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Phillies Notes: Franco, Neshek, Galvis

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Here’s the latest from the City Of Brotherly Love…

  • Maikel Franco is “more than available” in trade talks, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports.  Franco is struggling through a terrible 2017 season that has seen him hit just .224/.284/.371 over 285 plate appearances — between Franco’s subpar hitting, fielding and baserunning, he has delivered below replacement-level (-0.6 fWAR) production.  A trade would be surprising given that Franco was seen as a potential building block piece for the Phillies less than two years ago, though it’s worth noting that he was also a below-average hitter (92 wRC+) in 2016, his first full season in the majors.  Franco’s age (24) and past status as a well-regarded prospect would net him some trade interest, though Philadelphia would definitely be selling low on the third baseman.
  • The Phillies have already received a “standing offer” for Pat Neshek, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury reports.  The veteran reliever is expected to draw wide interest in the weeks leading to the trade deadline and as Salisbury notes, the Phils must believe they can do better than the current offer on the table.  It’s hard to predict who the Neshek suitor is, given the widespread need for bullpen help across the league (though feel free to speculate on the #MysteryTeam in the comments section!)
  • The Adeiny Hechavarria trade buzz could be of interest to the Phillies as a gauge on what Freddy Galvis could net on the open market, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.  Galvis is seven months younger than Hechavarria, also a free agent after the 2018 season and is better known for his glove than his bat, though Galvis did manage 20 homers last year.  Over their careers, Galvis has been worth 5.1 fWAR over 2059 PA as compared to Hechavarria’s 1.7 fWAR in 2402 PA.  Gelb reasons that a team who fails to land Hechavarria could turn to Galvis as an alternate plan.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/24/17

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We’ll track the latest minor moves from around baseball in this post…

Newest Moves

  • The White Sox signed Grant Green to a minor league deal on Wednesday, the team’s Triple-A affiliate announced (on Twitter).  The veteran infielder signed a minors contract with the Nationals over the winter and appeared in two games for the team before being outrighted off the 40-man roster in April and released in mid-June.  Picked 13th overall by the A’s in the 2009 draft, Green has played for four teams over parts of five seasons in the big leagues, posting a .248/.283/.336 slash line in 353 PA.
  • The Athletics signed left-hander Patrick Schuster last week, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  Schuster joined the A’s organization just a couple of days after being released from his minor league deal with the Dodgers.  This is Schuster’s second stint in Oakland, as he made his MLB debut last July before being claimed on waivers by the Phillies in September.  Still just 26 and in his ninth year as a pro, Schuster has a 3.38 ERA over 474 2/3 IP in the minors (mostly as a reliever) as well as 11 big league games with the A’s and Phillies.
  • The Tigers released southpaw Mike Zagurski earlier this month, Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times-News reports (via Twitter).  Zagurski signed a minor league deal with Detroit last winter, making his return to North American baseball after spending the previous two seasons in Japan.    The lefty posted a 3.29 ERA, 5.38 K/BB rate and 14.2 K/9 over 27 1/3 combined innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, including a 5.06 ERA in 10 2/3 IP at Toledo despite those impressive peripherals.  Zagurski will now look to catch on with another team in hopes of making it back to the majors for the first time since 2013.

Earlier Today

  • Veteran Phillies players Michael Saunders and Jeanmar Gomez were each released, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Both were designated at the same time recently, and the Phils evidently couldn’t find takers in trade — which isn’t terribly surprising given their pronounced struggles and big salaries. Saunders, 30, had a strong 2016 season and has mostly been a better-than-average hitter in the big leagues, so he’ll surely find a new opportunity elsewhere. The same holds for Gomez, who always seemed miscast as a closer but might provide some solid innings in a middle-relief role. Though both can now be had for the league minimum, it would perhaps be a surprise were either to sign directly only a MLB roster at this stage of the season.
  • Likewise, the Royals announced that release waivers have been requested on veteran right-hander Chris Young, who was just designated. It’s not clear whether the 38-year-old will continue pitching after losing his job with Kansas City. He overcame significant arm injuries to make it back to the majors, and had a few good years upon his return, but has struggled mightily over the past two campaigns.
  • The Twins have released lefty Adam Wilk, per Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). He had been designated for assignment after making a few fill-in outings for Minnesota. Wilk has allowed 14 earned runs on 24 hits in his 14 MLB innings this year, while recording just eight strikeouts against nine walks. He’ll likely end up finding a new organization on a minors deal.

Nationals Among Teams With Interest In Pat Neshek

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The Nationals have shown interest in Phillies righty Pat Neshek, reports FOX’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link). Other clubs are interested in the veteran setup man as well, he notes, which comes as little surprise given Neshek’s affordable salary and strong work thus far in 2017.

