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AL Notes: Twins, Orioles, Red Sox, Tribe

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Right-hander Bartolo Colon, whom the Twins signed to a minor league deal July 7, will start Minnesota’s game against the Yankees on Tuesday, reports Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. The 44-year-old spent the first couple months of the season with Atlanta, which signed Colon for a guaranteed $12.5MM over the winter but had to release him after he recorded an 8.14 ERA across 63 innings. Colon has made one minor league start with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in Rochester, and even though it didn’t go well (four earned runs on four hits and two walks, with five strikeouts, in 3 2/3 innings), he’ll return to the majors for the upstart playoff contenders. Colon won’t get any defensive help Tuesday from standout center fielder Byron Buxton, whom the Twins placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday with a left groin strain. His absence will make room for the return of Joe Mauer, who went on the DL earlier this month after straining his lower back.

More from the AL:

  • In the wake of yet another poor outing from Kevin Gausman on Friday, Orioles manager Buck Showalter didn’t rule out demoting the righty to the minors, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. “That’s a matter of, you can get a lot of opinions on the answer to that question,” Showalter said in regards to whether a Triple-A stint would benefit Gausman. “I have my own thoughts and we listen to a lot of people, and if something like that was a possibility we were thinking about, he would hear about it. He wouldn’t read about something I responded to. But that’s always an option.” The 26-year-old Gausman was likely the Orioles’ best starter in 2016, but he has experienced a shocking fall from grace this season. Across 100 innings, Gausman has pitched to a 6.39 ERA (with a better but still-ugly 5.19 FIP), and he has only registered quality starts in five of 20 tries. He surrendered eight earned runs on seven hits, four of which were homers, in a loss to the Cubs on Friday.
  • The Red Sox acquiring third baseman Todd Frazier from the White Sox is reportedly “almost inevitable,” and landing the powerful veteran would make plenty of sense for Boston, details Mike Petriello of MLB.com. As a dead-pull hitter, the right-handed Frazier would be able to take advantage of the left field wall at Fenway Park, notes Petriello, who adds that he’d also give the third base-needy Red Sox a competent defender at the hot corner. As an impending free agent, reeling in Frazier wouldn’t require an enormous haul, likely a prospect in the 11-20 range and one in the 21-30 range, posits Petriello.
  • While the Red Sox have their own big-time third base prospect in Rafael Devers, they’re not counting on him to contribute in the big leagues at this point, president Dave Dombrowski told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe and other reporters Friday (Twitter link). The 20-year-old Devers moved to Triple-A on Friday after dominating Double-A pitching over the first three months of the season.
  • Injuries to second baseman Jason Kipnis and hot-hitting outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall have “complicated” the Indians’ approach as the deadline nears, president Chris Antonetti admitted Saturday (Twitter link via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com). Kipnis went on the DL last Sunday with a strained right hamstring, while Chisenhall landed on the shelf Friday with a strained right calf. With those two out, the Indians are casting a wider net in their search for potential upgrades, relays Bastian.

Nationals Trying To Acquire Ryan Madson, Sean Doolittle

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As they look to improve their beleaguered bullpen, the Nationals are attempting to acquire both right-hander Ryan Madson and lefty Sean Doolittle from the Athletics, reports Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (Twitter links).

At 53-36, the Nationals own one of the majors’ best records and lead the National League East by 9.5 games, but their success has come in spite of a horrid bullpen. With Blake Treinen, Joe Blanton, Koda Glover, Shawn Kelley and Sammy Solis having dealt with injuries and/or posted poor numbers, Nationals relievers entered play Saturday last in the majors in both ERA (5.18) and fWAR (minus-0.9). Clearly, then, Washington’s going to have to bolster its relief corps this summer if it’s going to make a serious push for a World Series in October.

Both Madson and Doolittle would seemingly help the Nationals’ cause, given that they’ve been excellent this season. The 36-year-old Madson has bounced back from a middling 2016 to resemble the stellar reliever he was in his halcyon days with the Phillies and Royals. Over 38 1/3 innings in 2017, the hard-throwing Madson has logged a 2.11 ERA, 8.92 K/9, 1.41 BB/9 and a sterling ground-ball percentage (55.9). He has also induced infield pop-ups at an 11.8 percent rate, further adding to his appeal.

