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Giants Claim Corban Joseph

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The Giants have claimed infielder Corban Joseph off waivers from the Athletics, per a club announcement. Righty Tanner Anderson was outrighted after clearing waivers, the Oakland organization also announced.

It’s yet another addition for the insatiable Giants, who placed Pablo Sandoval on the 60-day injured list to clear roster space. The 30-year-old Joseph becomes the latest player to catch the eye of president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. Just what kind of opportunity he’ll have late this season remains to be seen.

Joseph debuted way back in 2013 but has appeared in only 27 lifetime MLB contests. He struggled this year with a brief chance in Oakland, but spent most of the season at Triple-A. In 425 plate appearances in the Pacific Coast League, he slashed a robust .371/.421/.585 with 13 long balls. The left-handed-hitting Joseph is primarily a second baseman; he could see some time there along with the righty swinging Mauricio Dubon.

Giants Select Kyle Barraclough

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11:29am: The Giants have announced the move, adding that lefty Andrew Suarez has also been recalled from Triple-A. San Francisco’s 40-man roster is now full.

11:21am: The Giants will select the contract of right-hander Kyle Barraclough prior to today’s game against the Cardinals, tweets Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News. The veteran right-hander is already with the club in St. Louis, he notes. San Francisco has an open spot on its 40-man roster at the moment, so a 40-man move to accommodate Barraclough’s promotion isn’t a strict necessity.

It’s been less than a month since the Giants claimed Barraclough, 29, off waivers from the Nationals. Barraclough briefly served as the Marlins closer in 2018 and was a steady setup piece in the Miami bullpen from 2015-18, but he had a season to forget following last October’s trade to Washington.

In 25 2/3 innings with the Nats this year, Barraclough turned in a disastrous 6.66 ERA — due largely to the fact that he surrendered as many homers (eight) in that short sample as he did in 55 2/3 innings a year ago. In fact, heading into the 2019 season, Barraclough had only yielded a total of 15 home runs in 218 2/3 innings. Home runs are up throughout the league, of course, but Barraclough’s increase was among the most stark in the game.

With the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, Barraclough was blasted for seven runs in his first two-thirds of an inning. Those continued struggles may have aided the Giants in successfully passing Barraclough through outright waivers, but he’s righted the ship since that alarming system debut. He’s pitched five straight appearances without yielding an earned run, collecting nine strikeouts against three walks across five innings in that time.

Entering the 2019 season, Barraclough had pitched to a 3.21 ERA with 11.5 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 218 2/3 innings at the big league level. If he’s able to continue his recent momentum and convince his new organization that he can a future piece in the ’pen, the Giants will be able to control him for another two years via arbitration. If he’s ultimately removed from the 40-man roster a second time, he’ll have the requisite service time to elect free agency at season’s end.

Reyes Moronta Suffers Season-Ending Shoulder Injury

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Reyes Moronta’s season is over, as the Giants right-hander has suffered a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.  (Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report the news.)  It isn’t yet known if Moronta will undergo surgery, though it is being considered.

Such an outcome isn’t unexpected given Moronta’s extreme reaction last night upon suffering the injury.  After throwing a pitch to Luis Urias in the sixth inning of last night’s 4-1 Giants loss to the Padres, Moronta fell to the ground in obvious pain, and needed a few minutes to recover before leaving the field.

Depending on the severity of the tear and other details regarding the injury, surgery could potentially keep Moronta on the IL for a very lengthy time, perhaps to the extent of putting his entire 2020 season in jeopardy.  Sean Manaea, Arodys Vizcaino, and Jimmy Nelson are a few recent example of pitchers who underwent similar labrum procedures, with Manaea returning to the mound just today after missing over a year, and Nelson representing more of a worst-case scenario since he missed over a season and a half of action.  Again, it won’t be known if Moronta is looking at a similar timeframe given the specifics of his own tear, though obviously he, the Giants, and the doctors will explore whether or not the injury could heal without surgical intervention.

