Quick Hits: Daulton, Escobar, Montgomery, Dombrowski
Darren Daulton, the longtime former catcher for the Phillies, passed away tonight at the age of 55 after a five-year battle with brain cancer. Renowned as a clubhouse leader in Philadelphia, Daulton played 1109 games and parts of 14 seasons in a Phillies uniform, reaching three All-Star games, twice finishing in the top seven of NL MVP voting and winning a Silver Slugger Award in 1992. He played a particularly big role in the Phillies’ pennant-winning 1993 club, and he ended his career as a champion. After a July 1997 trade to the Marlins, Daulton’s final game was Game 7 of the ’97 World Series, going out on a high note as the Fish won their first title. We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Daulton’s family and loved ones.
Here are some news items from around the game…
- Yunel Escobar left today’s game due to a right intercostal strain, as per an Angels press announcement (Twitter link). The third baseman will undergo an MRI tomorrow to access the damage. Escobar has a .274/.333/.397 slash line and seven homers over 381 PA for the Halos this season, Escobar has already spent some time on the DL this season, missing around 2.5 weeks due to a hamstring strain in May, and he sat out of a couple of recent games due to a sore back.
- The Yankees optioned left-hander Jordan Montgomery to Triple-A after today’s game, as per a team announcement. With Luis Severino, C.C. Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka and new acquisitions Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia in the rotation mix, the rookie Montgomery was the obvious odd man out when the Yankees made the move back to a standard five-man starting staff. The 24-year-old southpaw posted a 4.05 ERA, 8.6 K/9 and 3.17 K/BB over 115 2/3 IP (21 starts) in his big taste of MLB action, making an excellent case for himself as a future rotation piece in 2018 and beyond.
- Dave Dombrowski has put together a strong record on trades in less than three years running the Red Sox front office, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes. Breaking down the 15 trades under Dombrowski’s leadership, Mastrodonato calculates that the president of baseball operations has acquired quite a bit of “trade profit,” as observed by examining the salaries and fWARs of the players who came to Boston in those deals. The numbers are, of course, skewed by the fact that so many of the players dealt away in those trades were prospects who have barely or never played in the big leagues yet, though Chris Sale alone has more fWAR than every traded player combined since the time they were dealt.
East Notes: Altherr, Snitker, Rays
The Phillies are placing Aaron Altherr on the DL after the outfielder aggravated his injured hamstring, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Altherr spent ten days on the DL due to a hamstring problem last month. When healthy, the 26-year-old has been a highlight of the Phillies’ season, batting .285/.357/.536 with 16 home runs in 336 plate appearances, but now it appears he’ll be on the shelf for at least a short time. Here’s more from the East divisions.
- The Braves are “almost certain” to retain manager Brian Snitker next season, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Snitker took over as the Braves’ interim manager last season, and the Braves hired him full-time (although only for a one-year deal plus an option) after he led the rebuilding club to a 59-65 record following a brutal 9-28 start under Fredi Gonzalez. After a 50-58 start this year, it appears both the Braves’ players and its front office appreciate having Snitker around. Snitker has “done everything possible to help us win,” says Freddie Freeman. “He deserved the managerial job when he got, and we all hope that he’s back.” Team president of baseball operations John Hart suggests Snitker will return. “[L]et’s just say that Brian hasn’t done anything to make us look around for candidates like we were doing at this time last year, when we were compiling names,” says Hart. “If you broke into my office in the dead of night, you would find no slips of paper in my desk.”