Doolittle, 30, has put recent shoulder issues behind him to record a 3.38 ERA and ridiculous strikeout and walk numbers (13.08 K/9, .84 BB/9) through 21 1/3 frames. While Doolittle – who, like Madson, brings a mid-90s fastball to the table – hasn’t generated many ground balls (35.6 percent), he has offset that with an absurd infield fly rate (21.7 percent).

With the A’s at 40-50 and well out of the playoff picture, dealing both Madson and Doolittle by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline seems like a strong possibility. Neither player would be a rental for an acquiring club – Madson is on a $7.5MM salary through next season, and Doolittle is controllable on an eminently affordable deal through 2020.

Astros Have Interest In Jeff Samardzija

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Having finished as one of the runners-up in the Jose Quintana sweepstakes, the Astros are still looking to improve their rotation. That upgrade could come in the form of Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija, on whom the Astros are “doing background work,” tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Samardzija, 32, would represent a potential multiyear piece for Houston, as he’s under control through 2020 on the five-year, $90MM contract he signed prior to the 2016 campaign. He’s still owed upward of $60MM, which would make him an especially costly acquisition for a Houston club whose biggest contract is the four-year, $52MM pact right fielder Josh Reddick signed before the season.

In the near term, Samardzija, who’s on pace for his fifth straight 200-inning season, would provide a mid-rotation workhorse to an Astros team that could use one. While the Astros easily own the American League’s best record (61-29) and have run away with the AL West, which they lead by 16.5 games, their rotation hasn’t been the picture of health this season. Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers have pitched like aces this year, but the former has hit the disabled list twice with neck issues and the latter has been on the DL once and, over the past month-plus, has struggled to go deep in games. Charlie Morton has also missed extensive time this year, and injuries have troubled him throughout his career, while Collin McHugh hasn’t pitched at all and Joe Musgrove hasn’t been sharp after a strong major league debut last season. Fortunately for the Astros, Keuchel and McHugh are nearing returns, while Brad Peacock and Mike Fiers have stepped up since Keuchel’s DL placement in early June.

Despite the myriad issues in their rotation, including David Paulino’s season-ending performance-enhancing drug suspension, Astros starters entered Saturday atop the AL in ERA (3.86) and third in fWAR (8.2). Samardzija has accounted for 2.3 fWAR, making him one of the majors’ most valuable starters in that metric’s estimation, but the hard thrower hasn’t prevented runs at a pristine rate. Through 118 innings this year, he carries a 4.58 ERA, largely thanks to a career-worst home run-to-fly ball rate (16.7 percent), an elevated batting average on balls in play (.323) and a low strand rate (67.1 percent). Going from pitcher-friendly AT&T Park in San Francisco to Houston’s Minute Maid Park likely wouldn’t do his already high homer rate any favors, though his sparkling K/BB ratio (9.07) – which is No. 1 among major league starters – could help lead to somewhat of a turnaround in the ERA department.

While the Astros may push to acquire Samardzija, it’s unclear whether the Giants would trade him or whether Houston is one of the eight teams he’d block a move to. Giants executive vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean revealed earlier this week that the out-of-contention club is “open for business” as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline nears, but he also plans to vie for a playoff berth in 2018. As such, the Giants could prefer to keep Samardzija in their quest to return to relevance next year.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Red Sox, Frazier, Yankees, Gray, Cubs

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Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal, via a video on FOX Sports.

  • A Red Sox trade for White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier seems “almost inevitable,” according to Rosenthal. (Rosenthal’s choice of words is strikingly strong here.) The Red Sox need a short-term infusion of power at third, with top prospect Rafael Devers as their long-term answer at the position. Frazier, who is eligible for free agency next winter, fits the bill perfectly, in Rosenthal’s view. Frazier has batted a modest .210/.331/.438 in 326 plate appearances this season, but he has a solid history of hitting for power and has batted a robust .248/.377/.540 since June 4 after getting off to a slow start to the year.
  • The Yankees will be buyers at the deadline, but will be cautious, not wanting to sacrifice too much future value in exchange for immediate upgrades, says Rosenthal. One team that matches their needs well is the Athletics, who have help at first base (Yonder Alonso) and on the mound (Sonny Gray and a number of relievers).
  • Rosenthal characterizes Gray to the Cubs as unlikely — Gray would likely cost Ian Happ or another top young hitter, and Rosenthal guesses the Cubs would rather go forward with their current collection of rotation talent (which, of course, now includes Jose Quintana) and sign a free agent next winter. Rosenthal points out, though, that whatever the Cubs’ actual level of interest, both the Cubs and Athletics probably like the perception that the Cubs want Gray, since the extra name on the market increases pressure on the Brewers, who’ve also been connected to him.

