Pitching Health Notes: Gray, ERod, Urias, MadBum, Chargois
Rockies righty Jon Gray made his first rehab start, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. He may need only one or two more minor league outings before rejoining the Colorado rotation, but holds out the promise of providing a significant boost upon his return. Likewise, southpaw Tyler Anderson is making his way back toward the big leagues, meaning the Rox will face some rotation questions in short order.
Here’s more on a few other pitching health matters from around the league:
- It’s possible that the Red Sox may soon welcome back lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. per an update from manager John Farrell (h/t Peter Abraham of the Boston Glove; links to Twitter). Rodriguez was “ecstatic” after a 33-pitch pen session today, says Farrell, who indicated that the southpaw may be only one rehab start away from returning to the majors. That would surely be excellent news for Boston; Rodriguez’s knee issue seemed rather frightening when it arose, since he has dealt with significant problems in the joint in the past.
- Likewise, the Dodgers got good news on young southpaw Julio Urias, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter links). While he’ll still be shut down until the soreness in his shoulder subsides, Urias did not exhibit any structural issues in an MRI.
- With the Giants back in Colorado, the team is seeing continued progress from ace Madison Bumgarner, who is still recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered in an off-day dirtbiking accident during the team’s prior trip out to Denver. As John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, Bumgarner is set to face live hitting on Sunday and report to the organization’s spring facility. After that, he’d only be a rehab assignment away from a return, though the club will undoubtedly exercise ample caution given the club’s unenviable position in the standings.
- As the Twins continue to hold onto a surprising AL Central lead, despite one of the league’s worst bullpens, the front office is surely at least thinking of ways to bolster the MLB roster while also remaining mindful of the broader organizational mission. Unfortunately, the club seemingly won’t be able to call upon relief prospect J.T. Chargois, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, who tweets that a “stress reaction on the outside of his elbow” will keep the young righty out for some time. The fireballer already missed significant time earlier in his career with elbow problems. Minnesota already lost out on another possible mid-season boost to the bullpen when Nick Burdi required Tommy John surgery earlier this year.
Taking Inventory: San Francisco Giants
MLBTR is launching a new summer series entitled Taking Inventory, in which we’ll preview the potential trade chips that could become available on a number of likely and borderline selling clubs throughout the league.
The Giants are already 25-39 and are not only 16 1/2 games behind the first-place Rockies in the NL West, they’re 13 1/2 games back of the third-place Diamondbacks. While it’s not impossible that they could still make a run at contention, it’s highly unlikely. That would seem to make them potential sellers at the trade deadline. Still, one shouldn’t necessarily expect fireworks. The Giants have endured frustrating seasons in the somewhat recent past and generally haven’t reacted with big shakeups, and even if their track record indicated a radical rebuild was a possibility, the circumstances of many of their veterans assets seemingly impede potential trades (as ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick recently explained).
Rentals
Johnny Cueto, RHP (starter) | Salary: $21MM
There are no indications yet that the Giants will move Cueto, and to do so would be complex, although not impossible. Cueto is signed through 2021 with a team option for 2022, but he has an opt-out after the 2017 season, meaning that it will be difficult for any potential trade partner to know whether they’re getting a long-term asset or a short-term one. Cueto will also receive a $5MM buyout if he exercises his opt-out and a $500K assignment bonus if he’s traded, further complicating a potential move. Cueto’s seemingly uneven performance this year might also be a factor, but perhaps a less important one — he has a 4.33 ERA this season, but his peripherals (9.0 K/9, 2.4 BB/9) are strong as usual.
Eduardo Nunez, IF | Salary: $4.2MM
Unlike many players on this list, Nunez is reasonably priced. While he’s never been a world-beater offensively, he’s been consistent, and his .293/.320/.401 line thus far this season provides a good indication of what to expect from his contact-heavy offensive game going forward. He’s also versatile defensively, capable of playing third base, shortstop and the corner outfield spots. A contender could easily see him as a terrific bench piece. Nunez is as likely as any player on this list to be moved, and a trade would have the benefit of clearing a spot for some combination of Christian Arroyo and Jae-gyun Hwang, who are both currently with Triple-A Sacramento.
Aaron Hill, IF | Salary: $2MM
Hill is a recent minor-league signee who’s batting .178/.238/.333 thus far this season. It’s possible the Giants could deal him to a team in need of infield depth, but the return isn’t likely to be significant.
Nick Hundley, C | Salary: $2MM
Like Hill, Hundley has hit sparingly this season and wouldn’t have much trade value. It’s possible the Giants could ship him in a minor deal to a team in need of catching depth.
Controlled Through 2018
Hunter Pence, OF | Salary: $18.5MM
Pence has a full no-trade clause and has played poorly this season, batting .228/.269/.310 and missing time to a hamstring strain. Like many Giants, he might net the team a bit of extra value on the trade market due to his postseason experience, but he’s still unlikely to command much of a return unless he hits well over the next six weeks.
Matt Cain, RHP (starter) | Salary: $20MM
Cain’s exorbitant salary, the $7.5MM buyout on his 2018 option, and his uninspiring performances the past several seasons would seemingly make a trade very tricky, except perhaps as a change-of-scenery deal in which the Giants were to pick up nearly all of his remaining salary.
Longer-Term Assets
Jeff Samardzija, RHP (starter); Buster Posey, C; Mark Melancon, RHP (reliever); Madison Bumgarner, LHP (starter), Denard Span, OF; Brandon Crawford, SS; Matt Moore, LHP (starter); Brandon Belt, 1B; George Kontos, RHP (reliever)
Though Samardzija has a 4.31 ERA this season, his outstanding ratios (10.5 K/9, 1.3 BB/9) would surely make him an attractive trade candidate. He is, however, signed through 2020 and can block trades to all but eight teams, complicating potential deals. It certainly wouldn’t be impossible for the Giants to trade him, but as with Cueto, it would be complex.
Posey and Melancon have full no-trade protection and are under contract for the next several seasons. Bumgarner has limited no-trade protection, is currently injured, and has reasonably priced options for 2018 and 2019. Span is 33, has produced modest offense this season, and is owed $9MM next season, plus at least a $4MM buyout and a remaining portion of his signing bonus. Crawford is signed through 2021 and has full no-trade protection. Moore is signed to a team-friendly contract that includes relatively cheap options for 2018 and 2019, potentially making him a trade asset, but he hasn’t pitched well this season. Belt is signed through 2021; his limited no-trade clause hasn’t yet kicked in, but he’s also in the first year of the extension he signed last season. Of all those players, perhaps the most likely to be dealt are Span and Moore, and neither of those seem that likely.
Kontos is one of a number of Giants relievers who could theoretically be dealt, also including Cory Gearrin, Hunter Strickland and Derek Law. Of those, Kontos is among the closest to free agency eligibility and the one with the longest track record. He’s signed for a reasonable $1.75MM in 2017 and is controllable for two more seasons, and while his strikeout and walk rates have fluctuated throughout his career and he’s never had elite velocity, he’s also never had a season in which he wasn’t at least modestly effective.
West Notes: Bumgarner, Ross, Haniger, Gossett
Giants star Madison Bumgarner is facing live hitters this weekend as he attempts to return from a shoulder injury suffered in a fateful dirt bike accident, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News and other reporters have noted. That means Bumgarner could return to game action sooner than anticipated, although manager Bruce Bochy says he doesn’t believe Bumgarner will be back before the All-Star Break. Here’s more injury news from the West divisions.
- A pitcher whose return date appears to be closer is the Rangers‘ Tyson Ross, who told reporters, including MLB.com’s TR Sullivan (on Twitter), that he’s ready to make his 2017 big-league debut. (The team hasn’t yet set a date for his first start.) The Rangers signed Ross to a one-year deal last offseason knowing it was uncertain when he’d be able to pitch after having surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome. With Ross having four Triple-A rehab starts under his belt, it appears that moment is soon to arrive. Ross, of course, had a great three-year run with the Padres from 2013 through 2015, posting a 3.07 ERA, 9.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in over 500 innings during that span. It remains to be seen how he’ll pitch after missing most of the last season and a half with arm trouble, however.
- The Mariners have announced that they’ve activated outfielder Mitch Haniger from the 10-day DL, where he landed after suffering a strained right oblique. To clear space, the team has optioned fellow outfielder Boog Powell to Triple-A Tacoma. Haniger joined Jean Segura in getting off to a hot start to his big-league career after arriving in a big offseason trade with the Diamondbacks, but Haniger has been out since April 25. He’s batting .342/.447/.608 in his first 95 plate appearances with Seattle.
- Athletics righty Daniel Gossett will make his big-league debut in a start Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Gossett will replace Andrew Triggs, who went on the DL Saturday with a hip injury. MLB.com rates Gossett as the Athletics’ No. 5 prospect, praising his durability and the life on his low-90s fastball. He’s produced a 3.41 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over 60 2/3 innings this season for Triple-A Nashville.
Latest On Shohei Otani
A legitimate sense of mystery shrouds Japanese star Shohei Otani, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, as Major League scouts and general managers have no idea whether the 22-year-old phenom will actually enter the posting system and leap to Major League Baseball this offseason. Passan spoke to at least five general managers and multiple scouts for his extensive column, which I’d highly recommend reading in full.
There’s skepticism that Otani will actually leave NPB this offseason, as doing so would mean subjecting himself to MLB’s newly reconfigured international bonus system, which will undoubtedly cost him more than $200MM. Otani’s maximum payday this winter would be $10.1MM, Passan notes, and while many have speculated about Otani quickly signing a multi-year extension after inking his initial deal, that may not be likely. Passan cites multiple “high-ranking sources at MLB” in reporting that “the league expects to be vigilant to ensure the sanctity of the system is not made a mockery by extralegal payments.” Then again, Major League Baseball intervening in a contract would certainly be a bad look, and Passan wonders if the league would actually follow through on such an extreme measure.
[Related: Scouting Shohei Otani]
Passan’s survey of big league front offices and scouting departments resulted in many within the game speculatively connecting the Rangers, Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Yankees, Cubs and Astros to Otani, although the clear takeaway is that no one really knows who the favorite would be. Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune, in fact, suggests that the connection to the Padres is largely overblown (all Twitter links), especially considering the fact that they’d be limited to a $300K signing bonus.
Several American League clubs believe themselves to have an inside edge over their National League rivals due to Otani’s desire to continue as a two-way player in MLB, Passan continues. Serving as a DH and then pitching every fifth day seems more feasible than playing the outfield between starts.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Otani has yet to even pitch in 2017 and has been limited to eight games as a designated hitter. Otani missed the World Baseball Classic due to an ankle injury and has yet to take the mound because a hamstring injury that Japanese media outlet Sponichi recently reported would keep him out until at least July. A recent report from Japan’s Nikkan Sports revealed that Otan threw a 31-pitch bullpen session but did so at a distance of less than the standard 60 feet and did not throw at full strength.
The injury isn’t likely to be a significant detriment to Otani’s market, though. Teams familiar with Otani are well versed in his repertoire and his skills at the plate, having seen him extensively in the past. The questions stemming from his injury wouldn’t center around a lack of ability to gather relevant scouting data, but rather whether interested teams need to have long-term concerns about these injuries either lingering or recurring. And all of that, of course, assumes he even enters the posting system this winter in the first place, which is hardly a given.
Giants Acquire Sam Dyson
The Giants announced that they’ve acquired right-hander Sam Dyson and cash from the Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later. It’s not yet known exactly how much of Dyson’s $3.52MM salary the Rangers are including in the deal, though Dyson is still owed about $2.27MM of that figure. The deal was technically announced as Dyson and cash for a player to be named later or cash, though Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Rangers expect to acquire a minor leaguer in exchange for Dyson. Madison Bumgarner was moved to the 60-day DL to clear a spot for Dyson on the 40-man roster.
[Related: Updated San Francisco Giants depth chart]
Dyson, 29, was designated for assignment by Texas last week after an awful start to the 2017 campaign. The Rangers, though, reportedly expected to find a trade partner for the change-of-scenery candidate right off the bat after gauging interest in him prior to the DFA.
Dyson’s fall in Texas was remarkably quick, as just one year ago he served as a lockdown closer for manager Jeff Banister. In 70 1/3 innings, Dyson saved 38 games and posted a 2.43 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. His heavy sinker also generated a 65.2 percent ground-ball rate and averaged a healthy 95.3 mph during that excellent ’16 season.
The 2017 campaign, though, has essentially been the antithesis of that terrific year for Dyson; through 16 2/3 innings, he’s posted a 10.80 ERA with more walks (12) than strikeouts (seven). Dyson has also yielded six home runs through his mere 16 2/3 frames this year — one more homer than he surrendered across last season’s 70 1/3 innings.
The Giants themselves have gotten off to a rough start, entering play today with a 24-35 record. San Francisco’s setup corps took a hit before the season ever started with the news that left-hander Will Smith required Tommy John surgery. Manager Bruce Bochy’s bullpen has pitched to a collective 3.96 ERA, which ranks 14th in the Majors. Dyson joins a bullpen that already skews a bit right-handed, slotting in behind Mark Melancon, Derek Law, Hunter Strickland and George Kontos.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NL West Notes: Giants, Turner, Padres, Hoffman, Mathis
With the trade deadline approaching, the bottom-feeding Giants may soon have to “take some bold, big-picture steps,” writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. One potential problem for the Giants, if they end up selling, is that they might not have any players they could deal who would do much to restock their mediocre farm system, notes Crasnick. And even if they do try to move trade candidates such as Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, there are roadblocks in the way. Cueto has the ability to opt out of his contract at season’s end, of course, and neither that nor his relatively unspectacular output this year are doing his trade value any favors. Samardzija, meanwhile, has a 21-team no-trade clause, making it likely he’ll remain in San Francisco.
A look at the rest of the National League West:
- Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, on the disabled list since May 19 on account of a hamstring strain, could rejoin the team by the end of the week, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Turner will begin a rehab assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga tonight. As they continue to await Turner’s return, the Dodgers are likely to recall utilityman Mike Freeman from Triple-A, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. Freeman, whom Los Angeles claimed off waivers from Seattle on May 26, would join Logan Forsythe and Enrique Hernandez in giving the Turner-less Dodgers another third base-capable option.
- The Padres’ attempt to turn Christian Bethancourt into a viable pitcher probably isn’t going to pan out, observes Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The 25-year-old catcher/outfielder struggled mightily as a major league reliever this season before the Padres outrighted him in late April, and the experiment hasn’t gone much better in the minors. Across 10 1/3 innings with Triple-A El Paso, Bethancourt has given up 13 earned runs on 15 hits and 12 walks, with just five strikeouts. Bethancourt’s Triple-A woes have come in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, leading Lin to wonder if the Padres would’ve been better off sending him to Double-A to develop.
- Like Bethancourt, Padres catcher Luis Torrens has fared poorly this season. Nevertheless, the club hasn’t considered jettisoning the Rule 5 pick, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Torrens, a former Yankees farmhand and one of an unprecedented three Rule 5 selections on the Padres’ roster, has collected a mere five hits (four singles and a double) and two walks in 41 plate appearances. Still, San Diego remains bullish on Torrens, particularly as a defender, suggests Cassavell.
- A lack of self-awareness kept Rockies right-hander Jeff Hoffman in the minors to begin the season, manager Bud Black told Nick Groke of the Denver Post. “You have to critically evaluate your performance,” Black said. “Was that a good pitch? Was that located well? Was that pitch truly where I intended it to be? Was the homer I gave up a good piece of hitting?” Hoffman seems to have improved in that aspect, as Black noted that the 24-year-old has “come a long way in a short amount of time in a lot of areas.” Ranked as Baseball America’s 27th-best prospect, Hoffman has produced spectacular results this year over 20 2/3 innings in Colorado (2.61 ERA, 11.32 K/9, .87 BB/9), and has made a case to stay in the team’s rotation even when the injured Jon Gray and Tyler Anderson return.
- Thanks to his pitch-framing skills, Diamondbacks catcher Jeff Mathis has emerged as an important offseason signing, opines Travis Sawchik of FanGraphs. The light-hitting Mathis, whom the Diamondbacks added on a two-year, $4MM deal, has been a sizable upgrade behind the plate over predecessor Welington Castillo, as Sawchik details. The change in backstops seems to be benefiting right-hander Zack Greinke, who has pitched to Mathis in all 12 of his starts this year and bounced back from a pedestrian 2016.
Justin Ruggiano Elects Free Agency
JUNE 5: Ruggiano cleared waivers and has elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to the minors, as first noted on the Giants’ transactions page at MLB.com.
JUNE 2: The Giants announced that they’ve designated outfielder Justin Ruggiano for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for outfielder Austin Slater, whose contract has now been formally selected from Triple-A Sacramento (Twitter link via CSN Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic).
Ruggiano, 35, has failed to receive much in the way of major league opportunities over the past three seasons. At times, though, he has been a quality weapon off the bench against left-handed pitching.
Through 63 plate appearances on the season, Ruggiano managed only a .217/.238/.333 batting line. He was one of the numerous players the Giants have tried in the outfield, none of whom have provided consistent production. Now, Slater will have his shot at holding down a role in left.
Giants Activate Hunter Pence, Option Christian Arroyo
The Giants have activated right fielder Hunter Pence from the disabled list and optioned infielder Christian Arroyo to Triple-A, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to report (Twitter link).
Pence hasn’t taken an at-bat since May 12 on account of a left hamstring strain. Before Pence landed on the shelf, the normally steady veteran batted a meek .243/.289/.338 in 149 plate appearances. But the other right fielders the Giants have used this year, the just-designated Justin Ruggiano, Mac Williamson and Austin Slater, have each posted worse batting lines than Pence over a combined 106 trips to the plate. Now, if the 23-34 Giants are going to get back into the playoff race, they’ll need the 34-year-old Pence to return to his typical form. Entering Sunday, San Francisco sits 12 games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers and 10.5 out of a wild-card spot.
Arroyo, whom the Giants promoted in late April, didn’t help their cause in his first taste of major league action. The 22-year-old has been on various top 100 prospect lists (MLB.com currently ranks him 79th), but he hit a woeful .197/.244/.304 and totaled 32 strikeouts against eight walks in his initial big league call-up. Arroyo primarily played third base, where Eduardo Nunez has rebounded offensively since a rough April, and also picked up some middle infield experience.
Cafardo’s Latest: Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Quintana, Cueto, Samardzija, Rangers, Cozart
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looks at nine teams who are trending upward this season and nine teams who are on the downward swing in his latest notes column. These rankings (and Cafardo’s piece in general) contain several hot stove items as teams look to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. The highlights…
- The Yankees are looking for a third baseman, according to league sources. Chase Headley got off to a hot start but scuffled badly in May, posting just a .446 OPS in 90 plate appearances last month. Top prospect Gleyber Torres has been getting some reps at third base in the minors amidst rumors that he could be promoted later this season, though New York could prefer a more proven veteran for the hot corner if the team is chasing a pennant. Headley is still owed $21.6MM through the end of the 2018 season, though the Yankees have shown a willingness to reduce the playing time of other highly-paid veterans in the past if they aren’t producing.
- “Most talent evaluators” believe the Dodgers will make a play for the top starter available at the deadline. The Dodgers’ rotation has combined for 6.2 fWAR (second in baseball) and a 3.94 ERA (third in baseball), though given the number of injury concerns within their staff, it wouldn’t be a shock if L.A. pursued yet another notable arm.
- Cafardo also suggests that the Cubs will look to acquire a top starter, even if they’re one of the teams on the “trending down” list. Cafardo believes the retirement of clubhouse leader David Ross has had a bigger impact on the Cubs than the team is willing to admit.
- Some teams that were in on Jose Quintana have cooled their interest thanks to the southpaw’s rough start to the season. There has been some questions about whether Quintana is healthy, though the White Sox say he is healthy. Quintana has a 5.60 ERA in 64 1/3 innings, with career highs in BB/9 (3.36) and homer rate (13%) combining with a career-low 37.8% ground ball rate. On the plus side, he also has a career-best 8.96 K/9 and ERA indicators are all over a run lower than his 5.60 real-world ERA.
- “Don’t look for major subtractions” from the Giants, even if the team doesn’t make any additions at the deadline. Cafardo doesn’t expect the Giants to deal the likes of Johnny Cueto or Jeff Samardzija. I would imagine San Francisco is hoping to make a quick return to contention next season, though if Cueto gives them an indication that he’ll opt out of his contract this winter, a trade could be explored.
- The Rangers are also a team that won’t go into full-scale selling mode, so Cafardo expects them to wait and see if they should pursue starting pitching help for a run at a wild card slot.
- Zack Cozart has often been mentioned in trade rumors over the last couple of years as the Reds have been rebuilding, though one AL GM wonders why Cincinnati hasn’t instead explored an extension with the veteran shortstop. The Reds’ long-term plan is to have Jose Peraza at short and Dilson Herrera at second, so on paper, Cozart makes more sense as a trade chip than a building block. While Cozart is mashing the ball and playing his usual excellent defense, he also turns 32 in August and may be declining by the time the Reds are again ready to contend.
Giants Sign Jerry Sands To Minors Deal
The Giants have signed outfielder Jerry Sands to a minor league contract, Mike Ashmore of MyCentralJersey.com reports. Sands had been playing for the independent Somerset Patriots, and the 29-year-old will now head to the Giants’ Double-A affiliate.
Sands has only a .670 OPS over 464 plate appearances with the Dodgers, Rays, Indians and White Sox during his big league career, though the right-handed hitter has produced a very solid .285/.335/.477 slash line against lefty pitching. Much of Sands’ experience comes in the corner outfield slots and he has a handful of games at first base, so he brings a bit of defensive versatility.
Sands is the latest veteran outfielder signed by the Giants as the team tries to fix an already-thin outfield that has been further hampered by several injuries. San Francisco has added the likes of Melvin Upton Jr., Drew Stubbs and Justin Ruggiano on minors deals, with little impact (Upton underwent wrist surgery and Ruggiano was recently designated for assignment). Hunter Pence‘ imminent return from the DL will be a big help for the Giants, but with left field still a question mark, there is certainly opportunity for Sands to return to the majors.