Carson Smith

AL East Notes: Yankees, Rays, Paredes, Smith

By Steve Adams | May 2, 2016 at 10:45am CDT

With the Yankees off to a woeful 8-15 start to the season, the New York Post’s Ken Davidoff opines that it’s time to make some significant changes to the lineup. Chief among them, writes Davidoff, is the benching of struggling third baseman Chase Headley in favor of Ronald Torreyes. While he notes that such a move wouldn’t be a long-term fit, Davidoff feels Torreyes would provide quality at-bats on a more consistent basis. Davidoff also calls for a demotion for right-hander Luis Severino if his struggles persist much longer, writes that aging veterans (Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira) should receive less playing time and adds that the Yankees should make it known that they’ll eat a large portion of Jacoby Ellsbury’s salary in a trade.

While the Yankees could certainly look to move Ellsbury, that’s far easier said than done, even if they’re eating a huge portion of his contract. Ellsbury has nearly $107MM remaining on his contract through the end of the 2020 season (including the $5MM buyout on his 2021 option). While the Dodgers were able to move Matt Kemp with nearly an identical amount remaining on his deal, Kemp was significantly more productive at the plate prior to his trade, and the Dodgers still had to eat $32MM of his deal. L.A.’s inability to move Carl Crawford and the longtime struggles the Braves faced in trying to shed Melvin Upton Jr. serve as reminders that it would be exceptionally difficult to move Ellsbury.

AL Notes: Darvish, Smith, ERod, Kelly, Owens, Snell, Farquhar, Gausman, Gallardo

By Jeff Todd | April 22, 2016 at 9:56pm CDT

Here’s the latest out of the American League, with a focus on some recent injury news on key pitchers:

Rehabbing Rangers ace Yu Darvish will throw another live BP session before beginning his rehab assignment, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. The righty hasn’t suffered any kind of setback, but hopes to refine his offspeed offerings before reporting to Double-A to begin his march back to the majors.
Meanwhile, Red Sox reliever Carson Smith looks to be on track for a return in early May, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports on Twitter. He’ll need to make at least three minor league outings, including two on back-to-back days, before being activate. The righty will be a welcome addition to the back of the Boston pen. Likewise, lefty Eduardo Rodriguez may be on his way back soon, as Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald tweets that he could return to the majors after two rehab starts.
In other Red Sox pitching news, the club is hopeful that Joe Kelly won’t miss much more than the minimum on his 15-day DL stint, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports (Twitter links). Southpaw Henry Owens will step into Kelly’s place in the rotation. He’s put up three solid outings at Triple-A thus far, allowing just two earned runs in 18 innings with 23 strikeouts and ten walks.
With top Rays pitching prospect Blake Snell coming up for his first start tomorrow, Baseball America’s Vince Lara-Cinisomo takes a look at the 23-year-old lefty. While he still needs to refine his command, BA suggests he could become a number two starter if he can reach his ceiling in the majors. Tampa Bay has optioned reliever Danny Farquhar to clear room for Snell, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 29-year-old righty has pitched well enough in the early going, but he was one of only a few optionable arms in the Rays’ pen and appeared in each of the last two games.
The Orioles are set to activate Kevin Gausman for his first start of the season on Monday, with the heralded righty saying that he thinks his shoulder issues are a thing of the past, as MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli reports. In his latest rehab appearance, said Gausman, he felt more “comfortable” than he had in his prior outings. Hopes are high for the 25-year-old, and the Baltimore rotation is certainly need of a boost with only one member (Ubaldo Jimenez) currently carrying a sub-4.00 ERA.

AL East Notes: Donaldson, Smith, Machado, Orioles

By Steve Adams | April 21, 2016 at 9:50pm CDT

Josh Donaldson’s incredible 2015 season earned him American League MVP honors and made him a household name, but ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick profiles the Blue Jays third baseman and the level of preparation that made it possible for him to reach those heights. Newly acquired teammate Drew Storen tells Crasnick that he’s floored by the detail that Donaldson put into preparing for the season from day one of Spring Training, and Crasnick spoke to an NL exec that offered similar amazement at Donaldson’s consistent level of effort. “You never see him mail it in,” said the official. “He’s always on, even when you say he shouldn’t be on today. Day game after a night game, or they’re up 8-2 and you think he’s going to give the last at-bat away. He doesn’t do that. He doesn’t give anything away.” Donaldson’s reputation and character played a role in now-former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos’ original pursuit of the third baseman, Crasnick writes, and that same emphasis on character also played a heavy role in Toronto’s signing of Russell Martin.