Giants Place Johnny Cueto On DL, Activate Madison Bumgarner

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4:52pm: The Giants have placed Cueto on the 10-day DL, Shea tweets. It’s still possible Cueto could make it back before the non-waiver deadline, of course, but his presence on the DL with further complicate any attempt on the Giants’ part to trade him, particularly if he stays there long. His DL placement will make room for the activation of ace Madison Bumgarner, who hasn’t pitched since April 19 after injuring his shoulder in a dirt bike accident. Bumgarner will make his long-awaited return to San Francisco’s rotation Saturday.

9:34am: Giants righty Johnny Cueto is dealing with blister issues and could miss his next start, as various reporters, including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, have noted. Cueto pitched just four innings in his start against the Padres last night, throwing 82 pitches, then had tape on his index finger, middle finger and thumb after the game.

“It feels like they’re cut,” Cueto said, suggesting that a tighter texture of the baseballs this year as compared to last might be to blame for the problem. Various pitchers have commented on the textures of the baseballs this season.

“I think the best thing for me to do is take some time off,” says Cueto. “I can’t tell you whether or not I’m going to skip (my next start). It depends on how I feel. Right now, it feels bad.”

Missing a start this close to the non-waiver trade deadline could, of course, affect Cueto’s trade market, which was already complicated due to a variety of factors. (There have been few recent indications that the Giants are looking to trade Cueto despite their 35-56 record this year, although it stands to reason they would at least be open to making a deal under the right circumstances.) Cueto hasn’t been outstanding this season, with a 4.59 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 over 115 2/3 innings. And while his current deal calls for him to be paid $21MM per year through 2021, plus a $5MM buyout on a $22MM option for 2022, he can opt out of the deal after this season and collect the $5MM buyout while becoming a free agent. He’ll also receive a $500K assignment bonus if he’s traded. Those factors make Cueto’s value “lower than a rental’s,” as one GM told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal even before the blister issues emerged.

Joe Ross To Have Tommy John Surgery

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Nationals starter Joe Ross will have Tommy John surgery on Wednesday in Texas, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweets. The Nats pulled Ross from his most recent start, then placed him on the DL with what the team first described as triceps discomfort and then as an elbow sprain.

Ross will, obviously, miss the rest of the season. The loss leaves the Nationals with a lack of good rotation depth — they have an enviable front four in Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark, but there’s a considerable dropoff after that. Potential short-term options include A.J. Cole, Jacob Turner, Austin Voth and Edwin Jackson, none of whom have done much this season to inspire confidence. Prospect Erick Fedde has fared well this year, but he only recently reached the Triple-A level.

The Nationals could, then, enter the trade market for starting pitching. As Jeff Todd pointed out yesterday, the Nats don’t necessarily need an extra starter for the playoffs, and they have a comfortable 9.5-game lead in the NL East. But the addition of another starter would likely give their bullpen a degree of comfort while also insuring themselves against the possibility of another injury to a starting pitcher.

The 24-year-old Ross had a 5.01 ERA in 73 2/3 innings this season, largely because of his 16 home runs allowed in that span. He posted 8.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 37.5 GB% that had fallen off sharply from the 49.8% rate he posted as a rookie in 2015.

Indians Interested In Sonny Gray

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The Indians are “evaluating” Athletics starter Sonny Gray, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. The extent of the Indians’ interest isn’t yet known.

Gray is in the midst of a strong season with Oakland, with a 3.69 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over 84 2/3 innings. Unsurprisingly, a large number of teams have been connected to Gray lately, including the Astros, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Cubs and Brewers.

