George Kontos Headed To DL With Flexor Strain
7:20pm: Tests have revealed that there’s no damage to Kontos’ ulnar collateral ligament, tweets Shea’s colleague, Hank Schulman. Furthermore, Kontos tells Schulman (link) that he’s hopeful of returning in just two weeks, calling his injury “mild tendinitis” as opposed to Bochy’s previousy stated flexor strain. Kontos was officially placed on the disabled list this afternoon.
8:04am: Giants righty George Kontos is destined for a trip to the DL after suffering a flexor strain in his right elbow, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He’ll join pen mate Sergio Romo in rehabbing from the same injury.
Kontos, 30, has quietly delivered excellent results in a middle relief role for San Francisco. He was leaned on heavily early in 2016, leading all MLB relievers with eight appearances. Over his 5 2/3 innings, Kontos has allowed just one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out four opposing batters.
Skipper Bruce Bochy says that the roots of the injury trace to the spring, when Kontos experienced some elbow discomfort. He was obviously able to battle through, but now is set for at least a 15-day absence. Indications are that Kontos will not be able to throw for at least a week, but it remains unclear precisely how long he’ll be out. Generally, flexor strains require fairly lengthy absences.
Even after dipping into their pitching depth to account for Romo’s absence — Derek Law received the call-up — the Giants have a host of available arms. 40-man relievers at the Triple-A level include righty Mike Broadway and lefty Steven Okert. The club could conceivably turn to a young starter as well, with Clayton Blackburn, Ty Blach, and Chris Stratton all on optional assignment to the Giants’ top affiliate.
NL West Notes: Reyes, Padres, Norris, Giants
Here’s the latest from around the NL West…
- There’s a good chance Jose Reyes has played his last game for the Rockies, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes as part of a reader mailbag piece. Saunders postulates that the team will wait until Reyes completes his probable suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy and then release him outright. The suspension will erase some of the $46.25MM still owed to Reyes through the 2017 season (counting the $4MM buyout of his club option for 2018) and Saunders believes the Rockies will simply then eat the rest of the money in order to sever ties with the troubled shortstop.
- Of the veteran Padres most often cited in trade rumors, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune opines that catcher Derek Norris is the most likely to be dealt. Following Norris are, in order, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, James Shields and Matt Kemp. Sanders covers several other Padres topics as part of this online chat with Union-Tribune readers.
- With Mac Williamson not getting regular at-bats while sitting on the Giants bench, Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks the team could make another roster move this week to recall a shortstop and more directly fill the spot of injured infielder Ehire Adrianza. The Giants didn’t want to be “hasty” with a 40-man roster spot to address Adrianza’s loss, though if Ian Gardeck is shifted to the 60-man DL, the team could add an experienced shortstop like Hak-Ju Lee and send Williamson back to everyday duty at Triple-A.
- The Diamondbacks could be in for a few days’ worth of roster shuffles after using nine pitchers in Saturday’s 14-inning loss to the Padres, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. “It could be one of those things where this whole week is flip-flopping people. [We] might have to go down to 12 position players, too, at some point,” manager Chip Hale said. Shelby Miller had to leave Saturday’s start after just 1 2/3 innings under odd circumstances, as he twice banged his throwing hand against the mound and scraped his knuckles after extending his follow-through on pitches. The D’Backs entered Sunday’s action with a league-high 47 1/3 bullpen innings, though Patrick Corbin gave the staff some breathing room by tossing 6 2/3 frames in today’s win.
Giants Place Ehire Adrianza On DL, Recall Mac Williamson
7:15pm: Williamson will get the call, Pavlovic tweets. The well-regarded 25-year-old corner outfielder struggled in a late-season call-up last year but is off to a strong start at Triple-A.
6:14pm: Giants infielder Ehire Adrianza has been diagnosed with a fractured left foot, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports on Twitter. He’s expected to miss at least six weeks of action and will obviously require a DL stint.
