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Pedro Strop

Marlins, Rangers Reportedly Finalists To Sign Pedro Strop

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The chase for Pedro Strop may not rate as national news, but it’s an important situation in the context of the remaining relief market. Perusing the slate of still-available pen pieces should convince you of that.

The group of pursuers was defined recently and seems now to have been culled again. The Marlins and Rangers are the two final clubs in the bidding, according to Hector Gomez of Deportivo Z 101 (Twitter link), with the Brewers and Cubs evidently exiting the picture.

For the Fish, Strop would represent something of a finishing flourish to an offseason full of bullpen movement. The Miami organization has dumped a whole lot of talented but unreliable younger hurlers and obviously has interest in plugging in a late-inning veteran.

Should he land instead in Texas, Strop would help buttress a unit that still has some uncertainty. Jose Leclerc and a resurgent Rafael Montero provide some potential fire at the back of the unit, but it’d be nice to pair Strop with Jesse Chavez to lock in some sturdy frames.

Strop has been a steady performer for years now, though he’s coming off of a down 2019. With injuries limiting his availability and effectiveness, the 34-year-old managed only a 4.97 ERA. More than anything, he (like many of his peers) was suddenly prone to the long ball, allowing about twice as many per nine innings as he had over the preceding five years. And a fairly significant velocity decline gave some cause for concern. But it’s not hard to envision a quick bounce back if Strop is at full health, as he still proved capable of inducing an enticing mix of swings and misses and groundballs.

Pedro Strop Weighing Multiple Offers

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Free-agent righty Pedro Strop is mulling offers from multiple clubs, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (Twitter links). The longtime Cubs setup man has three offers in hand at the moment, Nicholson-Smith adds, citing the Marlins, Brewers, Cubs and Rangers as teams who’ve been showing interest of late.

While it’s not clear which combination of that group has offers on the table, it’d be a surprise to see the Cubs make a competitive offer following ownership’s recent spending limitations and the team’s general lack of offseason activity to date. Nicholson-Smith does indicate that two NL clubs and an AL team have put an offer out to Strop, which at least speculatively speaking, would make the Marlins, Brewers and Rangers a trio that fits the description. Miami was already tied to Strop two weeks ago when FNTSY Sports Radio’s Craig Mish reported their interest.

Hamstring and neck injuries limited Strop to just 41 2/3 innings in 2019 and quite possibly hindered his on-field production; the typically hard-throwing righty logged a 4.97 ERA and saw his heater dip from an average of 95.1 mph in 2018 to 93.6 mph in 2019. That said, Strop still racked up strikeouts at an impressive clip (10.6 K/9) and notched a quality 13.5 percent swinging-strike rate.

And, of course, prior to his down year in 2019, Strop was a consistent force in the Chicago ’pen. The right-hander posted five consecutive sub-3.00 ERA seasons from 2014-18, pitching to a combined 2.61 mark (3.10 FIP) with averages of 10.1 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9 with a ground-ball rate well north of 50 percent. The Marlins have seen considerable turnover in their bullpen already this winter and are said to be eyeing a veteran addition along the lines of last year’s Sergio Romo pickup. The Brewers, meanwhile, already have a deep collection of arms but never shy away from a late-offseason value play. And the Rangers, of course, have been aggressive in reshaping their club in preparation for the opening of their new stadium in 2020.

Marlins Focused On Adding Relievers

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Now that their deal with left fielder Corey Dickerson has been finalized, the Marlins plan to focus on adding to the bullpen, president of baseball operations Michael Hill indicated on a conference call Tuesday (Twitter link via Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald). Among the names the team is considering, SiriusXM’s Craig Mish reports, are Pedro Strop, Brandon Kintzler and Hector Rondon.

Miami has already added Dickerson, Jonathan Villar and Jesus Aguilar to a lineup that ranked 29th in the Majors in runs scored, 29th in on-base percentage and 30th in slugging percentage thus far in the offseason. They’ve also signed Francisco Cervelli to back up Jorge Alfaro and made a handful of minor league signings, headlined by Matt Kemp.

The lineup hasn’t exactly been built up into a powerhouse, but there’s little denying that it looks like a more robust collection of bats than the group trotted out in 2019. However, the bullpen has gone largely unaddressed to this point; the Marlins, rather, have subtracted more relievers from the organization than they’ve acquired. Control-challenged relievers like Tayron Guerrero, Tyler Kinley and Kyle Keller have all been jettisoned from the 40-man roster, much as Austin Brice was earlier today when making room for Dickerson.

Miami has added right-hander Yimi Garcia on a big league deal and righty Ryan Cook on a minor league pact, but the organization has otherwise been quiet when it comes to adding to the ’pen. Current options on the roster include right-handers Drew Steckenrider and Ryne Stanek as well as southpaws Jarlin Garcia and Adam Conley. Last year’s Opening Day starter, Jose Urena, lost his rotation spot and was moved to the bullpen late in 2019, and Hill indicated today that Urena will get another shot at claiming a bullpen role in 2020 (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald)

Obviously, a grouping of Urena, Steckenrider, Stanek, Conley and both Garcias leaves plenty of room for potential augmentation. But the relief market has also thinned out considerably, with Strop, Kintzler and Rondon shifting from middle-tier options at the onset of free agency to some of the most appealing names yet to sign. This patient approach is often necessary for the Marlins or teams in similar rebuilding situations, as some free agents are hesitant to sign with a non-contending club early in the winter (barring an overpay). But as contending clubs spend their money and fill holes on the roster, the allure of high-leverage innings and a guaranteed salary with a rebuilding clubs only increases.

The Marlins did well to wait out the market and sign Sergio Romo to a $2.5MM contract last winter — a move that ultimately netted them first base prospect Lewin Diaz at the trade deadline. Whether it’s Strop, Kintzler, Rondon or another veteran arm, the Miami organization will be hoping for a similarly beneficial result in the coming weeks as they try to add to their stock of relievers on what’ll surely be a short-term arrangement.

Cubs Acquire David Phelps

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The Cubs have added another fresh face to the bullpen, announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired right-handed reliever David Phelps and cash from the Blue Jays in exchange for minor league right-hander Thomas Hatch. Chicago moved Xavier Cedeno to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot for Phelps. There are other changes afoot in the Chicago bullpen as well, as ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan reports that righty Pedro Strop is headed to the IL and will be replaced by right-hander Duane Underwood, who is being recalled from Triple-A Iowa (Twitter link).

David Phelps | Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Phelps, 32, was a high-quality setup piece for the Marlins and Mariners in 2016-17 but missed the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery. He hit the open market last winter and latched on with the Blue Jays on an incentive-laden one-year contract that promised him a $2.5MM base salary. Toronto quite likely made the deal with this very type of scenario in mind, as Phelps has returned to post solid numbers through his first 17 1/3 innings of action: a 3.63 ERA with an 18-to-7 K/BB ratio.

A swingman with the Yankees from 2012-14, Phelps broke out with the Marlins in the bullpen and has now logged an impressive 2.82 ERA with 10.9 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 in his past 159 2/3 innings at the MLB level (129 relief appearances, six starts). He’s only appeared in 17 games this season but will see a $250K bump in salary upon reaching each of his 25th, 30th and 35th games pitched. He’ll also earn an extra $350K upon 40, 45, 50, 55 and 70 appearances on the year.

Phelps’ club option came with a tiny $1MM base salary but will jump to $3MM if he reaches 30 appearances, $5MM if he appears in 40 games and $7MM for appearing in 50 games. Obviously, he’s not likely to reach the top tier of his incentives and option escalators after missing the first two and a half months of the season, but it’s certainly plausible that he could push that 40-game threshold in 2019.

Phelps gives the Cubs an immediate boost in the ’pen — even if he’s not a dramatic upgrade — and also presents them with a relatively affordable option in 2020 due to that floating club option. Payroll constraints have been an ongoing obstacle for the Cubs’ front office dating back to the winter, but they’ll have a huge slate of free agents off the books this winter (Cole Hamels, Brandon Morrow, Strop, Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler and Brad Brach among them), which will render any decision on Phelps’ option a fairly small-scale consideration.

Hatch, 24, was the Cubs’ third-round pick back in 2016 and has spent the 2019 season in his second trip through the Double-A level. He’s tossed 100 innings of 4.59 ERA ball over the life of 21 starts, averaging 8.4 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and 1.17 HR/9 to go along with a 35.2 percent ground-ball rate. He didn’t crack the Cubs’ top 30 on Baseball America’s recent re-ranking of their system, but he landed at No. 26 on Fangraphs’ summer update of Chicago’s farm system. There, Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen noted that he hasn’t developed the control one would want to see to keep him in the rotation but could find success in the ’pen. Entering the season, MLB.com ranked him 29th in the Cubs’ system and actually gave him the potential for three average or better offerings while expressing similar concerns about his control. The Jays may well see if Hatch has the ability to start in the short-term, as there’s little harm for a rebuilding club to try it out.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet first broke the news of the Phelps deal (via Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post added that the Jays were sending cash in the deal (Twitter link).

Cubs To Activate Pedro Strop

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The Cubs will welcome back reliever Pedro Strop from the injured list, manager Joe Maddon tells Bruce Levine of 670 The Score (Twitter link). Fellow righty Dillon Maples was optioned down to make room.

Strop’s return from a hamstring injury is an important step for a club that has had its share of relief issues of late. The Chicago pen has blown more saves (seven) in the past month than all but one other team (the Mets, with nine). Adding Strop back to the late-inning mix will not only give Maddon another key arm to work with in high-leverage situations but will help deepen the rest of the unit.

Soon to turn 34, Strop has long been a reliable piece for the Cubs. Since landing in Chicago, he carries a 2.71 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 342 frames of action. He has allowed just 5.7 hits and 0.6 home runs per nine in that span.

It’s tough to say much after a twelve-appearance sample, but Strop was perhaps a tick off to begin the season. His velocity has continued to trend down, albeit at a gentle pace, and he had permitted six earned runs in his 10 2/3 innings. Most of the damage came in two outings to open the year.

The Cubs will be glad to throw Strop back in the mix to see whether he can get back to his usual productivity. Whether or not he’ll retake the closer’s job from Steve Cishek remains to be seen. The club would prefer to have both of those pitchers working in a setup capacity in front of Brandon Morrow, but it’s anyone’s guess whether and when he’ll return.

Cubs Injury Updates: Bryant, Baez, Strop, Montgomery

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There are a variety of open health issues for the Cubs, though thankfully it seems most are heading in a generally positive direction. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times rounded up the latest updates.

Kris Bryant and Javy Baez aren’t far from returning to the Cubs infield. The former has been out of the lineup for two games after a collision, while the latter has been in the DH slot to help rest a minor heel injury. Both could get back to their regular duties as soon as today.

Keeping those star players healthy is all the more important with Ben Zobrist’s status in question. Still, the Cubs have ample infield/utility depth, particularly with Addison Russell joining a roster that already included David Bote and Daniel Descalso. It’s worth remembering that Ian Happ remains marooned at Triple-A, as well.

With some recent bullpen hiccups, it’s also notable that reliever Pedro Strop is on the mend and nearing activation. He seems to be on the fast track back now that his hamstring is back in good working order. Strop made it through a rehab appearance last night and will work another frame Thursday. Wittenmyer says that the veteran hurler could be activated thereafter.

Strop had served as the Cubs closer before he went down. Whether he’ll take that job back from Steve Cishek remains to be seen. Regardless, it’s good news for the depth of the late-inning mix.

There was also a positive update on the team’s most flexible hurler, swingman Mike Montgomery. He was unable to pitch in Monday’s contest due to a finger issue that arose while he warmed up. The southpaw says he was likely dealing with a popped blood vessel, but wasn’t bothered as much when he picked up a ball yesterday. It’s not clear precisely when he’ll be available, but it seems reasonable to hope for a rather speedy return.

Cubs Prospect Nico Hoerner Diagnosed With Fractured Wrist; Strop, Morrow Progressing

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Cubs infield prospect Nico Hoerner has been diagnosed with a hairline wrist fracture, Mark Gonzales the Chicago Tribune was among those to cover (Twitter links). Hoerner had already been sidelined after being hit by a pitch nearly a month ago; with the new diagnosis, he is expected to miss at least one more month of action.

In other health updates of more immediate concern for the MLB roster, relievers Pedro Strop and Brandon Morrow are progressing in their rehab efforts. The former has thrown his first pen session since he hit the injured list with a hamstring injury. The latter has (again) begun a throwing program once again. He’s still trying to work back from a string of elbow ailments.

Though the Cubs would no doubt put a priority on getting those veteran relievers back in action, the absence of Hoerner does come with possible MLB implications. While there isn’t a clear need at the moment in the infield, he’s a near-term option for the organization.

Hoerner would also be of interest to other clubs in trade talks this summer. The 22-year-old cracked top-100 prospect lists to open the season and is seen by most as the organization’s best prospect. He further improved his stock before the injury, posting a .300/.391/.500 slash over 69 plate appearances at the Double-A level.

As for Strop and Morrow, the former is obviously ahead of the latter but still seems to be a ways off from a return to the MLB pen. The Cubs will need to continue to handle Morrow with the utmost care given the repeat setbacks he has experienced (to say nothing of his lengthy injury history).

The team has managed to fill in the gaps well enough with its groundball-heavy group of relievers. And there are other hurlers with late-inning experience on hand. Still, it’d be nice to have Strop and Morrow back in action. They are arguably the top two relief options on the roster when it’s at full strength.

Cubs Recall Addison Russell, Place Pedro Strop On Injured List

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3:36pm: Strop’s injury will cost him more than the 10-day minimum, it seems. The right-hander told reporters that an MRI performed earlier today revealed a Grade 2 strain (Twitter link via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times). Strop says that there’s no timeline for his return at this point. For now, he’ll take three to four days to rest the hamstring before he begins working back.

3:20pm: Russell is in tonight’s lineup, playing second base and batting eighth, the team announced. Zobrist has been placed on the restricted list after being granted a leave of absence to deal with a personal matter, per the club.

Chicago also announced that right-hander Pedro Strop has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a hamstring strain, with lefty Mike Montgomery coming off the injured list in his place.

2:34pm: The Cubs have decided to activate shortstop Addison Russell for tonight’s game, according to David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter links). He will see his first game action since last September.

It seems that the timing of the decision was driven by the potential unavailability of Ben Zobrist and Daniel Descalso. The former missed yesterday’s game with an undisclosed personal matter while the latter has been nursing an ankle injury.

Russell recently finished a 40-game suspension issued under the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. His former wife has alleged a variety of abusive actions during their marriage.

The Cubs initially optioned Russell to Triple-A, though his stay proved short. A lifetime .242/.313/.392 hitter through nearly two thousand MLB plate appearances, he carries a .222/.357/.467 batting line in 56 PA this year at the highest level of the minors.

Russell is five days away from passing into the 4+ MLB service class. Assuming he stays up, he’ll be eligible for arbitration twice more before qualifying for free agency.

NL Central Injury Notes: Jeffress, Descalso, Strop, Martinez

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The National League’s Central division projects to be a closely fought contest, making it all the more important for each team to have all of its players available and in top form. Here are the latest notes on a few health situations from the division:

  • Brewers reliever Jeremy Jeffress is likely to open the year on the injured list, skipper Craig Counsell acknowledged to reporters including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link). The veteran righty was slowed by some shoulder issues early and has not yet returned to working from the mound, though he is throwing. While the Brewers would no doubt prefer to have Jeffress available from the jump, there’s no sense rushing him and risking a lengthier absence.
  • The Cubs have a shoulder issue of their own, as infielder Daniel Descalso is dealing with soreness, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). There’s no indication that it’s a serious malady, though neither is a timeline presently available. On the bright side, the initial indications are that reliever Pedro Strop’s injured hamstring won’t be a major concern. As ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers reports (Twitter links), Strop is quite confident that he’ll be able to return in time to get ready for the start of the season. Though he’ll be taking a break from his mound work, Strop was able to participate in practice today, indicating that the rest is primarily a precautionary matter.
  • The Cardinals now have a plan in place for right-hander Carlos Martinez, per MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch (Twitter link), to bring him through some shoulder weakness. Martinez will “build up arm strength” with a throwing program over the next two weeks. At that point — just on the cusp of the season — the team will decide how to complete his preparation for the season. It’s still possible, from the club’s perspective at least, that Martinez will be on a program designed to deliver him to the MLB pen. As of late last month, that was not a path he wanted to take.

NL Central Notes: Lyles, Strop, Reds

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Right-hander Jordan Lyles is still the leading candidate for the Pirates’ final rotation spot, general manager Neal Huntington said today (Twitter link via Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Huntington candidly indicated that the 28-year-old entered camp as the favorite to win the job, adding that neither he nor his primary competition — Nick Kingham and Steven Brault — has done anything to change that. Those comments did come before Lyles exited today’s appearance with some cramping in his right side (link via the Post-Gazette’s Nubyjas Wilborn), though the move was described as “precautionary.” Lyles hasn’t exactly dominated this spring, pitching to a 4.91 ERA on 13 hits and five walks with seven strikeouts through 11 innings, although the Pirates are surely more concerned with the quality of his offerings than his bottom-line results in a small sample of exhibition innings. Lyles signed a one-year deal worth $2.05MM to join the Pirates this offseason after posting a 4.11 ERA with career-best K/BB numbers in 87 2/3 innings between the Padres and the Brewers.

Here’s more from the NL Central…

  • Cubs righty Pedro Strop sustained a “mild” right hamstring strain in his most recent Cactus League outing on Saturday and is now questionable for the beginning of the season, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. (That, it should be noted, is not the same hamstring that sidelined Strop near the end of the 2018 season.) Strop will continue to play catch while resting and rehabbing the leg issue, and there’s still a chance that he could be ready to open the season on the active roster rather than the injured list. Currently, he’s in line to close games in Chicago while Brandon Morrow is out early in the year, though if Strop does hit the IL, veteran Steve Cishek would seem likely to be the next man up.
  • The Reds’ offseason additions of Sonny Gray, Alex Wood, Tanner Roark, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp were a welcome departure from what has become standard operating procedure for many noncompetitive teams in recent seasons, opines Joel Sherman of the New York Post. While many teams have followed the Astros’ model of aggressively tanking to stockpile draft picks and international bonus resources, the Reds at least positioned themselves to have a chance in the division, even if few would peg them as any sort of favorite. “For the first time in a long time we added multiple well-known major league players to this team in an offseason,” president of baseball operations Dick Williams tells Sherman. “That clearly has people’s imaginations going. That is part of the fun. … Just to be able to ponder the possible and the excitement is a huge psychological benefit to our fans.” Even if the moves ultimately fail to yield dividends, several of the newly acquired assets (namely Wood, Roark and Puig) could hold value on the summer trade market, and the Reds didn’t sacrifice any of the organization’s very top prospects in order to take a shot at improved results in 2019.

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