- Prior to yesterday’s game, the Rays optioned lefty and former top prospect Blake Snell to Triple-A Durham, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times noted. They also recalled lefty Jose Alvarado (giving the Rays’ bullpen an extra arm for the time being), activated infielder Daniel Robertson, and optioned infielder Taylor Featherston. The 24-year-old Snell has a 4.98 ERA this season with 8.0 K/9 and a too-high 5.1 BB/9. This is the second time he’s been sent down — he also spent a six-week stint with Durham beginning in mid-May. Topkin notes that it’s unclear who will take Snell’s rotation spot, although the team has an off-day Monday, so there will be time to sort that out. One possibility is that Austin Pruitt (who pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings against Houston earlier this week) could remain in the rotation after Jake Odorizzi returns from a back strain. But Topkin also mentions that the team could promote 22-year-old top prospect Brent Honeywell, who has a 3.95 ERA, 11.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 100 1/3 innings in his first season with Durham.
NL East Notes: Scherzer, Chen, Garcia, Phillies
The discomfort from the neck spasms that forced Nationals ace Max Scherzer from his last start have largely subsided, the right-hander told reporters today (Twtiter link via MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman). Scherzer tells reporters that he played catch today and will throw a bullpen session tomorrow. He’s expected to make his next start for the Nats on Monday of this week.
A few more notes from around the NL East…
- Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that Marlins lefty Wei-Yin Chen is not yet giving up hope on being able to return to the mound in 2017. Chen has missed most of the season, owing to a reported partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, but he’s thrown six bullpen sessions over the past few weeks. “We’re still talking a little ways,” manager Don Mattingly said of Chen’s possible return. “But I think we’re also getting to the point where we can say he’s progressing to the point where at least it’s on the radar.”
- Also from Healey, while rookie southpaw Jarlin Garcia has emerged as a valuable setup piece, the Marlins organization isn’t entirely closed off to the idea of him returning to a starting role in the future. “I think it’s something that you at least think about,” said Mattingly. “But I don’t know if anyone has necessarily talked to Jarlin or the organization has really gotten that far.” The 24-year-old Garcia has appeared in 46 games for the Fish this season and has turned in a 3.53 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9. He’s limited opposing lefties to an awful .167/.229/.328 batting line while holding righties to a .212/.278/.415 clip.
- Phillies outfield prospect Carlos Tocci has forced his way into consideration for a 40-man roster spot this offseason, writes Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 21-year-old could “play center field in the big leagues tomorrow” from a defensive standpoint, per Phillies international scouting director Sal Agostinelli. But, as Breen explains, his improved play at the dish in Double-A would make him extremely likely to be selected in this year’s Rule 5 Draft after being left unprotected last winter. Tocci is hitting .313/.370/.410 in Double-A this season and has improved as the season wears on. Phillies fans — and those who follow the Rule 5 Draft in general — will want to take a full look at Breen’s piece, as he runs through a number of locks and borderline candidates to land on Philadelphia’s 40-man this winter. (Breen also shares an interesting anecdote about the Rangers actually outbidding the Phillies for Tocci at the last minute while Agostinelli was with Tocci’s family in Venezuela, though Tocci nonethless signed with the Phillies.)
- In a separate column, Breen speaks to Agostinelli about his excitement over the additional international bonus money that GM Matt Klentak acquired in trades that sent Howie Kendrick to the Nationals and Jeremy Hellickson to the Orioles. “During a period of the year, sometimes you have to give more money than you wanted to a particular guy. A lot of teams don’t have any money left,” Agostinelli explains. He goes on to recall the story of how the Phillies came to sign right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who was throwing 86-87 mph when most scouts saw him leading up to the international signing period but saw that velocity build up to the low 90s later that summer. “We had the extra money and we signed him for 300 grand. It’s kind of the same ideology,” says Agostinelli.
Pirates Acquire Joaquin Benoit
The Pirates acquired veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit and cash considerations from the Phillies for right-handed relief prospect Seth McGarry, according to a team announcement.
Benoit, 40, has a 4.07 ERA, 9.2 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 1.07 HR/9, and 31.5% groundball rate in 42 innings this year, missing ten days in June with a knee sprain. The Pirates will be the eighth team for which Benoit has pitched. As a long shot for the playoffs, the Pirates wouldn’t appear to have a strong need for a rental like Benoit, who has about $2.6MM left on his contract this year. But perhaps Benoit is meant to replace Tony Watson, who the Pirates sent to the Dodgers earlier today.
