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Kyle Schwarber

Cubs Notes: Heyward, Lackey, Davis, First Base

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports chronicles the intense, in-depth program that Jason Heyward embarked upon this winter in an effort to completely revamp his swing after last year’s career-worst season. The 27-year-old Heyward moved to Phoenix, Ariz. to be nearer to the Cubs’ training facilities. There, he’d work regularly with hitting coach John Mallee, assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske and mental skills coach Darnell McDonald in an effort to effectively rewire his muscle memory. Heyward now bats with his hands considerably lower and more relaxed at the plate, and with his bat more vertical as opposed to wrapped up near his shoulders and neck. Regardless of the outcome, president Theo Epstein was floored by the amount of work Heyward put in this winter.

“I’ve never seen a veteran player work as much as Jason did this winter, let alone right after winning a World Series and having already signed a long-term deal,” Epstein told Rosenthal. “It shows how much he cares, his dedication, his pride and his character. He’s the ultimate pro.”

A few more notes on the reigning World Series champs…

  • John Lackey will pitch the 2017 season at the age of 38, but the veteran right-hander tells Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago that he’s not approaching this year as if it’ll be his last. “I feel great,” Lackey said to Levine. “I am just playing this year. At the end of the year, if I feel good, I will keep playing.” As Levine notes, Lackey did wear down a bit with a shoulder injury late in the 2016 season, but he’s been extremely durable in general since returning from Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2012 campaign. Over the past four seasons, Lackey’s averaged 198 regular-season innings per year, and he’s also tacked on another 62 1/3 total innings in the postseason. All told, he’s averaged 213 combined innings per season on his reconstructed ulnar collateral ligament.
  • New Cubs closer Wade Davis tells MLB.com’s Richard Justice that he wasn’t anticipating a trade this winter. The right-hander called the trade “a little bit of a shock” but said his transition has been eased by already knowing manager Joe Maddon and bench coach Dave Martinez from his time with the Rays. Justice spoke to Maddon and Davis’ former teammate, Eric Hosmer, about the right-hander’s successful move from the rotation to the bullpen and the demeanor that made the switch possible.
  • Anthony Rizzo was out of today’s Cactus League game with a slight bit of back stiffness, which prompted reporters to ask Maddon who the backup first baseman would be during the regular season (video link via ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers). Maddon first noted Javier Baez as an option and also added that Kris Bryant could once again see some time at first base in 2017. The skipper added that catcher Willson Contreras could be a third option, but said that Baez and Bryant would be the primary reserves. Asked specifically about Kyle Schwarber playing first base, Maddon suggested that while the slugger “probably could” learn the craft, it’s not something that’s been worked on and isn’t much of an option in 2017.

Quick Hits: Betances, Pace Of Play, Rox, Schwarber, Rays

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Ace reliever Dellin Betances had more to say Sunday regarding his arbitration-related dispute with Yankees president Randy Levine, telling reporters – including George A. King III of the New York Post – that he has no regrets over comments he made Saturday. Betances added that he isn’t going to seek out Levine to potentially clear the air between the two. “I don’t feel I need to speak to him, I don’t know how [the Yankees] feel,’’ Betances said. “I am just going to try and prepare for the season and help the team as much as I can.’’ Further, on the heels of MLBPA executive Rick Shapiro calling Levine’s remarks “totally unprecedented” Saturday, union chief Tony Clark weighed in Sunday and referred to them as “unprofessional” (Twitter link via Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan).

