Yankees Acquire Jose Trevino From Rangers
The Rangers and Yankees have announced a trade, as catcher Jose Trevino is headed to New York in exchange for right-hander Albert Abreu and left-hander Robby Ahlstrom.
The deal represents the latest shuffle in the Yankees’ catching situation, after Gary Sanchez was dealt to the Twins as part of the blockbuster deal that brought Josh Donaldson, Ben Rortvedt, and (Trevino’s former Texas teammate) Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Bronx. The initial plan seemed to be a defense-first platoon of Rortvedt and Kyle Higashioka, though Rortvedt has yet to play in any Spring Training games due to an oblique strain. With Rortvedt not expected to begin the season on the active roster, the Yankees instead now turn to a more experienced big leaguer in Trevino, who has 156 MLB games played to Rortvedt’s 39.
Trevino and Higashioka are both right-handed hitters, making for more of an imperfect platoon fit than the Higashioka/Rortvedt combo, yet the first priority still seems to be defense considering Trevino’s lack of offensive pop. Over his 516 career plate appearances with the Rangers, Trevino has batted only .245/.270/.364. Framing-wise, Statcast considered Trevino to be among the best in baseball last season.
Today’s trade marks the third notable swap between the Yankees and Rangers in less than a year, following last season’s deals that saw Texas sent Joey Gallo and Rougned Odor to New York. It’s probably safe to assume that the two teams discussed Trevino, Abreu, or Ahlstrom at some point during those many negotiations before things finally lined up due to changing roster needs.
For the Rangers, the acquisition of Mitch Garver made Trevino expendable, as Jonah Heim now takes over as the backup catcher. Meibrys Viloria and Yohel Pozo are also in camp on minor league deals, and top prospect Sam Huff is still in the mix at catcher, even though he played only at first base after returning from knee surgery early last season.
It wasn’t long ago that Abreu was garnering attention on top-100 prospect lists, except injuries and control problems hampered his progress up the minor league ladder. Abreu has a 3.77 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate, and an 11.26% walk rate over 455 2/3 innings in the minors, and he started 87 of his 115 games. In the majors, Abreu didn’t do much to retain a foothold in the Yankees’ bullpen, posting a 5.68 ERA and 12.6% walk rate in 38 innings as a big leaguer.
Abreu is out of minor league options, thus making him something of an expendable piece for the Yankees. The Rangers will replace Trevino with Abreu on their 40-man roster and see if the righty can get a fresh start working out of the Texas relief corps.
Ahlstrom was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 draft, and the former Oregon Duck has yet to officially begin his pro career. Baseball America’s pre-draft scouting report described the southpaw as “a fiery presence on the mound,” with the ability to consistently throw each of his three pitches (fastball, curve, changeup) for strikes. The latter two pitches are only graded as average, however, and Ahlstrom’s fastball generally clocked in the 88-89mph range, topping out at 92mph.
Rangers Option Nick Solak, Designate John Hicks
The Rangers announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of minor league first baseman Curtis Terry (as previously reported) and opened a spot on the 40-man roster by designating catcher John Hicks for assignment. Texas also reinstated catcher Jose Trevino from the 10-day injured list and, perhaps most notably, optioned struggling infielder Nick Solak to Triple-A Round Rock.
Hicks, 31, smacked four home runs in 10 games for the Rangers prior to his DFA but was squeezed out by Trevino’s return. He’s 8-for-31 on the season with those four dingers and has also posted a .275/.352/.440 slash in 122 Triple-A plate appearances.
Of course, Hicks has had numerous chances in the Majors prior to the 2021 season and has yet to establish himself as a consistent MLB presence. He made his big league debut with the Mariners back in 2015 and then saw action in parts of four straight seasons with a rebuilding Tigers club. He’s a career .236/.279/.401 hitter with a 32 percent caught-stealing rate but more questionable marks in the pitch framing and pitch blocking departments. Texas will have a week to trade him, place him on outright waivers or release him.
Solak, 26, opened the season as the primary second baseman in Arlington and got out to a blistering start. He carried an OPS north of .900 as far into the season as early May, but his production has been in a rapid tail spin since that time. Over his past 255 plate appearances, Solak is hitting just .190/.256/.273. It’s been nearly a month since he logged multiple hits in a game, and since that two-hit night back on June 29, he’s posted a .149/.216/.191 batting line.
Given those struggles, it’s plenty understandable that the Rangers feel it’s in his best interest to get something of a reset. It’s unlikely that this will impact Solak’s service time or general path to free agency. He entered the season with a year and 41 days of service time and would remain on track for free agency post-2025 so long as he accumulates a total of 131 days of service in 2021. He’s already at 113 days of service time this year, so unless he remains in the minors through season’s end, he’ll accumulate the necessary service to sustain that trajectory.
Rangers Promote Sam Huff
11:40am: The Rangers have formally selected Huff’s contract, per a team announcement. Outfielder Scott Heineman was optioned to the alternate training site to open a spot on the active roster.
10:40am: The Rangers are set to promote catching prospect Sam Huff to the Major League roster in the wake of Jose Trevino‘s left wrist injury, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports (via Twitter). Manager Chris Woodward acknowledged last night that promoting Huff was at least something the team would discuss (Twitter link via T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com).
Huff, 22, entered the season ranked as the game’s No. 99 prospect at Baseball America — the infusion of 2020 draftees has since pushed him off the list — and currently ranks second among the organization’s prospects there. He ranks 75th overall at MLB.com. Other outlets, such as FanGraphs, aren’t as bullish given questions about his ability to stick behind the dish and his lofty strikeout rates. There’s no questioning Huff’s raw power, however, which draws 70 grades on the 20-80 scale in most scouting reports.
A seventh-round pick back in 2016, Huff split the 2019 season between Class-A and Class-A Advanced, where he hit a combined .278/.335/.509 with 28 homers, 22 doubles, a pair of triples and six steals (albeit in a dozen attempts). He’s been an average or better offensive producer at every minor league stop — well above average, in most cases — and boasts a career 34 percent caught-stealing rate thanks to a plus arm that generally receives 60 grades.
On the negative side of the coin, Huff has punched out in 29.7 percent of his minor league plate appearances to date and walked at just a 7.3 percent clip. MLB.com’s scouting report notes recent improvements in his framing and footwork but also observes that only five players as large as the 6’5″, 240-pound Huff have ever caught 300 games in the Majors. Given that lack of precedent, a broad range of outlooks is to be expected.
Huff has yet to play a game against Double-A pitching, so Major League opposition should present a particularly formidable test. Even if Huff returns to the minors at some point, the club is hopeful that he can emerge as a viable long-term piece of the puzzle. The Rangers have leaned heavily on 36-year-old veteran Robinson Chirinos since 2014 (last year’s one-year departure for the Astros notwithstanding), but Texas traded him to the Mets at the deadline.
The hope at one point may have been that Trevino could’ve been next in line, but he’s now 27 years of age and yet to produce in the upper minors or at the MLB level. Broadly speaking, the Rangers have lacked a top-tier catching prospect for quite some time. Huff is their most well-regarded young backstop in recent memory, and he’ll now get his first big league audition over the next few days. If he sticks in the Majors, he’d be controllable all the way through the 2026 season and wouldn’t be arbitration-eligible until the 2023-24 offseason, but further optional assignments could alter those timelines.
Rangers Select Juan Nicasio; Greg Bird Elects Free Agency
The Rangers have announced a few roster moves. Righty Juan Nicasio is headed back to the majors after his contract was selected. The club will bid adieu to first baseman Greg Bird, who elected free agency after clearing outright waivers.
In other news, the team has placed backstop Robinson Chirinos on the 10-day injured list due to a sprained right ankle. Fellow catcher Jose Trevino was called up to fill in behind the dish.
This makes a decade’s worth of MLB seasons for Nicasio, who’ll soon turn 34. He struggled to a 4.75 ERA in 47 1/3 frames last year with the Phillies.
Bird will head back to the drawing board after only a single game in a Rangers uniform. He never even saw a chance to swing a bat with the Texas club, having landed on the injured list shortly after his promotion.
Injury Notes: Reds, Cespedes, Angels, Rangers
Reds infielder Alex Blandino suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on Friday, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Blandino will miss the rest of the season, though the length of the recovery period (five to six months, Fay writes) suggests his 2019 isn’t in jeopardy. A first-round pick (No. 29 overall) of the Reds in 2014, Blandino debuted in the majors this year and batted .234/.324/.289 in 147 plate appearances. Defensively, he saw action at several positions, logging double-digit appearances at second, third and shortstop.
A few more injury updates from around the game…
- After returning Friday from a two-month absence, left fielder Yoenis Cespedes missed the Mets’ game Saturday while dealing with soreness, Tim Healey of Newsday reports. Cespedes, who revealed Friday that he has calcification in his heels and may need surgery, will meet with a foot specialist and have an MRI next week, per Healey. Despite that, the Mets haven’t ruled Cespedes out for Sunday’s game, according to manager Mickey Callaway.
- The Angels activated right-hander Nick Tropeano from the disabled list and optioned fellow righty Eduardo Paredes to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday. Tropeano, who started the Angels’ game Saturday, missed just under a month and a half with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. He’s among a cavalcade of Angels who haven’t been able to get through the season unscathed, which helps explain their disappointing record (49-49). The 27-year-old entered Saturday with a 4.83 ERA/4.86 FIP, 7.33 K/9 and 3.33 BB/9 over a 10-start, 54-inning span.
- Rangers catcher Jose Trevino has undergone season-ending left shoulder surgery, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports, adding that he should be ready for spring training in 2019. The 25-year-old had a poor season at the plate at the Triple-A level (.234/.284/.332 in 201 trips), but he’s a well-regarded defender who ranks as the Rangers’ 21st-best prospect at MLB Pipeline. Trevino also earned his first major league promotion this season, collecting eight PAs.
Rangers Activate Elvis Andrus
The Rangers announced Monday that they’ve activated shortstop Elvis Andrus from the 60-day disabled list and recalled right-hander Ricardo Rodriguez from Triple-A Round Rock. Catcher Jose Trevino was optioned to Double-A Frisco in one corresponding move, while Ryan Rua was optioned to Triple-A in another. The Rangers still need to make a 40-man move to accommodate the activation of Andrus from the 60-day DL, and they’ll do so closer to game time, according to the team.
Andrus has been out since being struck by a pitch and suffering a fractured right elbow back on April 11. While the injury didn’t require surgical repair, Andrus required a lengthy period of rest and rehab leading up to today’s activation. The timing was poor for the 29-year-old impending free agent, but he’ll still have three-plus months to build his case for potentially interested teams.
Of course, Andrus is far from a lock to even reach the open market. He’s in the fourth season of an eight-year contract extension that allows him to opt out of the remaining four years. While that seemed like an impossibility after Andrus’ bat failed to develop in the first couple years of the deal, Andrus’ offense has come around in the past couple of seasons.
Dating back to 2016, he’s hitting .301/.352/.459 with 30 homers, 78 doubles, 11 triples and 49 steals (in 68 attempts). At season’s end, he’ll have to decide whether to test free agency or forgo the opt-out provision to play out the final four years and $58MM in guaranteed money on his contract.
AL Notes: Rays Trades, Pineda, Rangers
Even though they’ve traded Evan Longoria, more moves should be expected for the Rays before Opening Day, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rays ownership has directed the front office to reduce payroll, and the team still projects to have a higher Opening Day payroll in 2018 (currently $83.6MM) than it did in 2017 ($70MM). There’s no indication that Tampa Bay has to cut it back to that $70MM level, nor is there a specific target that has been reported in recent weeks. But Topkin notes that the Rays are in a tough position of having to move veterans — possibly Denard Span, Jake Odorizzi, Alex Colome, Corey Dickerson or Brad Miller — while also still trying to fill out the roster. The bullpen, for instance, is lacking in experience, while Miller is projected to be the first baseman. If the Rays can clear enough cash, it stands to reason that they could reinvest some of those dollars in lower-priced options at those two positions (especially, I’d imagine, if Miller is one of the players to be jettisoned, thus creating a further opening at first base).
A bit more from around the American League as the sports world still buzzes about the Super Bowl…
- Twins right-hander Michael Pineda tells reporters that he threw for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery yesterday, making 30 throws from a distance of 60 feet (video link via the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Pineda, who signed a two-year, $10MM contract with Minnesota, declined to specify which other clubs he considered in free agency this offseason but said the concept of joining the Twins was one that immediately interested him when presented by his agent. The big righty said his expectation is that he’ll be able to get back on the mound before the end of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on July 18, 2017, though obviously there’s a long road ahead of him.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram profiles a number of options for the Rangers as they head into camp uncertain about who will serve as Robinson Chirinos‘ backup behind the plate. Brett Nicholas is the front-runner at this time, Wilson notes, though Juan Centeno, Jose Trevino and non-roster invitees Curt Casali and Mike Ohlman are all in the mix as well. Wilson notes that if the decision were to be made on defense alone, the organization would go with the 25-year-old Trevino, who many with the organization feel could be a plus MLB defender now. But, Trevino’s offense cratered in Double-A last year (.241/.275/.323) after a very good 2016 season in Class-A Advanced (.303/.342/.434). The Rangers undoubtedly hope he can be a long-term piece for them, so they’ll likely send him to the minors to further his development.
Players Added To The 40-Man Roster
As detailed earlier this morning at MLBTR, the deadline for Major League clubs to add players to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from next month’s Rule 5 Draft is tonight. Because of that, there will be literally dozens of moves between now and 8pm ET as teams make final determinations on who to protect and who to risk losing in next month’s Rule 5 draft. This process will lead to smaller-scale trades, waiver claims and DFAs, but for some clubs the only necessary moves will simply be to select the contracts of the prospects they wish to place on the 40-man roster. We’ll track those such moves in this post…
- Heading onto the Blue Jays‘ roster, per a club announcement, are righty Connor Greene, lefty Tom Pannone, first baseman Rowdy Tellez, and catchers Dan Jansen and Reese McGuire.
- The Rays have selected the contracts of righties Brent Honeywell, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, and Jose Mujica, lefty Ryan Yarbrough, first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers, and outfielder Justin Williams, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
- The Diamondbacks placed lefty Jared Miller on the MLB roster, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports on Twitter.
- A list of six players is heading onto the Reds‘ 40-man, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter): infielders Alex Blandino and Shed Long, outfielder Jose Siri, and righties Jose Lopez, Jesus Reyes, and Zack Weiss.
- The Padres and Brewers have joined the teams announcing their additions. For San Diego, lefties Jose Castillo and Brad Wieck are heading to the 40-man. Milwaukee has selected shortstop Mauricio Dubon, catcher Jacob Nottingham, and righties Marcos Diplan and Freddy Peralta.
- The Marlins and Yankees just struck a trade relating to their 40-man maneuvering, and each announced their selections shortly thereafter. Miami is placing outfielder Braxton Lee on the MLB roster along with righties Merandy Gonzalez, Pablo Lopez, and James Needy. New York, meanwhile, will select righties Albert Abreu, Domingo Acevedo, and Jonathan Loaisiga to the 40-man along with outfielder Billy McKinney and infielders Thairo Estrada and (last but not least) Gleyber Torres.
Click to check in on other teams that have selected players to their 40-man rosters …