McGarry, 23, was drafted by the Pirates in the eighth round in 2015 out of Florida Atlantic University. This year in High-A, he owns a 1.34 ERA, 8.5 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 with just one home run allowed in 40 1/3 innings.
East News & Rumors: Hellickson, Kim, Yanks, Rays
Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson changed clubs when the Phillies traded him to the Orioles on Friday, but a car crash has delayed his arrival to meet his new teammates, reports Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com (on Twitter). Hellickson was rear-ended on his way to the airport to fly to Texas, where the Orioles are playing, and he and his girlfriend had to go to the emergency room as a result. Fortunately, it seems the two avoided major injuries. “I think Jeremy is OK, but his girlfriend had to go to the emergency room,” manager Buck Showalter said Saturday (via Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com). “I know Roger (McDowell) has talked to him a couple of times. If everything stays…if she gets cleared, they’ll be in Baltimore tomorrow. No reason to come here (to Texas) now. We’ve got a catcher set up tomorrow in Baltimore.”
The Phillies received little-used outfielder Hyun Soo Kim in the package for Hellickson, and the 29-year-old’s playing time won’t increase with his new team, writes Matt Breen of Philly.com. “I don’t know how much time I’ll be able to get for Kim,” admitted manager Pete Mackanin. “It’s a conundrum.” With Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams flanking center fielder Odubel Herrera, the Phillies have younger options entrenched in starting roles. That’s unfortunate for Kim, who hit .302/.382/.420 in 346 plate appearances as a rookie last year. The free agent-to-be took massive steps backward this season before the trade (.232/.305/.288 in 142 tries), and he won’t have an opportunity to improve his stock in the next couple months. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams suggested Friday, including Kim and his $4.2MM salary in the trade was a money-driven decision by the teams.
The latest on a couple of Baltimore’s AL East rivals:
- The Yankees made Double-A right-hander Zack Littell a healthy scratch from his start on Saturday, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). Sherman believes the move has something to do with Monday’s trade deadline, and it’s worth noting that the Yankees and A’s are deep in talks regarding Oakland right-hander Sonny Gray. Speculatively, Littell could end up in the package going to Oakland if the Yankees acquire Gray (or as part of another deal). MLB.com ranks the 21-year-old Littell as New York’s 22nd-best prospect.
- More from Sherman, who writes that the Yankees may trade hot-hitting Triple-A outfield prospects Billy McKinney and Jake Cave by the end of August as a way to alleviate the 40-man roster crunch they’re slated to face in the offseason. Neither player is on the Yankees’ 40-man right now, and the team is already well off in the outfield. In lieu of protecting the McKinney-Cave tandem over the winter, then, the Yankees could do what they did with outfielder Ben Gamel last year and deal one or both of them. Gamel wasn’t on the 40-man for New York when it traded him to the Mariners last Aug. 31 for a pair of pitching prospects. While Gamel’s now enjoying an excellent rookie season in Seattle, odds are that he wouldn’t have gotten the chance to shine as a major leaguer this year had he stayed in the Yankees organization.
- In regards to the low-payroll Rays’ trading spree this season, owner Stuart Sternberg told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times: “The impetus? This is a special group of guys who have the talent and are hungry.” Sternberg has picked up $7MM in salary via trades this year – though Colby Rasmus‘ departure did save the team $2.5MM, as Topkin points out – and is looking to make more additions to the Rays’ playoff-contending roster. “The money and the talent we no longer have hurts, and makes us a bit weaker in the future,” continued Sternberg. “In a perfect world there will be more to do to improve the club. It’s hard to see how that presents itself, though I have confidence (we) will explore any and every opportunity.”