More from around the majors:

  • In an attempt to shorten games, MLB is interested in placing a runner on second at the beginning of extra innings, but that’s not something the players are ever going to sign off on, Clark told the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner (Twitter link via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Clark actually laughed at the idea while shooting it down, but he did note that players are open to changing the intentional walk (Twitter links via Passan).
  • While Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon’s name came up in trade rumors during the winter, GM Jeff Bridich didn’t show any interest in dealing him for anything but a massive return. Should a trade come together in the next two years, Blackmon’s final seasons of team control, it seems he’d understand. “I just think they value me pretty high, I guess, and that’s why nothing happened,” Blackmon told Thomas Harding of MLB.com. “I think that’s good. But it’s my opinion that if a deal had come along where they had gotten a deal worth more than what I was worth, then they would’ve made the deal. And I would expect that to happen.”
  • Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber caught a bullpen session Friday for the first time since he tore multiple knee ligaments last April and informed Carrie Muskat of MLB.com on Sunday that he “loved it.” Schwarber realizes that he must “take it slow with the knee and the injury and everything like that,” though, and likely won’t do much catching this season with Willson Contreras and Miguel Montero on Chicago’s roster. “I’ve got to be ready at any time to come in late in the game from left field to maybe come catch and give those guys a blow,” Schwarber said. “It’s not like I’m going to be the everyday starter.”
  • Although he emerged as the Rays’ best first base option last season, Brad Miller indicated Sunday that he’s on board with moving to second base this year to take over for the departed Logan Forsythe. “I’m not going to prepare for first at all this spring,” Miller told Bill Chastain of MLB.com. “Just try to get as many reps at second and short right now with the makeup of the team. Obviously, I know it’s a long year. I’ve been through changing positions before. So I understand.” After the Rays’ workout Sunday, manager Kevin Cash opined that Miller “looked outstanding” and was “really fundamentally sound.” The middle infield is nothing new for Miller, who has played 369 games at shortstop and 37 at the keystone. The results haven’t been pretty, however, as Miller has posted minus-27 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-12.3 Ultimate Zone Rating in nearly 3,300 combined innings at the two positions.

N.L. Injury Notes: Rodriguez, Wright, Goeddel, Schwarber, Flores

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Braves GM John Coppolella spoke with Bill Shanks of The Macon Telegraph in a wide-ranging interview (audio link) that has plenty of interesting info for Atlanta fans. For our purposes, the most notable segment involved the team’s addition of second baseman Brandon Phillips after the terrifying car crash involving recently added infielder Sean Rodriguez. Per Coppolella, the organization reignited prior talks with the Reds shortly after learning of the accident. It seems that Atlanta isn’t sure as yet just when Rodriguez will be able to join the organization. “We hope that Sean’s family can heal and get right,” said the GM. “… [W]e don’t know when Sean’s going to be back, it’s going to be a long time.”

Here are a host of other notes on injury situations around the National League as pitchers and catchers report:

  • Mets third baseman David Wright has yet even to throw a baseball since his season-ending neck surgery, Marc Carig of Newsday reports on Twitter. Though the club has seemingly given some consideration to trying him out at first base this spring, it seems that there are plenty of prior hurdles to clear before any position change is attempted. It remains unclear just what kind of timeline the veteran will take this spring, or whether there’s a realistic chance he’ll be ready for Opening Day.
  • Meanwhile, the Mets are hoping that bone chip surgery for righty Erik Goeddel could help him return to the solid former he showed as a rookie in 2015. As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports, the reliever feels healthy after recovering from the procedure, which was performed to help relieve aching that wouldn’t go away. He’ll compete for a pen role this spring.
  • The Cubs are set to find out today whether slugger Kyle Schwarber will be cleared to get behind the plate, though the organization plans to be cautious regardless. As Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein put it in colorful terms, saying that “we’ll walk before we squat.” Regardless, Schwarber is expected to spend the bulk of his time in left field while serving as at most a third catcher, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.
  • Cardinals non-roster camp invitee Kendry Flores is heading for an MRI after reporting shoulder discomfort, according to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch (via Twitter). The 25-year-old was added on a minor-league deal over the winter, so was likely seen more as a depth piece than a key member of the staff. He owns a 3.78 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 150 career innings at Triple-A.

NL Central Notes: Schwarber, Hernandez, Cardinals, Pirates

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Kyle Schwarber has been informed by doctors that he cannot play in the outfield during the World Series, as MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat writes. The young Cubs slugger, whose remarkable recovery from a torn ACL and LCL  has been one of the most notable narratives of the postseason, will be limited to a pinch-hitting role while the series is played under NL rules at Wrigley Field. “It’s not disappointing at all,” Schwarber said. “It was a long shot at the most. Obviously, I want to be out there with my teammates, but facts are facts. I just can’t physically do it. I’ll be ready any time during the game to be out there to pinch-hit.” Schwarber, of course, remains a threat for the Cubs even in that limited role. Despite the lengthy layoff, he went 3-for-7 with a double (which was nearly a home run) in the first two games of the World Series while serving as a DH in Cleveland.

More from the division…

  • Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper has posted a review of Reds righty Ariel Hernandez, who was just added to the club’s 40-man roster. He’d have been a sure Rule 5 pick otherwise, Cooper explains, because he delivers not only an upper-nineties heater but also a devastating curveball. Hernandez has taken a winding road to get to this point, nearly leaving the game and battling through persistent control problems until Cincinnati plucked him from the Diamondbacks last winter in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that commissioner Rob Manfred would not commit to any type of deadline regarding MLB’s investigation into the Cardinals’ unauthorized accessing of the Astros’ proprietary computer network, Ground Control. Manfred reiterated that the goal of the investigation is to be as thorough as possible and called the process “ongoing” but declined further comment. As Goold notes, though, the Cardinals are entering the offseason under the impression that they’ll be able to conduct business as usual. Nonetheless, it seems inevitable that the Cards will face some degree of penalization, with the loss of draft picks and/or significant international signing restrictions among the speculated means of league-imposed discipline.
  • The Pirates got away from their focus on ground-ball pitchers a bit in 2016, but manager Clint Hurdle tells MLB.com’s Adam Berry that keeping the ball on the ground will remain a “cornerstone” for the Pirates’ pitching staff moving forward. “We tried some outliers this year to attack it a different way,” said Hurdle of the team’s disappointing 2016 run. As Berry explains, the Pirates are likely to target a veteran starter to join the rotation alongside the likes of Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon and Chad Kuhl this winter, and it would seemingly stand to reason that a pitcher who is proficient in inducing grounders would be the target.

Kyle Schwarber Activated For World Series

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TODAY: Schwarber has officially been added to the Cubs’ World Series roster. He’ll take the roster spot that had been occupied by reliever Rob Zastryzny in the NLCS.

YESTERDAY: The Cubs appear to have a fascinating new addition to their postseason run, as several reports suggest that slugger Kyle Schwarber is likely to be activated for the World Series after missing the vast majority of the season due to torn knee ligaments. “All signs” are that he’ll be activated, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets, with Jon Heyman of Fan Rag later adding that Schwarber is expected to make his triumphant return “barring something unforeseen.”

That possibility has been known for several days, with its plausibility increasing as Schwarber gets his cuts in during Arizona Fall League action. Chicago has said it would utilize its narrow window to evaluate him and assess whether to place him on the World Series roster. It’s a high-stakes decision: the 23-year-old slugger may not be ready to play much (if at all) in the field, he can’t be replaced on the roster if he suffers an aggravation of his knee problem, and he hasn’t played much since the early-April outfield collision that ended his regular season.

Still, it’s hard to deny the upside that comes in Schwarber’s bat. Selected fourth overall in the 2014 draft, he sped through the minors and debuted in the middle of 2015. The lefty swinging spark plug slashed .246/.355/.487 and swatted 16 home runs over 273 plate appearances on the year. And though he committed some notable defensive gaffes in the 2015 postseason, Schwarber rose to the occasion at the plate. In his 31 plate appearances, he recorded a 1.308 OPS with five dingers.

