Athletics Acquire Sam Moll
The Athletics have acquired lefty Sam Moll from the Rockies, per an announcement from the Colorado organization. Cash considerations or a player to be named later will make up the return for Moll, who had been designated for assignment recently.
Moll, a 2013 third-rounder, showed enough to earn a 40-man spot but had yet to receive a major league promotion. He carries a 4.18 ERA over 47 1/3 innings on the year at Triple-A, with 7.4 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 along with a healthy 50.3% groundball rate.
Those numbers don’t tell the full story on Moll, who was generally regarded as one of the organization’s top thirty or better prospects entering the season. He brings mid-nineties heat from the left side with a slider and even a change that can be effective at times.
Nationals Select Contract Of Alejandro De Aza, Place Brian Goodwin On DL
The Nationals have made yet another move in the outfield after losing a player to injury. As Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post first reported (via Twitter), Washington will select the contract of veteran Alejandro De Aza and place Brian Goodwin on the DL with a left groin strain.
To open a 40-man spot, the Nationals moved shortstop Trea Turner to the 60-day DL. That placement won’t impact his anticipated timeline to return to the active roster. He has been out since the end of June with a broken wrist but has recently resumed batting practice.
While the Nats aren’t in need of wins down the stretch, given their healthy NL East lead, the club nevertheless continues to face significant injury concerns, particularly in the outfield, as it looks forward to the postseason. Washington’s entire original starting outfield — Adam Eaton, Bryce Harper, and Jayson Werth — currently resides on the DL, though the latter two are expected back by the end of the year.
Michael Taylor only just returned from his own DL stint, joining summer addition Howie Kendrick, the lumbering Adam Lind, and youngster Andrew Stevenson in the current mix. That group will now be supplemented by De Aza, who had signed on with the organization on a minor-league deal in mid-June after failing to crack the Athletics roster in the spring.
When he makes his debut with the Nats, De Aza will appear in his tenth MLB campaign with his seventh organization. The former White Sox regular owns a lifetime .261/.328/.398 batting line. Over his 212 trips to the plate this year at Triple-A Syracuse, De Aza has slashed .280/.368/.403. He obviously hasn’t hit for much power this year, with four home runs, but has drawn 25 walks against just 30 strikeouts.
The Nats will hope that De Aza can help hold the line in the same way Goodwin has. A former top prospect, the 26-year-old Goodwin has turned in surprisingly strong numbers since being thrust into an unexpectedly significant role. In his 278 plate appearances this year in the majors, he’s batting .251/.313/.498 and has launched 13 long balls to go with six steals. Goodwins .247 isolated slugging mark and 16.5% home run per flyball rate headline a notable power outbreak for a player who had never seemingly harnessed his tools in the upper minors.
White Sox Recently Extended Kenny Williams, Rick Hahn
Earlier this summer, the White Sox extended the contracts of executive vice president Kenny Williams and general manager Rick Hahn, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports in the course of a lengthy interview with long-time club owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Precise terms are not known, but both have received new long-term deals, per the report. Reinsdorf also discussed the organization’s current rebuilding efforts in a piece that’s well worth a full read.
Both executives are longstanding members of the organization. Williams played with the White Sox, joined the club as a scout in 1992, and has steadily climbed the ranks ever since. He took the GM seat in 2000, helping to engineer the club’s 2005 World Series-winning roster, and left it with a move further upstairs twelve years later.
Hahn took the baton from Williams as GM in 2012 and has held that role since. He originally joined the South Siders when Williams took over the baseball operations, moving to the organization after a stint as a sports agent. He quickly rose to become the assistant GM and was long seen as an eventual successor.
In recent years, that pair of top baseball decisionmakers oversaw the construction and then dismantling of a strong core of young talent. High-end, controllable players such as Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and Adam Eaton seemingly gave the club a chance at a nice window of contention, and it spent big on complementary veterans (through trade and free agency) to put a winner on the field. Those efforts failed to come to fruition, though, and the Sox haven’t posted a .500 record since 2012.
With evident needs all over the roster after a disappointing 2016 campaign, Reinsdorf authorized a dedicated sell-off. Sale and Eaton were moved in successive Winter Meetings blockbusters. Quintana went this summer to the cross-town Cubs. And ensuing deals saw David Robertson, Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera, and Tommy Kahnle swapped out for young talent.