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/29/17
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Royals have requested release waivers on righty Al Alburquerque, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets. The Royals designated Alburquerque for assignment when they acquired Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter from the Padres last week. The 31-year-old Alburquerque pitched ten innings for the Royals in 2017, allowing four runs while striking out nine and walking six. The hard-throwing, control-challenged righty has a 3.23 ERA, 10.9 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 237 career innings spanning seven big-league seasons.
- The Giants have signed 27-year-old righty Casey Kelly to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Sacramento, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Kelly, a former first-round pick of the Red Sox, headed to the Padres with Anthony Rizzo in a 2010 trade for Adrian Gonzalez, then to the Padres five years later in a deal involving Christian Bethancourt. He signed with the Cubs last winter and posted a 4.65 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 12 outings, including 11 starts, for Triple-A Iowa before being released last week. He’s struggled in brief big-league opportunities spanning three seasons with the Padres and Braves.
- The Phillies have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty Pedro Beato from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Beato will presumably take the roster spot vacated when the Phillies traded Howie Kendrick yesterday. Beato, 30, posted a 2.72 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 46 1/3 innings of relief with Lehigh Valley. He’s pitched in the big leagues with the Mets, Red Sox and Braves, but hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2014.
Reactions To The Jeremy Hellickson Trade
Here’s a roundup of reactions to the Orioles’ somewhat puzzling weekend acquisition of Jeremy Hellickson and cash from the Phillies for Hyun Soo Kim, minor-league pitcher Garrett Cleavinger and the rights to international bonus spending.
- From the Orioles’ perspective, the Hellickson deal feels like part of a broader plan the team hasn’t yet made clear, Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun writes. The move signals that the Orioles could be ready to part ways with someone from their struggling current starting rotation (Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Wade Miley and Ubaldo Jimenez), but Hellickson’s own numbers (he has a 4.73 ERA, and his 5.21 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and 35.1% ground-ball rate are even less encouraging) don’t suggest he can be much better.
- Orioles exec Dan Duquette says the team made the deal because it sought a reliable starting pitcher, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes. “We’d like to be competitive,” says Duquette. “Nobody’s running away with the American League. We’ve got our bullpen back. If we can get some stability to our starting pitching, the rest of our team is intact. Hellickson has been a consistent performer and very competitive.” Duquette further explains that Trey Mancini‘s emergence made Kim expendable. Mancini is batting .297/.343/.516 in a surprising rookie season. “The on-base capability that (Kim) showed last year and the ability to hit velocity, he probably didn’t have enough at-bats to sustain that with the way Mancini played as an everyday player,” he says.
- The Phillies had little leverage in trading Hellickson, who was performing poorly and would have been a free agent at the end of the season, Corey Seidman of CSN Philly writes. Kim is also a free agent at the end of the season, and Garrett Cleavinger, the minor-leaguer the Phillies received, has unimpressive statistics as a Double-A reliever and might end up being “just a guy.”
Orioles Acquire Jeremy Hellickson
The Phillies have agreed to a trade that will send right-hander Jeremy Hellickson and cash considerations to the Orioles in exchange for outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, Double-A left-hander Garrett Cleavinger and international bonus money, the teams announced on Friday night.
The move is a surprising one from an Orioles club that is currently seven games out of first place in the AL East and six games back from a Wild Card spot in the American League. Most talk on the Orioles recently has been about the possibility of trading short-term pieces such as Zach Britton, Brad Brach and Seth Smith.
MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that that may still be the case, which makes the move all the more head-scratching on the surface. However, Rosenthal suggests that Baltimore simply feels it needs rotation additions to get through the season, and GM Dan Duquette indeed indicates that he simply needed to add some innings to a starting staff that has entered Friday with the fourth-fewest innings and second-highest ERA in baseball.
“Jeremy Hellickson is a solid, dependable, veteran Major League starter who knows how to win in the American League,” Duquette told reporters (Twitter links via PressBoxOnline.com’s Rich Dubroff). “He should provide some quality innings for the Orioles.”
