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Orioles Claim Tayler Scott, Designate Sean Gilmartin

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The Orioles have claimed right-hander Tayler Scott off waivers from the Mariners and designated left-hander Sean Gilmartin for assignment in order to open a 40-man roster spot, per a club announcement. Scott has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

The South African-born Scott, 27, made his MLB debut with the Mariners in 2019, pitching 7 2/3 innings but yielding eight earned runs on 11 hits and six walks with seven strikeouts. Scott’s bottom-line numbers in Triple-A aren’t much more appealing — 6.43 ERA in 35 innings — but he’s posted a 57 percent grounder rate across his past two Triple-A campaigns and averages roughly 95 mph on his sinker. That, it seems, piqued the interest of the new-look Orioles front office. Because Scott only just had his contract selected for the first time in 2019, he has all three minor league option years remaining (2019 included).

Gilmartin, 29, yielded five runs on seven hits and two walks with one strikeout across 2 1/3 innings in his lone start for the O’s. The former first-round pick was once a fairly well-regarded pitching prospect but hasn’t found much MLB success outside a solid 2015 rookie season with the Mets when he was a Rule 5 pick out of the Twins organization. In 107 2/3 innings in the big leagues, Gilmartin has a 4.18 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 (5.90 ERA in 50 1/3 frames from 2016-19). He’s struggled throughout much of his time in Triple-A as well, though he did give the Orioles’ top affiliate 36 1/3 sharp innings this year prior to his selection to the MLB roster. The O’s will have a week to trade Gilmartin or run him through outright waivers.

Quick Hits: Pujols, Dodgers, Haniger, Dipoto, Bichette

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On July 31, 2000, the Padres and Cardinals swung a trade deadline deal that sent Heathcliff Slocumb and prospect Ben Johnson to San Diego in exchange for catcher Carlos Hernandez and minor league utilityman Nate Tebbs.  The swap is little more than a footnote in team history, though it could’ve been a far more legendary trade had Johnson been replaced with another prospect who was on the Padres’ radar — Albert Pujols.  Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details the intriguing history of that would-be deal, and how the Cardinals front office had to make a decision between including Pujols (a famously unheralded 13th-round pick in the 1999 draft) or Johnson, a much more highly-touted fourth-rounder from that same draft.  Pujols showed so much promise in his early pro career, however, that the team ultimately decided to move Johnson and spend more time evaluating a potential hidden gem.  “I really didn’t want to give up Ben, either, but that’s why you always have your top guys scout your own system,” said Walt Jocketty, then the Cardinals’ general manager.  “You have to know your own, like Pujols. There was no way we could trade him. No way, just based on what our guys had seen in a short period of time. They said, ‘I think he’s going to be something special – or has a chance to be.’ When I saw it myself, it was obvious.”

Here’s more from around the baseball world…

  • Even with Rich Hill on the IL for an undetermined period of time, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman isn’t planning to make starting pitching a particular focus at the trade deadline.  “I don’t see it being an area where we spend a lot of energy,” Friedman told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “Could that change? Of course. But I don’t expect it right now. We don’t expect it to be an area of need.”  In fact, Friedman didn’t think his team had any obvious weak spots, which perhaps isn’t a surprise given the Dodgers’ league-best 54-25 record.  Instead, the front office will look out for “impact players,” since such additions are “what moves the needle in October.”
  • In an interview on “The Front Office” on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link), Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto reiterated that his trade deadline efforts will be directed towards moving veteran players.  Younger and more controllable members of the Seattle roster are less likely to be moved, since they are part of what Dipoto hopes “is a very quick turnaround” within 12-18 months.  “Some of the guys that we do have here that attract the most trade attention, particularly guys like Mitch Haniger, they’re critical to our growth.  So at some point, you do have to build around something,” Dipoto said.
  • With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio now in the majors, speculation is swirling in Toronto about when Bo Bichette could make his Blue Jays debut.  A consensus top-12 prospect in the sport prior to the season, Bichette has a .256/.316/.453 slash line and three homers over 96 Triple-A plate appearances in 2019, while missing over six weeks due to a fractured hand.  As a result, Jays GM Ross Atkins told Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith that Bichette still needs a bit more seasoning in his first stint at the Triple-A level.  “We’d really like to see some time in triple-A and have him get his legs under him and have a good strong foundation before we have that discussion [about a promotion],” Atkins said.  For comparison’s sake, Nicholson-Smith notes that Biggio had 174 PA and Guerrero 162 PA for Triple-A Buffalo before getting the call to the Show.

Mariners Designate Jesse Biddle, Select Matt Carasiti and Mike Wright

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The Mariners announced a slew of roster moves Sunday. The club has designated left-handed reliever Jesse Biddle for assignment and selected the contracts of righties Matt Carasiti and Mike Wright from Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle also moved righty Chasen Bradford to the 60-day injured list and optioned RHP Gerson Bautista to Tacoma.

Biddle didn’t last long on the Mariners’ roster, having just joined the team in a trade with the Braves on May 20. That came a few days after the Braves designated Biddle. Between the two teams this season, the 27-year-old Biddle has limped to a 7.54 ERA/5.60 FIP with 7.54 K/9 and 6.75 BB/9 in 22 2/3 innings. Lefties have managed a whopping .404 weighted on-base average against Biddle, who’s only a year removed from a highly productive debut season in Atlanta.

Carasiti, also 27, signed a minors pact with the Mariners earlier this month after the Cubs released him. His lone major league experience came in 2016 with the Rockies, with whom he threw 15 2/3 innings of 9.19 ERA/4.49 FIP ball. Carasiti has put up a far better 2.76 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 32 2/3 Triple-A frames this season.

The 29-year-old Wright’s back in Seattle a little over a month after the team designated him. Wright didn’t pitch well in 11 innings with the Mariners before that, continuing a difficult run in the majors. With the Orioles and M’s, Wright has combined for a 6.08 ERA/5.26 FIP over 253 innings.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/21/19

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Friday’s minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Royals have signed infielder Chase d’Arnaud to a minor league deal, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets. D’Arnaud was last with the Rangers, who released him Tuesday. The 32-year-old opened 2019 with a .164/.275/.316 line in 178 plate appearances with Texas’ Triple-A affiliate. While the well-traveled d’Arnaud has primarily played at the Triple-A level as a professional, he has combined for 599 major league PA – 100 of which came with the Giants in 2018. He’s a .222/.273/.316 hitter in the bigs.
  • The Mariners have inked infielder Jordan Pacheco to a minors pact, according to Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto. Pacheco saw action with the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Reds from 2011-16, but he has since made a few stops outside the majors – including Monclova of the Mexican League this season. The 33-year-old’s known for his defensive versatility, having lined up at catcher, first base, second, third and in the outfield in his MLB days. Pacheco hit .272/.310/.356 during that 1,149-PA span.

Latest On Mitch Haniger

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After undergoing surgery to fix a ruptured testicle earlier this month, Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger hasn’t received clearance for any running or baseball activities, manager Scott Servais told MLB.com’s Greg Johns and other reporters.  While Haniger is doing some light weights work, the injury “was a little more serious than we’d originally anticipated,” Servais said.  “So it may be he’s going to need to play a few games, obviously, before we just fire him out there….we’ll just have to wait and see.”

It now seems as if Haniger may not return until after the All-Star break, as Servais said he had hoped the outfielder could be back in the fold prior to July 7, the last game of the season’s unofficial first half.  “But we just need to be patient,” Servais said, noting that the team will be cautious with Haniger’s recovery process.

Haniger had 15 homers and a .220/.314/.463 slash line over 283 plate appearances at the time of his injury.  While these numbers still represent above-average production, all three slash line statistics were down from Haniger’s superior lines in 2017 and 2018.  A .257 BABIP had something to do with the offensive decline, though Haniger’s strikeouts were way up (a 28.6% strikeout rate that soared above his 23.3% career mark).

While Haniger’s extra swing-and-miss tendencies were certainly a concern, he still would have attracted major attention on the trade front if the Mariners looked to move him at the deadline.  Haniger drew some trade interest over the winter, though while Seattle has been aggressive in moving its higher-priced players, the M’s would have required a big return before dealing a long-term piece like Haniger.  The outfielder is under team control through 2022 and will only reach arbitration eligibility for the first time this winter.