While Reinsdorf says it was “very tough” to go through that process, particularly given that he’s 81 years old, he tells Nightengale that he determined he has “an obligation to do what’s right for the fans.” It was particularly difficult to boost the Cubs by sending them Quintana, he noted, though again he cited the need to focus on his own organization’s needs. “I know the White Sox fans will be upset if Quintana pitches them to the World Series,” says Reinsdorf, “but I also know we got their two best prospects.’’
Since embarking upon this new path, the White Sox have compiled one of the game’s top farm systems. In addition to the numerous youngsters added via trade, Chicago inked highly rated Cuban prospect Luis Robert and is on course to score a top draft choice next year. The club’s most intriguing new assets litter top-100 prospect ranking lists, and several — including Yoan Moncada and Reynaldo Lopez — have already earned promotions to the majors.
Turning that aggregation of young talent into a successful MLB roster, of course, will still require a concerted effort. The Sox currently own an ugly 45-71 record and will face many challenges in player development and, eventually, further roster maneuvering designed to supplement the hoped-for new core. More immediately, the team’s top decisionmakers will need to consider trades involving players such as Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia, each of whom has played well this year and can be controlled for two more seasons via arbitration.
There’s mostly a blank slate on future salary commitments, though, which will surely aid the undertaking. After pushing payroll to north of $130MM by the end of 2016, the front office has pared things back to the point that the recent extension of shortstop Tim Anderson stands as the only significant remaining long-term commitment.
MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Barraclough, Freeland, Polanco
IMPACT ROSTER MOVES
- CIN: C Devin Mesoraco (fractured foot) placed on 10-Day DL. | Reds Depth Chart
- COL: SP Kyle Freeland activated from 10-Day DL; RP Zac Rosscup optioned to minors. | Rockies Depth Chart
- MIA: RP Kyle Barraclough activated from 10-Day DL; RP Jarlin Garcia (strained biceps) placed on 10-Day DL. | Marlins Depth Chart | Closer Depth Chart
- NYM: SP Robert Gsellman activated from 10-Day DL; SP Seth Lugo (shoulder impingement) placed on 10-Day DL. | Mets Depth Chart
- Gsellman will start in Lugo’s scheduled spot on Wednesday.
- PIT: OF Gregory Polanco (strained hamstring) placed on 10-Day DL; C Elias Diaz recalled from minors. | Pirates Depth Chart
- Adam Frazier batted 6th and played RF in Tuesday’s game. Sean Rodriguez is likely to play RF versus left-handed starters.
- NYY: SP Luis Cessa (strained rib cage) placed on 10-Day DL; RP Caleb Smith recalled from minors. | Yankees Depth Chart
- SFG: 2B Joe Panik (concussion) placed on 7-Day DL; OF/INF Orlando Calixte recalled from minors. | Giants Depth Chart
- Kelby Tomlinson played 2B and batted 8th in Tuesday’s game.
- SEA: SP Andrew Albers has contract purchased from minors. | Mariners Depth Chart
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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES
- ATL: OF Matt Kemp will likely be activated from 10-Day DL on Friday August 18th. | Braves Depth Chart
- BAL: OF Anthony Santander (Rule 5 pick) will likely be activated from 60-Day DL on Thursday August 17th. | Orioles Depth Chart
- LAA: SP Andrew Heaney will be activated from 60-Day DL sometime this weekend. | Angels Depth Chart
- LAD: 1B Adrian Gonzalez will be activated from 60-Day DL during their upcoming road trip (Aug. 18-24) | Dodgers Depth Chart
- MIL: SP Chase Anderson will be activated from 10-Day DL on Sunday August 20th. | Brewers Depth Chart
- WSH: SP Stephen Strasburg will likely be activated from 10-Day DL on Saturday August 19th. | Nationals Depth Chart
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MINOR TRANSACTIONS
- LAA: RP Damien Magnifico outrighted to minors. | 40-Man Roster Tracker
- LAD: INF/OF Rob Segedin activated from 60-Day DL. | Dodgers Depth Chart
- NYM: OF Travis Snider acquired from Rangers for cash considerations; RP Neil Wagner agreed to MiLB deal. | Mets Depth Chart
- OAK: RP Chris Hatcher acquired from Dodgers. | Athletics Depth Chart
- SEA: RP Sam Gaviglio recalled from minors; RP Thyago Vieira and RP Casey Lawrence optioned to minors; RP/SP Christian Bergman designated for assignment. | Mariners Depth Chart
- WSH: C Pedro Severino recalled from minors; SP A.J. Cole optioned to minors. | Nationals Depth Chart
East Notes: Yankees, Mets, Nava, Orioles, De Leon
Both the Yankees and Mets acted rationally with their approaches in trades this summer, opines Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees showed a willingness to deal from the middle range of their considerable prospect depth to avoid luxury taxation, as they did with the Jaime Garcia trade and reportedly tried to do in their pursuits of Jay Bruce and Neil Walker. Sherman writes that the Yankees asked the Mets to eat $2.7MM of the remaining $3.7MM on Bruce’s contract in exchange for two prospects. The Mets clearly didn’t deem the difference between that pair and Ryder Ryan (whom they acquired from the Indians for Bruce) to be sizable enough to eat that cash. While many Mets fans chastise the organization for not spending, Sherman points out that the Mets have taken on salary (Bruce, Addison Reed, Yoenis Cespedes) in recent years. They’ve also already begun spending for 2018, Sherman adds, pointing to the acquisition of AJ Ramos. In that sense, saving money in trades to better stock the team’s offseason war chest could have relatively immediate impact on the team’s fortunes. Of course, it remains to be seen how their offseason plays out.