Here’s more from the AL East…

Red Sox right-hander Carson Smith is nearing a return, writes WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable. Smith is slated to appear in extended Spring Training games on Friday and Saturday, and following that pair of appearances he’ll head out on a minor league rehab assignment early next week (barring any form of setback, of course). The Sox picked up Smith in the trade that sent left-hander Wade Miley to the Mariners and will be counting on him to pair with Koji Uehara and Craig Kimbrel in what, on paper, should be a dominant trio of relievers.
While Bryce Harper and Mike Trout receive plenty of adulation as the game’s most exciting young stars, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs writes that Orioles third baseman Manny Machado should be right alongside that duo. Machado’s evolution into a legitimate slugger last season has him in an elite tier alongside Harper, Trout and Donaldson across the past calendar year. Machado, Cameron writes, is now hitting like Miguel Cabrera while also contributing Gold Glove defense, and even if he doesn’t grab as many headlines as other young stars in the game, he’s secured his place among the elite.
Brian Matusz is slated to come off the disabled list on Saturday, writes MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli, and right-hander Kevin Gausman might not be far behind. Gausman could join the club early next week, Ghiroli writes. The pair of additions will likely cost the Orioles some length in their bullpen, Ghiroli writes, as skipper Buck Showalter said that he won’t use Matusz in a multi-inning role. Ghiroli notes that each of Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson, Mychal Givens and T.J. McFarland have minor league options remaining, though it’s certainly difficult to see Givens being optioned.

Quick Hits: Straily, Smith, Former Players

By charliewilmoth | April 16, 2016 at 4:56pm CDT

The Reds are considering moving Dan Straily into their rotation, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. “We’ll have to take a look at Dan Straily with the job that he’s done. Unfortunately, we’ve had to utilize him in some games that have gotten out of control early,” says manager Bryan Price. “He’s done a really nice job managing those opportunities. So we’ll see how it goes.” Straily, who arrived near the beginning of the season on a waiver claim from the Padres, has fared well thus far in long relief (allowing three runs and four walks while striking out eight in 8 1/3 innings so far), and the Reds’ rotation has put pressure on the team’s bullpen so far with a number of short starts. The Reds are also dealing with a variety of rotation injuries, although one of their injured pitchers, Jon Moscot, will return Sunday to pitch against the Cardinals. Here’s more from around the game.

Reliever Carson Smith appears to be getting closer to joining the Red Sox, writes WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. Smith, who’s had a right flexor mass strain in his elbow, hasn’t yet made his debut with his new club after arriving via an offseason trade with the Mariners. But manager John Farrell says Smith threw 35 pitches of live batting practice today without incident, and could appear in an extended spring training game by next weekend. That could put him in position to join the Red Sox’ bullpen by the end of the month.
Players union head Tony Clark is frustrated that the lack of opportunities for former players, and especially minority players, to find jobs with teams, the AP reports. Clark would like MLB to start a program to prepare players for careers after their playing careers are over. The program would include college scholarships for minor-leaguers, a database of minority players, and a coaching school, as well as courses about baseball analytics and business practices. It would be funded by taxes on international amateur signing bonuses. Part of Clark’s concern arises from a change in MLB front offices, which are suddenly heavily populated by graduates of Ivy League schools who might have perspectives that are similar to one another. Increasing front-office focus on analytics could also potentially decrease opportunities for former players to have jobs within the game. “Diversity offers a different vantage point, different experiences, different realizations that inevitably can help move the industry forward, “says Clark. “… [I]t simply suggests our industry has missed opportunities as the result of the backgrounds and engagements therein being so similar.”

