Mike Dunn

Mike Dunn Announces Retirement

By Jeff Todd | February 4, 2020 at 8:26am CDT

Veteran southpaw Mike Dunn announced that he is finished with his playing days, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today conveyed via Twitter. The 34-year-old says he’s ready to spend more time with his family.

Dunn just wrapped up a three-year deal with the Rockies that didn’t quite turn out as planned. The typically hard-throwing lefty lost velocity out of the gates in Colorado and never really found his footing. He struggled with injuries over the final two seasons of the pact and wasn’t effective when he was on the mound. All told, Dunn managed only 85 innings of 5.93 ERA ball with the Rox.

There were plenty of good seasons before that, of course. Dunn was long a valuable performer for the Marlins during a six-year stint. He worked to a 3.59 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over 328 frames in Miami.

Add it all up, including Dunn’s early-career stints with the Yankees and Braves, and he threw 436 total innings in the bigs. He allowed an even 4.00 ERA for his career. As you might expect, Dunn was generally quite a bit more effective against opposing lefties, holding them to a .232/.315/.353 cumulative batting line.

MLBTR extends its congratulations and best wishes to Dunn and his family.

Rockies Designate Mike Dunn

By Connor Byrne | June 18, 2019 at 4:52pm CDT

The Rockies have designated left-handed reliever Mike Dunn for assignment, per a team announcement. His 25-man roster spot will go to infielder Pat Valaika, whom the Rockies recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.

The 34-year-old Dunn’s DFA will conclude what has been a disastrous stint on Colorado’s 40-man roster for the longtime major leaguer. After Dunn enjoyed a mostly successful run with the Marlins from 2011-16, the Rockies signed him to a three-year, $19MM guarantee heading into the ’17 campaign. Since then, though, Dunn has limped to a 5.93 ERA/5.01 FIP with 8.89 K/9 and 5.51 BB/9 in 85 innings. Last Friday, in what may go down as his final appearance as a Rockie, Dunn allowed four earned runs on four hits (including a homer) in just a third of an inning during a loss to the Padres.

Not only has Dunn failed to produce with the Rockies, but he hasn’t stayed healthy as a member of the club. He sat out a large portion of last season with an AC joint issue that required surgery and missed time this month with an injury in the same area. The Rockies still owe Dunn upward of $4.9MM (including a $1MM buyout for 2020), but it appears they’ll have to eat that money.

Charlie Blackmon Likely To Return Friday

By Connor Byrne | June 7, 2019 at 1:35am CDT

The Rockies will activate outfielder Charlie Blackmon from the 10-day injured list Friday, Kyle Newman of the Denver Post suggests. Meanwhile, the Rockies lost left-handed reliever Mike Dunn to the 10-day IL on Thursday (retroactive to June 3) because of left AC joint inflammation and transferred fellow southpaw Harrison Musgrave to the 60-day IL, per a team announcement. Musgrave’s 40-man spot went to righty Peter Lambert, who shut down the Cubs in a 3-1 win in his major league debut.

Although Blackmon’s one of their most valuable players, the Rockies (32-29) ripped off 10 wins in 15 games as he sat out with a right calf strain. Colorado’s just half a game behind a wild-card spot thanks to that impressive run, and Blackmon’s return should help the team’s cause as it pushes for a third straight playoff berth. The 32-year-old Blackmon slashed .300/.356/.565 (126 wRC+) with 10 home runs in 219 plate appearances before landing on the shelf.

The IL placement for Dunn, 34, is the latest negative development in a long line of them since he joined the Rockies on an ill-fated contract going into the 2017 campaign. The injury’s all the more troubling given that Dunn missed most of last season with an AC joint issue that required surgery in September.

Now in the last season of his three-year, $19MM deal, Dunn has pitched to a 5.19 ERA/4.83 FIP in 17 1/3 innings. Overall as a Rockie, Dunn has thrown 84 2/3 frames and logged a 5.53 ERA/4.88 FIP with 8.82 K/9, 5.53 BB/9 and a 35 percent groundball rate.

