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The Opener: Woo, Gallo, Angels

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We kicked off the morning with a trade of note between the Dodgers and Blue Jays, but here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Woo undergoes MRI:

Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo was set to start last night’s game against the White Sox but ended up a late scratch due to what the club described as a “right forearm issue.” As noted by MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer, the M’s are hopeful Woo will be able to avoid a trip to the injured list, although manager Scott Servis acknowledged to reporters yesterday that an IL stint may end up being necessary. If Woo does require a trip to the shelf, it would be a frustrating turn of events for the Mariners as the young righty has been dominant when healthy enough to take the mound this year, with a 1.06 ERA across six starts. As for possible replacements, lefty Jhonathan Diaz stepped in for Woo last night and allowed three runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings of work. It’s possible the club could stick with Diaz or opt to utilize right-hander Emerson Hancock, who has a 5.24 ERA in seven starts this season.

2. Gallo to the IL:

Nationals first baseman and outfielder Joey Gallo appears to be headed for the injured list today, as manager Dave Martinez told reporters (including Andrew Golden of the Washington Post) yesterday that Gallo “pulled” his hamstring during last night’s game and that the club will need to make a roster move today to replace him. It’s been a tough season for Gallo, who is striking out at a hefty 43% clip while failing to make up for the lack of contact with his usual amount of power. While Gallo sports a career .263 ISO (slugging minus batting average) and a .241 figure from 2021-23, his ISO this year is just .157. With Gallo seemingly headed to the shelf, Joey Meneses could get a larger share of playing time at first, and infielder Trey Lipscomb could also be called up to pitch in at first.

3. Angels dealing with day-to-day injuries:

Two Angels players suffered injuries during yesterday’s loss to the Diamondbacks, leaving their status up in the air. Outfielder Taylor Ward was removed from the game in the eighth inning due to what the team described as “lower back tightness,” while catcher Logan O’Hoppe was pulled from the game two innings prior after being struck in the groin area by a foul ball off the bat of Arizona outfielder Randal Grichuk. O’Hoppe was down for several minutes due to the pain but was eventually able to walk off the field on his own accord.

Fortunately, the Halos appear to have escaped major injuries with both players; Ward told reporters he hopes to be back in the lineup as soon as today, while O’Hoppe indicated that he’s unlikely to play today but was cleared of major injury. If the pair end up needing a few days, Matt Thaiss figures to cover for O’Hoppe behind the plate while Kevin Pillar and Mickey Moniak would likely get extra time in the outfield in Ward’s absence.

Jordan Montgomery Reaches 10 Starts, Unlocks 2025 Player Option

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Jordan Montgomery took the ball for the Diamondbacks tonight in their series opener against the Angels. It’s the tenth start of the season for the left-hander, an expected but notable threshold. It officially unlocks a 2025 player option in his contract with a base value of $20MM.

Montgomery had a disappointing first trip through free agency last winter. While he reportedly set out in search of a deal approaching or exceeding the seven years and $172MM which Aaron Nola received from the Phillies, that didn’t materialize. Montgomery lingered on the market longer than any other top free agent before agreeing to terms with the Diamondbacks just before Opening Day. He signed a one-year guarantee with a $25MM salary and the conditional player option.

That triggers at $20MM with his tenth start. Its value would escalate to $22.5MM at 18 starts and max out at $25MM if he starts 23 games. Montgomery wasn’t equipped to make his team debut until April 19. He needed a couple Triple-A appearances to build his workload after sitting out during Spring Training. He’ll still have plenty of time to get to 23 starts and maximize the option value if he stays healthy.

At signing, the conditional player option looked more like injury protection than anything else. Montgomery certainly anticipated declining it and heading back to free agency in search of the long-term deal that eluded him last offseason. Yet his early-season performance hasn’t positioned him well for a return trip to the market.

After tossing 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball tonight, Montomgery carries a 6.58 earned run average across 52 innings. He has punched out just 13.7% of batters faced — easily the lowest rate of his career and nearly eight percentage points below last season’s 21.4% mark. His 8.2% walk rate is a couple points above its typical level. Montgomery entered tonight’s outing averaging roughly 92 MPH on both his sinker and four-seam fastball. Each pitch sat north of 93 MPH last year.