San Francisco has dealt with a few injury issues in the early going, and Adrianza will join reliever Sergio Romo on the shelf for reasonably significant stretches of time. The 26-year-old reserve was off to a nice start in limited action, though obviously he functions as a utilityman behind a highly-talented starting infield unit. Over parts of four seasons of MLB action, Adrianza owns a .214/.293/.311 slash in just 272 plate appearances, but obviously he’s valued more for his glove than his bat.
Up-the-middle Giants regulars Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik are both dealing with seemingly-minor hip issues, and there doesn’t appear to be much cause for concern so long as they can manage those matters with a bit of rest. The loss of Adrianza certainly complicates things, but Kelby Tomlinson remains on hand and is capable of playing short, second, or third.
Fill-in possibilities include minor league free agents Grant Green, Conor Gillaspie, Ramiro Pena, and Hak-Ju Lee, with the latter two representing more versatile defensive options, but each of those players would require a 40-man roster spot. Top prospect Christian Arroyo is a theoretical candidate as well, but calling him up would mean putting him on the 40-man and starting his service clock, and the 20-year-old has only just reached the Double-A level for the first time this season. Alternatively, the Giants could add another arm or go with a 40-man outfielder such as Mac Williamson or Jarrett Parker, which Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests is the likelier outcome. (Twitter link.)
Sergio Romo Headed To DL With Flexor Strain
Giants reliever Sergio Romo will be placed on the 15-day DL after being diagnosed with a flexor strain in his right elbow, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report on Twitter. Romo will not even resume throwing for two weeks, at which time he’ll be reevaluated before being cleared, so he’ll almost certainly be out longer than the minimum.
Romo had been generating typically strong results in his first several outings, but there were some warnings signs. His swinging strike rate is down quite a bit, and Romo has only recorded one strikeout in four appearances. Of greater concern, he has lost around 1.5 to 2 miles per hour on all of his offerings as against his 2015 average velocities.
It’s not clear at this point how long of an absence is to be expected, but as Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com notes, a similar malady cost righty Matt Cain a full three months last season. Of course, Cain had to rebuild his pitch count in a way that Romo won’t need to, but that experience shows the potential that this kind of injury has. Fellow reliever Carson Smith of the Red Sox is still working back from his own version of the impairment suffered over three weeks ago.
San Francisco will surely also try to avoid risking further injury by rushing a return. Certainly, it’s far from uncharted territory, and there are clear risks. Doug Fister suffered a velocity decline after his return from a flexor strain last year, while Cliff Lee was shelved for the year in 2014 after he suffered a flexor tear upon his return from a two-month DL stint for a strain.
It appears that Cory Gearrin will move up the depth charts into a more prominent set-up role in Romo’s stead. Of course, the club can also turn to high-powered righty Hunter Strickland in front of closer Santiago Casilla, so there’s sufficient depth on hand for the time being. It’s not yet clear which minor leaguer will be summoned to occupy Romo’s active roster spot, but San Francisco appears to be weighing a variety of options.
Giants, Alex Torres Agree To Minor League Deal
The Giants have agreed to a deal with left-handed reliever Alex Torres, reports Michael Mayer of Metsmerized Online (Twitter link). It’s a minor league contract, MLBTR has learned.
Torres, 28, spent the 2015 campaign with the Mets after coming over from the Padres in a Spring Training trade. He worked to a 3.15 ERA and struck out 35 batters in 34 1/3 innings of work, but he also averaged 6.8 walks per nine innings and was largely ineffective against left-handed batters, who hit .268/.406/.393 against Torres in 69 plate appearances. Despite a strong ERA, Torres was designated for assignment on Aug. 7 when the Mets acquired Eric O’Flaherty and subsequently outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas. This offseason, he signed a minor league deal with the Braves, but he didn’t make the club after allowing four earned runs on six hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in eight spring innings.
The 2015 campaign marked the second straight season in which Torres had struggled considerably more against left-handed opponents than against righties, but he was outstanding against both in 2013 with the Rays. The Giants will hope that Torres can rediscover that form, though for the time being he’ll serve as a depth piece in the upper minors. Javier Lopez and Josh Osich are the club’s primary left-handed relievers. Those are the only two left-handed relievers on the club’s 40-man roster, though lefty Ty Blach is in the Triple-A rotation and could conceivably be an option as well.
California Notes: Scully, Angels, Belt, Butler, Fisher
Fans traveling to Dodger Stadium from Sunset Boulevard to Stadium Way can now make the journey on Vin Scully Avenue. The city of Los Angeles officially renamed the street formerly known as Elysian Park Avenue in honor of the legendary voice of the Dodgers in a dedication ceremony today. This will undoubtedly be just one of many well-deserved tributes to Scully as the iconic broadcaster enters his 67th and final season calling Dodger games. Here’s the latest baseball news from California’s teams…
- Even with Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson coming off the books next winter, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times doesn’t expect the Angels to be huge spenders in the 2016-17 free agent market. Assuming the Halos don’t pass their high of $165MM on player payroll, they will only have around $40MM to spend on 16 roster spots.
- Brandon Belt‘s five-year, $72.8MM extension with the Giants is “a reasonable common ground” between the two sides, Fangraphs’ Craig Edwards writes in an analysis of the contract. Belt may have sacrificed some extra money by not hitting free agency after the 2017 season, though since he’s had a bit of inconsistency in his career, landing a big nine-figure deal wasn’t a guarantee. (Edwards doesn’t mention Belt’s concussion history, which may have also played a factor in his taking a big payday now.) Edwards also notes that Belt is just the third player in the last three years to sign an extension two years away from free agency, along with teammate Brandon Crawford and the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton.
- In an interview on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link), Athletics manager Bob Melvin implied that Billy Butler will indeed be a part-time player for the club, saying that “for the most part he’s gonna be playing against lefties.” The veteran slugger has “been great about” accepting the reduced role. Obviously, neither Butler or the A’s have to be happy that it has come to this, given the three-year, $30MM deal Butler signed prior to the 2015 season. Butler has been the least-valuable player in baseball as per the fWAR metric since the start of the 2014 season, as he provides no defensive value as a full-time DH and his once-fearsome bat has badly declined.
- Athletics majority owner John Fisher is taking a larger role in the club’s quest for a new ballpark, Phil Matier and Andy Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle report. Fisher appears to be interested in a downtown Oakland location for a new stadium, possibly a site near Laney College if the team can purchase the land. Since purchasing the A’s with Lew Wolff in 2005, Fisher has largely been publicly silent on team matters, with Wolff taking a more visible role as the Athletics’ managing partner.
Giants Extend Brandon Belt
The Giants announced Saturday that they’ve signed first baseman Brandon Belt to an extension through the 2021 season. The deal will pay Belt $8.8MM in 2017, and then $16MM in each of the next four years for a total of $72.8MM. There aren’t any options included in the contract, though Belt receives a partial no-trade clause that allows him to block trades to 10 teams, beginning next season. Belt is represented by Excel Sports Management.
Belt’s deal just tops the the six-year, $75MM extension Brandon Crawford signed with San Francisco in November. Belt’s $6.2MM contract for 2016 allowed him and the Giants to avoid an arbitration hearing, and Belt would have been arb-eligible for the third and final time next offseason before hitting the open market after 2017. Instead, this new extension will cover that last arbitration year and Belt’s first four free agent seasons.
Belt becomes the latest Giant signed to a major multi-year contract into the 2020s, joining Crawford, Buster Posey, Jeff Samardzija and (if he doesn’t exercise his opt-out clause) Johnny Cueto. While the Giants have the financial might to afford a large payroll, the club has some extra financial breathing room thanks to Matt Duffy and Joe Panik still being on pre-arbitration contracts, as well as Madison Bumgarner controlled through 2019 on what has become a very team-friendly extension signed between the ace’s first and second seasons in the bigs.
Belt, who turns 28 later this month, has a .272/.349/.456 slash line and 63 homers over 2061 career plate appearances. The advanced defensive metrics are very impressed by his glove, as Belt has +23 Defensive Runs Saved and a +6.1 UZR/150 over his career at first. Belt also has relatively even career splits against both left-handed (.784 OPS) and right-handed (.813 OPS) pitchers, though the Giants were prone to sit him against southpaws early in his career.
