Antonio Senzatela

NL West Notes: Rockies, Conforto, Padres

By Steve Adams | March 3, 2023 at 10:54am CDT

As the Rockies brace for potentially unwelcome news on both second baseman Brendan Rodgers and lefty Lucas Gilbreath, they’re perhaps already giving fans a preview of one contingency plan. With Rodgers out indefinitely and possibly facing season-ending surgery, Colorado is deploying third baseman Ryan McMahon at second base today and giving former top prospect Elehuris Montero the start at third base. This is obviously just one permutation that the lineup could take if Rodgers is indeed lost for the season, as there are alternate options at both third base (Kris Bryant, Nolan Jones) and at second base (Alan Trejo). Non-roster invitee Harold Castro can play both spots (though defensive metrics view his glovework at both positions in a negative light). Rodgers was going for a second opinion on his shoulder yesterday after reportedly receiving an initial recommendation of surgery. The Rox should have further updates on his status before long.

Antonio Senzatela Targeting May Return From ACL Surgery

By Anthony Franco | February 15, 2023 at 10:18pm CDT

Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela had an unfortunate end to his 2022 season. The right-hander tore the ACL in his left knee while attempting to track down a grounder in mid-August. He underwent surgery that initially came with a six-to-eight month recovery timetable.

Six months removed from the injury, it seems things are mostly on the expected course. Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette writes the Rockies anticipate Senzatela returning to a big league mound in May. He’s certain to start the season on the 15-day injured list but seems unlikely to land on the 60-day IL barring a setback.

Once healthy, Senzatela will surely reclaim his old spot in the rotation. Colorado placed a strong show of faith in the Venezuelan-born hurler last offseason, inking him to a five-year, $50.5MM extension. The deal, which bought out as many as four free agent years, kept him around on the heels of a 4.42 ERA showing over 28 starts in 2021. That was respectable production for a pitcher who spends half his outings at Coors Field, his second consecutive season of solid output towards the middle or back of a starting staff.

Last year proved more challenging even before the injury. Senzatela gave up a little more than five earned runs per nine innings across 19 starts. His 49.4% ground-ball rate was down a couple percentage points from his peak, albeit still better than average. Senzatela’s strong command and pitch-to-contact profile mostly remained intact, but last year’s .383 batting average on balls in play against him inflated his ERA despite generally similar underlying marks to seasons past.

The Rockies are hoping for bounceback years from the bulk of their rotation after doing very little over the offseason. Germán Márquez and Kyle Freeland each posted down seasons last year. Senzatela is typically their #3 rotation option, though that’ll probably fall to José Ureña to open the season. The back of the rotation spots are especially uncertain.

Left-hander Austin Gomber looks to have the inside track on of those jobs. Allentuck writes that Colorado will move Gomber back into the rotation mix after kicking him to the bullpen for the second half of last season. The 28-year-old southpaw’s results weren’t much different in either role. Gomber posted a 5.75 ERA with an 18% strikeout rate as a starter and a 5.11 ERA with a 17.8% strikeout percentage out of the bullpen.

Given Colorado’s need for innings at the back of the rotation, moving Gomber back into a starting role makes sense. He’d pitched reasonably well over 23 starts in 2021, posting a 4.53 ERA with a solid 23.2% strikeout rate over his first 115 1/3 innings in Colorado. That’s the only season in which Gomber has started at least 20 big league games, though he still has a more established track record than other back-end candidates like Connor Seabold, Ryan Feltner, Ryan Rolison and Peter Lambert.

Players That Could Move To The 60-Day IL Once Spring Training Begins

By Darragh McDonald | February 7, 2023 at 9:40pm CDT

Just about every baseball team has a full 40-man roster now, with the Astros the only team with an open spot at the moment. That means that just about every transaction, be it a free agent signing or a waiver claim, requires a corresponding move.

