to evaluate the Cardinals’ baserunning.
  • PhoulBallz chats with two of the Phillies’ best prospects, first baseman Rhys Hoskins and second baseman Scott Kingery, and Triple-A manager Dusty Wathan.
  • Camden Depot names four potential paths for the mediocre Orioles.
  • Off the Bench wants the Tigers to blow it up.
  • The Sports Tank isn’t worried about reigning AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello’s 2017 struggles.
  • FanRag speaks with well-regarded Yankees outfield prospect Blake Rutherford.
  • Clutchlings talks with Blue Jays director of player development Gil Kim about the team’s farm system.
  • Underthought wonders if injured Angels center fielder Mike Trout will be able to finish atop the wins above replacement leaderboard this year.
  • The Runner Sports addresses the Astros’ organizational logjam at third base and what it could mean for Alex Bregman.
  • Notes From The Sally scouts just-drafted Twins first base/outfield prospect Brent Rooker.
  • Sports Talk Philly asks who will be managing the Phillies a year from now.
  • Reviewing The Brew says Milwaukee’s season is at a critical juncture.
  • Jays From the Couch believes the 13-game stretch the Blue Jays are currently in could decide their deadline approach.
  • Mets Daddy uses Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom as examples to remind teams not to implement the same routines for all pitchers.
  • ThinkBluePC analyzes the Dodgers’ middle infield depth.
  • BP Toronto makes a case for Rogers Communications to sell the Blue Jays.
  • The North Shore Nine focuses on the Pirates’ future behind the plate.
  • MetsMind explains how left-hander Steven Matz is becoming a smarter pitcher.
  • Prospects1500 highlights top performances from each minor league level for the week of June 19.
  • The 3rd Man In profiles Brewers fifth-round pick Nick Egnatuk.
  • Call to the Pen (links: 1, 2) notes that the Rangers’ bullpen has bounced back after a rough start and looks at upcoming decisions for Phillies general manager Matt Klentak.
  • Motor City Bengals ranks the Tigers’ 20 best prospects.
  • Fueled By Sports names the top 10 Twins of all-time.
  • Clubhouse Corner interviews Yankees 28th-round pick Shane Roberts and his father
  • Pinstriped Prospects shares a scouting report on another young Yankee, Single-A outfielder Estevan Florial.

Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com.

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In

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