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Alex Verdugo

NL Notes: Dodgers, Brewers, Cubs, Padres

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It’s “very unlikely” outfielder Alex Verdugo will return for the Dodgers’ National League Division Series matchup, manager Dave Roberts told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com and other reporters Friday (Twitter links). The rookie originally landed on the injured list Aug. 6 with a right oblique strain, but a back injury has slowed him of late. Meantime, southpaw Rich Hill – who’s dealing with a strained left MCL – will undergo an MRI on Monday. It seems iffy at best that Hill will avoid a lengthy absence, as a strained left MCL previously shelved him for the first month of the season. The injury-prone 39-year-old then missed almost two months with a forearm problem. His start Thursday, when he recorded just two outs, was his first since June 19.

Here’s more from the National League…

  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provided a couple injury updates Friday on the Brewers, who are now a game behind the NL’s second wild-card position (Twitter links). Top starter Brandon Woodruff is still on track to return in the next week, but it’s unclear whether he’ll start or relieve. Woodruff will throw a bullpen session Saturday as he continues working back from the oblique strain he suffered July 21. And catcher Manny Pina, out with a concussion since Sept. 5, isn’t recovering as quickly as the team hoped he would, according to manager Craig Counsell. The Brewers have “to stack some good days in a row” for Pina before he’s capable of returning, Counsell said. Milwaukee has been in fine shape behind the plate without Pina, of course, as it boasts one of the game’s elite catchers in Yasmani Grandal.
  • The Cubs promoted executive Jason McLeod to senior vice president of player personnel, which could keep him in their front office for at least a little while longer. But McLeod said this week that his goal is to run a team’s baseball department, per Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic (subscription required). “I do aspire to someday lead an organization,” said McLeod, who has been on GM-needy clubs’ radars in the past. He interviewed for that position with the Giants last year, though they instead went on to hire Farhan Zaidi as their president of baseball operations.
  • Padres rookie Chris Paddack will make at least one more start this season, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets. Shutting Paddack down for the year looked like a possibility after he threw six scoreless innings against the Cubs on Wednesday. The rookie standout, 23, has now racked up 135 2/3 innings this season, easily surpassing the previous professional high of 90 he set in 2018 as a minor leaguer.

NL Injury Notes: Kimbrel, Verdugo, Renfroe, Taijuan

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Injured Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel is progressing toward a return, but that won’t come until at least the weekend, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports. The big-money in-season signing has been on the injured list with right elbow inflammation since Sept. 1, making him eligible to come back as early as Thursday. Kimbrel’s IL placement came on the heels of yet another disappointing performance, in which he yielded three earned runs on two hits (including a homer) in two-thirds of an inning. He’s one of the greatest closers ever, which is why the Cubs guaranteed him $43MM over three years, yet Kimbrel hasn’t resembled his dominant self this season. While the 31-year-old has converted 13 of 15 save opportunities, he owns a bloated 5.68 ERA with 12.32 K/9 against 5.21 BB/9, and has given up just under three HRs per nine across 19 innings of work.

  • The Dodgers clinched their seventh straight NL West title Tuesday, but they’re also dealing with some unwelcome news: Outfielder Alex Verdugo isn’t nearing a return, per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. An oblique strain forced the rookie to the IL back on Aug. 6, but he suffered a back injury on a rehab assignment and will sit out “for at least a few days,” Castillo writes. Verdugo has been a valuable contributor this year, having slashed .294/.342/.475 with 2.2 fWAR in 377 plate appearances, but the loaded Dodgers have carried on fine without him thus far.
  • Padres manager Andy Green isn’t willing to guarantee that banged up outfielder Hunter Renfroe will play again this season, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune relays. For now, Renfroe’s going to rest on account of right elbow and ankle problems. “Hunter has battled through a lot this second half,” said Green, who added, “There have been a number of days he was unavailable and we’ve managed not to talk about it.” We covered Renfroe’s significant second-half struggles earlier Tuesday, though it now seems possible health problems have been a major cause for his summer slump.
  • Injuries have prevented Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker from taking a big league mound since April 2018, but he said Tuesday (via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) he’s still hoping to make an appearance this year. The 27-year-old sat out the majority of 2018 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and has dealt with shoulder troubles this season. However, he threw his first bullpen session in four months Tuesday and came out unscathed. Walker’s absence is among the reasons the Diamondbacks’ starting staff has been shaky this year, though the club has nonetheless stayed in the National League wild-card race.