It’s difficult to say how much of that drop-off is attributable to Montgomery’s late signing and atypical preparation for the season. Perhaps he’ll find the extra tick of velocity and more closely resemble his old self as the year progresses. Before his stint in the desert, Montgomery had been the picture of consistency. He reached the 30-start threshold in each season between 2021-23. The southpaw allowed between three and four earned runs per nine with solid strikeout and walk rates in all three years.

Signing Montgomery punctuated an aggressive offseason for an Arizona team looking to build off its Cinderella pennant run. The Snakes had already brought back Lourdes Gurriel Jr., acquired Eugenio Suárez and landed Eduardo Rodriguez on a four-year deal to stabilize the rotation. None of those transactions is off to an auspicious start. Gurriel is hitting at a league average level. Montgomery has struggled. Suárez has hit poorly enough that the Snakes are reportedly considering alternatives at third base and could try to offload some of his $12MM salary. Rodriguez suffered a lat strain during Spring Training and has been on the injured list all season.

That has contributed to a disappointing 31-35 start that has Arizona sitting in fourth place in the NL West. The prevailing mediocrity beyond the top four teams in the National League nevertheless provides hope for everyone other than the Rockies and Marlins. The final two Wild Card spots are currently held by teams at or below .500. Despite being four games under, the Snakes are one game out of the postseason picture.

Along with Rodriguez’s absence, the D-Backs have been without Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly for the past few weeks. Montgomery is the most established member of a rotation that also includes Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson and Slade Cecconi at the moment. Gallen and Kelly have begun throwing programs.

Since Montgomery opened the season on an assignment to Triple-A, he will not be eligible for a qualifying offer if he hits free agency next winter. His slow start and the player option would complicate any efforts to trade him if Arizona falls out of the playoff race. The D-Backs have roughly $64MM in guaranteed commitments for next season, as calculated by RosterResource.

Montgomery’s option could push that into the $84-89MM range depending on how many starts he makes. The D-Backs will almost certainly exercise a $7MM option to retain Kelly and would owe Gallen a raise on this year’s $10.011MM salary for his final year of arbitration. Christian Walker, Joc Pederson and Paul Sewald are their top impending free agents. Montgomery could still join them, but it’d take a better second half than he has managed thus far. If he does retest the market, he’ll be doing so with new representation. Montgomery switched from the Boras Corporation to Wasserman in April.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Fantasy Baseball: Buying The Dip

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Hello friends.

I always preach patience when it comes to slow starters, but once we get out of May it's officially time to start questioning if what we've seen so far is what we'll be getting for the rest of the season.

For those already rostering these slowpokes, it is a matter of deciding whether it's worth it to keep holding them and root for positive regression, or whether you should abandon all hope and try to ship them out for whatever loose change you can find. And if you don't have any early-season disappointments, it's about whether you should be bargain hunting and betting on the come, looking to acquire the early-round duds whose presence is currently infuriating one of your fellow managers.

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Pirates Sign Luis Cessa To Minor League Contract

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The Pirates have signed right-hander Luis Cessa to a minor league deal, as first reported by Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (X link). Cessa was released from a pact with the Royals on June 1.

It’s the second non-roster rotation pickup in as many days for Pittsburgh. The Bucs added Jake Woodford on a minor league deal last night shortly after he was outrighted by the White Sox. Unlike Woodford, Cessa hasn’t seen any major league action in 2024. He pitched fairly well in Triple-A, working to a 3.89 ERA through 39 1/3 innings for Kansas City’s top farm team in Omaha. Cessa had a modest 16.8% strikeout rate against a 9.2% walk percentage while starting 10 of his 11 appearances.

Cessa probably wouldn’t have had a chance to crack the K.C. rotation no matter how well he pitched. The Royals have gotten good work from each of Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Alec Marsh and Brady Singer. Wacha hit the injured list the day after Cessa was cut loose; the Royals have turned to Daniel Lynch IV to take the vacated rotation spot. Perhaps Cessa could’ve pitched his way into a shakier K.C. bullpen, but he doesn’t generate the kind of swing-and-miss that teams are generally seeking in the later innings.

