Diamondbacks Targeting Bullpen, Third Base Help
On the heels of an NL-worst 52-110 showing, the Diamondbacks are generally expected to be in for a quiet winter. Last month, Arizona GM Mike Hazen frankly acknowledged that competing in a loaded division in 2022 looked unlikely, and he sounded slightly more open than he’d been in the past to considering trades that would send away marquee members of the roster.
Still, Hazen pushed back against the possibility of a full rebuild at that time, and assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye took a similar stance yesterday when speaking with reporters (including Zach Buchanan of the Athletic). Asked about the possibility of moving high-caliber, controllable players like Ketel Marte, Zac Gallen and Carson Kelly, Sawdaye reiterated that the D-Backs hope to build around what he called “cornerstone-type players.” Just as Hazen has on a few occasions, Sawdaye said the Snakes would “never say never” on any possibility, but he also didn’t sound anxious to tear the roster to the studs.
“We go into every season with the idea that we want to put the best possible team out there that’s going to go out and compete,” Sawdaye said (via Buchanan). “I don’t think we ever wave the white flag and say, ‘Well, we’re going to give up on ’22.” Sawdaye instead suggested the D-Backs would look for external upgrades, pointing to the bullpen and third base as areas of need.
The Diamondbacks had plenty of issues this past season, but it’s arguable that the relief corps was the biggest culprit. Only the Orioles and Nationals had a worse bullpen ERA than Arizona’s 5.08, and D-Backs relievers ranked dead last in both SIERA (4.56) and strikeout/walk rate differential (9.7 percentage points). Since the end of the season, they’ve already picked up a pair of relief options (Zack Burdi and Edwin Uceta) off waivers, but it seems they’ll scour the free agent market for additional options. Sawdaye didn’t suggest the D-Backs would play for top-of-the-market arms like Raisel Iglesias or Kendall Graveman, but the front office has plenty of lower-cost candidates to choose from. The Snakes can add at least add some veteran stability to the middle innings, since they’re only returning one reliever (Sean Poppen) who worked at least ten innings with a sub-4.00 SIERA in 2021.
On the position player side, Sawdaye called third base “the clearest need on our infield.” Eduardo Escobar and Asdrúbal Cabrera soaked up the bulk of the innings there this year, but both players were moved to contenders before the end of the season. The D-Backs could theoretically make another run at either player now that they’re free agents, but Escobar seems likely to price himself out of their market and Cabrera didn’t play particularly well. Beyond Kris Bryant and Kyle Seager, the free agent market offers mostly utility types at the hot corner.
Interestingly, Sawdaye suggested the D-Backs could try to pick up a controllable third base option via trade. Even if Arizona doesn’t wind up trading long-term assets, they could move someone like starter Merrill Kelly, who’ll make just $5.25MM in his final year of team control. Perhaps a Kelly deal could bring back a controllable infielder, and Sawdaye also floated the possibility of a “prospect-for-prospect-type deal” eventually coming together. The D-Backs themselves were part of perhaps the most notable trade of that kind in recent memory, when they picked up Gallen from the Marlins for Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the 2019 trade deadline.
There seems to be a bit of room on the books for the front office to make some upgrades, even if none of Sawdaye’s comments portend a pursuit at the top of the market. Jason Martinez of Roster Resource projects the D-Backs’ 2022 commitments around $80MM at the moment, and non-tenders of players like Christian Walker, Noé Ramirez and Caleb Smith could knock a few million dollars off that mark. Arizona entered the 2021 campaign with a payroll just shy of $96MM, in the estimation of Cot’s Baseball Contracts. If owner Ken Kendrick is willing to spend at that level again, then Arizona could be more active than one might expect in augmenting the roster around the margins.
Diamondbacks Place Zac Gallen On Injured List
The Diamondbacks announced they’ve placed right-hander Zac Gallen on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. Catcher Bryan Holaday has been selected to replace him on the active roster. The D-Backs had a vacancy on the 40-man roster after this week’s trade of outfielder Tim Locastro to the Yankees.
It’ll be the second IL stint of the year for Gallen, who earlier missed a month with a minor sprain of the UCL in his throwing elbow. It doesn’t seem there’s a ton of cause for concern this time around. The righty told reporters (including Zach Buchanan of the Athletic) he’d been diagnosed with a “very mild” strain that was of the Grade 1 (least severe) variety. Indeed, Gallen said he’s not even in pain currently.
Nevertheless, there’s little reason for the 23-61 Diamondbacks to take any chances with a core player. Gallen qualifies, having pitched to a 3.16 ERA/3.78 FIP across 156 2/3 innings since the D-Backs acquired him from the Marlins at the 2019 trade deadline. Gallen hasn’t been that effective this year, but there’s little doubt the organization remains bullish on his long-term upside.
Holaday is now set to appear in the majors for a tenth consecutive season. The right-handed hitter’s most extensive run came early in his career with the Tigers, and he’s also seen action with the Rangers, Red Sox, Marlins and Orioles over the past couple seasons. All told, the 33-year-old owns a .238/.283/.333 line across 768 MLB plate appearances. Signed to a minor league deal over the winter, he’s hit .263/.315/.579 in 108 trips to the dish with Triple-A Reno. That’s solid but unspectacular output in the hitter’s paradise that is Triple-A West.
NL Injury Notes: Diamondbacks, Gallen, Cardinals, O’Neill
It’s Saturday morning, which means it’s time to check in on a couple of potentially consequential injures from yesterday’s ballgames…
- Zac Gallen was removed from yesterday’s start due with what the Diamondbacks described as right hamstring tightness. He’ll have an MRI done today. The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan provides video of the pitch that took Gallen out of the game. It’s yet another setback for Gallen in what was supposed to be a breakout season. He missed the beginning of the season with a hairline fracture in his forearm, then went back on the injured list for another 39 days with an elbow sprain. Speculatively speaking, another IL stint appears likely here. Especially given the state of Arizona’s season, they are likely to be cautious with Gallen. When has has been healthy, he’s been effective, making eight starts with a 3.69 ERA/3.75 FIP in 72 innings with a strong 27.3 percent strikeout rate, slightly high 10.7 percent walk rate, and 44.6 percent groundball rate.
- Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill appeared to take a fastball off the wrist yesterday, per MLB.com’s Zachary Silver (via Twitter). Upon further review, O’Neill was clipped in the right pinky, though he did leave the ballgame. The team is optimistic, though he will undergo further testing today, per The Athletic’s Katie Woo (via Twitter). A Gold Glove Award winner in 2020, O’Neill’s bat has caught up to his glove this season as he’s slashed .276/.329/.558 with 15 home runs in 237 plate appearances. The Cardinals have struggled to get the most out of their outfielders, ranking 22nd in the game by measure of fWAR with 2.6, with O’Neill himself adding 2.1 fWAR. Harrison Bader is recently returned from injury, but losing O’Neill would be a blow. In the short term, Tommy Edman will shift to the outfield, though if O’Neill ends up on the injured list, St. Louis would likely call-up another outfielder.
Diamondbacks Activate Zac Gallen From Injured List
JUNE 17: As expected, Arizona reinstated Gallen from the IL this morning. Righty Humberto Castellanos was optioned to Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move.
JUNE 16: The Diamondbacks announced they’re planning to activate Zac Gallen from the injured list. He’ll start tomorrow afternoon’s game in San Francisco, his first MLB action in nearly six weeks.
Gallen went on the IL in mid-May with an ominous-sounding diagnosis: a minor sprain of the UCL in his throwing elbow. He wound missing a fairly notable amount of time, but the D-Backs are surely relieved it didn’t require any sort of surgical repair. Gallen looks like a potential cornerstone rotation piece for Arizona. Since the D-Backs acquired him from the Marlins for Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the 2019 trade deadline, he’s tossed 142 1/3 innings of 2.85 ERA/3.54 FIP ball with a strong 28.4% strikeout rate.
The 25-year-old has been limited to five starts this year, and the D-Backs have certainly felt his absence. Arizona starters have pitched to a disastrous 5.55 ERA, the second-worst mark in the league (the Pirates are at 5.57). Diamondbacks starters also rank near the bottom of the league in strikeout rate (20.4%), strikeout/walk rate differential (11.9 percentage points) and SIERA (4.55).
Quick Hits: Workman, Gallen, Tatis Jr.
Brandon Workman has opted out of his contract with the Boston Red Sox. They now have less than 48 hours to decide whether or not to add him to the active roster, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. The 32-year-old returned to the Red Sox after being released by the Cubs at the end of April. He put up a 6.75 ERA in 10 appearances with Chicago, but followed that up with a 1.29 ERA over seven innings for the Triple-A Red Sox. He racked up strikeouts at both spots with a combined 30.0 percent strikeout rate. As has been the issue with Workman in the past, however, his control has been spotty (15.7 percent walk rate). If Boston decides not to add him to their active roster, Workman will again be a free agent. Elsewhere around the game…
- Diamondbacks’ ace Zac Gallen threw at 90-feet today, and he’s scheduled to throw a bullpen tomorrow to truly begin the road back to the active roster, per the Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (via Twitter). After starting the season on the injured list, Gallen returned with five strong outings from April 13th to May 7th, but he landed back on the IL with a UCL sprain.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. left today’s game against the Cubs in the sixth inning, though there was no apparent injury at the time. The Padres did not waste much time in acknowledging his removal (via Twitter); he exited as a precautionary measure due to oblique tightness. Given his level of stardom, his central role on a contender, and the myriad injuries he’s dealt with so far this season, any health issue for Tatis Jr. rates as a potential game-changer. He did not seem particularly perturbed at the time of his exit, however, and there’s no reason to do anything but take the Padres’ at their word and hope the injury is, at it seems, a minor one.
Diamondbacks Place Zac Gallen, Christian Walker On 10-Day IL
5:46pm: Early test results on Gallen’s elbow have been “encouraging,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.
5:02pm: The Diamondbacks have placed right-hander Zac Gallen (elbow sprain) and first baseman Christian Walker (right oblique soreness) on the 10-day injured list, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The team also selected righty Seth Frankoff, recalled infielder Andrew Young and designated infielder/outfielder Wyatt Mathisen for assignment.
Gallen was supposed to start Wednesday against his former team, the Marlins, but he’ll instead be out for a while longer. He’s dealing with a “minor sprain of one section of his UCL in his right elbow,” according to manager Torey Lovullo, who added that the team will “reassess in a couple weeks” (via Piecoro). If the issue is anything but “minor,” it would be a terrible development for Gallen and the D-backs, as the 25-year-old has thrived since they acquired him from Miami for second baseman Jazz Chisholm in 2019.
Chisholm has turned into a valuable player in his own right since the deal went down, but Arizona’s surely pleased with Gallen’s output in its uniform. Gallen owns a 2.85 ERA in 142 1/3 innings as a Diamondback, including a 3.04 mark over 26 2/3 frames this year, and has posted a 28.4 percent strikeout rate against a 9.7 percent walk rate.
This is the second IL placement of the year for Walker, who has landed on the shelf both times because of his oblique. Even when healthy enough to play this season, Walker has fallen well short of the above-average numbers he registered from 2019-20, having hit a disappointing .203/.268/.313 through 71 plate appearances.
Mathisen has joined Walker in seeing time at first base for the Diamondbacks, who will have a week to trade the 27-year-old or get him through waivers. Mathisen has been tremendous at the Triple-A level, where he has slashed .267/.370/.514 with 32 home runs in 627 trips to the plate. However, that success hasn’t translated to the majors, as Mathisen has batted .159/.298/.290 over a much smaller sample size of 84 plate appearances. Mathisen has two minor league options left, so perhaps a team seeking offensive depth will take a chance on him.
Frankoff, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks last winter after the Mariners outrighted him. He had a productive run with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Doosan Bears from 2018-19, during which he combined for a 3.68 ERA in 266 2/3 frames. Prior to that, almost all of his career was spent in the minors with the Athletics, Dodgers and Cubs. Frankoff only has 4 2/3 big league innings under his belt.
D-backs Activate Zac Gallen
The Diamondbacks announced Tuesday that they’ve activated right-hander Zac Gallen from the 10-day injured list. Righty Matt Peacock was optioned to their alternate site in order to open a spot on the active roster. Gallen was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right forearm last month — an injury he sustained while taking batting practice late in camp. Assuming there are no setbacks, it seems Gallen’s injury will only cost him a couple weeks of regular-season action.
Gallen, 25, will return to a D-backs rotation that has struggled thus far in 2021, thanks largely to uncharacteristically rough showings from Madison Bumgarner and Merrill Kelly. Bumgarner has been hammered for 17 runs in just 13 2/3 innings — walking eight of the 73 batters he’s faced (10.9 percent) and plunking another three. Kelly, who is trying to work his way back from thoracic outlet surgery that ended an excellent 2020 campaign prematurely, has surrendered nine earned runs in 10 frames.
Gallen will take the place of Riley Smith in the team’s rotation, manager Torey Lovullo tells reporters (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert). If he’s back to full strength, he should step in as the team’s top starter. Already traded twice in his young career, Gallen landed with the D-backs in the 2019 deadline swap that sent Jazz Chisholm to Miami. The move was a surprise at the time, given Gallen’s six years of remaining club control and his hot start to his rookie campaign that year. He’s been every bit as good in 115 2/3 innings with the Snakes as he was in 36 1/3 frames with the Fish, pitching to a combined 2.80 ERA with a 28.5 percent strikeout rate and a 9.1 percent walk rate following the trade.
NL Injury Notes: D-backs, Carrasco, Lamet
Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen will make his first start of the season on Tuesday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. The Diamondbacks had to open the year without Gallen, their No. 1 starter, as a result of a hairline fracture he suffered in his right forearm roughly three weeks ago. Gallen thrived with the Marlins and D-backs during his first two years in the majors, in which he combined for a 2.78 ERA and struck out 28.5 percent of batters in 152 innings.
Here’s more regarding Arizona and a couple of other National League teams…
- The Mets’ Carlos Carrasco suffered a torn hamstring last month, but manager Luis Rojas said Monday that the righty “is doing really good right now,” per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Carrasco is stretched out to throw four innings and will soon report to the Mets’ alternate site to begin fielding work, according to DiComo. Still, there isn’t an exact timeline for the offseason acquisition’s Mets debut. It was reported when Carrasco went down that he would need six to eight weeks to recover, so he could still be another month-plus away.
- Righty Dinelson Lamet won’t rejoin the Padres’ rotation until he pitches at least one more time at their alternate site, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. Lamet has been delayed while working back from elbow issues that brought a premature end to a breakout 2020 effort in which he put up a 2.09 ERA/3.16 SIERA in 69 innings and finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. The Padres have roared to an 8-3 start without Lamet, but he should make the World Series hopefuls even more formidable upon his return.
- The Diamondbacks placed first baseman Christian Walker on the 10-day injured list Monday with a right oblique strain and recalled infielder/outfielder Andrew Young to take his spot, per a team announcement. Whether Walker will need more than 10 days to recover isn’t known, but oblique problems often lead to extended absences. Before going on the IL, Walker amassed 44 plate appearances and hit .179/.250/.282 – a far cry from the .271/.333/.459 line he posted in 243 PA last year.
Quick Hits: Alex Rodriguez, Odorizzi, Gallen, Sanchez
Alex Rodriguez may finally secure an ownership role in North American sports, but it won’t be with a baseball team. After making an attempt to purchase the Mets last year, Rodriguez has teamed with billionaire Marc Lore. They are finalizing a deal to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. If completed, Rodriguez and Lore would take over in 2023.
The Timberwolves have struggled to build a consistent contender in the NBA since a successful run with fiery big man Kevin Garnett ended. Even then, functional GM Kevin McHale, coach Flip Saunders, and Garnett lost seven consecutive first round series. They finally broke through in 2003-04 for the franchise’s first playoff series win. They’d fall in the Western Conference Finals in what turned out to be the final playoff run of the Garnett era, however. Minnesota has just one playoff appearance in their history outside of that eight-year run, despite a roster currently built around the first overall pick of the 2015 draft Karl-Anthony Towns. You can find out more by heading to Hoops Rumors where Arthur Hill has the latest details. Now, back to baseball…
- Jake Odorizzi is set to make his debut for the Houston Astros on Tuesday versus Detroit, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. Cristian Javier will head to the club’s alternate site to make room, tweets McTaggart. Javier should be back with the big league club before too long, but the Astros wanted to give him some extra time between appearances. Javier, 24, figures to be a significant part of the Astros’ rotation this season, but the 24-year-old wasn’t totally healthy at the start of the year. Regardless, he’s been sharp in two starts thus far, including getting a win with five scoreless innings against Oakland on Thursday.
- Zac Gallen could also return as early as Tuesday, per the Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (via Twitter). Manager Torey Lovullo wouldn’t commit, but it certainly sounds like Gallen will be back soon. The Diamondback rotation has struggled without Gallen leading the way. Now that Ketel Marte has landed on the injured list, Gallen’s return could provide a much-needed lift for the Snakes.
- Anibal Sanchez cut his fingers just 13 pitches into a bullpen showcase today, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). It had seemed like Sanchez would be ready to sign soon, but he’ll now need 10 days for his finger to heal. The Phillies, Nationals, and Marlins have all been tied to Sanchez at one point or another this winter.
West Notes: Bellinger, Betts, Smith, Odor
Cody Bellinger could be headed to the injured list, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). He was held out of Wednesday’s game with a sore calf and last saw game action in Monday’s 10-3 victory in Oakland. Mookie Betts played centerfield in his place on Tuesday night, but the reigning MVP runner-up was out for Wednesday’s game with a stiff lower back. Betts could return for Friday’s home opener, however. Still, it might be prudent for manager Dave Roberts to keep Betts in right field for the time being. That would mean more time in center for Chris Taylor. AJ Pollock didn’t see any time in center last season, but he does have eight years of Major League experience at the position. Elsewhere in the west…
- Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo is moving southpaw Caleb Smith to the bullpen, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear who will take Smith’s spot in the rotation. Zac Gallen is on the mend, but he won’t quite be ready in time for Smith’s turn on Saturday. Taylor Widener lines up for Friday’s game, while Luke Weaver will pitch on Sunday. If they go with a bullpen game, both Alex Young and Taylor Clarke are already in the bullpen and capable of bulk innings. Smith, of course, would also be available out of the bullpen. He gave up three earned runs on five hits and three walks in three innings on April 3rd, his only start of the season.
- The Rangers had other offers for Rougned Odor beyond the deal they accepted from the Yankees. Other offers had more favorable financial terms, but the Rangers prioritized adding talent, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Fangraphs had Antonio Cabello as the Yankees’ 23rd-ranked prospect prior to the trade, while Josh Stowers was listed in the “Realistic Bench Pieces” section.