Stephen Strasburg

Injury Notes: Kershaw, Strasburg, Colome, Floyd, Morneau, Rangers

By Steve Adams | June 28, 2016 at 6:10pm CDT

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is heading back to Los Angeles to meet with a specialist (Dr. Robert Watkins) about his ailing back, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick writes. Kershaw experienced some soreness in his back following Sunday’s loss, and manager Dave Roberts told the media that Kershaw’s lower back has been somewhat of an issue for the past few weeks. Roberts said the team is still optimistic that Kershaw will make his upcoming start on Friday, though that can’t be certain until he undergoes further examination. Kershaw is in the midst of arguably his best season ever, having recorded a 1.79 ERA, 10.8 K/9, 0.7 BB/9 and a 49.8 percent ground-ball rate through an MLB-best 121 innings thus far.

A few more injury items from around the league…

An MRI of Stephen Strasburg’s back revealed “nothing serious,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker told reporters, including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link). While the Nats have yet to receive an official diagnosis on the injury, Baker said the initial results have made the organization feel better about the injury that landed Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list this weekend. There’s no word on exactly how long Strasburg will be out, but the lack of a serious injury suggests that it could be a fairly brief stay on the DL.
The Rays have placed closer Alex Colome on the 15-day disabled list with what has been diagnosed as medial right biceps tendinitis, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. That’s the second closer on the disabled list for Tampa Bay, though Colome’s absence from team looks like it will be considerably shorter than that of fellow closer Brad Boxberger. Topkin writes that Colome’s DL stint is retroactive to June 19, and the right-hander is hoping to return to action as soon as he is eligible on Monday of next week.
Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports that the Blue Jays will be without right-hander Gavin Floyd for a prolonged period of time, as Floyd has been diagnosed with a tear in his right lat muscle (Twitter link). Floyd hasn’t been dominant for the Jays this season, but he’s turned in 31 innings of 4.06 ERA ball and averaged 8.7 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 with a 42.2 percent ground-ball rate out of the Toronto bullpen. The extent of the tear and the projected length of his absence are not yet known.
Justin Morneau feels that he can be ready to join the White Sox after about 30 at-bats on a minor league rehab assignment, he tells Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago (Twitter link). Levine estimates that Morneau will be ready to join the big league roster around July 15. Morneau tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Mike Berardino (Twitter link) that he’s hoping to begin a rehab assignment next week and be in uniform with the Sox soon after the All-Star break. Chicago signed Morneau to a one-year contract earlier this month.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News provides updates on several injured Rangers. Per Grant, Yu Darvish will face hitters in a simulated game tomorrow, as will right-hander Keone Kela, who has missed the majority of the season after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow earlier this year. Beyond that, Grant adds that Derek Holland isn’t traveling with the team on this road trip and isn’t likely to pitch before the All-Star break. Kela is a bit over two months into his projected three-month recovery timeline, and his eventual return could be a boon for a Rangers bullpen that has seen its share of struggles in 2016.

Nationals Place Stephen Strasburg On 15-Day DL With Upper Back Strain

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2016 at 12:46pm CDT

The Nationals have announced that ace Stephen Strasburg has been placed on the 15-day DL (retroactive to June 16) with an upper back strain. A corresponding move will be made on Monday to fill Strasburg’s 25-man roster spot.

[Related: Updated Nationals depth chart at Roster Resource]

Strasburg was scratched from his last two starts due to the back problem, and given the backdate of his DL assignment, it’s possible he might not miss much more action. Still, the back strain is the latest in a rather lengthy series of nagging muscle injuries that have bothered Strasburg throughout his career, as he has missed time with oblique and neck strains in the past. (To say nothing, of course, of his Tommy John surgery in 2010.)

Tanner Roark replaced Strasburg in today’s scheduled start since Roark was on regular rest anyways, though Washington will need a pitching staff replacement later this week. Swingman Yusmeiro Petit is one option, and minor league arms Lucas Giolito and Austin Voth (as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post notes) both have scheduled starts for Monday and Tuesday, respectively. However, there isn’t any sign that the Nats could call up either, Janes says. Of the two, Voth (at Triple-A) could be more directly ready than Giolito (Double-A), as Janes tweets that the Nationals want Giolito to polish his command before exposing the top prospect to Major League batters.

