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Quick Hits: Darvish, Marlins, Rays, Holland

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Rangers general manager Jon Daniels and the agent for right-hander Yu Darvish have engaged in a couple of contract extension-related conversations – but not serious ones – Daniels told T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Extension talks tend to heat up around spring training, which was the case last year between the Rangers and cornerstone third baseman Adrian Beltre. The two sides ultimately hammered out a deal in mid-April, thus preventing Beltre from testing the open market this winter. Darvish will become a free agent next offseason if he and Texas don’t reach an extension, but it seems the 30-year-old wants to remain with the organization. “I am really grateful to the Texas Rangers for giving me that contract,” Darvish said of the six-year, $56MM pact he signed to leave his native Japan in 2012. “They have taken care of me really well.”

Now for the latest on the majors’ Florida-based teams:

  • The Marlins have reportedly discussed signing either Chris Carter or Mark Reynolds – two power-hitting first basemen who remain without contracts. However, picking up a big bat isn’t a priority, writes MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro, who notes that the Marlins are likely at their payroll limit. As a result, the Fish could roll with a four-man bench consisting of A.J. Ellis, Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Dietrich and Miguel Rojas and an eight-man bullpen to begin 2017. One reason the Marlins are open to taking that route is because they’re aiming to give lefty-swinging first baseman Justin Bour more opportunities against southpaw pitchers. Bour has slashed a miserable .223/.273/.291 versus lefties in his career, but those struggles have come over a small sample size (110 plate appearances). “We haven’t really actively tried to finish off anything in terms of a right-handed bat, knowing that we’re going to give Bour every opportunity to be that everyday guy and face lefties and righties — and occasionally getting (catcher) J.T. Realmuto [time] over at first,” stated team president Michael Hill, who added that signing a righty hitter is “not at the forefront of things for us. Our goal was to create as much pitching depth and quality as we could.”
  • The Rays are continuing to monitor the open market for bench and bullpen pieces, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. With that in mind, the club could look for a “proven right-handed hitter,” suggests Topkin, who rules out Mike Napoli but lists the aforementioned duo of Carter and Reynolds as possibilities. While the Rays have been involved in the sweepstakes for free agent reliever Greg Holland, it’s “unlikely” they’ll land him, per Topkin.
  • Since hiring Jason Pare as their senior director of analytics a year ago, the Marlins have worked to beef up the department – which is now roughly league average in size – details Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Hill and manager Don Mattingly, two organizational bigwigs, are among those who have embraced the 31-year-old Pare’s role. “[Hill] is very good about giving everybody a seat at the table,” Pare told Healey. “That’s the expression that he uses. They come to me with a lot questions, and I’m encouraged to give my opinion proactively as well.” Pare, for instance, was instrumental in Miami’s decision to shift Christian Yelich from left field to center, which had Mattingly’s support after he observed that Yelich fared better up the middle than Marcell Ozuna did in 2016. “He gives us another dimension of … trying to put the right people in the right spots and make sure metrically we are paying attention. We do want to be able to evaluate our guys, and that’s part of it,” Mattingly said of Pare.

Marlins Could Be Done Making Significant Moves

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With their signings of Brad Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa now complete, the Marlins could be done making significant moves this offseason. Here’s the latest from out of Miami, courtesy of the Sun-Sentinel’s Tim Healey:

  • The Ziegler and Tazawa signings, and the subsequent DFA of Elvis Araujo when the Ziegler deal became official, leave the Marlins’ bullpen heavily right-handed, with Hunter Cervenka as the only lefty reliever remaining on the team’s 40-man. But president of baseball operations Michael Hill doesn’t sound concerned about that. “Handedness didn’t come into play as much as finding the highest quality [reliever],” Hill says. Even Cervenka is not guaranteed a spot in the bullpen, with Hill saying Cervenka will compete for a spot in camp. Teams typically carry at least one lefty reliever, although not carrying any is hardly unprecedented, since many righties can be effective against opposite-handed batters — the 2004 Angels, for example, had perhaps baseball’s best bullpen that year despite receiving just two total innings of lefty relief. And Tazawa, for example, has been quite effective against lefties in his career.
  • The bullpen has become increasingly crowded, and the Marlins have discussed whether to go with a seven-man bullpen or expand it to eight.
  • The Marlins also are not overly concerned about finding a platoon partner for lefty-hitting first baseman Justin Bour, Hill says. “There’s not that clear-cut complement at first base, but I think in the growth and maturation of Justin Bour,” Hill says. “[Manager Don Mattingly has] talked about trying to challenge him more and expose him more to left-handed pitching.” The 28-year-old Bour has hit .223/.273/.291 in 103 career plate appearances against southpaws. The team could, however, give righty-hitting catcher J.T. Realmuto occasional plate appearances at first, potentially giving the Marlins the chance to sit Bour against some lefties. “If there is a way to deepen our bench, we’ll look at it,” says Hill. “But I think as we sit right now, we would be comfortable as we are currently situated.”