NL Notes: D-Backs, Wheeler, Wacha, Dunn

By Jeff Todd | February 8, 2019 at 11:03pm CDT

The Diamondbacks’ interesting offseason reflects GM Mike Hazen’s self-described effort to “thread the needle,” Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes in an excellent look at the Arizona organization and its top baseball executive. Despite trading away franchise cornerstone Paul Goldschmidt in what could turn out to be a highly consequential trade, the Snakes will enter the season with intentions of trying to contend — albeit with a realistic outlook and, it seems fair to presume, backup plans should things go south. Hazen says he’s committed to trying to put a winner on the field whenever possible, making clear he has no regret for pushing in chips at last summer’s trade deadline. It’s an interesting article that’s well worth a full read.

Mike Dunn To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

By Connor Byrne | September 3, 2018 at 1:31pm CDT

Rockies reliever Mike Dunn will undergo season-ending surgery on his left A/C joint in the coming weeks, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

The injured Dunn last took the mound July 3, when he allowed at least one earned run for the eighth time in 25 appearances this season. The left-hander wound up throwing 17 innings for the Rockies this year, logging an unsightly 9.00 ERA with more walks (18) than strikeouts (12). It’ll go down as the second straight rough season for the 33-year-old Dunn, formerly an effective reliever with the Marlins.

In December 2016, on the heels of his Miami tenure, the Rockies added Dunn on a three-year, $19MM guarantee, though that signing has not worked out to this point. The Rockies followed that up by spending big on fellow relievers Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee last winter, but all of them have joined Dunn in struggling this year. Including Dunn’s $7MM, Colorado will owe the four of them a combined $42MM in 2019.

NL Injury Notes: Acuna, Cueto, Thames, Phils, Bucs, Rox

By Connor Byrne | June 9, 2018 at 2:14pm CDT

Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna is progressing in his recovery from a sprained left ACL, Mark Bowman of MLB.com explains, and could return as early as next weekend. The 20-year-old phenom, who went down May 27, would only miss around three weeks in that scenario. Acuna’s injury looked like a potential season-ender when it occurred, making his quick recovery all the more welcome for Atlanta. “What he’s doing right now is amazing after looking at what happened,” manager Brian Snitker said. “What he’s doing now is really good.”

More injury notes from around the NL…

Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto is “cautiously optimistic” he’ll be able to come off the 60-day DL when he’s first eligible (June 30), Chris Haft of MLB.com writes. Cueto hasn’t pitched since suffering an elbow injury at the end of April, when he was among the majors’ best starters (0.84 ERA, 2.74 FIP in 32 innings). But even without Cueto and ace Madison Bumgarner, who just made his 2018 debut Tuesday after his own lengthy absence, the Giants have managed a 32-31 record to stay in the thick of what has been a mediocre NL West.
The Brewers expect first baseman Eric Thames back at the beginning of the upcoming week, Joe Bloss of MLB.com relays. Thames landed on the DL on April 27 with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, derailing a start in which he slashed .250/.351/.625 with seven home runs in 74 plate appearances. Fellow first baseman Jesus Aguilar has been outstanding in Thames’ absence, however, with a .296/.369/.556 line and 11 homers in 187 PAs this year.
Phillies pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez is headed to the DL with right elbow inflammation, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. The club doesn’t believe it’s a serious issue, however. The 19-year-old right-hander, Baseball America’s 16th-ranked prospect (subscription required), has logged a 2.51 ERA with 8.68 K/9 and 2.12 BB/9 in 46 2/3 innings at the High-A level this season. He was closing in on a Double-A promotion prior to the DL placement, according to Salisbury, but that’s now on hold.
The Pirates have sent righty reliever Richard Rodriguez to the DL with shoulder inflammation, Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. The club recalled righty Dovydas Neverauskas from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Pittsburgh doesn’t expect Rodriguez to miss a significant amount of time, but even a short-term absence could hurt. The 28-year-old rookie has burst on the scene with a 2.38 ERA and 13.1 K/9 against 1.19 BB/9 in 22 2/3 innings this season.
The Rockies placed lefty reliever Mike Dunn on the DL and recalled righty Jeff Hoffman from Triple-A on Friday, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets. Dunn’s dealing with an upper-body injury – a left rhomboid strain, to be exact. The DL placement continues what has been a trying second season in Colorado for Dunn, who inked a three-year, $19MM guarantee with the team entering 2017. So far in 2018, the 33-year-old has posted a 9.00 ERA with more walks than strikeouts (17 to 12) in 16 innings.

