Free Agent Stock Watch: Wilson Ramos
With 380 outstanding plate appearances under his belt this year, it seems fair to say that Wilson Ramos has finally arrived for the Nationals. And he’s done so at an opportune moment for himself as well as the team, as he’ll hit the open market after the season.
Ramos, who turned 29 just yesterday, has had quality campaigns before, but injuries and inconsistencies had raised questions about his future. Coming into the year, it wasn’t even clear whether the Nats would stake an important campaign on the aptly-nicknamed “Buffalo.” Though he was back at full health last year, Ramos had compiled only a .245/.275/.375 batting line over his prior two campaigns, and the Nationals were often cited as a possible suitor for a new backstop via trade or free agency.
Instead, the team bet on Ramos’s talent, and that decision has paid off in spades. Over his 96 games of action entering play today, Ramos owns a .336/.384/.549 slash with a career-best 18 home runs. Even better, he has done that while improving his strikeout (12.6%) and walk (7.4%) rates. Offseason LASIK surgery was cited as a reason for optimism heading into the year, and it certainly seems as if there’s reason to buy into that explanation. Ramos is hitting the ball hard and on a line more than ever before, which helps to support his .347 BABIP (which does still also point to some expected regression). Plus, as noted above, it’s not as if this outburst comes totally out of the blue. Ramos ran up a .269/.327/.449 batting line over 2011-13, though he only managed 834 plate appearances in that span due to an ACL tear suffered in 2012.
Heyman’s Latest: Yankees, Braun, Miller, O’s, Marlins
In his column for Today’s Knuckleball, Jon Heyman takes a lengthy look at the Yankees‘ rebuilding process, including the numerous deadline deals struck by the club. GM Brian Cashman says that the club would have traded Carlos Beltran to the Red Sox had their offer topped that of the Rangers, but obviously it did not. Per the report, New York was also willing to consider moving Brett Gardner, but “no serious takers” emerged.
Here are some other highlights:
- While the Braves checked in with the Brewers on Ryan Braun before the deadline, talks never progressed — in large part because it didn’t seem worth pursuing given his no-trade clause. As Heyman notes, the six teams that can acquire Braun without his permission are all based upon geographic preference, and it was deemed unlikely that he’d waive his protection for a switch to Atlanta. Braun’s wife is expecting, Heyman notes, and that factor (in conjunction with the no-trade clause) may well explain why trade buzz never picked up on him this summer.
- The Braves also were one of the teams to ask the Diamondbacks about struggling righty Shelby Miller, who famously changed hands between those teams before the season. That deal seemed favorable to the Braves at the time, and looks even better for them now. Arizona was prepared to move Miller, Heyman notes, but never was offered anything close to what was deemed needed to make a deal.
- In August shopping news, the Orioles are looking to add a left-handed reliever, per the report. As Baltimore’s depth chart shows, the club doesn’t have any southpaws in the pen other than ace closer Zach Britton.
- The Marlins are also still looking for pitching this month. Though the team hopes that Wei-Yin Chen can return for the stretch run in September, the team still wants a starter after sending Colin Rea back to the Padres. That move brought back prospect Luis Castillo, who remains a useful trade piece for the club as it pushes hard for the post-season.
- One bullpen piece that is freely available is veteran righty Joe Nathan, who was designated recently by the Cubs. Heyman says that there’s “strong interest” given the solid (albeit quite brief) showing the 41-year-old put on in his brief time in Chicago.
Pedro Strop Diagnosed With Torn Meniscus
Cubs reliever Pedro Strop has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus, the club announced (via Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, Twitter links). He’ll undergo surgery tomorrow, with the expectation that he could be back within four to six weeks.
Under the circumstances, that’s largely a positive outcome for the Cubs, who likely would have lost Strop for the year had he suffered a more significant knee injury. As things stand, he’ll seemingly be back in time for the end of the regular season. Righty Justin Grimm will be recalled to take Strop’s place on the roster for the time being.
[Related: Updated Cubs Depth Chart]
Strop, 31, has been nothing short of outstanding since coming over along with Jake Arrieta in the 2013 deal that delivered Scott Feldman to Baltimore. Over 207 2/3 frames in Chicago, Strop owns a 2.69 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. It has been more of the same this year, as he not only carries a career-best K-BB% (24.9%) but also has drawn grounders on nearly six of ten balls in play.
