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Clayton Kershaw

Injury Notes: McCullers, Nola, Pelfrey, Tilson, Dodgers, Lindgren

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As seemed likely after he departed last night’s game with elbow soreness, Astros righty Lance McCullers Jr. was placed on the 15-day DL today. Rookie Joe Musgrove will take his rotation spot, which at least does afford the club an opportunity to give him a reasonable look. That’s rather a dull silver lining, though, as McCullers has arguably been Houston’s best pitcher this year when healthy and remains a critical element of the team’s hopes this year and in the future. McCullers says that he’ll wait at least two weeks before being checked up on, at which point he could resume throwing — if he’s deemed ready. (Via Brian Smith of the Houston Chronicle, on Twitter.)

[Related: Updated Astros Depth Chart]

Here are some more important injury notes from around the game:

  • The Phillies have placed righty Aaron Nola on the 15-day DL after he experienced some elbow discomfort, as Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Voice writes. Though there doesn’t appear to be any grave concern, it’s also not clear that Nola will throw again in the majors this year. He’s set to be shut down for at least a week, and if it goes much longer than the team may not see the benefit in trying to ramp him back up for only a few outings.

[Related: Updated Phillies Depth Chart]

  • Tigers righty Mike Pelfrey is hitting the disabled list with a back strain, as the team announced. He has thrown 115 1/3 innings of 4.76 ERA ball with 4.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 on the year. That’s really not what Detroit thought it was signing up for when it signed Pelfrey to a two-year, $16MM deal as a free agent before the season. Fortunately for the Tigers, the loss of Pelfrey coincides with an even more impactful addition: the return of slugger J.D. Martinez.

[Related: Updated Tigers Depth Chart]

  • White Sox outfielder Charlie Tilson will miss the rest of the season after tearing his hamstring in his MLB debut, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago tweets. Tilson was only just acquired, in exchange for reliever Zach Duke, and moved straight to Chicago’s major league roster. After recording a hit in his first turn at the plate in the majors, he popped his hammy chasing down a fly ball and now needs surgery. Regarded as a speedy, contact-oriented player, Tilson was set for something of a showcase over the last two months of the season; instead, he’ll have to rehab and look to impress his new team next spring.

[Related: Updated White Sox Depth Chart]

  • The Dodgers added two relievers to the 15-day DL, with Louis Coleman (right shoulder) and Adam Liberatore (left elbow) needing a respite. Coleman has been useful for Los Angeles, but the loss of Liberatore, in particular, is notable: he was in the midst of a surprising breakout campaign, with 33 1/3 innings of 1.62 ERA ball. Meanwhile, Los Angeles transferred Clayton Kershaw to the 60-day DL. That’s largely a formality to clear a 40-man spot, as it was already clear that he’d miss at least that much time, but the placement certainly doesn’t change the increasing perception that the game’s best pitcher may not be able to continue what had been his greatest season as a professional. Indeed, it still seems that he has yet to begin throwing.

[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]

  • Yankees southpaw Jacob Lindgren is going to miss all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, as George A. King III of the New York Post tweets. The 23-year-old moved quickly to the majors after being drafted in 2014, and looked like an immediate and future piece of the Yankees’ relief picture. Instead, he has managed to throw only seven innings at the High-A level on the year, with more walks than strikeouts (9 to 8) in that span.

Latest On Clayton Kershaw’s Injury

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Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw “didn’t feel great” on Sunday following a 60-pitch simulated game on Saturday, tweets Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. Kershaw will be shut down until his back pain subsides, manager Dave Roberts told the L.A. media, and his return to the Dodgers’ rotation is “uncertain.” Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets that Kershaw hasn’t picked up a ball since Saturday and will have his back re-examined in the next day or two.

Suffice it to say, that’s not the type of update the Dodgers were hoping to provide following Kershaw’s most recent throwing session. His uncertain timeline further compounds the depleted starting pitching depth for a Dodgers club that was forced to place Hyun-jin Ryu back on the disabled list earlier today with soreness in his left elbow. With Kershaw’s apparent setback and Ryu back on the disabled list, the Dodgers will once again turn to Julio Urias, tweets McCullough, who notes that Bud Norris will make the start for the Dodgers tomorrow with Urias going on Thursday.

