Braves Release Blaine Boyer
The Braves have released right-hander Blaine Boyer, the club announced via Twitter. Boyer was in camp on a minor league contract.
Boyer, 35, posted a 3.95 ERA, 1.53 K/BB and just a 3.5 K/9 over 66 relief innings with the Brewers last season. That low strikeout rate is typical of Boyer’s career (he has just a 5.6 K/9 over 405 1/3 IP during his ten years in the bigs), as he has been a reliable bullpen arm thanks to an ability to induce soft contact and a 51.9% career grounder rate.
If Boyer doesn’t find a job elsewhere, the Braves have left the door open for the veteran to return on another minor league deal, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (Twitter links). Boyer said that the Braves would be his probable choice if he did have to settle for another minors deal, as the Georgia native would be able to live at home while pitching for Triple-A Gwinnett.
5 Key Stories: 3/18/17 – 3/24/17
Here are the top stories from the last week of coverage on MLBTR…
Will Smith to undergo Tommy John surgery. The Giants bullpen took a big hit with the news that Smith will undergo TJ surgery next week, bringing an unfortunate conclusion to the ongoing elbow troubles that have plagued Smith all spring. Smith, acquired from the Brewers at last summer’s trade deadline, was slated to be the top left-handed option out of San Francisco’s bullpen but will now miss all of 2017 and likely the initial part of the 2018 season. The Giants still have Josh Osich, Steven Okert, and possibly Ty Blach as internal southpaw options, though it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants look for another lefty in a trade or on waivers as teams begin making their final Spring Training cuts.
White Sox sign Tim Anderson to extension. The rebuilding White Sox clearly see Anderson as a big part of their future, and the team put that in writing by guaranteeing the shortstop $25MM over the next six seasons. The deal also contains club option years for 2023 and 2024 that could add another $24.5MM to Anderson’s haul. Anderson, the 17th overall pick of the 2013 draft, hit .283/.306/.432 with nine homers in 431 PA last season, finishing seventh in AL Rookie Of The Year balloting.
Indians close to extension with Jose Ramirez. Speaking of AL Central teams locking up key contributors, Ramirez and the Tribe are close to a four-year, $26MM extension that also includes two club option years (worth $11MM and $13MM, respectively). Ramirez’s surprising emergence was a big factor in Cleveland’s run to the AL pennant last season, and the team will now add the versatile 24-year-old to their long list of key players under long-term deals.
Blue Jays close to extension with John Gibbons. Continuing with the extension talk, the Jays have also “basically finished” (in the words of Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi) a new contract with manager John Gibbons. The new deal would keep Gibbons in the fold through 2020, with the Jays holding a club option on the skipper for the 2020 season. Gibbons owns a 644-614 record over his two stints as Toronto’s manager, and has led the Blue Jays to the ALCS in each of the last two seasons.
Rays sign Derek Norris. With Wilson Ramos on the DL until May or June, the Rays decided to bolster their catching corps by agreeing with Norris on a one-year, $1.2MM deal. The fact that Tampa could offer Norris significant playing time (as Ramos will still require a lot of DH time when he does return) reportedly gave the Rays the edge over four other suitors for the catcher’s services.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor MLB Transactions: 3/25/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Astros released left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser, as per Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Riefenhauser signed a minor league deal with the Astros in December. The southpaw has been part of two rather notable trades in his career, going from the Rays to the Mariners as part of the five-player deal that saw Brad Miller and Nate Karns switch teams, and then joining Mark Trumbo in a trade to the Orioles for Steve Clevenger. Riefenhauser has a 6.30 ERA over 20 career MLB innings (with Tampa in 2014-15) and he spent 2016 in the Cubs’ farm system.
NL Notes: Peralta, Aybar, Padres’ Pen, Bradley, Goeddel, Susac
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny suggested Friday that Jhonny Peralta, not Jedd Gyorko, will win the team’s third base job, according to Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s looked as good as we had hoped,” Matheny said of the 34-year-old Peralta, who dealt with a thumb injury last season and slashed a modest .260/.307/.408 in 313 plate appearances. Gyorko posted far superior production last year, when he hit .243/.306/.495 with a team-high 30 home runs in 438 PAs. Nevertheless, it appears he’ll open 2017 as a frequently used utilityman — a role he’s better suited for than Peralta.
