- Details surrounding the contract of Mariners skipper Scott Servais weren’t reported or announced when he was initially hired, but MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports today that Servais is signed through the 2018 season (Twitter link). That would indicate that the first-time manager inked a three-year deal in his first term at the helm in Seattle. While Servais’ Mariners aren’t guaranteed a postseason spot, they’re right in the thick of the Wild Card hunt, sitting just two games back. That’s an impressive feat for a Mariners team that has seen Felix Hernandez, James Paxton and Hisashi Iwakuma all spend significant time on the DL while projected rotation member Drew Smyly was lost for the year due to injuries without ever throwing a regular-season pitch.
Mariners Rumors
Mariners Place Danny Espinosa On Release Waivers
The Mariners have placed infielder Danny Espinosa on release waivers, according to a team announcement. Espinosa lasted less than a month with the Mariners, who signed him July 23. They recalled utilityman Taylor Motter from Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move.
This is the second time this season a team has released Espinosa. The Angels, who acquired the 30-year-old in a trade with the Nationals over the winter, cut ties with him July 20. Espinosa batted a paltry .162/.237/.276 in 254 plate appearances as the Halos’ starting second baseman and turned in a similar line with the Mariners – .188/.235/.313 – albeit over just 17 PAs. He lined up at first, second, third and shortstop during his brief stay in Seattle.
The 2017 campaign has been disastrous for Espinosa, though he was a fairly solid middle infielder in Washington from 2010-16. Espinosa posted three different seasons of at least 2.0 fWAR during that 2,972-PA span, thanks largely to excellent defense, and contributed some pop (92 home runs) and baserunning value (60 steals and a 15.2 BsR, per FanGraphs). The switch-hitting Espinosa slugged a career-best 24 homers last season (with a less-than-stellar .209/.306/.378 line in 601 PAs, granted), but the Nats moved on from him and his $5.43MM salary after acquiring outfielder Adam Eaton in an early winter blockbuster trade with the White Sox and shifting Trea Turner from center to shortstop.
Mariners Sign Ashur Tolliver
- The Mariners have signed lefty Ashur Tolliver to a minor-league deal, according to an announcement from the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, to whom he’s been assigned. This will be Tolliver’s second stint with the Travelers — he briefly pitched for them last season, when they were an Angels affiliate. The Astros released Tolliver last week after he posted a 7.13 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and an alarming 8.4 BB/9 in 35 1/3 innings of relief with Triple-A Fresno. The 29-year-old has pitched brief big-league stints for Baltimore and Houston the past two seasons.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/16/17
Here are some of the latest minor moves from around the game, courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy except where otherwise noted:
- The Mariners outrighted right-hander Christian Bergman to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, per a club announcement. Bergman, 29, had the right to opt for free agency now or at the end of the season; given that he’s now listed on Tacoma’s roster, it seems he’ll wait and consider the latter option when the time comes. Bergman, 29, has thrown 51 1/3 innings on the year for Seattle, working to a 4.91 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.
- Outfielder Daniel Robertson will return to the Indians on a minors deal after being designated for assignment and then released, the club announced. The 31-year-old has appeared in each of the past four MLB campaigns — each time with a different team. This year, he took 88 plate appearances for Cleveland, slashing .225/.287/.338. While it’s not clear whether Robertson will factor at the major league level again this year, the fleet-footed, high-contact 31-year-old could conceivably make for a useful bench piece once rosters expand in September.
- The Diamondbacks have added right-handers Andury Acevedo and Louis Coleman on minors deals. Acevedo, who’ll soon turn 27, was intriguing enough to land a 40-man spot with the Cubs a few years back, but has yet to show any consistency on the mound in the upper minors. As for Coleman, who threw 48 innings of 4.69 ERA ball last year for the Dodgers, he’ll return to Arizona after briefly testing the open market. He has worked to a 2.05 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over 57 innings this year in stints with the D-Backs’ and Reds’ top affiliates.
- Heading to the Reds on a minors deal is slugging outfielder Adam Walker. He has bounced around via waiver claims and minor-league deals of late, seeing time in three organizations thus far in 2017. All told, he has compiled a tepid .185/.220/.410 batting line — with a dozen home runs but also 88 strikeouts against just ten walks — in his 241 plate appearances in the upper minors.
- The White Sox released infielder Grant Green, who had previously seen brief action in the majors this year with the Nationals. On the season, Green owns an overall .232/.306/.300 slash over 245 plate appearances at the Triple-A level with those two organizations. The 29-year-old was once considered a notable possible contributor with the Athletics and Angels, but has managed only a .248/.283/.336 batting line in his 353 trips to the plate in the majors.
- Six-year MLB veteran Collin Cowgill has been released by the Padres. Cowgill, 31, joined the organization on a minors deal over the winter, but never earned a crack at a return to the majors. He carries a .235/.297/.390 slash through 220 plate appearances
- Finally, the Rangers have released lefty Bobby LaFromboise and righty Jaye Chapman. The former has made 27 MLB appearances and shown some intriguing numbers at times, but struggled last year at Triple-A with the Phillies and was sidelined for much of the current season. The 30-year-old Chapman, meanwhile, is looking to work back toward the majors for the first time since his lone stint back in 2012. But he was hit hard in his 36 2/3 innings at Triple-A Round Rock, with a 6.63 ERA and 6.9 K/9 against 5.2 BB/9.
Mariners Designate Christian Bergman For Assignment
The Mariners have designated right-hander Christian Bergman for assignment, per a team announcement. Bergman’s DFA is but one of several moves from the Mariners, who have also selected the contract of southpaw Andrew Albers (as was reported by MLB.com’s Greg Johns yesterday), recalled righty Sam Gaviglio from Triple-A Tacoma and optioned right-handers Casey Lawrence and Thyago Vieira to Tacoma.
Bergman, 29, has already been outrighted off the 40-man roster once this season and had only recently had his contract re-selected. The longtime Rockies hurler has logged 51 1/3 innings for the Mariners this season, working to a 4.91 ERA with 5.8 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 38 percent ground-ball rate over the life of his two stints with Seattle.
Bergman and Albers are just two of the staggering 16 arms that the Mariners have used to start a game in 2017, Johns points out (on Twitter). That’s the most starters used by any single team in a season since the 2006 Royals, he adds, and the M’s certainly have to add to that eye-popping total (though they’d undoubtedly prefer to avoid doing so if possible).
Mariners To Select Contract Of Andrew Albers
The Mariners will select the contract of just-acquired lefty Andrew Albers, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (via Twitter). He’ll step into the rotation spot that opened when James Paxton hit the DL.
It’s not yet known how the M’s will clear roster space, but corresponding moves will need to be made before the scheduled start tomorrow. Albers is not on the 40-man roster, as he was playing on a minor-league deal when Seattle dealt for him on Friday.
Albers has not yet made an appearance, so his first work in his new organization will come at the major league level. The southpaw has seen the majors in the past, though only for 79 2/3 total innings, most of which came back in 2013.
That said, Albers has been quite good this year for the top Braves affiliate. He owns 2.61 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 over his 120 2/3 innings. The soft-tossing control artist also owns a solid 46.1% groundball rate.
Needless to say, it’s hard to land pitching in August, so the M’s will hope their creative solution pays dividends. Albers was not on a 40-man roster and therefore did not need to pass through waivers to be traded.
Latest On Injuries To Felix, Phelps
- Six days after landing on the disabled list due to bursitis in his right shoulder, Felix Hernandez is still at the strength-building stage of his recovery, Mariners manager Scott Servais tells Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Hernandez is currently on anti-inflammatory medication but has yet to begin throwing. His initial three- to four-week recovery timeline appears unchanged. There’s better news on David Phelps, though, Dutton writes. He’s progressing through a throwing program and could be activated as soon as this weekend against the Rays.
Mariners Have Attempted To Acquire Ervin Santana
The Mariners have made multiple attempts to acquire right-hander Ervin Santana from the Twins, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. However, with the Twins currently ahead of the Mariners in the standings, Seattle’s dream of adding Santana is “on hold,” notes Divish. It’s unclear whether the Twins have placed Santana on revocable waivers this month, but as a proven mid-rotation type who’s under control through next season at a fair price ($13.5MM), it’s possible another team in front of the Mariners in the waiver pecking order would claim him. Moreover, the Twins aren’t all that interested in trading Santana, FanRag’s Jon Heyman suggested this week. Regardless, considering the injuries in their rotation – including to ace James Paxton – the playoff-contending Mariners need to find starting help. With that in mind, Divish lists a slew of righties (Marco Estrada, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Miguel Gonzalez, R.A. Dickey and Scott Feldman) and a southpaw (Derek Holland) as logical August trade targets.
Mariners Select Christian Bergman's Contract
- The Mariners selected the contract of righty Christian Bergman prior to yesterday’s game (Bergman got some immediate use, tossing a scoreless inning in Seattle’s 6-3 loss to the Angels.) Right-hander Andrew Moore was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Bergman has a 5.32 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 2.14 K/BB rate in 47 1/3 innings for the M’s this season, with eight of his 10 appearances coming as a starting pitcher. He was outrighted by the Mariners just last week, though made a relatively quick return to not just 40-man status, but the big league roster.
Mariners Sign Jeanmar Gomez To Minor League Deal
The Mariners have signed reliever Jeanmar Gomez to a minor league contract, as Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto reports that the Rainiers added the right-hander to their roster on Saturday (Twitter link). Gomez opted out of his minors pact with the Brewers on Monday, according to KKTV 11 in Colorado Springs.
The 29-year-old Gomez signed with the Brewers less than a month ago, on July 15, and performed well with their Colorado Springs-based Triple-A affiliate. Gomez totaled 8 1/3 innings with the club and allowed two earned runs on seven hits and a walk, with seven strikeouts. He wasn’t nearly as effective at the major league level this year with the Phillies, who released him June 24. Philadelphia parted with Gomez after he turned in a 7.25 ERA across 22 1/3 innings and experienced a dip in his already low velocity, though he did post career-best strikeout and walk numbers (8.46 K/9 and 2.82 BB/9) and a 50.7 percent ground-ball rate.
If Gomez ultimately gets to Seattle, it’ll be his fourth major league club since he debuted with the Indians in 2010. Gomez was at his best with the Pirates from 2013-15, when he combined for 3.28 ERA and a 51.5 percent grounder rate in 142 2/3 innings. Last season, Gomez’s first in Philadelphia, he served as the team’s closer and continued to eat innings (68 2/3) and induce grounders (52 percent). Gomez fell out of favor, though, with an 8.33 ERA during the season’s second half. Overall, he registered a 4.85 ERA and 37 saves, earning him $4.2MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility.