Strasburg already generated headlines this season by signing a seven-year, $175MM extension to remain in D.C., and he has been pitching like an ace worthy of such a contract. Strasburg has a 2.90 ERA, 11.4 K/9 and 4.92 K/BB rate over 93 innings, also notching a perfect 10-0 record over 14 starts. An extended absence is unquestionably a big loss for Washington, though the Nats have enjoyed strong pitching overall from Max Scherzer, Joe Ross, Gio Gonzalez and Roark.

Quick Hits: Strasburg, PEDs, Harvey, Draft

By Connor Byrne and Steve Adams | May 14, 2016 at 11:00pm CDT

In a piece that’s certainly worth a full read, James Wagner and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post detailed how right-hander Stephen Strasburg’s mega-extension with the Nationals came to fruition. It helped the Nats’ cause that owner Ted Lerner has both an affinity for Strasburg and his agent, Scott Boras. “They have an incredible relationship,” said Ted Lerner’s son, Mark Lerner, regarding his father’s closeness with Boras. “Scott really respects my dad and what he’s built over the years from nothing.” Prior to inking Strasburg to a seven-year, $175MM deal, Lerner was using the free agent contracts awarded during the offseason to Jordan Zimmermann (five years, $110MM) and Johnny Cueto (six years, $130MM) as comparables. Boras countered with the bigger deals given in recent years to Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and the Nats’ Max Scherzer, and sold Lerner on Strasburg’s similarly elite potential. Ultimately, the two settled on an accord resembling the ones inked by Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez in past years. Strasburg gave Boras the thumbs up on the seven-year agreement in late April – two weeks and two starts before it was announced – and it was kept under wraps as language was drawn up and Strasburg underwent an in-depth medical exam. Strasburg found out the deal was done when a fan congratulated him after his start Monday. “The light bulb went off,” he said.

Here’s more from around baseball:

Blue Jays first baseman/designated hitter Chris Colabello and Phillies reliever Daniel Stumpf both received 80-game suspensions in April after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, and the two remain confused as to how PEDs entered their respective systems, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Colabello’s agent, Brian Charles, organized a conference call earlier this week with doctors, scientists and molecular biologists, all of whom are experts on steroid testing, as he tries to get to the bottom of his client’s positive test. Colabello, Stumpf and ex-UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir also partook in the call. All three tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid Turinabol, and each is without an answer as to how. The players association finds the cases of Colabello and Stumpf “puzzling,” sources tell Rosenthal. “The part that scares me the most is that I don’t know what to change for this not to happen again,” stated Stumpf, who said he only takes fish oil and doctor-prescribed medication. “It’s killing me,” added Colabello. “Everything I do in my life is thought out with careful attention and detail. I don’t do irresponsible things because I never want to make a mistake that could cost me my career.”
Speaking of confusion, Mets right-hander Matt Harvey is perplexed by his early season struggles, per David Waldstein of the New York Times. “There’s a lot of unknowns,” he said. Harvey insists he’s physically fine and doesn’t believe his problems are related to his release point, with which he and pitching coach Dan Warthen have been tinkering. After allowing five runs on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings Friday in Colorado, Harvey saw his ERA rise to 4.93 – more than two runs worse than his career mark of 2.76. His strikeout and walk rates have also trended downward this year, as has his velocity. It’s worth noting, though, that after striking out a meager 14 batters and walking eight during his first four starts (22 1/3 innings), Harvey has fanned 27 against just five free passes in the four outings since (23 1/3 frames).
Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com have published their latest mock draft, which is free to all. Within it, the MLB.com duo projects Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis (who was recently interviewed by MLBTR’s Chuck Wasserstrom) to go first overall to the Phillies. Florida lefty A.J. Puk, who has been projected to go 1-1 by some draft gurus, goes to the Reds at No. 2 in Callis and Mayo’s latest attempt to peg the first round, and they have prep lefty Jason Groome (an oft-speculated 1-1 candidate himself) going to the Braves to round out the top three.

Pitching Notes: Arrieta, Matz, Strasburg, Bailey, Royals

By Steve Adams | May 11, 2016 at 10:26pm CDT

On a night when Max Scherzer turned in one of the most dominant starts in history, striking out 20 Tigers batters (video link) to tie a Major League record, here are a few notes on pitcher contracts and injuries…

Cubs ace Jake Arrieta won’t offer the team a discount in extension talks, he told reporters, including ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers. According to previous reports, the Cubs have been hesitant to commit to anything greater than a four-year term, and that length clearly isn’t of interest to the 30-year-old reigning Cy Young winner. “Aces get seven years,” Arrieta candidly said in the interview. Asked what he felt his market to be, Arrieta declined to answer directly, instead telling reporters: “I’ll let you judge that. Just look at the numbers.” Arrieta again emphasized that his preference is to remain with the Cubs but that being compensated at the same level as the game’s other elite arms is also a factor. “Financially I’m fine, regardless,” he said. “You want to be paid in respect to how your peers are paid. I don’t think that changes with any guy you ask. It happens around baseball every year.” As Rogers points out, Scherzer and David Price are likelier comparables than the recently extended Stephen Strasburg, who secured a seven-year, $175MM deal.
Mets left-hander Steven Matz will miss his next start due to soreness in his pitching elbow, manager Terry Collins told the media (via ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin). Right-hander Logan Verrett will take Matz’s turn in the rotation on Saturday, and Matz will be examined by doctors in New York next Monday. As the lefty himself explained (via the New York Post’s Mike Puma), he tried to pitch through similar soreness last season and ultimately had to spent two months on the shelf. The issue seems relatively innocuous at the moment, though given Matz’s considerable injury history it’s not surprising to see Puma write that there is “some level of concern” about Matz.
MLB.com’s Bill Ladson spoke to Strasburg about his extension with the Nationals, (Twitter link to audio download), his motivation to sign now with free agency looming, the influence Tony Gwynn (his favorite player growing up and coach in college at San Diego State) has had on his desire to remain with one club and the team’s decision to shut him down in the midst of the 2012 playoff push in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. “He definitely had that sense of loyalty,” Strasburg said of Gwynn. “I think there were certainly times in his career where he could’ve gone other places, but the city, San Diego, kind of grew on him, and he became an icon in that city. I’m not about to say that I’m going to be on his level here in D.C., but I think you do have some sort of sense of loyalty to the team that did draft you, at least speaking for myself. So, when the opportunity presented itself that, here’s a fair deal presented to you, it didn’t really take long to make my mind up.”
Reds right-hander Homer Bailey is “taking a step back” in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, writes C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Bailey explains to Rosecrans that he had a second opinion on his elbow on Monday, 366 days after his surgery, and is slowing his pace as a precaution. Bailey recently experienced some pain and took 10 days off from throwing and is being extra cautious. “One of the things that was brought to my attention was there’s a lot of research about guys who come back at the 12-month mark have a higher probability of it happening again, as opposed to maybe 14 months then the numbers are (better),” he adds. Bailey made throws of 110-120 feet on Tuesday without pain, but he tells Rosecrans he’s still about a month away from a rehab assignment.
Chris Young, who underwent an MRI today due to forearm soreness, has been diagnosed with a muscle strain on the top of said forearm, tweets the Kansas City Star’s Rustin Dodd. Young is a candidate to land on the 15-day disabled list, even though (via MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan, on Twitter) manager Ned Yost said that Young may not need 15 whole days to recover from the issue. The club may simply not have a choice, especially due to the fact that right-hander Kris Medlen is also scheduled to have his shoulder examined due to some soreness (via Dodd). Medlen’s Sunday start is in jeopardy, though the severity of the issue remains unclear.

Nationals Extend Stephen Strasburg

By Jeff Todd | May 10, 2016 at 7:00pm CDT

7:00pm: Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reports that Strasburg’s contract does include limited no-trade protection (Twitter link). Passan also adds some context to the deferrals (links to Twitter), reporting that Strasburg’s 2023 salary is a staggering $45MM, but as Svrluga reported, he’ll receive just $15MM in that year, with the rest being deferred. The present-day value of the deal, when factoring in the $70MM worth of deferrals, is a bit north of $160MM, per Passan.

9:19am: In a move that has drastically altered next winter’s free-agent market, the Nationals have officially agreed to a seven-year extension with righty Stephen Strasburg. He’ll reportedly earn a guaranteed $175MM over that term, though the deal does come with some wrinkles.

