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NL Notes: Megill, Suarez, Pomeranz, Bettinger

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It was recently reported that the Mets are aiming to have Tylor Megill work out of the bullpen when he returns from the injured list, given that their rotation is healthier than it was early in the season. However, the team has told Megill that he will be stretched back out as a starter for next year, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

The fact that the Mets still want to try Megill as a rotation candidate is fairly sensible, given that it’s possible they will face a huge amount of turnaround in that department in the coming months. Jacob deGrom has long maintained that he’s going to exercise his opt-out after this year, despite his lengthy injury battles. Chris Bassitt has a mutual option for 2023, which is unlikely to be exercised by both sides, as mutual options almost never are. Taijuan Walker has a $6MM player option with a $3MM buyout. Though he can increase the value of that option with incentives as high as $8.5MM with 175 innings pitched this year, he’s still likely to turn that down and find more money in free agency. The Mets hold a $14MM club option over Carlos Carrasco that will vest if he reaches 170 innings and finishes the year healthy.

It’s within the realm of possibility that the Mets begin the offseason with an on-paper rotation of Max Scherzer followed by depth options like David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi. Given all that uncertainty, it’s understandable that they’d want to keep Megill in the mix. He stepped up to fill in for deGrom earlier this season and posted a 1.93 ERA through April, though he then posted an 11.48 ERA after that as his shoulder injury seemed to catch up with him.

Other notes from the Senior Circuit…

  • The Padres reinstated righty Robert Suarez from the 60-day injured list yesterday, per a club announcement. The 40-man roster already had a vacancy, meaning no corresponding move was required in that regard. Fellow righty Steven Wilson was optioned to create room on the active roster. Suarez was signed in the offseason after a five-year stint in Japan and has thrown 24 1/3 innings for the Padres this year. His 29.3% strikeout rate is very strong though it also comes with a 13.1% walk rate, leading to a 3.33 ERA on the year so far. He’s been on the IL since early June due to knee inflammation.
  • The San Diego bullpen could soon welcome back another injured hurler, as lefty Drew Pomeranz has begun a rehab assignment. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Pomeranz is expected to pitch in at least two rookie ball games before deciding next steps. Signed to a four-year deal in late 2019, the southpaw had an excellent showing in the shortened 2020 season, throwing 18 2/3 innings with a 1.45 ERA and 39.7% strikeout rate, though he also had a 13.7% walk rate. He was putting up fairly similar numbers last year before undergoing surgery to repair an injured flexor tendon, a procedure he’s still working back from almost a year later. If he can come back in a form that’s anywhere close to what he showed in 2020 and 2021, he should provide a huge boost to the Friars’ relief corps, which also just picked up Josh Hader prior to the trade deadline.
  • The Brewers announced that right-hander Alec Bettinger has been released. The 27-year-old made his MLB debut last year, tossing ten innings over four appearances with an unsightly 13.50 ERA in that small sample. He lost his 40-man roster spot earlier this year, being outrighted in May. Though Bettinger had put up solid minor league number in previous years, he’s not fared well this season, registering a 6.49 ERA through 34 2/3 Triple-A innings. After posting walk rates around 6% in recent years, he’s more than doubled it here in 2022, jumping to 12.9%. His strikeouts have also vanished, coming in at a 12.9% clip this year after being in the 23-27% in prior campaigns.

Padres Notes: Gore, Tatis, Pomeranz, Suarez

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The Padres placed left-hander MacKenzie Gore on the 15-day injured list this afternoon, announcing he’s dealing with elbow inflammation. Righty Dinelson Lamet has been recalled from Triple-A El Paso to take his spot on the active roster.

San Diego received a scare when Gore departed last night’s outing due to elbow soreness. The prized young hurler told reporters today he feels alright, but the club won’t know much about his long-term status until he heads for further testing (link via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). In any event, at least a brief IL stint seemed an inevitability after yesterday’s premature exit, even if just as a precaution.

Gore made his major league debut earlier in the year and has had a generally impressive rookie season. The 23-year-old posted a 4.27 ERA through 13 starts, but he’s kicked to the bullpen recently as the club keeps an eye on his innings. He’ll now miss at least the next two weeks, opening up a spot for Lamet. The right-hander has been tagged for 13 runs in 10 2/3 innings of relief this season, bouncing between San Diego and El Paso on options and recalls. The Friars sought a trade partner for Lamet — who’s making $4.775MM — earlier in the year, and it stands to reason the front office will continue trying to move him before next Tuesday’s deadline.

