Phillies Designate Dustin McGowan For Assignment
The Phillies announced today that they have designated right-hander Dustin McGowan for assignment and recalled left-hander Jake Diekman from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The 33-year-old McGowan has already been outrighted off the 40-man roster once this season but remained with the organization after he cleared waivers. He’ll have the option o elect free agency once again, if he is ultimately exposed to waivers and clears for a second time. The veteran swingman has struggled with his control this season, leading to a 6.94 ERA in 23 1/3 innings. McGowan’s 21 strikeouts in that time are a solid mark, but he’s also walked 20 hitters, and his ground-ball rate is down significantly from its peak — a trend that began last year in Toronto and has continued in 2015.
Diekman, 28, entered the season as one of the more intriguing arms in the Phillies’ bullpen mix but struggled to a 6.75 ERA through 21 1/3 innings before being optioned to Triple-A earlier this month. His brief trip to the minors was as encouraging as Phillies’ decision-makers could possibly have hoped, as he fired seven scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and a walk while punching out seven batters. Diekman whiffed 100 hitters in just 71 innings last year and posted FIP, xFIP and SIERA marks between 2.64 and 2.85, suggesting that he had performed much better than his 3.80 ERA otherwise indicated. He’ll likely rejoin Ken Giles as a setup option for closer Jonathan Papelbon, though he could move into a more prominent role in the Philly bullpen if Papelbon is ultimately traded.
Phillies Notes: MacPhail, Sandberg, Nola, Lee
The Phillies’ pursuit of longtime baseball exec Andy MacPhail for a position in their front office is “quite real,” a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. (CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury first reported Philadelphia’s interest in MacPhail.) Rosenthal writes that adding MacPhail could create an interesting scenario, as it would potentially put MacPhail, who served as the Cubs’ president when Ryne Sandberg was inducted into the Hall of Fame, in position to fire Sandberg as the Phillies’ manager. Rosenthal writes that many within the industry feel that Sandberg is overmatched, but he adds that if current president Pat Gillick were going to dismiss Sandberg, he’d probably have done so by now. As such, the decision may fall to Gillick’s successor, who could make the move himself or hire a new general manager to do so.
A few more notes on a Phillies team that seems destined for change on the roster, in the front office and in the dugout in the coming months…
- GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, that he’s “fully supportive” of Sandberg and expects him to finish out the 2015 season as the team’s manager. Sandberg added that he’s not concerned about potentially being on the hot seat, telling reporters, “I worry about the game today and what has to be done today. That’s the focus and the mindset for me.”
- The Phillies placed Jerome Williams on the disabled list and have yet to announce a starter for Sunday’s contest, but Salisbury writes that it won’t be top prospect Aaron Nola. The No. 7 pick in the 2014 draft, Nola is slated to make his Triple-A debut tomorrow evening and will continue on that schedule. “We have to do what’s right for Aaron Nola and his development and that’s not going to change,” Amaro said of Nola. “And he’s going to be in the big leagues at some point this year. I don’t think there’s any question about that, if he continues to progress the way he’s progressed so far.”
- Within that piece, Salisbury also provides an update on the injured Cliff Lee. Following an exam on Tuesday of this week, it was recommended that Lee hold off from throwing for another three to four weeks. Amaro said that in about a month’s time, the team will have a clearer image of Lee’s future. The former Cy Young winner has been resting a small tear in his flexor tendon in an attempt to avoid a surgical repair that would come with a nine-month recovery timeline.
Phillies To Sign Top Picks Randolph, Kingery
1:30pm: The Phillies announced that they have reached agreement with a number of draft choices, including second-round pick Scott Kingery, as Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. Kingery’s deal is for the full value of his selection, netting him a ~$1.26MM bonus, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (on Twitter).
Kingery, a second baseman out of the University of Arizona, was tapped with the No. 48 overall pick. Prior to the draft, Kingery took some time to chat with MLBTR’s Zach Links for a comprehensive Q&A about his skill set and collegiate career. Kingery’s story is a unique one as he went from an undersized walk-on for the Wildcats to becoming one of their premier talents. The youngster told MLBTR that he received no scholarship offers coming out of high school and he did not envision a major league future for himself back in 2012.
