AL Central Notes: Carrasco, Tigers, Martinez, Anderson
While the image of father and son playing catch is a core part of baseball lore, it doesn’t always happen quite that way. Indians starter Carlos Carrasco penned an interesting post at the Player’s Tribune detailing how he got started in the game as a youngster — urged on by his mother. Carrasco traces his path — including a pizza binge driven by his still-developing English language skills — on the way to becoming a top-quality big leaguer with a nice contract. The culmination isn’t just his on-field success, though; it’s about his own young family and recent achievement of U.S. citizenship.
That story is well worth a full read. Here’s more out of the American League Central:
- Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus strongly suggested today that the club will go with its existing options in center field, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports on Twitter. While we’ve heard ongoing suggestions that Detroit is still looking at alternatives, Ausmus says he’s “90-something percent sure” an outside addition won’t be made that alters the regular duties up the middle.
- In other Tigers news, slugger J.D. Martinez projected optimism in discussing his sprained right foot, as Beck reports (links to Twitter). While he’s being tested “to rule out other things,” Martinez says he believes it’s nothing more than a ligament sprain. Assuming that is indeed the case, there’s still the question of a recovery timeline, though it seems likely that’ll be dictated by how Martinez feels. Progress is slow, he says, but “it’s going in the right direction” and he is now able to put weight on the injured foot.
- White Sox GM Rick Hahn discussed the team’s newly minted extension with shortstop Tim Anderson, as MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reports. He emphasized “the cost certainty and the added control” achieved in the unusually early agreement, noting that doubling down with long-term deals for Chris Sale and Adam Eaton functioned to enhance the value of those players when they were dealt in December. Of course, the hope now is that Anderson will be a core player for a contending team in Chicago. If he can build off of a promising 2016 season, the Sox can perhaps check an important box at a reasonable cost for years to come. “[C]ertainly if you have a number of players outperforming what they’re paid, it makes more free money available to go out and augment the roster,” said Hahn. “That’s certainly the intent.”
Central Notes: Tigers, Cabrera, Carrasco, Brantley, Broxton, Brewers, Twins
The Tigers are continuing to scan the market for center field upgrades, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Detroit has been looking around for more options throughout camp, though perhaps the time isn’t quite ripe to make a move with other organizations holding onto their depth until their own situations are resolved. Rosenthal notes that JaCoby Jones has shown most impressively thus far among the in-house competitors with a .346/.393/.615 batting line. Alex Presley has also hit well this spring, though he has spent most of his time in the majors in a corner spot, while fellow competitors Tyler Collins and Mikie Mahtook have each struggled at the plate in game action.
Here’s more from the central divisions:
- Miguel Cabrera left yesterday’s WBC action with back tightness, but Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he’s not concerned with his star’s health, as Evan Woodberry of MLive.com reports. Team Venezuela skipper Omar Vizquel, who’s also a member of the Detroit coaching staff, notified Ausmus that it’s nothing more than a minor issue.
- The Indians received positive health updates on two critical players, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports. Carlos Carrasco is ready to begin throwing again, with the organization expressing optimism that his elbow soreness was little more than a blip. Meanwhile, outfielder Michael Brantley “feels good” after a five-inning appearance on the minor-league side of camp. His shoulder health remains a major variable for the defending American League champs.
- The Brewers pulled center fielder Keon Broxton from the team’s game today after he experienced soreness in his surgically repaired wrist, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports (Twitter links). Fortunately, though, it’s just a minor bone chip that’s said not to represent a significant concern. Broxton impressed in his limited time in the bigs last year and is hitting a scorching .395/.489/.737 in 14 games this spring, so the club is undoubtedly relieved that it can still look forward to a full season from the 26-year-old.
- Of course, the Brewers are also hoping that another wave of young outfielders will push Broxton and others before long. The organization plans to field a Triple-A outfield of Lewis Brinson, Ryan Cordell, and Brett Phillips, Haudricourt further writes. That’s at least somewhat surprising in the case of Phillips, Haudricourt notes, given his rough 2016 campaign at Double-A.