The news brings an unfortunate end to a second consecutive season of very solid work for Moronta out of the Giants’ bullpen.  The hard-throwing righty posted a 2.86 ERA, 11/1 K/9, and 2.12 K/BB rate over 56 2/3 innings this season, following a 2.49 ERA over 65 frames in 2018.  Walks have been a continual problem for Moronta, as his 5.2 BB/9 is one of the chief reasons advanced metrics are less impressed by his work (3.57 FIP, 4.84 xFIP, 4.30 SIERA this season), though he has done an admirable job of keeping the ball in the park during the homer-happy 2019 season — Moronta’s 6.5 % homer rate is the sixth-lowest of any pitcher in baseball with at least 50 innings pitched this year.

Moronta is a homegrown Giants product, signed out of the Dominican in 2010 as a 17-year-old free agent.  He has worked almost exclusively as a reliever during his pro career, and was in line to assume a larger role in San Francisco’s bullpen given how the Giants already parted ways with some veteran relievers at the trade deadline, and face the potential loss of Will Smith to free agency this winter.

Giants Activate Pablo Sandoval From 10-Day IL

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The Giants have activated third baseman Pablo Sandoval from the 10-day injured list, according to Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group. While the fan favorite will still undergo Tommy John surgery per doctors’ recommendation, activating Sandoval should offer him a final chance to end his Giants tenure (and his time under manager Bruce Bochy) by his own accord, likely receiving a final at-bat as a left-handed pinch-hitter.

While the move is essentially symbolic, it’s nonetheless surprising given that many had written off a potential swan song for the long-time Giants third baseman. Don’t expect Sandoval to contribute in a meaningful way, though Giants fans certainly won’t be opposed to giving him a proper send-off.

Sandoval ingratiated himself to the San Francisco faithful during the organization’s dynamic run of success from 2008-2014, a luxury that he didn’t share during his time in Boston, after a big-money contract backfired on the team. That culminated in his release in 2017, at which point he rejoined the club with which he signed as an amateur more than a decade ago. While there was no doubt that Sandoval was not the same in his second Giants tenure, he’s reversed his fortunes this year to regain the admiration of Giants fans. On a minimum salary for San Francisco, he’s posted a .823 OPS, his highest mark since 2012.

If the Kung Fu Panda does make his way into a September game at Oracle Park, it may be the last time he does so in his career. The 33-year-old is slated to reach free agency following the season, though the veteran may be resistant to a departure from San Francisco after his last attempt. Given that loyalty to the Giants and the immense pain that Sandoval has described, it would seem that retirement is not out of the question for Sandoval, though there has been no indication that he’s leaning that way.

Reyes Moronta Exits With Acute Shoulder Strain

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11:15 pm: Giants manager Bruce Bochy informed reporters, including Crowley, that Moronta has an acute right shoulder strain and that the team believes the pitcher has avoided an elbow injury (link).

10:23 pm: Reporters following tonight’s game between the Giants and Padres were aghast at the sight of Reyes Moronta falling to the ground after delivering a 97.5-mph fastball to San Diego’s Luis Urias. Moronta was removed from the mound with the help of a trainer while clutching his right arm. Kerry Crowley described the optics as “really bad”, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle speculated that Moronta was “seriously hurt”, and Grant Brisbee of The Athletic simply summed up the scene as “awful”.

While more official word will presumably follow the conclusion of tonight’s action, there are surely still some white knuckles around the situation in the Bay Area tonight. At 66-68, the Giants don’t figure to extend their wild midsummer run at the Wild Card, but Moronta has been widely viewed as a major part of the SF bullpen moving forward. Since debuting in 2017, Moronta has used his blazing fastball to subdue hitters with consistency. Over 128.1 innings to this point in his career, the righty owns a 2.66 ERA and an 11.22 K/9 mark–though a lack of strike zone management (5.05 career BB/9) has always threatened to undermine his potential.