“Definitely not. That’s not something that I had in mind going into my freshman year, especially as a walk-on player. I didn’t have a spot on the roster yet for sure, so at that point, I was just trying to find a spot on the team,” Kingery told Links.
Kingery is being advised by David Matranga of PSI Sports.
1:08pm: The Phillies have agreed to sign first-round selection Cornelius Randolph for the full slot value of $3,231,300, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter links). Selected 10th overall, Randolph was advised by and is now represented by Scott Boras. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tells Callis that the Phillies plan to move Randolph from the infield to the outfield, and Callis notes that Randolph’s bat “will play anywhere.”
A high school shortstop that had committed to Clemson, Randolph’s defense was questioned by many scouts heading into the draft. That did little to detract from the allure of his bat, however. Randolph ranked as the draft’s No. 11 prospect in the eyes of Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel, 19th on the Top 200 compiled by Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, 20th on Baseball America’s Top 500 and 29th on the Top 100 of ESPN’s Keith Law.
McDaniel praised Randolph’s above-average hitting ability, raw power and strong arm when calling him “maybe the best of a deep crop in the Georgia prep ranks.” Mayo and Callis wrote that 6’1″, 190-pound Randolph “has the tools and approach to hit for power and average.” BA praised his bat speed and the ability to hit for all fields, noting that while scouts are “sure” that Randolph isn’t a shortstop, his home on the diamond could be in left field or at third base. ESPN feels that he profiles as a middle-of-the-order bat but cautions that there could be more swing-and-miss to his game than his mechanics would indicate at first glance.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NL East Notes: Bethancourt, Lavarnway, Wright, Mets, Brown
Earlier this morning, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported that the Braves would option struggling catcher Christian Bethancourt to Triple-A Gwinnett (Twitter link). While the corresponding move was not reported at the time, Atlanta has since announced that it will select the contract of Ryan Lavarnway to take Bethancourt’s place. Bethancourt, 23, has batted just .208/.231/.297 in 2014 plate appearances this season. While his elite arm behind the plate would be enough to outweigh a reasonable amount of offensive struggles, that batting line translates to the seventh-worst wRC+ in all of baseball among players with 100 PAs. Via David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, president of baseball ops John Hart likened the Bethancourt demotion to the 2014 demotions of Kolten Wong and Mike Moustakas. Each, like Bethancourt, was a former Top 100 prospect that had struggled in the Majors but has taken a step toward stardom since returning to the bigs. The Braves will hope that’s the outcome for Bethancourt, but in the meantime, they’ll hand his role to Lavarnway. The 27-year-old Lavarnway is a former Top 100 prospect himself, but he’s never replicated the promise he showed in a 2013 cup of coffee when he batted .299/.329/.429 in 84 PAs with Boston.
Here’s more from the NL East…
- Via the Record’s Matt Ehalt, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said today that a realistic target date for David Wright‘s return will be the All-Star break (Twitter link). The Mets captain has missed all but eight games this season, most of which has been due to a recent diagnosis of spinal stenosis. New York has been said to be looking to acquire a versatile bat that can play third base in the short-term and then move elsewhere once Wright is again healthy.
- The Mets recently discussed a scenario in which Noah Syndergaard would switch to a relief role in an effort to aid what has been a fragile bullpen, report Mike Puma and Zach Braziller of the New York Post. In that scenario, Steven Matz would have been recalled to take Syndergaard’s spot in the rotation. However, the team has decided against that decision and will remain committed to using Syndergaard as a starter. The story does seem to lend further credence to recent reports that the Mets are itching to get Matz to the Majors. They’ve reportedly discussed Jon Niese and Dillon Gee with other teams, though neither has generated much interest.
- While many Phillies fans have given up hope on Domonic Brown, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News feels the organization is doing the right thing by giving him a perhaps final shot at proving he’s been anything more than he has shown to this point. Brown, 27, has scarcely hit in the Majors, save for a blistering two-month stretch in 2013, but he still has more growth potential than alternative Phillies options such as Jeff Francoeur and Ben Revere. Brown explained to Murphy his offensive struggles in the minors this season — specifically feeling a lack of strength in his legs early on after returning from an Achilles injury. Brown’s production improved as the strength returned, and he’ll now get some opportunities to force his way into the lineup with regularity, manager Ryne Sandberg implied. Still, Brown is out of options after this season, so Murphy rightly points out that this could effectively be Brown’s last legitimate chance in Philadelphia.
Phillies Interested In Executive Role For Andy MacPhail
The Phillies are eyeing longtime baseball executive Andy MacPhail as a potential new leader for the franchise, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The specific role in which the Phillies are interested is yet unclear, but team president Pat Gillick has said in the past that he does not intend to hold his current role for a particularly lengthy term.
MacPhail would be more than qualified to serve as the club’s president, as his resume is extensive and impressive. The 63-year-old was the general manager of the Twins from 1985-94, during which time the team won its first two (and only) World Series titles, in 1987 and 1991. MacPhail left the Twins to become the president and CEO of the Cubs — a role he held until 2006.
After his Cubs career, MacPhail became president of baseball operations for the Orioles, helping to assemble much of the core that’s in place in Baltimore now. MacPhail was at the helm for the O’s when the team made the franchise-altering trade that sent Erik Bedard to Seattle in exchange for a package of talent headlined by Adam Jones and Chris Tillman. MacPhail was also still fronting Baltimore’s baseball ops department when he plucked both Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis from the Rangers in exchange for Koji Uehara. Additionally, he acquired J.J. Hardy from the Twins in exchange for a pair of minor league relievers, neither of whom made much of an impact in Minnesota.
Suffice it to say, MacPhail is a respected baseball mind with a good deal of experience when it comes to rebuilding franchises. As such, he makes for a logical target to help the Phillies in some capacity as they look to retool a franchise that has gone from a lasting power in the NL East to the bottom of the MLB cellar in recent years.
Salisbury notes that it’s not known whether the team would consider bringing on someone like MacPhail during the season. However, Salisbury also keenly notes that even if MacPhail were brought aboard in some form of consulting capacity during the season, that would give him plenty of time to evaluate both the front office and the field staff heading into what could be an offseason that is rife with organizational changes. Doing so would also allow a new hire to have some say in a potential landmark Cole Hamels trade, to say nothing of potential deals involving Jonathan Papelbon, Aaron Harang, Ben Revere, Ryan Howard and others.
Quick Hits: Astros, Huntington, Reds, Nola
Collin McHugh‘s recent struggles have only sharpened the Astros‘ need for starting pitching help, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle writes. McHugh has a 7.77 ERA over his last four starts, leaving ace Dallas Keuchel as the only truly reliable rotation option, as it’s asking a lot of rookies Lance McCullers and Vincent Velasquez to immediately help carry a playoff-contending team (though McCullers has been outstanding in six starts.) Here’s some more from around baseball as we head into the new week…
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington tells David Manel of the Bucs Dugout blog that the club will again “walk that balance between now and the future” in making any deadline additions. “We want to do everything we can to put this club in a position to make the playoffs this year, win a World Series this year. At the same time, we want to be able to be in that position as many years in the future as we can,” Huntington said. Pittsburgh will face a lot of competition in making deals only a few teams are truly out of the race at this point; as Huntington puts it, “this is absolutely a sellers market, at this point in time.”
- The rising costs of youth baseball has led to fewer young athletes choosing the game, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. The Pirates value having versatile players who are able to play multiple positions, and the best fits for this model are those who played baseball and other sports growing up, so they have a larger athletic toolbox. With more youngsters specializing only in one sport growing up, however, these well-rounded athletes are harder to find.
- Despite the Reds‘ struggles, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer doesn’t think manager Bryan Price’s job is in jeopardy. “It would be hard and foolish to fire Bryan Price given all the injuries” the Reds have had to deal with, Fay writes.
- Most scouts feel that the Reds wouldn’t trade Aroldis Chapman “if push came to shove” and they became deadline sellers, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. There hasn’t been any indication that the Reds are willing to deal Chapman, though his name has at least been floated in talks with the Nationals.
- Also from Cafardo, some scouts following the Reds have mentioned Brandon Phillips, but while he’s having a good season, Cafardo feels the second baseman’s large contract is still a deterrent to a trade.
