FRIDAY: The Giants are set to activate Hunter Strickland from the disabled list tomorrow, the team told reporters (Twitter link via Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group). His activation will serve as the corresponding move for placing rookie right-hander Dereck Rodriguez on the 10-day disabled list yesterday. Curiously, the Giants won’t make an additional move today and will instead play a man short in Friday’s contest against the Reds.
[Related: San Francisco Giants depth chart]
Strickland has been out since undergoing surgery to repair a fractured right hand back in mid-June. It was an embarrassing injury for the right-hander, who sustained the fracture when he punched a door out of frustration following a blown save. He’s on the 60-day disabled list, so the Giants will have to make a corresponding 40-man move in order to activate him.
Left-hander Will Smith has been serving as San Francisco’s closer in Strickland’s absence, and it’s not yet clear how manager Bruce Bochy will elect to manage his bullpen roles once Strickland is activated. Smith has pitched exceptionally well this year, working to a superlative 2.01 ERA with 12.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.45 HR/9 and a 40.7 percent ground-ball rate. Smith is also running up a career-best 16 percent swinging-strike rate and a 40.4 percent chase rate that checks in as the third-best mark among qualified relievers in 2018.
Strickland was enjoying a strong season himself prior to the injury. In 31 2/3 frames this year, he’s posted a 2.84 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 0.57 HR/9 and a 39.6 percent ground-ball rate. Those numbers are obviously a fair sight shy of Smith’s dominance, but deploying Strickland in the ninth inning could allow Bochy to utilize Smith in higher-leverage spots earlier in the game — particularly against tough left-handed bats. While Smith has dominated righties and lefties alike, he’s been utterly overpowering against same-handed battters. Through 57 plate appearances, lefties are hitting a comically feeble .161/.175/.196 against him.
]]>Fortunately, it is said only to be a grade 1 strain for Rodriguez — the mildest form of the injury. It seems that the problem arose during the recent scuffle between the Giants and rival Dodgers, as Crowley and others note on Twitter.
Rodriguez has been among the most surprising players in baseball this year. Previously known only as the son of Hall-of-Famer Ivan Rodriguez, the 26-year-old has emerged as a quality rotation piece in San Francisco after joining the organization over the winter as a minor-league free agent who had never yet pitched in the big leagues.
It seems fair to say that Rodriguez has had a major role in keeping the Giants in shouting distance of a postseason spot. He has thrown 80 innings of 2.25 ERA ball, after all, making him a solid Rookie of the Year candidate — at least, that is, were this not a season that features two otherworldly young National League hitters.
Despite their immediate needs, the Giants will surely prioritize Rodriguez’s long-term health in bringing him back to action. While there’s no reason to think he’s at risk of a severe hamstring injury, lower-body injuries can potentially impact mechanics and lead to other concerns. While Rodriguez doesn’t carry peripherals that suggest he’ll continue to be a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher over the long haul, he looks to be a key piece for a Giants organization that is hoping to infuse some youth into its roster while staying competitive.
]]>Officially, Puig was suspended for “fighting and inciting a bench-clearing incident.” Those interested in seeing the video and some of the reactions from those two players will want to click this link.
The incident arose when Hundley seemingly took issue with Puig’s reaction to fouling off a pitch. A verbal dispute quickly escalated into a push-punch to the chest protector by Puig. The bullpens emptied on cue. Ultimately, the Dodgers outfielder got another swipe at the still-masked Hundley, who was by then engaged in a sort of drive-block dance with Dodgers coach George Lombard, though no damage was done. Both players were ejected.
Needless to say, there’s certainly a deeper history between these two ballclubs. The heated on-field rivalry has perhaps helped fuel some animosity between members of the current rosters. Puig and Giants hurler Madison Bumgarner have had some memorable clashes, for instance.
At the end of the day, the news won’t likely cause many problems for the Dodgers. Puig can appeal, which might lead to a reduction and will certainly precipitate a delay of the suspension. That’ll at least give the club time to sort out its roster situation to account for his brief absence.
]]>More on a few interesting items from around MLB this evening…
Sands, 30, has seen action in five MLB seasons, producing a composite .238/.303/.367 batting line. He had spent the past two seasons with the Giants organization. In 371 plate appearances at the Double-A and Triple-A levels in 2018, Sands carries a .269/.361/.505 slash with 16 long balls.
As for Choice, a 28-year-old former first-round draft pick, he has struggled through three hundred career MLB plate appearances (.188/.253/.320) but turned in a big 2017 effort after moving to Nexen last year. Unfortunately, he hasn’t matched that productivity thus far in the present season, as he’s carrying a .258/.339/.458 batting line with 17 home runs.
Choice’s stat line may look fairly robust at first glance, but it’s not all that impressive for the notoriously hitter-friendly KBO. The standards are especially high for foreign players, as each team is capped at three apiece. There are quite a few significant performers listed on MyKBO’s foreign-player leaderboard. As Kurtz notes, today’s transaction occurs just before the mid-August deadline for KBO players to add foreign players to their roster who are eligible for postseason play.
]]>Sandoval, 31, hasn’t approached his peak levels with the Giants in 2018, but he’s had a modest rebound all the same. Through 252 plate appearances, the Panda has posted a .248/.310/.417 with nine homers, 10 doubles and a triple. He’s logged time at first base, third base and even second base with San Francisco this year — albeit just seven innings at the latter of those positions. Though he’ll likely never return to the .292/.345/.464 (124 OPS+) form he showed from 2009-14, Sandoval’s 2018 production came out just narrowly south of league average after adjusting for park and league (97 OPS+, 97 wRC+).
The Giants will have the same decision to make on Sandoval that they did at the end of the 2017 season, as he’s technically still under contract for the 2019 season — the final guaranteed year of the ill-fated five-year, $95MM deal he signed prior to the 2015 campaign. Of course, San Francisco can keep him around for only the league minimum in 2019, with the Red Sox on the hook for the remainder of the $23MM he’s owed next year ($18MM salary plus the $5MM buyout on a 2020 club option).
]]>Cueto spent two months on the disabled list earlier this season due to an elbow strain but was able to return to the mound in early July. However, after working to a sub-1.00 ERA through the season’s first month, he allowed 16 runs in 21 innings before landing back on the disabled list. Manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged recently that Tommy John surgery was a definite possibility for Cueto, and today’s announcement confirms as much.
The loss of Cueto is a massive blow to the Giants’ 2018 hopes. They’re currently five games out of the lead in the NL West and 4.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot in the National League, though the loss of Cueto and ongoing injury issues with Jeff Samardzija will present them with even more of an uphill battle in their efforts to return to the top of the division.
Cueto, 33 in February, is in the third season of a six-year, $132MM contract after forgoing an opt-out clause after the deal’s second season. While he turned in a brilliant first season in San Francisco back in 2016, his 2017 was marred by injuries, and both the 2018 and 2019 seasons will now fall under that same category. He’ll hope for a return late in the 2019 campaign, though it’s possible that Cueto won’t be able to return to the Giants’ rotation until after his 35th birthday. He’s owed just under $75MM through the end of the 2021 season (including a $5MM buyout of a $22MM option for the 2022 season).
It’s not clear whether the worst-case outcome on Cueto’s elbow will motivate the Giants to subtract any veteran pieces over the course of the month. San Francisco’s front office has been candid about its desire to try to remain competitive on a yearly basis. Certainly, they’d have plenty of pieces who could be attractive to contending clubs if they fall any further out of the race. While the Giants aren’t going to be embarking on any type of full-scale tear down, shorter-term veterans like Sam Dyson, Will Smith, Nick Hundley and Derek Holland could draw interest from teams that are more firmly in the playoff hunt. It’s far from clear, though, that the Giants would make any of those players available later this month.
]]>Earlier Updates:
Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale tweets that the Giants do not expect to move McCutchen at all today.
8:22am: The Yankees, Phillies and Indians are all showing “varying levels of interest” in Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, who writes that San Francisco is more open to moving potential free agents than it was earlier this summer. On the other hand, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic tweets that while the Giants may indeed consider a move involving McCutchen, he doesn’t believe the team would seriously consider doing so until next month in a potential waiver deal. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle strikes a similar tone, tweeting that Giants are actually still looking at adding to their outfield or rotation in an effort to improve the team’s 2018 chances.
The Giants, of course, have slipped in the NL West standings this month, though they’re still just five and a half games back of the division lead. The reported possibility of surgery for right-hander Johnny Cueto doesn’t do any favors for the team’s hopes of climbing back up the standings, but GM Bobby Evans and president Brian Sabean have never been overly inclined to send their team into “sell” mode in the past.
It’s not hard to see why any of the teams listed by Morosi would at least have interest in McCutchen, though the Yankees’ need may be too short-term in nature for a player like McCutchen. New York has reportedly been seeking an extra outfield bat with Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier on the shelf, but McCutchen would be a costly addition (financially speaking) and crowd the team’s outfield mix in fairly notable fashion if and when Judge is ready to return next month.
Cleveland and Philadelphia, meanwhile, both showed some interest in Adam Jones but have come to learn that he’s unlikely to waive his 10-and-5 no-trade protection. As such, both have been tied to other bats on the market in recent days. The Indians, in particular, are said to be focusing on an upgrade in center field, though McCutchen is clearly better-suited for corner outfield work at this stage of his career.
McCutchen, 31, is earning $14.75MM this year in his final season before reaching free agency for the first time in his career. He’s enjoyed a solid season at the plate, though his offensive output hasn’t been anywhere near his peak levels, when he was the 2013 NL MVP and widely considered to be among the game’s best all-around players. In 454 plate appearances with San Francisco, McCutchen is hitting .258/.352/.407 with 10 homers, 24 doubles and a pair of triples — still above the league average (especially considering his cavernous home park) but no longer at elite levels.
For the Giants, there’d be some financial incentive in moving McCutchen, as shedding the remainder of his salary (roughly $4.84MM) would help to ensure that they remain south of the $197MM luxury tax threshold. But, doing so would also thin their outfield mix and serve as a gut-punch in the clubhouse. Ultimately, it doesn’t seem likely that the Giants will opt to deal McCutchen prior to the non-waiver deadline, though the interest in him and the potential for a move down the line are of at least some note.
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