- Twins GM Thad Levine spoke with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand about a variety of topics in his first spring with his new organization. He says the Twins are hoping to avoid the lengthy rebuilding processes that some other organizations have pursued in recent years, citing the “wealth of young talent” the club will field at the major league level. The 103-loss 2016 campaign was something of an anomaly, he suggests, given the talent level. While the hyped Minnesota position players are well known, Levine also suggests there’s some cause for optimism in the pitching staff. He suggests there’s “some burgeoning pitching talent” on hand and also notes that he expects better health — and results — from Phil Hughes and others. There’s plenty more to digest from the interview for the Twins’ faithful.
AL Central Notes: Carrasco, Perez, Anibal, Sano
Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco underwent an MRI to check out some swelling in his right elbow, but the test revealed no structural damage, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter links). Nonetheless, manager Terry Francona informed reporters that Carrasco will have at least his next spring start pushed back. Pitching coach Mickey Callaway noted that Carrasco’s fastball was “really flat” in his most recent outing on Monday, Bastian adds, though it doesn’t seem as if there’s any major injury serving as a deterrent to the right-hander. Carrasco missed some time due to injuries last season, though nothing pertaining to his elbow. Rather, the 29-year-old was plagued by a broken hand and a strained hamstring. He hasn’t been on the DL due to an elbow injury since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2011. Last year, Carrasco logged a 3.32 ERA with 9.2 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent ground-ball rate in 146 1/3 innings.
Elsewhere in the American League Central…
- Salvador Perez underwent a second MRI to confirm that there’s no serious damage to his knee following a home-plate collision with Royals teammate Drew Butera in the World Baseball Classic, tweets MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan, though manager Ned Yost said he won’t have further updates until tomorrow morning. Flanagan notes that Yost didn’t seem especially concerned with his catcher’s health. Perez was diagnosed with inflammation following the initial MRI.
- Searching for answers to his recent decline, Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez tried out some new mechanical tweaks in a bullpen session with manager Brad Ausmus (a former big league catcher), writes Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. Sanchez, Ausmus and pitching coach Rich Dubee were trying out a new arm slot in an effort to bolster the 33-year-old’s velocity after a dip in recent seasons. As Fenech notes, Sanchez’s spring has been nightmarish to date, and he’s done nothing to offer optimism of a turnaround following last year’s disastrous 5.87 ERA in 153 1/3 innings. Fenech writes that if Sanchez’s struggles are significant enough, the team could potentially opt to simply eat the remaining $21MM on his contract ($16MM 2017 salary plus a $5MM buyout on his 2018 option) and release him. Certainly, that’s not a desirable result, though the Tigers have numerous younger options in the rotation, as can be seen on their depth chart at Roster Resource.
- Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron writes that Twins third baseman Miguel Sano is an interesting case study in the small samples of Statcast defensive data that are being made public this season. Though he’s quick to note that the sample he’s observing is beyond minuscule — three total plays in right field — Cameron writes that Sano made two of the three potential “five star” catches with which he was faced (those deemed by Statcast to have a catch probability under 25 percent based on hang time and distance traveled). In looking at the specific plays in question, Cameron notes that neither required an enormous amount of range, but each required an incredibly quick reaction time and excellent footwork — two traits that also are vital at third base. Statcast data is in its nascent stage, but Cameron wonders if that type of insight could be one of the advantages to Statcast data over other defensive metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating. While there’s no definitive way of knowing just how to interpret this data yet, Cameron’s examination is an interesting look at the potential new applications of Statcast data that will only become increasingly more popular in years to come.
Carlos Carrasco Done For Season
7:30pm: Carrasco is done for the year, manager Terry Francona announced Saturday (Twitter link via Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal).
5:49pm: In what could be a serious blow to the Indians’ World Series hopes, the team announced Saturday that right-hander Carlos Carrasco has a nondisplaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal on his pitching hand, Jason Beck of MLB.com was among those to tweet. There’s no timetable for Carrasco’s return, which is particularly troubling with the playoffs approaching.
Carrasco suffered the injury during the Indians’ matchup with the American League Central rival Tigers on Saturday. The 29-year-old started for Cleveland, but Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler hit a line drive off Carrasco’s hand in the first inning and caused him to exit after only two pitches.