Losing that kind of productivity from the back of the pen undoubtedly hurts, especially with Hector Rondon dealing with his own medical issues (albeit not as serious). Still, the Cubs just bolstered their relief corps with Aroldis Chapman and are sitting on a 12-game lead in the NL Central. Since Strop will likely be able to keep his arm in shape during his absence, the hope will be that he’ll hit the ground running and be at full strength before the final build-up to the post-season.
Red Sox Outright Sean O’Sullivan
The Red Sox announced today that they’ve activated right-hander Sean O’Sullivan from the 15-day disabled list and sent him outright to Triple-A Pawtucket, thereby removing him from the 40-man roster.
The 28-year-old O’Sullivan had been on the DL with tendinitis in his left knee since early July. He’s pitched in five games for the Sox this season but struggled to a 6.75 ERA in 21 1/3 innings (four starts, one relief appearance). He’s pitched in the Majors in seven of the past eight seasons (2012 being the lone exception) in spite of sub-par results; O’Sullivan owns a 6.01 ERA with 4.4 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 323 1/3 innings at the big league level that have been split between the Angels, Royals, Padres, Phillies and BoSox. He has a career 4.28 ERA in 769 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, though, making him a nice depth option for any team.
O’Sullivan has been outrighted in the past and, as such, has the right to reject this assignment in favor of free agency. However, he’s already accepted an outright assignment with the Red Sox once this season, so there’s a good chance he’ll do so once again, especially at this stage of the year.
Braves Pull Jim Johnson Back After Waiver Claim; Jeff Francoeur Clears Revocable Waivers
Outfielder Jeff Francoeur and right-hander Jim Johnson were both placed on revocable trade waivers by the Braves this week, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, though their placements had very different outcomes. Francoeur cleared waivers and is now free to be traded to any team, whereas Johnson was claimed off waivers and ultimately pulled back after a trade could not be worked out.
[Related: How August Trades work]
Johnson, 33, was somewhat surprisingly not traded prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline, and he’ll now remain in Atlanta for the remainder of the year, it seems. (The Braves could put him back on waivers, but the waivers would no longer be revocable, and an affordable right-hander with Johnson’s results certainly wouldn’t clear.) While the former Orioles closer struggled following a 2015 trade to the Dodgers and got off to a rough start in 2016 after re-signing in Atlanta, he’s been nothing short of excellent since his activation from the disabled list in early June. Since that time, Johnson has a 1.57 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 54.7 percent ground-ball rate in 28 2/3 innings. Considering his $2.5MM salary and those recent results, it’s hardly surprising that he drew interest (or, at least, was claimed by one contender to block others from adding him). Heyman doesn’t specify which club placed the claim on Johnson, but it’s worth noting that the Mets were said to have claimed a reliever earlier this week, and given the lack of news since the reporting of that claim, no deal was reached.
While there’s a school of thought that the Braves should’ve been willing to move Johnson for virtually anything due to his status as an impending free agent, Atlanta clearly didn’t feel it received anything of long-term value before or after the non-waiver trade deadline. And, there’s some benefit to Johnson serving as a steadying force as the team’s interim closer with Arodys Vizcaino on the shelf while providing some leadership for younger arms in the ‘pen. (It’s also possible that the Braves could explore an extension for Johnson, as he’s performed well in each of the last two seasons while wearing their uniform.)
That line of thinking — valuing veteran leadership over fringe prospects or mild salary relief — was reportedly a large factor in the Braves’ decision not to trade Francoeur prior to the non-waiver deadline. Atlanta was said to only be willing to move Francoeur for a legitimate return. While that doesn’t indicate that the Braves were demanding a top 10 type of prospect from the systems of rival clubs, it does suggest that they weren’t willing to move him for what would amount to a warm body that would simply fill a minor league roster spot. The same thinking almost certainly applied to Johnson in this instance.
Francoeur could yet draw some interest from other teams, though a trade doesn’t seem overly likely based on Atlanta’s reported asking price. The 32-year-old has a lackluster .247/.287/.387 batting line on the season overall, though his .280/.320/.432 slash against left-handed pitching could be a genuine asset on a contending club’s bench down the stretch.