However, that could soon change as the injured list is coming back soon. There’s no IL from the end of a season until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training for the next campaign, which they will do next week. That means some clubs could potentially gain a bit of extra roster flexibility at that time, since players on the 60-day IL don’t count against a team’s roster total. However, it’s worth pointing out that the “60 days” don’t start until Opening Day, which is March 30 this year. That means, though a team can transfer a player to the 60-day IL next week, they will likely only do so if they aren’t expecting the player back until end of May or later.

With some notable free agents still unsigned like Jurickson Profar, Andrew Chafin, Michael Wacha, Elvis Andrus and many others, it’s possible that teams interested in their services might try to hold off on getting a deal done until next week. Or perhaps clubs that have players they would like to sneak through waivers will try to do so now, before rival clubs gain that extra roster flexibility with the IL opening up. Then again, some clubs will need to keep in mind non-roster players they are planning to promote by Opening Day and might hold off on making a move until that time.

Here are some players who are expected to miss some significant time and could find themselves transferred soon, sorted by division.

AL East

Hyun Jin Ryu/Chad Green

The Blue Jays have a pair of pitchers on their 40-man roster who are returning from Tommy John surgery. They should be on a similar timeline, as they each underwent the procedure in June of last year, though Green will most likely return first since relievers generally require less time to build up arm strength compared to starters. Regardless, the recovery time period for TJS is about 12-18 months, meaning neither pitcher is likely to return until midseason at the earliest. Ryu recently said he was targeting a July return.

Trevor Story

The Red Sox shortstop recently underwent an internal brace procedure on his throwing elbow, a similar operation to Tommy John. Though he’s confident he’ll return at some point, he’s slated to miss most of the upcoming season and is certainly headed for the injured list.

John Means

The Orioles lefty underwent Tommy John surgery in late of April of 2022. With the 12-18 month recovery window for TJS, he could theoretically return in the first couple of months of the season, so the O’s may not want to transfer him to the injured list until they have some clarity about his timeline.

Scott Effross/Luis Gil/Frankie Montas

Effross is a lock for the Yankees’ injured list as he underwent Tommy John in October and will likely miss the entire 2023 campaign. Gil had the same surgery but in May, which means he’ll likely be out until midseason. The situation with Montas is a bit less clear, as he’s dealing with shoulder inflammation that is expected to keep him out for the first month of the season. Unless he suffers some sort of setback, he probably won’t be placed on the 60-day IL right away.

Shane Baz/Andrew Kittredge

The Rays have a couple of hurlers bound for the IL as Baz underwent Tommy John in September while Kittredge had the same surgery in June. They’re both going to miss the first half of the year, with Baz potentially missing the entire season.

AL Central

Casey Mize/Tarik Skubal

Mize underwent Tommy John surgery in June and should be placed on the Tigers’ IL at some point. Skubal’s case is a bit less certain after he underwent flexor tendon surgery in August. The club hasn’t provided a timeline for his recovery but some recent comparables can give us some idea. Danny Duffy underwent the procedure in October of 2021 and was hoping to return by June of 2022, though a setback prevented him from pitching at all on the year. Matthew Boyd went under the knife for flexor tendon surgery in September of 2021 and didn’t return to a big league mound until September of 2022.

Garrett Crochet/Liam Hendriks

Crochet of the White Sox underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year but was already stretched out to throwing from 120 feet in November. Whether he’s able to return in the early parts of 2023 or not will depend on his continued progression in that recovery process. In a less conventional situation, Liam Hendriks announced last month that he’s beginning treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It’s unknown how long his treatment will take but general manager Rick Hahn said they don’t expect updates “prior to Opening Day at the very earliest.”

Chris Paddack/Royce Lewis

Paddack was recently extended by the Twins though he underwent Tommy John in May of last year and likely won’t be ready to return until the middle of the upcoming campaign. Lewis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in June of last year, the second year in a row that he suffered that unfortunate injury. At the time, his recovery timeline was estimated at 12 months, which likely puts him on the shelf until midseason as well.