A bit more from the game’s Eastern divisions…
- The Phillies announced tonight that outfielder Daniel Nava has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a lower back strain. The veteran Nava’s injury is especially noteworthy given the fact that he seemed a logical August trade candidate for the Phils. The 33-year-old switch-hitter hasn’t done much against left-handed pitching this year — he’s always been weaker as a right-handed bat — but he’s clubbed righty pitching at a .347/.427.492 clip through 143 PAs and could’ve been a solid bench addition for a contender. There’s still time for Nava to get back and demonstrate his health to interested parties, but his back injury clearly diminishes the chances of a trade.
- Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com writes that Orioles GM Dan Duquette has a long history of making August deals — six in the past five years — but opines that there’s not much worth pursuing for the O’s this summer. Baltimore’s greatest need is starting pitching, but the remaining available arms are mostly fringe fifth starters that don’t represent a clear upgrade over the Orioles’ current options. Nonetheless, Connolly states that he does find it likely that Duquette and his staff make some kind of move, noting that the Orioles have “always had a little interest in” Derek Holland and are quite familiar with Miguel Gonzalez — both currently pitching for the rebuilding White Sox. I’d agree with Connolly that neither seems to represent an upgrade, though the O’s could probably acquire either pitcher primarily in exchange for salary relief.
- Rays right-hander Jose De Leon is on the minor league disabled list for the third time this season, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. De Leon, who has previously dealt with forearm/flexor issues, now has tendinitis in his right elbow, per Topkin. It’s been a frustrating first season with the Rays organization for De Leon — a highly touted pitching prospect that was acquired in a straight-up swap that sent Logan Forsythe to the Dodgers. De Leon has appeared in just one big league game with the Rays and has only 38 1/3 minor league innings under his belt, though he’s logged a 3.05 ERA with 44-to-16 K/BB ratio in the minors when healthy.
AL Central Notes: Kinsler, Perkins, White Sox, Chisenhall, Brantley
After being tossed from yesterday’s game, Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler was blunt (to say the least) when voicing his displeasure with veteran umpire Angel Hernandez today (via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News and Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press). “I don’t know how, for as many years he’s been in the league, that he can be that bad,” said Kinsler of Hernandez’s strike zone. “He needs to reevaluate his career choice, he really does. Bottom line. … He’s changing the game. He needs to find another job.” Kinsler was tossed mid-at-bat for questioning Hernandez’s strike zone, though as he tells it, he never cursed at the umpire. Kinsler also recalled a story from his rookie season in which he was repeatedly “screamed” at by Hernandez for blocking Hernandez’s view on a play at first base.
It’s far from the first time that Hernandez has been called out by a player, though Kinsler’s vitriolic comments — there are many more in the columns from McCosky and Fenech — are likely the most extreme case you’ll see anytime soon. The Tigers’ second baseman acknowledged that he’ll likely be disciplined for his outburst but didn’t let that serve as a deterrent in sounding off: “No one in this game wants [him] behind the plate any more, none of the players.”
More from the division…
- Former Twins closer Glen Perkins joined the Twins in Minneapolis tonight after a rehab stint in Double-A Chattanooga, writes La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but Perkins has not yet been activated from the disabled list. Perkins is with the team, but the Twins are waiting to formally make a move regarding him, per Neal. The Twins technically still have until Aug. 21 to activate Perkins if they wish to get him more than the 7 1/3 innings he’s thrown on his rehab assignment thus far, and Neal notes that he could either throw live batting practice in Minneapolis or join Triple-A Rochester for another outing or two. That Perkins is even emerging as a consideration at all is significant; the former All-Star has pitched just two innings since 2015 due to a significant shoulder injury that required surgery last summer.
