Former big leaguer Scott Brosius is joining the Mariners as an assistant coach, per a team announcement. Now fifty years old, Brosius spent eleven years in the majors with the Athletics and Yankees. It’s not clear precisely what his duties will be — his title is simply “assistant coach” — but Brosius served last year as the hitting coach at Triple-A Tacoma.
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Quick Hits: Rule 5, Reliever Usage, International Draft
Yesterday, we took stock of the results of the most recent Rule 5 draft, which resulted in five players sticking with their new organizations by holding a roster spot all year long (and three others staying around by other means). Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper puts those results in context, explaining that it was a fairly typical success rate by historical measure, though the last four years all saw a higher percentage of players kept. He also looks at some of the players who had substantial major league impact in 2016 despite being passed over in the draft last winter. Cooper’s BA colleague Matt Eddy also takes a close look at some of the minute details of Rule 5 eligibility, focusing on the case of Mariners lefty Luiz Gohara — who won’t need to be protected by being added to Seattle’s 40-man roster because he was assigned to the now-defunct Venezuelan Summer League upon signing. Eddy goes on to explain the importance of future Rule 5 eligibility to the international market, where players sign at a much younger age — often forcing tough, early decisions on their organizations.
Here are a few more notes from around the game:
- It’s tough to deny that relievers are playing an ever-more notable role in this year’s postseason, as Rob Arthur of FiveThirtyEight and Dave Cameron of Fangraphs explore. Though Arthur notes that the run-scoring gap between the postseason and regular season isn’t much different than usual, Cameron argues that hitters are performing worse than ever thanks to aggressive bullpen usage.
- As Arthur suggests in his piece, postseason trends can be reflected in regular seasons that come thereafter. (Of course, as Orioles reliever Zach Britton explains in an interesting chat with Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com, it’s much easier to push high-leverage arms in the postseason because there are more built-in off-days.) In this case, the value of employing a variety of high-octane pen arms might be reflected on a free agent market that offers several top-end relievers. ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden argues, further, that there may be a related impact on free agent starters. Obviously, the weak crop of rotation pieces available this winter will lead to a much lower overall outlay on starters than we saw in the last free agent class. Beyond that, though, Bowden says that a shift northward in relievers’ value, along with improved defensive positioning, will weaken market demand for back-end starters whose primary appeal lies in the ability to gobble up innings.
- The looming idea of an international draft has led to many warnings about its possible ramifications, and Latin American “trainers” are among the groups who are most concerned. Ben Badler of Baseball America looked at the subject a few years back. It isn’t a universal viewpoint, Badler noted, but many trainers, agents, and also team personnel have expressed worry that a draft is being negotiated by a union that doesn’t truly represent the young amateur players whose future will be impacted by any decision. Badler’s piece represents a worthwhile look at some of the viewpoints of people who live and work in the areas that will be directly impacted by any changes to the system, focusing on the trainers who exercise significant influence over players who seek opportunities with major league organizations.
Rule 5 Roundup
We’re just a few months away from this winter’s Rule 5 draft, so it makes sense to take a look back and see how things shook out from the 2015 selections. Several organizations found useful players, even if the most recent class didn’t include an Odubel Herrera-esque breakout sensation. Some of the most recent draftees have probably locked up MLB jobs again for 2017, though others who stuck on a major league roster all year may head back to the minors for further development. (Once a player’s permanent control rights have been secured, his new organization is free to utilize optional assignments as usual for future years.)
Here’s a roundup of the 2015 draft class with the 2016 season in the books:
Keepers
- Tyler Goeddel, OF, kept by Phillies from Rays: The 23-year-old struggled with the aggressive move to the big leagues, carrying a .192/.258/.291 batting line in 234 trips to the plate, but showed enough for the rebuilding Phillies to hold onto him all year long.
- Luis Perdomo, RHP, kept by Padres (via Rockies) from Cardinals: It didn’t look good early for Perdomo, but he showed better after moving to the rotation and ended with a rather promising 4.85 ERA over twenty starts. Though he struggled to contain the long ball, and only struck out 6.4 per nine, Perdomo sported a nifty 59.0% groundball rate on the year.
- Joey Rickard, OF, kept by Orioles from Rays: After opening the year with a bang, Rickard faded to a .268/.319/.377 batting line on the year but held his roster spot in Baltimore. He ended the season on the DL with a thumb injury, though, and may end up at Triple-A for some added seasoning.
- Joe Biagini, RHP, kept by Blue Jays from Giants: The only Rule 5 pick to appear in the postseason, Biagini was a great find for Toronto. He ended with 67 2/3 innings of 3.06 ERA pitching, with 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, and now looks like a potential fixture in the Jays’ relief corps.
- Matthew Bowman, RHP, kept by Cardinals from Mets: Bowman rounds out a trio of impressive relievers. He contributed 67 2/3 innings with a 3.46 ERA and 6.9 BB/9 against 2.7 BB/9 to go with a monster 61.7% groundball rate.
Retained By Other Means
- Deolis Guerra, RHP, re-signed by Angels (who selected him from Pirates) after being outrighted: Guerra was in an unusual spot since he had previously been outrighted off of the Bucs’ 40-man roster when he was selected, meaning he didn’t need to be offered back. Los Angeles removed him from the major league roster and then brought him back on a minor league deal, ultimately selecting his contract. Though he was later designated and outrighted by the Halos, Guerra again returned and largely thrived at the major league level, contributing 53 1/3 much-needed pen frames with a 3.21 ERA on the back of 6.1 K/9 against just 1.2 BB/9.
- Jabari Blash, OF, acquired by Padres (who acquired Rule 5 rights from Athletics) from Mariners: Blash’s intriguing tools weren’t quite ready for the majors, but San Diego struck a deal to hold onto him and was surely impressed with his showing at Triple-A. In his 229 plate appearances there, Blash swatted 11 home runs but — more importantly — carried a .415 OBP with a much-improved 66:41 K/BB ratio.
- Ji-Man Choi, 1B, outrighted by Angels after Orioles declined return: The 25-year-old scuffled in the bigs but was rather impressive at the highest level of the minors, where he walked nearly as often as he struck out and put up a .346/.434/.527 slash with five home runs in 227 plate appearances.
Returned
- Jake Cave, OF, returned from Reds to Yankees: After failing to crack Cinci’s roster out of camp, Cave impressed at Double-A but slowed at the highest level of the minors (.261/.323/.401 in 354 plate appearances) upon his return to the New York organization.
- Evan Rutckyj, LHP, returned from Braves to Yankees: Sent back late in camp, the 24-year-old struggled in limited action on the Yanks’ farm after missing most of the season with elbow issues.
- Josh Martin, RHP, returned from Padres to Indians: In his first attempt at Triple-A, Martin posted 66 frames of 3.55 ERA pitching with 8.2 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9.
- Daniel Stumpf, LHP, returned from Phillies to Royals: Slowed by a PED suspension, Stumpf was bombed in a brief MLB stint with the Phils but dominated at Double-A upon his return to K.C., posting a 2.11 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings.
- Chris O’Grady, LHP, returned from Reds to Angels: Sent back in late March, O’Grady compiled a 3.48 ERA over 95 2/3 innings in the upper minors, though he performed much better as a Double-A starter than he did as a Triple-A reliever.
- Zack Jones, RHP, returned from Brewers to Twins: The 25-year-old was out with a shoulder injury for most of the year, and ended up being sent back to Minnesota in late June, but has shown swing-and-miss stuff when healthy.
- Blake Smith, RHP, returned from Padres to White Sox: Smith ended up making a brief MLB debut upon his return to Chicago, but spend most of the year pitching well at Triple-A Charlotte, where he ran up a 3.53 ERA in 71 1/3 innings with 9.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9.
- Colin Walsh, INF, returned from Brewers to Athletics: After struggling badly in his major league stint with the Brewers, Walsh went to Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate and put up a .259/.384/.388 bating line over 245 plate appearances.