East Notes: Smith, Castillo, Howard, Gomez, Chacin

By Jeff Todd | April 7, 2016 at 6:54pm CDT

Red Sox righty Carson Smith will return to the mound for work on Sunday, MLB.com’s Ian Browne reports. Smith, who is on the DL with a strained flexor mass muscle, seems to be on track to avoid a lengthy absence. Manager John Farrell said that Smith has had an “encouraging” week and is “progressing at a good rate right now.” The club plans to handle Smith’s build-up with care, as you’d expect with a young pitcher who is both an important future and near-term asset, but his return will be important for the Red Sox relief corps.

Here’s more from the eastern divisions:

Though he’s not in line for much playing time at present, Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo will remain with the major league club for the time being, Farrell tells Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. “I won’t rule out that it might come up in conversation as we go forward,” said Farrell, “but we’re not there yet.” The Boston manager acknowledged that it’s “a tough spot” for the 28-year-old, who lost a chance to seize upon a significant role this spring. At some point, if he’s stuck to the bench, the Sox will presumably need to consider a minor league assignment to give Castillo some consistent plate appearances.
Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is staying positive despite his own part-time role, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice writes. The veteran slugger says that he understands the team’s position, explaining that “the only thing you can do is stay positive and take advantage of your opportunities when you get them.” Manager Pete Mackanin says that the club will open the year with a traditional platoon of the left-handed-hitting Howard and righty Darin Ruf, but plans to remain flexible in allowing performance to dictate things as the season progresses.
Though it’s early, the Phillies are already moving through the line of possible closers, with Jeanmar Gomez likely next up for a chance, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. Dalier Hinojosa and David Hernandez have both failed to hold late-inning leads in the early action, leaving Gomez as the next man up — at least for now. “We’re auditioning,” Mackanin said. “We’ve got to find out. It’s a daily question. Why not Gomez? Let’s see what he can do.”
The Braves plan to add righty Jhoulys Chacin to the active and 40-man roster in time to make a start on Tuesday, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. As expected, Atlanta had been carrying an extra reliever while waiting for the fifth starter’s spot to come due.

AL East Notes: Loney, Yankees, Levine, Smith

By Mark Polishuk | March 27, 2016 at 5:22pm CDT

Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

Hearing his name mentioned in trade speculation is nothing new for James Loney, as the veteran first baseman tells Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. “I think I’ve dealt with this pretty much every year in my career, at some point, trade rumors. It gets kind of old. I’m not putting too much stock in it, because nothing’s happened yet,” Loney said. It’s no secret that the Rays have been shopping Loney and his $8MM salary for much of the offseason, though no takers have been found.
Loney’s presence is one of the many playing-time complications facing the Rays as they prepare to set their Opening Day roster, as Mooney and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times explore in separate pieces. Dealing Loney wouldn’t just save some payroll, but it would also free up a much-needed roster spot for either one of the Rays’ several available position players or perhaps another reliever. If a trade can’t be found, Topkin speculates that Tampa could hang onto Loney for a few weeks into the season until a fifth starter is needed, or the team could just see Loney’s salary as a sunk cost and release him.
The Yankees optioned Rob Refsnyder to Triple-A camp, with manager Joe Girardi telling reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that the club wants Refsnyder to get more experience playing third base before using him as a utility infielder at the big league level. Ronald Torreyes and Pete Kozma are battling for the backup infield job now, though Giradi didn’t rule out the possibility that the Yankees would look at adding an infielder when other teams make their spring cuts.
While the Yankees will continue to support income redistribution in the next collective bargaining agreement, president Randy Levine tells FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that the Yankees certainly want to see some changes made to the current system. “What is very burdensome to us — and is unfair — is the amount of money we have to pay in revenue sharing compared, for example, to teams in our market that pay 10 times less than us,” Levine said, referring to the Mets. The revenue-sharing contributions are determined by a formula based around net local revenue. Levine said the Yankees made around $90MM in revenue-sharing payments in 2015. According to Forbes magazine, the Yankees still led all MLB teams in revenue ($516MM) last year, even accounting those revenue-sharing payments.
There has been some speculation that Carson Smith’s potential as an injury risk could’ve been a reason the Mariners dealt the reliever to the Red Sox this winter, Fangraphs’ David Laurila writes. Smith is on the DL with a strain of his flexor mass muscle and it isn’t known when he’ll return, though the injury isn’t thought to be too serious. The red flags for Smith are his unusual delivery and his heavy use of the slider — only four pitchers (minimum 60 innings) threw a higher percentage of sliders than Smith did in 2015. “I’ve heard that my whole life, but throwing from a lower arm slot is something that’s come natural for me,” Smith told Laurila. “I’ve found ways to manage it, whether it’s the weight room, the trainer’s room, or on the field.” MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum recently cited Smith as a slightly above-average risk for Tommy John surgery as a part of his larger study to predict which pitchers will require TJ procedure in the future.
In other AL East news from earlier today, David Murphy opted out of his minor league contract with the Red Sox and is already drawing interest from the Orioles and other clubs….the Orioles have discussed releasing Hyun Soo Kim from his two-year contract.

