AL West Notes: Fister, Segura, Brugman, Doolittle
Doug Fister‘s first start with the Angels‘ Triple-A affiliate went quite well, as the veteran right-hander tossed five innings of one-run ball and allowed just four hits and no walks to go along with seven strikeouts. Of the 11 balls put into play against him, seven were hit on the ground (63.6 percent rate). Fister reportedly has a June 21 opt-out in his contract with the Angels, so the Halos can get another couple of looks at him before making a decision on whether to promote him to the Majors, though his first outing was certainly encouraging.
More from the AL West…
- Mariners ownership gave GM Jerry Dipoto a “unanimous go for it” when he approached them about pursuing an extension with shortstop Jean Segura, Dipoto said at yesterday’s press conference announcing the deal (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). “I can speak for [CEO John Stanton] and [president Kevin Mather] as well. When I brought it to them the first time, I know it was shared with the ownership group to give them the ok to roll ahead with negotiations, everybody was absolutely in back of the negotiations or the proposal each step of the way. They were all for it.” Dipoto acknowledged that a full no-trade clause isn’t something he considers “typical” in extension talks, but Segura’s agent, CAA’s Nez Balelo, explained that due to the three previous trades in his Segura’s still-young career, it was an important element to secure.
- The Athletics are promoting outfield prospect Jaycob Brugman to make his Major League debut this weekend, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s not yet clear what the corresponding roster move will be, though Brugman was added to the 40-man roster, so Oakland needn’t necessarily designate someone for assignment in order to bring him up. Ranked as the organization’s No. 21 prospect by MLB.com and No. 24 by Baseball America, Brugman is off to a fine start in Triple-A Nashville, slashing .288/.373/.364 through 150 plate appearances. He’s capable of playing all three outfield positions and possesses roughly average pop and speed, per the previously linked scouting reports. The 25-year-old Brugman is pegged as more of a fourth outfielder than a starter by both reports but will inject some youth into what is currently a fairly old mix of outfielders.
- Slusser also notes that Sean Doolittle is expected to be activated from the disabled list as the 26th man for one of the two games of Saturday’s doubleheader. The A’s will need to drop back down to 25 players, so Brugman could be optioned out quickly after his first look in the Majors. However, Slusser also notes that relievers Frankie Montas and Josh Smith are both candidate to be sent down as well. Speculatively speaking, if both are optioned, Oakland could once again have a four-man bench, though it’d be shifting back to a 12-man pitching staff in that case. (Related: Oakland Athletics depth chart)
Quick Hits: Maeda, Profar, Beltre, Cruz, Tanaka
Kenta Maeda‘s early struggles have cost him his rotation spot, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register) that Maeda will be moved to the bullpen when Alex Wood returns from the disabled list. “This is not temporary for Kenta,” Roberts said. “We need him to get back on track, get some momentum. I don’t know what day he’s going to pitch but he’s open to it, and it’s a credit to him as a teammate.” Maeda has a 5.16 ERA over 52 1/3 IP, thanks in large part to problems keeping the ball in the park; Maeda has already surrendered nine homers this season.
Here’s more from around baseball…
- With Adrian Beltre possibly looking at a DL stint, the Rangers will recall Jurickson Profar from Triple-A, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports. Beltre didn’t make his 2017 debut until May 29 due to a lingering calf injury, and collected at least one hit in all seven games he played before suffering an ankle injury on Tuesday. Profar began the season on Texas’ roster but hit just .135/.289/.135 in 46 PA before being demoted to Triple-A.
- Nelson Cruz underwent an MRI on his right calf today and wasn’t in the lineup for the Mariners‘ game against the Twins. Seattle manager Scott Servais told MLB.com’s Greg Johns and other reporters that he expects Cruz to be out “maybe a day or two,” so the injury doesn’t seem serious, though Cruz has been bothered by his calf for over a week. The veteran slugger is in the midst of another big season, hitting .299/.383/.563 with 14 homers over 230 PA for the M’s.
- Should Masahiro Tanaka to be removed from the Yankees‘ rotation? ESPN.com’s Andrew Marchand believes so, as Tanaka’s struggles (a 6.55 ERA and a whopping 23.3% home run rate) are hurting New York in the AL East race. Since the team says Tanaka is healthy, Marchand figures Tanaka needs some type of breather just to correct whatever flaw has so negatively impacted his performance. Tanaka also has a 5.60 FIP but other ERA indicators (4.19 xFIP, 4.13 SIERA) have a more sympathetic view of his work this year, and since there isn’t any change in his velocity or hard-hit ball rates, it could simply be that Tanaka has just been terribly unlucky allowing homers. Still, that’s a pretty tough problem to have for a pitcher who calls Yankee Stadium home, especially in a season when home runs are up across the league.
Mariners Extend Jean Segura
3:50pm: The breakdown of Segura’s extension is provided by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Segura receives a $3MM signing bonus, $9MM in 2018, and then salaries of $14.25MM in each season from 2019-2022. The 2023 club option is worth $17MM, with a $1MM buyout.
12:37pm: The Mariners announced on Wednesday that they’ve locked up shortstop Jean Segura on a five-year contract extension that includes a club option for the 2023 season. The deal will reportedly guarantee the CAA Sports client a total of $70MM over the next five seasons and include full no-trade protection.
“Over the past two seasons, Jean has been one of the premier offensive players in baseball,” said GM Jerry Dipoto in a statement announcing the extension. “His combination of average, power and speed is extremely difficult to find, especially as a top-of-the-lineup hitter at a key defensive position like shortstop. We are all quite excited about having him here with the Mariners and believe he is a key ingredient in our ongoing effort to build a championship level roster.”
The 27-year-old Segura, currently on the disabled list with a minor ankle injury, entered play Wednesday pacing the American League with a .341 average. In addition to that excellent mark, he’s posted a .391 on-base percentage and slugged .462 through 198 plate appearances in his first year as a Mariner. Seattle acquired Segura from the Diamondbacks alongside Mitch Haniger and minor league lefty Zac Curtis in exchange for right-hander Taijuan Walker and infielder Ketel Marte this offseason.
Segura is already earning $6.2MM this season and, of course, would stand to earn a significant raise upon that salary via arbitration in 2018 before hitting the open market in advance of his age-29 season. With a rough assumption of a would-be $9-10MM salary via that arbitration process this winter, the Mariners secured Segura’s first four free agent seasons for a rough annual value of about $15MM.
Extensions for a player in his service class are relatively rare — especially at this point of the year — though recent examples include Salvador Perez‘s five-year, $52MM deal and Brandon Crawford‘s six-year, $75MM contract (as shown in MLBTR’s Extension Tracker). Segura doesn’t have the consistent track record that a number of his peers that have secured long-term deals in this service class have had.
Back in 2013, Segura had a terrific sophomore season with the Brewers, hitting .294/.329/.423 with 12 homers and 44 stolen bases through 623 plate appearances. However, that was followed up with a pair of down seasons, during which he suffered the tragic loss of his infant son. A change of scenery that sent Segura to the D-backs in exchange for Chase Anderson and prospect Isan Diaz led to a resurgence for the one-time top prospect. Segura was sensational in his lone year with the Diamondbacks, slashing .319/.368/.499 with 20 homers and 33 steals.
From a long-term perspective, the Mariners are reasonably well-equipped to handle a significant extension. Robinson Cano, Felix Hernandez and Kyle Seager are the only players under club control beyond the 2018 campaign. Segura now joins that core, and the presumptive increase in his salary that will begin with his free-agent years will coincide with the departure of Nelson Cruz, Marc Rzepczynski and Drew Smyly in free agency. The Mariners will also see Steve Cishek, Carlos Ruiz, Danny Valencia and Jarrod Dyson depart via free agency after the 2017 season. Not including the yet-unreported terms of Segura’s extension, the Mariners have committed just under $72MM to their 2019 payroll and just $43.5MM committed to the 2020 payroll.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network and FOX Sports first reported the two sides were close to a deal (Twitter link). Hector Gomez of Z 101 in Santo Domingo tweeted the agreement and the terms of the deal. FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported that Segura would receive a full no-trade clause (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/5/17
Monday’s minor moves from around baseball:
- The Mariners announced that outfielder Andrew Aplin has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma. Aplin, whom Seattle designated for assignment last Friday, joined the team in a trade with the division-rival Astros in late May. The 26-year-old still doesn’t have any major league experience on his resume, and has only hit .245/.341/.333 in 979 Triple-A plate appearances. Aplin’s defense has drawn positive reviews, however, with Baseball America lauding his “above-average, accurate arm” and “good routes and reads.”