- White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf spoke with Bob Nightengale of USA Today about the difficult decision to give GM Rick Hahn and his staff the green-light for a full rebuild of the team. “What made it hard for me was my age,” said Reinsdorf. “I’m 81 years old. How long am I going to be around, right? … The decision I made was that I can’t be a factor in this thing. As the owner of this team, I have an obligation to do what’s right for the fans. The real owner of a team is the fans, the owner is a custodian.” Reinsdorf acknowledges that the closely bunched group of teams in the American League suggests that the ChiSox might have had a chance for a Wild Card spot had they kept Chris Sale and Adam Eaton this offseason and made one more attempt at contending. However, he also adds that his ultimate goal of building a perennial contender for White Sox fans and the haul of young talent Hahn & Co. have acquired leaves him with no regrets about the rebuilding decision.
- The Indians‘ acquisition of Jay Bruce could push the injured Lonnie Chisenhall from right field to left field once he’s activated from the DL, writes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Cleveland has a left field vacancy of sorts at the moment due to Michael Brantley‘s ankle injury, and Bastian writes that there’s currently no timetable for Brantley’s return. Per manager Terry Francona, Brantley is still in a walking boot and is still “in the healing stages” of his recovery from a sprained right ankle. Chisenhall has never even played a full inning in left field as a big leaguer, but he made a smooth transition from third base to right field and has graded out as an above-average defender there since 2015, per Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/15/17
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Reds announced this afternoon that outfielder Scott Van Slyke has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Louisville after clearing waivers. Cincinnati designated Van Slyke for assignment last week, making it clear that his inclusion in the team’s return for Tony Cingrani was mostly a financial mechanism. Van Slyke has struggled to a .196/.280/.308 in 161 plate appearances across the past two seasons and has posted a marginal .714 OPS through 221 PAs in Triple-A as well. Van Slyke could have rejected the outright assignment in favor of free agency, but doing so would’ve meant forfeiting the remaining $341K on this year’s $1.325MM salary. If he’s no re-added to the 40-man roster before season’s end, Van Slyke will have the opportunity to elect free agency following the season.
Earlier Moves
- Veteran righty Edward Mujica has been outrighted to Triple-A by the Tigers after clearing waivers, per a club announcement. It is not immediately clear whether Mujica has accepted the assignment; he’d have the right to decline it, or instead to elect free agency at the end of the year. The 33-year-old, an eleven-year MLB veteran, had not seen the majors since 2015 but earned a return with a strong showing at the highest level of the minors. But he was bombed for seven earned runs on 11 hits — including four home runs — in his five outings with Detroit.
- Also outrighted was Reds utilityman Arismendy Alcantara, the Cincinnati organization announced. He’s heading to Double-A, with Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer noting on Twitter that the club’s top affiliate is rather well-stocked with infielders. Alcantara, 25, has appeared in the majors in each of the past four seasons, but has struggled to a .189/.235/.315 batting line with 150 strikeouts in his 459 plate appearances. While he has intrigued at times in the upper minors with a blend of power, speed, and defensive versatility, Alcantara just hasn’t been able to turn the corner in his relatively limited opportunities at the game’s highest level — where his swing-and-miss proclivities have been exposed.
Athletics Acquire Chris Hatcher
The Athletics announced that they’ve acquired right-hander Chris Hatcher from the Dodgers in exchange for $500K in international bonus money. Hatcher’s roster spot will go to infielder/outfielder Rob Segedin, who has been activated from the 60-day disabled list, the Dodgers announced.
The 32-year-old Hatcher has struggled in each of the past two seasons with the Dodgers. However, the converted catcher had success in 2014-15 and also comes with some peripheral stats that are more promising than the 5.12 ERA he’s posted since Opening Day 2016.
Since last season began, Hatcher has averaged 10.1 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 with a fastball that has averaged 95.2 miles per hour. That velocity is down in 2017, as is his ground-ball rate, but Hatcher has also improved his control after an uncharacteristic 4.7 BB/9 rate in 2016.
Hatcher won’t cost the Athletics much, as Oakland is one of several teams that is prohibited from spending more than $300K on any single international amateur after drastically exceeding its pool last year (or the year prior). He’ll give the A’s a reliever with a fair bit of late-inning experience that can be controlled cheaply through the 2019 season. Hatcher avoided arbitration last winter by agreeing to a one-year, $1.25MM contract and will be eligible for arbitration once again in each of the next two offseasons before reaching free agency in 2019-20.