Indeed, the 36-year-old Neshek has been nothing short of exceptional for the Phillies since being acquired in an offseason swap with Houston. Through 28 innings out of manager Pete Mackanin’s bullpen, the side-armer has worked to a minuscule 0.64 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 1.3 BB/9 and a 36.8 percent ground-ball rate. Though he’s had issues against left-handed batters in recent years, Neshek has held them to a mere .163/.205/.244 slash through an admittedly small sample of 45 batters faced in 2017. He’s had some good fortune on balls in play against lefties, but he’s also significantly dipped his walk rate against hitters that hold the platoon advantage.

Neshek is earning $6.5MM in 2017, and he’s still owed roughly $3.6MM of that sum through season’s end. While trades between division rivals aren’t especially common and are often trickier to work out, Neshek’s status as a rental likely makes it a bit easier for the two sides to align. And, it should of course be noted that the Nats and Phillies have lined up on trades in the past, with Philadelphia recently trading Jonathan Papelbon to Washington in a 2015 swap that netted the Phils right-hander Nick Pivetta.

Much of the focus on the Nationals has been on their need for an established closer, but in reality the team could benefit simply from adding multiple quality relievers. While names like David Robertson, Alex Colome and AJ Ramos may well be kicked around in connection with Washington, the Nats have seen what were perhaps projected as their top four arms — Blake Treinen, Koda Glover, Shawn Kelley and Joe Blanton — each post an ERA north of 5.00 this season. Deepening the relief corps as a whole, and not merely fortifying the ninth inning, figures to be the priority for the Nationals over the summer.

Phillies Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Adam Haseley

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11:01am: Philadelphia has announced the signing of Haseley and six other picks from the first ten rounds of the draft. Howard, a righty from Cal Poly, will earn a $1.15MM bonus, Callis tweets. That’s shy of the $1,523,800 allocation for the 45th overall pick with which he was taken, though most of those savings will go towards Haseley’s payout.

8:42am: The Phillies have agreed on bonus terms with first-round pick Adam Haseley, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. (CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury tweeted yesterday that the draftee was in Philadelphia.) While the deal has yet to be finalized, it is likely to be inked in the coming days.

Haseley will take home a $5.1MM bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). He was tabbed with the eighth overall pick of the draft, which comes with a $4,780,400 bonus allocation.

It seems that the Phils have largely sorted out their pool money for this year’s amateur haul, as Zolecki also notes that the club has deals in place with the bulk of its top ten picks. That includes second-round pick Spencer Howard and third-rounder Jake Scheiner.

Haseley, an outfielder at the University of Virginia, emerged as a consensus top-ten draft prospect over the course of a huge junior season. The left-handed hitter isn’t seen as a major future power source, but did hit 14 long balls on the year and otherwise delivers strong tools across the board.

Many expect Haseley to be able to handle center field as a professional; that’s the view of ESPN.com’s Keith Law, who ranked him sixth overall. MLB.com’s prospect team isn’t so sure of that, ranking him 10th on the pre-draft board, though they note he has a solid-enough arm to profile in any of the three spots on the grass. While he featured as a two-way player at U.Va., Haseley isn’t valued nearly as highly as a pitching prospect

Phillies Designate Jeanmar Gomez, Michael Saunders

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The Phillies made a rather dramatic roster move today, announcing that righty Jeanmar Gomez and outfielder Michael Saunders have been designated for assignment in one fell swoop. Lefty Hoby Milner and outfielder Cameron Perkins have had their contracts purchased.

While there were never realistic hopes of contention in 2017, the Phillies’ worst-in-baseball 22-and-46 record nevertheless represents a considerable disappointment. These two veterans are hardly the only poor performers, but their pronounced struggles were increasingly hard to ignore.

Still, it’s a bit of a stunner to see the move take place. Gomez was the Phils’ closer for the bulk of 2016 and is earning a cool $4.2MM with one more year of arb control remaining. And Saunders landed in Philadelphia over the winter on a $9MM guarantee. The Phils were hoping they had scored a bargain when his market failed to develop, but will instead punt on the rest of that deal — including the rights to an $11MM option for 2018.

It’s never easy to give up on such highly paid players, but Philadelphia no doubt felt some pressure to shake things up. And the writing seemed to be on the wall for these players, whose continued presence might only have taken opportunities from younger options.

In the case of Gomez, 29, a poor finish last year has carried over — and then some. He has had some strong years in the past, despite frequently lagging peripherals, but currently owns a 7.25 ERA on 31 hits (including seven home runs) in 22 1/3 innings. Though Gomez is generating far more swings and misses than usual, to go with his typically strong groundball rate, he’s also backing himself into a corner with a career-low 53.0% first-pitch strike rate.