The Dodgers, then, will have a rotation consisting of Norris, Urias, Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda for the time being. Names like Brock Stewart, Mike Bolsinger, Carlos Frias and Ross Stripling await as depth at the minor league level, with Brett Anderson and Alex Wood looming as eventual possibilities on the Major League disabled list. However, the Dodgers have also been connected to Rays starters Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore and Chris Archer in recent weeks (each of whom president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman knows well from his days as GM of the Rays) and has also been linked to Rich Hill this week. While there’s no reason yet to get overly speculative about Kershaw’s injury status, one has to imagine that any further bad news from his upcoming examination would only hasten Friedman and his staff’s efforts to add to the team’s rotation picture.

Quick Hits: Pitching, Teheran, Kershaw, Giants, Maeda, Prospect Trades

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Starting pitching is still “severely overpriced” on the trade market, according to scouts who spoke with ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link) at the Futures Game.  “You want to get a guy who’ll pitch for you in the postseason.  Teams want to trade you a No. 5 starter who might help you get to the postseason,” said one scout who works for a contending club.  Eight starters landed on the latest edition of the Top 25 Trade Candidates list from MLBTR’s Jeff Todd, though of that octet, only a few seem like they would be real difference-makers in a playoff series.  Here’s more from around baseball as we wrap up the first half…

  • In another tweet from Crasnick, he describes the chances of the Braves trading Julio Teheran as “not likely” unless Atlanta significantly lowers its asking price before the deadline.  Given that the Braves reportedly want more for Teheran than they received from the D’Backs in the already-infamous Shelby Miller trade, it’s not hard to see why teams are balking at such a huge asking price.  (And it’s also clear why Atlanta would demand so much for a controllable young arm with ace potential.)
  • Clayton Kershaw will miss at least one start after the All-Star break as the Dodgers’ ace is still recovering from his back injury.  L.A. manager Dave Roberts lined up his post-All-Star break rotation for reporters (including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick) and Kershaw wasn’t in the mix, as the star lefty just threw off a mound today for the first time since June 26.  Early reports about his DL placement suggested Kershaw could miss up to a month, so while today’s news wasn’t necessarily a surprise, it’s possible he could return in the latter half of the 10-day road trip the Dodgers will face after the break.
  • Speaking of NL West stars on the DL, Bruce Bochy provided some updates to the media (including Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News) about some notable Giants.  Joe Panik is recovering well from concussion symptoms and could be back for the Giants’ series with the Red Sox that begins on July 19, while Hunter Pence could begin a minor league rehab assignment next week as he recovers from surgery to fix a torn hamstring.  Matt Duffy’s strained Achilles tendon in his left foot is still causing him problems when he runs in a straight line, so his timeline is uncertain though Duffy can perform other baseball activities with no issues.
  • Kenta Maeda exceeded the 100-inning plateau in his start today, thus unlocking another $250K bonus in his Dodgers contract (hat tip to ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla).  Maeda is only guaranteed $3MM per season from 2016 through 2023, though he can collect significant bonuses based on innings pitched, starts and making the Opening Day roster.  Thus far, Maeda has received an extra $1.65MM in bonuses this season.  Even if he maxes out those bonuses over the eight years under contract, Maeda is already looking like a bargain for the Dodgers given how well he has pitched in his first MLB season.
  • With today’s MLB Futures Game in mind, ESPN’s Jim Bowden (subscription required) details seven prospects from the game who could be trade chips at the deadline.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Nats, Kershaw, Brewers, Rangers, BoSox

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In an ideal world, the Nationals would like to acquire a right-handed hitter before the Aug. 1 trade deadline, but they’re considering pursuing Reds left-handed slugger Jay Bruce, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video links). Bruce, who has hit .275/.319/.557 with 17 home runs in 313 plate appearances this year, could be a possibility in the outfield or at first base for the Nationals – to whom he can’t block a trade. Bruce is also familiar with Nationals manager Dusty Baker from the skipper’s time in Cincinnati, notes Rosenthal, who adds that the team recalling highly touted prospect Trea Turner to play center field is also an option.

