Andrew Miller Suffers Chip Fracture In Right Wrist
7:08pm: Miller has a chip fracture in his right wrist, Curry tweets. He will see a hand specialist to determine the best course of action to treat it.
4:39pm: Miller has undergone X-rays and they came back negative, Jack Curry of YES tweets. Miller still has to have a CT-scan.
3:03pm: Yankees reliever Andrew Miller left today’s action after taking a comebacker to his right wrist. It has been diagnosed as a bruise for now, but Miller is headed for further testing, as George A. King III of the New York Post was among those to tweet.
With Aroldis Chapman out for the first thirty games of the season, Miller was expected to reprise his closing duties from a year ago. The high-powered lefty has firmly established himself as one of the game’s very best relievers, and any absence would certainly tell. Of course, the Yankees also have yet another top-quality pen arm in Dellin Betances.
It’s obviously far too soon to know the prognosis, and the injury is far less worrisome than had it been to his opposing hand. But with Opening Day less than a week off, even a brief absence could well require a trip to the DL.
Braves Sign Drew Stubbs To Minor-League Deal
The Braves have signed outfielder Drew Stubbs to a minor-league deal and invited him to what remains of big-league camp, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (Twitter links). Stubbs is represented by Lagardere Unlimited.
The Rangers released Stubbs earlier this week after he exercised his opt-out. He struggled with the Rockies and Rangers last year, batting .195/.283/.382 in 140 plate appearances, and he hasn’t hit well overall in his career, generally struggling to hit for average. He is only 31, though, and has a decent track record of providing valuable center field defense and a bit of home-run power.
Bowman notes that the deal could lead the Braves to re-think their outfield depth situation. Bowman also says Jeff Francoeur‘s job on the big club is seemingly “safe,” though, and the Braves have what looks like a crowded outfield picture, with Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Hector Olivera, Michael Bourn and Francoeur, along with Emilio Bonifacio and Kelly Johnson, who can also play other positions. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets, however, that he expects the Stubbs deal will lead to Bonifacio’s departure from the organization. Bonifacio is signed to a big-league deal that will pay him $1.25MM.
Minor MLB Transactions: 3/30/16
As we near the end of Spring Training, it’s a big day — if you can call it that — for minor moves. Here’s the latest from around the league.
- The Royals have released outfielder Travis Snider, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. They had signed Snider to a minor-league deal after he hit .232/.313/.350 with the Orioles and Pirates last year. He had been looking to compete for a bench job.
- The Royals have also re-signed righty sidearmer Peter Moylan to a minor-league deal, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. The 37-year-old came back to pitch for the Braves last season after having Tommy John surgery, and the Royals signed him to a minor-league deal only to release him earlier this week to avoid paying him a retention bonus.
- Third baseman Will Middlebrooks could have refused to let the Brewers send him to the minors, but he’s accepted an assignment to Triple-A Colorado Springs, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel tweets. Middlebrooks hit .212/.241/.361 in 255 plate appearances last season for San Diego and did not win a job with the Brewers out of Spring Training.
- The Marlins have re-signed utilityman Don Kelly to a minor-league deal, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. The Marlins had released Kelly yesterday, likely to avoid paying him a $100K retention bonus as an Article XX(B) free agent. The longtime Tigers bench piece played sparingly in the Marlins organization in 2015.
- The Marlins also released first baseman Tommy Medica today, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. Medica played in 102 games with the Padres in 2014, but did not play in the big leagues last year, instead batting .259/.314/.364 in 363 plate appearances for San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.
- The Tigers have re-signed veteran infielder Casey McGehee to a minor-league deal, tweets MLB.com’s Jason Beck. They had released him this week. As with Kelly and Moylan, McGehee would have been owed a retention bonus. McGehee struggled with San Francisco and Miami in 2015, batting .198/.264/.274 in 258 plate appearances.
- White Sox righty Kameron Loe has received an 80-game suspension for PEDs, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes (Twitter links). Officially, Loe tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone metabolite and methasterone. He says on his Twitter account that he was caught taking an unapproved product he bought at a nutrition store. Loe was also suspended 50 games last year, although that was for a “drug of abuse,” not for PED use. He pitched in the independent Atlantic League in 2015 before signing a minor-league deal with Chicago.
- The Rays have released first-baseman-turned-knuckleballer Dan Johnson, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 36-year-old Johnson, who briefly played for the Cardinals last year, had been trying for a sort of second career as a pitcher after years spent as a slugger on the fringes of the big leagues.