The Cubs have left no stone unturned in their quest to finally bring a championship back to Chicago, and calling upon Schwarber now would represent perhaps the most dramatic move yet. He’d presumably suit up as the team’s designated hitter and otherwise function as a bench bat, representing a somewhat limited role — but one that has added value since four of the possible seven games will be played under the American League rules. That the move is even being considered is testament both to Schwarber’s hard work and the front office’s faith in him. If it indeed occurs, it’ll add yet more drama to an already-highly-anticipated series.

Heyman’s Latest: Schwarber, Dodgers, Tigers, Red Sox

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There’s a “very real” possibility slugger Kyle Schwarber will be able to contribute for the World Series-bound Cubs in their matchup with the Indians, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. Schwarber has been out since early April after tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee, but, as the Cubs were in the midst of defeating the Dodgers to clinch their first pennant since 1945, the 23-year-old returned to action Saturday in the Arizona Fall League. Schwarber accrued four plate appearances and said afterward that “it was overall a really great day for me” (via Jack Thompson of the Chicago Tribune). If Schwarber does return for the World Series, the player whom Cubs baseball president of baseball operations Theo Epstein deems a “special talent” could factor in as a DH and pinch-hitter.

More from Heyman:

  • The Dodgers and soon-to-be free agent Justin Turner have mutual interest in renewing their relationship, according to Heyman, who notes that the third baseman’s age could prevent that from happening. The fact that Turner will turn 32 next month might cause the Dodgers to shy away from approaching or matching any mega-offers that come his way on the open market. Turner is in position to cash in on the heels of a three-year run in which he combined for 12.4 fWAR and slashed .296/.364/.492 in 1,383 plate appearances.
  • As for another of the Dodgers’ key impending free agents, Kenley Jansen, the club will “make a nice attempt” to re-sign the closer, writes Heyman. The 29-year-old Jansen has been a premier reliever since debuting in 2010, so the Dodgers’ interest in keeping him is no surprise. He and fellow free agent-to-be Aroldis Chapman look primed to become the two highest-paid relievers in baseball history.
  • Both Turner and Jansen will be among players landing $17.2MM qualifying offers after the season. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported earlier this month that Major League Baseball could introduce a new rule to preclude players from receiving a QO in consecutive offseasons. That now seems unlikely, though, as a source told Heyman there hasn’t been much discussion about it.
  • The Tigers received calls on outfielder Justin Upton over the summer, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Saturday. Heyman contends that dealing Upton would be a “tall task,” pointing to the amount of capable right-handed hitters in the offseason’s class of free agents. There are other factors that could stand in the way, too, including Upton’s 20-team no-trade clause and his right to opt out of his contract after next season. Upton just finished the first season of the six-year, $132.75MM deal he signed with Detroit last winter. A torrid September helped prevent a disastrous year for Upton, whose overall output – .246/.310/.465, 1.4 fWAR over 626 PAs – was nonetheless disappointing.
  • The Red Sox are seriously considering exercising their $13.5MM club option for 2017 on right-hander Clay Buchholz, per Heyman. The weak group of free agent starters could lead Boston to pick it up, as Heyman concurs with MLBTR’s Steve Adams that he’d potentially end up with a multiyear deal on the market. The 32-year-old Buchholz has been inconsistent during his Red Sox tenure, including a subpar 2016 spent both in the rotation and bullpen, though he was highly effective as recently as last season and could garner trade interest if the club retains his rights.

Cubs Designate Giovanni Soto For Assignment

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The Cubs have designated left-hander Giovanni Soto for assignment, the team announced.  The move creates a 40-man roster spot for Kyle Schwarber, who was activated from the 60-day DL to join the Arizona Fall League in an improbable quest to make Chicago’s World Series roster (if the Cubs can advance).

The Cubs acquired Soto from the Indians for cash considerations in April.  Ironically, Soto’s spot on Chicago’s 40-man roster was originally created when Schwarber was placed on the 60-day DL in the wake of his seemingly season-ending knee surgery.  Soto, 25, spent all of 2016 pitching at the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate, posting a 5.14 ERA, 10.1 K/9 and 1.77 K/BB rate over 49 relief innings.

