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Report: Matt Harvey Facing Possible Suspension Related To Drug Distribution

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Free agent right-hander Matt Harvey testified yesterday during the ongoing trial of former Angels communications director Eric Kay, who is accused of distributing the drugs that led to the tragic 2019 death of Tyler Skaggs. On the stand, Harvey — who was granted immunity from criminal prosecution — admitted to providing Skaggs with Percocet pills shortly before Skaggs’ death.

An MLB official tells T.J. Quinn of ESPN that Harvey could face a suspension between 60 and 90 days for distributing controlled substances. MLB said in a statement that it will “conduct a comprehensive review of the potential violations of our drug program” after the conclusion of the trial. Kay’s defense team rested its case this afternoon. Closing arguments are scheduled to take place tomorrow morning, and it’s expected that jury deliberations will begin not long after.

The matter is further complicated by the ongoing MLB lockout. Quinn writes that the league cannot pursue discipline until after a new collective bargaining agreement is reached. The Joint Drug Agreement between the league and MLB Players Association has been suspended by the lockout, also resulting in a pause on drug testing (both for drugs of abuse and performance-enhancing substances) for MLBPA members.

Four other former members of the Angels also testified about opioid usage during Kay’s trial. C.J. Cron (now with the Rockies), Cam Bedrosian (on a minor league deal with the Phillies) and free agent Mike Morin testified yesterday, while free agent reliever Blake Parker took the stand this afternoon. All four players admitted to using drugs given to them by Kay, but only Harvey said he’d ever distributed drugs to anyone else. Quinn writes that the cases of Cron, Bedrosian, Morin and Parker are likely to be referred to a treatment board for the creation of a treatment program. Unless those players have previously been disciplined for drugs of abuse — referrals to the treatment board are not typically made public — they would not face the possibility of suspension.

Multiple MLB Players Testify In Eric Kay Trial

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Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron, free-agent right-handers Matt Harvey and Mike Morin, and Phillies righty Cam Bedrosian were called as witnesses in the ongoing Eric Kay trial today, as covered in detail by ESPN’s T.J. Quinn and The Athletic’s Sam Blum. Kay, formerly the Angels director of communications, is accused of providing the pills that led to the tragic death of left-hander Tyler Skaggs.

In questioning Skaggs’ former teammates, the prosecution sought to prove that Kay alone was the source of the pills that proved fatal. Kay’s defense looked to create reasonable doubt in that allegation and bring to light the possibility that Skaggs could have received the drugs from another source.

Each of Harvey, Cron, Morin and Bedrosian admitted to using oxycodone that was provided to them by Kay — Harvey, Morin and Bedrosian during their time with the Angels, and Cron both during his time with the Angels and, at least once, during his time as a member of the Rays. Harvey acknowledged that Skaggs, at one point, spoke of another source of pills — an unnamed contact in Santa Monica. Cron indicated during his testimony that Kay was, to his knowledge, Skaggs’ only source of pills. Kay provided Cron himself with pills around eight times, Cron said.

Morin acknowledged being provided with pills on five to six occasions, detailing a payment scheme wherein he would leave cash in a locker room cubby, which Kay would then replace with pills. It was Skaggs who introduced him to the possibility of procuring pills from Kay, according to Morin’s testimony. He later added that Kay was not profiting from providing the players with drugs. Bedrosian also indicated he received pills from Kay, later stating that he was “scared” upon hearing of Skaggs’ death because he’d “taken those (same drugs) a couple of times” himself.

Harvey stated within his testimony that he did not know Skaggs to have a problem. (Dodgers hurler Andrew Heaney — Skaggs’ close friend and former teammate in Anaheim — testified last week that he was also unaware Skaggs had an opioid issue). Harvey spoke this afternoon of the lengths to which active players will go to remain on the field in the face of severe injury. He candidly acknowledged, when prompted, that today’s testimony could negatively impact his own playing career moving forward. Morin, meanwhile, stated he stopped using after leaving the Angels organization, citing the mental toll of failing to meet his lofty expectations for himself as a catalyst for his usage.

The prosecution rested their case against Kay this afternoon. The trial will resume tomorrow morning, at which time the defense will present its case. The finer details of the players’ testimonies are available both at ESPN and at The Athletic, for those who wish to delve into the full breadth of the scandal. Broadly speaking, today’s testimonies both underscore the likelihood of prescription drug abuse on a greater level than many fans realize and provide additional context to the sad and untimely death of Skaggs.

Marlins Outright Pat Venditte, Mike Morin, Josh A. Smith

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The Marlins have reinstated pitchers Pat Venditte, Mike Morin and Josh A. Smith from the 60-day injured list and outrighted the trio to Triple-A, leaving the club with a 40-man roster, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald tweets. All three are expected to elect free agency, according to McPherson.

Because of a team-wide coronavirus outbreak early in the season, the Marlins had to scramble to assemble a bullpen, which helps explain why their relievers posted the majors’ fifth-worst ERA (5.50). Venditte and Morin were not part of the problem, though, albeit over a small number of innings.

The ambidextrous Venditte gave the Marlins 4 1/3 frames of one-run ball (unearned), allowed one hit, didn’t walk a batter and struck out 10. Morin was similarly effective, as he threw four scoreless innings with one hit and one walk, though he only posted two strikeouts.

On the other hand, Smith (not to be confused with Josh D. Smith, who was also a Marlins reliever in 2020) had immense difficulty keeping runs off the board. The right-hander recorded an ugly 6.84 ERA (with a more encouraging 4.67 FIP) and 6.15 K/9 against 3.76 BB/9 across 26 1/3 innings.

Marlins Announce Series Of Roster Moves

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The Marlins announced a series of roster moves Tuesday, including the contract selections of right-hander Brett Eibner and lefty Brandon Leibrandt. They also optioned righties Jordan Yamamoto and Justin Shafer and infielder Lewin Diaz to their alternate training site; moved righty Mike Morin to the 45-day injured list; placed lefty Brian Moran on the 10-day IL with right knee patella tendonitis; recalled righty Humberto Mejia from their training site; and reinstated outfielder Corey Dickerson from the paternity list.

Eibner, a former Royals and Dodgers outfielder, last appeared in the majors in 2017. He switched to a two-way role thereafter and performed well enough as a pitcher in independent ball for the Marlins to recently purchase his contract from the Eastern Reyes del Tigre of the Constellation Energy League.

Leibrandt also isn’t far removed from joining the Marlins, who inked the ex-Phillies farmhand to a minors pact earlier this month. Most recently a member of the independent Somerset Patriots, the 27-year-old has never pitched in the bigs. He did enjoy a productive season in Triple-A ball in 2018, though, before succumbing to Tommy John surgery.

Marlins Announce Numerous Roster Moves

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As they prepare to resume play, the Marlins have announced a flurry of additions to the active roster (as covered on Twitter by reporters including Jordan MacPherson of the Miami Herald). Just who’ll move to the COVID-19 injured list remains to be seen.

Most of these players were picked up in the last week or so as the organization’s coronavirus outbreak unfolded. The Fish will select the contracts of righties Nick Vincent and Josh A. Smith, infielders Logan Forsythe and Eddy Alvarez, and catcher Ryan Lavarnway.

Also coming up are a host of other fill-ins that had already gone onto the 40-man roster. Outfielders Matt Joyce and Lewis Brinson are coming off of the injured list. Righties Justin Shafer, James Hoyt, and Mike Morin will join lefties Josh D. Smith, Richard Bleier, and Brian Moran in the bullpen.

Most notably, perhaps, are the additions of youngsters Jordan Yamamoto, Monte Harrison, and Jorge Guzman. Yamamoto had 15 solid starts in 2019 and will be looking to lock down a job for the foreseeable future. As for Harrison, a former top-100 prospect, it’ll be his first taste of the bigs. Guzman is a live-armed young hurler who’ll get his first look.

In other news from Miami, both president Derek Jeter and manager Don Mattingly pushed back on the prevailing narrative surrounding the team’s coronavirus issues. While the leaders acknowledged that some players may have let their guard down, they rejected any rumors that players had recklessly engaged in risky activities away from the ballpark.

Jeter also rejected the notion that the Marlins’ players had made their own decision to take the field against the Phillies after several players tested positive. He says the organization simply played a scheduled game and noted that the league and opposing team had full knowledge of the testing results.

Marlins Claim Mike Morin

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The Marlins have claimed righty Mike Morin from the Brewers, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports on Twitter. The Miami organization is continuing to gather big league-capable players amidst a coronavirus-driven roster reshuffling.

Morin, 29, split the 2019 campaign between Minnesota and Philadelphia, logging a combined 4.62 ERA with a 26-to-10 K/BB ratio in 50 2/3 frames. Morin punched out 95 hitters in his first 94 MLB frames from 2014-15 but has since seen his strikeout numbers plummet. He made the Brewers’ Opening Day roster but was quickly jettisoned when the Brewers welcomed southpaw Eric Lauer back from the Covid-19 injured list. Morin has had multiple effective seasons but has struggled to find consistency at the MLB level. He’ll bring 224 innings of MLB experience, a 4.65 ERA and a much better 3.60 FIP to a Marlins bullpen that is undergoing a rapid reconstruction following the team’s outbreak.

Brewers Designate Mike Morin For Assignment

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The Brewers have designated right-handed reliever Mike Morin for assignment, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The move clears space for the activation of left-hander Eric Lauer from the COVID-19 injured list. Lauer will be available out of the Milwaukee bullpen immediately, McCalvy adds.

Morin, 29, logged his most extensive big league action since 2016 with the Twins and Phillies last season. As he’s done throughout his career, he limited walks and home runs but didn’t manage many swings and misses, recording just a 12.4% strikeout rate between the two clubs. Morin didn’t see action in either of Milwaukee’s two games this season. They’ll have a week to trade him, release him or place him on outright waivers.

Lauer was acquired from the Padres over the offseason. He’ll apparently begin the season in the bullpen, but he’ll presumably be built up into a multi-inning capacity for manager Craig Counsell. The 25-year-old started 52 of his 53 appearances in San Diego, working to a 4.40 ERA/4.35 FIP in 261.2 innings over the past two seasons.

Brewers Select Mike Morin, Set Opening Day Roster

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The Brewers on Thursday announced their 30-man roster for Opening Day. Within they revealed that they’ve selected righty Mike Morin the Major League roster. He joins previously announced non-roster invitees Logan Morrison and Justin Grimm in making the club. The Brewers will also bring up righty J.P. Feyereisen to make his MLB debut, though he was already on the 40-man roster.

The 29-year-old Morin is no stranger to the Midwest, having been born in Minnesota, raised in St. Louis and previously pitched for both the Twins and Royals. He split the 2019 campaign between Minnesota and Philadelphia, logging a combined 4.62 ERA with a 26-to-10 K/BB ratio in 50 2/3 frames. Morin punched out 95 hitters in his first 94 MLB frames from 2014-15 but has since seen his strikeout numbers plummet. He’ll bring 224 innings of MLB experience, a 4.65 ERA and a much better 3.60 FIP to a deep Milwaukee bullpen.

Brewers Sign Mike Morin

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The Brewers announced Wednesday that they’ve signed right-handed reliever Mike Morin to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training. Morin is represented by Meister Sports.

The 28-year-old Morin split the 2019 season between the Twins and the Phillies, pitching to a combined 4.62 ERA with 4.6 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9 and a 40.4 percent grounder rate through 50 2/3 innings. That represented his largest MLB workload since 2016, as Morin has bounced up and down with the Angels, Royals and Mariners in recent years in an effort to recreate his terrific rookie campaign in 2014.

That season saw Morin debut just prior to his 23rd birthday and go on to rack up 59 innings of 2.90 ERA/3.08 FIP ball. Along the way, he averaged 8.2 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. He’s had a rough go of it since that time, though Morin’s 2019 season does provide some reason for optimism. Statcast ranked him in the 96th percentile in terms of average exit velocity allowed and 98th in terms of overall hard-hit rate. If he can continue to limit hard contact at that rate, he could emerge as a low-cost bargain option in the ’pen. Morin also only has four years of big league service, so there’s potential to control him into 2021 if he makes the roster and enjoys a solid season.

Phillies Announce Flurry Of Roster Moves

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The Phillies have announced a wide slate of roster moves today, setting the team up for another fascinating offseason. In particular, the club has shorn a big chunk of its 2019 pitching staff from the roster in one fell swoop.

Philadelphia declined club options over righty Jared Hughes, righty Pat Neshek, and lefty Jason Vargas. Also heading to the open market are five players were outrighted: infielder Phil Gosselin and righties Jerad Eickhoff, Mike Morin, Blake Parker, and Edubray Ramos.

That’s a big chunk of innings going onto the open market despite ongoing control rights. To be exact, the Phils are kicking 219 2/3 of their frames from 2019 back into free agency. It’s hard to argue with any of the decisions.

Hughes was solid as a late-season gap-filler, but didn’t rate at a $3MM price tag for 2020. He’ll get a $250K buyout on the way out. Neshek takes $750K with him instead of pitching for $7MM. That’s no surprise after he was limited to 18 frames due to injury. Vargas is due a $2MM buyout instead of a $8MM salary; the Phils evidently feel they can do better in the rotation on the open market this winter.

The biggest departure is that of Eickhoff. The once-promising starter projected to earn only $1.5MM, with one more season of control thereafter, but the Phils decided to cut bait after watching him struggle to a 5.71 ERA over 58 1/3 innings. Eickhoff had a few encouraging outings upon his return from a long injury layoff, but struggled thereafter and was again sidelined with arm woes.

The other three were also eligible for arbitration. Morin, who has a $1.2MM projected arb salary, struggled to get strikeouts during his stint with the club. Parker surprisingly turned in 11.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 25 frames but also gave up a host of homers and earned runs. Perhaps he’d have been worth a lower-cost keeper price but the Phils weren’t biting at a projected $4.7MM. The 26-year-old Ramos entered the year as a key piece but struggled with injuries and showed a velocity decline when he was available. He projected to earn only $800K, but the team may not have been convinced of his ability to return to full health.

Meanwhile, a host of players were added back to the 40-man roster. Among the players activated from the 60-day injured list is starter Jake Arrieta, who has exercised his player option and will remain with the organization. On the heels of a messy, injury-marred campaign, that comes as no surprise. Additionally, outfielder Odubel Herrera was reinstated from the restricted list after the conclusion of his suspension for a violation of the league’s domestic violence policy. His future with the organization remains unclear following this procedural move.

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