Here’s more on some roster situations around the National League:
- It seems that Erick Aybar currently holds the inside track to the Padres‘ starting shortstop job, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. Aybar hasn’t hit much this spring — he’s slashing .273/.319/.318 through 16 games — but seems to be the logical solution barring a trade. Luis Sardinas, meanwhile, is competing for a spot as a utility player, per manager Andy Green. He has spent some time in left field in a bid to enhance his versatility, and will seemingly be jockeying with options such as Cory Spangenberg and Rule 5 pick Allen Cordoba.
- Meanwhile, the Padres are still sorting through a variety of bullpen options, as AJ Cassavell of MLB.com writes. Rule 5’er Miguel Diaz seems to be well-positioned, while either Trevor Cahill or Jarred Cosart will also likely crack the pen if either fails to make the rotation. (The odds of both functioning as starters increased, it seems, with an injury to Christian Friedrich.) Veterans Craig Stammen, Carter Capps, and Kevin Quackenbush are among the notable names also in the running. Capps seems unlikely to be ready in time, per Cassavell, while Quackenbush’s poor showing in camp could result in an assignment to Triple-A.
- The division-rival Diamondbacks have settled on their own starting five, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports. That grouping — Zack Greinke, Taijuan Walker, Robbie Ray, Shelby Miller, and Patrick Corbin — contains no surprises, but manager Torey Lovullo did note an interesting decision on another hurler. Former top prospect Archie Bradley will open the year in the major league bullpen. The 24-year-old has struggled in his MLB opportunities over the past two seasons and has allowed 13 earned runs on 23 hits over 14 2/3 innings this spring. While he could still factor as a long-term rotation possibility — Bradley has produced quality results of late at Triple-A — the club will see whether the move to a relief role helps spur some positive momentum.
- When the Phillies optioned outfielder Tyler Goeddel to minor league camp Friday, they informed him he’d likely start 2017 at the Double-A level, writes Matt Breen of Philly.com. Considering he spent all of last season in the majors, Goeddel isn’t thrilled with his multi-level demotion. “I’m not too happy about that but you can’t control it,” said Goeddel, who hit a meager .192/.258/.291 in 234 PAs as a Rule 5 pick in 2016. With Nick Williams, Roman Quinn and Dylan Cozens set to comprise the Phillies’ Triple-A outfield, there aren’t any openings for Goeddel at that level. Regarding those three, Goeddel stated: “I know who’s at Triple-A with Cozens, Williams and Quinn. But I was still surprised. They hadn’t really told me anything so it was definitely surprising.”
- A neck issue has kept Brewers catcher Andrew Susac out of action for the past week-plus, but an MRI on Friday revealed no structural damage to his trapezius, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Susac will be able to ramp up his rehab as a result, though he’ll still start the year on the disabled list. Milwaukee will open with Jett Bandy and Manny Pina as its top options behind the plate.
Injury Notes: Gray, Scheppers, Friedrich, Cabrera, Baez, Ravin, Smith
The Rockies have perhaps been the game’s most unfortunate team this spring in the injury department, and today delivered another bit of unwelcome news. Key righty Jon Gray left his start after experiencing discomfort in his left big toe, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports on Twitter. It’s certainly far too soon to know whether there’s any real cause for concern in Gray’s case, though the Colorado organization can scarcely afford even a short-term gap in the rotation.
Here’s more on a few other injury situations from around the game:
- Rangers righty Tanner Scheppers left his club’s game today with what the team is describing as “lower core” pain, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. His outlook won’t be known until he undergoes an MRI, but as T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com notes on Twitter, the injury seemingly opens the door for Rule 5 pick Mike Hauschild to make the club. He has impressed in 17 1/3 frames this spring, allowing six earned runs on 15 hits and five walks while recording 15 strikeouts.
- After being diagnosed with a lat strain, Padres lefty Christian Friedrich is slated to open the year on the DL,Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. That takes him out of the competition for the remaining open rotation spots, at least for the time being. Per Lin, that leaves three pitchers fighting for the jobs, with veterans Trevor Cahill and Jarred Cosart trying to hold off youngster Luis Perdomo — the Rule 5 pick who showed so much promise last year.