The Dodgers likely deemed Hatcher expendable not only due to his struggles but also due to the manner in which right-hander Brandon Morrow has stepped up and enjoyed a rebound campaign in Los Angeles (2.70 ERA, 11.1 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 in 26 2/3 innings). The Dodgers also deepened their bullpen at the trade deadline by acquiring lefties Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani — further crowding a bullpen mix in which Hatcher proved to be the odd man out.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Marco Estrada Claimed On Revocable Waivers
5:22pm: Toronto manager John Gibbons bluntly told reporters that he doesn’t expect Estrada to go anywhere (via MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm).
“Yeah, but nothing is going to happen,” said the skipper. “We need him. Most guys go through that; most of them probably get claimed anyway. Nothing’s going to happen.” Gibbons went on to indicate that he hopes the front office will work out a deal to bring Estrada back to Toronto in 2018 and beyond, though that’s likely an issue that won’t be addressed until the offseason.
Notably, Estrada is lined up to start tonight’s game, and there’s been no indication that anything has changed in that regard.
2:52pm: Toronto is not all that interested in parting with Estrada, even via trade, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). It remains unknown what team was awarded the claim, though Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets that it’s “believed” an AL East competitor did so.
2:36pm: Blue Jays righty Marco Estrada has been claimed on revocable waivers by an as-yet unidentified team, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). It is not yet known whether he will end up changing uniforms.
The teams will have 48 hours from the point that the claim was awarded to attempt to work out a trade. If no deal can be completed, Toronto will be able to elect whether to allow the other team to take over Estrada’s contract or instead to pull him back. In the latter case, Estrada could not be traded without being exposed again to the waiver wire — this time without the right to revoke. (Click here for more on how August trades work.)
While claims happen all the time without player movement resulting, Estrada seems a particularly plausible candidate to find a new home. Indeed, he placed first on MLBTR’s latest ranking of possible August trade chips. Toronto is still hanging around the fringes of the AL Wild Card race, but has quite a few teams to leapfrog in the standings as well as several key players on the disabled list.
While the team has also emphasized that it wishes to continue fielding a quality product, and also that it may have interest in retaining Estrada past the present season, this waiver claim represents an opportunity to save a big chunk of change and perhaps to add some young talent.
Estrada, 34, is owed $14MM this year before returning to the open market at season’s end. (He won’t be eligible for a qualifying offer after previously having receiving one from the Jays, which led to his current contract.) With about a quarter of the calendar still yet to be played out, there’s about $3.5MM left to pay the veteran righty.
It has been a frustrating season for Estrada, who carries a 4.85 ERA through 135 1/3 total innings. But there are reasons to believe he could be a quality hurler down the stretch. Estrada was excellent last year, has managed 140 strikeouts against just 56 walks on the current season, and has now turned in four consecutive effective outings after a rough stretch for much of June and July. He’s carrying an 11.4% swinging-strike rate that sits above his career average and is showing typical velocity.
Opposing hitters had managed very low batting averages on balls in play against Estrada over recent years, helping to drive his success. But that number has jumped to .305 in 2017, despite the fact that he carries a rather familiar mix of grounders versus flies (0.62), infield pops (15.2%), and hard contact (27.7%). If he can drive the BABIP back down to where it was in 2015 and 2016, Estrada could again make for a strong rotation presence.
Mets To Release Fernando Salas
Aug. 15: The Mets have now requested release waivers on Salas, tweets DiComo. Assuming he clears waivers, Salas will be a free agent in 48 hours.
Aug. 10: The Mets have designated reliever Fernando Salas for assignment, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (Twitter link). His spot will go to newly promoted first base prospect Dominic Smith.
Salas is in his second season with the Mets, who acquired him from the Angels at the end of August last year and saw the right-hander improbably turn into a key component in their run to a wild-card berth. Salas gave the Mets 17 1/3 innings of 2.08 ERA pitching last September and piled up 17 strikeouts against no walks, leading them to re-sign him to a one-year, $3MM over the winter. The wheels have come off this season, though, as the 32-year-old Salas has logged a 6.00 ERA over 45 frames.
The Mets will surely hope a taker comes along for Salas, who has less than $1MM left on his deal. Perhaps some bullpen-needy club will overlook his bloated ERA and focus on more hopeful numbers, including career-best ground-ball (45.1 percent) and swinging-strike (13 percent) rates. Salas has also yielded a lofty .379 batting average on balls in play and managed only a 64.1 percent strand rate, both of which could regress in his favor before the year’s out.