AL West

Brett Martin

It was reported last month that the Rangers lefty will require shoulder surgery. It was said that the timeline will become more clear in the aftermath of the procedure but he’s likely to miss the entirety of the upcoming season.

NL East

Bryce Harper

The Phillies superstar underwent Tommy John surgery in November and the club has announced they expect him to be out of action until around the All-Star break in July.

Huascar Ynoa/Tyler Matzek

Both these Braves pitchers underwent Tommy John last year, with Ynoa going under the knife in September and Matzek in October. That makes them both long shots for appearing at all this year, but especially not in the first half.

Max Meyer/Anthony Bender/Sixto Sanchez

The Marlins have a couple of arms that will certainly miss time this year and one more that’s a wild card. Meyer and Bender both underwent Tommy John in August and will miss most of the upcoming campaign. Sanchez underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in October with the club announcing at that time they expected him back by spring. It was reported last month that Sanchez is already throwing bullpens, which perhaps points against an IL stint. However, after the shoulder issues completely wiped out his 2021 and 2022 seasons, it’s hard to know how much to rely on his health going forward.

Danny Mendick

The Mets signed Mendick after he was non-tendered by the White Sox. The infielder/outfielder tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in June of last year and missed the second half of the season. There haven’t been any updates on his status recently, but further clarity will likely come when camp gets rolling.

Tanner Rainey/Stephen Strasburg

The Nationals have one fairly straightforward case in Tanner Rainey, who underwent Tommy John in August and will likely miss most of the upcoming season. What’s less clear is the situation surrounding Strasburg, who’s hardly pitched at all over the past three years due to thoracic outlet syndrome and various issues seemingly related to that. He made one appearance in the big leagues last year, pitching 4 2/3 in one start in June but went on the IL right after and never returned. He spoke about the issue in September, saying he hadn’t thrown in months and that he is “not really sure what the future holds.”

NL Central

Ethan Roberts/Codi Heuer/Kyle Hendricks

Roberts underwent Tommy John in June and likely won’t be available for the Cubs until midseason. Heuer had TJS in March but the latest reporting suggests he won’t return until June or July. The status of Hendricks is less clear, with the righty trying to recover from a capsular tear in his shoulder. The club is hoping to have him back by Opening Day but also said they won’t rush him. He recently said that he’s expecting to be on a mound by March 1.

Vladimir Gutierrez/Tejay Antone

Gutierrez, a Reds righty, underwent Tommy John in July and should miss the first few months of the upcoming season at least. Antone was rehabbing from a Tommy John of his own when he suffered a flexor strain in his forearm. He announced today he’s received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat the issue and suggested he might miss the first half of the season.

Max Kranick

The Pirates right-hander required Tommy John in June and will miss the first half of the upcoming campaign.

NL West

Antonio Senzatela/Tyler Kinley

The Rockies have a couple of murky situations on their hands with these hurlers. Senzatela tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last year and required surgery in August. The timeline at that point was given at 6-8 months, which would place his return somewhere in the February-April window. Whether he’ll require a lengthy IL stint will depend on if his recovery is still on that track. Kinley was diagnosed with an elbow strain and a flexor tear in his forearm in June of last year. He underwent surgery in July with the club announcing they expected him to miss one calendar year, which should prevent him from pitching early in the campaign.

Walker Buehler/Blake Treinen/J.P. Feyereisen

The Dodgers have a trio of pitchers that are likely to miss most or perhaps all of the upcoming season. Buehler required Tommy John in August and could potentially return very late in the year. Treinen underwent shoulder surgery in November with an estimated recovery time of 10 months. Feyereisen underwent shoulder surgery in December and won’t be able to begin throwing until four months after that procedure, or around April. His eventual return to game shape will depend on how long it takes him to progress from simply throwing to getting up to full game speed.

Luke Jackson

The Giants signed the right-hander in free agency, despite Jackson undergoing Tommy John in April. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters last month that there was a chance Jackson begins the year on the 60-day IL, though that doesn’t seem to indicate any kind of setback. “He’s doing great in his rehab, so we’re going to wait and see how he’s doing in spring training,” Zaidi said.