The 32-year-old has been an effective long reliever in the past, running a 3.39 ERA over 112 appearances with the Yankees and Reds between 2019-21. He struggled to a 4.57 ERA in 80 2/3 frames in 2022 and had a particularly tough season last year. Cessa was tagged for 26 runs in as many innings over seven appearances (six starts) for Cincinnati. Subsequent minor league contracts with the Rockies and Nationals each resulted in an ERA above 8.00 and unsurprisingly kept him from returning to the majors.

Cessa and Woodford join Domingo Germán, Josh Fleming and Michael Plassmeyer as non-roster rotation depth in Indy. Braxton Ashcraft and Daulton Jefferies occupy 40-man roster spots and are optional assignment. The Pirates have Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Bailey Falter in the rotation after losing Quinn Priester to the injured list. They’ll need a fifth starter or to use a bullpen game during this weekend’s series in Colorado.

Angels Sign Keston Hiura To Minor League Deal

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The Angels informed reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) that they’ve signed infielder Keston Hiura to a minor league contract. He’ll report to Triple-A Salt Lake after being released by the Tigers last week. He is a CAA client.

Hiura is a Southern California native who starred at UC-Irvine. The Brewers selected him ninth overall in the 2017 draft. Hiura was a top prospect who looked like a budding star when he hit 19 homers in 84 games as a rookie for Milwaukee during the ’19 season. That huge debut showing came with a 30.7% strikeout rate that unfortunately previewed massive swing-and-miss problems. Hiura’s strikeout rate increased in each subsequent season, leading to a cumulative .205/.293/.394 slash between 2020-22.

The Brewers outrighted Hiura off their 40-man roster on the eve of the 2023 season. He spent the year in Triple-A and qualified for minor league free agency at year’s end. Hiura signed a minor league deal with Detroit and played in 49 games for their top farm team. He slumped to a .232/.312/.401 batting line across 199 trips to the plate. Hiura walked at a strong 10.6% clip but fanned 28.1% of the time and only hit six homers. The Tigers released him in conjunction with their decision to option former first overall pick Spencer Torkelson, who’ll play regularly at first base in the minors.

While Hiura didn’t have a great couple months with the Tigers, he has a strong minor league résumé. Hiura owns a .289/.382/.550 batting line in nearly 1100 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of five seasons. He blasted 23 homers in 85 contests as recently as last year.

Initially drafted as a second baseman, Hiura scuffled defensively and has moved primarily to first base. The Tigers played him exclusively at first base or designated hitter. Whether the Angels will give him any work at the keystone isn’t clear, but Hiura offers an alternative to struggling first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Last year’s #11 overall pick is hitting .211/.279/.333 over 231 plate appearances in his first full professional season.

Tigers Notes: Baez, Kreidler, McKinstry, Flaherty

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Javier Báez’s rough season continues, as the Tigers placed the veteran shortstop on the 10-day injured list before tonight’s game against the Nationals. The placement, which is retroactive to June 9, is due to lumbar spine inflammation. Ryan Kreidler is up from Triple-A Toledo to take the open active roster spot.

Báez told the Detroit beat that he was headed to Florida for additional testing (link via Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic). The Tigers haven’t provided a timeline for his return, though he’s expected to be out beyond the minimal stint. Báez has battled back discomfort dating to Spring Training, which could be a contributing factor to the worst performance of his career.

The two-time All-Star has only hit one home run over 196 plate appearances. He’s hitting .183/.209/.247 across 53 games. Among hitters with 150+ trips to the plate, only Mickey Moniak has a lower on-base percentage. Tim Anderson and Moniak are the only such hitters who have made less of a power impact. Báez has rated as a slightly below-average defender over 451 2/3 innings at shortstop. The overall production is well below replacement level.

Báez now carries a .223/.264/.344 slash line in 333 games since signing a six-year, $140MM free agent contract with Detroit. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris downplayed the chances of moving on from Báez entirely in an appearance on MLB Network late last month. That won’t need to be a consideration while he’s on the injured list, but the Tigers clearly need much better production out of the position. Detroit is last in all three triple slash stats from their shortstops on the year.

For now, that task will fall on Kreidler and Zach McKinstry. Manager A.J. Hinch indicated that duo will split the shortstop reps while Báez is on the shelf. The lefty-hitting McKinstry and righty-swinging Kreidler will form something of a platoon, although Hinch indicated Kreidler won’t be completely shielded from right-handed pitching. With the Nats starting lefty Mitchell Parker this evening, Kreidler is in the lineup for his first MLB work of the season.

The UCLA product appeared in 37 big league contests between 2022-23. Kreidler didn’t hit much in that limited look, turning in a .165/.220/.209 slash over 102 plate appearances. He owns a .242/.362/.448 mark with a lofty 27.1% strikeout rate in parts of four seasons with Toledo. McKinstry has hit .225/.296/.341 in 624 MLB plate appearances since the Tigers acquired him from the Cubs just before the start of last season. He’s a career .219/.284/.365 hitter versus right-handed pitching.

While the Tigers are patching things together on the infield, they seem to have dodged a bullet in the rotation. Jack Flaherty exited last week’s start against the Rangers after experiencing back tightness. He hasn’t pitched since then but seems on track to avoid the injured list. As noted by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press, Flaherty received an injection yesterday and is lined up to take the ball during this weekend’s series against the Astros. Signed to a one-year pillow contract over the winter, Flaherty is pitching at an All-Star level. He owns a 3.22 ERA while striking out more than a third of his opponents over his first 12 starts.

Pirates Claim Dennis Santana, Designate Jose Hernandez

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The Pirates announced they’ve claimed reliever Dennis Santana off waivers from the Yankees. Pittsburgh designated Jose Hernandez for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot. The Bucs also recalled Ryder Ryan from Triple-A Indianapolis to take the bullpen spot opened by yesterday’s designation of Ben Heller.

Santana, 28, signed a minor league deal with New York over the offseason. He cracked the Yankee roster within the first week of the season. Santana tossed 27 1/3 innings, typically in middle relief, in the Bronx. While he had a decent run through the season’s first month, he’s run into harder times since the calendar flipped to May. Santana allowed 6.26 earned runs per nine while striking out a personal-low 16.5% of batters faced altogether.

The right-hander has posted an ERA above 5.00 in three consecutive seasons. Santana has nevertheless caught the attention of various teams as a middle innings target. Pittsburgh will be his fifth team dating back to 2021. Santana throws relatively hard, sitting in the 95-96 MPH range with his sinker and four-seam fastball. Until this season, that had generally translated into average swing-and-miss rates against MLB hitters.

Santana has exhausted his minor league options. He’ll step directly into Pittsburgh’s bullpen once he reports to the team. The Pirates need to keep him in the majors or again send him into DFA limbo. Santana surpassed the four-year service threshold this season and would be eligible for arbitration for two more years if he pitches well enough to hold the roster spot.

Hernandez, a 6’3″ southpaw, was the third pick in the 2022 Rule 5 draft. The Bucs stashed him in low-leverage relief last season to gain his long-term contractual rights from the Dodgers. While Hernandez struggled to a 4.97 ERA across 50 2/3 innings, his 27.8% strikeout percentage was reason for optimism that he could be a long-term bullpen piece.

The 26-year-old has had a tough follow-up season, most of which has been spent in Indianapolis. Hernandez has allowed 12 runs over 15 1/3 Triple-A frames. He has fanned 21 of 75 batters faced (a solid 28% clip) but walked nine. Hernandez has been limited to 5 1/3 frames of two-run ball at the MLB level this season. His 81.6 MPH average slider velocity and 93.1 MPH fastball speed are each down more than a mile per hour relative to last year.

Pittsburgh will trade Hernandez or put him on waivers within the next few days. He’s in his first of three option years and has a solid track record of missing bats in the minors, so it wouldn’t be surprising if another team takes a low-cost flier.

White Sox Promote Drew Thorpe For MLB Debut

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June 11: The White Sox have officially announced Thorpe’s selection today. Left-hander Sammy Peralta was optioned to open a spot on the active roster. To open a spot on the 40-man, right-hander Dominic Leone was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Leone was put on the 15-day IL about three weeks ago due to inflammation in his throwing elbow and it now appears the Sox aren’t expecting him to return in the near future.

June 9: The White Sox are planning to promote top pitching prospect Drew Thorpe to the majors on Tuesday, manager Pedro Grifol told reporters (including James Fegan of SoxMachine). The right-hander will make his MLB debut against the Mariners in Seattle.

Thorpe, 23, was the headliner of a four player package the White Sox received from the Padres in the deal that sent ace righty Dylan Cease to San Diego back in March. It was the second time Thorpe had been traded that offseason, as the Padres acquired Thorpe from the Yankees as part of the Juan Soto package back in December. As one might expect from a prospect that was part of the return for two superstars in separate blockbusters during the same offseason, Thorpe is a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport. The righty currently ranks #41 at Baseball America and #54 at MLB Pipeline.

Prospect evaluation services universally praise Thorpe’s excellent command, ability to eat innings, and the devastating changeup that he complements with a 92-94 mph fastball that’s generally regarded as average and a average-or-better slider that sits in the mid-80s. Aside from his three main pitches, BA also notes that Thorpe mixes in a high-80s cutter and a low-80s curveball. That arsenal allowed the 2022 second-rounder to tear through the lower minors during his first taste of professional ball with the Yankees last year. Thorpe dominated to the tune of a 2.81 ERA with a 32.4% strikeout rate in 18 starts at High-A last year before earning a late season promotion to Double-A.

Thorpe’s star really began to rise with that promotion. The then-22-year-old impressed with a sparkling 1.48 ERA across five starts. The righty racked up a whopping 44 strikeouts in just 30 1/3 innings of work while walking just five. Punching out 40% of batters faced while walking just 4.5% in your first taste of Double-A action is a surefire way to get plenty of attention, and so it’s hardly a surprise that both the Padres and White Sox front offices coveted Thorpe enough to make him a key piece of the trade returns for their star players.

Upon joining the White Sox organization, the right-hander returned to Double-A for the start of the 2024 campaign and has continued to dominate hitters at the level, with similar surface-level numbers in 11 starts this season to his five-start taste of Double-A last year. Thorpe has pitched to a 1.35 ERA in 60 innings of work this year, though his strikeout rate has dipped to a more pedestrian 25% this year while his walk rate has crept up to 7.6%. Even with those diminished peripherals, however, Thorpe has more than proved himself capable at the Double-A level and figured to be in line for a promotion in the near future.

What’s surprising, then, isn’t so much the promotion but that he will skip Triple-A entirely and jump directly into big league action. The White Sox optioned right-hander Nick Nastrini to the minors earlier today, leaving them with just a vacancy in a starting rotation that lost Mike Clevinger to the injured list and now features only Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Chris Flexen, and Jonathan Cannon. Rather than call up a veteran at the Triple-A level such as Chad Kuhl or Touki Toussaint to fill out the rotation, the White Sox will instead turn to Thorpe in a bold move to get the righty a taste of big league action.

It’s a decision that could come with financial implications for Thorpe, as he’ll be in a good position to earn a fourth arbitration year as a Super Two player if he remains with the big league club going forward without returning to the minor leagues. Thorpe could theoretically earn himself a full season of service time by finishing in the top 2 in AL Rookie of the Year voting this season, although that would be quite the feat given the massive head starts afforded to players like Luis Gil of the Yankees and Mason Miller of the A’s who have been dominating in the majors all season.

J.T. Realmuto To Undergo Knee Surgery

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3:30pm: President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says the club expects Realmuto to miss “about a month,” as relayed by Matt Gelb of The Athletic on X.

1:15pm: The Phillies announced that catcher J.T. Realmuto has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 10, with right knee pain. He will undergo right knee meniscectomy surgery tomorrow in Philadelphia. No timeline for his return was provided. Catcher Rafael Marchán was recalled in a corresponding move.

As relayed by Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer on X, Realmuto missed a few games in May due to knee soreness and has been “tolerating” the injury since. The Phils were planning to give Realmuto more rest for the issue but it seems it was decided that surgery was the necessary path forward.

More information will perhaps be provided about when the club expects Realmuto to return but he’ll surely be out multiple weeks. Just over a year ago, Realmuto’s teammate Cristian Pache underwent a lateral meniscectomy on his right knee with the Phils announcing an expected absence of four to six weeks.

Pache was indeed able to return in that time frame, though it can’t necessarily be assumed that Realmuto is slated for a similar absence. For one thing, each injury is different and individuals heal at different rates. Realmuto is 33 years old now while Pache was 24 years old last year. It’s also possible that the club may be cautious with Realmuto given that he’s a catcher and bending at the knees is such a regular part of the gig.

For however long he’s out, it’s a rough blow for the Phils, as Realmuto has been one of the best catchers in the league for quite some time. They are also without Trea Turner, Brandon Marsh and Kody Clemens, so they now have four position players on the injured list.

Realmuto has hit .261/.309/.411 this year with seven home runs, leading to a wRC+ of 105. He’s also generally graded as one of the best catchers at stifling the running game. Since being acquired by the Phillies from the Marlins prior to the 2019 season, he has slashed .266/.330/.463 for a 112 wRC+ and produced 22.1 wins above replacement in the eyes of FanGraphs.

His absence will leave the Phils with just two healthy catchers on their 40-man roster in Marchán and Garrett Stubbs, which is less than ideal. Stubbs has a career batting line of .213/.289/.316 along with fairly uninspiring grades for his glovework. Marchán has hit .242/.331/.342 in the minors since the start of 2021 and has just 65 major league plate appearances, though he does have a strong defensive reputation.

With Realmuto likely back in a few weeks, the club won’t be looking to replace Realmuto with a blockbuster deal, but they may keep their eyes open for smaller transactions. The Mets just designated Tomás Nido for assignment and also released Omar Narváez last week. If Realmuto experiences some setback between now and the deadline, perhaps the Phils will look to trade for someone like Danny Jansen, Elias Díaz or Carson Kelly, though it’s not clear those players would be available and the Phils will surely be hoping they don’t even have to think about such a plan.

For now, there may be no need to panic. The Phils have the best winning percentage in baseball and have a nine-game lead over Atlanta in the National League East. Even if Realmuto’s absence hurts them a little going forward, they have a nice cushion and will likely be getting him back somewhere in the vicinity of the trade deadline.

Red Sox Designate Garrett Cooper For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced that outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida has been reinstated from the injured list, with first baseman Garrett Cooper designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Chris Cotillo of MassLive was among those to relay the moves on X.

The Sox have been scrambling to fill their first base and designated hitter mix since late April, as both Yoshida and Triston Casas landed on the injured list around the same time. They acquired Cooper from the Cubs in a cash deal and also signed Dominic Smith.

Neither Smith nor Cooper have played especially well, but Cooper’s results were far worse. Smith has two home runs and has drawn a walk in 11.7% of his plate appearances, leading to a .221/.325/.327 batting line and 88 wRC+.

Cooper, meanwhile, was hitting .270/.341/.432 for the Cubs before the deal but produced a bleak line of .171/.227/.229 since coming to Boston. Now that Yoshida is back, Smith gets to stay while Cooper has understandably been nudged off the roster by that poor performance.

The Sox will now have a week to trade Cooper or pass him through waivers. Given his poor results, the interest is likely to be tepid. He’s played a bit of corner outfield but is primarily a first baseman, where the offensive expectations are generally higher than up-the-middle spots.

Cooper at least has some decent results in his past that could help him generate interest. He hit .274/.350/.444 for the Marlins over the 2019 to 2022 seasons, with that performance translating to a 117 wRC+. Staying in the lineup was an issue, as various injuries limited him to 331 games over that span of three full seasons and the shortened 2020 campaign.

He then slumped a bit in 2023, despite a career high 17 home runs, as he struck out in 28.9% of his plate appearances and slashed .251/.304/.419 for a 96 wRC+. He had to settle for a minor league deal with the Cubs and got onto their major league roster. As mentioned, he performed pretty well, but in a small sample of 12 games. Though his decent batting line with the Cubs was buoyed by a .391 batting average on balls in play and also masked a 31.7% strikeout rate. The Cubs decided to move on in a move that was somewhat surprising at the time but seems wise in retrospect, given how far Cooper’s results have fallen in the interim.

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