- The Padres, White Sox and Indians are three of the many clubs still relatively close to a postseason spot but unsure if they’ll be able to make a legitimate run, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (Insider subscription required). San Diego’s situation is particularly tricky given their major winter expenditures and rival evaluators doubt that the Padres would engage in any major sell-off if they continue to struggle.
- Top Phillies pitching prospect Aaron Nola has been promoted to Triple-A, the club announced earlier today. Nola, the seventh overall pick of the 2014 draft, posted a 1.88 ERA and 6.56 K/BB rate over 76 2/3 innings at Double-A this season, with the only minor red flag being a middling 6.9 K/9. At this point, Nola seems well on pace to earn a promotion to the Show late this season.
New York Notes: Cueto, Leake, Phillies, Mets
Here’s the latest from the Big Apple…
- The Yankees had a scout watching Johnny Cueto‘s last start, and George A. King III of the New York Post reports that same scout (Jeff Datz) also saw Mike Leake pitch the next day for the Reds. King adds that Cincinnati has also been scouting the Yankees’ farm system, and he speculates that prospects like Mason Williams, Ramon Flores and Bryan Mitchell could interest the Reds as part of a package for one of the two starting pitchers. The Reds are sure to ask about top prospects Luis Severino and Aaron Judge, though King doubts the Yankees would move either for Cueto or Leake since both hurlers are free agents this winter.
- Also from King, the Phillies had scouts watching the Yankees/Orioles game on Sunday. King isn’t sure the Yankees would want to either cover Cole Hamels‘ substantial remaining contract or give up the prospects Philadelphia wants for the ace southpaw. Some in the industry believe Hamels is an ideal fit for the Orioles, who have received some shaky outings from their rotation this season.
- The perception of the Mets around the league is that they won’t be willing to take on salary in midseason trades, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (subscription required). Club ownership also hasn’t given any indication that it’s willing to extend payroll. It “makes no sense” to Olney that the Mets wouldn’t be willing to spend on some needed reinforcements for what looks like a playoff contender.
- The Mets have been rumored to be exploring infield upgrades, though they may have found an internal solution in Dilson Herrera. Manager Terry Collins told reporters (including Adam Rubin of ESPN New York) that Herrera is likely to retain the starting second base job once Daniel Murphy returns from the DL next week. This would mean that Murphy would play third, which would address the Mets’ need at the hot corner with David Wright out of action.
Quick Hits: Harper, DBacks, Phillies, Gregorius
Here’s the latest from around the league as the evening winds down:
- Bryce Harper may be likely to enter free agency after the 2018 season, but Yankees fans shouldn’t start counting their chickens just yet. Bill Shaiken of the LA Times believes the Dodgers have a better chance to sign Harper. The Yankees roster is aging and none of their prospects are among Baseball America’s top 30. Meanwhile, the Dodgers may have a brighter future when Harper is a free agent. They have a young, talented active roster with Corey Seager and Julio Urias waiting in the minors. Harper could prove to be a valuable supplement to young assets like Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, and Yasmani Grandal. Of course, this all assumes the Nationals can’t manage an extension or that they won’t trade him to another team that can.
- Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart “does not seem inclined” to trade for pitching at the trade deadline, tweets Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The club has plenty of young depth both in the majors and the minors, but Stewart wants to continue developing internally. Arizona is currently fourth in the NL West and 7.5 games behind the first place Dodgers. They’re also five games back in the Wild Card hunt. In my opinion, there will be more pressure to improve the rotation and bullpen if the club is within a few games of the plays at the deadline.
- Don’t expect the Phillies to sit on their veteran assets at the trade deadline, writes Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News. Last July, the Phillies controversially opted to hold steady, but the club is now more thoroughly committed to rebuilding. Lawrence runs through possible destinations and hypothetical trade packages for the team’s remaining veterans. Interestingly, he believes the performance and complicated contracts of Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz will make them harder to trade than Ryan Howard.
- The Yankees trade to acquire Didi Gregorius doesn’t look so bad after the Tigers optioned starter Shane Greene to Triple-A, opines Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. Greene began the season with a 0.39 ERA in three starts, but he has since allowed just under a run per inning. Of course, Gregorius has hardly lit the world on fire with a .228/.287/.298 line and 0.4 UZR. While it’s much too early to declare a winner of this modest trade, perhaps we should be looking at the Diamondbacks. They acquired Robbie Ray in the swap. Through three starts, he has a 1.53 ERA with 6.62 K/9 and 2.55 BB/9. Just don’t forget how Greene looked through three starts!
Phillies Recall Brown, Option Ruf
The Phillies will recall outfielder Domonic Brown and option Darin Ruf following today’s game, the team announced (via Twitter).
Brown was once Baseball America’s top prospect in baseball (ahead of Mike Trout no less). The 27-year-old has not lived up to expectations with a career .248/.308/.412 in 1,544 plate appearances. He missed the early portion of this season with left Achilles tendinitis. During his time in the minors, he hit .260/.315/.366 with slightly weaker numbers in 228 Triple-A plate appearances. The club would certainly like for the once toolsy prospect to feature some of the power, speed, and contact ability that was once expected of him.
Ruf’s demotion is somewhat expected given a modest .238/.282/.386 slash in 110 plate appearances. The Phillies consider the righty to be a situational hitter. True to form, he’s mashed southpaws this year with a .400/.436/.629 line in 39 plate appearances. Given that he had options available, it’s reasonable for the club to temporarily move the 28-year-old to Triple-A. He’s liable to return to the majors if Ben Revere or Ryan Howard are traded.
Trade Market Notes: Top Targets, Papelbon, Jays, Mets, Cueto
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com ranks the top forty trade candidates around the league, adding observations and notes on each. Though he notes that clubs like the Red Sox and Orioles could potentially end up moving assets, Heyman restricts things to clubs that seem more likely than not to sell at this point. Cole Hamels of the Phillies lands in the pole position; though some top suitors remain unwilling to part with the top players targeted by Philadelphia, one GM tells Heyman that the club will probably be able to land a premium prospect for the lefty. He also argues that a deal involving Dodgers outfielder and Angels starter C.J. Wilson looks good on paper, though the teams have not discussed such an arrangement. You’ll need to read the whole post to take it all in, of course.
- The Blue Jays and Phillies have not discussed Jonathan Papelbon in the last week, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter links), adding that Toronto is looking at other arms at the moment. One name to watch, says Sherman, is Tyler Clippard of the Athletics, who Toronto had in-depth discussions about over the winter.
- It’s academic at this point, but Clippard also drew significant interest from the Astros over the offseason, Sherman further tweets. Indeed, Houston was “very close” to acquiring the veteran reliever, says Sherman, which raises the interesting question of what the Nationals would have received in return. Ultimately, the club took infielder Yunel Escobar in return, though that deal did not occur until a month after the Astros had already spent big on free agent bullpen arms, which could indicate that the prospective Clippard acquisition might have been contemplated earlier in the winter.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson indicated that the club will not rely on a return from David Wright in making its summer moves, David Lennon of Newsday writes. Alderson said the club would not continue providing regular updates on Wright’s status, and said he would not be restricted in making moves. “Would we consider a third baseman who can’t do anything else?” Alderson queried. “Under the circumstances, yeah, we probably would. But we’re not just looking for any third baseman. It has to be something we think is an improvement that doesn’t cost us significantly.” The veteran GM continued to throw cold water on the idea of a move in the near-term, noting that the market was “narrow” and generally features underperforming players at this stage.
- C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer discusses the Reds‘ current predicament, with Zack Cozart out for the season, Devin Mesoraco likely to join him in that regard, and Marlon Byrd sidelined for a significant stretch. Cincinnati should not allow its hosting of the All-Star game to slow its efforts to deal Johnny Cueto, opines Rosecrans, who suggests that the team could reap a larger reward by moving him now (both by selling more starts and, perhaps, by getting ahead of the market). Dealing Cueto, of course, would also increase the appeal of shipping out Mike Leake and Aroldis Chapman. Rosecrans concludes: “At this point, the organization doesn’t need to think about the All-Star Game, or even 2016. This is a long-term move and needs long-term thinking.”
- Though he’s a rental, Cueto is a true ace and should bring back a healthy return — even if it won’t be near what the Reds might have achieved last year (as Rosecrans explains). There should be no shortage of suitors, but MLB.com’s Phil Rogers lists the five most plausible landing spots: the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Dodgers, Rangers, and Padres.