Rockies Place Antonio Senzatela On IL With Torn ACL

By Darragh McDonald | August 19, 2022 at 4:20pm CDT

The Rockies announced that right-hander Antonio Senzatela has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a left ACL tear. Fellow righty Jhoulys Chacin has been reinstated from the injured list to take his place on the roster.

Senzatela left yesterday’s game after injuring himself while attempting to field a ground ball, falling to the ground in obvious discomfort. It was reported earlier that he would be going for an MRI to get more information, which has apparently revealed the bad news of the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post spoke to fellow Colorado hurler German Marquez about the situation, with Marquez saying he spoke to Senzatela, who will undergo surgery at some point.

Nick Groke of The Athletic tweets that the club expects Senzatela to miss 6-8 months, meaning this will certainly finish his season and will quite likely have a significant impact on next season as well. Next year’s Spring Training is already about six months away at this point. It will go down as a disappointing season for the righty, the first of his five-year, $50.5MM contract extension he signed with the Rockies. He registered a 5.07 ERA over 19 starts with a below-average 13.1% strikeout rate. He limited walks to a 5.6% rate and got ground balls on 49.4% of balls in play, but many of them found holes. His .383 batting average on balls in play this year was well above his .318 career rate.

In the short-term, the Rockies will eventually need to fill Senzatela’s spot in the rotation next to Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Jose Urena and Ryan Feltner. Chad Kuhl could help eventually, though he landed on the IL two weeks ago with a hip flexor strain. Austin Gomber got bumped to the bullpen after disappointing results but could come back to make some starts.

In the long-term, the Rockies will have to think about next year’s rotation, which was likely going to need some work even before this development. Kuhl and Urena are scheduled to reach free agency at season’s end, leaving the club with Marquez, Freeland, Feltner and perhaps Gomber as holdovers for next year. However, Freeland’s 4.82 ERA this year is the lowest of that bunch.

Antonio Senzatela To Undergo MRI Following Knee Sprain

By Steve Adams | August 19, 2022 at 10:49am CDT

Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela is headed for an MRI today after sustaining what looked to have been a potentially serious knee injury in yesterday’s loss to the Cardinals. Chasing down a Brendan Donovan grounder to the right side of the infield, Senzatela pivoted from trying to field the ball to cover first base and came up hobbling before collapsing in foul territory behind the first base bag (video link). He had to be helped off the field. Manager Bud Black told reporters yesterday that Senzatela has a left knee sprain (Twitter link via Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post).

The 27-year-old Senzatela is in the first season of what was a surprising five-year, $50.5MM contract extension that bought out his final two arbitration years and three would-be free agent seasons. It’s been a rough season for the right-hander, who currently has a 5.07 ERA through his first 92 1/3 innings since inking that deal. Fielding-independent metrics are a bit more forgiving (4.06 FIP, 4.48 SIERA), as Senzatela has undeniably been dinged by a .383 average on balls in play. That’s particularly problematic for Senzatela, who allows more balls in play than just about any starting pitcher in the game; his 13.1% strikeout rate this season is the lowest among all MLB pitchers with at least 90 innings.

If Senzatela is indeed headed to the injured list, he’ll join fellow starter Chad Kuhl (strained hip flexor) on the shelf. The Rockies have a thin group of replacement options for that pair, particularly in light of the immense struggles of lefty Austin Gomber (5.86 ERA in 106 innings). Gomber, who started 23 games and posted a 4.53 ERA with the Rox a year ago, was moved to the bullpen earlier this summer and came on in relief of Senzatela yesterday — only to surrender five runs in 2 1/3 innings.

German Marquez and Kyle Freeland have been mainstays in the Colorado rotation and are both under long-term contract — Freeland, like Senzatela, after signing an extension this offseason. Both have struggled in 2022, however, pitching to an ERA near 5.00 this year. Journeyman Jose Urena has a 4.80 ERA in a dozen appearances (eight starts), and rookie right-hander Ryan Feltner has been tattooed for a 6.39 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts). Colorado’s innings leaders in Triple-A — Zach Neal, Brandon Gold and Riley Smith — all have ERAs north of 6.00.

Given that context, it’s perhaps likeliest that Gomber will simply step back into the starting mix should Senzatela require an absence. The rash of poor performance and struggles/injuries among the team’s depth options and top-ranked pitching prospects alike, however, underscore the Rockies’ need for pitching help this offseason. The Rockies have steadfastly refused to enter into a rebuild phase under owner Dick Monfort, so it’ll be incumbent on general manager Bill Schmidt to bolster a rotation and bullpen that both rank 29th in the Majors in ERA (5.26 and 4.85, respectively).

NL West Notes: Tatis, Musgrove, Senzatela

By Darragh McDonald | July 2, 2022 at 12:45pm CDT

The Padres currently have a record of 46-33, placing them in the top National League Wild Card spot and just 3 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. They’ve managed to do that without any contributions from their star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who has been on the injured list all year after hurting his wrist in an offseason motorcycle accident (or accidents). Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic asked Tatis if he would consider moving off shortstop in his return, to which he replied, “The plan so far is shortstop.” When Rosenthal suggested Tatis could make a good fit in center field, Tatis said, “If it means we’re going to win more ballgames like that, I’ll do it that way,” before adding that he has been taking some fly balls in the outfield recently and that the switch is “not out of the question.”

This wouldn’t be the first time Tatis moved to the outfield while returning from an injury. After dealing with shoulder issues for much of 2021, Tatis ended up playing seven games in center field and 20 in right field upon his return, before eventually returning to the dirt. The idea was that outfielders have to make full-effort throws less often than infielders, which would reduce the wear-and-tear on his arm. Rosenthal pitches a similar plan for the Padres this year, taking the production of Ha-Seong Kim and Trent Grisham into account.

Kim’s batting line of .223/.314/.339 is a few points below league average, amounting to a 91 wRC+. However, his strong defense has allowed him to produce 1.4 fWAR on the year already, despite that subpar offensive output. He’s tallied four Defensive Runs Saved at shortstop this year, along with two at third base. Outs Above Average has given him a six this year between the two positions, with UZR giving him 4.6 at short and 1.1 at the hot corner. Grisham, however, has a .192/.290/.332 batting line this year, which results in a wRC+ of 82. If playing outfield is more beneficial for Tatis’s return to health and there’s more room for improvement in center than at shortstop, perhaps the Padres will give some consideration to taking this route, though much will surely depend on how things play out between now and then. With the trade deadline a month away, there are many moving parts that could change the calculus, but it will be an interesting story to develop along the way.

More details from the NL West…

Elsewhere in the same article, Rosenthal says that extension talks between the Friars and starter Joe Musgrove have “fizzled.” In April, the club reportedly gave him an offer of eight years in the vicinity of $11MM per year. Talks apparently continued since then, though the club doesn’t seem to have done much to bridge the gap between their offer and Musgrove’s asking price. The fact that Musgrove turned down that offer isn’t terribly surprising, given his potential earning power. Back in April, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco noted that Musgrove is headed to free agency with similar numbers to both Robbie Ray and Kevin Gausman, both of whom just earned five-year deals worth $115MM and $110MM, respectively. Those amount to AAVs of $23MM and $22MM, double the type of contract the Friars were putting in front of Musgrove, though with different terms. Since that writing, Musgrove has done nothing to diminish his free agency outlook and may have even improved it. His 2.25 ERA is easily the best of his career, almost a full run better than his 3.18 from last year. His 25.6% strikeout rate is a few ticks below last season’s 27.1%, though he’s also reduced his walk rate from 7.2% to 5.3%. The Padres have reportedly considered trading from their rotation depth this year, though the equation will get tricky next year. Musgrove, Sean Manaea and Mike Clevinger are all slated to reach free agency this winter. Nick Martinez also has a series of player options that could allow him to choose another trip to the open market. That leaves Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and MacKenzie Gore as the three starters penciled into the staff for next year.
Antonio Senzatela left last night’s start after just 37 pitchers over two innings due to some shoulder tightness. Thomas Harding of MLB.com spoke to the starter, who admitted that he’s a bit worried about it. “I’m worried because this has never happened to me,” Senzatela said. “I got scared a little bit. They said it’s nothing bad. Hopefully, it’s not bad. Hopefully, I’ll be better tomorrow and be ready for my next start.” His 4.95 season ERA won’t wow anyone, but it’s not awful for a guy whose home park is the most hitter-friendly venue in the league. Losing a rotation mainstay like Senzatela for any amount of time wouldn’t be great news for the Rockies, as their season is already in dire straits. Currently sporting a record of 33-44, they’re in the basement of the NL West and nine games behind the Cardinals for the final NL Wild Card spot. [UPDATE: the Rockies placed Senzatela on the 15-day IL due to right shoulder inflammation.]

Rockies Place Antonio Senzatela On Injured List

By Anthony Franco | May 17, 2022 at 6:29pm CDT

The Rockies placed starter Antonio Senzatela on the 15-day injured list because of a low back strain. Colorado also selected catcher Brian Serven to the big league roster, optioned Dom Nuñez to Triple-A Albuquerque and recalled reliever Justin Lawrence.

Senzatela departed yesterday’s outing against the Giants after two innings. The righty came out for the top of the third but left the game during his pre-inning warm-ups in discomfort. The injury will obviously cost him some time, but Danielle Allentuck of the Colorado Springs Gazette tweets the organization is hopeful he can return when first eligible two weeks from now. The Rox are off on Thursday, so they can proceed with the remaining four of Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland, Chad Kuhl and Austin Gomber on regular rest until next Tuesday.

Through his first seven starts on the year, Senzatela owns a 4.55 ERA. He’s struck out just 11 of the 137 batters he’s faced (a league-low 8%). That’s a concerning mark even for Senzatela, who typically posts one of the lower strikeout numbers in the game. Nevertheless, his blend of strong control and ground-balls has translated to decent enough back-of-the-rotation production. Colorado was clearly pleased with his effort, rewarding him with a five-year extension last September.

Serven, meanwhile, will step onto the roster as the backup to Elias Díaz. That role had fallen to Nuñez to start the year, but he’s struggled in limited playing time. The 27-year-old Serven, meanwhile, is off to a scorching .273/.406/.506 start with the Isotopes. He’s popped five home runs and drawn 16 free passes while going down on strikes just 15 times.

A former 5th-round pick out of Arizona State, Serven is now in line for his first MLB action. The right-handed hitter owns a more modest .245/.318/.429 slash line over parts of six professional seasons, but his hot start earned him a spot on the depth chart. Colorado had previously been carrying only Díaz and Nuñez as catchers on the 40-man roster.

Rockies Extend Antonio Senzatela

By Steve Adams | October 6, 2021 at 7:24pm CDT

October 6: According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Senzatela can increase his annual salary by meeting thresholds of innings pitched. By reaching 200 innings in 2022, he will add $1MM to his salary in each season from 2024 to 2027, and the same applies for 2023. That means Senzatela has the potential to add $8MM to his payout.

October 5: The Rockies announced this afternoon they’ve agreed to a five-year contract extension with right-hander Antonio Senzatela. He’ll be guaranteed $50.5MM, and the deal also contains a club option for the 2027 season. Senzatela, a client of Republik Sports, was headed into his second trip through the arbitration process and had previously been under club control through the 2023 season.

