AL West Notes: Correa, Gamel, Rangers
The Astros will be without shortstop Carlos Correa for at least two games as he travels back to Houston to get his ailing shoulder examined, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters, including Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle. Correa is believed to be troubled by some inflammation in his shoulder, and despite his leaving the team, the injury doesn’t appear to be serious in nature just yet, as Hinch said the team’s expectation is that Correa will play at some point this weekend. If that’s the case, it’s a minor hiccup for the Astros, but a more prolonged absence is something the Astros can ill afford as they sit two games back in the American League Wild Card hunt. With Correa absent, Alex Bregman saw his first Major League action at shortstop last night.
More from the American League West…
- August trade acquisition Ben Gamel will get a long look from the Mariners down the stretch, writes MLB.com’s Greg Johns. “We’re really going to look at those corner outfield spots against right-handed pitching,” manager Scott Servais said prior to tonight’s contest. “…I do think we owe an opportunity to find out what Ben Gamel can do. So he’s going to play.” Gamel has just one hit in 16 at-bats with Seattle so far, though he’s already delivered some highlight-reel defense. With Nori Aoki and Franklin Gutierrez set to hit free agency, there could potentially be some corner outfield at-bats for Gamel to win next season with a strong showing in September and in Spring Training.
- The Rangers are set to get Colby Lewis back on Sunday, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. With Lewis joining Cole Hamels, Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, Martin Perez and A.J. Griffin, Texas will have six options in the rotation, but skipper Jeff Banister says the team won’t deploy a straight six-man rotation. However, each of the six will get some starts down the stretch. Wilson writes that Perez, Griffin and Holland will each have some extra rest built into their schedules over the season’s final few weeks. Lewis, 37, has a 3.21 ERA with 5.6 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 through his first 98 innings of the 2016 campaign.
- Wilson also writes that Shin-Soo Choo has begun throwing as he continues his rehab from a forearm fracture. He’ll throw every other day and take some swings with a fungo bat today as he aims to return to the Rangers‘ roster for a potential playoff run. Choo’s chances of returning during the regular season aren’t great, but he said last month he hopes to play in October.
Mariners Outright Wade LeBlanc; Will Recall Nori Aoki
The Mariners have outrighted southpaw Wade LeBlanc to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Seattle is also set to recall outfielder Nori Aoki tomorrow, per the report.
LeBlanc, 32, has provided the M’s with fifty frames of 4.50 ERA pitching on the year. He has been tagged with 14 home runs, but does carry a strong 4.56 K/BB ratio. LeBlanc threw quite well at Triple-A earlier in the year with the Blue Jays before he was dealt to Seattle, and he may well contribute at the major league level again down the stretch.
Aoki is another veteran who has bounced down to the minors, with the Mariners taking advantage of his remaining option year to keep their roster in order. His most recent trip to Triple-A occurred because the team was facing quite a few opposing southpaws, says Dutton, thus reducing the need for the left-handed hitter.
The 34-year-old Aoki had actually turned up his play quite a bit since his first demotion, so the Mariners will no doubt hope he can keep producing upon his return. Still, though, he may not have as robust a role when he comes back given the ongoing presence of Seth Smith and the team’s recent acquisition of Ben Gamel. Manager Scott Servais says he expects to lean heavily on the newcomer.
As Dutton explains, Aoki is not only playing to set himself up for next year but is also nearing some contract incentives. He is unlikely to reach the 480 plate appearances needed to trigger his vesting option, but is only 11 away from a $100K bonus at 400 plate appearances and can earn another $100K for every 25 PAs thereafter.
Mariners, Padres Complete Nick Vincent Trade
It has been a long time coming, but the Mariners and Padres have finally completed the late-spring trade that sent righty Nick Vincent to Seattle, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). Cash considerations, rather than a player, will head to San Diego to tie up the deal.
Vincent has been a nice addition for the M’s, contributing 47 innings of 3.83 ERA ball on the year. The bottom-line results may not be terribly exciting, but Vincent has racked up 10.3 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 since coming over. He has been a bit homer-prone, but the slider specialist owns a career-best 12.9% swinging strike rate and seems fairly likely to be tendered a contract this fall heading into his first season of arbitration eligibility.
Pirates, Mariners Complete Arquimedes Caminero Swap
The Pirates and Mariners have completed the deal that sent righty Arquimedes Caminero to the Mariners a few weeks back. Per an announcement from Seattle, lefty Jake Brentz and righty Pedro Vasquez will go to Pittsburgh to wind up the trade.