At 85-62, the Indians are theoretically in great shape. Their record trails only the Rangers’ for the AL’s best, and they lead second-place Detroit by seven games in the Central. However, losing Carrasco for an extended period of time could be crippling come October. Carrasco, who’s the Indians’ second-best starter behind Cy Young contender Corey Kluber, threw 146 1/3 innings prior to his injury and registered a 3.32 ERA, 9.23 K/9, 2.09 BB/9 and 48.5 percent ground-ball rate. Health has been an issue, though, as Carrasco missed six weeks earlier in the year with a strained hamstring.
Before Carrasco went down, the Indians were already set to finish the regular season without fellow righty Danny Salazar, who has a forearm strain. Salazar’s return next month would be welcome news for the Indians if it happens, but it’s up in the air how effective he’d be in the wake of both the injury and the 7.44 ERA he posted over 32 2/3 second-half innings. Therefore, not having Carrasco would leave Cleveland with only one front-line option, Kluber. Otherwise, their next best choices include Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger. No one from that trio has managed a sub-4.00 ERA this year, though Bauer has provided 170 2/3 respectable frames.
Injury Notes: ERod, d’Arnaud, Carrasco, Sano, Pennington
The Red Sox received a highly promising start from southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez last night, as Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports. While Rodriguez wasn’t quite up to the top velocity he showed last year, he was working comfortably at 93 mph and said he expects to see gains in that department as he continues to build up. The youngster made his 2016 debut just one day before the calendar flipped to June after a prolonged absence due to a knee injury. Boston will surely hope that Rodriguez can provide a boost to a rotation that has had its share of concerns over the season’s first two months.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the game:
- Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud could head out on a rehab assignment this weekend, Rubin reports. His return could provide a big boost to a New York club that has suffered some notable health issues of late. Fellow young receiver Kevin Plawecki has struggled at the plate in d’Arnaud’s stead and could end up being demoted, per Rubin, who says that the team is pleased with what it’s getting from veteran Rene Rivera behind the dish even if he, too, isn’t hitting much.
- There was good news also for the Indians, who expect to start righty Carlos Carrasco on Thursday, as Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets. It seems that Carrasco will be limited to around eighty pitches in his first outing back, but will obviously be expected to ramp up from there. The 29-year-old allowed just six earned runs in his first 22 frames on the year before suffering a hamstring injury.
- The Twins will place third baseman Miguel Sano on the 15-day DL after he suffered a left hamstring strain. As MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports on Twitter, Sano is hopeful that he won’t be out any longer than the minimum, though we’ve certainly seen hamstring issues linger and the organization will want to ensure it doesn’t turn into a bigger issue. Prospect Max Kepler will return to the majors to take his roster spot.
- The Angels appear to have lost infielder Cliff Pennington to an aggravation of his own left hamstring injury, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports, with a DL stint seemingly likely. That could means that Kaleb Cowart or Brendan Ryan will be headed back to the big league club, though the former was just sent down and the latter requires a 40-man spot.
Central Notes: Cardinals, Indians, Royals
The Cardinals‘ Jhonny Peralta is nearing a return from thumb surgery, but he might not be their everyday shortstop when he comes back, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Redbirds want to continue playing standout rookie shortstop Aledmys Diaz, possibly their long-term solution at the position, and have had conversations with both Peralta and third baseman Matt Carpenter about lining up at multiple spots. Peralta has been playing third (he has previous major league experience there) and short during his rehab assignment, while Carpenter could move back to his former position – second base – or first base, where he started Saturday. “I feel like it’s going to create a fresh opportunity for us, but I also feel like given what you’re seeing out of Diaz at his age (25) you really need to see him develop at shortstop,” said general manager John Mozeliak. “We want to keep him developing and also figure out the right combination to win games. We need to have at least one player moving around. We need one of the veterans to say, ‘Hey, I’m willing.’”