NL West Notes: Dunn, Qualls, Giants, Bradley

By Steve Adams | April 26, 2017 at 4:39pm CDT

The Rockies announced on Wednesday that they’ve placed lefty reliever Mike Dunn on the 10-day disabled list due to back spasms. Filling Dunn’s place on the 25-man roster will be fellow veteran Chad Qualls, who will return to the ’pen after missing the first three weeks of the season due to tightness in his right forearm. Dunn’s subtraction from the relief corps comes as a blow to the Rox, given how excellent he’s been thus far in the first few weeks of a three-year, $19MM deal. Through his first 7 2/3 innings as a member of the Rockies, Dunn has allowed just one run on five hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts. The 38-year-old Qualls, meanwhile, will be looking to rebound after posting a 5.23 ERA in the first season of a two-year deal with the Rox.

Camp Battles: Colorado Rockies

By Jeff Todd | February 17, 2017 at 7:53pm CDT

The Rockies made several moves this winter geared toward putting a contender on the field, but face a tall task to unseat the Dodgers and Giants as the leading team in the NL West. While there’s not a ton to sort out in camp, there are a few notable battles that could impact Colorado’s hopes.

Here are the key camp competitions for the Rockies, who are the second entrant in MLBTR’s new Camp Battles series.

CATCHER
Tony Wolters
Age: 24
Bats: L
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’21 season
Options remaining: 2

Tom Murphy
Age: 25
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 season
Options remaining: 2

Dustin Garneau
Age: 29
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 season
Options remaining: 2

After relying heavily on veteran Nick Hundley for the past two seasons, the Rox are set to hand off the field generalship to some much less experienced players. Wolters emerged after coming over through a waiver claim, providing solid defense behind the dish while adding value on the basepaths. He’s not much of a hitter — he posted a 75 wRC+ over 230 plate appearances and never did much more in the minors — but seems to have the trust of the organization.

Vying with each other to share time with Wolters, or possibly even take primary duties, are Murphy and Garneau. The former has shown quite a bit of bat in the upper minors and in his brief MLB time, though he’s still a work in progress behind the plate. The latter raked last year at Triple-A, but seems clearly third in line.

There’s still perhaps an outside chance that Colorado will make a move for Matt Wieters — if not some other veteran — before camp breaks. But if that doesn’t come to pass, the plan likely involves hoping that Murphy takes charge while leaning on Wolters to the extent necessary.

Prediction: Murphy is given every opportunity to win semi-regular time, but ends up in a time-share with Wolters.

CLOSER
Adam Ottavino
Age: 31
Throws: R
Contract Status: 2 years, $9.1MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Greg Holland
Age: 31
Throws: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $6MM with 2018 mutual option ($10MM or $1MM buyout)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Jake McGee
Age: 30
Throws: L
Contract Status: 1 year, $5.9MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Mike Dunn
Age: 31
Throws: L
Contract Status: 3 years, $19MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Jason Motte
Age: 34
Throws: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $5MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

These five veterans all have substantial late-inning experience, with most having handled the ninth inning for at least some significant stretch. The only one that hasn’t — Dunn — just signed a contract that includes incentives for games finished, though that hardly means he’s been promised a full-blown shot at the job.