While the Gore news is certainly worrisome for the Friars, they have gotten positive updates on a few other players. The most notable is that star shortstop Fernando Tatís Jr. progressed to taking live batting practice this afternoon (video provided by Dennis Lin of the Athletic). It’s the latest notable step in the recovery for Tatís, who has missed the entire season due to a fracture in his wrist. The timetable for his return to major league action is still uncertain, but he’s on track to impact the club’s hopeful playoff push at some point down the stretch.

That’s also true of a pair of potential high-leverage relievers. Left-hander Drew Pomeranz, who has been out for almost a full calendar year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon, has been throwing to hitters of late. Manager Bob Melvin indicated he could soon head out on a minor league rehab assignment (as relayed by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Meanwhile, offseason signee Robert Suarez is embarking on a rehab stint of his own today, per Acee. The hard-throwing righty has been on the shelf since June 7 due to a right knee issue, but it seems he’s on track to return around when first eligible early next month.

Padres Select Esteury Ruiz

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6:00pm: The Padres have announced the selection of Ruiz. To create space on the active roster, Rooker was optioned. To make room on the 40-man roster, Robert Suarez was transferred to the 60-day IL. Suarez will now be ineligible to return until 60 days from his initial IL placement, which was June 7. That means he can rejoin the club August 6.

5:25pm: Padres manager Bob Melvin has announced to reporters, including AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, that outfielder Esteury Ruiz is in tonight’s lineup. Ruiz wasn’t on the club’s full 40-man prior to today, meaning a corresponding move of some kind will be required.

Ruiz, 23, began his career in the Royals organization but came to the Padres in the 2017 trade that sent Trevor Cahill and a couple of other pitchers to Kansas City. Since then, he’s gotten the attention of prospect evaluators, appearing on Baseball America’s list of top Padre farmhands in 2018 and 2019. He slid off that list in subsequent years, but he’s forced his way back on with an outstanding showing here in 2022, coming in at #13 on the most recent update. The most recent list at FanGraphs placed him at #25.

Both outlets note that Ruiz has long tantalized with his power-speed combo, but that mounting strikeouts dampened the enthusiasm as he rose through the minor league ranks. In 2018, he struck out 28.6% of the time in A-ball, which he followed up with a 26.6% rate in High-A in 2019.

However, he’s overhauled his approach at the plate in recent years with very encouraging results. Last year, at Double-A, he got his strikeouts down to a much more tenable 20.7%. This year, between Double-A and Triple-A, he’s made further strides, getting his rate down to 17.4%. That’s helped him produce an incredible .333/.467/.560 line on the year for a 167 wRC+. He’s also already racked up 60 stolen bases on the year in just 77 games.

Though he was an infielder in his earlier years, the Padres have been gradually transitioning him to more outfield work, with his last infield appearance coming back in 2019. The Friars have been looking for answers on the grass all season long, with injuries and underperformance hurting their outfield corps. Wil Myers, Jurickson Profar and Matt Beaty are all currently on the injured list. Nomar Mazara has fared well in one spot, but Trent Grisham has slumped this year to a wRC+ of 81. The club has also leaned on depth options like Jose Azocar and Brent Rooker without anyone taking a strong hold on a job. Now they will turn to Ruiz and see if he can translate any of his eye-popping minor league numbers up to the big leagues.

Quick Hits: Canha, Escobar, Marte, Mets, Perez, Suarez

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Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar are all playing well for the first-place Mets, making the team’s investment in the trio look like a canny move.  The New York Post’s Joel Sherman looks back at how the Mets added all three players during a frenzied span of around two days prior to the lockout, and how newly-hired GM Billy Eppler “emphasized on-base percentage, defense, versatility and players with strong reputations as good teammates,” with a particular focus on how well such free agents could adapt to Citi Field.  Sherman’s piece contains several interesting details about the Mets’ pursuit of the three players, as well as some other info on some of the other suitors.

The Rangers (another of the winter’s more aggressive teams) and Dodgers were interested in Canha, while “the Mets saw the Giants as a threat” due to Canha’s ties to the Bay Area.  As for Marte, New York was a relatively late entry into that chase, as agent Peter Greenberg said he met with roughly 20 other teams before touching base with the Mets, since Eppler wasn’t officially hired until midway through November.  However, the Mets made up plenty of ground by offering Marte a big four-year, $78MM contract that outpaced the other bidders.  “What stands out to me is that the Mets came in and in less than 24 hours we had a deal,” Greenberg said.

