Latest On Chase Utley Trade Talks
We heard earlier today that the Angels are looking into a trade for Phillies second baseman Chase Utley. While there are some barriers to a deal there, as there are with other possible destinations, it seems to be one of several viable landings spots. Here’s the latest on the long-time star:
- There is “credible buzz” that the Astros are also involved in pursuing Utley, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com tweets. Obviously Houston has Jose Altuve entrenched at second and can play both Jed Lowrie and Luis Valbuena at third. But Salisbury says that the team could utilize Utley at first and/or the DH slot, where the club is currently struggling to find consistent production. The Astros join five other previously-reported teams with interest, including their primary competition in the AL West.
- Executives involved in the discussions say they expect Utley will end up deciding whether to waive his no-trade protection for the Cubs or Angels, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. It’s not entirely clear whether those two clubs are most appealing to the team or to Utley, let alone what kind of process is being pursued to arrive at a decision.
- The Giants join the Cubs and Angels atop Utley’s preference list, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. As he notes, one major question with San Francisco is the status of Joe Panik, who will presumably slot back in as the regular second baseman when he returns from injury.
Trevor Cahill Opts Out Of Dodgers Contract
Righty Trevor Cahill has exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Dodgers, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports on Twitter. He will head back onto the open market in search of a new opportunity.
Cahill, 27, signed on with the Dodgers organization after being released earlier in the season by the Braves. He had been dealt to Atlanta from the Diamondbacks over the winter.
Over his 34 1/3 frames with Oklahoma City on the year, Cahill worked to a 5.24 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9. Needless to say, he never received an opportunity at the big league level with Los Angeles.
Cahill’s difficulties this season continue a rough stretch of results. Since the start of the 2014 season, and covering his time earlier this year with Atlanta, Cahill has put up 137 innings of 5.98 ERA pitching at the major league level.
While Cahill is playing on a $12MM salary this year, the Dodgers never picked up any piece of that in signing him. Instead, the Diamondbacks ($6.5MM) and Braves ($5.5MM, plus his $300K option buyout for next year) are paying the balance.
Jose Valverde Receives 80-Game Suspension
Righty Jose Valverde has been suspended for eighty games, the league announced today. He was punished for testing positive for stanozolol, a banned performance-enhancing substance.
Valverde played most recently at the Triple-A level in the Nationals organization, throwing 26 1/3 innings of 2.39 ERA ball. He struck out 7.2 and walked 1.0 batters per nine in that span, but ultimately exercised an opt-out clause and took his release. Valverde spent the spring with the Padres but elected free agency when he wasn’t added to the active roster to start the season.
Once the Tigers’ closer, Valverde lost the gig during a rough 2013 season. He opened 2014 with the Mets, but was again cut loose after struggling. All told, Valverde has only thrown forty innings, putting up a 5.63 ERA, since the end of the 2012 campaign.
It already seemed that the 12-year big league veteran could be near the end of the line, particularly given that he had yet to sign since being released nearly a month ago. Certainly, the suspension will make it much more difficult for him to find another opportunity.
John Farrell Diagnosed With Lymphoma; Torey Lovullo To Manage Red Sox For Rest Of Season
Red Sox manager John Farrell announced to reporters today that he has been diagnosed with Stage 1 lymphoma and will begin chemotherapy next week (Twitter link via Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald). Bench coach Torey Lovullo will manage the Sox for the rest of the season in light of this terrible news.
Farrell says that his chemotherapy will last for nine weeks, and there’s “no alternative” to that measure (Twitter links from Lauber). He’s maintaining a positive attitude, though, telling the media, “There’s going to be a good outcome to this.” Tim Britton tweets that the cancer was found earlier this week when Farrell was undergoing surgery to repair a hernia. Farrell added that he has “every intention of coming back” to the Red Sox.
The 53-year-old Farrell has served as the team’s manager dating back to 2013 — a season that saw the former Red Sox pitching coach win a World Series title in his return to Boston. He’s compiled a 218-220 record in the regular season while serving as Boston’s skipper and has also managed the Blue Jays at the Major League level. MLBTR offers our best wishes to Farrell, his family and friends, and the Red Sox organization as he battles the illness.
Orioles Designate David Lough For Assignment
The Orioles announced that they’ve designated outfielder David Lough for assignment and recalled catcher Steve Clevenger from Triple-A Norfolk.
Though defensively gifted, the 29-year-old Lough struggled to a .202/.243/.318 batting line with four homers in 139 plate appearances this season. Lough has posted nice numbers against right-handed pitching in the past, which, paired with his plus glove-work, has made him a nice platoon option in the corner outfield. Unfortunately, he mustered just a .553 OPS against right-handed pitching this season, which contributed to today’s departure from the 40-man roster.
Lough entered the season with one year, 169 days of big league service time and reached two full years just three days into the 2015 campaign. He’s since accrued 128 days of service (he’ll also get service for any time spent in DFA limbo). Any team claiming him off waivers could control him through the 2019 season, but if he ends the season on a big league roster, he’ll probably be arbitration eligible as a Super Two player.
Clevenger, also 29, will return to the Orioles for his second stint this season. He collected five hits in 11 at-bats his first time around with the club and has enjoyed a solid overall season at the Triple-A level. In 301 plate appearances with Norfolk this season, Clevenger has slashed .305/.375/.393 with four home runs and a nearly even strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’ll give the O’s a second healthy catcher on the roster, as Matt Wieters is currently dealing with a hamstring issue, though he’s not on the disabled list at this time.
Braves Claim Danny Burawa From Yankees
The Braves announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Danny Burawa off waivers from the Yankees (Twitter link). Burawa will head to Triple-A Gwinnett for the time being.
The 26-year-old Burawa made his big league debut with the Yankees this season, yielding four runs in two-third of an inning. He’s had a nice season at the Triple-A level, however, notching a 2.55 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in 49 1/3 innings. Baseball America ranked Burawa 31st among Yankees farmhands this offseason, and Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs mentioned him in his writeup of the Yankees’ system as well. The 6’2″, 210-pounder can run his fastball up to 96 mph but is inconsistent with his slider and splitter — both of which look like above-average offerings on occasion.
A’s Designate Taylor Thompson For Assignment
The Athletics announced on Friday that they have designated right-hander Taylor Thompson for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Brad Mills, whose contract will be selected from Triple-A so that he can start tonight’s game.
The 28-year-old Thompson hasn’t pitched in the Majors this year and has just 5 1/3 big league innings total throughout his career, all of which came with the White Sox in 2014. He’s spent most of the season on the 60-day DL due to a shoulder strain, though he was recently activated and began pitching at Class-A Advanced before moving up to Triple-A. The results haven’t been great, as Thompson allowed seven runs in 8 2/3 innings with a 10-to-5 K/BB ratio.
Braves Sign Edwin Jackson To Major League Deal
The Braves announced that they have signed right-hander Edwin Jackson. The Legacy Agency client will receive a Major League contract, and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that he will step directly into the big league bullpen. The Cubs released Jackson earlier this year.
Jackson, 31, was released midway through the third season of a four-year, $52MM contract signed prior to the 2013 campaign. The contract went south for the Cubs almost immediately, as Jackson’s first year with Chicago resulted in a 4.98 ERA over 175 1/3 innings. Things worsened for Jackson in 2014, when he finished the season with a sky-high 6.33 ERA in 140 2/3 innings.
Jackson spent the 2015 season as a reliever with the Cubs, working to a solid 3.19 ERA with 6.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 45.3 percent ground-ball rate. A good deal of that work came in low-leverage situations, but the results were positive nonetheless, and his fastball velocity remained very solid, averaging 94.2 mph upon moving to a relief role.
Angels “Exploring Possibility” Of Chase Utley Trade
The Angels are “exploring the possibility” of a trade for Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, reports Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (All Twitter links). However, as Gonzalez notes, the Angels don’t feel they have a great deal of roster flexibility, as they don’t see an easy call to option or designate for assignment in order to clear room. Gonzalez adds that the extent of the Angels’ interest isn’t clear, especially with Johnny Giavotella hitting well this month, although Utley could see some reps at first base in Anaheim as well.
Utley’s still owed about $4.43MM this season, plus a $2MM buyout on a club option that will not automatically vest, as he’ll fall shy of 500 plate appearances required for that guarantee to trigger. The 36-year-old has already cleared waivers, making him eligible to be dealt to any team, but his 10-and-5 rights are still in effect, giving him the power to veto any trade of which he does not approve. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported yesterday that Utley was seeking a guarantee of playing time in any trade.
The 28-year-old Giavotella has somewhat surprisingly held down the Angels’ second base gig all season, hitting .271/.320/.359 along the way. Defensive metrics peg him as sub-par at second base, however, leading both rWAR and fWAR to value him as little more than a replacement-level option when combined with his slightly below-average bat. Of course, there’s no guarantee that Utley would provide a superior alternative, as he hit poorly all season before landing on the DL for more than a month. He’s 7-for-17 since being activated, but that does little to nothing to erase his earlier woes.
Some may question the aforementioned lack of roster flexibility on the Angels, but the team clearly feels committed to keeping Rule 5 pick Taylor Featherston on the roster despite the absence of offensive production (.126/.181/.195). Shane Victorino hasn’t hit since his acquisition, but he does have just 27 plate appearances with the Halos and would figure to have a lengthier leash than that. Matt Joyce has struggled at the plate all season long, but he’s on the disabled list due to concussion symptoms as opposed to occupying a spot on the active roster.
Heyman’s Latest: Jays, Goldschmidt, Teheran, Chen, Epstein, Gordon, Gray
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports kicks off his weekly Inside Baseball column by chronicling the efforts of Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline. Perhaps most interesting are some of the items about trades the Jays elected not to make. As Heyman notes, the Reds asked for right-hander Marcus Stroman in exchange for Johnny Cueto, but Stroman was a deal-breaker in all trade talks with Toronto. Dating back to the offseason, the Blue Jays considered signing Craig Breslow, Joba Chamberlain, John Axford and Rafael Soriano, as well as some larger names, including David Robertson, whom they considered “closely.” (Toronto never made a firm offer to Robertson, though, Heyman writes.) The Blue Jays’ willingness to include Daniel Norris in a trade for David Price effectively shut every other team out of the market, per Heyman, as others weren’t willing to discuss their absolute top prospects. The Yankees, for instance, wouldn’t part with Luis Severino, while the Dodgers steadfastly refused to part with Corey Seager or Julio Urias.
More highlights from the article (which is worth checking out in its entirety, as there’s far more than can be recapped here with any form of brevity)…
- Paul Goldschmidt is under team control through 2019, but the D-Backs will attempt to extend him further this offseason, per GM Dave Stewart. “We want to make him a lifetime Diamondback,” Stewart told Heyman. I imagine the price tag there will be extraordinary, as Goldschmidt has gone from rising talent to unequivocal superstardom since signing his initial extension with Arizona. Heyman also reports that the D-Backs will take a shot at extending the arbitration-eligible A.J. Pollock. While not a household name, Pollock probably earns my personal vote as the most underrated player in baseball.
- The Braves have been making an effort to shed contracts that reach beyond the 2016 season, and Heyman writes to “look for them to take offers on Julio Teheran” this offseason. Clearly, Atlanta would be selling low on a talented arm that comes with a very reasonable contract. Teheran signed a six-year, $32.4MM extension prior to the 2014 season, but he’s logged a 4.57 ERA due in part to diminished control in 2015.
- The Orioles will make left-hander Wei-Yin Chen a qualifying offer this winter, Heyman reports. Chen might not seem like a prototypical QO candidate, but he’s a lock to turn it down, in my mind, coming off a very nice season at age 30. He should draw pretty significant interest this winter, as MLBTR’s Jeff Todd recently noted in examining Chen’s free agent stock.
- Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein is up for an extension at an excellent time, as the Cubs’ rebuild looks to be paying tremendous dividends. Epstein has been earning about $4MM per year with the Cubs, but Heyman hears from some in the industry that the expectation is for Epstein to top Andrew Friedman’s reported $7MM annual salary with the Dodgers if and when he signs a new deal.
- Despite a poor season for the Reds, there’s a sense among some that they may keep manager Bryan Price. The second-year Reds skipper has had to deal with the losses of Devin Mesoraco, Zack Cozart and Homer Bailey, among many injuries to others in 2015.
- There’s been some buzz about the Tigers trimming payroll, but Heyman spoke to multiple sources close to the situation who say that talk might be overstated. One spoke specifically about the Ilitch family’s continued commitment to winning. Heyman speculatively mentions Justin Upton as a player that has previously piqued Detroit’s interest. He also lists the White Sox as a team that may show interest in Upton.
- The Royals are serious about trying to make Alex Gordon a lifetime member of the organization. It’ll be tough for Kansas City to do so if he’s seeking something in the vicinity of Shin-Soo Choo money ($130MM), but the increased revenue they’re receiving from the Kansas City baseball renaissance could allow them to spend more than they would’ve in previous seasons.
- The Dodgers have interest in Johnny Cueto as a free agent, and adding a right-handed arm does intrigue them. Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-jin Ryu and Julio Urias (expected to eventually join the L.A. rotation) are all left-handed, as is fellow offseason target David Price, whom Heyman terms a “more obvious target” for Friedman & Co.
- The Brewers are serious about trying to emphasize analytics with a new GM hire, as the Attanasio family (the team’s owners) are big believers in the growing statistical trend. Mark Attanasio’s son, a former basketball player, is an MIT grad with a strong foundation in basketball analytics. John Coppolella, Thad Levine, David Forst, Mike Hazen, Billy Eppler, Michael Girsch and Jerry Dipoto are among the names that Heyman feels could be fits in Milwaukee’s GM seat.
- “Not happening. Not even slightly,” was the response from Athletics general manager Billy Beane when asked by Heyman about the possibility of trading Sonny Gray this winter. That’s a pretty emphatic denial, and while some will recall similar comments made about Josh Donaldson last October, those came from an anonymous executive as opposed to an on-record denial from Oakland’s top decision-maker.