The Indians’ rotation boasts a strong one-two punch this season in the form of Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger has fared reasonably well in 11 starts this year. The rest of its starting corps, though, has been uneven — Trevor Bauer’s results have lagged behind his peripherals, and both he and Josh Tomlin have ERAs over five. Danny Salazar, meanwhile, is on a rehab assignment after missing time due to a shoulder issue.

Cardinals Place Stephen Piscotty On 10-Day DL

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The Cardinals have announced that they’ve placed outfielder Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day DL with a right groin strain. To take his place on the active roster, they’ve recalled outfielder Magneuris Sierra from Double-A Springfield.

[Related: St. Louis Cardinals News & Rumors on Facebook]

The move leaves the Cardinals conspicuously short in the outfield, having placed Randal Grichuk on the 10-day DL yesterday with a lower back strain. In place of those players, the Cardinals will lean on Jose Martinez and Sierra to flank Dexter Fowler and Tommy Pham in the Cards’ outfield.

Grichuk has struggled this season and Piscotty hasn’t been outstanding (.236/.348/.371), so the 28-year-old Martinez has out-hit both players in his first sustained bit of big-league action, with a .280/.321/.464 line over 135 plate appearances. The 21-year-old Sierra, though, might be over his head if given much playing time — he’s batted a good, but not excellent, .293/.326/.403 for Springfield and has limited experience above the Class A level. He did fare well in two brief big-league stints earlier this year. MLB.com rates him the Cardinals’ eighth-best prospect.

The Cardinals also have another strong outfield prospect in Harrison Bader who’s hit very well for Triple-A Memphis. Unlike Sierra, though, Bader isn’t currently on the club’s 40-man roster, which might be why the Cardinals promoted Sierra instead for a stint in the big leagues that might again be short.

Nate Karns To Have Surgery, Miss Rest Of Season

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JULY 15: Karns will, in fact, have surgery on Wednesday to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets. Karns will miss the rest of the season.

JULY 7: The Royals may go without righty Nate Karns for the rest of the year, per manager Ned Yost. The skipper says that it’s “looking more and more like” Karns will require thoracic outlet surgery, as Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports.

Karns gave the Royals 45 1/3 innings of 4.17 ERA pitching before hitting the shelf with forearm discomfort after his start on May 19th. With 51 strikeouts against just 13 walks over that span, there was quite a lot of optimism that he might be even more effective upon returning from what was expected to be a brief spell on the DL.

The forearm troubles, though, failed to improve as expected. A connection to thoracic outlet syndrome was eventually drawn. And now, it seem, a surgical option is squarely on the table.

If Karns does go under the knife, it’d surely end his 2017 season, though that doesn’t mean the organization wouldn’t still see him as a future contributor. The 29-year-old, acquired over the winter for Jarrod Dyson, will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this fall.

Even if Karns is able to avoid a procedure and begin moving toward a return this year, it will obviously be tough for Kansas City to expect much from him the rest of the way. That helps explain the team’s reported interest in pursuing a rental starter at the deadline.

White Sox Acquire Yeyson Yrizarri From Rangers For International Bonus Slot

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The Rangers have announced that they’ve traded minor-league infielder Yeyson Yrizarri to the White Sox for an international bonus slot. The move gives the Rangers additional flexibility to sign international amateur talent. Their July 2 class is currently headlined by Venezuelan outfielder Wilderd Patino ($1.3MM), Venezuelan shortstop Keyber Rodriguez ($1M) and Mexican right-hander Damian Mendoza ($1M).

That Yrizarri would be traded for the rights to international bonus spending is somewhat ironic, since he himself was the product of an earlier international spending spree. The 20-year-old Dominican signed for $1.35MM during the Rangers’ 2013-14 signing period, in which they spent more than $8MM on international talent. He has played this season for Class A Hickory and Class A+ Down East, posting a cumulative line of .258/.285/.399 with 57 strikeouts and just six walks.

Despite a worrisome lack of strike-zone control, though, Yrizarri does rate as a real prospect — MLB.com rated him the No. 17 farmhand in the Rangers organization, praising his bat speed and noting that he seems likely to stick at shortstop. He’ll join a White Sox prospect list that’s heavy on players also acquired in recent trades, including Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Eloy Jimenez, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dylan Cease, although, of course, he’ll rank lower on the list than any of those players.

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