NL Central Notes: Frelick, Morel, Reds
The Brewers signed top prospect Jackson Chourio to a pre-debut extension back in December, and in doing so their outfield logjam for the 2024 season all the more apparent. While the club made some room on the depth chart by shipping Tyrone Taylor to the Mets alongside Adrian Houser earlier in the offseason, the club still figures to have Chourio, Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Joey Wiemer, Sal Frelick, and Blake Perkins all in the mix for outfield reps entering the 2024 campaign. That positional logjam has led to plenty of speculation that the club could look to trade from its depth to address other parts of the roster, but The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal suggested today that the club could have another, novel solution to the glut in mind: moving Frelick to the infield.
Frelick, 24 in April, was the club’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft and made his big league debut last season. In 57 games at the big league level last year, the lefty-swinging outfield slashed a decent .246/.341/.351 for the Brewers, putting him right around league average despite modest power production. While his first taste of big league action may have left something to be desired, Frelick was a consensus top-40 prospect entering the 2023 season and sports a career .314/.393/.451 slash line for his career in the minors, including a .311/.388/.432 line at the Triple-A level. Despite that strong pedigree, Frelick appears blocked in the outfield by likely regulars Yelich, Chourio, and Mitchell.
Given this, it’s not necessarily a surprise that Frelick has garnered interest on the trade market. The youngster was recently reported as of interest to the Padres, who have a barren outfield mix after shipping Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the Bronx earlier this winter. With that being said, the Brewers appear, at least for now, appear to be looking for ways to get Frelick’s bat into their own lineup rather than shipping him elsewhere. Rosenthal reports that Frelick is preparing to play both second and third base in addition to the outfield this spring. With Willy Adames entrenched at shortstop barring a trade, Frelick would join an infield mix in Milwaukee that currently features Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang as the likely starting options with Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller, and top infield prospect Tyler Black also in the mix for playing time.
More from around the NL Central…
- Speaking of youngsters attempting to learn the infield, Cubs manager Craig Counsell recently indicated to reporters, including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, that slugger Christopher Morel is set to primarily focus on getting reps at third base this spring. Morel, 25 in June, slashed an impressive .247/.313/.508 in 429 trips to the plate last year while slugging 26 home runs in just 107 games. Most of that production, however, came out of the DH spot in the lineup. Morel’s rookie 2022 campaign saw him split time between second base, third base, shortstop, and center field though he struggled at every position except second, where the Cubs have Gold Glover Nico Hoerner as an everyday option. The Cubs previously seemed poised to rely on a combination of Nick Madrigal and Miles Mastrobuoni at third base, though if Morel can prove himself capable of regular reps at third base he could open the DH spot for an additional bat via free agency or for the club to use as a way to rest regulars.
- As relayed by Gordon Wittenmyer and Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds provided a pair of minor injury updates today. Most notable is that regarding infielder Noelvi Marte, who suffered a hamstring injury while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. The youngster appeared to be recovering well last month, and the good news has continued as both Marte and Reds brass indicate he should be ready for Opening Day, though he will be delayed in the start to his spring as he’s expected to miss the first five games of Cactus League action. Left-hander Sam Moll is also delayed entering camp, with Wittenmyer and Goldsmith relaying the southpaw dealt with a bout of shoulder soreness while ramping up last month. That’s led the club to put off Moll’s first bullpen session of the spring, though the 32-year-old hurler has continued to play catch and is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Moll impressed with the Reds down the stretch with a 0.73 ERA and 3.34 FIP in 25 appearances after being acquired from Oakland last summer.
Reds Acquire Sam Moll From Athletics
The Reds have acquired left-hander Sam Moll and international cap space from the Athletics, according to announcements from both clubs. The A’s will receive pitching prospect Joe Boyle in exchange. To make room for Moll on their 40-man roster, the Reds transferred Hunter Greene to the 60-day injured list.
Moll, 31, has spent the past three years serving as an effective reliever in the Oakland bullpen. From 2021 to the present, he’s made 106 appearances, allowing 3.65 earned runs per nine innings. His 24.9% strikeout rate and 50.6% ground ball rate are both strong, though his 11.5% walk rate is a few ticks higher than league average.