If Haniger won’t return until after the break, however, there might not be enough time before July 31 for him to show that he’s healthy and productive, so teams won’t be willing to give the Mariners the trade package they undoubtedly desire.  Still, it was a longer shot that Haniger would actually be dealt this summer anyway, as the M’s are in no real rush to move him as a cost-controlled player.  The club could easily wait until the winter to revisit Haniger’s market, if the Mariners end up dealing him at all.

Pitcher Notes: Zimmermann, Yanks, Cahill, Mariners, White Sox

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The Tigers announced that they’ve reinstated right-hander Jordan Zimmerman from the 10-day injured list. Zimmermann, who hasn’t taken a major league mound since April 25 because of a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, will start Wednesday. Zimmermann’s nearly two-month absence added injury to insult in what has been a terrible Tigers tenure for the 33-year-old. A run as a front-line starter for the Nationals convinced the Tigers to give Zimmermann a five-year, $110MM contract entering 2016, but he has come up way short of expectations since then. Now 33, Zimmermann owns a 5.29 ERA/4.92 FIP with 6.34 K/9, 2.26 BB/9 and a 36.7 percent groundball rate in 427 innings as a Tiger.

  • Yankees southpaw Jordan Montgomery seemingly isn’t recovering as hoped from June 2018 Tommy John surgery, as Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports. Montgomery exited a live batting practice session Tuesday after throwing 15 pitches. Manager Aaron Boone said afterward Montgomery “had a little discomfort.” The Yankees hope Montgomery will be able to help their pitching staff later in the season, Ackert notes, but that seems even less likely now. The 26-year-old functioned as a full-time starter from 2017-18, a 182 2/3-inning span in which he recorded a solid 3.84 ERA/4.09 FIP with 8.23 K/9, 3.10 BB/9 and a 41.4 percent grounder rate.
  • Angels righty Trevor Cahill will make a rehab start Friday with Triple-A Salt Lake, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was among those to report. Cahill has been on the IL since June 8 with soreness in his pitching elbow. The offseason signing got off to a horrible start before then, as shown by a 7.18 ERA/6.37 FIP in 57 2/3 innings.
  • The shoulder MRI that Mariners righty Felix Hernandez underwent Tuesday didn’t show any new issues, per Greg Johns of MLB.com (Twitter links). As a result, Hernandez – out since May 11 – will resume his rehab, likely throwing a few bullpen sessions before taking the ball again in the minors. Meanwhile, teammate and fellow righty Sam Tuivailala will begin a rehab stint at the Single-A level Friday. Tuivailala, a July 2018 Mariners trade acquisition, has been out since last August with a right Achilles injury.
  • The White Sox have placed southpaw Manny Banuelos on the 10-day IL with shoulder inflammation and recalled righty Carson Fulmer, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. This is the second time in 2019 that shoulder issues have sent Banuelos to the shelf. Injuries have been a common theme throughout the pro career of Banuelos, once a well-regarded prospect with the Yankees. The 28-year-old has pitched to an ugly 6.90 ERA/6.78 FIP with 8.28 K/9, 5.91 BB/9 and a 33.3 percent grounder rate in 45 2/3 innings (13 appearances, eight starts) with the White Sox this season.

Pitcher Notes: EJax, J. Wilson, King Felix, Wainwright

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The latest on a few injured hurlers…

  • The Blue Jays placed right-hander Edwin Jackson on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a lower back issue, Scott Mitchell of TSN tweets. Jackson has endured a nightmarish season with Toronto, the record 14th major league team for which he has pitched, having notched a 12.43 ERA/9.65 FIP with 6.04 K/9 and 4.26 BB/9 in 25 1/3 innings. The 35-year-old allowed seven earned runs on six hits (three homers) and two walks during a 2/3-inning shellacking at the hands of the Angels on Monday. For now, Jackson’s IL placement will stave off a potential designation for assignment.
  • Mets left-handed reliever Justin Wilson had been nearing activation, but he has suffered a setback in his injured elbow, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. That’s yet another negative development for the woebegone Mets, who also received bad injury news on outfielder Brandon Nimmo and reliever Jeurys Familia on Wednesday. Like Familia, another of the Mets’ big-ticket offseason pickups, Wilson has trudged through a season to forget thus far. The 31-year-old Wilson has been on the IL twice – including since May 11 – with elbow troubles, and he has only logged a 4.82 ERA/5.96 FIP in 9 1/3 innings since the Mets signed him to a two-year, $10MM contract.
  • Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez underwent an MRI on his sore lat muscle on Tuesday, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com. Hernandez – who hasn’t pitched in the bigs since May 11 – had been on a rehab assignment, but concern arose when he exited a minor league start last Friday with shoulder fatigue. “Felix had some discomfort in the back of his shoulder,” manager Scott Servais said. “It’s concerning enough to get new images of that. Let’s find out exactly what is going on in there.” Thanks in part to Hernandez’s injuries, it appears the Mariners legend’s tenure in Seattle will go out with a whimper. The impending free agent, 33, has followed up his woeful 2018 production with an even worse 6.52 ERA/5.37 FIP in 38 2/3 innings and eight starts this season.
  • Cardinals righty Adam Wainwright will come off the IL to start Thursday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com relays. Wainwright has been on the shelf since he departed a June 9 start with left hamstring tightness. Like most of St. Louis’ other starters, the 37-year-old Cardinals icon has registered unspectacular numbers this season. Wainwright owns a 4.46 ERA/4.59 FIP with 7.77 K/9 and 3.95 BB/9 in 70 2/3 innings.

Ryon Healy Diagnosed With Spinal Stenosis

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Mariners infielder Ryon Healy – out since May 21 with lower back issues – has been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. He’ll miss at least three to four more weeks as a result, according to manager Scott Servais.

Healy will undergo an epidural Tuesday in hopes of lessening the pain, per Johns. While Healy doesn’t expect the procedure to cure his problem, he suggested to Johns that the injury shouldn’t be a hindrance going forward “if we rehab it properly.” 

With the Mariners firmly in sell mode leading up to the July 31 deadline, Healy has come up in trade rumors during his time on the injured list. This latest development figures to officially take him out of play as an in-season trade piece for Seattle, though. More importantly, the hope is that it won’t hamper the 27-year-old Healy as he continues his career. A spinal stenosis diagnosis in 2015 helped derail former Mets third baseman David Wright, who seldom took the field again before deciding to wrap up his playing days at the end of last season.

In addition to dealing with Healy’s ongoing absence, the Mariners will have to continue without right fielder Mitch Haniger for the time being, Johns explains. Haniger has been on the IL with a ruptured testicle since June 7. While Haniger has begun light (non-baseball) activity, there’s still no timetable for his return.

Astros, Rockies Had Interest In Edwin Encarnacion

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Moving as much of Edwin Encarnacion’s salary as possible was the Mariners’ prime incentive in finding a trade partner for the slugger, which is why the Yankees ultimately won the bidding.  Other teams were also checking in with the M’s about Encarnacion, though ultimately weren’t as willing as New York was to cover as much salary, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets.  We heard earlier today about the Rays’ interest, and Feinsand reports that the Astros “were also actively involved, with the Rockies in the mix to a lesser extent.”

Encarnacion would certainly have beefed up a first base/DH mix that has been Houston’s only real offensive weak spot this season, as both Yuli Gurriel and Tyler White have posted below-average numbers.  Then again, young Yordan Alvarez’s hot start has created optimism that the Astros could address that DH need from within, and the Astros are seemingly more in need of pitching than they are of another big bat (then again, the same could’ve been said of the Yankees).

In terms of taking on salary, Jason Martinez of Roster Resource has the Astros projected for a luxury tax number of just under $189.5MM, well below the $206MM Competitive Balance Tax threshold.  Since the Yankees ended up adding only $3.4MM in extra luxury tax funds in the Encarnacion trade, on paper it would seem like Houston would certainly have taken on a similar financial obligation and still had enough money left over to acquire pitching without crossing the CBT line.  Of course, it’s possible other factors were part of any Houston/Seattle talks. Perhaps the Mariners wanted more to trade Encarnacion within the AL West; maybe the two sides just couldn’t agree on a suitable prospect to change hands in a deal.

Colorado would’ve been more of a curious fit for Encarnacion, which likely explains their “lesser” degree of interest.  Without a DH spot on offer, the Rockies would have had to play Encarnacion at first base every day, which might have been a tough ask of a 36-year-old who has spent the bulk of his time as a designated hitter over the last nine seasons.  (Encarnacion did start at first base 45 times for the Mariners this year, though still with 19 DH starts to keep him well-rested.)

Adding Encarnacion to first base would have also required a shift back to second base for Daniel Murphy, who has been a decidedly subpar defensive second baseman throughout his entire career.  The Rockies might have been considering whether the fielding dropoff would have been worth the risk, since Murphy’s bat might have at least sparked some type of positive help from the second base spot.  No team in baseball has gotten less production (-1.0 bWAR) than the Rockies out of their second basemen in 2019.

Then again, Murphy has yet to really catch fire at the plate himself, hitting only .278/.324/.463 with five homers over 176 PA, while missing four weeks with a fractured finger.  As the Rockies look towards the trade deadline, the easier solution to their second base situation might be to simply acquire an actual second baseman as an upgrade over the Ryan McMahon/Brendan Rodgers/Garrett Hampson mix, rather than move Murphy over and obtaining a new first baseman.

Rays Notes: Edwin, Trades, Alvarado

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2:57pm: Alvarado is back in the United States, Toribio reports (via Twitter).  The left-hander will get some work in at the Rays’ Single-A affiliate to ramp up in preparation for his return to the majors.

2:01pm: Before Edwin Encarnacion was dealt to the Yankees last night, the Rays were also in talks with the Mariners about the slugger, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter link).  As is so often the case for Tampa Bay, however, payroll was a factor, as the “Yankees were in better position to absorb” a larger portion of Encarnacion’s contract.  Ironically, the Rays are already paying a chunk of Encarnacion’s $20MM salary for the 2019 season — as per the terms of the Rays/Mariners/Indians three-team deal in December, Tampa is covering $5MM of the money owed to Encarnacion.

Taking on more salary apparently wasn’t feasible for the Rays, especially given that Seattle is trying to cut as much payroll as possible.  While checking in on a player of Encarnacion’s caliber, or checking with a rebuilding team like the Mariners, is just good due diligence for any team, the Rays’ interest could hint at the team’s intentions heading towards the trade deadline.  Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times hears from a club official that the Rays will be “in on everybody” leading up to July 31, leading to a wealth of interesting options given how much minor league talent Tampa has on offer, or how much the team is willing to even modestly expend its salary commitments.

For instance, Topkin cites former Ray and current Padres closer Kirby Yates as “a potential bullpen trade target.”  We’ve already heard that San Diego would basically need to be blown away to move Yates, and that’s assuming they become deadline sellers at all given that the team is still alive in the NL wild card race.  A pitcher like Yates fits the Rays’ model, however, as he is only owed around $1.4MM for the remainder of this season and is also arbitration-controlled through 2020.

The bullpen seems to be Tampa Bay’s “top need,” Topkin writes, though he also (more hypothetically) suggests that the Rays could even explore a blockbuster position player addition like Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor.  Needless to say, that type of a trade would be a longer shot, though it suggests just how open the Rays are to all options as they push to win the AL East.

In regards to the pen, the Rays should theoretically be in line for some internal help once Jose Alvarado returns from the restricted list.  However, MLB.com’s Juan Toribio (Twitter link) reports that “there is still no timetable for” when Alvarado would potentially rejoin the club.  The left-hander originally went on the family medical emergency list back on June 2, though since that leave period has a maximum of seven days, the Rays moved Alvarado to the restricted list a week later.

Details are scarce, which isn’t unusual given the personal nature of the situation, though the longer Alvarado is out, the more it could enhance Tampa’s need for relief help, particularly from the left side.  Alvarado has a troubling 6.2 BB/9 this season, yet despite that shaky control, still has a 3.09 ERA and 12.3 K/9 over 23 1/3 innings this season.

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