Dodgers Health Updates: Verdugo, Muncy, Hill, May

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With the NL West sewn up, the Dodgers have two primary goals down the stretch: secure home-field advantage throughout the postseason and get to full health. Here are the latest updates from manager Dave Roberts on a few key players, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick was among those to cover on Twitter:

  • Back soreness has halted the rehab work of outfielder Alex Verdugo. He had seemingly been nearing a return from an oblique injury. Now, per Roberts, Verdugo may head back to the club’s Arizona facility to receive further treatment. Verdugo had emerged as an important part of the Los Angeles outfield mix, even commanding time against left-handed pitching. On the year, he owns a strong .294/.342/.475 batting line with a dozen long balls. Verdugo has also graded as a plus defender and is capable of lining up anywhere in the outfield. It’s completely unclear at this point what kind of timeline to anticipate for the new malady.
  • In more promising news, infielder Max Muncy is participating in baseball activities. He has already taken groundballs and will soon resume swinging. That represents fast progress for a player who recently suffered a fractured wrist. The club’s optimism regarding the severity of the injury has thus far been justified. Needless to say, the Dodgers will be focused on ensuring Muncy’s readiness for the postseason. The 29-year-old is carrying a big .253/.375/.525 batting line on the year. His left-handed bat is all the more important given Verdugo’s uncertainty.
  • Southpaw Rich Hill is prepared to take the bump against live batters later this week, which could set the stage for a return as soon as next week. The plan remains for Hill to come back as a reliever. It seems the flexor tendon strain that sidelined the veteran hurler has recovered fully, though it remains to be seen what sort of form he’ll show upon his return. Hill almost certainly won’t be at full strength in the postseason, but he will have a few weeks to build up innings. He’ll surely play an interesting role in the L.A. playoff effort, with his showing also destined to impact his forthcoming free agency. The 39-year-old was outstanding (2.55 ERA in 53 innings) before going down with the injury.
  • As for prized young hurler Dustin May, it seems awfully promising that he was able to throw a simulated inning today. The team still isn’t sure what will come next for the right-hander, who was drilled by a comebacker over the weekend but seems to have avoided serious injury. As in the above cases, the Dodgers will proceed with caution — all the more so given that the 21-year-old is considered a major future asset.

Dodgers Notes: Verdugo, Stripling, Lux

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The Dodgers, with an 88-49 record and +217 Run Differential mark on the year, are hardly in need of anyone’s help–but help is just what they’ll be getting in the coming weeks, as recent announcements foreshadow the additions of new and old faces alike to the L.A. active roster.

First up is the imminent return of the impressive young outfielder Alex Verdugo. Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times reports that Verdugo is set to join Rookie-level Ogden tomorrow, where he is expected to remain for a week’s time before returning to the Blue’s lineup next weekend (Twitter link). Verdugo’s been down since Aug. 6 with an oblique strain–the apotheosis of pesky injuries. Before that point, the left-handed hitter had logged very nice production for a 23-year old, with a .294/.342/.475 slash line that felt a little like the vintage work of Andre Ethier, a former Dodgers outfielder that had his own share of success from the left side of the plate in a decade-plus career.