Marlins Have Had Internal Discussions About Alex Rodriguez
1:30pm: MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets that a pursuit of Rodriguez is largely dependent on how long Miami expects first baseman Justin Bour to remain on the disabled list. Bour has been out since July 6 with an ankle sprain.
12:41pm: The Marlins have at least had some internal discussions about signing Alex Rodriguez once he is formally released by the Yankees this weekend, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Heyman notes, however, that there’s no real evidence yet that A-Rod’s hometown team will try to sign him. Meanwhile, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson tweets that he was told earlier this week that while a signing shouldn’t be considered likely, it shouldn’t be completely ruled out, either.
Heyman adds that a Rodriguez signing almost certainly wouldn’t be able to happen until after rosters expand on Sept. 1, which makes some sense. At age 41, Rodriguez can’t be counted upon to play defense with any sort of regularity, if at all (he hasn’t taken a single inning in the field this year). As such, dedicating a precious 25-man roster spot to a strict pinch-hitter in the midst of a playoff push would be an ill-advised move. Owner Jeffrey Loria is a Rodriguez fan, Heyman points out, but the Marlins didn’t show any interest in picking up Rodriguez prior to the non-waiver trade deadline.
Rodriguez will be released on following Friday’s game, as the Yankees announced last week. He’ll become a special advisor and instructor within the organization following his release, but A-Rod wouldn’t rule out the possibility of signing with another team if there was interest. With a .203/.251/.355 batting line on the season, he’s looked overmatched at the plate, but he is less than a year removed from batting .250/.356/.486 with 33 homers in 151 games in 2015. He’ll still be owed $25.5MM through the end of his contract at the time of his release, but the Yankees will be on the hook for that sum. A new team would need only pay Rodriguez the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time spent on the roster once he clears release waivers.
Bullpen Help Is On The Way
Burke Badenhop made his Major League debut on April 9, 2008 when he tossed a scoreless inning of relief for the Marlins. In the eight years that followed, he tossed 512 1/3 innings of 3.74 ERA ball with the Marlins, Rays, Brewers, Red Sox and Reds. He’s been a part of four trades (most notably the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis blockbuster), tested Major League free agency and been in more than a dozen Major League and minor league clubhouses. We’re thrilled to have Burke bring some of that unique perspective to a guest post on MLB Trade Rumors.
What does August mean to a bullpen?
August means two things to me. August is time to start prepping for my next amazing fantasy football team (shameless plug, check out profootballrumors.com!) and it’s time to really grind on the mound. Now, it’s important to grind every day of every season, but I found it easier to grind in August. August starts the home stretch. August starts the promise of expanded rosters in September. August is juuuuuust when you can start to see the light at the end of the 162-game tunnel.
To the casual fan, expanded rosters are a time to see that top prospect they’ve heard so much about. For a team, it’s a chance to see how a player’s skills translate to the big leagues. For a bullpen, September call-ups pump new blood at a time you need it the most.
Having extra men out in the ‘pen means there’s much more of a safety net every night. No more having to worry about covering seven innings if your starter gets knocked out in the second frame. Young guys with options can rest easier knowing they won’t be sent to the minors simply because you just played 16 innings that night and need fresh arms for tomorrow. Other relievers with tired arms might be able to grab an extra day of rest. Without these worries, it’s easier to focus on the task at hand. It’s easier to grind.
Now I’m not saying that you should work your hardest in August just to coast in September. That should never be an option. September isn’t a breeze. Your team counts on you to perform regardless of the month of the year or your place in the standings. If you coast, you’re liable to lose your job to one of those guys that was just called up.
