Brewers Outright Kirk Nieuwenhuis
The Brewers have outrighted outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis to Triple-A Colorado Springs, per a team announcement. Nieuwenhuis, whom the Brewers designated for assignment Friday, cleared waivers, though he could have elected free agency. He’ll instead stay with the organization and earn a $257K salary in the minors.
Niewenhuis was a useful reserve for the Brewers last season, when the lefty-swinger hit .209/.324/.385 with 13 home runs and eight steals across 392 plate appearances. He also saw time at all three outfield spots and graded well in the field, registering one Defensive Runs Saved and a 5.4 UZR/150. Despite that output over a much larger sample size than this season’s, the Brewers booted the 29-year-old from their 40-man roster after he opened 2017 with a horrid .080/.233/.240 batting line in 30 PAs. Niewenhuis struck out in half of those plate trips – a vast increase over the high K rate (33.9 percent) he posted last year.
In the wake of Starling Marte‘s suspension, the NL Central rival Pirates at least discussed swinging a trade for Nieuwenhuis, but they’ll instead look elsewhere for outfield help. The Brewers, meanwhile, have two outfield-capable reserves, Nick Franklin and Hernan Perez, on their 25-man roster behind starters Ryan Braun, Keon Broxton and Domingo Santana. Slugging first baseman Eric Thames is also an option, while Lewis Brinson, Brett Phillips and Ryan Cordell represent minor league outfielders on Milwaukee’s 40-man. However, a promotion for Brinson, one of the game’s top prospects, isn’t imminent, as Adam McCalvy of MLB.com wrote Saturday.
West Notes: Giants, Rockies, Angels, A’s
Although the Giants have a good relationship with left-hander Madison Bumgarner, their front office isn’t going to forget his dirt bike accident if the two sides negotiate a new contract in the future, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Bumgarner is controllable via eminently affordable team options for both the 2018 and ’19 seasons, after which the three-time World Series champion should be in line to become one of the majors’ richest pitchers. In the meantime, it’s possible the Giants could look to recoup some money from Bumgarner’s current deal in the wake of the off-field shoulder injury that will keep him out for two-plus months; however, Shea notes that doing so would look terrible from a public relations standpoint and could damage the team’s relationship with Bumgarner. Unsurprisingly, general manager Bobby Evans doesn’t seem inclined to quarrel with Bumgarner over money, telling Shea that the 27-year-old ace’s contract is “the least of our concerns.” Rather, the Giants’ “focus is trying to take care of Madison and get him healthy and support him any way we can,” per Evans.
More from the majors’ West divisions:
- The Rockies’ plan when they signed Ian Desmond during the winter was to play him exclusively at first base this year, but Mark Reynolds‘ hot start has them rethinking that idea, Owen Perkins of MLB.com suggests. Desmond hasn’t debuted yet this season because of a fractured left hand, but when the shortstop/outfield option does come back (likely sometime in May), the Rockies might take advantage of his ability to handle multiple positions. When asked if that’s the case, manager Bud Black said “yes,” but he noted that using Desmond at short isn’t under consideration. Colorado has a young starter there in second-year man Trevor Story, though he’s hitting a mere .156/.260/.406 in the early going.
- Angels No. 1 starter Garrett Richards insists there’s no correlation between the elbow injury that kept him out for most of last season and the biceps problem that forced him to the 60-day disabled list Saturday, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. “My elbow and my shoulder have never felt any better,” Richards said. “Why wouldn’t it, with all the rest I’ve had? I am disappointed with how I feel physically. This is like a nagging thing, I guess. We’re going to deal with it as it comes, a day and a time and hopefully come back sooner than later.” Richards has undergone two MRIs, neither of which has shown any structural damage, but the irritated nerve that has caused his biceps issue has healed so slowly that he’ll be on the shelf until at least June. “Nerves have a mind of their own,” he noted. “They regenerate at their own pace.”
- Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray could be one more rehab start away from making his 2017 big league debut, relays Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California (video link). According to manager Bob Melvin, the A’s will “have a decision to make” on Gray after he takes the mound for Triple-A Nashville on Thursday. Gray, who’s on the mend from a lat strain, threw five scoreless, one-hit innings Saturday for Single-A Stockton, saying afterward that he had “no limitations” (Twitter link via Shea).
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pirates, Jays, J. Hamilton, Astros, Tribe
This week in baseball blogs:
- Jays From the Couch interviews Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and Pirates general manager Neal Huntington.
- The Point of Pittsburgh doesn’t expect Pirates outfielder Starling Marte‘s 80-game suspension to affect the futures of Andrew McCutchen or Austin Meadows.
- Off The Bench Baseball ponders Marte’s future (or lack thereof) in Pittsburgh.
- The Unbalanced, in the wake of Marte’s ban, questions Major League Baseball’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
- theScore salutes Josh Hamilton, whom the Rangers released Friday.
- Climbing Tal’s Hill suggests Astros southpaw Dallas Keuchel is returning to ace form.
- Cleveland Indians Perspective wants the Tribe to sign Cuban outfield prospect Luis Robert.
- Camden Depot argues that WAR underrates great relievers.
- Call To The Pen ranks the top 30 second basemen in the majors.
- Chin Music Baseball focuses on the contrasting strikeout numbers of Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts and Twins center fielder Byron Buxton.
- District On Deck writes about resurgent Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman.
- Inside the ‘Zona praises the early season output of the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.
- Pirates Breakdown addresses McCutchen’s return to center field.
- Bunt to the Gap searches for the positives in what has been a dreadful season thus far for the Blue Jays.
- MLB451 looks at the Hall of Fame cases of Bobby Abreu and Lance Berkman.
- The 3rd Man In offers a mock amateur draft.
- Mets Daddy focuses on how first baseman Lucas Duda and second baseman Neil Walker have fared returning from 2016 back injuries.
- MetsMind wonders if the club should sign Walker to an extension.
- Notes From the Sally scouts Braves southpaw pitching prospect Joey Wentz.
- The Runner Sports delves into Yankees left-hander C.C. Sabathia‘s solid start to the season.
- Outside Pitch MLB asks if Madison Bumgarner‘s injury will torpedo the Giants’ season.
- Jays Journal scolds Toronto fans for booing Jose Bautista.
- Sports Talk Philly is pleased with the Phillies’ organizational depth at second base.
- Think Blue Planning Committee takes a look at the Dodgers’ organizational bullpen depth.
- Real McCoy Minor News scouts some of the Athletics’ prospects.
- When Sid Slid has updates on recent performbuances by several of the Braves’ prospects.
- That Ball’s Outta Here says it’s too early to draw conclusions about the Phillies.
- Pinstriped Prospects reports on Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius‘ first rehab game.
- Clutchlings profiles Blue Jays infield prospect Bradley Jones.
- The Runner Sports revisits the injury that derailed then-Astro shortstop Dickie Thon‘s career in 1984 and checks in on Thon’s son, Dickie Joe Thon, who’s an infield prospect with the Cardinals.
- rascalsoftheravine has some uniform change ideas for the Dodgers.
- Rotisserie Duck looks back back on a 1968 set of Topps baseball cards featuring a slew of legends.
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Pirates Looking For Outfielders
The Pirates are looking for outfield help, GM Neal Huntington told reporters (including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). While Huntington likes the Bucs’ current outfield options, the team is still on the lookout for external players to help the fill the void left by the suspended Starling Marte. “If we felt there was something better internally at this point in time, we’d make that move,” Huntington said.