Here’s more inside information from Rosenthal:

  • The back issue that sent the best pitcher in baseball, Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw, to the disabled list Friday will likely keep him out for at least a month. LA now has solid reinforcements in its rotation in newly acquired righty Bud Norris – who had a terrific debut with the team Friday – and returning 2015 Tommy John surgery recipient Brandon McCarthy, though no one would confuse either with Kershaw. Prior to landing on the DL, Kershaw threw the second-most innings in the majors (121), led the league in ERA (1.79), and was on track to set the single-season K/BB ratio record for a starter with a ridiculous 16.11 mark. Not only will Kershaw’s absence hurt the playoff-contending Dodgers, who currently sit in a Wild Card position, but it could also damage his NL MVP chances.
  • With a slew of trade candidates in catcher Jonathan Lucroy, left fielder Ryan Braun, infielder Aaron Hill, relievers Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith, and their young starters, the Brewers are a team to watch as the deadline nears. Teams have inquired about Lucroy – who’s the most appealing asset of the bunch – though talks haven’t gotten serious to this point.
  • Athletics left-hander Rich Hill could be the most realistic starting pitcher trade target around the deadline for the Red Sox. The 36-year-old spent some of last season in Boston, where he shockingly pitched like an an ace in September before parlaying that four-start run into a $6MM contract with the A’s in the offseason. Hill has also been outstanding in Oakland (2.25 ERA, 10.41 K/9, 48.1 percent ground-ball rate in 64 innings), though he hasn’t started since May 29 because of a groin injury. He’s now off the disabled list in time to become relevant for the deadline, though.
  • The Rangers had discussions with the Padres about right-handed reliever Fernando Rodney before San Diego traded him to Miami, but Rosenthal opines that Texas needs a left-handed bullpen option more. In addition to their interest in relievers, the Rangers are also in the market for a young, high-end starter and would be willing to part with just about anyone on their roster if the right deal came along.
  • Speaking of Rodney, his contract includes $3.25MM in incentives for games finished and a $2MM club option for 2017 that will increase in value based on the bonuses he receives, so the Marlins will save money by continuing to use him in a setup role.
  • There’s interest around the league in Angels lefty Hector Santiago, including from the division-rival Astros, tweets Rosenthal. The Halos aren’t inclined to deal Santiago for an underwhelming return, notes Rosenthal, as the $5MM man has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining. Team control aside, with a 5.15 ERA, 5.38 FIP and 5.02 xFIP in 87 1/3 innings this season, Santiago hasn’t exactly made a case that he’d be worth a quality haul in a trade.

Dodgers Place Kershaw, Pederson On DL; Designate Layne Somsen

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The Dodgers announced a series of moves today, brought about by injuries to Clayton Kershaw and Joc Pederson. It had been expected already that Kershaw would hit the DL with a back issue, though Pederson’s outlook wasn’t yet clear since his recent shoulder injury.

Replacing that duo will be newly-acquired righty Bud Norris and outfielder Will Venable. Norris came over via trade just yesterday, while Venable had previously been outrighted after signing with the team as a free agent.

Venable’s addition required a 40-man spot, and Somsen took the fall. He has now resided in DFA limbo on three separate occasions this year, with organizations clearly enamored of the arm but finding it hard to keep him on their big league rosters.

[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]

It goes without saying, but both Kershaw and Pederson are of critical importance to Los Angeles. In the case of the former, manager Dave Roberts said today that a timeline remains unclear (via MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM; Twitter link). The skipper says that Kershaw will likely to be out for more than the 15-day minimum.

Pederson, meanwhile, has been diagnosed with a sprained A/C joint, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. It’s not yet clear how long he’s expected to miss, but obviously he’ll now be down for at least the next two weeks.

Dodgers To Place Clayton Kershaw On Disabled List

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4:47pm: Kershaw has been diagnosed with a “mild disc herniation” in his back, the team announced. He is not expected to require surgery, per the announcement, but his recovery timeline remains unclear.