Hellickson, 30, accepted a qualifying offer from the Phillies this past offseason, locking him in at a $17.2MM salary for the 2017 season. He’s still owed about $6.1MM of that sum through the end of the year, though the Phillies have reportedly been willing to include cash in a deal to help enhance their return.
Hellickson struggled greatly to open the season, limping to a 4.91 ERA with a league-worst 3.97 K/9 rate through his first 14 starts. Since June 20, however, he’s averaged 7.9 K/8 against just 1.8 BB/9 en route to a 4.33 ERA that is supported by more favorable xFIP (3.81) and SIERA (3.99) marks. Even if he maintains the uptick in strikeouts and to complement his typical brand of excellent control, Hellickson won’t be confused for a front-of-the-rotation arm. But, he’s been a durable mid- or back-of-the-rotation starter for much of his career. Outside of a 2014 season that was cut short by an elbow injury, Hellickson has averaged 30 starts per season and is on pace to equal or exceed last year’s career-best mark of 32 starts.
That may well be all the Orioles are focused on, as Dylan Bundy is the only Orioles starter with an ERA even south of 5.00 (currently 4.53), and Bundy has struggled mightily over the past month and a half. Each of Kevin Gausman, Wade Miley, Chris Tillman and Ubaldo Jimenez has an ERA of 5.69 or higher, and the Orioles have little in the way of upper-level depth that inspires confidence as a starting option. Alec Asher has been hit hard in the Majors, while Gabriel Ynoa has a 6.54 ERA in Triple-A. Righties Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright have also struggled in multiple MLB looks over the past couple of seasons.
Kim’s inclusion in the trade may be nothing more than a financial mechanism. The 29-year-old has been scarcely used in 2017 and is in the second season of a two-year, $7MM contract. Once a star in the Korea Baseball Organization, Kim had a nice MLB rookie season at the plate in 2016 when he hit .302/.382/.420 in 346 plate appearances. This year, though, he’s struggled to a .232/.305/.288 slash while earning $4.2MM.
Kim can temporarily step into the spot once held by the now-also-traded Howie Kendrick, but the Phils may not give him all that long a leash as their young outfielders inch increasingly closer to Major League readiness. Kim can become a free agent at season’s end anyhow, so he’s a short-term addition even in the seemingly unlikely event that the Phils hang onto him for the remainder of the year.
Cleavinger, 23, is currently ranked 27th in a weak Orioles’ farm system at MLB.com, so he probably won’t rank nearly as high in a deeper Phillies farm system. His fastball reaches 96 at times but sits 89-92, per MLB.com’s free scouting report, and he pairs that with an average curveball. Cleavinger’s control has been a problem in each of the past two seasons, though, and he’s limped to a 6.28 ERA with 9.8 K/9, 5.4 BB/9 and a 46.8 percent ground-ball rate in 38 1/3 innings at Double-A this year.
With all that said, this trade may be largely about the Phillies using their considerable payroll capacity and lack of near-term commitments to take advantage of the Orioles’ willingness to eschew spending on the international market. Adding Cleavinger gives them a fairly advanced MLB player, though one with a fairly limited ceiling. But, the new collective bargaining agreement has placed a hard cap on international spending, giving teams starting bonus pool ranging from $4.75MM to $5.75MM and allowing teams to acquire up to 75 percent of their original pool.
The Phillies, as a team that isn’t the Competitive Balance lottery, began with a $4.75MM pool but can add up to an extra $3.56MM. While the exact amount acquired from the O’s isn’t yet known, GM Matt Klentak tells reporters that he’s already acquired north of $1MM to add to his bonus pool via the trade market (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki).