Now for some notes on a couple of teams from the AL Central…
- Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco, out since late April with a hamstring injury, is close to rejoining the club. He could make one more rehab start or get back on a big league mound even earlier than that, general manager Mike Chernoff told MLB Network Radio on Sunday (Twitter link). Prior to his injury, Carrasco pitched to an outstanding 2.45 ERA in 22 innings while putting up strong strikeout and walk ratios (8.18 and 2.05, respectively, per nine innings).
- Having already lost Mike Moustakas for the season and Alex Gordon for an extended period of time earlier this week, the Royals suffered yet another scare to a cornerstone player Saturday when catcher Salvador Perez left their game against the White Sox after colliding with third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert. Fortunately, an MRI showed no structural damage (only a quad contusion), meaning Perez will miss just 7-10 days, manager Ned Yost told reporters (Twitter link via Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star). The Royals will not place Perez on the disabled list, tweets Dodd.
- With Perez temporarily unavailable, the Royals have recalled catcher Tony Cruz from Triple-A Omaha and optioned reliever Peter Moylan, Dodd was among those to report (via Twitter). Cruz, who owns a .220/.262/.310 line in 633 career major league plate appearances, hit .278/.352/.417 in 122 trips to the plate with Omaha before today’s promotion. Moylan has thrown 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball for the Royals this year, striking out seven and walking two.
- While the Indians have one of the majors’ lowest payrolls, salary has never been a deciding factor for them around the trade deadline, Chernoff said (Twitter link). “It’s almost always about players and the return you have to give up,” he stated.
Indians To Place Carlos Carrasco On DL
TODAY: Carrasco is expected to be out for four to six weeks, the club has announced. Obviously, that’s just an estimate for an injury that will require quite a bit of careful monitoring, but it seems relatively promising news.
Cleveland has also activated outfielder Michael Brantley, who had opened the year on the DL.
YESTERDAY: Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco exited his start in Detroit on Sunday with a left hamstring injury and will be placed on the disabled list as a result, manager Terry Francona said (Twitter link via Zack Meisel of cleveland.com). Carrasco will return to Cleveland for an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.
Carrasco suffered the injury while running to cover first base on a ground ball during the third inning of the Indians’ 6-3 victory. He pulled up in pain before reaching the bag and grabbed the back of his leg, and had to be helped off the field, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Trevor Bauer then replaced Carrasco, and Bauer figures to take the now-vacant spot in Cleveland’s rotation. The former top prospect threw 329 frames of 4.38 ERA ball as a starter for the Indians from 2014-15 before shifting to the bullpen prior to this season. He tossed 3 1/3 innings and yielded two earned runs Sunday.
Regardless of how long he’s out, the loss of Carrasco represents a significant blow to the Indians’ pitching staff. Carrasco has emerged as one of baseball’s top starters over the last two-plus years, having put up a 3.15 ERA/2.79 FIP/2.70 xFIP with an outstanding 51.5 percent ground-ball rate in 337 innings since 2014. Carrasco ranks sixth among all starters in K/9 during that time frame (9.99) and has shown great control with a 2.06 BB/9. Along with Corey Kluber and Danny Salazar, he has given the Indians a premier triumvirate of starters.
Carrasco was off to another strong start this season with a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings prior to the injury, though FIP wasn’t as bullish on him as usual (4.31) and his 8.18 K/9 is lower than it has been in recent years. However, the 29-year-old has thus far posted a stellar 3.31 xFIP while continuing to limit walks (2.05 BB/9).
Indians Notes: Starters, Uribe, Prospects
As Trevor Bauer celebrates his 25th birthday today, here’s the latest news from Cleveland…
- “The calls have stopped since Christmas” on the Indians‘ top four starters, Peter Gammons writes in his latest piece for his Gammons Daily website. Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and (particularly) Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar have been at the center of many trade rumors all offseason long, though it appears that no team is willing to meet the Tribe’s understandably-high asking price. It certainly seem as if the quartet will headline Cleveland’s rotation in 2016, barring a late blockbuster.
- The Indians have interest in Juan Uribe but not at his current asking price, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Cleveland is also looking at a few veterans, not necessarily Uribe, whose price tags may drop as we get closer to Spring Training.