The Giants, of course, traded away both Mark Melancon and Sam Dyson at this year’s trade deadline, opening an opportunity for Moronta to continue to slide towards the first chair in the team’s bullpen. Further updates to Moronta’s status will be provided at first opportunity.

West Notes: Panda, D-backs, Astros, Rockies

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The latest on several notable players from the majors’ West divisions…

  • Although Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval is set for Tommy John surgery, his season doesn’t look over quite yet. Manager Bruce Bochy told Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group and other reporters Thursday that Sandoval could at least make some pinch-hit appearances before he goes under the knife. In the meantime, Sandoval will test out his swing to see if he’ll be able to contribute more this season. The longtime Giant, 33, is a strong bet to hit free agency in the offseason, meaning his run in San Francisco could be on the verge of concluding.
  • Diamondbacks right-hander Luke Weaver continues progressing toward a 2019 return, Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic relays. Weaver, out since late May with a UCL strain and a flexor sprain in his pitching arm, will throw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Friday, and the club will determine where to go from there. While Weaver was eminently effective out of the Diamondbacks’ rotation earlier this season, the lack of time left in the campaign will force him to pitch from their bullpen if he does return. Meantime, the news is less encouraging for fellow righty Taijuan Walker, whose 2018 Tommy John surgery and ’19 shoulder problems have stopped him from taking a major league mound this season. Walker is throwing, but it’s “unlikely” that he’ll come back this year, Morin writes.
  • In welcome news for the Astros’ bullpen, injured reliever Ryan Pressly is doing “quite well” in his recovery from knee surgery, according to manager A.J. Hinch (via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). Pressly could resume light throwing over the weekend. His absence dating back to Aug. 21 has deprived the title-contending Astros of arguably their best reliever as the postseason approaches. The right-handed Pressly has logged a 2.50 ERA/2.83 FIP with tremendous strikeout and walk rates (11.62 K/9, 1.97 BB/9) over 50 1/3 innings this season. Teammate and fellow righty reliever Josh James could come off the IL this weekend, meanwhile, per McTaggart. The promising 26-year-old has fanned a prolific 14.03 batters per nine across 51 1/3 frames this season, though a bloated walk rate (5.03 per nine) has helped lead to a 4.73 ERA/4.11 FIP.
  • Rockies reliever Scott Oberg explained to Thomas Harding of MLB.com why he recently underwent surgery to address blood clots in his right arm, saying, “It just felt really heavy.” It’s the second instance of blood clots for Oberg, but fortunately, he’s not suffering from any kind of major medical condition. The soon-to-be 30-year-old expects to be ready to go for 2020, when he’ll try to build on a second straight impressive campaign. This season has been anything but impressive for Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland, who’s currently on the IL with a strained groin, but he’s working toward a return; however, there’s no timetable for a possible comeback, Harding relays. Freeland went from Cy Young candidate a year ago to someone who has faced a minor league demotion this season and pitched to a ghastly 6.98 ERA/6.12 FIP over 20 starts and 99 1/3 innings in the bigs.

Giants Release Carlos Torres

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The Giants have released veteran righty Carlos Torres, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. He had joined the organization earlier this month on a minors deal.

Details of the departure aren’t clear, but the San Francisco organization has continued to churn through a large number of relief arms. Torres had been working at the team’s top affiliate, marking his fourth Triple-A team on the season.

The 36-year-old Torres, a ten-year MLB veteran, has thrown 62 1/3 total innings of 4.33 ERA ball this year, with 7.8 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9. He’s not likely to be seen as a major possible addition by a contender, but could certainly help pad the depth of an organization that wants to be sure it’s covered down the stretch.