The southpaw was originally a 21st-round pick for the Tigers in the 2009 draft, though he spent just over a year in Detroit’s organization before being dealt to Cleveland as part of the trade that sent Jhonny Peralta to the Tigers.  Soto has pitched mostly out of the bullpen in recent years, and he owns a 3.29 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.3 K/BB rate over 514 career innings in the minors.  His Major League experience consists 3 1/3 scoreless innings over six games with the Tribe in 2015.

Cubs Not Ruling Out Kyle Schwarber For World Series Return

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Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber will begin play in the Arizona Fall League tonight, and The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma reports that there’s still a chance Schwarber could be activated in time to serve as a designated hitter should Chicago reach the World Series.

On April 7, in just his second game of the year, Schwarber tore both the ACL and LCL in his left knee after colliding with center fielder Dexter Fowler while chasing a fly ball.  The injury was expected to sideline Schwarber until 2017, though he has been making good progress in his recovery, even taking part in an on-field workout at Dodger Stadium before Game 3 of the NLCS.  Needless to say, it would be a shocking turn of events for Schwarber to return at all just 6.5 months removed from major knee surgery, let alone to make his return in the high-intensity environment of the Fall Classic.

Provided that the Cubs make the World Series in the first place, the team won’t have much time to evaluate Schwarber in the AFL given that Game One of the Series begins on Tuesday night in Cleveland.  The plan would be to use Schwarber as a DH for the games in Cleveland and as a pinch-hitter for the games at Wrigley Field.  ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers reports (Twitter link) that Schwarber won’t be playing the field and “running [is] still an issue,” so it could be that Schwarber will be strictly a bat-only player.  The Cubs have enough multi-position players that they could potentially get away with using a roster spot on a very limited Schwarber, so Joe Maddon will face a fascinating decision if things line up his team’s way come Tuesday.

The young slugger burst onto the scene in 2015 by hitting 16 homers over his first 273 plate appearances in the bigs, and he has already proven himself to be a big October performer.  Schwarber hit .333/.419/.889 with five homers over 31 PA during Chicago’s 2015 playoff run, making him the leading home run hitter in Cubs’ postseason history.

Miguel Montero Thought Cubs Would Release Him

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Catcher Miguel Montero’s tie-breaking, eighth-inning grand slam made him the hero of the Cubs’ 8-4 win over the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday. The 33-year-old didn’t expect to be in that position, however, as he told FanRag Sports’ Jack Magruder after the game that he thought the Cubs might release him during the season. The Cubs never indicated that was a possibility, though, according to Magruder.

Montero’s currently slated to return to Chicago next season with a hefty salary – $14MM – to conclude the five-year, $60MM extension he signed with the Diamondbacks in 2012. The Cubs reportedly considered shopping Montero last offseason, which was before the two-time All-Star’s playing time markedly declined during arguably a career-worst year. Montero appeared in 86 games, his fewest since 2010, and batted a meager .216/.327/.357 in 284 plate appearances. Both rookie Willson Contreras and veteran David Ross took playing time from Montero during the regular season, and that has continued in the playoffs. Montero’s grand slam was his first hit of this year’s postseason, in which he has collected just five at-bats. He came to the plate Saturday as a pinch-hitter and is out of the Cubs’ lineup Sunday.

Going forward, Ross’ forthcoming retirement seems to bode well for Montero to remain with the Cubs in 2017. Ross’ departure will leave Montero as the Cubs’ only veteran backstop. The team also has Kyle Schwarber on track to come back from a knee injury that cost him almost all of this season. He conceivably could fall directly behind Contreras on the Cubs’ catcher depth chart next year, though there are questions about Schwarber’s defense. For his part, the 23-year-old slugger is “adamant” about factoring in heavily behind the plate, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reported in September.

On dividing his time between catcher and the outfield, Schwarber told Gonzales, “I want to get back to that point where it’s 50-50 on each side now and not 60-40.”