- Though several teams showed interest in prospects like Clint Frazier, Bradley Zimmer, Rob Kaminsky and others, the Indians decided to keep their top minor leaguers, Baseball America’s Jim Ingraham writes (subscription required).
NL West Notes: Rockies, Cueto, Dodgers
The Rockies have made a few small moves this offseason, but they haven’t yet addressed their rotation, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes. It’s unclear where the Rockies will go from here, Saunders writes — a deal with the Indians might have made at least a bit of sense, although, via ESPN’s Buster Olney (Insider-only), the Indians don’t appear to see any urgent need to deal Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar. A trade with the Rays might be a possibility, but the Rays have already been connected to a number of other teams (including, today, the Cardinals). And as was reported yesterday, the Rockies weren’t able to get Kevin Gausman from the Orioles in return for Carlos Gonzalez. Here’s more from the NL West.
- Giants GM Bobby Evans says his team’s MRI of Johnny Cueto‘s elbow “looked great,” Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweets. Cueto had a flexor strain last season, but it appears to be healed. It sounds, then, like the Cueto’s physical exam reassured the Giants that their $130MM commitment to him was the right move.
- The Dodgers‘ end of the three-way Todd Frazier trade (in which they received youngsters Frankie Montas, Micah Johnson and Trayce Thompson) added talent to the organization, but their return also initially appeared a bit puzzling given that they presumably plan to compete in 2016. The deal might, however, be part of a broader plan to add talent that they can use to acquire veterans, Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles writes. That could mean they trade for a young starter like Jose Fernandez or Sonny Gray. As Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times recently tweeted, top Dodgers exec Andrew Friedman answered affirmatively when asked if the Frazier deal made him feel better about dealing prospects. “Obviously, we’re having a lot of conversations that involve us potentially trading some prospects in different-type scenarios,” says Friedman. “This wasn’t necessarily directed at that, but it’s connected in the same way every move we make has some connection. Expanding our talent base is helpful on multiple fronts.”
- Dave Cameron of Fangraphs , meanwhile, suggests a package that the Dodgers could use to land Chris Archer of the Rays. Such a deal could conceivably be based around young Dodgers infielder Corey Seager, with the deal also potentially including someone like Rays reliever Jake McGee. Cameron notes that the Dodgers would be reluctant to part with Seager, but, of course, the Rays would be reluctant to part with Archer as well, and the two teams have plenty to offer one another.
Central Notes: White Sox, Frazier, Cubs, Indians, Pearce
Even after adding Brett Lawrie, Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro, GM Rick Hahn wants to continue to upgrade the White Sox‘ offense, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com writes. “We’re pleased with the improvements we’ve made thus far, but in our minds we hope to continue and don’t feel we’re done,” says Hahn. The White Sox finished last in the AL in runs scored last season, with 622. One potential trade target who could provide a big boost to the White Sox is Todd Frazier of the Reds, about whom CSN Chuck Garfien reports the White Sox have had talks (on Twitter). Right now, however, there doesn’t seem to be much traction between the two sides, with the White Sox believing the Reds are asking for too much. A Frazier acquisition doesn’t necessarily seem likely, but if it were to occur, Lawrie would likely move to second base, one of several positions where the White Sox struggled last year. The Reds are reportedly shopping Frazier aggressively. Here are more quick notes from the Central divisions.
- The Cubs and Indians discussed a trade that would have sent either Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar to Chicago, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi tweets. In return, the Indians would have received a package including outfielder Jorge Soler. Talks between the two sides appear to have stalled, however, so it does not seem a deal is imminent.
- The Indians have had interest in Steve Pearce, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. Pearce is coming off a .218/.289/.422 season in Baltimore, but he was terrific in 2014 and is capable of playing first base or either corner outfield spot, plus second base in a pinch. That sort of flexibility would surely be valuable to Cleveland, although he’d likely mostly play outfield there. Pearce’s market has mostly been quiet this winter (although he’s been connected to the Rangers). As MLBTR’s Jeff Todd noted in September, it’s difficult to tell how teams will value Pearce, given his unusual skill set and the strange manner in which his career has unfolded.