The developments are yet more surprising with regard to Saunders, 30, who was streaky but generally quite good in 2016. He’s slashing just .205/.257/.360 with six home runs through 214 plate appearances on the season thus far. Though his .245 BABIP suggests some misfortune, Saunders is also making a lot of soft contact and has seen his typically solid walk rate dive to 6.1%.

As for the newcomers, the 26-year-old Milner gets his first call-up after failing to crack the Indians’ roster as a Rule 5 pick. he has posted a 2.60 ERA with 27 strikeouts and just four walks over 27 2/3 innings at Triple-A. Perkins, also 26, has previously failed to master the highest level of the minors. But the former sixth-round pick is carrying an excellent .298/.388/.476 slash through 241 plate appearances there this year.

Cafardo’s Latest: Gray, Astros, Stanton, Phils, Cards, BoSox

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The AL West rival Astros and Athletics are mutually interested in making a trade that would involve Oakland right-hander Sonny Gray, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The last-place A’s have been closely monitoring the Astros’ system, per Cafardo, during a period in which Houston’s four best starters (Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Charlie Morton and Collin McHugh) are on the disabled list. Gray, who would likely slot in third in a healthy Astros rotation, is only running a 4.44 ERA through 52 2/3 innings, but his secondary stats are encouraging and he’s under control via arbitration through 2019. As such, he’d warrant a strong return for the A’s.

More rumblings from Cafardo as the trade deadline approaches:

  • If the Marlins place right fielder Giancarlo Stanton on the trade block in the coming months, the NL East rival Phillies would be a sensible landing spot, opines Cafardo. The cellar-dwelling Phillies are a big-market team with the money and the prospects to swing a deal for Stanton (who’s due nearly $300MM over the final 10 years of his contract), observes Cafardo. Stanton has a full no-trade clause, though, so there’s no guarantee he’d approve a deal to Philadelphia or anywhere else. Further complicating matters, Cafardo has heard that the Phillies would “need” to acquire fellow Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich in a deal involving Stanton. Even though Yelich is under control for reasonable prices through the 2022 campaign, he could end up on the block.
  • Given that they’re five games back in their division and 10.5 out of a wild-card spot, the Cardinals don’t look like surefire buyers at the moment. Nevertheless, a pair of right-handed-hitting right fielders – the Tigers’ J.D. Martinez and the White Sox’s Avisail Garcia – have been frequently linked to the Redbirds this year, relays Cafardo. Martinez, a free agent-to-be who’s on an $11.75MM salary, is hitting a torrid .310/.398/.681 with 11 home runs in 133 plate appearances for the scuffling Tigers. Garcia, who’s much cheaper than Martinez ($3MM) and under control through 2019, is in the midst of a career year (.337/.378/.549 with 10 HRs in 262 PAs) for the soon-to-sell White Sox.
  • The Red Sox have “limited” interest in signing free agent third baseman Jhonny Peralta to a minor league contract, reports Cafardo. Peralta has been available since St. Louis released him Tuesday, which came after more than a year of subpar production from the once-steady veteran. Peralta would give the Red Sox yet another flawed hot corner option, though he is familiar with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who was the general manager in Detroit during Peralta’s run there from 2010-13.
  • Phillies left fielder Howie Kendrick will intrigue both the Red Sox and Yankees if he’s able to play third, writes Cafardo. Kendrick has a bit of experience there (18 games), but the 33-year-old primarily lined up at second base before switching to the outfield. Regardless of whether a move to third is on the horizon, the righty-swinging Kendrick has emerged as a likely trade chip for rebuilding Philadelphia, suggests Cafardo (and as MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk and Jeff Todd have recently noted). Kendrick isn’t cheap ($10MM), but the impending free agent has helped his stock with a .324/.383/.467 line in 115 PAs.

Cesar Hernandez Out Six Weeks With Oblique Injury

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The Phillies will be without second baseman Cesar Hernandez for roughly six weeks due to a strained oblique muscle, manager Pete Mackanin tells reporters (Twitter link via Meghan Montemurro of the News Journal).

[Related: Philadelphia Phillies depth chart]

The loss of Hernandez will remove one of the few Phillies that has been enjoying a solid season at the plate from the team’s lineup. Through 259 plate appearances, the 27-year-old switch-hitter has batted .277/.336/.399 with five homers and six RBIs. Hernandez has demonstrated more power than he did in 2016, as he’s already just one homer shy of last season’s total, though it’s come at the expense of a diminished walk rate (10.6 percent in 2016, 7.7 percent in ’17). Hernandez has been four runs above average according to both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating this year, further contributing to his value.