A Major League season is impossibly long, though. August is usually a time when a team will play 17 or 20 straight games before having an off day. Seeing September on the horizon just gives you a feeling that you’re going to make it. That everything is going to be ok. That your arm isn’t going to fall off, despite its persistent efforts to do just that. August means that the dog days of summer will soon end. That it won’t be long ‘til you have to find your long sleeves in the back of your locker. August is a time to grind.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NL Central Notes: Strop, Cards, Rosenthal, Iglesias
Cubs setup man Pedro Strop suffered a left knee injury while sliding to make a play on a weakly hit grounder last night and had to be helped off the field, as MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat writes. Strop will undergo an MRI today, at which point the club will know more about the amount of time he’ll need to miss. The Cubs’ bullpen is a bit thin at the moment as it is, with right-hander Hector Rondon dealing with a triceps issue (though Rondon has not been placed on the disabled list). A significant injury to Strop would be a substantial blow to the Cubs’ late-inning relief corps, as Strop has turned in a very strong 2.89 ERA with 11.5 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 59.6 percent ground-ball rate in 43 2/3 innings. His 50 relief appearances trail only Travis Wood for the team lead.
More from the NL Central…
- MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch provides an update on a number of injured Cardinals, noting that left-hander Tyler Lyons‘ season could be in jeopardy. The 28-year-old has been diagnosed with a fracture in his right knee and recently received a platelet-rich plasma injection as part of the treatment. It’ll be another three weeks before he’s evaluated, though, and GM John Mozeliak candidly stated: “I definitely feel like his season may be in question.” Shortstop Aledmys Diaz is back with the team and currently sporting a splint on his fractured left thumb. He’ll meet with a hand specialist next Monday to further establish a timeline for his own return. Meanwhile, right-hander Jordan Walden, who has pitched just 10 1/3 innings as a Cardinal since coming over in the Jason Heyward/Shelby Miller trade, hopes to return in September, though the Cardinals are being more cautious about his potential availability.
- Injured closer Trevor Rosenthal told Jim Hayes of FOX Sports Midwest (video link) that he’s dealing with a “pretty significant” flexor mass strain in his right forearm that has previously not been reported or acknowledged by the Cardinals. (Langosch notes in the above-linked piece that the team has still not confirmed that diagnosis.) Rosenthal is on the disabled list with inflammation in his right rotator cuff and recently received an PRP injection of his own, but the forearm issue, which Rosenthal says may have led to the inflammation in his shoulder, would be a new and possibly greater concern than the previously reported shoulder injury.
- Raisel Iglesias recorded the first save of his big league career on Wednesday, and there could be quite a few more in his future, writes C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He’s stepped it up and I think we’re looking at a role that could be very comfortable for him and something we’ll have to weigh moving forward between starter and reliever,” said manager Bryan Price. Iglesias himself expressed an enormous amount of pride in being asked to take the ball in the ninth inning, explaining through a translator that he was as proud to pitch in that role as he was to be named Opening Day starter for the Reds. Said Iglesias: “I feel really proud because I’ve waited for this moment, this is what I’ve wanted to be on the team, this is what I want to do. I want to be the closer.” Iglesias looked like a highly intriguing rotation candidate entering the season, but a shoulder injury sidelined him for two months, and he’s pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since returning. Since being activated from the DL, Iglesias has a sensational 0.65 ERA with a 31-to-12 K/BB ratio in 27 2/3 innings.
Prince Fielder’s Career Over
At a press conference Wednesday, Rangers designated hitter and first baseman Prince Fielder announced that he will not be able to resume his career after undergoing neck fusion surgery in late July.
“I can’t play Major League Baseball anymore,” said Fielder, who was placed on the DL last month with a herniated disk in his neck before having surgery.
It was the second season in the last three he has had season-ending neck surgery, also having undergone fusion surgery in 2014. There were already questions about whether Fielder would make a full recovery from this second surgery, which could result in restrictions on his flexibility. After playing a solid full season in 2015, Fielder struggled greatly in 2016, batting just .212/.292/.334 with only eight homers in 370 plate appearances, and he has said that he’s suffered symptoms similar to those he battled in 2014, when he hit just .247/.360/.360.
Nonetheless, the end of Fielder’s career comes as a bit of a jolt. He’s only 32, and he’s under contract through 2020 at $24MM per year. Given that Fielder is medically unable to play and not technically retiring, the Rangers will still owe him $9MM per season through 2020, with $6MM annually coming from the Tigers (as per the terms of the trade that brought Fielder to Texas) and $9MM coming via insurance payments due to Fielder’s inability to play. He’ll also remain on Texas’ 40-man roster each offseason through the end of his deal, though the club will be able to free up room during the season by placing him on the 60-day DL.
The Brewers made Fielder the seventh overall pick in the draft in 2002, with Milwaukee likely imagining that he could become a first baseman and fearsome slugger in the mold of his father Cecil. Despite skepticism from some quarters about his body type, Prince quickly emerged as a serious home-run threat, making it to the big leagues in 2005 in his age-21 season. He swatted an NL-leading 50 home runs in 2007 at the tender age of 23, and joined Ryan Braun as dynamic power threat in the middle of Milwaukee’s lineup. Fielder also proved surprisingly durable, missing only one game in total over the five years spanning 2009-2013. Fielder signed his massive $214MM contract with the Tigers prior to the 2012 season before heading to the Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler following the 2013 campaign.
For his career, Fielder clubbed 319 home runs (exactly the number his father hit) while batting an impressive .283/.382/.506 in parts of 12 seasons. He also made six All-Star appearances and finished in the top 20 in league MVP balloting six times.
Fielder’s departure from the sport is the latest in a string of high-profile recent MLB career endings. The Yankees are set to release Alex Rodriguez, who is signed through 2017, and Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira also recently announced he would retire at the end of the season. All three have been among the game’s most prolific sluggers in recent memory.
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal first reported that Fielder’s career was ending. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Astros Designate Carlos Gomez For Assignment
In a stunning move, the Astros have designated center fielder Carlos Gomez for assignment, the team announced. Right-hander Jandel Gustave will come up from Triple-A Fresno to take Gomez’s roster spot.
Gomez’s designation represents a shocking fall from grace for the 30-year-old, whom Houston acquired from Milwaukee last July in a blockbuster deadline deal that also saw right-hander Mike Fiers join the Astros in exchange for four prospects. Two of those prospects – righty Josh Hader (No. 22) and outfielder Brett Phillips (No. 58) – currently rank among Baseball America’s Top 100. The Astros swooped in to land Gomez after the collapse of a trade between the Brewers and Mets, who were set to send righty Zack Wheeler and infielder Wilmer Flores to Milwaukee for Gomez before backing out over concerns regarding Gomez’s hip.
[RELATED: Updated Astros Depth Chart]
Gomez was a sought-after commodity last summer because he had established himself as one of the sport’s most well-rounded outfielders in previous seasons, combining excellence at the plate, on the base paths and defensively. From 2012-14, the former highly touted prospect batted .277/.336/.483 with 66 home runs in 1,686 plate appearances, stole 111 bases and accounted for 16.1 fWAR. Gomez was less effective prior to last season’s trade, though he still slashed a respectable .262/.328/.423 with eight homers in his final 74 games with the Brewers.
Gomez’s career began going off the rails after the Astros acquired him, as he hit a meager .242/.288/.383 in 41 contests down the stretch in 2015. But that line looks appealing compared to the .210/.272/.322 Gomez has compiled this season in 323 trips to the plate. Further, he has swatted only five homers while striking out a career-worst 31 percent of the time (a marked increase over his lifetime 23.1 percent mark) and posting his lowest ISO (.112) since 2010. From an offensive production standpoint, Gomez’s ability to steal bases (he’s 23 of 28 in Houston) is the lone aspect of his game that has continued to be above average since the Astros picked him up.
“It’s not a secret that I’m not doing my job and I’m really disappointed in myself,” Gomez admitted to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (Twitter link).
Continued Gomez, “I still have a long career. I wish the best to this organization, this team” (Twitter link via Mark Berman of FOX 26).
With Gomez now out of the picture, the Astros look primed to turn center field over to defensive whiz Jake Marisnick, though he has never hit particularly well in the majors and is carrying a .225/.265/.337 line across 191 PAs this season. Unless another team takes on Gomez’s salary via trade or claims him on waivers, the Astros will also be responsible for the remainder of the $9MM he’s owed. If he goes unclaimed and Houston releases him, another club could sign Gomez for the prorated league minimum. Of course, that would be an enormous drop for a player who entered the season as a candidate to sign a $100MM-plus deal as a free agent during the upcoming winter. In fact, in his preseason free agent power rankings for 2017, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes forecast a potential $150MM payday for Gomez. His career has since cratered, though, making that type of deal a pipe dream for the Scott Boras client.
Brian McTaggart of MLB.com first reported Gomez’s designation.