2023 has been a strange season for him, as his 4.54 ERA is higher than the previous two campaigns despite so much stuff going right in terms of his under-the-hood numbers. His 27.1% strikeout rate, 11.2% walk rate and 52% grounder rate are each improvements over recent years. It seems a .340 batting average on balls in play and 68.2% strand rate have helped some extra runs across the plate, as his 3.25 FIP and 3.71 SIERA are both career bests.
MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a look at Moll’s season and highlighted his increasing use of a four-seam fastball. Dating back to mid-May, he has a 3.80 ERA in 23 2/3 innings, striking out 30.9% of opponents against an 8.2% walk rate, still getting grounders on over half the balls allowed in play. He has a 2.35 FIP in that time and a 2.97 SIERA.
The Reds have leapt into contention this year on the strength of their young core of position players, currently sporting a record of 58-49 that has them atop the National League Central, half a game ahead of the Brewers coming into today’s action. Left-handed relief was an obvious area for the club to add, since Alex Young has been their only southpaw reliever for much of the year. Reiver Sanmartin recently underwent UCL surgery and won’t be back any time soon. Moll is a long-term option for the Reds, as he is slated to finish this season with between two and three years of service time, meaning he can be retained for four seasons beyond the current campaign and isn’t even slated to reach arbitration until after 2024.
The A’s had little reason to hang onto Moll, despite those years of control. He didn’t establish himself at the big league level until his age-29 season and is now 31. The A’s have been leaning hard into a rebuild recently, with their 30-77 record the worst in the majors. Ownership is going to be focused on moving the team to Las Vegas in the immediate future and might not make the necessary investments to get the club back into competitive shape for a while.
Instead, they have exchanged him for Boyle, a 23-year-old right-hander who is listed at 6’7″ and 240 pounds. He was drafted by the Reds in the fifth round of the 2020 draft and got a brief professional debut in the lower levels of their farm system in 2021. He split last year between High-A and Double-A, tossing 100 2/3 innings over 23 outings with a 2.86 ERA. He struck out 36.5% of batters but also issued walks at an eyebrow-raising 20% clip. He’s made 19 more Double-A starts this year with similar results, striking out 31.5% of opponents while walking 19.4%, leading to a 4.50 ERA.
Both Baseball America and FanGraphs currently list Boyle as the #20 prospect in the Reds’ system. The book on him seems to be that he has excellent stuff but worrisome control, which matches the stat line. He has a triple-digit fastball and quality breaking stuff as well, but will need to greatly rein in his command in order to be effective.
Greene will now be ineligible to return until 60 days from his placement on the injured list due to hip pain, which was on June 18, officially keeping him out until August 17. He’s expected to make a rehab start this weekend with a planned return in late August.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Athletics’ Sam Moll Drawing Trade Interest
A’s lefty reliever Sam Moll has drawn trade interest and could be moved before next week’s deadline, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Outside of the organization’s best prospects and young players, virtually any player on the Oakland roster figures to be fair game in a potential trade. That’s particularly true of someone like Moll — a 31-year-old reliever who’ll finish out the season with two-plus years of service time (and thus four seasons of club control remaining).
Over the past three seasons, Moll has pitched to a 3.61 ERA with with a 25% strikeout rate, 11.2% walk rate, 50% ground-ball rate and 0.70 HR/9 in 89 2/3 innings out of the Oakland ‘pen. He’s had a rougher showing from an ERA perspective in 2023, turning in a 4.50 mark through 36 innings. Moll has been plagued by a .337 average on balls in play, however, and this year’s 27.3% strikeout rate, 10.6% walk rate and 50.5% grounder rate are all career-bests.
Notably, Moll hasn’t been the same pitcher for much of the 2023 season that he has throughout his prior career. After a five-run drubbing at the hands of the Rangers back on May 14, the lefty has dramatically changed his pitch mix — and subsequently begun to enjoy better results.
Prior to that outing, Moll was primarily a sinker/slider reliever. He’d thrown a four-seam fastball less than two percent of the time in 2023 and didn’t throw a four-seamer at all in either 2021 or 2022. Since then, he’s thrown a traditional four-seamer nearly a quarter of the time, averaging 94.7 mph on the pitch.
