AL West Notes: Hamilton, Bailey, Mariners, Devenski
Some news and notes from around the AL West…
- Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Monday, the club told reporters (including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Hamilton underwent two surgical procedures on that same knee last year and has been bothered by soreness in the same joint this spring. According to assistant GM Mike Daly, the Rangers still “feel good that Josh is going to play,” and haven’t had any talks with the veteran about his future with the organization. Texas re-signed Hamilton to a minor league deal over the winter as the former AL MVP is attempting to revive his career after several injury-plagued down years, plus a lost 2016 that saw him play in just one minor league game.
- Andrew Bailey “never seriously considered leaving” the Angels in free agency this winter, the veteran reliever tells Pedro Moura of the L.A. Times. “I feel like, with where I’m at in my career and what I’ve been through, signing early and getting something done and focusing on getting ready for this year was more important to me than chasing something else,” Bailey said. Amusing, he didn’t actually realize he was headed for free agency until last September, as Bailey believed he was still arbitration-eligible; he just barely passed the required six years of service time to hit the open market. The righty pitched well after signing a minor league deal with the Angels last August, and showed signs of recovery from several injury-plagued years by tossing 43 2/3 innings in 2016.
- The Mariners were counting on their “big three” of James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Danny Hultzen to anchor their rotation for years to come, though as Larry Stone of the Seattle Times observes, only Paxton is still on the M’s roster. Walker was dealt to the Diamondbacks in November as part of the multi-player deal that brought Jean Segura to the M’s while Hultzen is simply trying to resume his career in the wake of multiple arm injuries.
- Chris Devenski‘s surprising rise from unheralded prospect to a major weapon out of the Astros bullpen gives Houston some pitching flexibility, ESPN’s Mark Simon writes. The ‘Stros could utilize Devenski as one of their many setup options, a multi-inning fireman like Andrew Miller or potentially even as starting depth in the back end of the rotation. Over 108 1/3 innings as a rookie last season, Devenski posted a very impressive 2.16 ERA, 8.6 K/9 and 5.2 K/BB rate.
Jeff Luhnow On Trade Deadline, 2017 Needs & Payroll, Rasmus
Astros GM Jeff Luhnow says that he recognizes in retrospect that the team would’ve been better served to be more active at the trade deadline, as Angel Verdejo of the Houston Chronicle reports. But that wasn’t entirely apparent at the time, he stressed.
In particular, the losses of starters Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers Jr. left a difficult void for Houston down the stretch. But Luhnow says that he “didn’t have that perspective at that point,” referring to the August 1st trade deadline and its run-up. He also noted that, “over the long term, [foregoing additions] does sometimes turn out to be the right decision;” obviously, striking significant deals typically requires the sacrifice of young talent.
The “jury’s out” on whether the ‘Stros should have been more aggressive this summer, says Luhnow, who does note that there are lessons to be learned from the 2016 experience. “I can’t control what happened after the deadline,” he said. “But we’re certainly going to continue to look at every opportunity going forward to give ourselves maybe a little more breathing room so if we do lose a player or we have some underperformance, that we’ve got more of a margin to still have a successful campaign.”
The Houston GM also addressed a variety of other important topics for the organization as it moves forward after missing the postseason.
Astros Designate Danny Reynolds For Assignment
The Astros have designated right-hander Danny Reynolds for assignment, tweets MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. Presumably, the move will clear spot on the 40-man roster for fellow right-hander Chris Devenski; earlier today, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweeted that Houston planned to select Devenski’s contract and option right-hander Michael Feliz to Triple-A after Feliz threw 107 pitches in relief of Collin McHugh‘s disastrous start yesterday.
Reynolds, 24, went from the Angels to the Dodgers to the Astros by way of waiver claim this offseason, and now could very well be exposed to waivers once again in the wake of his most recent DFA. The former sixth-rounder made it to Triple-A in 2014 but took a step back down the ladder in 2015, spending the entire year with he Halos’ Double-A affiliate, where he worked to a 4.57 ERA with 10.4 K/9 vs. 5.8 BB/9 in 43 1/3 innings of relief. Reynolds moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen in 2014 and has seen his strikeout rate spike significantly since that time; over the past two minor league campaigns, he’s whiffed 113 batters in 105 1/3 innings. He did seem to develop some control issues in 2015, however, as evidenced by an uncharacteristically lofty 5.8 BB/9 rate.
As for the 25-year-old Devenski, who will be making his big league debut if he gets into a game with the Astros, the former White Sox 25th-rounder rated 24th among Houston farmhands, per MLB.com, which noted in its free scouting report that he sits 88-91 mph with his fastball and could sneak his way into the back of a big league rotation if everything clicks. If not, an above-average changeup and solid control could land him a spot in the bullpen. Last season, Devenski logged a 3.01 ERA with 7.8 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 119 2/3 innings with Houston’s Double-A affiliate.