In four games since Marte’s suspension was announced on Tuesday, the Bucs have used Andrew McCutchen in center field, Gregory Polanco in left and a variety of players (Adam Frazier, Jose Osuna and John Jaso) in right. Frazier has been swinging a hot bat this season, though overall, the outfield mix isn’t tenable defensively. (Using converted infielders like Josh Harrison also wouldn’t help matters.) There isn’t much reinforcement available at the minor league level, as Huntington reiterated that top prospect Austin Meadows isn’t going to be promoted anytime soon. As Brink notes, Meadows isn’t hitting well at Triple-A and the Bucs would likely prefer to delay Meadows’ debut for service time reasons anyway.
The rather makeshift nature of the Pirates’ outfield over the last week isn’t surprising considering that the organization was apparently almost as shocked as the rest of the baseball world by the news of Marte’s suspension. “We had no idea, no knowledge that this was coming,” Huntington said, adding that Pirates only learned of the suspension the night before MLB announced the 80-game ban last Tuesday.
Given this surprise factor and the Pirates’ limited payroll capabilities, the team certainly won’t make a rash move to trade for a star outfielder, especially since Marte will be back by mid-July. Looking at the list of available free agent outfielders, Alejandro De Aza and Sam Fuld are potential fits, as left-handed bats are more of a need for Pittsburgh and a player with center field capability is necessary given McCutchen’s declining glovework.
The designated-for-assignment market is perhaps the more interesting avenue of exploration, as Leonys Martin was just DFA’ed by the Mariners earlier today. Martin’s $4.85MM salary is likely out of the Pirates’ comfort zone, though the M’s could cover some of that money or take on another contract in a trade. The Pirates have considered recently-designated Brewers outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (Twitter link). Nieuwenhuis is also a left-handed hitter but doesn’t produce much at the plate, so Biertempfel thinks the Bucs will look elsewhere.
NL West Notes: Span, Maeda, Spangenberg
Here’s the latest from around the NL West…
- Denard Span told CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic and other reporters that he hopes to miss only a few days after hurting his shoulder crashing into the outfield wall last night. Span said he suffered a similar injury in 2012 that kept him on the DL for several weeks, though his current issue doesn’t quite seem as serious, with Span noting that “the good thing is I’ve got range of motion.” Between Span’s injury, Hunter Pence day-to-day with a knee strain and the team’s ongoing need in left field, the Giants are in need of some roster creativity to address the outfield. Manager Bruce Bochy raised the possibility that Brandon Belt could play left (as he is today) in order to get Buster Posey at first and Nick Hundley behind the plate, as Hundley is hitting well. Drew Stubbs could also be promoted from the minors as further outfield depth.
- Kenta Maeda now has an 8.05 ERA through his first 19 innings after another rough start last night, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts still expressed faith in his starter. “We’re definitely going to hang with him. But we’re going to talk through some things, and see what’s best for Kenta,” Roberts told Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters, adding that the Dodgers could potentially skip Maeda’s next start. Maeda has been hampered by a whopping 22.6% homer rate, a lack of grounders and an increase in hard contact (though only from soft to medium contact, by Fangraphs’ calculations). As McCullough, Maeda’s problems actually date back to last season, as Maeda was less effective down the stretch than in the first half of his MLB rookie year.
- With Cory Spangenberg on fire at Triple-A, the Padres may be in a bit of a roster crunch, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell writes. Spangenberg could be called up to take some playing time away from the struggling Ryan Schimpf at third base, though that still wouldn’t give Spangenberg the everyday at-bats the Padres want him to get, plus it also seems early to relegate Schimpf to a part-time role. There’s also a 25-man issue in finding a place for Spangenberg, as the Padres have three Rule 5 Draft picks and three out-of-options players on their big league roster.
Quick Hits: Pedroia, JDM, Greene, Draft, Analytics
Dustin Pedroia will undergo an MRI on his left ankle and knee on Monday, Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Jen McCaffrey and The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham). After suffering the injury on a hard slide from Manny Machado on Friday, Pedroia sat out Saturday’s game and is also not in Sunday’s lineup, as Farrell said the swelling around Pedroia’s lower leg area hasn’t yet subsided. While the MRI is being performed “just to rule anything out,” according to Farrell, it’s worth noting that Pedroia underwent surgery on that same knee to remove part of his meniscus last October.
Here’s more from around the baseball world…
- J.D. Martinez could return from the DL in late April or early May, Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jason Beck). This is the latest in a series of positive reports on Martinez, who suffered a lisfranc sprain in his left foot during Spring Training. The original timeline had Martinez not even beginning baseball activities until mid-April, though the slugging outfielder has been ahead of schedule, including feeling better than expected during light running drills on Friday. The Tigers will reportedly be cautious with Martinez, which isn’t any surprise given the tricky nature of lisfranc injuries and Martinez’s importance to Detroit’s lineup.
- “The rumors of [Hunter Greene] and his family attempting to maneuver his way to the No. 3 pick with the Padres are a poorly kept secret,” Baseball America’s John Manuel writes as part of a mock draft. Greene, a high school pitcher/shortstop, reportedly wants to be a Padre for geographical (Greene is from Los Angeles) and baseball-related reasons, as the Padres’ throwing program more closely matches Greene’s own throwing program. Interestingly, Greene is believed to be shutting down as a pitcher, perhaps in part to lower his draft stock so that Minnesota and Cincinnati pass on him with the first two picks and Greene winds up in San Diego. Then again, the Reds “aren’t afraid to call Greene’s bluff,” Manuel writes.
- Manuel’s piece is well worth a full read, as he details potential needs, leanings, and first-round draft picks for all 30 teams. Sticking with the top of the draft, the Reds “covet” Brendan McKay, the Louisville two-way star who Manuel projects will be taken first overall by the Twins as a pitcher. Then again, Minnesota is also reportedly exploring deals with several players for the first pick, including high school position player Royce Lewis and Virginia first baseman Pavin Smith.
- Teams showed an increased willingness to pay for pitch-framing ability and defense this winter (such as the Twins and Jason Castro) on the catching market, though as Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com notes, there are so many facets to the position that “catching cannot be quantified” no matter how hard teams try. The same could technically be said of any position, though a catcher’s true value is particularly difficult to pin down since the human element of the pitcher/catcher relationship is so important.
Angels Designate Kirby Yates For Assignment
The Angels have designated right-hander Kirby Yates for assignment, the club announced. Righty Brooks Pounders has been called up from Triple-A in a related roster move.
This is the second time this month that Yates has been DFA’ed by the Halos, as the righty already cleared waivers once and was outrighted to Triple-A, only to be recalled yesterday. Yates didn’t fare well in his only appearance for the Angels (allowing two homers in a inning of work), though the team still held on for a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday.
Yates, who turned 30 last month, was originally claimed off the Yankees’ roster last October. The right-hander has a 5.38 ERA over 98 2/3 career innings in the bigs with the Angels, Yankees and Rays.
Athletics Acquire Ryan LaMarre
The Athletics have acquired outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the Angels in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations, as per announcements from both teams. In a related move, the A’s moved right-hander Chris Bassitt to the 60-day DL to create roster space. Los Angeles designated LaMarre for assignment earlier this week when catcher Juan Graterol was acquired in a trade with Toronto. LaMarre, 28, signed a Major League deal with the Halos this winter but began the season at Triple-A.
Originally a second-round pick for the Reds in the 2010 draft, LaMarre has a .267/.345/.381 slash line over 2695 career plate appearances in the minors, plus 27 games in the big leagues with the Reds and Red Sox from 2015-16. He has primarily played as a center fielder during his career, so LaMarre provides the A’s with some versatile outfield depth at the minor league level.
The 60-day DL placement means that Bassitt can’t return to Oakland’s roster under June, even though an early return didn’t seem possible anyway given that Bassitt underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2016. The righty was reported to be making good progress in his recovery as of two weeks ago, though Bassitt is obviously still in need of a lengthy rehab stint in the minors.
Injury Notes: Bumgarner, Span, Hunter, Odorizzi, Locke
There hasn’t been any talk within the Giants organization about filing a grievance against Madison Bumgarner in the wake of the ace southpaw’s dirt bike accident earlier this week, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (subscription required). It isn’t known whether Bumgarner had some sort of contractual clause (as many players do) prohibiting him from engaging in potentially dangerous activities like dirt biking, though if he did, the Giants would technically be within their rights to pursue recouping some of the salary owed to Bumgarner while he is on the disabled list. Then again, as Olney notes, such a tactic “would be incredibly shortsighted and stupid” for the Giants given Bumgarner’s importance to the franchise, not to mention the fact that Bumgarner is already an enormous bargain thanks to an early-career extension.
Here’s the latest on some injury situations from around baseball…
- Denard Span left last night’s game in the second inning after colliding with the wall while making a catch. The Giants outfielder suffered a mild right shoulder sprain and though Span told MLB.com’s Chris Haft and other reporters that x-rays were negative, manager Bruce Bochy said Span may be out of action for a few days. With Hunter Pence also hampered by a knee strain, the Giants may need to make some type of roster move to fill the gaps in their outfield.
- The Rays placed right-hander Tommy Hunter on the 10-day DL with a right calf strain, recalling Chih-Wei Hu from Triple-A to fill the spot in the bullpen. Hunter, who signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay in February, has performed very well in his 8 1/3 innings with the club, posting a 1.08 ERA in 10 relief appearances. Hu, 23, will be looking to make his official MLB debut after five seasons in the minors with the Rays and Twins. Baseball America ranked Hu as the fifth-best prospect in the Rays’ system prior to this season.
- In better news for the injury-plagued Rays, Jake Odorizzi told reporters (including Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times) that he feels ready to return from the 10-day DL after a 36-pitch bullpen session and some running drills. Odorizzi was placed on the DL last weekend due to a left hamstring strain, though the injury wasn’t considered to be too serious. The Rays righty is eligible to be activated on Wednesday.
- The Marlins will probably use Jeff Locke out of the bullpen when the southpaw returns from injury, manager Don Mattingly told reporters (including Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald). Locke gives the Fish another lefty out of the pen, and “We still want — we’ve always talked about having a number of guys who can do multiple innings,” Mattingly said. Locke has been sidelined with biceps tendinitis since early in Spring Training and is getting close to beginning a rehab assignment, Mattingly said, though no more specific timeline was provided beyond the skipper saying that Locke is expected back sometime in May. Locke has primarily been a starter during his six-year MLB career, though the Pirates shifted him to the pen last year in the midst of a rough 2016 season for the left-hander. Pittsburgh non-tendered Locke in December, and he signed a one-year, $3.025MM deal with Miami.
MLBTR Originals
Here is the week’s original content from MLB Trade Rumors…
- Tim Dierkes published the second installment of the MLBTR 2017-18 Free Agent Power Rankings, rating next winter’s top free agents by their earning potential. The power rankings have already seen some movement from the first entry in March, thanks to some strong (and slow) starts from players in their contract years.
- Music, kerfuffles, and eye-popping internet usage bills are some of the topics discussed by right-hander Tim Dillard in his latest Inner Monologue.
- Though a contract extension between Carlos Correa and the Astros may look like something of an unlikely possibility in the near future, Charlie Wilmoth looks at what a potential Correa extension could look like if the two sides did explore a multi-year arrangement.
- MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series continued with Steve Adams breaking down the Indians’ winter moves.
- Almost 54% of MLBTR readers felt that Matt Bush should be the Rangers’ new closer, as Steve Adams broke down the options (Bush, Jeremy Jeffress, Tony Barnette and the ever-popular “other”) in a reader poll. It looks like the Rangers agreed, naming Bush as their first option for the ninth inning, though the club will also use other pitchers in the closer role in order to keep from over-taxing Bush’s shoulder.