West Notes: Athletics, Giants, Rangers

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Let’s take a look around the majors’ West divisions…

  • With the Athletics looking to add a third catcher when rosters expand, they’re set to choose between minor leaguers Sean Murphy and Dustin Garneau, manager Bob Melvin told Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. “There will be a lot of talk leading up into Sunday on who that will be,” Melvin said. The more hyped option is certainly Murphy, one of the best prospects in baseball (MLB.com ranks him 44th). The 24-year-old has gotten his first extensive action at the Triple-A level this season and laid waste to enemy pitchers, whom he has teed off on for a .337/.415/.702 line (158 wRC+) with 10 home runs in 123 plate appearances. However, injuries have led to an abbreviated campaign for Murphy, and the A’s might not promote him yet if they don’t expect him to garner much playing time. In that case, the edge would go to the veteran Garneau, who was with Oakland earlier in the season before it outrighted him to Triple-A on Aug. 19.
  • The Giants are shutting down right-handed reliever Trevor Gott for two weeks because of a Grade 1 UCL sprain and a flexor strain, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Surgery’s not an option at the moment, fortunately, and manager Bruce Bochy’s hopeful Gott will pitch again this season. If not, this will go down as an encouraging year for Gott, whom the Giants acquired from the Nationals for cash considerations in February. While Gott has put up an unappealing 4.44 ERA in 52 2/3 frames, he has also notched a 3.12 FIP with 9.74 K/9 against 2.91 BB/9 and almost doubled his swinging-strike rate since last year (from 5.6 percent to 10.8).
  • More from Baggarly, who tweets that righty Johnny Cueto’s another Triple-A start away from rejoining the Giants. The 2018 Tommy John patient’s scheduled to take the ball Saturday, after which the Giants hope to activate him. That would seem to align with Bochy’s Sept. 8 projection for Cueto. The Giants’ playoff hopes are all but dead at this point, but they’ll nonetheless be glad to welcome Cueto back in advance of 2020. Next season will be the second-last guaranteed campaign of the six-year, $130MM contract San Francisco handed the then-ace prior to 2016.
  • The Rangers are contemplating September promotions for hard-throwing minor league relievers Joe Barlow and Demarcus Evans, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Neither pitcher is on the Rangers’ 40-man roster, which is full, but the team plans to add the soon-to-be Rule 5-eligible pair in the coming months anyhow, as Grant notes. The 23-year-old Barlow has largely mowed down pro hitters since he joined the Rangers as an 11th-round pick in 2016, though he has struggled over his first 15 1/3 Triple-A innings this season. Evans, 22, was a 25th-rounder in 2015 who has risen to Double-A ball for the first time this season. He has overcome a high walk rate there (5.4 per nine) to post a microscopic 1.08 ERA with 14.58 K/9 in 33 1/3 innings.

Giants Release Scooter Gennett, Select Tyler Rogers

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The Giants announced a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday, most notably requesting unconditional release waivers on second baseman Scooter Gennett. San Francisco also promoted infield prospect Mauricio Dubon (as had been previously reported), selected the contract of right-hander Tyler Rogers (the twin brother of Minnesota closer Taylor Rogers) and recalled outfielder Joey Rickard. Furthermore, Abiatal Avelino was optioned to Triple-A, while righty Trevor Gott was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right elbow strain.

Gennett, 29, enjoyed a pair of excellent breakout seasons with the Reds in 2017-18, hitting a combined .303/.351/.508 with 50 homers in 1135 plate appearances, but his 2019 campaign has been a forgettable one. Gennett began the season on the injured list due to a severe groin strain and, after an absence of nearly three months, struggled to regain his footing in Cincinnati.

A deadline trade sending him to the Giants in exchange for a player to be named later didn’t prove to be a spark, either. In 139 plate appearances, he’s posted an ugly .226/.245/.323 batting line with an enormous spike in strikeout rate (19.6 percent in 2018; 29.5 percent in 2019) and a significant dip in walk rate (6.6 percent in ’18; 1.4 percent in ’19). With Gennett and the recently released Joe Panik out of the picture, Dubon (covered at greater length earlier today) will quite likely be in line for regular work at second base.

While another club could technically claim Gennett off release waivers, there’s almost no way to fathom that outcome. Gennett’s two excellent seasons in Cincinnati bolstered his salary to $9.75MM, and he’s owed the balance of that sum — about $1.78MM — between now and season’s end. Any claiming team would be on the hook for that amount. By contrast, signing Gennett after he clears would only cost Gennett the prorated league minimum — about $95K as of this Thursday (when he’d formally clear waivers).

Turning to the 28-year-old Rogers, this’ll be the first call to the big leagues for the former 10th-rounder. While he’s watched his twin brother rise to prominence as one of the game’s top lefty relievers, he’s been biding his time in Triple-A for parts of four seasons. In that time, the right-handed Rogers has worked to a 3.27 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a whopping ground-ball rate north of 64 percent.

The sidearming Rogers features a funky delivery that has at times made him unhittable by opposing righties. While he’s not in the midst of his best season — what pitcher in the supercharged offensive environments in Triple-A is? — he held righties to a putrid .161/.239/.238 line through 159 plate appearances in 2018. For a Giants team that figures to have some extensive bullpen turnover moving forward, it’s worth getting a look at an intriguing righty who could be a piece in future seasons.

Giants To Promote Mauricio Dubon

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The Giants are set to get their first look at middle-infield prospect Mauricio Dubon, per Robert Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Giants will promote the 25-year-old, whom they acquired in the deadline deal that sent Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black to the Brewers, prior to tonight’s game. Dubon is on the 40-man roster, so San Francisco will only be required to make a 25-man roster move to accommodate his promotion.

Dubon currently ranks fifth among Giants farmhands at Baseball America, seventh over at Fangraphs and eighth at MLB.com. He’s hitting a combined .302/.345/.477 in 539 plate appearances on the season, including a .323/.391/.485 line (116 wRC+) in 112 plate appearances since being traded over to his new organization. Dubon has long posted low strikeout rates in the minors, but he’s taken that trend to a new level in Triple-A Sacramento, where he’s walked more often (10 times) than he’s struck out (nine).

Originally a Red Sox draft pick in 2013, Dubon went to Milwaukee alongside Travis Shaw in the much-maligned (by Boston fans, that is) Tyler Thornburg swap. However, while he looked to be on the cusp of MLB readiness early in 2018, a torn ACL in May wiped out the remainder of last season for him. Upon returning to the field in 2019, Dubon was suddenly looking up at Keston Hiura and Mike Moustakas in the Brewers’ big league infield, clouding his path to the Majors to an extent. While the Brewers could’ve given him a look at shortstop with Orlando Arcia struggling immensely in 2019, the decision was instead made to utilize him as a means of adding some help to the relief corps.

With his new organization, Dubon is blocked at shortstop by Brandon Crawford (and his no-trade clause), who is signed through the 2021 season. However, while Dubon has played primarily shortstop in 2019, he has ample experience at second base and could immediately step into a regular role there as he auditions for 2020 at-bats. The Giants recently cut ties with Joe Panik, creating a clear opening for Dubon to slot into the lineup.

Dubon is generally regarded as a hit-over-power prospect, but his home run output has increased in Triple-A this season (though it’s worth noting the important caveat that home runs have skyrocketed throughout all of Triple-A upon switching over to the same ball used in MLB). While there may be questions about his ability to hit for power in the long run, particularly in the cavernous Oracle Park, Dubon typically receives average or better ratings for his hit tool, arm strength, speed and defensive abilities. Paired with a keen eye at the plate and solid upper-minors production, that skill set should earn him a legitimate opportunity at regular playing time with the Giants as they look to transition to a younger core under new front-office management headed by president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.

By promoting Dubon now, the Giants will put him on track to become eligible for arbitration upon completion of the 2022 season and to reach free agency in the 2025-26 offseason. Future shuttling between the Majors and Triple-A could of course impact that timeline (and Dubon does have an option remaining beyond the current season). As things currently stand, he wouldn’t be a candidate for Super Two status, meaning he’d be arb-eligible the standard three times before hitting the open market.

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