Mariners Announce Surgeries For Steve Cishek, Taijuan Walker, Tony Zych
The Mariners announced that three important members of the team’s pitching staff recently underwent surgery. Reliever Steve Cishek had his torn hip labrum repaired, starter Taijuan Walker had a bone fragment removed from his right ankle, and bullpen member Tony Zych underwent a shoulder biceps tendon transfer in his right arm.
It seems that Cishek’s may be the most concerning of the procedures. The club’s announcement suggests that he’ll need four to six months of rehab “before resuming full baseball activities,” which means that it would be quite optimistic to expect him to be ready for the start of the regular season. (Spring training will begin in about four months.)
Cishek suffered the tear during the season, but was able to return after a fairly brief absence. It’s not clear whether something else occurred, or if that was simply a temporary solution — with plans for an offseason surgery for a permanent fix. Cishek is owed $6MM next year, the second and final year of his contract, and had seemed primed to serve as a quality set-up man after providing 64 frames of 2.81 ERA pitching (with 10.7 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9) in 2016.
Walker, meanwhile, dealt with foot issues throughout the year and obviously felt it was an opportune moment to have that addressed. Seattle desperately needs him to fulfill the huge promise he has shown. The club says that Walker is expected to be ready to go with camp opens.
Finally, the prognosis is the same for Zych, though it’s hard to say his outlook is as promising. The 26-year-old has shown swing and miss stuff, but missed a great deal of the 2016 campaign and only ended up making a dozen major league appearances. His procedure may be somewhat less dramatic than it sounds, as the club stressed that it “did not involve the rotator cuff or capsule in the shoulder.” Certainly, a healthy Zych would go a long way toward making up for Cishek’s absence, however long that turns out to be.
Latest On Mariners' Offseason Roster Decisions
- Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune takes a long look at the Mariners’ many roster decisions this winter. Among other things, he notes that Seattle is open to bringing back Drew Storen, though the sense is that the reliever will look for a late-inning opportunity elsewhere. He also breaks down the decisions on many arbitration-eligible relievers; you can find their projected arb salaries right here. In the field, Dae-ho Lee could be retained as a righty option at first, but that’s no certainty. And one of the biggest questions is at short; Dutton notes that the club intends to look into a veteran option after a tough year for Ketel Marte.
Mariners Notes: Cozart, Bullpen, First Base, Roster
The Mariners’ main offseason needs and pending roster decisions are outlined by Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune…
- The M’s are expected to revisit trade talks with the Reds about Zack Cozart. The two clubs nearly agreed to a dealing deal that would’ve sent Cozart and a prospect to Seattle in exchange for minor leaguer Luiz Gohara and another prospect, but ran out of time prior to the August 1 deadline, in part because Cincinnati was busy with additional medical paperwork related to the Jay Bruce trade with the Mets. Cozart is only under contract through the 2017 season, so the door is still open for Ketel Marte to be Seattle’s shortstop of the future. Mariners officials think Marte “would benefit next season from taking a step back,” pointing to how James Paxton and Mike Zunino blossomed after taking a reduced role.
- Beyond adding Cozart or another veteran shortstop, Dutton identifies a right-handed hitting first baseman and a hard-throwing lefty reliever as the Mariners’ other big areas of need. Dan Vogelbach will form the left-handed side of the first base platoon, and Dutton speculates that the M’s could re-sign Dae-ho Lee to again serve as the right-handed first base bat. For external options, Dutton believes free agent Steve Pearce is a good fit for the M’s — Pearce mashes southpaws and provides depth at not just first base but potentially several spots around the diamond.
- In regards to the left-handed reliever, Dutton cites the Pirates’ Tony Watson as what the Mariners are looking for in a southpaw who is capable of filling a setup role or just situational work against left-handed hitters. Acquiring Watson himself may not be in the cards, though Dutton notes that the Pirates could look to save some money with Watson getting more expensive through arbitration. Internally, the M’s could use Ariel Miranda for this left-handed bullpen role, though the club prefers him as a starter for now.
- In a separate piece that breaks down every player on Seattle’s 40-man roster, Dutton writes that the Mariners are likely to non-tender Charlie Furbush and let Drew Storen walk in free agency. Tom Wilhelmsen, who is eligible for arbitration, also “could easily get squeezed out” given that he has fallen behind several other arms in the bullpen pecking order.
- The Mariners probably won’t pick up Chris Iannetta’s $4.25MM club option, leaving them looking for a backup catcher. Among internal options, Jesus Sucre is more affordable and has a good relationship with Felix Hernandez.
- “A new deal seems reasonably likely” for longtime outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, who is headed for free agency. The M’s also have an interest in re-signing Nori Aoki, even though his presence creates a bit of a logjam with Gutierrez possibly returning and Seth Smith’s club option almost certainly being exercised. Dutton wonders if this could lead to Smith becoming a trade chip if Aoki is indeed brought back.
Mariners Likely To Pick Up Option Over Seth Smith
- The Rockies quietly made a run at Cincinnati’s Zack Cozart prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, knowing that Trevor Story, whose last game came on July 30, was ailing and could miss the remainder of the season. Talks continued into August, per Heyman, but Cozart’s own injury issues arose and made a deal more difficult. It’d have been interesting to see the Rox land Cozart, as he’d have once again become a trade chip for them in the offseason with Story expected to be ready to go for the 2017 season. While talks don’t seem likely to be revisited this winter, the note is another reminder that Cozart is a desirable trade chip for the Reds, who also had a near-swap that would’ve sent Cozart to the Mariners on Aug. 1. Heyman also reminds that longtime GM/president Walt Jocketty will step into an adviser role this winter, leaving GM Dick Williams as the top decision-maker in Cincinnati’s baseball ops department.
- The Mariners appear to be “leaning toward” picking up a $7MM option over outfielder Seth Smith. Smith, 34, isn’t quite an everyday player, but has received over 400 plate appearances in each of his two campaigns in Seattle. This year, he hit .249/.342/.415 with 16 home runs, just under his overall career marks. At $7MM, the M’s would be getting Smith for something like the going annual rate for a fourth outfielder, while limiting its commitment to a single season.
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Taijuan Walker Considering Foot Surgery
Mariners righty Taijuan Walker is headed for a medical consultation to determine whether he ought to undergo surgery on his troublesome right foot, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports. The 24-year-old has suffered with arch tendinitis, and may go in for a procedure to help address the problem over the offseason. Rest is the alternative, but a decision must be made soon. Walker says that the specialist he spoke with previously told him “it would be anywhere from a three- to four-month recovery to be ready to pitch.” Walker had a roller-coaster campaign — manager Scott Servais says he was “all over the board” with hot and cold stretches — but ultimately ended with a 4.22 ERA over 134 1/3 innings, with 8.0 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9. Seattle will hope that Walker can put the foot issue behind him and fully realize his talent in 2017.
Mariners May Retain "Only A Couple" Free Agents/Option Players
- The Mariners will consider all of their free agents and club option players, GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters, though MLB.com’s Greg Johns believes “only a couple” will return to Seattle in 2017. Outfielder Seth Smith is likely to have his $7MM club option exercised, while the M’s could pass on Chris Iannetta’s $4.25MM club option since it’s a fairly high price for a backup catcher. Of the free agents, Adam Lind will likely be let go while outfielders Nori Aoki and Franklin Gutierrez could be better fits to be re-signed.
Blue Jays Acquire Minor Leaguer From Mariners To Complete Pat Venditte Trade
The Blue Jays have acquired minor league infielder Tim Lopes from the Mariners to complete the early August trade that sent switch-pitcher Pat Venditte to Seattle, the teams announced.
Lopes, 22, was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft. He played the entire year at the Double-A level, posting a .284/.358/.355 slash line over 581 plate appearances. Though he obviously doesn’t deliver much pop, Lopes swiped 26 bags on the season. He has spent some time at shortstop, but predominantly lined up at second base during his time in the Mariners organization.
The endlessly fascinating Venditte hasn’t been terribly useful for the M’s, providing 11 1/3 innings of work but coughing up nine earned runs on 11 hits. He has struck out 11 in that span, but has also permitted five free passes. Venditte has been rather strong at Triple-A on the year, though, working to a 3.74 ERA with an excellent 13.1 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 over 43 1/3 frames.