Carson Smith To Be Placed On DL

By Zachary Links | March 22, 2016 at 2:24pm CDT

Red Sox reliever Carson Smith will be placed on the disabled list after an MRI revealed that he has suffered a strain of his flexor mass muscle, as Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald tweets. Smith is expected to pitch this year, but there is currently no timetable for his potential return.

Smith, 26, exited Monday’s game after experiencing forearm tightness just five pitches into his outing. As it turns out, that tightness was foreshadowing for a more serious issue. Fortunately, however, the pain was not the result of damage to the ulnar collateral ligament, which could have necessitated Tommy John surgery. Late last month, MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum delved deep into the causes of and warning signs for Tommy John surgery. In his research, Woodrum found that Smith was among the players with a slightly elevated risk of requiring TJ.

The Red Sox acquired Smith this offseason along with southpaw Roenis Elias when they traded Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro to Seattle. Smith was being counted upon for a significant late-inning role, so the Red Sox are obviously less-than-thrilled about today’s news. As Jeff outlined on Monday, there’s still plenty of late-inning depth for Boston, starting with closer Craig Kimbrel plus veterans Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa.

Last year marked Smith’s first full season in the majors. He took the opportunity and ran with it, recording a 2.31 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 across 70 innings.

Carson Smith Exits Spring Game With Forearm Tightness

By Jeff Todd | March 21, 2016 at 5:30pm CDT

Red Sox reliever Carson Smith left today’s game after just five pitches upon experiencing forearm issues, as Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports. The righty is said to have had “tightness” and “a little cramping,” which he said he’s never felt before.

Forearm issues, of course, can often be predecessors to more significant elbow troubles, so it’s easy to see why Boston manager John Farrell was quick to react. Both Farrell and Smith expressed some concern, though it’s obviously too soon to know the prognosis. According to the statistical research of MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum, Smith has a slightly elevated Tommy John risk profile entering 2016.

Smith was a significant offseason acquisition for newly-minted Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who sent Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro to the Mariners for Smith and southpaw Roenis Elias. He is expected to hold down an important setup role in a reworked Boston pen.

After an outstanding but brief debut in 2014, Smith delivered a big campaign last year in his first full season of MLB work, getting excellent results from his sidearm delivery and sinker/slider combo. The former eight-round draft pick spun 70 frames of 2.31 ERA pitching, racking up 11.8 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. He also induced grounders on 64.8% of the balls put in play against him while surrendering only two long balls, making for a rare combination of strikeout ability and batted-ball dominance.

Smith is not just a near-term asset, of course, as he’s compiled just 1.028 years of MLB service to date. Boston controls him for two more seasons at the league minimum and can keep him via arbitration through 2020.

The Red Sox will send Smith in for an evaluation with the club physician this evening, and Silverman suggests an MRI appears likely. While acknowledging his concern, Smith did note that “we toyed with some tests in there” — presumably, referring to the clubhouse — “and … there were optimistic results.”