Despite these strong numbers, however, there is still a sense that the best could be yet to come. It took a while for Belt to firmly establish himself as the Giants’ regular first baseman, and he has also had a couple of notable injury concerns — he played in only 61 games in 2014 due to a broken thumb and a concussion, and he also missed time last season due to another concussion.
Perhaps with these injuries in mind and the fact that Posey may need more time at first base as the years go on, there were rumors earlier this winter that the Giants could be looking to trade Belt. As the offseason went on, however, trade speculation gave way to talk of an extension between the two sides, particularly after Crawford’s deal was finalized.
Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com was first to report that Belt and the Giants had agreed to terms. Shea was first to tweet that the deal was complete. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the year-to-year breakdown. Pavlovic, Jon Heyman, Shea and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal all reported details of the contract’s structure.
Photo courtesy of Dennis Wierzbicki/USA Today Sports Images
NL West Notes: Stripling, Crawford, Lincecum, Padres
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.
Madison Bumgarner Hires Excel Sports Management
Giants ace Madison Bumgarner recently changed representation, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports on Twitter. The outstanding southpaw has hired Excel Sports Management as his agency.
Bumgarner, 26, has gone from being a quality young pitcher to a bona fide top-of-the-rotation star. He’s ended each of the last three seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA, and has increased his innings output and K:BB ratio in each successive campaign. Last year, he spun a career-high 218 1/3 frames and struck out 9.6 while walking only 1.6 opposing batters per nine.
Of course, the Giants were able to lock MadBum into an early-career extension just prior to the 2012 season. That pact largely lined up with the guarantees given to other impressive young starters, but did set a record for 1+ service-time pitchers when it was signed.
Now, of course, the contract is an unquestionable steal for San Francisco, which controls Bumgarner through 2019 via a pair of $12MM options. That would take Bumgarner through his age-29 season, meaning he could still hit the open market at a reasonably young age — or, of course, consider an additional extension.
Bumgarner joins an already-impressive stable of pitchers with Excel, including Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Masahiro Tanaka. As always, you can find information on player representation in MLBTR’s Agency Database.
Notable Opening Day Roster Decisions
With Opening Day fast approaching, and a variety of deadlines hitting clubs around the league, we’re seeing plenty of final roster and initial playing time decisions being made. While many don’t necessarily implicate control rights or other contractual matters, some are particularly noteworthy. Among them:
- Ricky Nolasco has won the Twins‘ final rotation spot, with the club optioning Tyler Duffey to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. The 25-year-old Duffey had an impressive ten-game debut last year, but was outperformed in camp by the high-priced veteran Nolasco, who struck out 14 in his 13 1/3 innings. Duffey, meanwhile, surrendered a 7.30 ERA in 12 1/3 innings, with six walks to go with just six strikeouts. Minnesota also seems to have set its pen and the rest of its 25-man Opening Day roster, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune tweets, by reassigning Logan Darnell to minor league camp. It appears that Fernando Abad will function as the sole lefty middle reliever on the club.
- It appears that reliever Craig Breslow has made the Marlins‘ roster, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets. Breslow inked a minor league deal with Miami this winter and will earn $1.5MM in 2016 if he makes the roster.
- The Giants have optioned catcher Andrew Susac and will go with Trevor Brown in the reserve role to open the season, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area was among those to report on Twitter. Susac has dealt with injuries this spring and could certainly stand to receive more steady playing time. That creates a nice opportunity for the 24-year-old Brown, a glove-first receiver who has a lot to prove with the bat.
- The Brewers will go with Yadiel Rivera and Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh as bench infielders, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets. That leaves Hernan Perez without an apparent role. He’s out of options, so a roster move could be coming for the 25-year-old. Meanwhile, Walsh will get a chance to stick in Milwaukee, which is obviously intrigued at the idea of keeping his future rights.