Two more notes from perhaps the scariest team in the National League…

  • The Dodgers rotation already boasts Hyun-Jin Ryu–the man who tied with Jacob deGrom in a recent MLBTR poll on the NL Cy Young race–and will now be supplemented by the return of the underrated Ross Stripling. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register indicates that Stripling will start for L.A. on Sunday, with rookie Dustin May expected to enter the game after 2-3 innings (Twitter links). It may be a short return for Stripling, but it could be that the club will utilize the 29-year-old in a swing capacity in the postseason. After all, the club has received a sub-4.00 ERA in a mixed bullpen-starting role from the righty in four consecutive seasons.
  • While Verdugo and Stripling are certain to be welcomed back with eagerness from the L.A. fanbase, far more excitement surrounds a possible first-look at prospect sensation and shortstop Gavin Lux. Any number of verbs–destroyed, obliterated, crushed, brutalized–would be accurate in describing what the 21-year-old has done to PCL pitching since being promoted to Triple-A this midseason. His .390/.478/.723 slash would be impressive in any run environment short of the lunar surface, and now again comes word that September roster expansion could precipitate Lux’s addition to the L.A. regular rotation. Prior reports had indicated that Lux would join the club in something of an “apprentice” role, but Dave Roberts has told Castillo that Lux may play a pivotal on-field role in the club’s pursuit of the NL pennant (link). Incumbent shortstop Corey Seager, for what it’s worth, is in the midst of a 2.4 WAR year with a 109 wRC+, indicating that he’s been a smidge above-average overall for a full-time position player. Though L.A. will likely have a little re-ordering to do in the future to accommodate full-time roles for Lux and Seager, the rookie’s handling of stretch-run at-bats likely has everything to do with Max Muncy’s recently broken wrist.

Dodgers Notes: Ryu, May, Jansen, Stripling, Hill, Verdugo

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Hyun-Jin Ryu has been one of baseball’s best pitchers this season, and with a trip to free agency pending, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand speaks to several rival executives about how Ryu will fare on the open market this winter.  It should be noted that Ryu sidestepped a chance at free agency last offseason by accepting a one-year, $17.9MM qualifying offer from the Dodgers, preferring to remain in L.A. and aim for a better platform year than his injury-shortened 2018 campaign.  That strategy has worked like gangbusters, as Ryu has a 1.64 ERA, 1.1 BB/9 (both league bests), 7.00 K/BB rate, and 50.7% grounder rate over 148 1/3 frames in 2019, with only two minimal injured list stints for relatively minor issues.

With this in mind, Ryu’s long injury history and age (he’ll be 33 on Opening Day 2020) will also certainly be factors in his next contract.  MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes placed Ryu seventh in his most recent power ranking of the 2019-20 free agent class, though one NL executive tells Feinsand that depending on whether some players exercise opt-out clauses or not, Ryu is “probably No. 2 if his contract ask is reasonable….This could be an interesting class to watch. It might be one of those years where teams rank guys differently based on who they like.”  Gerrit Cole is the undisputed top pitcher available this winter, but other arms like Madison Bumgarner, Zack Wheeler, or Dallas Keuchel have also seemingly generated more buzz than Ryu, recent results notwithstanding.  An AL talent evaluator thinks this could be to Ryu’s benefit, telling Feinsand that Ryu “may actually be viewed slightly lower than some in that group perceptually, and therefore, sign earlier. I can see Ryu signing ahead of them and jumping the market and actually getting a better deal. I think the other guys may wait longer, and waiting longer hasn’t always paid off.”

Here’s more on the Dodgers…

  • Dustin May is in line for another start next week, manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick and other reporters, though May will also make relief appearances to get him more acclimated to working out of the bullpen.  This semi-swingman usage is being deployed since the Dodgers ultimately intend to use May as a reliever in the postseason, though also need him available to make a spot start if necessary down the stretch.  For instance, L.A. is two games into a run of 16 games in 16 days, so May’s start next week will give the regular rotation members a breather.  “When you have a person of Dustin’s head, mindset, it makes it a better bet for us to make and especially when you have the buy-in of the player….We’re going to continue to keep our options open,” Roberts said.  May has started three of his four big league appearances thus far, posting a 4.26 ERA, 7.1 K/9, and 5.00 K/BB rate over 19 total innings.
  • In another case of the Dodgers making early preparations for October, the team will use Kenley Jansen roughly once per series for the remainder of the season, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes.  This means Jansen will be skipped for some save situations and pitch in some non-save situations, all in order to keep him regularly sharp rather than tether this workload to whether or not the Dodgers have a ninth-inning lead.  It’s worth wondering if this strategy could also have to do with Jansen’s somewhat shaky performance this year, as the closer has a career-high 3.70 ERA over 48 2/3 innings.  Jansen blew his sixth save chance of the season last night, and now has 26 saves in 32 chances.
  • Roberts provided DiGiovanna and other reporters with updates on some injured Dodgers players.  Ross Stripling (right biceps tendinitis) seems the closest to returning, as he tossed a 25-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday and has a two-inning simulated game coming up before he begins a rehab assignment.  Rich Hill (flexor tendon strain) has upped his long-toss throwing to 150 feet and will next start throwing off a mound.  Hill isn’t expected back until sometime in September, though his path to a return is clearer than that of Alex Verdugo, as Roberts said Verdugo is still feeling pain in his ribcage and hasn’t yet resumed baseball activities.  Verdugo has been on the IL since August 6 due to a right oblique strain, and Roberts said the outfielder won’t return to action until at least the start of September.