AL Notes: Furbush, Blue Jays, Athletics, Rangers, Holaday
Mariners southpaw Charlie Furbush is undergoing a blood injection therapy to his shoulder in hopes of speeding his recovery, MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports, but he might not return to action for “several months.” Furbush suggested that he could resume throwing in about three weeks’ time, but given his rotator cuff issues last year and continued difficulties, it certainly seems likely that the club will bring him along cautiously.
Here’s more from the American League:
- We checked in earlier today on Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion, as he’s not expected to engage in further contract talks before the season starts. Jon Heyman of MLB Network joins Ben Nicholson-Smith in reporting that there’s nothing scheduled with Encarnacion (Twitter link).
- Heyman also adds on Twitter that Jose Bautista could be willing to consider a four-year arrangement to stay in Toronto, despite his ask of five or even six years in an extension. Of course, that would be at a superstar rate of pay — Heyman suggests $30MM annually. The club, meanwhile, is believed to be interested in a three-year pact that might looking something like the Yoenis Cespedes deal.
- The Athletics could continue to hold contract talks with outfielder Josh Reddick into the regular season, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports. (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle noted yesterday evening that talks between the two sides were “percolating a little bit.”)While previous indications were that there’d be a deadline at the end of the spring, it appears there’s a willingness to keep talking if negotiations are showing sufficient promise of completion. If a new deal can’t be struck, Reddick will reach free agency after the season. He currently sits at sixth among pending free agents on the pre-season power rankings by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes.
- Athletics righty R.J. Alvarez underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Alvarez was roughed up in his twenty MLB innings last year and has yet to harness his command, but has generated some whiffs with his mid-90s fastball and slider combo.
- The Indians have shifted Trevor Bauer into the bullpen to open the season, as Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal was among those to report. That leaves Cody Anderson and the just-extended Josh Tomlin as the four and five starters as things get underway. As Lewis notes, both Bauer and Anderson have displayed significant increases in their fastball velocity this year. Both president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona emphasized that Bauer remains in the rotation picture and will play a significant role — indeed, he had strong results this spring — but it’s certainly an interesting decision on a highly promising player who has yet to fully settle in at the major league level. It bears noting that the 25-year-old is all but certain to qualify as a Super Two after the season, so any loss of innings could have a significant impact on his future earnings.
- Injured catcher Chris Gimenez will suit up for the Rangers on Wednesday in a “last-ditch effort” to make the team, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram tweets. Gimenez currently appears to be on the outside looking in after the Rangers acquired Bryan Holaday from the Tigers. The catcher will now have to make a big impression on team brass while dealing with an infected left leg.
- At one point, the Tigers would have asked for catcher Brett Nicholas and more for Holaday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. However, the Rangers were able to acquire Holaday while hanging on to Nicholas. Instead, they parted only with right-hander Myles Jaye and catcher Bobby Wilson. Meanwhile, Detroit plans on slotting the newly-acquired Jaye in their Double-A rotation, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. In the long term, he says, the club believes that Jaye can be a major league reliever.
Pirates Notes: Nicasio, Luebke, Hurdle
Juan Nicasio has made the Pirates’ rotation, according to various reporters, including MLB.com’s Adam Berry (on Twitter). That means Nicasio will join Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Jon Niese and Jeff Locke, and veteran Ryan Vogelsong — who had been competing with Nicasio for the last rotation spot — will head to the bullpen. It’s been an interesting spring for Nicasio, who struggled with control while pitching for the Rockies and Dodgers in recent years but whiffed 24 batters against just five walks in 15 innings of Spring Training action. The Pirates will see if he can join a long line of hurlers who have rejuvenated their careers in Pittsburgh. Here’s more on the Bucs.
- It was previously reported that lefty Cory Luebke‘s opt-out was yesterday, but it’s actually today, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. That means the Bucs will have to decide today whether Luebke has made their bullpen. It appears likely he will after a spring in which the previously injury-ravaged Luebke earned praise for his stuff, including a 94-MPH fastball and hard breaking ball.
- The Pirates appear to be pursuing a new model for their starting pitching reclamation projects, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Previously, they looked for pitchers with good fastballs and the ability to get strikeouts, and tried to help them with their command. But Vogelsong and Niese don’t fit that model, Sawchik notes (although it certainly looks like Nicasio does). “Jonathan might be of a different style than pitchers we acquired in the past,” says GM Neal Huntington. “But if you only stick to (one model) especially at the major league level, especially given how the market has evolved, you are really going to limit your options.”
- Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chronicles the baseball career of Bucs manager Clint Hurdle, which he began as a phenom with the Royals. Hurdle was mostly a bust as a player, and he fought a long battle with alcoholism, but he reemerged on the other side as a manager and is now one of the game’s most respected.
Phillies Release, Re-Sign Edward Mujica
WEDNESDAY: The Phillies have announced that they’ve re-signed Mujica to a minor-league deal. He will report to minor-league camp later this week.
TUESDAY: The Phillies have released veteran righty Edward Mujica, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to report on Twitter. Mujica had been in camp on a minor league deal and seemed to have a solid shot at earning a late-inning role.
As an Article XX(B) free agent, Mujica would have been due a roster bonus if kept in the minors to open the season. But he forced the issue by triggering an opt-out provision in his contract — which would have paid him $2.5MM at the MLB level.
Mujica, 31, was long a sturdy pen option. He timed his entry onto the free agent market well, putting up a strong 2013 season — 2.78 ERA; 6.4 K/9 against 0.7 BB/9; 37 saves — before joining the Red Sox. But he’s largely disappointed since. Over 107 1/3 frames in the last two seasons, in Boston and in Oakland, Mujica owns a 4.28 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. Long balls, in particular, have been an issue.
There’s little question that Mujica will draw interest from other organizations. Indeed, he’s generated solid results this spring. In his 8 1/3 innings, he allowed two earned runs on just four hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Jordan Walden To Miss Start Of Season
Cardinals reliever Jordan Walden experienced shoulder soreness while pitching in a Spring Training game today and will not be ready for the start of the season, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes. Walden will visit a doctor instead of going north with the team. Walden missed most of 2015 due to a rotator cuff injury, but was reportedly healthy coming into camp.
When healthy, Walden can be a difference-maker out of the bullpen — in 2014, before heading to St. Louis in the Jason Heyward / Shelby Miller trade, he posted a 2.88 ERA, 11.2 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 50 innings with the Braves. He was only able to pitch 10 1/3 innings in his first season with the Cardinals, however, not appearing in a game again after April 29.
With Walden out, the Cardinals will have an additional spot open in their bullpen. Goold names Matt Bowman (a Rule 5 pick from the Mets organization who worked as a starter in Triple-A last year) and Juan Gonzalez as pitchers who now might be on the roster bubble.
MLBTR College Series: Reds GM Dick Williams (University of Virginia)
MLBTR is beginning a series where we interview top baseball executives about their college years. We’ll ask about why those chose their school, memorable moments, their favorite professor, important connections made, college learnings they still use today, etc.
Leading off the question-and-answer series is Cincinnati Reds Senior Vice President/General Manager Dick Williams – a graduate of the University of Virginia.
* * * * *
First off, sorry about the basketball game Sunday. Why did you choose Virginia?
“I’m still reeling from the loss. Feel free to put that in the article. It was tough. I was so bummed. It’s been a while since we’ve gone to the Final Four. Why Virginia? It’s tough to pinpoint exactly. I went to boarding school in the northeast and I loved it. After two years in the northeast, I thought I would try a different part of the country. I’ve always been a bit of a wandering soul, and I wanted to try something new. So I applied to some northeastern schools, but I also applied to schools in the southeast and on the West Coast. I kind of had it in my mind that I was going to try a new part of the country.
The real tipping point was that I was a finalist for an award called the Jefferson Scholar, and they award a handful of these each year to incoming freshman. It’s a prestigious academic leadership award. They invite the finalists down their senior year to participate in a multi-day forum. They interview you and they have you participate in activities … and take tests … and they observe you. Then they award the scholarships for the next year. I didn’t get picked as a Jefferson Scholar, but I got to go down there for three days in March of my senior year in high school. And I spent three days on the Charlottesville campus – which was more than I spent on any other college visit. I think I just got more familiar with it. It didn’t hurt that it was St. Patty’s Day while I was there, so they had all these fraternity parties and all of the social activity going on. This beautiful campus … it was spring … it was gorgeous … and we’re just running around having the time of our lives. I really got a good feel from being there. I think that just gave it a leg up over other great schools that I was looking at. I think going there for that long weekend made all the difference.”
Although you weren’t selected a Jefferson Scholar, you did decide to go to UVA. Did you end up going there on an academic scholarship?
“They have another program called the Echols Scholars, and that’s for the top incoming freshmen academically. It is not a monetary scholarship. What it allows you to do is it gives you academic freedom when you get there. And I was an Echols Scholar. It gives you priority to sign up for any classes. Instead of classes based on age or what your major was, if you were an Echols Scholar, you got a free pass into any class you wanted to take. That really shaped my experience there, because I made it a point of trying to take classes in every discipline. I took a class from the engineering school. I took classes from the nursing school. I took classes from the architecture school. I did a little bit of everything – just because I was given that freedom. You didn’t have to meet typical major requirements as an Echols Scholar. You could build your own field of study. So you could really spread it around, and I took full advantage of it. I just took a lot of things that interested me that I would never get a chance to study again. When I look back on my transcript, it wasn’t all finance or all politics. It really was a melting pot of things I was interested in.”
So, what was your major?
“Well, my diploma says Echols Scholar Interdisciplinary Studies. So I had to explain that in job interviews for years. Just telling people that I really didn’t have a major. But I majored in being a liberal arts student – taking a little bit of everything.”
Looking back, should you have focused on a specific major – or are you comfortable with the route you took?
“I’m really comfortable with the route I went. I loved doing it the way I did. And when I got out of college, I went right into investment banking on Wall Street – and they put us through a training program of accounting and finance. I had a very good base in that. I learned plenty there and on the job. I ended up getting my chartered financial analyst designation – my CFA – a few years later, and that was self-study. Once my career took me on a path, then I began to do a lot of that follow-up work on my own.”
Did you have a favorite class or favorite professor?
“I would have to say my favorite class was what they called ‘Bice Psych.’ Professor Bice. Everybody took that. It was Intro to Psychology. Every class was like a Broadway show. He always brought something very interesting to class. A lot of practical examples. A lot of funny stories. A lot of interactive exhibits. It also didn’t hurt that it was a pretty easy ‘A’ … For me, you got out of high school and you get to college – and you don’t know what to expect. I received some good advice to sign up for this class. It reminded you that academics could be fun and interesting. Not every class was big textbooks that you can’t read and worrying about copying down notes. ‘Bice Psych’ was like going to recess.”
Can you share any memorable moments from your college days?
“I went abroad for a semester. I went to Australia; that was one of my formative experiences. I had a great time going down there. It’s kind of different being on the other side of the world. It was more about the travel and being able to travel around Australia and New Zealand. I kind of cheated a little bit … I went abroad, but there was no language barrier. That made it easier to meet people.”
Any college learnings that you utilize today?
“Statistics and probability – I took them there and really got a good understanding of them. I was surprised at how much that played into my business career, both in baseball and investment banking. Just the foundation for statistics and probability. It really affects everything you do in your daily life.”
Keep reading after the break for more …
Braves Release Alex Torres
The Braves have released lefty Alex Torres, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. Torres had looked likely to take a bullpen role after Atlanta signed him to a minor-league deal in December, but it appears the Braves didn’t like what they saw in Spring Training, and they ended up dealing for fellow lefty Eric O’Flaherty instead. “Just not a good fit,” says GM John Coppolella of the match between Torres and the Braves.
Torres allowed five runs, four earned, while striking out seven batters and walking five in eight innings of work this spring. Last season, his 3.15 ERA with the Mets obscured a growing walk rate — he allowed 3.1 batters per nine innings and struck out three times as many batters as he walked in a highly effective 2013 with the Padres, but that walk rate went to 5.5 in 2014 and 6.8 last year.
Rays Inform James Loney He Won’t Make Opening Day Roster
Rays first baseman James Loney has been informed that he won’t make the team’s Opening Day roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). He has been informed he’ll either be traded or released.
Loney is owed $8MM this year in the final season of the three-year pact he signed to return to Tampa Bay before the 2014 campaign. He was displaced by the team’s addition of several players, including fellow left-handed hitters Logan Morrison and Corey Dickerson, over the winter.
It remains to be seen whether the Rays can find a taker for any of that salary, though the failure to do so thus far suggests it may not be a viable option.
Though he’s a high-average hitter, Loney doesn’t draw a ton of walks and doesn’t have much pop. His production at the plate has tailed off in each successive year he’s been with the Rays, and he hit at a below-average clip (.280/.322/.357) in an injury-limited 2015 season. Loney has traditionally rated well with the glove, though metrics have seen him as very slightly below average in the last two seasons.