Caminero, 29, has been a solid piece for the M’s since the deal, cutting his walk rate but otherwise largely continuing to deliver useful but hardly world-beating frames. On the year, he has thrown 55 innings of 3.60 ERA ball with 7.0 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9.
Pittsburgh will pick up a pair of young arms in return. The 21-year-old Brentz has experienced some command issues early in his career, but generated better than a strikeout per inning at the Class A and High-A level for most of the season. Vasquez, 20, earned a mid-season promotion out of Rookie ball and has turned in a 2.28 ERA with 6.2 K/9 against just 0.8 BB/9 in his eight starts at Class A Clinton.
AL West Notes: Trout, Angels, Gamel, Sardinas, Vincent
Angels superstar Mike Trout was involved in a car accident in southern California last night which left two people injured, but Trout himself walked away from the crash unharmed, as Scott Schwebke and Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register report. Both Angels GM Billy Eppler and Trout’s agent, Craig Landis, have stated that the center fielder is uninjured, with Eppler issuing the following statement: “Mike Trout was involved in a car accident earlier tonight. I have spoken with Mike this evening and he feels fine. He is at home with his roommate and is planning on traveling with the club to Seattle tomorrow afternoon. We will update as more information becomes available.” The video atop the above-linked Trout story includes a report from the scene which states that the accident occurred when Trout had to slam on his brakes because of another accident that had taken place in front of him, causing him to collide with another car. The California Highway Patrol does “not have any reason to believe right now that drugs or alcohol were a factor,” said Stacey Butler of CBS Los Angeles in the news report. More concerning at this time is the well-being of the woman in the car that was struck by Trout’s vehicle, as USA Today’s A.J. Perez reports that she suffered “major” injuries and was transported to Orange County Global Medical Center. We at MLBTR join all that are following this story in wishing her a full recovery.
Here’s more from the AL West…
- The Angels are once again staring at an offseason of uncertainty at the second base position, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes. While there are internal options at the ready, it seems hard to imagine that the organization will feel comfortable giving regular playing time to Johnny Giavotella, Cliff Pennington, or Gregorio Petit. There’s some hope that Kaleb Cowart can transition over from third, though that remains a work in progress. From an outside perspective, it seems worth noting that Yunel Escobar is an option at second as well as the hot corner, which creates some flexibility this winter.
- Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto spoke with Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times about yesterday’s trade to acquire outfielder Ben Gamel from the Yankees and implied that he will get an opportunity to prove that he can help the Mariners in 2016 and beyond. “He has 1,000 plate appearances at Triple A,” said Dipoto. “…He just won MVP [of the Triple-A International League] and he was rookie of the year last year in that league. He’s done what he can do at Triple A and now he deserves an opportunity. … He does a lot of things well. He’s optionable, he’s young and he’s athletic, three of things we are looking for. He’s a polished minor league minor league player who’s ready to cut his teeth in the big leagues.” Nori Aoki and Franklin Gutierrez are both free agents at season’s end, while Seth Smith has a $7MM club option remaining on his contract. As such, there could be plenty of at-bats to be won for Gamel in 2017 if he can prove capable of handling big league pitching.
- Last month, the Mariners traded infielder Luis Sardinas to the Padres in exchange for a player to be named later or cash, and MLB.com’s A.J. Cassavell now reports that the deal has been completed, with San Diego sending cash to Seattle (Twitter link). The return for Sardinas was never expected to be all that high, considering the fact that he’d endured a poor 2016 season and had already been designated for assignment at the time of the trade. Since joining the Padres, Sardinas has seven hits in 22 at-bats, including a homer and a pair of doubles. On a somewhat related note, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets that the two sides have not yet formally wrapped up the Nick Vincent swap that took place all the way back in March (Twitter link). The Padres and Mariners have until Sept. 30 to complete the trade, which was announced as Vincent to Seattle in exchange for a player to be named later. Vincent has been a nice add for the Mariners, tossing 47 innings of 3.83 ERA ball.
Mariners Acquire Ben Gamel From Yankees
The Mariners have acquired outfielder Ben Gamel from the Yankees, reports MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes (via Twitter). Shortly after Dierkes’ report, the teams announced the trade, adding that they’re sending right-handed pitchers Jio Orozco and Juan De Paula to the Yankees in return.
The 24-year-old Gamel is the younger brother of former Brewers top prospect Mat Gamel and made his Major League debut with the Yanks earlier this year in May. He’s logged just 10 plate appearances at the big league level (eight official at-bats), collecting one hit and one walk, but turned in a very solid season at the Triple-A level with the Yankees’ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate. In 533 plate appearances, Gamel batted .308/.365/.420 with six homers and 19 stolen bases while appearing at all three outfield positions.