More from around baseball….

  • Martin Perez has been one of the surprises of the 2022 season, as the veteran lefty has an AL-best 1.56 ERA over 69 1/3 innings, plus a 54.7% grounder rate and just a single home run allowed.  With encouragement from Rangers coaches, Perez has re-established his sinker as a big part of his arsenal, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News writes, and Perez also took a tip from the legendary Pedro Martinez about throwing more pitches outside the strike zone, to induce more chases from batters.  The results speak for themselves, as Perez is having a career year at age 31, and setting himself up for a much more lucrative trip to free agent this winter.  After the Red Sox declined their club option on Perez last fall, he told Grant that the Pirates and Nationals each had interest prior to the lockout, but Perez instead chose to return to a familiar environment and signed with Texas for a one-year, $4MM pact in March.
  • The Padres placed right-hander Robert Suarez on the 15-day injured list due to right knee inflammation earlier this week, and manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including reps from 97.3 The Fan radio) that Suarez recently had surgery to remove “loose impediments.”  A specific recovery timeline isn’t known, but Suarez will miss “at least a couple of weeks before we see him back throwing.”  The 31-year-old rookie has been a solid performer out of San Diego’s bullpen this year, with Suarez contributing a 3.09 ERA and 30.9% strikeout rate over 23 1/3 innings, though with a high 13.8% walk rate.

Padres Sign Robert Suarez

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The Padres announced they’ve signed reliever Robert Suárez to a one-year, major league contract. The deal also contains a player option for the 2023 campaign.

Suárez has never appeared in the big leagues. The Venezuela native has spent the past five seasons pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, emerging as a shutdown closer the last two years. Between 2020-21, the right-hander saved 67 games for the Hanshin Tigers. He reportedly attracted some big league interest last offseason on the heels of a 2.24 ERA in 2020, but Suárez elected to return to the Nishinomiya-based club for a second season.

The 30-year-old (31 in March) backed up his prior success with another great showing this year. Suárez dominated to the tune of a 1.16 ERA across 62 1/3 frames. His peripherals were equally impressive, as the righty struck out 25.3% of opposing hitters against a minuscule 3.5% walk percentage.

The Padres have made two bullpen pick-ups this afternoon. Suárez’s deal comes just hours after the team finalized a two-year contract with former Cardinals reliever Luis Garcia.

Padres In Talks With Luis Garcia, Robert Suarez

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The Padres, eyeing upgrades in their bullpen, are in talks with a pair of somewhat under-the-radar options on the free-agent market. FanSided’s Robert Murray tweets that San Diego is in talks with righty Luis Garcia, while The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (also via Twitter) that the Friars are in serious discussions with right-hander Robert Suarez.

Garcia, 35 in January, had a resurgent with the Cardinals after joining the organization on a minor league deal over the summer. Through 33 1/3 innings, the former Phillies, Rangers and Angels hurler worked to a 3.24 ERA with a strong strikeout (25.2%), walk (5.9%) and ground-ball rates (45.7%) while quickly working his way up the ladder into high-leverage situations (11 holds, two saves).

While Garcia has had his share of success in the past, the 2021 version of the right-hander was the best yet. His 98.7 mph average fastball was a career-best, as were his 14.9% swinging-strike rate and that 25.2% strikeout rate. It’s still worth pointing out, however, that Garcia’s longstanding troubles against left-handed batters were as pronounced as ever in 2021. He overwhelmed opposing righties, holding them to a putrid .152/.190/.177 batting line in 84 plate appearances. However, lefties teed off at a .289/.353/.511 clip in 54 trips to the plate and tagged him for the only two long balls he yielded.

Suarez, 31 in March, is perhaps an unknown to many readers but is squarely on the radar of Major League clubs this winter. The Venezuelan-born righty has never pitched in the Majors but has spent several years in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, splitting his time between the SoftBank Hawks (2016-19) and the Hanshin Tigers (2020-21). The righty has an outstanding track record in general but enjoyed a dominant campaign in 2021, pitching to a 1.16 ERA with a 25.3% strikeout rate and a microscopic 3.5% walk rate with 42 saves in 62 1/3 frames.

NPB Notes: Cardinals, Martinez, Suarez, Red Sox, Suzuki

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The Cardinals are among the teams with interest in right-hander Nick Martinez, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (Twitter link). Martinez, who will reach free agency at the start of December, is coming off a dominant showing with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Over 140 2/3 innings, the 31-year-old worked to a 1.60 ERA, striking out a quarter of the batters he faced in the process. After a four-season run in Japan, that strong 2021 campaign could earn Martinez another MLB look this offseason. Heyman suggests upwards of a third of MLB teams could join St. Louis in having interest in giving Martinez another opportunity stateside, although it stands to reason the Hawks would like to re-sign their star hurler as well.

A couple more notes on players currently in Japan’s top league:

  • Robert Suárez is on the radar of multiple major league teams, according to a Japanese-language report from Yahoo! Japan (h/t to Sung Min Kim). The 30-year-old has posted incredible numbers serving as the Hanshin Tigers’ closer over the past two seasons. After working to a 2.24 ERA in 52 1/3 innings in 2020, Suárez dominated to the tune of a 1.16 mark across 62 1/3 frames this past season. His peripherals were equally impressive, as the righty struck out 25.3% of opposing hitters against a minuscule 3.5% walk percentage. Suárez has never pitched in the majors but reportedly also caught the attention of big league clubs last winter.
  • The Red Sox are among the teams to have scouted NPB star Seiya Suzuki, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI. They’re certainly not alone in that regard, as the Hiroshima Carp outfielder has long been regarded as one of the top talents in Japan. The Carp will make Suzuki available to major league clubs this winter via the posting system, coming off a season in which the 27-year-old mashed at a .319/.436/.644 clip with 38 homers in 530 plate appearances. Between his youth, huge numbers in NPB, and scouting reports that suggest he could immediately step in as an above-average major league right fielder, Suzuki should be one of the winter’s most in-demand free agents. MLBTR projects he’ll land a five-year, $55MM contract — an investment that would cost an MLB team $65.125MM after accounting for the posting fee that would be owed to the Carp were Suzuki to land a $55MM guarantee.

Robert Suarez Could Become Free Agent This Winter

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This winter’s free agent class is already loaded with talent, and there could be one more intriguing player added into the mix. Right-hander Robert Suarez, the closer for the Hanshin Tigers, has a player option for 2022, according to an article from Yahoo! Japan relayed by Sung Min Kim, who has written for both FanGraphs and The Athletic. If Suarez were to decline it, the Venezuelan would become a free agent and would be able to sign with any team, either in Japan or elsewhere.

Suarez, who turns 31 in March, could garner plenty of interest around the baseball world based on his recent track record. He’s been playing in Nippon Professional Baseball since 2016 but has taken his game to another level over the past couple seasons. In 2020, he threw 52 1/3 innings with an ERA of 2.24, racking up 25 saves in the process. His strikeout rate was 24% and his walk rate was 9.1%. In 2021, he elevated his game even further, notching 42 saves over 62 1/3 innings, with an ERA of 1.16, a strikeout rate of 25.3% and excellent walk rate of 3.5%.

It was recently reported that Thyago Vieira, also pitching in NPB, is garnering interest from MLB clubs based on his recent run of success, but his numbers are a notch below Suarez’s. Vieira has an ERA of 3.04 over the past couple seasons, with a 26.9% strikeout rate and elevated 12.4% walk rate. Vieira does have an age advantage over Suarez, however, as he won’t turn 29 until July 1st, meaning Suarez is a little more than two years older. But it stands to reason that Suarez could attract as much interest as Vieira, if not more.

There are lots of high-leverage righty options available in free agency this offseason, from Raisel Iglesias to Kenley Jansen, Kendall Graveman, Ryan Tepera, Collin McHugh and many more. But there’s potential for some other interesting options on the other side of the Pacific.

NPB’s Hanshin Tigers To Re-Sign Robert Suarez

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The Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball are re-signing right-hander Robert Suárez, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter link). Suárez will return to the Nishinomiya-based club in 2021 and has a player option for 2022. Altogether, the deal comes with a guarantee in the $6.75MM range, per Morosi.

A 29-year-old reliever, Suárez has spent the past four seasons at Japan’s highest level. He has a cumulative 3.53 ERA across 142.2 relief innings for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the Tigers. This past season, his first as a Tiger, Suárez logged a 2.24 mark over 52.1 innings, with a solid combination of 8.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.

Suárez has never played affiliated ball in the United States, but he’d drawn some attention from MLB teams this winter on the heels of that strong season, Morosi notes. Instead, he’ll remain with the Tigers, where he figures to again serve as the primary closer for the Central League team.

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