Since adding the four-seamer to his repertoire, Moll has pitched to a 3.68 ERA with a 2.19 FIP and 2.79 SIERA. He’s fanned a hefty 31.7% of his opponents against a 6.9% walk rate — both vast improvements — without sacrificing many grounders. He’s still induced grounders at a strong 48.3% clip, even after lessening his reliance on a sinker.
Moll looks like a vastly better pitcher with the four-seamer in his arsenal than he did before. It’s certainly possible that teams will adjust their plans of attack now that he’s altered his, but the early results are strong and Moll has pitched well dating back to 2021, even with his prior pitch selection.
The majority of contenders throughout the league are seeking bullpen upgrades, and lefties — particularly controllable ones — who average nearly 95 mph with plus strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates aren’t exactly in abundance. Moll isn’t a household name by any means, but thus is the life of a late-blooming setup man on a historically bad team. Even if he’s a relative unknown to most fans, big league front offices are surely aware of his overall track record since 2021 and the recent strides he’s made since mixing up his approach on the mound.
A’s Designate Matt Davidson For Assignment
The A’s announced they’ve designated infielder Matt Davidson for assignment. Oakland also placed Dany Jiménez on the 15-day injured list, put Sam Moll on the COVID-19 list, and recalled four players: Nick Allen, Sheldon Neuse, Domingo Tapia and Kirby Snead.
Oakland didn’t need to create a 40-man roster spot for any of Allen, Neuse, Tapia or Snead. Davidson, though, is out of minor league option years. The A’s were thus left with the decision to keep him on the big league roster or take him off the 40-man entirely. With Davidson collecting just four hits while striking out ten times in eight games in an Oakland uniform, the club will turn back to Neuse and Allen in the infield at his expense.
Davidson has made 13 total big league appearances this year, as he also suited up five times with the D-Backs. He’s managed just a .147/.216/.324 showing against MLB arms, but the right-handed hitter has torn the cover off the ball in Triple-A. Between Arizona’s and Oakland’s top affiliates, Davidson owns a .306/.389/.711 line with 15 home runs in only 139 trips to the plate.
The extreme hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League no doubt has propped up those numbers, but Davidson has also flashed some power potential over parts of six MLB seasons. He’s a career .220/.290/.430 hitter in a bit more than 1100 plate appearances. Davidson’s .209 ISO (slugging minus batting average) is strong, but his huge strikeout totals and low walk rates have led to persistent issues reaching base.
Oakland will have a week to trade Davidson or run him through waivers. The latter outcome seems likelier given his lack of recent success against big league pitching. The 31-year-old has already cleared waivers once this season. He elected free agency last time around, and he’d have the right to do so again if he goes unclaimed.
Jiménez hits the IL with a shoulder strain; his placement is retroactive to June 19. Signed to a minor league contract over the winter, the righty has surprisingly jumped into a high-leverage role for manager Mark Kotsay. Jiménez has collected the first 11 saves of his career, pitching to a 4.38 ERA through 24 2/3 innings. He hadn’t allowed an earned run through the end of April, but Jiménez has been tagged for 12 runs (all earned) in 15 2/3 frames going back to the beginning of May.
Elvis Andrus, Jed Lowrie Done For The Season
Sept. 27: Andrus is meeting with noted orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister after being diagnosed with a fractured fibula in his left leg, per Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News. At this point, there’s no indication of damage to any ligaments or tendons, so the A’s tentatively expect him to be ready for Spring Training 2022.
Sept. 26: The Athletics have placed infielders Elvis Andrus and Jed Lowrie on the 10-day injured list, per the team. To fill their roster spots, Sam Moll has been reinstated from the paternity list and Vimael Machin was recalled from Triple-A.
That’ll close the books on the 2021 season for Andrus and Lowrie, the A’s middle infield for much of the year. Josh Harrison and Tony Kemp line up in the middle today for the A’s.
For Lowrie, it was without a doubt a bounce-back campaign just in terms of staying healthy enough to play in 139 games and step to the plate 512 times. In terms of his production, it wasn’t his best campaign. Lowrie hit just .245/.318/.398 with 14 long balls.