IL Placements: Verdugo, Kintzler, Duffy, Luplow

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The Dodgers announced Tuesday that outfielder Alex Verdugo has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. Corner infielder Edwin Rios is up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to give the club another bat in his place. Los Angeles also optioned right-hander Tony Gonsolin to Triple-A Oklahoma City and recalled lefty Caleb Ferguson to add a fresh arm. The Dodgers have the NL West all but wrapped up in early August, so the Dodgers have every reason to proceed with caution regarding Verdugo’s recovery. The longtime prospect has turned in a very strong .294/.342/.475 batting line with a dozen home runs, 22 doubles, two triples and four steals through 377 plate appearances in his first full big league season. Oblique injuries can often take a month to heal, though manager Dave Roberts kept things vague regarding Verdugo, simply telling reporters he’ll need 10 days or more to recover (Twitter link via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com).

Some more notable injury list placements from around baseball…

  • The Cubs swapped out one right-hander for another Tuesday, placing Brandon Kintzler on the 10-day IL due to right pectoral inflammation and activating righty Pedro Strop in his place. The 35-year-old Kintzler has rebounded from an awful 2018 run with Chicago (7.00 ERA in 18 innings) to post a 2.33 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 0.78 HR/9 and a 53.3 percent ground-ball rate in 46 1/3 innings out of the ’pen in 2019. Right-handers must wonder whether to bother stepping into the box against Kintzler, as they’ve managed just a .133/.200/.233 batting line against him this season. Lefties have had more success but still own a lackluster .245/.297/.382 line against Kintzler.
  • Left-hander Danny Duffy was placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to Aug. 4) due to a strained hamstring, the Royals announced. Kansas City has recalled right-hander Jake Newberry from Triple-A Omaha in his place. The 30-year-old Duffy is in the midst of his second straight rough season, having logged a 4.93 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 1.70 HR/9 in 100 1/3 innings of work this season. The five-year, $65MM contract signed by Duffy prior to the 2017 season looked plenty affordable at the time, but he’s been hampered by elbow and shoulder impingements since signing that deal (in addition to this more recent, and minor, hamstring issue).
  • Indians outfielder Jordan Luplow is headed to the 10-day IL due to a hamstring strain, the team announced. Speedster Greg Allen is back up from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Acquired in an offseason trade with the Pirates, Luplow has proven to be an outstanding platoon outfielder in Cleveland. While he’s only mustered a .230/.269/.322 line against right-handers, he’s laid waste to left-handed opponents with a .305/.407/.667 slash. Luplow has blasted 10 homers and eight doubles in just 105 plate appearances while holding the platoon advantage. The timing of the injury isn’t great for Cleveland, as the Indians are slated to face four lefty starters in the next eight days.

NL Injury Notes: Cano, Dodgers, Phillies, Nationals

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While a decision won’t come until Sunday, the Mets are “seriously considering” placing second baseman Robinson Cano back on the injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Cano went to the IL on May 23 with a left quad strain, only to re-aggravate the injury when he returned this past Wednesday. While the 36-year-old suggested at the time he wouldn’t require another IL stint, he hasn’t played since then. Even now, Cano insists he “feels good,” per DiComo.

More from the NL…

  • Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo has been playing through “nagging” lower back tightness over the past couple weeks, but it’s “not serious,” according to manager Dave Roberts (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). That may at least partially explain why the rookie’s numbers have nosedived of late, though he’s still slashing a solid .291/.344/.457 (113 wRC+) in 195 plate appearances this season. Verdugo has been the Dodgers’ primary center fielder since A.J. Pollock underwent elbow surgery at the outset of May. Pollock will have the PICC line removed from his elbow Wednesday and could begin baseball activities soon after that, Plunkett relays. Pollock will reclaim center upon his return, according to Roberts, but Verdugo’s still “going to play.”
  • The Phillies placed outfielder Adam Haseley on the IL on Saturday because of a strained left groin, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The club’s not sure how much time Haseley will miss; in the meantime, it recalled outfielder Nick Williams from Triple-A Lehigh Valley as his replacement. Haseley, a 2017 first-round pick whom the Phillies promoted when outfielder Andrew McCutchen suffered a torn ACL on Monday, racked up a mere eight plate appearances before going on the shelf.
  • Nationals reliever Justin Miller started a rehab assignment at the Double-A level on Saturday, when he threw a perfect inning and fired nine strikes on 10 pitches, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports. Miller has been on the IL twice this season, including since May 18 with a right rotator cuff strain. The injuries have contributed to a tough year for Miller, who has notched a 4.02 ERA (with an unsightly 7.04 FIP), 6.32 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9, and a microscopic 19.1 percent groundball rate in 15 2/3 innings. He’s one of a multitude of Nationals relievers who have disappointed in 2019.

NL Roster/Health Notes: Taylor, Verdugo, Cecil, Romano, Kennedy

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The Nationals are suddenly facing a potential roster gap in the outfield, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. Michael Taylor tweaked his knee today and is slated to be looked at more closely tomorrow. With Howie Kendrick also in limbo, both of the club’s right-handed-hitting reserve outfield pieces could be out of commission to open the season. Lefty hitter Andrew Stevenson is the only other 40-man outfielder. Perhaps there’s a chance that the Nats will look to the free agent market — Austin Jackson seems the closest match to Taylor as a right-handed-hitting center fielder — or consider claiming a late-spring roster casualty to boost their depth.

Here are a few more roster notes from around the game:

  • The Dodgers expect to carry Alex Verdugo on the MLB roster to open the year, manager Dave Roberts says (via Pedro Moura of The Athletic, on Twitter). After spending two seasons at Triple-A, where he owns a healthy .321/.389/.452 slash, Verdugo certainly deserves a shot. It remains to be seen how he and others will actually be utilized. As things stand, Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger are also available as left-handed-hitting outfield options, though perhaps some roster tweaking could still occur.
  • Cardinals lefty Brett Cecil pitched in an instrasquad game today and threw more balls (15) than strikes (12) in his latest shaky outing, according to Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This spring has been a trial for the veteran reliever, who’s still trying to find himself on the mound after losing a bunch of weight following a brutal 2018 season. Command and velocity are both problems at the moment, as Frederickson’s colleague Derrick Goold recently explored.
  • Right-hander Sal Romano, who has spent the vast majority of his career as a starter, will be converted into a relief role for the Reds moving forward, Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He’ll still be stretched out to the point where he can be relied upon for two- and three-inning relief appearances if needed, though. Unlike some other Reds roster hopefuls, Romano has a minor league option remaining, so it’s possible he’ll continue to acclimate to his new role at the Triple-A level before getting a look the big league ’pen. Romano, who turned 25 this offseason, has long rated as one of the more intriguing arms in the Cincinnati system but hasn’t found MLB success yet. In 232 2/3 innings, he’s mustered just a 4.99 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 — including a 5.31 ERA in 145 2/3 innings of work last year. Making it into the Reds’ rotation would’ve been challenging anyhow, as offseason acquisitions Sonny Gray, Alex Wood and Tanner Roark are expected to join holdovers Luis Castillo and Anthony DeSclafani to round out the starting five.
  • Padres right-hander Brett Kennedy has been diagnosed with a lat strain, per James Clark of the East Village Times (Twitter link). The expectation is that he’ll be sidelined for about a month. Kennedy, 24, scuffled last year in his first six MLB appearances and wasn’t expected to command a big league job out of camp. But he posted impressive results in 2018 at Triple-A, with 89 1/3 innings of 2.72 ERA ball over 16 starts, and is certainly part of the depth picture in San Diego.

West Notes: Kyler, Felix, Verdugo

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Notes from around the game’s western divisions…

  • The A’s are “not giving up” on Kyler Murray, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Murray’s widely perceived as first-round selection in the forthcoming NFL Draft – he’s the 8th best ranked prospect on Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest big board – and recently checked in at an encouraging (for NFL teams) 5’10 and 207 lbs, just a half-inch shorter than Seahawks QB Russell Wilson during his combine appearance in 2013. His status, in fact, continues to soar: NFL Network reports suggest that the QB/OF is now “universally” projected to go first overall in April’s draft. Still, as Rosenthal reminds us, the A’s can still beat any NFL offer for Murray by offering him an unrestricted major-league deal that would guarantee him a spot on the 40-man. Baker Mayfield, last year’s first overall selection in the NFL Draft, signed a guaranteed deal worth nearly $33MM, so any investment of the kind in Murray, a player with only 238 AB in two college seasons, would be a significant risk. Still, the gamble may yet prove to be a worthy one under the current rookie-scale structure, where even the best players struggle to eclipse $5MM combined in their first four full major league campaigns.
  • Mariners righty Felix Hernandez, who clung ardently to a world-beating changeup at the height of his reign, has bluntly been informed that his best pitch is now his curveball, as the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish writes. Indeed, per FanGraphs’ pitch value metrics, the curve was easily tops among Hernandez’s offerings in 2018, the worst in a storied Seattle career for the Venezuelan. With just 0.7 combined fWAR in over 230 IP the last two seasons, and an average fastball velocity that reached a career-low 89.3 MPH in ’18, Hernandez knows his grip on the last rotation spot in the Mariner rotation is tenuous at best. Remarkably, the King, who’s thrown nearly 2,700 innings at the big-league level since his teenage debut, will be just 33 years old for much of the year, and may yet have a second act left in him.
  • Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo is tired of waiting for an opportunity, as Bill Plunkett of the OC Register explains: “I hit .330 for two years. I mean – at a certain point, numbers don’t lie. I’ve hit in the minor leagues. I think I’m a career over .300 hitter. Everybody wants to talk about ‘It’s the minors. It’s not the big leagues.’ I hit over .300 against lefties in my career. I hit righties and lefties very well in my career.” Verdugo, who’s been knocked in multiple circles for makeup issues dating back to high school, may again have a bird’s-eye view of the action this year – per Plunkett, the Dodgers “expect” to align their outfield with Cody Bellinger in right and A.J. Pollock in center; Joc Pederson, too, comes in with a career 118 wRC+ total under his belt, and Verdugo wouldn’t seem the logical choice to spell him against his left-handed kryptonite. The 22-year-old isn’t wrong about his batting average totals, but the power numbers – a .122 and .143 ISO in the last two seasons, respectively – leave plenty of room for improvement.

Agency Changes: Lorenzen, Verdugo

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Here’s the latest on players makes changes to their representation.  For a full listing of player/agent pairings, be sure to check out MLBTR’s Agency Database.

  • Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen is now being represented by CAA, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.  Lorenzen changes his agency just a week before the deadline for players an teams to exchange arbitration figures.  MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projects Lorenzen to earn $1.9MM next season as the righty goes through the arb process for the second time.  The hard-throwing Lorenzen has been a workhorse out of the Reds’ bullpen the last two seasons, tossing several multi-inning performances and even three starts while racking up 164 innings.  If the two sides can’t agree to a deal prior to the January 11 deadline, Lorenzen’s situation could make for an interesting hearing, given the increasing value of non-closer relievers in the sport and the arb process’ traditional importance on saves as a reliever’s key statistic.
  • Dodgers outfield prospect Alex Verdugo has switched his representation to the MVP Sports Group, Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown reports (via Twitter).  Verdugo entered 2018 as a consensus top-40 prospect in the sport, and received a bit more big league playing time with the Dodgers, giving him 52 MLB games and 111 plate appearances over the last two seasons.  There’s room for a larger role for Verdugo in 2019 with Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp now out of the picture in the L.A. outfield, though the 22-year-old has also been prominently mentioned in several trade rumors.  The Tigers and Indians have both reportedly shown interest in Verdugo, though it’s probably safe to imagine that just about every club that talks trades with the Dodgers at least checks in on Verdugo’s availability.
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