Marlins Designate Kendry Flores, Activate Justin Bour

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The Marlins have designated righty Kendry Flores for assignment, the club announced. His 40-man slot was needed for the activation of first baseman Justin Bour from the 60-day DL. Miami has also promoted lefties Hunter Cervenka and Justin Nicolino as well as utilityman Yefri Perez.

The 24-year-old Flores was injured during his lone MLB outing of the year, and has spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A. He hasn’t quite followed up on a strong 2015 campaign, spinning 102 innings of 4.15 ERA pitching while compiled 7.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.

Among the call-ups, the return of Bour is certainly the most anticipated. He has been a pleasant surprise at the plate this year, to say the least. Over 242 plate appearances, Bour owns a .268/.347/.526 slash with 15 home runs. The 28-year-old has struggled in strictly-managed action against opposing southpaws, so he’s a limited player, but Miami will certainly hope he provides a jolt as the team looks to scratch its way back into contention.

Marlins Claim Oswaldo Arcia, Place Derek Dietrich On 15-Day DL

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The Marlins have claimed outfielder Oswaldo Arcia off waivers from the Rays, the club announced. He’ll take the active roster spot of Derek Dietrich, who hits the 15-day DL with a right knee contusion, and occupy the 40-man spot of first baseman Justin Bour, who moves to the 60-day DL.

[Related: Updated Rays Depth Chart]

Adding an outfielder has long been said to be on the Miami to-do list. While picking Arcia off the waiver wire may not have been the club’s top preference, he’ll help fill the corner outfield mix with Giancarlo Stanton expected to miss much of the remainder of the year.

The talented 25-year-old has had his ups and downs, but was carrying a useful .259/.328/.444 in his 61 plate appearances in Tampa Bay before his release. Still, he parted ways with the Rays by way of his second trip to DFA limbo on the year, so teams obviously have reservations about Arcia’s ability to regain his former trajectory.

Unfortunately, the addition will come even as Dietrich becomes unavailable, joining Bour as injured southpaw hitters who could provide some pop at first base. Arcia represents another lefty bat to help bolster the lineup, but it doesn’t seem that he’ll be an option at first, which he has never played as a professional.

Though Miami has moved Bour to the 60-day DL, that doesn’t seem to change his ability to return when ready. He was placed on the DL retroactive to July 3, and isn’t expected back before the middle of September anyway.

Injury Notes: Harper, De La Rosa, Rasmus, Bour, Gray, Cishek, Zych

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A slumping Bryce Harper was out of the lineup again tonight for the Nationals owing to a seemingly minor neck issue, but the precise nature of his injury has been the subject of some debate. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post breaks down all the back-and-forth on the topic. In essence, Nats GM Mike Rizzo strongly denied a report from SI.com’s Tom Verducci indicating that Harper may have been playing through a shoulder injury for some time. Rizzo insists that Harper simply has a stiff neck that has not yet required a DL placement.

Here’s more on some injury situations around the game:

  • Diamondbacks righty Rubby De La Rosa has suffered a setback in his efforts to come back from a forearm injury, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. He’s headed for an MRI to see where things stand. It seems as if there’s little reason to expect the 27-year-old to return to the majors this season. That’s a tough blow for the D-Backs, who surely would like to get a longer look at a pitcher who showed a fair bit of promise this year. Over 47 2/3 innings earlier in the season, De La Rosa worked to a 4.15 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9.
  • The Astros will be without Colby Rasmus for a month or more after he underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his ear, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Rasmus has been struggling for some time, and it’s fair to wonder whether the issue may have played a significant role. He’ll need to return in good form to provide a boost to the ’Stros — and to bolster his fading free agent position.
  • Marlins first baseman Justin Bour isn’t progressing in his attempt to return from an ankle injury, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports on Twitter. In fact, manager Don Mattingly says that Bour “went backwards” of late, with the team’s expectation now being that he won’t return until at least early September. That certainly seems to open some room for Miami to look into adding a bat to chip in down the stretch.
  • Athletics righty Sonny Gray only just began forearm exercises today, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports. He won’t begin throwing again unless and until the inflammation subsides. At this point, it seems far from certain whether he’ll make it back to a major league hill this season.
  • The Mariners may soon send reliever Steve Cishek out on a rehab assignment, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. It appears that his hip labrum issue is indeed as minor as the team had suggested. Meanwhile, fellow pen righty Tony Zych is also finally making some progress and will begin a rehab assignment on Friday. Adding those two arms down the stretch would provide a significant boost to Seattle’s late-inning mix.