Andrus was a surprise choice as a replacement for Marcus Semien this year, but he not only kept the job, but he started 141 games at short for the A’s. He hit just .243/.294/.320 over 541 plate appearances, however. That’s good for just a 72 wRC+, leaving plenty of room to second guess Oakland’s decision to make Andrus their regular shortstop.
Machin has been an extra man in the infield for the A’s the past two seasons, though his playing time has been limited. The 28-year-old has a .176/.265/.198 line across 103 plate appearances over the past two seasons.
Moll will head back to the bullpen. He has made six scoreless appearances on the year covering 7 2/3 innings.
Athletics Reinstate Chris Bassitt From Injured List
TODAY: Bassitt has been officially reinstated from the injured list, the A’s announced. Left-hander Sam Moll was moved to the paternity list to create roster space for Bassitt. In another move, Oakland released the recently-DFA’ed Aramis Garcia.
TUESDAY, 7:34 pm: Bassitt will indeed start Thursday’s game against the Mariners, manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle).
9:43 am: As the Athletics try to keep their playoff hopes alive, they could receive a boost that looked unlikely just a few weeks ago. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweeted recently that the A’s are targeting Thursday for right-hander Chris Bassitt‘s return to the club. Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News reported last night that Bassitt tossed a 30-pitch bullpen session yesterday — his fourth throwing session since being cleared to throw off a mound.
A return to the field for Bassitt would make for a feel-good moment regardless of any potential impact on the postseason race. The baseball world took a collective gasp when Bassitt was struck in the face by a 100 mph line-drive back on Aug. 17. The right-hander remained down on the field for several minutes as he was tended to by the medical staff. He was eventually carted off the field with a towel covering his face. Bassitt sustained multiple facial fractures that had to be stabilized via surgery, but he avoided a concussion and any damage to his vision or his eye.
It was a frightening scene that quite obviously called into question whether Bassitt would be able to return to the field at all in 2021. Immediate questions were more focused on his overall well-being, but just over a month later, he now remarkably appears to be on the cusp of pitching in a big league game again.
Manager Bob Melvin said last night (via Rubin) that the team isn’t sure what type of role Bassitt would have upon returning. Based on the length of his recent bullpen session and simulated games, it doesn’t seem likely that Bassitt would jump right back into the workhorse rotation role he’d held down prior to the injury. That said, he’s clearly stretched out enough to go multiple innings, so he could make some abbreviated starts down the stretch, serve as a scheduled long man behind an opener, or even just operate as a multi-inning bullpen option as the situation dictates.
Prior to his injury, the 32-year-old Bassitt was in the midst of a career year for the A’s. He’d made 24 starts, averaging just shy of 6 1/3 innings per outing and completing six frames in 17 of those 24 trips to the hill. Along the way, he’d notched an impressive 3.06 ERA with a strong 25.3 percent strikeout rate and an excellent 5.8 percent walk rate through a total of 150 innings. He’s still fourth on the A’s in terms of total innings pitched, trailing Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea and Cole Irvin.
It’s been a tough stretch for the A’s since the injury to Bassitt. The team is 14-16 in the 30 games without him, and Oakland starters have combined for a 4.47 ERA in his absence — ranking just 17th in the Majors during that stretch. That 4.47 mark is due almost entirely to the excellent work of Montas over his past six outings (1.89 ERA, 38 innings pitched). The A’s have leaned on Manaea, Irvin, Paul Blackburn and James Kaprielian to start the team’s remaining games, but each of them has an ERA of 4.94 or worse since Bassitt’s injury.
The A’s aren’t technically eliminated from winning the division just yet, although at seven games back, their chances of doing so are all but nonexistent. Oakland’s best path to the postseason will be to secure the second Wild Card spot in the American League. That spot currently belongs to the Blue Jays, who lead the Yankees by a half game, the A’s by two games and the Mariners by three games.
A’s Place Daulton Jefferies On 10-Day Injured List, Return James Kaprielian To Rotation
The A’s placed righty Daulton Jefferies on the 10-day injured list with right elbow ulnar neuritis and recalled southpaw Sam Moll to claim his roster spot, per the team. Jefferies was supposed to start today, but the injury unfortunately delays his joining the rotation.