First and foremost, Strasburg will take home only $15MM annually over the seven seasons of the contract (2017-2023), Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports. The remaining $70MM will be deferred without interest and paid out in $10MM installments over 2024 through 2030. That payout structure obviously reduces the present value of the contract: per Svrluga, the club estimates that the deal would be for something like $162MM if those annual salaries were paid in full each year during the seven-year term.

The deal also affords Strasburg opportunities to opt out after its third and fourth seasons. (He’d keep the $25MM annually for the first three or four years, with the deferred amounts moved up.) Strasburg can also tack on $1MM annually for every season in which he reaches 180 innings. So far as has been reported, Strasburg won’t receive no-trade protection and there are no provisions relating to arm health.

Strasburg had been set to reach the open market after the year, and there had been no hint that a deal was in the works. The Scott Boras client currently sits atop the 2016-17 Free Agent Power Rankings of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, and had every hope of matching or exceeding the $200MM+ contracts landed by aces Max Scherzer and David Price over the last two winters.

There are some major limiting factors in Strasburg’s case, of course, including his prior Tommy John surgery and injury-limited 2015 campaign. While the Nationals are known for their successful rolls of the dice on pitchers with questionable elbows, the long-term durability of Strasburg’s replacement UCL remains an open question. Additionally, despite generally excellent results, he’s never quite been as dominant as his peripherals would suggest and he’s only topped 200 innings in a season once.

Still, there’s plenty of reason to think that clubs would have lined up for a chance to add Strasburg this winter. He’s pitching in his age-27 season at present, meaning he is selling several younger campaigns than were pitchers like Scherzer and Price. And apart from a bit of a blip last year, Strasburg has been one of the game’s most effective starting pitchers.

In the aggregate, Strasburg has given the Nationals 818 2/3 innings of 3.06 ERA pitching in his seven years of major league action, with a sterling 10.4 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9. But ERA estimators are in accord in suggesting that he’s been even better, as Strasburg carries a 2.78 FIP, 2.72 xFIP, and 2.77 SIERA for his career.

Strasburg has a deep and varied arsenal, beginning with a pair of mid-90s fastballs. Though he’s now sitting just under 95 mph with the heater, well below his early-career numbers, Strasburg has never been wholly reliant on upper-tier velocity. He’s increasingly utilized a slider this season, joining with his already-stellar curve and change to give him five legitimate offerings.

Both sides clearly have their reasons for agreeing to terms, though it remains an unexpected strike given the righty’s combination of age, performance, and short time left to reach the market. Strasburg won’t need to worry about another injury or performance decline interceding before reaching free agency, and he’s clearly comfortable in D.C., which made him the first overall draft selection back in 2009. And for the Nationals, acting now not only represents a chance for a nice discount — particularly once the deferrals are accounted for — but prevents the need to bid for Strasburg’s services against other organizations in a market that is largely devoid of pitching talent.

It’s worth noting that the Nationals are intimately familiar with Strasburg’s health and work ethic, particularly after going through the infamous shutdown of 2012. Having helped spurred the surprising Nats to the front of the NL East, Strasburg was shelved for the end of the regular season and the postseason because he reached pre-determined limits in his first year back from Tommy John surgery.

That episode led to plenty of criticism of GM Mike Rizzo, but Strasburg has not had any elbow issues since. And it seems that the good will has paid off with this deal. It’s fair to note, too, that other pitchers who were handled differently (e.g. Kris Medlen) experienced renewed arm problems, though elbow health remains a murky and complicated subject.

Strasburg is now set to stay with Scherzer atop the Nats staff through at least 2019, when he’ll first have a chance to opt out in advance of his age-31 campaign. It’s fair to say that the rotation looks to be in solid shape for some time to come, as the organization also controls its other current starters for multiple seasons: Gio Gonzalez (through 2018), Tanner Roark (2019), and Joe Ross (2021). And that’s before considering top prospect Lucas Giolito, who has yet to crack the majors.

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reported the agreement on Twitter. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the length and guarantee, as well as the inclusion of opt-outs, deferrals, and a $1MM annual incentive package (links to Twitter: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted details on the opt-out, as did Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, while Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted details of the incentives.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Reactions To The Stephen Strasburg Extension

By Jeff Todd | May 10, 2016 at 1:01pm CDT

The Nationals’ move to lock up Stephen Strasburg came out of nowhere, at least so far as public knowledge is concerned, and it’ll have wide-ranging repercussions for the organization and the broader market. Strasburg bypassed a chance at a major free agent sweepstakes to stay in D.C. for at least three seasons — that’s when he’ll have the first of two opt-out chances — and pick up a guarantee of $175MM over seven years. It’s a highly significant contract for many reasons, so it’s no surprise to see plenty of reactions rolling in:

Agent Scott Boras provides some interesting details on the signing to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. After both sides gauged interest this spring, the agent and owner Ted Lerner hammered out the agreement over the weekend, per the report. Strasburg and his wife wanted to ink long-term with the Nats, said Boras, “so I really moved aggressive[ly] to get this deal done.” The super-agent says that the contract rewarded the organization for its “ethically and medically driven” handling of Strasburg through the Tommy John process, which also “has to do with why Stephen is so comfortable in Washington.” From the player’s side, the deal obviously keeps him where he wants to be, but also holds onto some upside. “For me, the big thing was the flexibility of the contract,” said Boras. “Stephen has a lot of security, and the opportunity to stay or leave. It works out well for both parties.’’
Dave Cameron of Fangraphs echoes that sentiment from an analytical perspective. He likes the idea of Strasburg taking the risk of pitching out the 2016 season off of the table, but also sees the merit in the club’s investment. As Cameron notes, Strasburg is younger than most free agent arms, and he could deliver plenty of value on the deal even if he ends up missing time over parts of it — particularly once the deferrals are accounted for.
One notable element of this contract is that it sets a record for a Tommy John patient, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports notes. In the latest example of the Nationals’ investment in questionable elbows, Passan asks whether the organization is going against its own views of UCL replacement durability in making such a deal at this point in time. Jonah Keri of CBSSports.com also offers his thoughts, focusing in particular on the role of Boras and his cozy relationship with Nationals’ ownership.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network argues that Strasburg’s absence from the coming free agent market could spur trade activity “far earlier than anyone expected.” ESPN.com’s Buster Olney likewise suggests that there’ll be increased focus on controllable starters from other clubs as a result of the move.
I’m not sure I agree that the extension has a significant impact on this summer’s trade season, which already was likely to feature questions about high-quality starters who are currently under long-term control. Teams weighing deadline deals for starting pitching likely would not have changed their approach very much based upon the mere chance of landing Strasburg over the winter; after all, he would’ve been the clear prize and had multiple suitors, and his price tag would’ve been both astronomical and uncertain. Meanwhile, organizations with desirable trade assets may now actually see greater value in holding onto their arms, comfortable in the knowledge that there’ll be lots of demand even after the season. Plus, the Nats might well have been in the market for a rotation piece — and likely would’ve pursued Strasburg — had he not inked this contract, so the overall level of demand may not have changed much.

NL East Notes: Neris, Edgin, Mattingly, Strasburg

By Steve Adams | May 6, 2016 at 9:21am CDT

Phillies right-hander Hector Neris has rapidly risen through the club’s ranks in the bullpen, pitching in a setup capacity at the moment and with a future as a potential closer, manager Pete Mackanin tells Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. However, as Salisbury reports, Neris was almost never part of the organization at all. Neris nearly had an agreement with the Royals as an 18-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, but Kansas City backed out of the deal because they doubted the validity of his documentation. It wasn’t until two years later that he was discovered by Phillies scouts, who preempted a scheduled workout with 12 other teams with an offer to sign for what now seems an extreme bargain: a $17K signing bonus. Six years later, Neris is armed with a fastball that can touch the mid-90s and a splitter that Mackanin terms an “invisible” pitch and catcher Carlos Ruiz calls one of the best he’s ever seen. Neris has a 1.04 ERA with a 27-to-4 K/BB ratio through 17 1/3 innings this year on the heels of 40 1/3 innings with a 41-to-10 K/BB ratio in 2015.

NL Notes: Padres, Corbin, Bradley, Strasburg, Cespedes

By Jeff Todd | April 19, 2016 at 12:03pm CDT

The Padres are working hard to develop a set of reliable new rotation options with several key veterans ticketed for the open market in short order — if they aren’t traded first — as Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Hurlers such as Drew Pomeranz, Colin Rea, and Robbie Erlin offer future control that could make them important assets to an organization with a limited budget. Of course, all still need to prove that they can stick in the rotation.

Here’s more out of the National League, featuring a few notable early-season player observations:

Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin expanded his pitch count to over 100 on Sunday for the first time since his return from Tommy John surgery, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. The southpaw says he “felt comfortable” in increasing his workload and hopes “it’s something I can do in every start now.” That would certainly be the team’s hope, too, as the bullpen has been worked hard early in the year. It would also offer a chance for the 26-year-old to increase his arbitration earnings in his upcoming second trip through the process; he recorded over 200 frames back in 2013, and a similar showing would set him up for a nice raise. He’s looked good thus far in 2016, working to a 2.75 ERA with 6.4 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 and a 50.0% groundball rate over 19 2/3 frames in three starts.
The results haven’t been quite so promising for one-time Diamondbacks top prospect Archie Bradley. As Piecoro reports, there was a silver lining in an otherwise rough season debut yesterday, as Bradley delivered an average fastball of nearly 95 mph and topped out at just over 97. That represented a return to form in the velocity department after he registered lower on the gun in 2015. Of course, Bradley also struggled with control — as he did in his first two Triple-A outings — and notched only two strikeouts. All told, there’s still reason to hope that the 23-year-old can turn into the quality MLB starter he once seemed destined to become, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals is showing increased dedication to a slider offering that he’s played around with previously, as Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports. New pitching coach Mike Maddux says that the organization played a role in that usage. “I think he’s had it in his back pocket,” said Maddux. “We kind of encouraged him to give it a whirl. Let’s let the hitters tell if it’s a good pitch.” If Strasburg can harness the pitch, he’d have one more weapon to use in putting away hitters — and to boost his stock in his walk year.
Another player facing potential free agency after the season is Yoenis Cespedes of the Mets, who has the chance to opt out of his three-year deal and re-enter the market. While his overall batting line has been strong in the early going, ESPN.com’s Mark Simon observes that the veteran outfielder’s strikeout rate is way up (currently, 35.3%, with a 15.5% swinging strike rate). The issue, in large part, is that Cespedes is chasing breaking balls out of the zone. Needless to say, there’s plenty of time for him to turn that around, and it’s good to see that he’s producing despite the swings and misses — aided by a .400 BABIP driven by loads of hard contact, as well as an improved 7.8% walk rate — but it’s certainly an area for improvement.
Both Strasburg and Cespedes featured prominently in the first iteration of next winter’s free agent power rankings by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, placing first and third (respectively) on that list.

NL East Notes: Freeman, Strasburg, Harper, Turner, Mejia

By Jeff Todd | March 11, 2016 at 10:08pm CDT

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman left today’s spring action with a right wrist issue, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Such a potentially minor occurrence might not warrant mention for most players, but Freeman missed significant time last year owing to issues in the same area, and he was proceeding cautiously as he ramps up for the 2016 season. (Indeed, as O’Brien has previously written, Freeman has long dealt with difficulties in his right wrist and hand.) For now, it’s only a situation to monitor, but there’s obviously added concern in his case.

Here’s more on Freeman and some other interesting players in the NL East:

Of course, Freeman was the topic of plenty of trade speculation this winter as the Braves continued to tweak their player assets — at least until GM John Coppolella made as clear as possible that Freeman wouldn’t be going anywhere. ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark explores the big lefty’s interesting offseason, reporting that Atlanta may have been closer to moving Freeman at one point than the organization has been willing to acknowledge. Coppolella denies that anything ever seriously progressed, while acknowledging that there was outside interest (which, of course, is no surprise). Freeman himself said he heard a lot of the chatter, but was eventually put to ease by the front office. And Coppolella explains that the first bagger is the organization’s “rock.” You’ll want to read the whole piece for the full story, as it is full of interesting content.
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo had some interesting comments today in an interview with MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (audio link). He said that righty Stephen Strasburg “could be a long-term fit” in DC and suggested that the organization would seek to explore a new deal with the pending free agent. While “health is obviously a big factor with him,” said Rizzo, it seems clear that the Nats at least have interest in seeing what an extension (or, potentially, a free agent deal) would look like. The club GM and president also talked about star Bryce Harper’s long-term status, saying that the “money part of it … is going to be extreme and complicated” while noting that he feels the Nationals have done a good job of selling Harper on the organization as a fit down the line.
Rizzo also talked more Nationals matters on the podcast of ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. In addition to providing some more thoughts about Strasburg and Harper, more from an on-field than a contractual perspective, Rizzo spoke at length about top shortstop prospect Trea Turner. The Nats’ head baseball decisionmaker wouldn’t commit to an Opening Day roster job for the youngster, but also didn’t rule it out, and emphasized that Turner is “not far away from the big leagues” while crediting him not only with 80-grade speed, but also outstanding maturity. As for the deal that brought him to DC, Rizzo tipped his cap to the scouts who helped to identify Turner and Joe Ross as targets within the Padres organization. He explained further: “[W]hen they showed interest in Steven Souza … we made it clear that, you know, we had to have these two players in the trade or we wouldn’t be interested in moving Souza.” The Nats were able to “get[] involved in a three-team trade later in the process” — the Rays, of course, being the organization that ultimately ended up with Souza — to land a return that has looked quite promising ever since the deal was struck.
Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia spoke again with the media today, emphasizing — as he said recently — that he was not using any banned substances when he was tagged with his second and third positive tests, as Laura Albanese of Newsday reports (Twitter links). While he acknowledged his initial suspension was valid, he “framed it as an accident,” by Albanese’s characterization. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com notes on Twitter that it appears Mejia’s lifetime ban was never formally appealed, so there may be some possibility that he could still have a chance at contesting the decision. As Nathaniel Vinton of the New York Daily News reports, it appears Mejia will attempt to do just that, though it should be noted there could well be procedural hurdles. For its part, the league issued a strong statement rejecting Mejia’s claims of a conspiracy against him, calling the righty a “repeated user of banned performance-enhancing substances” who is doing nothing more than “hiring aggressive lawyers and making wild, unsupported allegations about the conduct of others in an effort to clear their names.” Newsday’s David Lennon was among those to tweet the full statement.

Nationals Notes: Arroyo, Badenhop, Belisle, Giolito, Strasburg

By | February 20, 2016 at 9:42pm CDT

We’ve had plenty of updates out of the NL East today with full posts on the Mets, Phillies, and Braves. Here’s some interrelated pitching notes from our nation’s capitol.

Bronson Arroyo will have a real opportunity to make the Nationals roster, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Arroyo had the chance for a near-guaranteed job with the rebuilding Reds. He opted to join the contending Nationals in part because new manager Dusty Baker and others in the organization are familiar with him. Said Arroyo, “I tend to be the type of guy who’s not gonna wow you with my bullpens.” He explained that his personal brand of consistency over flashiness takes time for scouts to evaluate. Health remains a concern for the veteran. he felt pain in his elbow when rehabbing last year, although scar tissue was blamed for the discomfort. Arroyo will apparently compete with Tanner Roark for the fifth starter job.
A future Nationals rotation member, Lucas Giolito, won’t be making the opening day rotation, writes Janes. Instead, he’ll take time this spring to familiarize himself with the habits of veterans like Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez. He’s expected to begin the season in Double-A and could be on the short list for call ups if injuries befall the starting five. His goal is to reach the majors this season, but that could be out of his hands if the starting five pitch well.
Two minor league signings, Matt Belisle and Burke Badenhop, will also have a legitimate shot to earn a job, writes Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Four relievers are locked into jobs – Jonathan Papelbon, Shawn Kelley, Oliver Perez, and Yusmeiro Petit. Sophomores Felipe Rivero and Trevor Gott can be optioned to the minors if they don’t outperform their veteran competition. Even if both make the bullpen, that could mean there is one spot for Badenhop or Belisle. Of course, the loser of the rotation battle – Arroyo or Roark – may also find themselves in the bullpen.
In typical free-agent-to-be form, Strasburg tells reporters he isn’t thinking about what’s next, relays Bill Ladson of MLB.com. He’s looking to bounce back from a mixed season that included fantastic peripherals (10.96 K/9, 1.84 BB/9) and a disappointing 3.46 ERA. So long as he remains healthy, he’s in line for a possible record setting contract. Interestingly, Strasburg’s spot may eventually default to Giolito next season.

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