Regardless of Schwarber’s goal, the fact that full tears to his ACL and LCL cost him a year to develop further as a catcher might help Montero’s chances of finishing his contract as a member the Cubs. Notably, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein praised Montero’s pitch-framing and game-calling skills after last season, attributing some of the pitching staff’s success to his defensive work. Montero has indeed been an excellent framer throughout his career, which Baseball Prospectus and StatCorner indicate has again been the case in 2016.

We’ll know what 2017 holds for Montero soon enough. In the meantime, he’ll spend the next couple weeks trying to help the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908.

“I probably had a bad year, but I might be the MVP of the World Series,” he told Magruder. “I’m being kind of sarcastic, but in reality you never know. Baseball is kind of crazy. Anything can happen, and then nobody is going to remember what I did in the regular season.”

Deadline Rumors: Yankees, Schwarber, Cubs, Rays, Rangers, Dodgers, Indians

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Holding two game-changing trade chips puts the Yankees in an enviable position, and Tyler Kepner of the New York Times argues that the organization should exercise every bit of leverage it possesses. There’s plenty of demand for the southpaw relief duo of Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, and New York is perhaps uniquely well-suited to sit back and wait for someone to overwhelm with an offer. (After all, the club is within striking distance of contention, can utilize the qualifying offer or extend Chapman, and still controls Miller for two seasons.)

Here’s more on some major trade deadline storylines:

  • We’ve seen rather clear indications that the Cubs won’t be parting with Kyle Schwarber, whether for Miller or anyone else, but that hasn’t stopped the idea from being batted around. Bob Nightengale of USA Today looks at the concept, noting that president of baseball operations Theo Epstein continues to be clear that he has no intentions of moving Schwarber — but also that he is letting teams know that the ballclub is looking for an impact addition. For those interested in all of the dimensions of the Cubs’ decisionmaking on their injured young slugger, this piece is worth a full read.
  • With the Cubs looking at any number of possible means of upgrading at the deadline, GM Jed Hoyer says to “expect the unexpected,” as Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com writes. Hoyer noted that “you can’t have untouchables and you have to be willing to explore bold ideas,” but also suggested the organization will be hesitant to part with certain assets. “We really like our core and I think that’s something that we plan to build around,” he said.
  • We’ve heard plenty of chatter surrounding the Rays, potentially involving just about any player on their roster. They’ve been tied, in particular, to the Rangers (see here and here). But the two clubs have “nothing brewing at the moment,” per Crasnick (via Twitter).
  • One league executive tells ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link) that the Dodgers are “big-game hunting,” indicating that the organization is primarily interested in the kind of “elite-level players” that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has cited previously. Meanwhile, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi says that the Dodgers and Rays have been in trade talks of late, though it’s not clear where the focus lies in those discussions. (Morosi seemingly suggests that Evan Longoria is of interest to Los Angeles, but says there’s no real chance of him changing hands this summer.)
  • Though the Indians aren’t generally the type of organization to engineer major deadline swaps, that could change this year. As MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti suggested that budget constraints won’t be a problem. “I don’t think economics will have an impact on which players we acquire,” he said. “I think we’ll have the flexibility that we need to acquire a player. I think our difficult decisions are going to come down to what level of talent are we willing to part with to acquire players, and whether or not there’s the right fit out there.” That’s certainly an interesting point to keep in mind as Cleveland works to bolster its roster, as the team might be inclined to take on a somewhat more expensive player than might normally be expected if it helps avoid the loss of significant prospect assets.
  • Antonetti also suggested that the Indians aren’t necessarily particularly focused on their bullpen. Instead, he said, the club is open to improving everywhere but the rotation — where a stacked group is hardly in need of change. Though the relief corps still seems the biggest area of concern, the recent news on Michael Brantley could increase the need for a lineup boost, with Antonetti acknowledging that could be a factor in his approach over the next ten days.
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