James Kaprielian, who was demoted to the bullpen in favor of Jefferies, will now step back into the rotation for his regular turn on the bump. Kaprielian will presumably need to turn around his performance quickly in order to make the most out of this second chance. The Athletics hopes that Chris Bassitt will be back in the rotation shortly, which could again send Kaprielian to the pen.
Kaprielian’s overall numbers this season are decent: he’s posted 1.3 rWAR/1.0 fWAR over 20 starts totaling 105 1/3 innings. Those numbers with his 4.02 ERA/4.46 FIP make for a serviceable rotation arm, if not one guaranteed innings on a first division squad. Over his past eight stars, however, he’s been tagged for a 6.51 ERA/5.01 FIP, prompting the move to the bullpen.
As for Moll, he returns for his third stint in the Majors this season. The 29-year-old Tennessee native has made just four appearances over his first couple of turns upstairs, though he’s done well in the short sample, keeping opponents scoreless over 4 2/3 innings.
A’s Select Sam Moll, Designate Jordan Weems For Assignment
The Athletics announced a trio of roster moves today, first and foremost selecting the contract of recently-acquired Sam Moll, placing him on the active roster. To make room, Domingo Acevedo was optioned to Triple-A and Jordan Weems was designated for assignment.
Moll returns to the Major Leagues for the first time since 2017 — the last time he was a member of the Oakland organization. Acquiring Moll from the Diamondbacks seemed like a depth move because he wasn’t on the 40-man roster, but the A’s clearly see a more immediate need for the 29-year-old southpaw. Beyond his short stint in the Majors with the A’s in 2017, Moll has been a true minor-league journeyman, playing first for Colorado — who drafted him in the third round back in 2013 — before moving on to Oakland, Toronto, San Francisco, and Arizona.
Weems made just five appearances this season and 14 for the A’s in the past two seasons. The 28-year-old struggles with his command — which has continued this season. Over 4 1/3 innings, Weems have allowed three earned runs on two hits and three walks while striking out four.
As for Acevedo, the former Yankees’ farmhand was signed by Oakland in November, 2020. In his first big league action, the right-hander allowed three earned runs in three innings across three outings. To his credit, he did not walk a batter while striking out three.
Athletics Acquire Sam Moll From Diamondbacks
The Athletics announced they’ve acquired reliever Sam Moll from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations. Moll was not on the Arizona 40-man roster, so he’ll serve as high minors bullpen depth with the A’s for now.
It’s something of a homecoming for Moll, who appeared in eleven games for Oakland back in 2017. That marks the extent of his major league experience to date. The left-hander has a much lengthier track record at Triple-A, where he’s logged parts of five seasons and pitched to a 4.42 ERA across 152 2/3 innings.
Moll signed a minors pact with the D-Backs in January. He’s spent the year with Triple-A Reno, working to a 5.82 ERA with a strong 29.7% strikeout rate but a very high 14.9% walk percentage.
Diamondbacks Sign Seven To Minor League Deals
The Diamondbacks announced the signing of seven players to minor league deals: Bryan Holaday, Seth Frankoff (previously reported), Bradley Roney, Sam Moll, Drew Weeks, Christian Lopes, and Jamie Ritchie, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
Out of this group, only Holaday, Frankoff and Moll have appeared in the majors. Holaday carries the most experience, having amassed 768 plate appearances with multiple teams (including 33 with the Orioles last season). The 33-year-old owns a .238/.283/.333 line with 10 home runs in the bigs. Moll, 29, has only appeared in MLB in one season – 2017, when he totaled 6 2/3 innings as a member of the Athletics. He has pitched to a much larger sample size of 131 innings in Triple-A and logged a 4.19 ERA.
Among the players here who haven’t reached the majors, Lopes earned the highest marks as a prospect, as Baseball America ranked the former seventh-round pick 23rd in the Blue Jays’ farm system in 2013. Lopes is now 28, though, and didn’t move beyond Triple-A ball with the Jays or the Rangers. He hit .272/.364/.426 with five HRs over 228 PA with the Rangers’ Triple-A team in 2019.