There’s still ample late-inning depth in Boston, of course, beginning with fellow offseason acquisition Craig Kimbrel in the 9th inning. Stalwarts Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa are still on hand, with other options in camp including righties Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, Noe Ramirez, Roman Mendez, and Carlos Marmol. Knuckler Steven Wright could work from the pen if he doesn’t crack the rotation, as could Elias or fellow southpaw Brian Johnson.

Mariners Acquire Miley, Aro In Exchange For Smith, Elias

By Steve Adams | December 7, 2015 at 3:00pm CDT

An exceptionally busy offseason for Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto continued on Monday, as the Mariners acquired left-hander Wade Miley and right-handed reliever Jonathan Aro from the Red Sox in exchange for lefty Roenis Elias and right-handed reliever Carson Smith. Both teams have formally announced the trade.

Miley, 29, has a long history with Dipoto, who not only was a consultant with the Red Sox after electing to leave his job with the Angels this summer but also served as the Diamondbacks’ scouting director when Miley was drafted back in 2008. Miley is controlled for at least two more seasons for a total of $15.25MM, and his contract also contains a $12MM club option for the 2018 season. He’ll give the Mariners a reasonably priced arm to slot into the rotation behind Felix Hernandez alongside Taijuan Walker and James Paxton.

Miley’s first season with Boston got off to a slow start, but the lefty rebounded from a ghastly 8.62 April ERA to 4.10 ERA with a 137-to-58 K/BB ratio across his final 178 innings of the 2015 season. Miley has been a healthy and consistent innings eater dating back to his sophomore season in 2012, averaging 198 innings of 3.92 ERA ball per year despite spending three years with the hitter-friendly Chase Field as his home park and a fourth season in the American League East. One can imagine that the move to the spacious Safeco Field will benefit Miley considerably.

Aro, 25, posted outstanding numbers between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015 and ultimately made his big league debut. He logged a 3.04 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 in 74 minor league innings. He yielded eight runs in 10 1/3 Major League innings and averaged 92.5 mph on his fastball while posting an eight-to-four K/BB ratio. MLB.com ranked Aro 26th among Boston farmhands, noting that his fastball features some sink and can touch 95 mph. He has a slider and changeup as well, with the former grading as at least average. Their scouting report feels he can pitch successfully in multiple-inning relief stints and calls Aro “durable.”

Seattle’s decision to part with Smith comes as somewhat of a surprise. The 26-year-old delivered 70 brilliant innings of relief, pitching to a 2.31 ERA with 11.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and an exceptional 64.8 percent ground-ball rate. Smith ranked sixth among qualified relievers in ground-ball rate and struck out a greater number of batters than nearly any pitcher on the top 30 in that regard. He’s controllable for another five seasons and will give president of baseball operation Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox another elite relief arm to pair with the likes of Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara in the late innings.

The Red Sox will also pick up a left-hander with significant big league experience in the form of Elias. The 27-year-old has spent the past two seasons mostly at the big league level, logging a 3.97 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 44.9 percent ground-ball rate. Elias has yielded an unspectacular .255/.333/.411 batting line to right-handed hitters but dominated lefties, holding same-handed batters to a .218/.304/.332 clip. His control against lefties could stand to improve a bit, but he’s a generally useful weapon against them and could conceivably be tougher if shifted to a bullpen role, where he could throw harder in shorter stints.

A bullpen slot could be his best shot at cracking the roster next spring, as an immediate spot in the Boston rotation doesn’t seem too likely. The Red Sox currently have David Price, Clay Buchholz, Eduardo Rodriguez, Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly, to say nothing of highly regarded left-handers Henry Owens and Brian Johnson more or less ready for big league action.

Of course, Elias could simply be rotation depth for the Red Sox in the event that they trade another arm or two, or he could be flipped to another club himself. Earlier this offseason, the Marlins were said to have some interest in him when discussing potential Marcell Ozuna deals (though they were looking for considerably more than Elias alone in exchange for Ozuna). Elias is controllable through the 2020 season and won’t be arbitration eligible until at least the 2017-18 offseason.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX reported earlier this afternoon that the two sides were making progress on a deal that would send Miley to Seattle. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reported the trade was in place (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted that Aro, Elias and Smith were involved.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

« Previous Page

Headlines

Carson Smith

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect