Injury Notes: Paxton, Kuhl, Urias, Adolfo
Mariners fans are holding their collective breath after James Paxton exited last night’s start in the first inning with an apparent injury. Per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Paxton was lifted due to some discomfort in his lower back. Clearly, this would’ve been Paxton’s last start before the All-Star break anyhow, so the plus for the team is that he’ll have an extended period of time to rest up and hopefully return in healthier form. If the Mariners want to truly be cautious with their ace, they could slot him into the back of the rotation coming out of the break, giving him extra time in an effort to ensure that his back issue is cleared up. The injury doesn’t appear to be serious, though there’ll understandably be at least some apprehension around the situation until Paxton can make it through a start or two without further incident. Seattle can ill-afford to lose Paxton, who heads into the break with a 3.70 ERA, 11.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 through 119 1/3 innings.
Some more injury updates from around the league…
- Pirates righty Chad Kuhl will be shut down from throwing entirely until Aug. 8, writes Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. At that point, he’ll be reevaluated and, if all goes well, begin throwing from flat ground. There’s no definite timetable on Kuhl’s return from the current forearm injury that has him on the shelf, though Bloom notes that Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk doesn’t expect that Kuhl will ultimately require any type of surgical procedure to correct the issue. The 25-year-old Kuhl had pitched to a 3.76 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 36.2 percent ground-ball rate through 14 starts before he was rocked for 10 runs across two starts (six innings). He exited that final start early due to the forearm issue and was subsequently placed on the DL.
- Julio Urias faced live hitters this week for the first time since undergoing major shoulder surgery last June, tweets Pedro Moura of The Athletic. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters that the left-hander’s fastball reached as high as 92 mph in that session, and while that’s not quite as high as the 93.1 mph he averaged last season before surgery, it’s an encouraging sign in the early stages of his return to throwing. At the time of Urias’ procedure, Dodgers president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman suggested that the prized young lefty’s rehab could be as long as 14 months. It still seems possible that Urias could return before season’s end, though the team will undoubtedly exercise caution with a player of his upside. Urias had one of the most meteoric rises through the minors of any pitcher in recent history, debuting in the Majors as a 19-year-old in 2016.
- The White Sox received some more tough news on a promising young prospect, as the team announced to reporters this week that outfielder Micker Adolfo will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the remainder of the season (Twitter link via WGN’s Adam Hoge). The silver lining, if there’s any, is that the procedure comes with a quicker recovery time for position players than for pitchers, and Adolfo is expected to be recovered in eight to 10 months. That would put him on track to be back up to speed anywhere from early Spring Training to early May Adolfo, 21, had turned in a quality .283/.368/.466 slash with 11 homers but a more concerning 27.2 percent strikeout rate through 78 games against older competition in Class-A Advanced. Fangraphs ranked him ninth among ChiSox farmhands earlier this year, while he currently ranks 10th in their system over at MLB.com.
DL Placements: Felix Hernandez, Sean Doolittle, Josh Tomlin
With several players hitting the disabled list this afternoon, we’ll round them up in this post:
- The Mariners announced that starter Felix Hernandez will hit the DL owing to lower back tightness. It seems the idea is to afford him a longer rest by lining up the placement with the coming All-Star break, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets. Reliever Nick Rumbelow and infielder Gordon Beckham will head onto the active roster, with outfielder John Andreoli being optioned out. Hopefully for the M’s, a bit of a respite will allow Hernandez to bounce back in the second half. It has been a frustrating season to this point, as he has allowed 5.13 earned runs per nine over 105 1/3 innings.
- Likewise, the Nationals announced that closer Sean Doolittle is hitting the shelf with left toe inflammation. His placement is retroactive to July 7th, meaning he’ll be eligible to return immediately after the break. The roster will get two fresh arms in Wander Suero and Austin Voth, while fellow right-hander Jefry Rodriguez was optioned after his start yesterday. As for Doolittle, it had been hoped that he would be able to return to action, but the team can ill afford an un-utilized roster spot with a tired relief corps. The club has other capable late-inning arms to turn to, though obviously the fervent hope will be that this placement will stave off any more concerning health matters.
- Indians righty Josh Tomlin is going to the DL with a right hamstring strain, per another announcement. He’ll be replaced by Adam Plutko, who has seen seven games (including six starts) of action in the majors this year. Tomlin has struggled both before and after being bumped from the rotation. Though he hasn’t been hit quite as hard in a relief capacity, he’s still allowing a .256/.294/.538 slash to opposing hitters while working from the bullpen. The 33-year-old owns a 6.98 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 — and an unhealthy 3.9 homers per nine — over 49 total innings this year.