Marlins Place Justin Bour On DL, Select Don Kelly, Designate Eric Jokisch

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The Marlins announced this morning that they’ve placed first baseman Justin Bour on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 3, with a sprained right ankle. In a corresponding move, the Fish have selected the contract of veteran utility man Don Kelly from Triple-A New Orleans and designated left-hander Eric Jokisch for assignment.

[Related: Updated Miami Marlins depth chart]

Bour, incredibly, becomes the first Miami position player to land on the disabled list this season, as the Herald’s Clark Spencer points out (Twitter link). His absence from the lineup will assuredly be felt by the Marlins. While not a household name, the 28-year-old Bour has established himself as an excellent platoon weapon at first base and is hitting .268/.347/.526 with 15 homers and 10 doubles on the season. Of his 242 plate appearances this season, 220 have come against right-handed pitching.

Kelly, 36, is in his second season with the Marlins organization but received just one plate appearance in the big leagues last season. He spent most of the year on the disabled list recovering first from a broken finger and then from Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow. He’ll presumably pair up with Chris Johnson to form a platoon at first base through at least the All-Star break. Kelly, a fixture on the Tigers’ roster from 2009-14, has batted .223/.288/.273 in 48 games at Triple-A this year as he recovers from the aforementioned elbow operation. The versatile veteran has played at least 300 innings at all three outfield positions and each corner infield spot in parts of eight Major League seasons, during which he’s compiled a .232/.296/.335 batting line.

Jokisch, 26, was an April waiver claim by the Marlins and has turned in a 2.64 ERA across 30 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. However, he’s carrying a lackluster 19-to-14 K/BB ratio in that time, and left-handed opponents are batting .250/.366/.400 against him this season. He’s allowed more than a hit per inning in addition to his problematic control, leading FIP to forecast a more pessimistic 4.36 mark.

East Notes: Yankees, Marlins, Bour

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Here’s a look at the AL and NL East..

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman understands the usefulness of dealing from a surplus in order to strengthen other areas, as Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News writes.  Most recently, Cashman sent backup catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Twins for outfielder Aaron Hicks, who Cashman feels could become an everyday player.  “We’ve just had a collection of catchers,” Cashman says. “It’s happenstance. You can trade from that area. The players get developed and some make it and some don’t. When you have that, it’s easier to consider the trade options to fill up another area of need. The players in your system are there for you to use at the major-league level or to acquire things you may lack.”  McCarron also discusses 23-year-old Gary Sanchez, who could some day be Brian McCann’s successor.  Of course, he could also be traded some day to address a weakness, just like Murphy.
  • The Marlins appear committed to first baseman Justin Bour, but they also want him to get in better shape, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.  Therefore, Miami will consider some inexpensive right-handed hitting platoon options this winter.  Bour, 27, slashed .262/.321/.479 with 23 homers across 446 plate appearances in his rookie season.
  • More from Jackson, who writes that the Marlins want to add two veteran starters in part because they don’t want to have to bank on a youngster like Justin Nicolino, Adam Conley or Jose Urena to be the fifth starter.  Still, those younger pitchers will be given a chance to compete with a veteran for the No. 5 slot.

East Notes: Hellickson, Pennington, Marlins

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Phillies GM Matt Klentak says his team will depend on newly acquired Jeremy Hellickson to help solidify its rotation, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. “This offseason we made it a priority to add a stabilizing influence to our young rotation, and we think we found that guy in Jeremy,” says Klentak. “I think one of the things on top of the obvious is that he’s a veteran guy, but still just 28 years old. He’ll pitch at 29 this season, so we’re excited that he’s still in his prime.” Klentak says he’s hoping for bounce-back seasons from not only Hellickson but also James Russell and Dan Otero, both of whom the Phillies acquired earlier this month. Here are more quick notes from the East divisions.

  • Free agent infielder Cliff Pennington, who played down the stretch with the Blue Jays, is close to signing, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. He’s considering one- and two-year deals. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets Pennington is choosing from among three teams. The 31-year-old Pennington hit just .210/.298/.281 in 2015. Given his solid defense and versatility (he can play shortstop, second base, third base and outfield and even pitch if needed), Pennington does have value, but it would be mildly surprising, in my opinion, if he wound up with a two-year deal following a down season.
  • The Marlins would like to acquire two veteran starting pitchers this offseason because they don’t want to force themselves to start the year with one of a trio of youngsters (Justin Nicolino, Adam Conley, Jose Urena) in their starting rotation, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes (scroll down). The three younger pitchers will compete for a spot, but the Marlins would like to have a veteran option to compete as well. It looks, then, like the Marlins’ rotation will be Jose Fernandez, Jarred Cosart, Tom Koehler, a veteran, and then either another vet or one of Nicolino, Conley or Urena. (The team also has Henderson Alvarez, David Phelps, Brad Hand and Kendry Flores on its 40-man roster, although each of them comes with at least one question mark related to injury, performance or inexperience.) Jackson also adds that the Marlins like Justin Bour at first base, but they want him to improve his conditioning and could consider adding a right-handed platoon partner for him.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Desmond, Bour, Harvey

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Here’s the latest from around the NL East…

  • Ian Desmond hinted that he is likely entering his last week in a Nationals uniform, as the free agent shortstop told the Washington Post’s James Wagner that “I know that there’s a new chapter looming” in his career.  It was a frustrating year for both the team and Desmond personally, as he has hit only .232/.285/.381 over 619 PA in his walk year.  “If anything weighed on me, it was the fact that this was most likely going to be my last ride and I really wanted to go out with a bang, not personally but as far as a team,” Desmond said. “I probably, at certain times, tried to do too much but I’m a trier, man. I wanna win. I’m extremely passionate about my teammates and this organization and winning.”  Desmond did say that he’s “open for whatever” in free agency and spoke of his pride in being a part of the first generation of Nationals baseball, so it’s perhaps not completely out of the question that he could re-sign with Washington.
  • Marlins rookie first baseman Justin Bour is making a strong case for an everyday job in 2016, FOX Sports Florida’s Christina De Nicola writes.  Bour had a .266/.326/.474 slash line and 21 homers in 420 plate appearances heading into today’s action, and he’s been particularly hot down the stretch, posting an .887 OPS in 94 September PA.  The left-handed hitting Bour has only a .597 OPS in limited at-bats against southpaws, but at worst he seems to have earned himself at least the lion’s share of a platoon for next year.
  • Matt Harvey threw 92 pitches over 6 2/3 innings on Saturday, and the Mets ace reportedly told manager Terry Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen that he wants to make regular starts down the stretch, John Harper of the New York Daily News writes.  “When he came to me last week he said, ’€˜I want to pitch. I want to stay out there. I want to throw 100 pitches and I want to do it twice (before the end of the season),’ ” Collins described.  “He said, ’We’™re going to win this thing and I’m going to pitch in the playoffs, and I’€™ve got to be ready. And I’m not ready.’ ”  Harvey has now thrown 183 2/3 innings in his first season back after Tommy John surgery.  Ironically, since the Mets have now clinched the division, this might be the ideal time to shut Harvey down until the playoffs, though this innings-limit controversy may yet have a few more twists and turns.

East Notes: Bradley, Bour, Sabathia

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The Red Sox’ patience with Jackie Bradley Jr. is finally paying dividends, as Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes. As Bradford explains, it’s not just about the results on the field. Bradley has, of course, been producing at a remarkable rate since his most recent call-up, but he’s also presented a different kind of demeanor, coachability, and comfort. Always a highly-regarded defender and a consistent offensive producer in the minors, Bradley seems to be putting it all together at the big league level in his age-25 season.

A few more notes out of the game’s eastern divisions …

  • The Marlins are giving an extended look at first baseman Justin Bour to see if he could play an expanded role in the future, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes in a fan Q&A. The left-handed-hitting Bour is getting more plate appearances against southpaws at present. He owns a strong .252/.321/.449 slash with 15 home runs over 336 plate appearances, though he really has yet to be exposed to left-handed pitching at all to date. Another matter that could need addressing is the fact that defensive metrics are not fans of his efforts with the glove thus far.
  • Yankees lefty CC Sabathia says he’s feeling good about his progress as he works to return to the mound, as George A. King III of the New York Post reports. “No pain, I’m excited,” Sabathia said of this right knee. GM Brian Cashman said recently that Sabathia will be utilized as a starter when he is activated. There had been some indication that the club was considering utilizing the high-priced former ace in a relief role.
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