Veteran Howie Kendrick, who has been excellent at the plate since returning from the disabled list himself, has filled in at second base in each of the past two games for the Phils. Kendrick and his .353/.409/.529 batting line (through just 93 plate appearances) can more than adequately fill in for Hernandez, though he’s a prime trade candidate as well. Of course, if the Phils wait until the trade deadline to deal Kendrick, they may be on the verge of getting Hernandez back on the big league roster anyway.

Some fans may clamor to use Hernandez’s injury as a means of getting a look at well-regarded second base prospect Scott Kingery, though there are numerous factors that could make that scenario unlikely. The 23-year-old Kingery, a former second-round pick, is still only in his first run through Double-A ball. There’s also no urgency for the Phillies to rush him, as they currently hold the worst record in the Majors and don’t need to be especially concerned with adding a couple of wins in what looks to otherwise be a lost season. Kingery also is not yet on the 40-man roster and needn’t be added yet this offseason to shield him from the Rule 5 Draft. He has, however, laid waste to opposing pitchers with a .306/.385/.625 with 18 homers and 14 steals through just 58 games.

Rangers Acquire Joely Rodriguez

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The Rangers have acquired lefty Joely Rodriguez from the Phillies, per announcements from the organizations. Cash or a player to be named later will go back in return for Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment last week.

Rodriguez, 25, will head to Triple-A on optional assignment with his new organization. He’ll provide a depth option for a Texas club that has received strong contributions from southpaw Alex Claudio but may at some point see fit to add another lefty option to the pen.

After showing well in his first dozen major league games last year, Rodriguez opened the current season in the Phillies’ pen. But he struggled to a 6.33 ERA in 27 frames, coughing up 37 base hits while carrying a subpar 18:15 K/BB ratio. That said, Rodriguez has shown the capability to generate big groundball rates with his power sinker.

Phillies Place Cesar Hernandez On DL

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The Phillies have announced that second baseman Cesar Hernandez has been placed on the 10-day DL, as expected, with a left oblique strain. Righty Joaquin Benoit has been activated from the DL and will take Hernandez’s place on the team’s 25-man roster.

As CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury previously noted, Hernandez was injured while throwing on Friday. He was batting .277/.336/.399 for the Phillies this season after emerging as a key offensive and defensive contributor last year. Some Phillies fans might have hoped prospect Scott Kingery, who is batting .300/.377/.612 for Double-A Reading, might have been promoted to take Hernandez’s place, but the team will instead turn to longtime Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick, who will move in from the outfield to play second. The move could have implications for Kendrick’s status as a trade candidate; as Steve Adams noted in the Phillies entry in MLBTR’s Taking Inventory series earlier this week, Kendrick’s strong hitting so far this year could make him an attractive trade target for contenders later this summer. Daniel Nava could see more time in the outfield as a result of any playing time Kendrick might receive at second.

The Phillies placed Benoit on the 10-day DL last week due to a left knee sprain. The 39-year-old has a 3.68 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 over 22 innings thus far this season.

Injury Notes: Stanton, Hernandez, Dozier

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Here are a few notes on developing injury situations throughout the league.

  • Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton left today’s game with what appeared to be a hand or wrist injury after being struck by a 95-MPH fastball by Trevor Williams of the Pirates, Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel and other reporters have noted. It appears, however, that Stanton and the Marlins have lucked out, as the team announced after the game that X-rays were negative and that Stanton only has a hand contusion. He is day-to-day.  Losing Stanton would have been a significant blow to the Marlins — he’s in the midst of a healthy and terrific .288/.365/.566 season, and the team, as Healey notes, is already dealing with injuries to lineup regulars Justin Bour, Adeiny Hechavarria and Martin Prado.
  • Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez suffered an oblique or abdominal injury on Friday and appears likely to head to the disabled list, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes. Hernandez was not placed on the DL before today’s game, but he was not in the lineup. As Salisbury notes, the Phillies do have a good second base prospect in Scott Kingery who’s batting .304/.379/.621 at Double-A Reading, although Kingery has not yet played at Triple-A, so it’s unclear whether they would see him as a candidate to play second at the big-league level if Hernandez were to miss significant time.
  • The Royals have announced that OF/3B Hunter Dozier has been placed on the minor-league DL with a hamate fracture. Dozier, the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft, currently ranks as the Royals’ top prospect, according to MLB.com. But he’s had a rough 2017 season, missing almost two months to start the season with an oblique strain and now dealing with his hamate issue, which will likely cause him to miss several weeks. Dozier batted .294/.357/.506 for Triple-A Omaha last season.
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