Ottavino seems the obvious choice: he has been nails over the past two seasons, with a 1.93 ERA and 11.6 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9. But he has managed only 37 1/3 total innings in that stretch, owing to Tommy John surgery, and his health will be monitored closely all year long. The veteran Holland is a wild card, as he’s returning from his own TJ procedure and has a long record of dominating from a closer’s role. McGee is looking to bounce back from a subpar 2016 campaign, while Motte could be turned to if he can rebound from his own struggles and the need arises. Unless Ottavino falters, though, it seems the job is likely his.

Prediction: Ottavino

STARTING ROTATION (ONE SPOT)
Jeff Hoffman
Age: 24
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 season
Options remaining: 3

Jordan Lyles
Age: 26
Throws: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $3.175MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

German Marquez
Age: 21
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 season
Options remaining: 2

Kyle Freeland
Age: 23
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 or ’23 season (not yet on 40-man)
Options remaining: 3

The Rockies finally have some hope in the starting staff, but the fifth slot remains undetermined as camp opens. Fortunately, there are a host of intriguing arms that figure to compete for the job, with the losers expected to remain on hand if a leak springs during the season.

Both Hoffman and Marquez struggled in their MLB debuts, but are seen as talented hurlers and obviously have caught the eye of GM Jeff Bridich. If neither grabs the reins in camp, though, it’s plenty possible that they’ll be left in Triple-A for added seasoning when the season opens. That could leave room for a comeback for Lyles, who struggled badly in 2016 and may otherwise end up in the bullpen. Though Freeland has only a dozen Triple-A starts under his belt, that’s more than Marquez, so he too could factor with a big spring — though going to him would require opening a 40-man spot.

Prediction: Hoffman

Rockies Sign Mike Dunn

By Steve Adams | December 15, 2016 at 1:25pm CDT

At this week’s press conference to introduce Ian Desmond, Rockies GM Jeff Bridich stated that improving the bullpen was his next goal, and the Rockies made their first effort to do so on Wednesday, agreeing to a three-year deal with free-agent left-hander Mike Dunn. The contract, announced today by the Rockies, reportedly guarantees Dunn a hefty $19MM and is also said to come with a fourth-year club/vesting option worth $6MM. Dunn is a client O’Connell Sports Management.

Dunn will earn $4MM in 2017 and $7MM in both 2018 and 2019. The contract’s option comes with a $1MM buyout and will reportedly vest if he appears in 130 games from 2018-19 or pitches in 60 games in 2019 alone. Reports also indicate that he can earn up to $1MM of options each year if he becomes the team’s closer and finishes 55 games, and he’ll also receive a $500K assignment bonus if he’s traded. The incentives afford Dunn $100K each year for 30 and 35 games finished, $150K for reaching 40 and 45 games finished, $200K for finishing 50 games and $300K for finishing 55 games. While the Rockies haven’t said they plan on utilizing Dunn as their closer, the incentives represent the clear acknowledgment that it’s at least possible that Dunn surfaces in that role at some point over the next three years.

[Related: Updated Colorado Rockies Depth Chart]

Dunn, 32 next May, has been a mostly steady bullpen piece for the Marlins over the past six seasons, pitching to a 3.59 ERA with 9.8 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and a 35.7 percent ground-ball rate in 328 innings of relief. He missed the first two months of the 2016 season with a forearm strain but had never been on the Major League DL prior to that stint and pitched effectively upon returning, as he logged a 3.40 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 42 1/3 innings of work. That durability bodes somewhat well for his chances of reaching the aforementioned incentives, but Dunn will also be 34 in the final guaranteed year of the deal and relief pitchers are notoriously volatile.

The longtime Marlin has held opposing left-handers to a .226/.306/.336 batting line since cementing himself in the Miami bullpen back in 2011. Right-handed opponents fare better than lefties, though Dunn has improved in that regard in recent years, as he’s held righties to a .229/.322/.386 slash in the past four seasons.