- The Braves may be without high-powered righty Mauricio Cabrera to start the season, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports. Cabrera, a key cog in the team’s future and immediate bullpen plans, felt some discomfort in his elbow. It’s possible he’ll end up back on track for Opening Day, but the organization will (understandably) be quite cautious, manager Brian Snitker explains. If he does require a DL stint, Bowman says the organization could choose to use the opening to hang onto either out-of-options righty Chaz Roe or veteran minor-league free agent Blaine Boyer.
- Though Dodgers hurler Pedro Baez was able to throw a live BP and seems to be progressing through his thumb injury, the news wasn’t so good for fellow right-handed reliever Josh Ravin, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (Twitter links). The 29-year-old, who has shown well in two brief MLB stints in the past two years but struggled this spring, has suffered a groin strain that’s expected to sideline him for several weeks.
- With all this talk of injuries, perhaps it’s best to end on a positive note. Red Sox righty Carson Smith, who’s on his way back from Tommy John surgery, is moving in the right direction, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports. After Smith’s first pen session, which John Farrell described as “surprisingly good,” the club is hopeful that they’ll welcome him back by June.
Indians Return Rule 5 Pick Hoby Milner To Phillies
The Indians have returned lefty Hoby Milner to the Phillies, per a club announcement. Milner, 26, was taken with the 27th pick in last winter’s Rule 5 draft.
Fresh off of a World Series run, Cleveland obviously would’ve needed to be rather impressed to give the 26-year-old an active roster spot. He did rack up nine strikeouts against three walks in his seven spring innings, though he also coughed up seven earned runs on nine hits.
Milner could factor into the Phillies’ depth plans entering the year now that he’s back in the fold. He did have a rather impressive 2016 season. Despite carrying pedestrian strikeout totals for most of his career to that point, Milner averaged 10.5 K/9 against just 2.1 BB/9 in his 65 frames in the upper minors, with a shiny 2.49 ERA on the year.
Diamondbacks Return Rule 5 Pick Tyler Jones To Yankees
The Diamondbacks have returned righty Tyler Jones to the Yankees, the clubs announced. Taken in the Rule 5 draft, Jones evidently wasn’t going to crack the Arizona active roster; instead, he will head to Triple-A after the Yankees accepted him back.
Jones, 27, enjoyed something of a breakout season in 2016. Working at Double-A Trenton, he turned in 45 2/3 innings of 2.17 ERA ball with an excellent 13.2 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9. That wasn’t enough for New York to put him on the 40-man, but evidently caught Arizona’s eye. The D-Backs took him with the seventh pick in last December’s Rule 5 draft, meaning they needed to keep him on the MLB roster all year to take over his control rights.
Jones didn’t do enough in camp to earn a shot at the majors, but did rack up eight strikeouts without a walk in his 6 2/3 spring frames. With no other organizations electing to take over the Rule 5 rights given up by the D-Backs, Jones will have to try to master the highest level of the minors and wait for an opportunity to open in the Bronx.
J.D. Martinez To Open Season On DL
Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez has been diagnosed with a sprain of the lisfranc ligament in his right foot, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports (Twitter links). He is not expected to re-start baseball activities for at least three to four weeks and will require a cast for seven to ten days.
That’s obviously not the best news for the Tigers, though it’s clearly preferable to a more significant injury. Martinez had been subjected to a stress CT scan to ensure the problem was limited to his ligament. As things stand, it seems he won’t miss too much time early so long as his rehab progresses smoothly.
Detroit is in something of an odd position entering the season: the organization announced its intentions to begin adding youth and trimming payroll costs, but only ended up dealing one veteran (Cameron Maybin) over the winter. As it stands, then, the club remains a plausible contender in the AL Central and continues to carry a variety of expensive players.
Among the core pieces of the current MLB roster, Martinez features as the most obvious potential trade candidate — at least, that is, if the Tigers aren’t in contention at the trade deadline. Martinez, 29, will be a free agent after the year, so Detroit will only be able to secure value in return if it deals him or makes him a qualifying offer at season’s end. (The organization has shown no inclination to engage in extension talks with Martinez this spring.)
Since coming to the Tigers, Martinez has turned himself into one of the game’s premier sluggers. He owns a .299/.357/.540 batting line with 83 home runs over the past three seasons. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently rated Martinez sixth among pending free agents.
Any lost time from Martinez will cost Detroit on the field, though it’s possible his absence could alleviate some immediate roster pressures. The club has been weighing how to handle several out-of-options position players, including outfielders Tyler Collins and Steven Moya as well as infielder Dixon Machado. It’s now plausible to imagine all three cracking the Opening Day roster, though all three have struggled this spring and Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource currently projects Machado to hit the waiver wire.
Detroit will now need to make decisions on need of filling two outfield jobs. In center, Collins could platoon with Mikie Mahtook or JaCoby Jones. With an impressive spring, Alex Presley may now be positioned take over in right, though he has yet to nail down a steady role in the big leagues despite plenty of opportunities over the past seven seasons. And the decision in right could depend upon how the club feels about affording chances to Moya, who was once viewed as a significant prospect.
Giants Release David Hernandez
The Giants have released veteran righty David Hernandez, as Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area was among those to report on Twitter. Hernandez asked to be cut loose upon being informed that he would not crack the active roster to start the season.
Hernandez, 31, always faced an uphill battle to make the club with a variety of righties ahead of him in the pecking order. And he didn’t do enough to impress in his 5 2/3 spring frames, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and three walks while recording four strikeouts.
San Francisco took a shot on Hernandez with a minors deal that would have paid him $1.5MM had he made the roster. Last year, with the Phillies, he worked to a 3.84 ERA over 72 2/3 innings. With a 94.0 mph average fastball and 9.9 K/9 on the year, there were some positives, though he also walked 4.0 batters per nine with a meager 37.3% groundball rate while permitting 1.36 home runs per nine.
Latest On Jung Ho Kang
2:15pm: Pirates president Frank Coonelly has issued a statement in response to the report:
“A Korean news outlet has reported on a purported development in Jung Ho Kang’s effort to secure permission to travel to the United States for purposes of continuing his career as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and added speculation regarding a driving incident in a “third country.”
The facts, as we know them, are that Kang still has not been granted permission to travel to the United States under a work visa. We continue to work with Kang and his representatives to present materials and information to the appropriate parties in the United States government that we believe establish that Kang should be permitted to travel to the United States under a work visa and we remain hopeful that such a resolution will be reached in the near future.
We have no indication that Jung Ho has had a driving incident in a country other than Korea.”
10:49am: Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang‘s status for 2017 remains in question as a result of his December arrest in South Korea on charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. Kang, who admitted guilt in February, earned a suspended eight-month prison sentence March 3 and has been waiting since then to obtain a visa to return to the United States.
According to a report from Naver Sports in Korea, Kang’s visa application has been denied. Further, Kang is “suspected” of drunken driving in a third country (not Korea or the U.S.). If true, that would put Kang’s chances of playing this season in jeopardy, though the 29-year-old has appealed his sentence in hopes of receiving lesser punishment and making it easier to obtain a visa. A decision on that appeal will likely come in the next few weeks, according to The Korea Times (via Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). The Pirates, like Kang, are awaiting an answer on the player’s fate; as a result, they’re unsure whether they’ll receive any contributions from Kang this year.
“Your information is about the same as what I’ve got,” manager Clint Hurdle told MLB Network Radio on Friday. “We are staying in contact with Jung Ho and in contract with his interpreter. We’re focusing on the men we have here. That’s the best I can tell you. We’d love to have him back (but) we don’t have him back. We’re going to adapt and continue to pull … (and see) if this can come to some type of conclusion that’s profitable for both sides down the road.”
While Kang has a history of off-field troubles, including three DUI convictions in Korea and an ongoing investigation stemming from an alleged sexual assault in Chicago last July, his absence would be difficult for the Pirates to deal with on the field. The Bucs do have a quality fallback option at third base in David Freese, but his production hasn’t approached Kang’s dating back to the latter’s emigration from the Korea Baseball Organization in 2015. Kang has been a bargain since joining the Pirates on a four-year deal worth a guaranteed $11MM, having slashed .273/.355/.483 with 36 home runs in 837 plate appearances.
Because the Pirates placed Kang on the restricted list earlier this month, he won’t collect any of his salary for missed regular-season time, nor will he occupy a spot on their 40-man roster.