11:23am: Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw received an epidural injection to treat his ailing lower back yesterday and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list, manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times (Twitter link). He adds that the team is hopeful that Kershaw will be ready to be activated following the All-Star break, though MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets that Roberts said he’s uncertain if Kershaw would be ready after the minimum 15 days. There hasn’t been a decision made regarding the starter for Friday’s game, when Kershaw was scheduled to take the hill.

[Related: Updated Los Angeles Dodgers depth chart]

For the Dodgers, Kershaw is the latest in a deluge of injuries that have contributed to the team’s second-place positioning behind the division-leading Giants. Kershaw will join fellow starters Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-jin Ryu and Alex Wood on the disabled list. On the position-player side of the equation, the Dodgers are currently without Andre Ethier and Enrique Hernandez, and there’s a possibility of Joc Pederson landing on the DL as well following a collision with the outfield wall on Monday night that has left his shoulder with extremely limited mobility.

Kershaw is in the midst of a historic season, having worked to a 1.79 ERA, 10.8 K/9, 0.7 BB/9 and a 49.8 percent ground-ball rate through an MLB-best 121 innings thus far. He’s on pace to shatter Phil Hughes’ MLB record for strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.63), having posted an otherworldly 16.1 K/BB ratio to this point. Kershaw appeared to be a lock to start the 2016 All-Star Game in San Diego, but this injury obviously takes that honor off the table.

From a broader perspective, the injury to Kershaw merely underscores the Dodgers’ need for pitching help. Without Kershaw atop the starting five, Los Angeles is looking at a rotation consisting of Scott Kazmir, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urias, Brock Stewart and a yet-undetermined fifth starter. (Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias stand out as possible internal options.) That group will be thinned even further following the All-Star break, as the expectation is that Urias will be shut down for a time in order to avoid a significant increase from last year’s limited 80 1/3 inning workload.

The Dodgers have already seemed like a probably candidate to pursue rotation upgrades on the trade market, with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports connecting them just yesterday to Rays right-hander Erasmo Ramirez. A three-start absence for Kershaw (the best-case scenario) doesn’t necessarily mean that the Dodgers need to target an ace-caliber pitcher to insert into the top of their rotation, but it could certainly hasten the front office’s efforts to add a reliable option for the back end of the starting mix.

Injury Notes: Kershaw, Strasburg, Colome, Floyd, Morneau, Rangers

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Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is heading back to Los Angeles to meet with a specialist (Dr. Robert Watkins) about his ailing back, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick writes. Kershaw experienced some soreness in his back following Sunday’s loss, and manager Dave Roberts told the media that Kershaw’s lower back has been somewhat of an issue for the past few weeks. Roberts said the team is still optimistic that Kershaw will make his upcoming start on Friday, though that can’t be certain until he undergoes further examination. Kershaw is in the midst of arguably his best season ever, having recorded a 1.79 ERA, 10.8 K/9, 0.7 BB/9 and a 49.8 percent ground-ball rate through an MLB-best 121 innings thus far.

A few more injury items from around the league…

  • An MRI of Stephen Strasburg’s back revealed “nothing serious,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker told reporters, including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link). While the Nats have yet to receive an official diagnosis on the injury, Baker said the initial results have made the organization feel better about the injury that landed Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list this weekend. There’s no word on exactly how long Strasburg will be out, but the lack of a serious injury suggests that it could be a fairly brief stay on the DL.
  • The Rays have placed closer Alex Colome on the 15-day disabled list with what has been diagnosed as medial right biceps tendinitis, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. That’s the second closer on the disabled list for Tampa Bay, though Colome’s absence from team looks like it will be considerably shorter than that of fellow closer Brad Boxberger. Topkin writes that Colome’s DL stint is retroactive to June 19, and the right-hander is hoping to return to action as soon as he is eligible on Monday of next week.
  • Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports that the Blue Jays will be without right-hander Gavin Floyd for a prolonged period of time, as Floyd has been diagnosed with a tear in his right lat muscle (Twitter link). Floyd hasn’t been dominant for the Jays this season, but he’s turned in 31 innings of 4.06 ERA ball and averaged 8.7 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 with a 42.2 percent ground-ball rate out of the Toronto bullpen. The extent of the tear and the projected length of his absence are not yet known.
  • Justin Morneau feels that he can be ready to join the White Sox after about 30 at-bats on a minor league rehab assignment, he tells Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago (Twitter link). Levine estimates that Morneau will be ready to join the big league roster around July 15. Morneau tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Mike Berardino (Twitter link) that he’s hoping to begin a rehab assignment next week and be in uniform with the Sox soon after the All-Star break. Chicago signed Morneau to a one-year contract earlier this month.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News provides updates on several injured Rangers. Per Grant, Yu Darvish will face hitters in a simulated game tomorrow, as will right-hander Keone Kela, who has missed the majority of the season after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow earlier this year. Beyond that, Grant adds that Derek Holland isn’t traveling with the team on this road trip and isn’t likely to pitch before the All-Star break. Kela is a bit over two months into his projected three-month recovery timeline, and his eventual return could be a boon for a Rangers bullpen that has seen its share of struggles in 2016.