Dunn will join a Rockies bullpen that ranked last in the Majors in ERA in 2016 (5.13), 24th in FIP (4.35) and 23rd in xFIP (4.27). He’ll join Jake McGee and Chris Rusin as left-handed options for first-year skipper Bud Black, who will also have right-handers Qualls, Motte, Adam Ottavino and Jordan Lyles at his disposal. Hard-throwing righties like Carlos Estevez and Miguel Castro, too, will be waiting in the wings, while Jairo Diaz could make his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2017 as well.

Bridich and his staff will hope that the Dunn signing plays out with better results than either of last year’s free-agent bullpen expenditures, as both Jason Motte and Chad Qualls performed poorly in their debut campaigns with the Rockies. Dunn has a lengthier and more consistent track record than that pair in recent years, but he’s also a fly-ball pitcher with some platoon issues that’ll be leaving the cavernous Marlins Park for the homer-happy confines of Coors Field. More troubling is the fact that Dunn’s fly-ball tendencies reached extreme levels in 2016; the southpaw turned in a career-low 27.9 percent ground-ball rate which was accompanied by a 42.6 percent fly-ball rate (21st among relievers with at least 40 innings pitched) and a 29.5 percent line-drive rate (highest in the Majors, same criteria).

The Rockies are clearly confident that Dunn can continue to be stingy in terms of the home-run ball, but he’s been a bit more susceptible to homers in the past two seasons and won’t be provided any favors by his new home setting. Nonetheless, it’s been an extremely favorable market to relief pitching this winter — especially those in the second and third tiers of free agency. While there were fairly widespread expectations that Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and (to a lesser extent) Mark Melancon would set new records for relief pitchers, the market has now seen Brett Cecil land four years ($30.25MM), Dunn secure a three-year pact and Marc Rzepczynski sign for two guaranteed years ($11MM).

Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal (on Twitter). FanRag’s Jon Heyman was the first to say there was an agreement in place (Twitter link). ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted Dunn’s guarantee, while Nightengale chimed in with the remaining financial details (all Twitter links). Ken Davidoff of the New York Post tweeted word of the assignment bonus. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reported the year-to-year salaries and incentives breakdown (all Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jays Rumors: Encarnacion, Catchers, Bullpen

By Connor Byrne | December 8, 2016 at 2:22am CDT

The latest on Toronto:

The Blue Jays continue to monitor and stay in touch with free agent first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman. Encarnacion’s preference is to re-sign with the Jays, but he’s talking less with them than he is with other teams, per Heyman. Notably, Toronto general manager Ross Atkins expressed pessimism Wednesday about re-upping Encarnacion. While the 33-year-old’s market has seemingly shrunk in the past week, agent Paul Kinzer isn’t worried that Encarnacion will have difficulty securing a sizable contract – whether with the Jays or another team. “Not only is he the best player in this class, he’s one of the best in baseball,” Kinzer told Heyman. “We’re going to be fine. He and I are patient. He’s good” (Twitter links here).
Having lost left-handed setup man Brett Cecil to the Cardinals, the Blue Jays are on the hunt for a southpaw reliever, leading to interest in Jerry Blevins, Mike Dunn and Javier Lopez, report Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi. However, the contracts given to Cecil (four years, $30.5MM) and fellow lefty Marc Rzepczynski (two years, $11MM) have perhaps driven up the prices for Blevins, Dunn and Lopez, meaning the Jays could scour the trade market for a cheaper option than free agency offers, Nicholson-Smith and Davidi observe.
Along with Chris Iannetta, fellow free agent catchers Bobby Wilson and Geovany Soto are on Toronto’s radar, write Nicholson-Smith and Davidi. The Blue Jays are looking for someone to back up Russell Martin, whose 2016 reserves – Josh Thole and Dioner Navarro – are also on the open market.

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Mike Dunn

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect