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Latest On Rangers’ Catching Situation

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The Rangers could be without catcher Robinson Chirinos for nearly three months, but while there’s been some talk about searching outside the organization for an upgrade, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick hears that Texas is more likely to stay in house than make a splashy acquisition (Twitter link).  That would mean entrusting catching duties to recently acquired Bryan Holaday and rookie Brett Nicholas, though Crasnick does note that the Rangers could make a minor trade to acquire some depth at the position.

Though Crasnick downplays the possibility of a significant trade taking place, it’s still worth noting that his colleague, Buster Olney, reported this morning that the Rangers did at least engage in talks for a significant trade this winter (Twitter link).  Per Olney, the Rangers spoke to the Padres about a trade involving Derek Norris, Andrew Cashner and Jurickson Profar, though clearly nothing ever came to fruition.  Texas was connected to Norris right up through the end of Spring Training, with Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News calling him a likelier trade candidate than the Brewers’ Jonathan Lucroy (to whom the Rangers were also frequently linked).

Holaday was naturally able to be acquired for a much lower return than it would’ve cost Texas to land either Lucroy or Norris this offseason, and the price tags on those two bigger-name catchers may have gotten even larger given how the Rangers now have an even more pressing need behind the plate.  It’s also somewhat rare to see significant trades for catching take place during the season, as most teams prefer to give their backstops and pitchers time to learn to work with each other.

Cashner and Norris have been mentioned in trade rumors for much of the winter, as there was speculation the Padres could unload some of their top trade chips to rebuild after their disappointing 2015 season.  While notables like Craig Kimbrel, Yonder Alonso and Jedd Gyorko were dealt, San Diego stopped short of a full-fledged fire sale.  Profar has also been cited as a trade candidate, as the former top-ranked prospect in all of baseball has missed almost all of the last two seasons with shoulder injuries and doesn’t have a place in the Rangers’ middle infield with Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor in starting roles.  Padres GM A.J. Preller, of course, was formerly a longtime assistant general manager in the Rangers organization.

NL Injury Notes: Winkler, Gonzales, Solarte, Edgin

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Braves righty Daniel Winkler, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 and missed most of last season, left the club’s game Sunday in agony with a fractured elbow, Mark Saxon of ESPN.com was among those to report (on Twitter). Winkler, whom Atlanta took from Colorado during the offseason’s Rule 5 draft, was off to a hot start as a member of the Braves’ bullpen. Prior to the injury, he had gone 2 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or a run, adding four strikeouts against one walk. It’s currently unknown how much time Winkler will miss, but given the significance of the injury, the rest of the season seems like a strong possibility for the 26-year-old.

Here’s more injury news from around the National League:

  • Cardinals lefty Marco Gonzales is deciding whether to undergo elbow surgery after consulting with doctors, including renowned orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache, tweets Saxon. It’s unknown what type of surgery Gonzales is considering, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. If the 24-year-old undergoes Tommy John surgery, he’d face a 12- to 18-month recovery, Langosch notes. Prior to notifying the Cardinals’ medical staff of elbow discomfort during the final week of Spring Training, Gonzales was expected to serve as rotation depth for the club this season. Gonzales, who dealt with shoulder issues last season, has logged a 4.82 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 5.3 BB/9 in 37 1/3 MLB innings.
  • Padres third baseman Yangervis Solarte is headed to the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring injury, paving the way for the call-up of utility man Alexi Amarista, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Solarte slashed an eye-popping .375/.474/.563 over his first 19 plate appearances this year. Amarista fared well in a minuscule sample size for Triple-A El Paso to start the year, but he recorded a weak .204/.257/.287 in 357 PAs for the Padres last season and hasn’t exactly been stellar in his 1,575 big league PAs (.227/.274/.325). He does, however, offer versatility, having spent time at six different positions in the infield and outfield during his career.
  • Another past Tommy John recipient, Mets reliever Josh Edgin, began a rehab assignment Sunday with 2/3 of an inning at Class-A St. Lucie and is on track for an early May return, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (Twitter link). The southpaw last saw action in 2014, when he served as a shutdown option for the Mets in compiling a 9.22 K/9 and 1.98 BB/9 to accompany a stingy 1.32 ERA in 27 1/3 innings.

Padres Notes: Ross, Trades, Fowler

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The Padres have placed righty Tyson Ross on the 15-day DL (retroactive to April 5) with right shoulder inflammation, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell tweets. Via the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Dennis Lin (on Twitter), Ross noticed his shoulder felt unusual during his first bullpen session after starting on Opening Day. Ross is optimistic he’ll return after missing the minimum amount of time. Clearly, the loss of Ross (who produced a 3.26 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 as one of the few bright spots in a rough Padres season in 2015) would be a blow to the Padres, particularly given that Ross is eligible for free agency after 2017 and could be traded at some point. Right now, however, there’s no indication the injury is serious. Manager Andy Green characterized the move as precautionary (tweet).

Here’s more from San Diego:

  • The Padres may have missed their window to cash in on most of their trade assets, Keith Law tells Buster Olney on the Baseball Tonight podcast (33:30 minute mark). While Law praised top prospect Manuel Margot for his solid tools and excellent baseball IQ, the rest of the farm system is rather bleak. Law believes Ross may be the only player on the major league roster who could fetch a franchise changing prospect. Derek Norris could return some value, but his shaky defense hurts his trade value. Similarly, other trade candidates aren’t likely to bring much in return. Of course, the podcast was recorded prior to Ross being placed on the disabled list. Law highlighted the long injury histories of Ross and Andrew Cashner which could come back to bite the Padres at any time.
  • Executive Ron Fowler has a difficult job on his hands convincing local fans that the front office has a plan, writes Bill Shaiken of the LA Times. After a disappointing 2015, the club seemingly went backwards over the winter with Justin Upton gone and Craig Kimbrel traded to Boston. The team appears to be feigning contention while planning a rebuild. This just one year after they spent a bushel of prospects and dollars in an attempt to compete in the NL West. Fowler admits the club was caught a little flat footed when the Dodgers started spending money like the Yankees on steroids. Their big spending rivals have the Friars looking for other ways to sneak into contention.

NL West Notes: Stripling, Crawford, Lincecum, Padres

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ decision to pull Ross Stripling 7 1/3 innings and 100 pitches into a no-hitter led to jeers last night at AT&T Park, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times writes. Chris Hatcher quickly gave up a two-run homer to Trevor Brown, and the Dodgers lost 3-2. “Under no circumstance am I going to even consider putting his future in jeopardy,” Roberts said of Stripling, who had Tommy John surgery in 2014, had just allowed his fourth walk, and was making his big-league debut. “For me, it was a no-brainer.” Via FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (on Twitter), Roberts says Stripling’s father thanked him for helping preserve his son’s health. It was, regardless, a memorable debut for Stripling, who spent the 2015 season coming back while pitching at Double-A Tulsa. Here’s more from around the NL West.

  • The Dodgers have placed outfielder Carl Crawford on the DL and recalled Micah Johnson to take his place, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets. Crawford will receive an MRI on Monday on his injured back, tweets J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group. Crawford started the Dodgers’ first three games this season and is batting 3-for-11 so far this year.
  • The Giants remain interested in bringing back Tim Lincecum, but as a reliever, not as a starter, Jon Heyman writes (Twitter links). Lincecum, though, would like to start. Lincecum has been the subject of an incredibly long series of updates about a mysterious showcase that has yet to come to fruition, but he’s reportedly doing well while working out at a variety of locations in Arizona. (Last month, the Royals found out about one of those locations and were kicked out, via Heyman.) Lincecum, who posted a 4.13 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 15 starts with the Giants in 2015, is attempting to return after having hip surgery in September.
  • Padres outfield prospect Jose Urena has been suspended 80 games for use of metaboline of Nandrolone, as noted in a staff report at Baseball America. Urena (not to be confused with the Marlins pitcher of the same name) is a genuine prospect who batted a solid .258/.390/.409 last season as a 20-year-old in the short-season Northwest League. The Padres had purchased his rights from a Mexican League team for $550K.

Padres Claim Brad Hand From Marlins

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The Padres have claimed lefty Brad Hand off waivers from the Marlins, as MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell reports on Twitter. Hand was designated for assignment on Sunday.

San Diego seemed to be looking for swingmen to stash with the acquisition and subsequent waiving of Dan Straily, who ended up being claimed by the Reds. It’s possible we’ll see the same attempted with Hand, though he could go right onto the active roster with southpaw reliever Matt Thornton hitting the DL. (He’s being replaced, for now, by Robbie Erlin.)

The 26-year-old Hand has split his major league appearances roughly evenly between starting and relief roles. He owns a 4.71 career ERA, with 5.9 K/9 vs. 3.7 BB/9, over 288 2/3 frames spread across five campaigns. Unsurprisingly, Hand has been much more effectively when facing left-handed hitters (.614 OPS-against) and when working out of the pen (.652 OPS-against).

Padres Sign James Loney To Minors Deal

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1:12pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that Loney secured an opt-out provision in his contract that allows him to take a Major League opportunity if it presents itself elsewhere (Twitter link). The Padres, though, do have right of first refusal, so they’ll have a chance to put him on their own big league roster first if another club does offer a 25-man roster spot.

APRIL 8, 8:00am: While there’s no official word from the team yet, Loney himself announced that he has signed in San Diego late last night (Twitter link).

APRIL 7: The Padres have agreed to a minor league pact with first baseman James Loney, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Loney had, of course, been released recently by the Rays, who remain on the hook for his $8MM salary for the coming season — less whatever he ends up earning in San Diego (or elsewhere), which almost certainly won’t exceed the league minimum rate of pay.

Loney, who’ll turn 32 in a month, was displaced by several offseason acquisitions by Tampa Bay. Coming off of a strong platform year, he inked a three-year pact with the Rays before 2014. Things didn’t go as hoped, however, as Loney took a step back in the first campaign and ended last year with a subpar .280/.322/.357 slash over just 388 plate appearances.

Despite showing some potential early in his career, power has never been Loney’s calling card. But at his best, he delivers a high average with solid on-base numbers while carrying a quality glove at first. Of course, advanced metrics soured on his work in the infield over the last two seasons. It’s worth noting, too, that Loney carries fairly drastic platoon splits, and is best off avoiding opposing southpaws.

For San Diego, Loney adds another piece to an organization that has struggled offensively out of the gates. Wil Myers figures to play every day at first, but could move to the outfield at times if the new addition becomes an option against righties. Of course, Brett Wallace occupies a similar role on the current roster, so Loney will have to earn an opportunity just to crack the majors.

Contract Notes: Francoeur, O’Flaherty, Ogando, Guthrie, Joba, Byrd

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There are some more contractual matters to run down for players who made rosters on minor league deals. These all come courtesy of Jon Heyman of MLB Network, and all links are to Heyman’s Twitter account.

  • Outfielder Jeff Francoeur is set to earn $1MM with the Braves after cracking the team’s Opening Day roster. He can also add another million via incentives in his contract. Francoeur received a hero’s welcome at Turner Field on Monday for his return to the organization with which he entered the league with much fanfare. At this stage, of course, the veteran is likely to serve as a fourth outfielder and bench bat.
  • Under the contract he originally signed with the Pirates — which the Braves acquired in a late-spring trade — lefty Eric O’Flaherty will earn a $1.75MM base salary and can add to that via unspecified incentives. O’Flaherty had eight strikeouts against just two walks in his 9 2/3 innings of spring action with Pittsburgh, but also allowed 15 hits and eight runs (though only three were earned). Of course, like Francoeur, he’s a former Atlanta standout who’s coming home in 2016.
  • Braves right-hander Alexi Ogando is in line for $2MM this year after he earned a pen job. He’ll also have the chance to tack on another $1.5MM if he can reach unreported milestones. (Previous reporting had suggested Ogando could only earn $1MM extra.) Ogando is looking for a bounceback after advanced metrics suggested he was actually rather fortunate to post a 3.99 ERA last year.
  • If and when he is called up to the Padres, veteran righty Jeremy Guthrie will pitch at a $1.25MM rate. Guthrie, who’ll turn 37 on Friday, joined on with San Diego after he failed to make the Rangers and opted out of his deal. Despite a rough 2015, Guthrie has a solid track record of delivering innings at the back of the rotation, and figures to have a shot at making some more MLB starts if and when a need arises.
  • Indians righty Joba Chamberlain will not only play at a $1MM base salary, but can earn up to $2MM via incentives. Chamberlain, 30, was a somewhat surprising choice to make the Cleveland pen after he allowed seven walks in his ten spring innings, though he did strike out eight while allowing only three earned runs. He was already coming off of a subpar campaign the season prior, though some advanced metrics (in particular, SIERA) viewed him as a still-useful pitcher and he did have a strong 2014 under his belt.
  • Finally, in addition to his previously-reported $1MM salary, Marlon Byrd can earn up to $2.5MM in incentives with the Indians. But he has agreed to an advanced consent clause that would allow Cleveland to dodge the bulk of its potential obligations if it cuts him loose within the contractually-specified number of days of Opening Day (the maximum advanced-consent length is 45 days, but it remains unreported in this case). Byrd could play an important role in the Indians’ outfield mix, as he has continued to mash left-handed pitching, but he’ll likely function in a platoon role.

NL Notes: Epstein, Blash, Perdomo, Martin, Pollock, Gray

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Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said that there’s been progress in extension talks with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports on Twitter. While the sides aren’t setting any expectations for when a deal could be finalized, Ricketts gave the impression that one could be close. As has been widely expected for some time, Epstein is in line to overtake the Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman as the game’s highest-paid executive, Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com adds on Twitter.

Here’s more from the National League …

  • The Padres are hoping that Rule 5 picks Jabari Blash and Luis Perdomo can justify their roster spots not only with their long-term upside, but also their immediate contributions, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com writes. Blash looks to be the more MLB-ready of the two, notes Cassavell, with the 22-year-old Perdomo showing plenty of talent but also a lack of polish. It looks like it’ll be an uphill battle for the young righty to stick all year after a tough spring and rough handling by the Dodgers late in today’s blowout loss.
  • Padres GM A.J. Preller says he’s hoping to find a way to keep Rule 5 righty Josh Martin even after designating him for assignment yesterday, Cassavell tweets. By waiting to put him in DFA limbo, rather than utilizing outright waivers, San Diego has ten days to work out a deal with the Indians to retain Martin’s rights — assuming he isn’t ultimately claimed by another organization.
  • Losing A.J. Pollock for what could be a huge chunk of the 2016 season puts the Diamondbacks in a significant hole, Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs explains. What had been a promising outfield mix, led by Pollock, now appears to have significant issues up the middle and in left, as Socrates Brito and Chris Owings — along with, perhaps, some outside help — figure to share time in center while putting even more pressure on Yasmany Tomas. It’s obviously always rough for a team to lose a player who’s expected to be a major contributor, but Sullivan explains that Arizona was already a mostly-borderline contender before losing one of the game’s best outfielders.
  • The Rockies have received positive returns on Jon Gray’s efforts to work through an ab injury, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports. After a lengthy live-BP session, Gray appears ready to make a minor league rehab appearance and also feels he may have discovered an important mechanical adjustment. Colorado is hoping for big things from the 24-year-old, and it is certainly good news that it seems he’ll soon be ready to join the MLB staff.

Padres Designate Josh Martin For Assignment

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The Padres announced that they have designated right-handed pitcher Josh Martin for assignment.  In a related move, San Diego has selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Adam Rosales.  The Padres now have 39 players on the 40-man roster.

Martin, 26, first entered the league as a tenth-round pick of the Indians in the 2012 draft.  Last year, Martin ascended to Double-A Akron and pitched to a 3.07 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.  This year, he found his way to the Padres but could not stick on their Opening Day roster.

Rosales, 33 in May, inked a minor league deal with the Padres in January.  He’ll make $800K in the majors, Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego tweets.

To keep up with Martin and many more players in DFA limbo, keep an eye on MLBTR’s handy DFA Tracker.

Roster Notes: Brewers, Weeks, Abad, Phillies, Ramos, Pena

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Here’s a roundup of today’s notable roster decisions….

  • The Brewers announced that the contracts of right-hander Blaine Boyer and left-hander Chris Capuano have been selected.  Both pitchers were told they had made the team earlier this week, and the moves are now official that Milwaukee has created some corresponding roster space.  Sean Nolin and Yhonathan Barrios were both moved to the 60-day DL, while Will Smith was placed on the 15-day DL.
  • The Diamondbacks selected Rickie Weeks’ contract, the team announced.  Weeks, looking to rebound from a disastrous 2015 season, signed a minors contract with Arizona last month.  The D’Backs placed A.J. Pollock and Josh Collmenter on the 15-day DL in corresponding moves.
  • The Twins selected the contract of Fernando Abad, the team announced.  The southpaw signed a minor league deal with Minnesota in December after the A’s non-tendered him.  Abad posted a 4.15 ERA last season, with some unfriendly advanced metrics and uncharacteristically poor results against left-handed hitters.
  • The Phillies finalized their 25-man roster, announcing that they have selected the contracts of lefty James Russell, infielder Emmanuel Burriss and outfielder Cedric Hunter.  In corresponding moves, Cody Asche and Michael Mariot were put on the 15-day DL retroactive to March 25, and Matt Harrison, Aaron Altherr and Mario Hollands were each placed on the 60-day DL.
  • Left-hander Cesar Ramos has accepted an assignment to the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate to begin the season, Rangers executive VP of communications John Blake tweeted.  Ramos signed a minor league deal with Texas in January after being somewhat surprisingly non-tendered by the Angels.
  • Cardinals backup catcher Brayan Pena will begin the season on the DL and will require surgery to remove a body from his left knee, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch writes (Twitter links). That means the Cardinals will add minor-league signee Eric Fryer to their roster to serve as their backup catcher until Pena can return, which should take two to four weeks. The 30-year-old Fryer played most of last season with Triple-A Rochester in the Twins system, batting .293/.367/.360. He’s appeared in bits of five big-league seasons with the Pirates and Twins.
  • Outfielder Jabari Blash, a Rule 5 pick from the Mariners, has made the Padres’ Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets. The 26-year-old Blash batted an impressive .271/.370/.576 and 32 homers in a 2015 season split between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma, then followed that with a decent spring in which he hit .204 but with four homers and eight walks in 59 plate appearances. The Padres also announced that fellow outfielder Travis Jankowski has made the team.
  • The Rays have selected the contract of lefty Dana Eveland and optioned righty Andrew Bellatti and outfielder Mikie Mahtook, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes (Twitter links). The moves also mean righty Danny Farquhar has made the team. The 32-year-old Eveland pitched only briefly in the Majors last season, but got good results for three different Triple-A teams, posting a 1.95 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 55 1/3 innings.
  • The Braves have announced their Opening Day roster. The Braves were already in MLBTR’s pages today as they designated Michael Bourn and Emilio Bonifacio for assignment and selected the contracts of Drew Stubbs and Alexi Ogando. In addition, they reassigned Jhoulys Chacin to Triple-A Gwinnett. The idea, via David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter), is that he’ll make one start there and then join the Braves when they need a fifth starter, which should be April 12. Notable names who made the team include righty Dan Winkler, a 2014 Rule 5 pick, along with rookie righties Jose Ramirez and John Gant.
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