AL West Notes: M’s, Cano, Cruz, A’s, Astros, Tucker
Speaking with reporters (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times) on Saturday, Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano was apologetic about the 80-game suspension he has been serving since mid-May. Cano tested positive for Furosemide, which is a diuretic that masks the effects of PEDs, though he suggested that he didn’t knowingly take a banned substance. “The city of Seattle has become my second home for my family and I. I’m grateful to the organization, my teammates and the fans and as you guys know, I’ve been getting tested for the last 12 seasons and I’ve never had an issue with MLB policy,” Cano said. “I was being treated for some medical ailments and I was being supervised by a doctor. But at the same time, I understand that everything that goes into my body, I’m responsible for that.”
Because the Mariners (56-34) have been on a roll without Cano, who’s eligible to return Aug. 14 but ineligible for postseason play, it’s unclear whether he’ll man second base again when he comes back. Dee Gordon has moved from center field to second in Cano’s absence, and it’s possible the Mariners will keep Gordon at the keystone through season’s end. Asked if he’d be on board with shifting positions upon his return, Cano noted, “I haven’t talked to (general manager) Jerry (Dipoto) yet, but I would do anything for the team.” Should Gordon remain at second, the 35-year-old Cano could head to first, where Ryon Healy has only offered league-average offense this season.
Here’s more on Seattle and two other playoff hopefuls from the AL West:
- Thanks in part to the presences of Gordon and Healy, not to mention Cano’s age, he may have to move to designated hitter as early as next year, Bob Condotta of KLAY 1180 AM writes. The Mariners have Nelson Cruz at DH now, but he’ll be a free agent after the season. While Cruz is having yet another outstanding campaign at the plate, he’s unlikely to land an overly long or expensive contract considering his age (38) and inability to contribute on defense, Condotta posits. As such, whether the Mariners re-sign Cruz may hinge more on roster flexibility than whether they’re interested in meeting his asking price. Bringing Cruz back would affect not only the DH situation in Seattle, but also the team’s infield and outfield pictures, as Condotta explains in his piece.
- The Athletics announced that they’ve reinstated left-hander Brett Anderson from the 10-day disabled list and placed righty Paul Blackburn on the 10-day DL (retroactive to Saturday) with right elbow lateral epicondylitis. Anderson missed nearly two months with a left shoulder strain, adding to a long list of injuries in the 30-year-old’s career. He struggled in 15 1/3 innings before hitting the shelf, yielding 13 earned runs on 25 hits. Blackburn has endured a similarly poor season in the run prevention department (7.16 ERA in 27 2/3 frames), though ERA estimators FIP (3.56), xFIP (4.33) and SIERA (4.37) suggest he has deserved far better. It’s unclear how much time Blackburn could miss, but the location of his injury is alarming – especially considering he sat out all of April and May with a right forearm strain. Swapping Anderson for Blackburn will continue to leave the A’s with more than a full rotation’s worth of starters on the DL (depth chart).
- The three weeks leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline will serve as a left field audition for Astros prospect Kyle Tucker, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal says. If the just-promoted Tucker doesn’t look ready to contribute on a regular basis, the Astros will “likely” look to acquire a veteran stopgap, according to Rosenthal, who points out that left field has not been an area of strength for their offense this season. Tucker, 21, made his Astros debut Saturday and went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts and a walk.
Draft Notes: Orioles, Mariners, D’Backs, Signing Pools
The signing period for 2018 draft picks came to an end yesterday, as teams had until 4pm CST to agree to contracts with players selected in last month’s amateur draft. Here are some leftover items on players who did and didn’t end up inking deals. Scouting reports and pre-draft rankings can be found courtesy of MLB.com, Fangraphs, Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law (the latter two available to subscribers only)…
- The Orioles signed third-rounder Blaine Knight for a $1.1MM bonus, MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski reported yesterday. The bonus is nearly twice the $663.2K value assigned to the 87th overall pick, so Knight will receive a nice payday to begin his pro career. Knight, a right-hander, was a big factor in Arkansas’ recent run to the College World Series, and his drop to the third round represents something of a bargain for the O’s — the pre-draft rankings had Knight no lower than 58th (from Fangraphs), with Baseball America rating him as the 36th-best prospect in this year’s class.
- The Mariners also struck a late deal with a third-round pick, signing Florida State catcher Cal Raleigh to a deal with a $854K bonus, as per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (hat tip to MLB.com’s Greg Johns). Seattle used its remaining pool space to land Raleigh on an above-slot deal, as the 90th overall selection carried a $632.7K slot price. Baseball America was highest on Raleigh, ranking him as the 78th-best prospect and noting that a strong junior season helped him regain some draft stock after a mediocre sophomore year.
- The Diamondbacks didn’t reach an agreement with 25th overall pick Matt McLain prior to yesterday’s deadline, with GM Mike Hazen sharing some general details about the situation to reporters (including the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro). Though the D’Backs offered the full slot price of $2,636,400, McLain went into the draft with a set price tag that he would need to forego his commitment to UCLA, it became clear that he was serious about going to college. “Those things change sometimes. In fact, they change a lot in a lot of cases,” Hazen said. “The family changes their mind sometimes. I think as you go through the summer, if school is becoming less of a reality, or you don’t want to go to school, then that number can drop sometimes. We’ve had situations where it goes up in the other direction….Everything that was presented to us from Scott [McLain’s advisor Scott Boras] to the family was 100 percent accurate. I really think that school became the driving factor in the decision.”
- McLain was one of three first-rounders who didn’t sign, the highest total since the 2010 draft, as MLB.com’s Jim Callis noted as part of a roundup of stats from this year’s draft class. Only four first-round picks in total had failed to sign in the previous six drafts, or since the league instituted the new bonus pool system for the draft. Overall, 310 of the 314 players taken in the first 10 rounds eventually signed with their teams. Callis also lists what each team spent on their picks; for comparison, here is the listing of what every team had available to spend in their original draft bonus pool.
Mike Marjama Retires
Mariners catcher Mike Marjama has retired, according to a team announcement (h/t Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, on Twitter). That leaves the team with three openings on its 40-man roster.
Marjama, who’ll turn 29 later this month, was originally a 23rd-round pick in the 2011 draft. He overcame the odds to make it to the big leagues, seeing action in 15 MLB contests over the past two seasons. In his 173 plate appearances this year at Triple-A, he had produced a .247/.302/.424 batting line.
Marjama is wrapping up his playing career in order to pursue a new job with the National Eating Disorders Association, per the announcement. It seems that his pursuit of this particular line of work relates to his own prior struggles with eating disorders, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns notes on Twitter. We at MLBTR certainly wish him the best of luck in this worthwhile endeavor.
Mariners Extend Jerry Dipoto
The Mariners announced today that they have agreed to a new, multi-year contract extension with general manager Jerry Dipoto. The former MLB reliever had been in the final season of the deal that he originally inked to run the baseball operations for the Seattle organization.
Terms of the new pact were not publicly released by the team. It’s not clear, then, just how long into the future Dipoto will remain under contract. But the announcement did make clear that it’s for multiple years, so presumably he has at least signed on through the 2020 campaign.
Dipoto, previously the GM of the Angels and interim GM of the Diamondbacks, took the helm in Seattle before the 2016 season. Jack Zduriencik held the post prior to Dipoto’s arrival. As the club notes in its announcement, the Mariners have MLB’s eighth-best record (220-192) since Dipoto came on board.
While the M’s have yet to reach the postseason — a dry spell that dates back to 2001 — they finally seem primed to do so this year. Indeed, the club is surprisingly keeping pace with the defending World Series champion Astros in the AL West, though it’d remain quite a surprise if Houston doesn’t find some separation by season’s end. Though the Mariners still have some work to do to capture a Wild Card, they entered play today with a 7.5-game lead over the Athletics.
Dipoto says the ultimate goal remains a World Series. Though that has yet to be achieved, the club obviously determined that Dipoto remains the best option to deliver the hoped-for result.
President/CEO Kevin Mather offered this assessment:
“Jerry arrived here two-and-a-half years ago with a specific plan for our franchise. He has successfully executed that plan, resulting in a younger, more athletic and, most importantly, far more successful Major League team.
At the same time, he has upgraded nearly every aspect of our overall baseball operation, improving systems, staff and communication in our Major League operations, our Player Development system, our Pro and Amateur scouting departments and our revamped High Performance Area.”
The youth and athleticism to which Mather refers are certainly themes that Dipoto has emphasized. In that pursuit, Dipoto has earned a reputation as the game’s most active GM on the trade market. We’ve tried to keep up with his prolific swapping in our Transaction Tracker, which reflects a bevy of deals (some significant, some not) since he joined the organization.
While critics have argued that those deals, in the aggregate, have not greatly increased the talent base in Seattle, the M’s feel they’ve boosted their overall quality while increasing flexibility and control. Certainly, Dipoto has not shied away from unique swaps in search of value. Among his most interesting swaps are the acquisition of Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger; the two–step swap that netted the club Drew Smyly; the takeover of the contract of Mike Leake; the position-changing addition of Dee Gordon; and, most recently, the early-season strike for Denard Span and Alex Colome.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mariners Release Ariel Miranda To Pursue Opportunity In Japan
The Mariners have released lefty Ariel Miranda, as reflected on the MLB.com transactions page. The move was made to enable Miranda to pursue an opportunity with an organization in Japan, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports on Twitter.
While the 29-year-old Miranda spent all of 2017 in the Seattle rotation, he managed only a 5.12 ERA in 160 frames on the year. He has taken just one start in the bigs thus far in 2018 and obviously was not viewed by the club as an essential depth piece.
For most of the present season, Miranda has worked at Triple-A. Through 45 1/3 innings, he carries a 3.97 ERA with forty strikeouts and 24 walks — numbers that largely reflect his limited prior work in the upper minors.
Miranda originally joined the Orioles organization out of his native Cuba. He was sent to the M’s in the 2016 deadline deal that delivered Wade Miley to Baltimore.
AL West Notes: Astros, Stassi, Cano, Erasmo, Mariners, Andrus
The Astros are checking around on the bullpen market, though a source tells MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that the team isn’t going to make a move unless a clear upgrade can be found. “It’s going to be really hard for them to upgrade given that adding someone means pushing a capable — even good — reliever…off the playoff roster. There’s pressure to do something, but it doesn’t really make sense,” the source said. Indeed, the argument could more easily be made that Houston is the last team that needs bullpen reinforcements, as Astros relievers collectively rank either first or second amongst all bullpens in ERA, WHIP, HR/9, BB/9, K/9 and hits per nine innings. Tony Sipp is the bullpen’s only southpaw, though even adding another left-hander isn’t necessary given how well Chris Devenski and Hector Rondon have pitched against left-handed hitters. If the Astros do add another bullpen arm, Feinsand lists some pitchers controlled for multiple years (Brad Hand, Raisel Iglesias, Blake Treinen, Adam Conley) as possible fits, as well as a rental (Zach Britton) that Houston has pursued in the past.
Here’s more from around the AL West…
- Max Stassi was removed from Tuesday’s game after his right wrist by hit by a pitch, though Astros manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart) that the catcher should be back in a day or two depending on the status of his wrist contusion. With Brian McCann out of action due to knee surgery, Houston would be very thin behind the plate if Stassi also missed significant time, as veteran Tim Federowicz is the only other backstop on the 40-man roster. Hinch described Evan Gattis as “still available as a third catcher” after receiving minimal work at the position this year, though it isn’t clear if Gattis would move into more of a proper backup role if Stassi did require a DL stint.
- Robinson Cano has recovered from the fracture in his right hand, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto told MLB.com’s Greg Johns and other reporters. The injury sent Cano to the disabled list just a day before he was hit with an 80-game suspension for use of a banned substance, leaving him unable to return to the Mariners until August 14. Dipoto said that Cano has been working out at Safeco Field prior to the team’s official pregame warmups, and is on track to play once his suspension his up, though it remains a bit of a mystery about Cano’s eventual role. “I’ll talk to you about that later,” is all Dipoto said about whether Cano was open to playing elsewhere than his usual second base spot, as Dee Gordon has stepped in as Seattle’s regular option at the keystone. Earlier this month, Dipoto said that Gordon would continue to receive work at second base in preparation for potential postseason action, so Cano (who isn’t eligible for postseason play) could see time at first base or DH.
- In another piece from Johns, Mariners swingman Erasmo Ramirez completed another bullpen session today and is closing in on a minor league rehab assignment. Ramirez has been limited to two games and 9 2/3 innings this season thanks to a pair of DL stints for a strained lat muscle and then a strained muscle in his shoulder. He’ll need some time to get ramped up after being sidelined for so long, and Ramirez told Johns that he is open to pitching as a starter or a reliever.
- After missing over two months due to a fractured elbow, it may be unlikely that Elvis Andrus opts out of his Rangers contract after the season. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News thinks Andrus will be with the team not only in 2019, but “I really feel like this is a guy who is going to play his entire career in Texas.” Andrus’ deal pays him $56MM from 2019-22 (plus a $15MM club option for 2023) and contains opt-outs after both this season and the 2019 campaign. Grant feels the Rangers could work to ensure Andrus remains in the fold by re-negotiating the deal to add another guaranteed year. This discussion is speculative, of course, as a number of other factors (i.e. if Andrus hits well over the next three months, the fact that Scott Boras is his agent, or if the Rangers are possibly entering a rebuild) could inspire him to test the open market.
- Here’s another collection of AL West Notes from earlier today on MLB Trade Rumors.
AL West Notes: Young, Barnette, Carlson, Mariners
Angels outfielder Chris Young is the latest Halos player to turn up with an injury issue. He left last night’s game with a left hamstring strain. While a full medical assessment likely won’t occur until today, at the earliest, it is likely “going to be a while” until Young is back, skipper Mike Scioscia told reporters including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Young, 34, has struggled out of the gates, posting a .168/.252/.363 batting line in 128 plate appearances. [Update: Young has been placed on the DL]
Here’s more from the AL West:
- Similarly, the outlook is a bit concerning for Rangers righty Tony Barnette. He’ll be looked over today but is already believed to be dealing with a potentially worrisome shoulder strain, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Though the Texas organization isn’t contending, and can simply recall just-optioned righty Chris Martin, the potential loss of Barnette is still notable. The 34-year-old had pitched his way into a useful trade piece for the Rangers. Through 26 1/3 innings, he owns a 2.39 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 along with a 51.4% groundball rate. He’s earning only $1.5MM this year, making him a budget-friendly target — if he can avoid a lengthy DL stint in the run-up to the deadline. [Update: Barnette has been placed on the DL; Martin was recalled to take the open roster spot]
- Mariners prospect Sam Carlson is going to be out for quite some time after undergoing Tommy John surgery, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. GM Jerry Dipoto explains that the organization made every effort to keep the 2017 second-rounder off of the surgeon’s table. Ultimately, though, there was no alternative to a full replacement of his ulnar collateral ligament. As Dipoto notes, the youngster will still only be twenty years of age when he’s nearing a return, though it’s certainly possible he won’t see competitive action until the 2020 campaign.
- While the Mariners‘ new commitment to Wade LeBlanc will surely have some impact on the team’s near-future rotation planning, Dipoto also says the just-announced extension won’t constrict the organization at the deadline, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports. Though Dipoto says he’s rather bullish on LeBlanc’s ability to remain a quality rotation piece, he also says that the club will still consider additions to bolster its starting staff. At the same time, he didn’t sound like he feels compelled to add an arm. “I think if there is an opportunity for us to expand or augment our pitching group, wherever that is, then we’re going to be attentive to that,” says Dipoto. “If there is the ability to go out and find a guy who we feel like either takes some of the inning stress off our starters in the second half or can give us that late punch at the back end of our bullpen, then we’ll go that route. And if that opportunity doesn’t present itself, we probably won’t chase it.”
Mariners Extend Wade LeBlanc
The Mariners have announced an extension with southpaw Wade LeBlanc. It’ll include a guaranteed salary for the 2019 season and a trio of club/vesting options thereafter. LeBlanc is represented by Joe Rosen.
LeBlanc, 33, will be guaranteed $2.75MM in total, according to reports from ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter) and Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter links). That includes a $300K signing bonus and $2MM salary for 2019.
The club options are priced at $5MM apiece and come with $450K in total buyouts. They’ll vest if LeBlanc reaches 160 innings in the immediately preceding season or 310 innings in the two prior years. If all the options are exercised and all potential bonuses and escalators are achieved, the deal could reach a total of $32MM over its four possible seasons.
For the Mariners, the move adds three seasons of control without much in the way of risk. LeBlanc was actually slated to be eligible for arbitration in 2019, so the deal will technically buy out an arb year and give the Seattle organization control over three would-be free agent campaigns.
Needless to say, this is rather an unusual contractual arrangement. Then again, LeBlanc isn’t a typical extension target. He’ll soon turn 34 years of age and is earning just $650K this year after joining the M’s in the middle of camp when he was released from his minors deal with the Yankees.
Indeed, it wasn’t long ago that LeBlanc joined the MLBTR podcast to discuss his search for another MLB opportunity. He has thrown 202 frames in the majors since that time, but it wasn’t until recently that he showed enough to make an agreement of this kind seem possible.
Thus far in 2018, LeBlanc carries a 3.38 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 72 frames for the Mariners. In addition to five relief outings, he has now taken the ball for 11 starts. That level of success isn’t likely to continue. He doesn’t throw a pitch that averages even 87 mph and has below-average rates of swinging strikes (8.8%) and groundballs (35.6%).
That said, LeBlanc has looked like a solid MLB hurler this year. Despite the frequency of fly balls, he has not surrendered too many dingers (1.13 per nine but on a below-average 9.8% HR/FB rate). And though he has likely been fortunate on batted-ball results, his spread of Statcast numbers (.337 xwOBA vs. .309 wOBA) isn’t particularly extreme.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.