Prior to this trade, Gamel rated 24th among Yankees prospects in the eyes of Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. That duo praised Gamel’s line-drive, all-fields approach at the plate and rated both his hit tool and speed as above-average, noting that while he lacks the plus speed of some center fielders he makes up for some of that with terrific instincts and quick reads off the bat. Gamel hit a career-high 10 home runs but is more of a threat to rack up doubles and triples — a skill set that would seem to fit well in Seattle’s spacious home park. Gamel figures to, at worst, profile as a fourth outfield candidate for the Mariners but could play his way into a bigger role if he’s able to carry over the success he’s enjoyed in 245 career Triple-A games (.304/.361/.447).
Of the two arms going back to the Yankees in this deal, Orozco appears to be the headliner. The 19-year-old rated 20th among Seattle farmhands, per Callis and Mayo, who praise the teenager’s “advanced feel for three pitches,” referencing the former 14th-rounder’s fastball, curveball and changeup. At 6’1″ and 208 pounds, Orozco is a bit undersized but has a more advanced feel for pitching than most prospects his age, per the MLB.com report. In 70 professional innings since being drafted last year (all of which have come with Seattle’s rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona League), Orozco has a 3.73 ERA with 11.2 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.
De Paula, 18, signed with the Mariners as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic and made his debut in the Dominican Summer League last year. He’s pitched alongside Orozco in the Arizona League in 2016, working to an impressive 3.07 ERA with 11.6 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 41 innings (seven starts, four relief appearances).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/31/16
Let’s catch up on some minor moves from yesterday:
- The Orioles have outrighted both outfielder Julio Borbon and righty Logan Ondrusek to Double-A, per a team announcement. The 30-year-old Borbon has not seen extensive major league time since playing a big role on the 2010 Rangers, but he offers a left-handed-hitting center field option that could come in handy given the injury concerns surrounding Adam Jones. Ondrusek, 31, came over from Japan in a surprising recent move, but has struggled through 6 1/3 innings with Baltimore. Still, he’ll provide some depth down the stretch should a need arise.
- Outfielder Alex Presley has accepted a Triple-A assignment with the Tigers after clearing waivers, John Wagner of the Toledo Blade reports on Twitter. Presley was designated for assignment recently, but the opportunity remains for him to play a role at the major league level late this year, especially with Cameron Maybin now dealing with another thumb problem.
- The Tigers also announced that the club purchased the contract of infielder/outfielder JaCoby Jones. Acquired in the deal that sent Joakim Soria to the Pirates last summer, Jones has struggled for most of the year at Triple-A. Over his 324 plate appearances in his first trip to the highest level of the minors, Jones owns a .243/.309/.356 slash with 11 steals. He’ll provide some versatility in Detroit, though, as the 24-year-old has spent time at both third base and center field this year.
- The Mariners have outrighted righty Jarrett Grube off of the 40-man roster, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported on Twitter. He had already been pitching at Triple-A, and the team did not announce a corresponding move, but the transaction will open a fresh major league spot. That may ultimately be filled by fellow righty Evan Scribner, who is expected to be activated soon from the 60-day DL, per Bob Dutton of the Seattle times (via Twitter). As for Grube — who is in something of an unusual position as a 34-year-old who has just one MLB appearance under his belt — he’ll return to pitching at the highest level of the minors, where he owns a 4.13 ERA over 113 1/3 innings on the year.
Hisashi Iwakuma’s 2017 Option Likely To Vest
Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma quietly surpassed 162 innings last week in a start against the Yankees, meaning he has now crossed the minimum innings threshold for his 2017 club option to vest at $14MM. However, MLBTR has learned that Iwakuma’s contract also stipulates that he must finish the season without incurring a specific injury, so while he’s now likely to see his option vest, the 2017 salary is not quite guaranteed just yet.
The specific nature of the injury that Iwakuma must avoid remains unknown, though concerns about his health submarined what would’ve been a three-year, $45MM contract with the Dodgers this past offseason. (He instead re-signed in Seattle on a one-year, $12MM deal with a pair of options for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.) The 35-year-old has avoided the disabled list entirely this season, however, so he’s certainly in the clear at the moment. In fact, not only has Iwakuma avoided the disabled list, he’s been far and away the healthiest member of the Seattle rotation. No other Mariners starter is within 40 innings of Iwakuma’s 163 frames, as each of Felix Hernandez, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Nate Karns has spent time on the disabled list. In his 163 innings, Iwakuma has pitched to a solid 3.81 ERA, though a number of his secondary statistics have trended in the wrong direction, including his strikeout rate (6.5 K/9), walk rate (2.0 BB/9), ground-ball rate (39.8 percent) and average fastball velocity (87.8 mph).
