Details On Madison Bumgarner’s No Trade List
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal has the details on Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner‘s limited no-trade list, which, per the five-year, $35MM extension (plus 2018 and ’19 option years) he signed prior to the 2013 season, may contain up to eight teams. The four-time all-star may reportedly block trades to the Braves, Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Yankees, Phillies, and Cardinals at the upcoming trade deadline.
If the list seems curious for its contender bent, it’s by design: Bumgarner’s reps seem to have carefully selected the teams most apt to pursue the lefty for a pennant push later this season. High-profile players can often negotiate some sort of compensatory bonus if they’re moved to a team on their restricted list at any point during that contract, and the former World Series hero seems no exception.
Atlanta, it seems, is the dead giveaway here – Bumgarner grew up deep in the North Carolina hills, the nether regions of the far-reaching heart of Braves country, and was raised a die-hard Atlanta devotee. He’d surely jump at the opportunity to join a pennant-chasing Braves team, one that will likely have rising stars Mike Soroka and Max Fried on a strict innings limit as the season progresses, though whether the suddenly stingy Atlanta front office will have interest is an altogether different conversation.
As Alex Pavlovic of NBC Bay Area explains, there’s been no indication that Bumgarner will block deals to any of the teams included on his list, though explicit comments from the hurler on the matter are as yet in the dark. SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that the Yankees, Bumgarner’s most-connected suitor, are “not particularly high” on the lefty, an impression that could certainly shift with another couple months’ strong performance, coupled with a continued depletion of the team’s starting staff.
After two injury-riddled seasons, in which Bumgarner’s peripherals slumped considerably, the one-time ace has rekindled some of his mid-decade mojo: his 84 xFIP- and 91.8 average fastball velocity are his best marks in the categories since the 2015 season, and his 11.5% swinging strike rate has jumped to above his career average. He’s again striking out over a batter per nine, and his BB rate has swung back to barely-traceable levels, with the 1.45 mark actually the lowest of his career.
If there’s an area of concern, it’s the ground-ball rate, which has plummeted to a career-low 36.8%, leaving the 10-year vet more vulnerable than ever to the longball. There’s also, of course, his status as a rental: teams are more loath than ever to give up high quality talent for just two-plus months of even a star player, and Bumgarner, even during his heyday, was always closer to third starter than ace.
His postseason reputation precedes – no, surrounds – him, though modern front offices won’t fall prey to the blue ox beside his Paul Bunyan October lore, and are now much more likely to consider the sample in which it was done. Indeed, Bumgarner’s 93 career xFIP- in the postseason – interestingly a mark considerably worse than late-season whipping boy Clayton Kershaw‘s 82 figure – is a fact which, if ever relevant at the outset, almost certainly won’t be dismissed in considerations.
There’s also the matter of Giants majority owner Charles Johnson, of whom Bumgarner is said to be a favorite, and an ownership group that’s always willing to shell out for hometown stars of seasons past. The Bumgarner saga may drag on well into the summer, but it’s still a distinct possibility the lefty will stay in San Fran for the long haul.
Giants Claim Aaron Altherr
2:30pm: Righty Andrew Moore has been designated to make room for Altherr on the 40-man. The outfielder is out of options, so a corresponding demotion will also be in order.
12:44pm: Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Giants have claimed OF Aaron Altherr. Altherr, 28, was designated for assignment by Philadelphia last Saturday.
It’s the latest in a months-long flurry of outfield moves for SF, which remains on a desperate quest to find anything approaching quality production from all three spots. Michael Reed, Connor Joe, Gerardo Parra, and (in a part-time role) Yangervis Solarte have all come and gone just six weeks into the season, while April acquisition Kevin Pillar has been a near automatic out over his first 125 plate appearances with the club.
28-year-old Mac Williamson has reportedly been promised regular action in left field, though neither he nor center fielder-turned-right fielder Steven Duggar have done much to warrant anything of the sort. Perhaps Altherr fits as a platoon option with Duggar and occasional fill-in for Pillar and Williamson, though any whiff of a hot streak may place him firmly in the lineup for good.
Altherr has been dreadful since the beginning of the 2018 season, with a 30 plate-appearance, .034/.067/.069 ’19 mark on the back of a 75 wRC+ mark from the season prior. Still, his offensive track record far outstrips those of any of his new outfield mates, and perhaps regular playing time will be just the elixir his struggling bat needs.
Yangervis Solarte Elects Free Agency
Utilityman Yangervis Solarte has elected free agency after being outrighted by the Giants, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic was among those to tweet. He had been designated for assignment recently.
Solarte, 31, has taken at least four hundred plate appearances in all five of his full seasons in the majors, topping five hundred in four of those campaigns. The switch-hitter was an above-average hitter for his first three years in the bigs, though that status has slipped of late.
The drop-off began in 2017, when Solarte’s numbers dipped a bit with the Padres. He stumbled to a .226/.277/.378 batting line last year with the Blue Jays, leaving him to settle for a minors deal with a Giants organization that needed some stability and hoped for a bounce back.
Things didn’t go as planned in San Francisco. In his 78 trips to the plate, Solarte posted a meager .205/.247/.315 batting line with a single home run and just four walks to go with 16 strikeouts.
Nationals Sign Gerardo Parra
TODAY: The Nationals have officially announced the signing, adding Parra on a one-year contract.
YESTERDAY: The Nationals are moving fast on newly minted free agent outfielder Gerardo Parra. After hitting the open market just yesterday, he’s now reportedly due to join the Nats on their current road trip.
Parra, 32, had been designated for assignment by the Giants as they cleared the deck for younger options. He is slashing just .198/.278/.267 through 97 plate appearances on the season.
For the Nats, the veteran left-handed hitter may help plug one of the team’s many leaks. Andrew Stevenson suffered a back injury after being called up to bolster the outfield unit while Juan Soto works back to health. With lefty slugger Matt Adams also sidelined, the club is short of southpaw swingers.
Parra is known more for his glovework in the outfield than his bat, though he has at times been an above-average hitter. Through nearly five thousand MLB plate appearances over eleven seasons, he owns an 88 wRC+ — though he’s closer to league-average (96 wRC+) when hitting with the platoon advantage, as he likely will for the most part in D.C.
It is not yet known how the Nationals will clear the necessary roster space for this move. Placing Stevenson on the injured list could open an active roster spot, but that wouldn’t account for the 40-man.
Kerry Crowley of the Mercury News first made the connection on Twitter. ESPN’s Jose Rivera first tweeted that a deal was agreed to. Also reporting the match were Sam Fortier of the Washington Post (Twitter link) and Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).
Giants Place Buster Posey, Drew Pomeranz On Injured List
1:07pm: It does not seem that Posey is dealing with a particularly worrying concussion, though obviously any injury of the sort is inherently concerning. That’s the message the veteran backstop conveyed to reporters including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“When you’re dealing with the brain, you’ve got to be cautious,” says Posey. “I definitely value who I am and will be as a husband and father, first and foremost. At the same time, I enjoy doing my job and plan on doing my job.”
11:19am: The Giants made a pair of injured list placements today. Catcher Buster Posey is going to the 7-day concussion IL, while lefty Drew Pomeranz was placed on the 10-day IL with a left lat strain.
Heading onto the active roster to take the open spots are backstop Aramis Garcia and righty Tyler Beede. Presumably, Stephen Vogt will handle the bulk of the duties behind the dish while Posey is down, though Garcia is in the lineup tonight to face a lefty starter. Beede will work from the bullpen upon his arrival but could also step into the rotation if Pomeranz ends up being sidelined for more than a single start.
Details on Posey’s situation aren’t yet clear, but it’s somewhat troubling news for a veteran backstop who has had at least some prior concussion troubles. As Kerry Crowley of the Mercury News notes, Posey was struck by several foul tips in the mask recently, which may be to blame.
Giants Select Contract Of Mac Williamson
7:54pm: It seems that Williamson’s promotion will come with the expectation of regular at-bats. Giants president of baseball operations said prior to tonight’s game that the Giants are “committed” to giving Williamson an opportunity to play every day this time around (Twitter link via Pavlovic).
The San Francisco organization has cycled through seven left fielders already. Gerardo Parra, Yangervis Solarte, Tyler Austin, Mike Gerber, Connor Joe, Michael Reed and Brandon Belt have all seen action at the position. Parra, Solarte, Joe and Reed have all been designated for assignment (with Solarte being the most recent of the bunch, earlier this afternoon). On the whole, Giants left fielders have put together an astonishingly bad .162/.225/.223 batting line through 142 plate appearances.
9:13am: The Giants are slated to bring outfielder Mac Williamson back onto the MLB roster, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. He’ll join the club in Colorado today after launching three long balls last night in Sacramento.
Williamson was bumped from the 40-man roster late in spring as the Giants reorganized their outfield. He landed at Triple-A after clearing waivers. It was hard to argue with that decision at the time. Williamson had struggled last year after dealing with concussion issues and had never really run with his chances in the big leagues. At 28 years of age and out of options, Williamson ran out of time.
Circumstances have changed in the intervening month. There has been turnover already at the MLB level, in recognition of the fact that the Giants have one of the least-productive outfield units in the game. Williamson, meanwhile, has mashed at Triple-A. We’ve seen this act before, including a torrid stretch last year at the highest level of the minors (and, quite briefly, in the majors). But that doesn’t mean it isn’t intriguing. Through 98 plate appearances, he’s slashing .378/.459/.756 with nine home runs and a 13.3% walk rate.
This move likely would’ve been made sooner but for the fact that Williamson did not have a 40-man roster spot. But there’s not much to lose at this point, given the uninspiring output of several current players and the Giants’ cellar-dwelling status in the NL West.
Gerardo Parra Elects Free Agency
The Giants announced today that veteran outfielder Gerardo Parra elected free agency after clearing waivers. He’s now free to sign with any club.
San Francisco picked up Parra, 32, on a minor league contract this offseason after he’d finished up a three-year contract with the Rockies. Parra did manage a .283 average and a .320 on-base percentage in his three years with Colorado, but he didn’t display much power in that time. He once rated as one of baseball’s premier defenders in the outfield corners and was still above-average over the past couple of seasons, though not to the extent of his peak levels.
The 2019 season has been a miserable one for Parra to this point. Through 97 plate appearances with the Giants, he’s mustered only a .197/.278/.267 batting line with a homer, three doubles and a pair of steals. Parra has never struck out at a 20 percent clip in any single season and has kept his strikeout rate below that threshold once again in 2019, but he also had one of the game’s worst hard-contact rates in 2018 and has seen that dip even further in 2019.
Giants To Select Contract Of Donovan Solano
The Giants are preparing to select the contract of utilityman Donovan Solano, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). He joined the organization on a minors deal over the winter.
That’ll force another 40-man move to go with the one needed for outfielder Mac Williamson. With another pitcher also slated to come onto the active roster — Williams Jerez could get the nod — there will be at least three changes to the makeup of the current MLB club.
This has all the makings of a rather significant shake-up for a team in transition. The Giants are in last place in the NL West, with a 15-20 record. That’s hardly surprising given the awkward state of the team’s roster, which includes a group of high-priced veterans and a variety of unestablished younger players.
Solano, 31, will make it up to the majors for the first time since 2016. He hit well at Triple-A last year with the Dodgers organization before following top baseball operations executive Farhan Zaidi to San Francisco. Solano has turned in a nice .322/.392/.437 batting line in 97 plate appearances to open the current season with the Giants’ top affiliate.
NL West Notes: Bumgarner, Wingenter, Clarke, D’Backs
Trade speculation has swirled around Madison Bumgarner for months, and such buzz figures to grow even louder as we approach the trade deadline due to Bumgarner’s solid results. After a pair of injury-marred seasons, Bumgarner has been healthy and effective this year, with a 3.92 ERA, 8.9 K/9, and a 6.14 K/BB rate that projects as the best of his career. As ESPN’s Buster Olney notes in a subscriber-only column, Bumgarner is throwing his fastball more often than in recent years, and with better velocity. While “the front offices of 2019 don’t necessarily believe in intangibles and mostly won’t pay for them,” Olney wonders if a proven postseason performer like Bumgarner might also benefit from a move to a contending team, similar to how Cole Hamels was reinvigorated after being dealt from the Rangers to the Cubs last summer. With the Giants in last place in the NL West and looking like a deadline seller, it will be interesting to see what San Francisco can acquire for its longtime ace in July, assuming the team indeed does want to move Bumgarner.
Some more from around the NL West…
- The Padres placed right-hander Trey Wingenter on the 10-day IL today (retroactive to Saturday) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder, as per a team announcement. Phil Maton was recalled from Triple-A to Wingenter’s place in the bullpen. After making his Major League debut in 2018, Wingenter was off to a strong start this season, with a 2.93 ERA and 12.3 K/9 over 15 1/3 innings, albeit with some issues with his control (4.7 BB/9) and home run rate (1.2 HR/9).
- With Zack Godley now pitching out of the bullpen, the Diamondbacks will give rookie Taylor Clarke a shot at the starting rotation, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. Clarke is scheduled to start Tuesday’s game against the Rays, and there certainly seems to be opportunity for Clarke to stick if he pitches well, as manager Torey Lovullo said “we haven’t looked past Tuesday” in terms of a long-term rotation plan. A third-round pick for the D’Backs in the 2015 draft, Clarke is ranked by MLB.com as Arizona’s 10th-best prospect. The 25-year-old righty has a 3.55 ERA, 7.8 K/9, and 3.06 K/BB rate over 492 1/3 career minor league frames, and he made his MLB debut earlier this season, a three-inning relief outing on April 20.
- In another piece from Piecoro, he talks to Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen about the team’s good start, and how Hazen’s reluctance to fully rebuild (even while parting ways with the likes of Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, and Patrick Corbin) kept the D’Backs in position to potentially contend in 2019. While the losses of those big-name players drew the most headlines, Arizona has gotten some excellent early results from somewhat unheralded offseason pickups, i.e. Adam Jones, Greg Holland, Merrill Kelly, Luke Weaver. As to whether the D’Backs could be buyers or sellers at the deadline, “we are hoping this team tells us what to do – directs us what to do – as we move through the season. To this point, we’ve played good baseball,” Hazen said.
Giants Claim Andrew Moore, Designate Breyvic Valera
The Giants have claimed right-hander Andrew Moore off waivers from the Rays, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic (Twitter link). Moore will report to San Francisco’s Double-A affiliate in Richmond. To create a 40-man roster spot for Moore, the Giants have also designated infielder Breyvic Valera for assignment.
Valera’s stint on the Giants’ 40-man roster has come to an end before he appeared in a game with the team, which acquired Valera in January when he was designated by the Orioles. In 24 games at Triple-A this season, Valera has posted a .257/.397/.338 slash line, including an impressive 16-to-10 BB:K ratio. The 27-year-old Valera has made only 86 MLB plate appearances and has produced a .529 OPS across parts of the last two seasons, which he spent with the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Orioles.
Moore has appeared in only 11 games in the Major Leagues — nine starts with the Mariners in 2017 — posting a 5.34 ERA in those games. Triple-A has not treated him well this season, as Moore has conceded 9 home runs in 17 1/3 innings while walking as many batters as he has struck out. Moore, a former second-round selection of the Mariners, was recently DFA’d by the Rays, but will hope to make a home in San Francisco. He is just 24 years old and is not far removed from successful seasons in the minors in 2016 and 2017.