NL Notes: Gray, Dodgers, Reds

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Rockies righty Jon Gray has an abdominal strain, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “He felt something,” said manager Walt Weiss after the Rockies’ Cactus League game Tuesday. “We don’t know the extent of it. … We are always going to use caution in a situation like that.” The team does not know when Gray will return. Gray, the Rockies’ top pick in 2013, was ticketed for a spot in the rotation. David Hale, Christian Bergman or Chris Rusin could take his place, although Rusin hasn’t yet pitched this spring due to inflammation in his finger. Here’s more from the National League.

  • By setting their sights on the future, the Dodgers stand to waste what could be their last three years with Clayton Kershaw, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times writes. Kershaw is signed through 2020 but can opt out of his deal after 2018. This offseason, the Dodgers allowed Zack Greinke to depart for Arizona via a similar opt-out clause, and their rotation is now a jumble due to a variety of injuries to pitchers like Brett Anderson, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy and Mike Bolsinger. (The Dodgers say they are planning on improving this season by getting better performances from players they already controlled, like Yasiel Puig.) If the Dodgers don’t build contending teams around Kershaw, Hernandez warns, he could depart just as Greinke did. Kershaw’s own take on this issue is less heated than Hernandez’s, however. “I can only speak for what’s happened since I’ve been here, and every single year I feel we’ve had the chance to win,” he says. “That’s really, as a player, all you can ask for.”
  • With less than two weeks to go before Opening Day, the Reds still have plenty of open spots in their bullpen, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. J.J. Hoover will serve as the team’s closer, but what happens after that is unknown. Tony Cingrani, Caleb Cotham, Dayan Diaz, Jumbo Diaz, Drew Hayes, Ryan Mattheus, Chris O’Grady, J.C. Ramirez, Keyvius Sampson, Pedro Villarreal and Blake Wood are all battling for spots. (One would think, though, that some of those, like Cingrani and Jumbo Diaz, would be more likely than others.) From that group, O’Grady is worth watching, since he’s a Rule 5 draftee who the Reds are likely to lose if he doesn’t make the team. Another Rule 5 pick, outfielder Jake Cave, is battling for a spot on the bench, and one of his competitors is Yorman Rodriguez, who’s out of options.

Dodgers Notes: Friedman, Urias, De Leon, Holmes

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Dodgers president Andrew Friedman has made sweeping changes throughout the organization, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Now that former manager Don Mattingly has stepped down, Friedman will have the opportunity to remake the major league coaching staff too. Today’s managers must serve as a conduit between analytical front offices and the players. Friedman plans to make a hire by the Winter Meetings in two months. Presently, the top rumored candidates are Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez (a former Friedman employee), former Padres manager Bud Black, and Dodgers personnel Gabe Kapler, Tim Wallach, and Ron Roenicke. Of course, other candidates could enter the fray too.