Iwakuma’s innings count for the remainder of the season is worth keeping an eye on as well, as his volume of innings in 2016 could impact his contract status for 2018. Assuming his 2017 option ends up vesting, Iwakuma’s 2018 option will vest at $15MM if he is able to throw a combined 324 innings between 2016-17. As it stands, he needs 161 innings next year to lock in that $15MM payday in 2018, though every inning he tosses in the final stages of the 2016 season will bring him a small step closer to that goal.
Iwakuma’s contract also contains plenty of incentives for the 2016 season, and he’s already begun reaching them. He took home $500K for reaching the 150-inning mark and is owed an additional $500K for every 10th inning he pitches after that mark, up to 190 innings. In other words, he’s already earned $1MM worth of incentives and could push that up to a total of $2.5MM if he throws another 27 innings, which looks quite likely. Those incentives will not be a part of his contract in 2017-18 if those options vest (though they would be in the event that his options fail to vest, and the club exercises the option anyway).
Mariners Sign Al Alburquerque To Minors Deal
Right-hander Al Alburquerque has signed a minor league contract with the Mariners, as was first reported by Triple-A broadcaster Mike Curto last week (Twitter link). The longtime Tigers reliever spent the majority of the 2016 season with the Angels but was released on Aug. 13.
Alburquerque, 30, logged a 3.80 ERA with a 26-to-13 K/BB ratio and a 44.9 percent ground-ball rate in 23 2/3 innings with the Halos’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake this season. Alburquerque also tossed two innings for the Angels at the Major League level this year, allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks with a strikeout. He’s appeared in a pair of games for Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate and will hope to earn a promotion to the big league level when rosters expand on Thursday.
While Alburquerque hasn’t pitched much in the Majors this year, he was a regular contributor to the Detroit bullpen from 2011-15, continually demonstrating an ability to rack up strikeouts but also consistently showing below-average control. In 225 innings as a member of the Tigers, Alburquerque posted a very solid 3.20 ERA and averaged an impressive 11 strikeouts per nine innings, but he also averaged five walks per nine innings pitched over the life of his Tigers career. If he does end up making an appearance on the Mariners’ roster next month, Seattle will have the ability to control him through the 2017 season if desired, as he’s currently just shy of five years of big league service (a September call-up would push him over the threshold).
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/27/16
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Reds have selected the contract of catcher Rafael Lopez from Triple-A Louisville, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. To clear space on their active roster, they’ve optioned infielder Tony Renda to Louisville. The Reds needed an extra catcher due to a minor hand injury to Tucker Barnhart. The 28-year-old Lopez appeared briefly in the big leagues with the Cubs in 2016, but has not done so since. He’s hit a modest .213/.262/.297 for Louisville this season.
- The Mariners today announced a bevy of roster moves — they selected the contract of righty Dan Altavilla from Double-A Jackson, recalled first baseman Dae-Ho Lee and switch-pitcher Pat Venditte from Triple-A Tacoma, and placed righty Tom Wilhelmsen on the 15-day disabled list with lower back spasms. (They also optioned outfielder Nori Aoki and infielder Michael Freeman to Tacoma, as had previously been reported.) The 23-year-old Altavilla, a fifth-round pick in 2014, has never pitched above the Double-A level, but he’s had success there this season, posting a 1.91 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings.
- The Twins have selected the contract of righty Alex Wimmers, as Ted Schwerzler of Off The Baggy was first to tweet. Wimmers made his big-league debut with a scoreless inning yesterday. The 27-year-old was the 21st overall pick in the 2010 draft, but his path to the big leagues was slowed by injury. He’s had a solid season in the bullpen at Triple-A Rochester, with a 3.62 ERA, 9.1 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 49 2/3 innings.
- The Orioles announced that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Julio Borbon and optioned righty Mike Wright to Triple-A Norfolk. The 30-year-old Borbon briefly played for the Orioles this season but has spent most of the year with Double-A Bowie, where he’s batted .275/.336/.362 with 28 stolen bases. He’s hit sparingly in parts of five seasons in the big leagues, but his speed might make him an effective tactical player if the O’s opt to stick with him until rosters expand.