- The Angels have signed left-hander Jason Gurka to a minor league contract, as shown on the Pacific Coast League transactions page. Gurka opened the season with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate and posted a 5.40 ERA over 16 2/3 innings, thereby cancelling out excellent strikeout and walk rates of 10.8 and 1.08 per nine, respectively. The 29-year-old comes with some major league experience, though run prevention has been a significant issue for him at the game’s highest level. In 17 1/3 frames with the Rockies from 2015-16, Gurka logged a 9.35 ERA, but he did pair respectable strikeout and walk numbers (7.27 and 2.08) with a solid ground-ball rate (47.7 percent).
West Notes: Angels, Rangers, Rockies, Padres, Mariners
Hours after Marlins right-hander Edinson Volquez threw the first no-hitter of the year, Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols added another notable accomplishment to the 2017 ledger, belting his 600th home run. Pujols skied a grand slam off Twins right-hander Ervin Santana to become the ninth player in the history of the sport to go deep at least 600 times. The former Cardinal has already hit nine homers this year, and he figures to pass both Sammy Sosa (609) and Jim Thome (612) on the all-time list by the end of the season.
As Pujols joins his teammates and fans in celebrating his historic feat, here’s more from the West divisions…
- An Adrian Beltre trade is something the Rangers will have to consider if they end up as sellers at the trade deadline, opines Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter links). Beltre has established himself as a franchise icon since joining the Rangers in 2011, but the potential Hall of Famer will turn 39 next April and is due $18MM in 2018 to conclude his contract. As such, it might make sense for the Rangers to shop him, though Grant doubts they’d be willing to eat any of the money left on his deal. It could be a moot point, anyway, as Beltre has the ability to block any trade via his 10-and-5 rights.
- The Rockies will place left-hander Tyler Anderson on the disabled list Sunday, retroactive to May 31, with left knee inflammation, per Nick Groke of the Denver Post. While Anderson has dealt with the issue since early May, he doesn’t believe it’s serious. Neither does manager Bud Black, who indicated that Anderson’s DL placement is “precautionary.” Anderson is one of four Rockies to make 11 starts this year, but he has allowed home runs on 24.1 percent of fly balls en route to a 5.85 ERA over 60 innings. For now, Anderson’s spot in the rotation will go to well-regarded right-hander Jeff Hoffman.
- The Padres entered the season with three picks from last winter’s Rule 5 draft on their roster, and one – outfielder/shortstop Allen Cordoba – has stood out, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Cordoba, then a member of the Cardinals organization, spent last season in the rookie-level Appalachian League. Now, he’s a .298/.333/.442 hitter over 111 plate trips with the Padres. Manager Andy Green has taken notice of the 21-year-old’s success, saying that Cordoba “continues to impress. He’s earned every bit of the opportunity that he’s receiving right now. Nothing’s been given to him. He’s earned the right to be out there. He’s earned the right to be hitting at the top of the order, and it’s been very, very impressive.”
- Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said Friday that Jean Segura could miss two months with a high ankle sprain, but the shortstop has a much more optimistic outlook, relays Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. “I don’t think this is going to take a month,” Segura stated. “Maybe a couple of weeks. We’ll see how it feels the next couple of days.” Segura went on the DL on Friday after slashing a stellar .341/.391/.462 in his first 198 plate appearances of 2017.
AL West Notes: Segura, Athletics, Street
Here’s the latest on some injury situations around the AL West…
- It doesn’t seem as if the Mariners are terribly optimistic about getting shortstop Jean Segura back in the near future. GM Jerry Dipoto tells Dave Mahler of Sportsradio 960 KJR (Twitter link) that the injury could cost Segura a significant chunk of the season. “It’s more likely to be a month than 10 days, which is a somewhat optimistic view,” said Dipoto. “Could be as much as 2 months.” That’s rough news for an organization that came into the year expectations of contending but currently sits five games under .500. The 27-year-old Segura has slashed a robust .341/.391/.462 on the year. His primary replacement, Taylor Motter, has filled in all over the diamond to this point, showing some pop (.180 isolated slugging) but failing to reach base at a palatable clip (.281 OBP).
- Athletics reliever Sean Doolittle is officially out on a rehab assignment for his shoulder injury, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The late-inning southpaw may need only two or three outings before rejoining the club, which could occur as soon as the middle of this month.
- There’s news on two Athletics starters as well. Kendall Graveman tells MLB.com’s Jane Lee (via Twitter) that his shoulder MRI came back clean. He has begun to work on strengthening the joint, though it’s unclear when he’ll resume throwing. Fellow righty Jesse Hahn, meanwhile, says he thinks he’ll return directly from the DL to the major league rotation, as Lee further tweets. Hahn is dealing with a seemingly minor triceps issue.
- The latest news is generally positive on Angels reliever Huston Street. His triceps soreness, which halted his rehab, doesn’t appear to be a major issue; Street tells Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) that he expects to get back on the hill soon.
Mariners Designate Andrew Aplin, Place Jean Segura On DL
The Mariners have announced a host of roster moves, with recently claimed outfielder Andrew Aplin losing his 40-man spot and shortstop Jean Segura heading to the 10-day DL. Seattle has called up righty Tyler Cloyd and infielder Tyler Smith.
Two additional corresponding moves were needed as well. Righty Casey Lawrence was optioned to Triple-A, while fellow right-hander Ryan Weber was shifted to the 60-day DL to clear an extra 40-man spot.
Aplin, who was just picked up from the division-rival Astros, has yet to see MLB action with any organization. Seattle will presumably hope that the 26-year-old outfielder will clear waivers this time and land back at Triple-A Tacoma.
It’s not yet clear just what the prognosis is for Segura, who is easily the most significant player involved in today’s moves. He has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, per the M’s, who can scarcely afford a lengthy absence from one of the club’s best performers.
As for the newcomers, it’s interesting to see Cloyd moving back to the majors after joining the Mariners from the independent leagues less than one month ago. He has impressed in four starts at Tacoma, though, with a 1.10 ERA and 14:2 K/BB ratio over 16 1/3 frames.
The 25-year-old Smith, meanwhile, is set to make his major league debut. He had been off to an improved start after scuffling somewhat last year at the highest level of the minors. Through 193 Triple-A plate appearances in 2017, Smith carries a .265/.344/.400 batting line with five home runs while lining up primarily at shortstop.
NL Central Notes: Reds, Cecil, Cubs, Arrieta
In his latest notes column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the Reds have fared better in some recent trades than had been expected at the time. Indeed, the club is receiving significant contributions from a variety of position players who were added in relatively unheralded swaps, including Eugenio Suarez, Scott Schebler, Adam Duvall, and Jose Peraza.
Here’s more from the NL Central:
- It came as something of a surprise when lefty Brett Cecil landed four years from the Cardinals, but Rosenthal says other organizations were also willing to do four-year deals for the 30-year-old reliever. The Cubs and Mariners had such offers on the table, though both are said to have underbid St. Louis. As Rosenthal notes, the scuffling Cecil has shown at least some signs recently of emerging from his malaise.
- Everyone is wondering why the Cubs have failed to break out from their sluggish start, and Dave Cameron of Fangraphs has a look under the hood. The issues aren’t isolated, he finds. Fairly widespread performance dips at the plate, in the field, and on the mound have resulted in a sub-.500 record that is largely deserved based on what the team has done. Though it remains reasonable to expect Chicago to improve its play, Cameron writes, the projections no longer view the current roster as a unique force.
- Clearly, Jake Arrieta isn’t the only Cubs player who is struggling through the first two months of the season, but he’s perhaps the most prominent. With free agency on the horizon, the stakes are particularly high. His agent, Scott Boras, still thinks that Arrieta’s overall body of work compares favorably to a pair of pitchers (David Price and Max Scherzer) who landed over $200MM in free agency, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag writes. Though Boras argues that Arrieta’s recent struggles and declining velocity shouldn’t outweigh his lofty established ceiling and big-game performances, teams weighing massive investments will surely be taking a close look at Arrieta’s work over the first two months and the rest of the current season.
Injury Notes: Ottavino, Pedroia, Hughes, Perkins, Semien, M’s, Ross
The Rockies placed setup man Adam Ottavino on the 10-day DL with shoulder inflammation, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. That’s frightening news at first glance, but it’s not believed to be a significant issue. Per Ottavino, he could’ve continued throwing but the decision was made to “put the fire out now.” As Groke notes, Ottavino has labored through his last several outings, though he has continued to generate excellent results all year long. Carlos Estevez will come back up to take the open bullpen slot.
- While there was initially a fair bit of concern for veteran Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, the prognosis now seems to be good. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says that he thinks Pedroia may be back after the minimum ten-day absence, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports on Twitter. “It’s really the best-case scenario in many ways,” said Dombrowski.
- While Phil Hughes of the Twins is experiencing some symptoms akin to those that led to thoracic outlet surgery previously, it seems that’s not the root cause this time around. As MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger provides on Twitter, a medical assessment shows that Hughes may be dealing with a build-up of scar tissue in his neck and shoulder area. He’ll undergo “a rigorous soft tissue and mobility rehab regimen in advance of beginning his throwing.”
- Meanwhile, Twins lefty Glen Perkins is still traveling a long road back to the majors, but there are new signs of hope. As Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports, Perkins was able to face hitters for the first time in over a year. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do what I did today,” said the veteran reliever. “Coming out of it I love where I’m at physically and mentally.” Perkins still needs to work in his slider and build up arm strength, of course, but he may not be far from a rehab assignment.
- Though he’s still a long ways off from a return, Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien has taken an important step in his return from wrist surgery, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Semien was able to throw for the first time since going under the knife, though he has still yet to take full cuts with the bat. Skipper Bob Melvin called the news “significant,” though he also noted that the organization is “not close on putting together a timetable” for Semien’s return to the majors.
- The Mariners continue to see signs of progress from right-handers Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links). Hernandez is ready for a sim game, while Iwakuma may not be far behind him.
- While Tyson Ross is nearly ready for the Rangers, the club is still waiting to activate him. As MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan tweets, Ross is expected to make one more rehab outing before re-ascending to the majors.
Quick Hits: Greinke, Hazen, D’Backs, Felix, Iwakuma, Royals
The trade that brought Zack Greinke to the Brewers from the Royals in December 2010 is still making an impact on multiple franchises over six years later, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. The players involved in that deal (Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt for Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi) have since been involved in several other blockbuster trades and transactions, such as the Royals sending Odorizzi to Tampa Bay as part of the package that sent James Shields and Wade Davis to K.C., or the Brewers parting ways with Greinke in 2012 and getting Jean Segura back from the Angels. It’s quite a remarkable list of trades linked to that original deal, with the Royals of course standing out as the big winner thanks to their 2015 World Series title.
Here’s some more from around the baseball world as we head into the new week…
- While some reports have suggested that the Diamondbacks would be open to trading Greinke, A.J. Pollock or Patrick Corbin even if the team is in contention, GM Mike Hazen told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that such a major trade wouldn’t make sense for a team in the playoff race. “If the opportunity has passed on trading one guy or two guys as opposed to the opportunity to win? To me, I’m going to take that tradeoff. That’s a tradeoff that I think we have to take,” Hazen said. None of the aforementioned three players are free agents this winter, Hazen noted, so the club doesn’t have any specific need to trade any of them immediately. Even after today’s loss to the Brewers, the D’Backs are still 31-21 on the year and they hold a 4.5 game lead on the second NL wild card slot.
- Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma are tentatively scheduled to return to the Mariners rotation in mid-to-late June, MLB.com’s Greg Johns writes, though both pitchers are still in the very early stages of their recovery process. Hernandez (righth shoulder bursitis) and Iwakuma (right shoulder inflammation) each threw their first bullpen sessions today, and still have multiple more bullpens and then minor league rehab outings to undertake before leaving the disabled list.
- Teams interested in the Royals‘ trade chips are being told that K.C. is still trying to contend, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (subscription required). At 21-28, the Royals have the worst record in the American League but they sit just 4.5 games out of a wild card spot and 6.5 games behind the AL Central-leading Twins. Given the parity within the league and the Royals’ natural resistance to break up their longstanding core until they have to, it could still be some weeks before we know whether the Royals are clear buyers or sellers at the deadline.
- Several contenders have been boosted by players capable of playing multiple positions, and the next step could be players who can provide bench depth both on the field and on the mound, Peter Gammons writes in his latest GammonsDaily.com entry. The Dodgers are toying with the idea of using Brett Eibner as both an outfielder and reliever, and teams could consider grooming their own two-way players if Eibner succeeds in this role.