Zolecki reported that a trade was in the works after Hellickson was scratched, and Rosenthal first said that the Orioles were in the mix. FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported the agreement (on Twitter). Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com reported details on the return (all Twitter links). Heyman tweeted that Kim was in the deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nationals Acquire Howie Kendrick
9:33pm: The teams have announced the trade. Philadelphia is sending Kendrick and cash to the Nats in exchange for Mills and additional international bonus money.
9:23pm: The Nationals have struck a deal to acquire infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick from the Phillies in exchange for minor league left-hander McKenzie Mills, reports PhillyVoice.com’s Ryan Lawrence (Twitter links). Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network first reported that the Nats were working on a deal to land Kendrick (on Twitter).
The 34-year-old Kendrick hasn’t had his healthiest season, but he’s been extremely productive when on the field. Through 156 plate appearances, he’s posted a brilliant .340/.397/.454 batting line with a pair of homers, eight doubles, a triple and eight steals (in 11 attempts). Once a pure second baseman, Kendrick took on more of a super utility role with the Dodgers in 2016 and has played corner outfield with the Phillies in 2017. Over the past two seasons, he’s spent time at second base, third base, first base and in left field.
Kendrick is earning $10MM this season, though $5MM of that is deferred until 2019, per Cot’s Contracts. The Phillies are paying Kendrick’s contract down to the pro-rated league minimum, tweets Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, so the Nats are only taking on the hook for about $187K for Kendrick, who will hit free agency following the 2017 season.
The Nationals are banged up at the moment, with left fielder Jayson Werth, Michael Taylor, Ryan Raburn and Chris Heisey all on the disabled list. That’s pushed Brian Goodwin into center field and Adam Lind into left field, so Kendrick will provide the club with an option in left as well as some veteran bench depth — and a postseason upgrade over the likes of Raburn and Heisey — once everyone is healthy down the stretch. Kendrick is currently dealing with a bruised left hand after getting hit by a pitch, though clearly Washington isn’t concerned that the injury will have any long-term effects.
Mills, 21, ranked as the Nationals’ 18th-best prospect on the recently released midseason top 30 list of Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com. He’s pitched to a 3.01 ERA with a ridiculous 118-to-22 K/BB ratio (10.1 K/9, 1.9 BB/9) through 104 2/3 innings for Class-A Hagerstown this season. Callis and Mayo peg him for an above-average fastball and curveball with an average changeup. Their report gives him a back-of-the-rotation ceiling but also noted that some in the Nats organization felt there was more upside than that with Mills.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Orioles In On Jeremy Hellickson
9:22pm: The Orioles are “active” on Hellickson, tweets Rosenthal. That’s a rather surprising development, given that the Orioles are seven games back in the AL East and six back in the Wild Card race. Most of the talk on them has involved the Orioles selling off pieces in recent weeks, though many have been skeptical that owner Peter Angelos would ultimately give GM Dan Duquette the green light on selling off some veteran assets.
5:55pm: Zolecki also tweets that the field conditions were a significant factor, though he tweets that the Phillies are in “serious” trade talks involving Hellickson.
5:45pm: MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that Hellickson “has not been traded — yet,” adding that the Phils are in active trade discussions involving the right-hander and did not want to take any chances with rainy, sloppy conditions on the field tonight.
5:41pm: The Phillies have scratched right-hander Jeremy Hellickson from tonight’s start, tweets MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. While Zolecki notes that no trade has yet been finalized, “something’s cooking” with Hellickson and a yet-unreported club.
Hellickson, 30, accepted a qualifying offer from the Phillies this past offseason, locking him in at a $17.2MM salary for the 2017 season. He’s still owed about $6.1MM of that total through season’s end, though reports have indicated that the Phils would be willing to pay down some of the remaining commitment.
After an uninspiring start to the season, Hellickson has upped his strikeout totals in recent starts, working to a 4.33 ERA with 7.9 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 36.1 percent ground-ball rate in 35 1/3 innings. That uptick in strikeouts is especially notable, as Hellickson averaged a league-worst 3.97 K/9 through his first 14 starts of the season.