Here’s more from the Dodgers:

  • Los Angeles has not developed a meaningful starting pitcher since Clayton Kershaw, writes Shaikin in a separate column. GM Farhan Zaidi claims the club will get younger, but the drafts since Kershaw have not been kind. They’ve made 12 first round picks since Kershaw was selected, and 10 of them have been pitchers. It’s telling that Corey Seager has produced more WAR than all of them in just one month of play. As the Mets demonstrate, a deep, young rotation can bring you a long way. With the Dodgers massive resources, the next step is to develop better pitching.
  • Pitching reinforcements won’t arrive by the start of 2016, per Shaikin. That will force the club to spend big to re-sign Zack Greinke or acquire another top arm. However, prospects Julio Urias, 19, Jose De Leon, 23, and Grant Holmes, 19, all show promise and could move quickly. Urias is the most recognizable of the trio. He has appeared numerous times here on MLBTR. De Leon also came up in deadline rumors, particularly for Cole Hamels. Holmes, the club’s first round pick in 2014, may be slightly less visible than the other two. However, prior to the season, FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel rated him as the fourth best prospect in the system – ahead of De Leon (seventh ranked).

Heyman’s Latest: Ng, Ziegler, Wieters, Arrieta, Angels, Kershaw, Gordon, Aoki

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Kim Ng, the senior vice president of baseball operations at MLB’s central offices, will interview for the Phillies’ GM vacancy, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in his latest Inside Baseball column. Ng, who has previously interviewed with the Dodgers, Angels, Mariners and Padres, still hopes to become the first female general manager of a team. (She has previously worked in several front offices as well.) Her pursuit of the Phillies’ job brings up the issue of diversity among front office execs and managers, Heyman notes, and commissioner Rob Manfred discussed with Heyman some steps the league could take to increase the hiring of minority candidates for such roles. Manfred places a good deal of blame on his own office, telling Heyman, “I am concerned that we at Central Baseball have to do a better job.” Manfred emphasized a need to better prepare minority candidates and to encourage the hiring of such candidates for entry-level positions, so as to deepen the pool of minority candidates from which MLB clubs can select.

Some highlights from Heyman’s weekly piece…

  • The Diamondbacks plan to exercise Brad Ziegler’s $5.5MM option — an expected outcome considering questions throughout the team’s bullpen and the strong numbers that the side-arming Ziegler posted this season. Arizona will focus on adding starting pitching this offseason, though young arms Robbie Ray and Rubby De La Rosa have positioned themselves well to join Patrick Corbin in the rotation.
  • The Braves will be eyeing pitching upgrades and catching help this winter, and re-signing A.J. Pierzynski will be one option. Heyman also lists a run at Georgia native Matt Wieters as a possibility. I’d expect Wieters to receive and reject a qualifying offer, though Heyman notes that no decision has been made on Wieters’ QO situation just yet.
  • The Cubs are expected to pursue top starting pitchers such as David Price and Jordan Zimmermann, but they’ll also attempt to work out a long-term deal with Jake Arrieta, whose dominant second half and Wild Card performance have thrust him into the national spotlight. As a Scott Boras client, however, it could be difficult for the two sides to come to any sort of agreement. Arrieta is controlled through 2017.
  • A big left-handed bat will be a priority for the Angels this winter, and they’ll be hoping to add at second base and third base, specifically. As for David Murphy’s $7MM club option, Heyman notes that the team might want to put those resources toward a more impactful bat.
  • Clayton Kershaw turned down a $300MM contract offer a few months before signing his seven-year, $215MM extension that featured an opt-out clause after the fifth season, per Heyman. While that’s a shocking number to reject, we also don’t know the length of said deal or the amount of deferred money it contained. Sticking with the Dodgers, the CBS scribe adds that Zack Greinke will exercise his own opt-out clause this winter. That was a foregone conclusion, though Heyman notes that Greinke is said to have enjoyed the L.A. clubhouse much more this season, so his chances of re-signing may be better than previously expected.
  • Once they hire a manager to replace Dan Jennings, the Marlins’ first order of business will be to pursue an extension with All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon. The 27-year-old led the Majors in hits and stolen bases in his first year with the Marlins. A client of the Beverly Hills Spots Council, Gordon is currently controlled through the 2018 season. He earned $2.5MM in 2015 after avoiding arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player last offseason.
  • The Giants are planning on picking up Nori Aoki’s $5.5MM club option. Considering the $700K buyout attached to the deal, it’s essentially a $4.8MM decision for the Giants, making it seem like a fairly easy call. San Francisco also plans to pursue top-of-the-market arms like Price and Greinke.
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