It’s a rather surprising first move for newly minted general manager Bill Schmidt, who shed the “interim” tag from his title over the weekend. Senzatela has, at times, looked the part of a durable innings eater with a grounder-heavy approach, but he also possesses one of Major League Baseball’s lowest strikeout rates and was only in line for a modest raise on this season’s $3MM salary in arbitration. He’ll now earn $7.25MM in both 2022 and 2023 before taking home $12MM annually from 2024-26. The 2027 option is valued at $14MM.

Senzatela, 26, has been a durable rotation cog for Colorado over the past few seasons, although it’s worth noting that as recently as 2019, he was optioned to Triple-A and finished the season with an ERA just shy of 7.00. The right-hander was hammered for a 10.34 ERA from July through September that season but has enjoyed much more success since returning.

In 40 starts and 230 frames dating back to Opening Day 2020, he’s worked to a combined 4.11 earned run average — albeit with a 15% strikeout rate that ranks 188th of the 198 starting pitchers to have thrown at least 100 innings in that time. Senzatela ranks on the opposite end of the pendulum with the 15th-best walk rate in that time (5.1%) and the 22nd-ranked ground-ball percentage (51.1%).

Clearly, the Rockies are betting that he’ll be able to continue to suppress runs at a roughly average rate, leaning heavily on his blend of strong control and knack for inducing grounders. The challenge for Senzatela will lie partly in his ability to reduce the rate at which he allows hard contact. Of the 98 qualified pitchers in Major League Baseball this season, Senzatela’s 90.6 mph average opponents’ exit velocity was sixth-highest. That’s driven in part by a propensity to allow hard contact on the ground; his exit velocity on ground-balls is fourth-highest in MLB, whereas on balls in the air it’s a slightly less-alarming 27th.

Historically speaking, there’s ample precedent for pitchers in Senzatela’s service bracket — more than four years, less than five — signing a deal in this range. Kyle Hendricks’ 2019 extension with the Cubs, a five-year deal worth a guaranteed $55.5MM, is the most recent and closest parallel.

Notably, Hendricks also largely goes against today’s archetypical strikeout machine. He relies more on weak contact and pinpoint command to offset one of the game’s slowest fastballs, however, whereas Senzatela’s power sinker hovers in the 95 mph range but simply doesn’t miss many bats.

While both pitchers are grounder-heavy command artists, Hendricks had a vastly superior track record that included a prior third-place finish in NL Cy Young balloting. He’d already agreed to a $7.405MM salary for the forthcoming 2019 season, and Senzatela would’ve been hard-pressed to earn a second-time arbitration salary in that range. If Hendricks was indeed cited as a point of comparison in negotiations, it’s a strong deal for Senzatela’s camp to have come close to that same guarantee with a demonstrably worse statistical platform.

That said, while the price point may be a bit of a surprise, the Rockies surely place extra value on pitchers who’ve shown the ability — and the desire or willingness — to pitch effectively at Coors Field. Persuading any free-agent starting pitcher to sign on for multiple years pitching at altitude is a difficult endeavor. Beyond that, the Rockies have a fairly weak farm system, so trading for a controllable pitcher is easier said than done. Senzatela has had his share of success in recent seasons and, if he can continue on the same trajectory he showed from 2020-21, the deal will look reasonable enough.

From a payroll vantage point, the Rox can certainly afford the deal as structured. Colorado had just under $47MM in guaranteed salary on the 2022 books, and Senzatela’s salary bumps them to a bit more than $54MM. Charlie Blackmon will tack on another $21MM when he exercises a player option for the 2022 campaign, but even that subsequent $75-76MM is nowhere near the franchise-record $145MM payroll. Colorado is reported to be in agreement on an extension with first baseman C.J. Cron as well, but that shouldn’t drive up the bottom-line payroll in 2022 by too much.

Moreover, by the time Senzatela’s salary jumps to the $12MM range, the Blackmon contract will be off the books. The Rockies didn’t have a single guaranteed salary on the 2024 payroll prior to this long-term deal, though a $16MM club option on top pitcher German Marquez appears likely to be exercised, barring a significant injury or decline. An annual $12MM salary for an innings eater of Senzatela’s nature isn’t an egregious price to pay, although the downside with him is greater than with other arms who’ve signed in this price range — and it’s a bit surprising to see that price tag agreed upon so far in advance.

At the end of the day, the Senzatela extension serves as another reminder that the Rockies don’t view themselves nearly as far from contending as their 74-win season and -57 run differential would suggest. Colorado bucked conventional wisdom at the deadline when opting to hang onto Trevor Story, Jon Gray, Daniel Bard, Cron and other trade candidates, ultimately only moving Mychal Givens despite being buried in the division and lacking long-term control of those players.

Owner Dick Monfort has repeatedly stated in the past that he believes the current Rockies core is capable of contending, although that core will likely be turning over at least to an extent with the expected departure of Story. Competing in a division with the two best teams of 2021, plus a flawed-but-talented Padres squad in win-now mode would appear a daunting task for most teams, but the Rockies operate on an island and, in many ways, prefer their own unorthodox methodologies to more popular industry trends. The group of Marquez, Senzatela, Kyle Freeland, Gray (if he’s re-signed) and Austin Gomber certainly could form the nucleus of a competitive pitching staff, but the Rox are thin on depth behind that quintet and will need another year of uncanny health in the rotation just to repeat their 2021 output. Some additional roster augmentation will be needed this offseason.

Jeff Passan of ESPN was first to report the agreement and the deal’s terms.

Rockies Activate Antonio Senzatela, Yency Almonte

By Anthony Franco | August 5, 2021 at 12:32pm CDT

The Rockies announced they’ve reinstated right-handers Antonio Senzatela and Yency Almonte from the COVID-19 injured list. Senzatela will get the ball for this afternoon’s game against the Cubs. In corresponding moves, infielder Rio Ruiz has been optioned while left-hander Zac Rosscup was returned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Senzatela and Almonte landed on the IL on July 16, with the Rockies dealing with coronavirus spread upon their return from the All-Star Break. Both players wound up missing a little less than three weeks. Senzatela now returns to Colorado’s starting rotation, where he’s been a fixture for most of the past five seasons. This year, he’s tossed 94 1/3 innings of 4.58 ERA ball despite a 15.7% strikeout rate that’s one of the league’s lowest. He’s continued to be particularly stingy in terms of handing out free passes, with a tiny 5.1% walk rate, and he’s racked up groundballs at a huge 54% clip.

Rosscup was selected to help shoulder the pitching workload due to the virus spread. Players selected as COVID replacements can be removed from the active and 40-man rosters without being exposed to waivers, so the veteran lefty will now head back to Triple-A. He made four appearances during his big league stint, allowing one run over three innings of relief with four strikeouts and a walk.

Rockies Place Four Players On COVID-19 Injured List

By Anthony Franco | July 16, 2021 at 5:59pm CDT

The Rockies announced they’ve placed four players — Antonio Senzatela, Jhoulys Chacín, Yency Almonte and Yonathan Daza — on the COVID-19 injured list. Left-hander Ben Bowden, outfielder Sam Hilliard and righty Antonio Santos have been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque, while reliever Zac Rosscup was selected to the major league roster. Additionally, manager Bud Black and first base coach Ron Gideon have been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Dodgers as part of contact tracing efforts.

Placement on the COVID-19 list does not signify that all four of the players involved have tested positive. Players can land on the IL for feeling viral symptoms or for exposure to the virus.

Rosscup was selected to the roster as a COVID replacement player. Under the 2021 health and safety protocols, he can be removed from the 40-man without being exposed to waivers upon the return of one of the players he’s been selected to replace. The 33-year-old southpaw has a 5.16 ERA/3.80 SIERA in parts of six big league seasons. He’s been almost unhittable this year in Triple-A, pitching to a 0.52 ERA over 17 1/3 frames with an excellent 37.3% strikeout rate.

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Antonio Senzatela

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect