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AL East Notes: Estrada, Judge, Rays, Pirates

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Marco Estrada threw a gem for the Blue Jays on Saturday, allowing one earned run and just one hit while walking two and striking out four over seven innings against the Mariners.  As Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi notes, “the outing is sure to renew [trade] interest in” Estrada’s services, as the right-hander spent most of July on the disabled list recovering from a glute strain and a minor blister issue.  It has been an inconsistent 2018 season for Estrada, though he was turning things around to the tune of a 2.35 ERA over five June starts before his injury problems cropped up.  Had Estrada stayed healthy, he almost surely would’ve joined J.A. Happ, Seunghwan Oh, and other veterans moved by the Jays as the team looks to rebuild for 2019 and beyond.  Toronto will continue to be a team to watch in the August trade market, given the presence of Estrada, Josh Donaldson, and others that could be enticing trade candidates if they can be worked through the waiver process.

Here’s more from the AL East…

  • Yankees slugger Aaron Judge gave reporters (including ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey) an update on his recovery from a chip fracture in his wrist, saying that he is still feeling some pain, though “some of the range of motion is coming back,” and he has been able to make short-range throws of up to five feet.  Judge was originally estimated to miss roughly three weeks, and while that timeline hasn’t officially changed yet, he has yet to begin taking dry swings.  On the plus side, Judge is participating in conditioning and running drills so he’ll theoretically be able to make a quick return once his wrist is ready.
  • The Rays were one of baseball’s busiest teams during trade deadline season, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times provides a recap on all of the club’s dealings.  With salaries always a concern in Tampa, the Rays now have only a bit over $8MM committed to their 2019 payroll, all owed to Kevin Kiermaier via the outfielder’s multi-year contract.  Topkin calculates that between the minimum salary players, Kiermaier, and arbitration-eligibles Tommy Pham and Matt Duffy (but not C.J. Cron), the Rays may have approximately $25MM in payroll for 2019.  Even if the Rays won’t approach even their modest $70MM payroll from the start of this season, they’ll still have some room to spend on upgrades this winter.  In regards to Cron, Topkin thinks his home run total could push his arbitration number beyond the Rays’ comfort zone, so the first baseman could potentially be a trade candidate or maybe even a non-tender candidate despite his solid season.
  • Also from Topkin’s piece, the player to be named later acquired by the Rays from the Pirates in the Chris Archer trade still isn’t known, and the mystery prospect may not change organizations until the minor league season ends.  Indeed, Pirates GM Neal Huntington said today during his radio show (hat tip to MLB.com’s Adam Berry) that “nothing’s imminent” about the players to be named later involved in the Archer trade and also in the trade with the Rangers for Keone Kela.

Daniel Robertson To Undergo Thumb Surgery, Likely Done For Season

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Rays infielder Daniel Robertson, who went on the disabled list on Saturday with a sprained left thumb, will require surgery and is likely to miss the rest of the season, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Like the Rays themselves, owners of a respectable 56-55 record, Robertson has been a pleasant surprise in 2018. After struggling through a 254-plate appearance debut in 2017, when he hit .206/.308/.326, the 24-year-old Robertson has slashed .262/.382/.415 in 340 PAs this season.

Robertson hasn’t offered a ton of power (nine home runs, .152 ISO), though he’s tied for 21st in on-base percentage among hitters with at least 300 PAs and has registered appealing walk and strikeout rates (12.0 and 22.6 percent, respectively). Thanks largely to his on-base ability, which has been buoyed by 13 hit by pitches, Robertson has been 28 percent better than the league-average offensive player in 2018, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric.

If Robertson’s season is indeed over, it’ll end with 2.6 fWAR and 2.8 rWAR, which would’ve made for impressive production even over a full campaign. But injuries have helped hold back Robertson, who previously missed time in June on account of a strained left hamstring and has played in just 87 games. Robertson showed off plenty of defensive versatility in that span, amassing anywhere from 19 to 39 appearances at third base, second base (his primary position) and shortstop.

East Notes: Mets, Bautista, Rays, Hechavarria

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The latest on a pair of East Coast franchises…

  • Even if the Mets trade Jose Bautista this month, it’s “likely” they’ll attempt to re-sign the soon-to-be free agent prior to next season, Mike Puma of the New York Post hears (Twitter link). Signing Bautista, whom New York added May 22 shortly after the division-rival Braves released him, is one of the few moves that have paid off in a disastrous season for the Mets. The Blue Jays legend has slashed a useful .215/.364/.390 with six home runs in 214 plate appearances during his two-plus-month run with the Amazins. If he does continue his career in 2019, Bautista – who has primarily lined up in the outfield with the Mets after a short-lived third base experiment with the Braves – will play his age-38 campaign.
  • The belief is Rays shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria has cleared waivers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. If true, the Rays could trade Hechavarria to any team. Tampa Bay designated Hechavarria this week after watching the 29-year-old offer his usual blend of weak offense and strong defense in 2018. Hechavarria hit just .258/.289/.332 in 237 PAs, but he did total four Defensive Runs Saved in the field. He’s due around $1.9MM for the rest of the season, Topkin notes.
  • Back to the Mets, who are in the midst of increasing catcher Kevin Plawecki’s playing time as they look toward 2019, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com writes. Plawecki started for the fourth time in five games Saturday and, per DiComo, is a lock to return to the Mets next season. The only question is whether the 27-year-old will start or serve as a backup. Current starter Devin Mesoraco is set to hit free agency in the offseason, meaning he’ll cede playing time to Plawecki down the stretch. The Mets can still control catcher Travis d’Arnaud for another season via arbitration, but injuries have long haunted the 29-year-old – including in 2018, which ended for him in early April on account of a UCL tear in his right elbow. Shortly after, the Mets lost Plawecki to a hairline fracture in his left hand, but he was able to return in late May. Injury aside, this has been a decent offensive season for Plawecki, who has slashed .231/.345/.372 in 142 PAs. Plawecki is scheduled to go through his first of four potential trips through arbitration over the winter.

Injury Notes: Snell, Dickerson, Fowler, Williams, Skaggs

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As expected, the Rays have activated left-hander Blake Snell to start tonight’s game against the White Sox. The first-time All-Star will be on a limited pitch count following a two-week DL stint for left shoulder fatigue. Following a trade of Chris Archer to the Pirates, Snell looks like the only reliable starter in a Rays rotation that continues to see relievers open games more often than the starters themselves. Snell’s pre-injury performance, of course, was phenomenal; his 2.27 ERA would be more than a run lower than his career best season.

Here are a few other disabled list transactions from around the league…

  • Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson has been activated after a short stint on the disabled list; he’d been sidelined with a left hamstring strain. They’ll surely be glad to have him back after the club traded away notable outfield depth in the form of Austin Meadows at the July 31st deadline. While he’s active, Dickerson won’t be starting today’s game against the Cardinals (though he’ll presumably be available off the bench).
  • As expected after last night’s news, Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler will hit the DL after suffering a fractured foot. Fowler’s enduring a miserable season that’s by far his career worst; he’s managed to hit an absolutely wretched .180/.278/.298 across 334 plate appearances while playing middling outfield defense. Fangraphs rates him as being 1.2 wins below replacement level on the season after a 2.5 fWAR debut with the Cards last year.
  • Switch-hitting relief pitcher Taylor Williams is headed to the DL with right elbow soreness. It’s certainly bad news for a Brewers bullpen that’s seeing Corey Knebel struggle mightily of late. Williams has tossed 42 2/3 relief innings and managed to strike out 10.43 batters per nine innings, though he’s only managed to keep the ball on the ground 34.8% of the time and has walked a batter nearly every other inning on average. Williams is in the midst of his first full season in the majors after a 4 2/3 inning cup of coffee last year.
  • Angels hurler Tyler Skaggs is headed to the disabled list with a left adductor strain, the club has announced. Skaggs has described the injury as “extremely frustrating”, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. He apparently sustained it during his last start. In his stead, the Angels have called up right-hander Taylor Cole. The Angels, of course, have already seen their rotation annihilated by injuries this year, with Garrett Richards, Shohei Ohtani, J.C. Ramirez and Matt Shoemaker among the affected starters.

Rays Promote Brandon Lowe

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The Rays have officially promoted infielder Brandon Lowe to the major league roster, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was first to report. Daniel Robertson has been placed on the DL to accommodate.

The 24-year-old Lowe is a homegrown product, having been selected by the Rays in the third round of 2015’s amateur draft. He’s dominated at every level of the minors since joining the organization, most recently posting a commanding .304/.380/.613 batting line at Triple-A with 14 homers in just 205 plate appearances. And while his 22.9% strikeout rate at that level is a bit high, it’s far from the levels of some of the power threats in today’s game. Overall, his performance was good for a 177 wRC+.

Baseball America ranked Lowe as the 16th-best prospect in a deep Rays farm system prior to the 2018 season, touting his above-average bat speed and penchant for being aggressive on pitches in the strike zone. At the midpoint of the season, MLB Pipeline has Lowe all the way up to ninth in the Tampa Bay organization. The publication raved about his hitting ability and “consistent pop to the gaps” with sneaky raw power and loads of patience. His ceiling will be limited by the likelihood that he becomes a solid yet unspectacular defender at second base.

Tommy Pham Diagnosed With Fractured Foot

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Just two games into his Rays tenure, outfielder Tommy Pham is headed to the 10-day disabled list due to a fractured foot, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). Lefty Adam Kolarek is being recalled from Triple-A Durham to take Pham’s spot on the roster for the time being.

Pham exited last night’s game after being hit on the right foot by an Andrew Heaney pitch, and while initial X-rays proved negative, further evaluation today revealed the hairline fracture. The injury is another stroke of bad luck to a Tampa Bay club that has already had plenty of that this season.

Topkin notes that the Rays hope that Pham can return in less than a month. The outfielder himself says he’s been given a two-to-four week estimate, so it seems that all expectations are for a relatively brief absence.

While the overall situation isn’t that concerning, then, it’s disappointing news given that Pham only just landed in Tampa Bay. The late-blooming outfielder came to the organization in a surprising deadline-day swap.

Of course, the Rays’ interest in Pham had more to do with future campaigns than the present one. There’s little hope of the team cracking the postseason this year, while the 30-year-old will reach arbitration eligibility for the first time this fall.

Rays Designate Adeiny Hechavarria

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The Rays have designated shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria for assignment, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). That opens a roster spot for newly-acquired outfielder Tommy Pham.

Hechavarria, 29, has long been viewed as a talented defender at shortstop but has never hit all that much. While he has at times produced palatable numbers at the plate, he has stumbled to a .258/.289/.332 slash in 237 plate appearances this year in Tampa Bay.

While the Rays shopped Hechavarria around at the deadline, they obviously weren’t able to find a taker. It surely did not help that several other glove-first infielders were also available (and, likely, still are). He’s also earning a relatively robust $5.9MM this year in his final season of arbitration eligibility.

The Rays will owe the remainder of that sum unless he’s traded or claimed. Alternatively, if the veteran ends up reaching the open market and later returns to the bigs with another team, the Rays could save a pro-rated portion of the league-minimum salary.

Whether or not he moves straight onto another MLB roster, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see Hechavarria return to the majors in the near-term as a utility infielder. While UZR hasn’t been as enthused as usual with the veteran’s glovework, DRS still grades him as a clear positive and he has a track record of excellent defending.

The expectation in Tampa Bay is that the team will now give an opportunity to top shortstop prospect Willy Adames. The 22-year-old has struggled with the bat in his first 125 MLB plate appearances, slashing just .200/.256/.296, but is widely considered a dynamic talent and entered the season ranked among the game’s twenty or so best prospects.

Pirates Acquire Chris Archer

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The Pirates have officially struck a trade to acquire starter Chris Archer from the Rays, as Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported (via Twitter). Talented young players Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow will both go to Tampa Bay, as Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweeted.

There’s also a third player in the deal, as first noted by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The identity is still not known — the announcement cites a player to be named later — but it’s said to be an asset “of real value,” per Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter link).

Today’s news brings an end to a long-running trade saga involving Archer. The talented right-hander has been viewed as a target for years, with rival organizations intrigued not only by his big innings and strikeout totals, but also his extremely valuable contract. He now becomes the latest quality starter to be traded away by the Rays organization.

Archer inked a six-year, $25.5MM swap early in 2014. The agreement includes two option seasons at the end. While the very cheapest years have already gone into the books, there are some affordable campaigns remaining. Archer is earning just $6.25MM this year and $7.5MM next, followed by $9MM and $11MM club options that have a combined $2MM in buyouts.

Those dollar amounts surely appealed to a Pirates organization that is always seeking value. But the team was motivated most by the chance to improve in the near-term. Archer will represent a significant new addition to the rotation. The 29-year-old has only a 4.31 ERA on the year, the third-straight season in which he has allowed more than four earned per nine, but continues to carry peripherals that suggest he’s significantly better.

Of course, at some point the results will need to catch up to the metrics, and the Bucs are betting that’ll happen sooner than later. Archer is a quality asset regardless, but this deal was surely made based on the premise that he still can return to the higher standard he carried earlier in his career.

Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine the Bucs parting with this haul of talent in return. Meadows is the headlining piece at this point, as the 23-year-old top prospect has now shown an ability to hit in the big leagues. While his numbers at Triple-A haven’t been quite as impressive of late, and he’s benefiting from a .345 BABIP, Meadows carries a .292/.327/.468 slash in his first 165 plate appearances at the game’s highest level.

Glasnow, meanwhile, is soon to turn 25. He’s a big talent who has yet to fully harness his abilities. This year, Glasnow has functioned in a relief capacity, turning in 56 innings of 4.34 ERA ball with 11.6 K/9 against 5.5 BB/9 and a 56.0% groundball rate. While there’s still hope he’ll round into a MLB starter, perhaps that distinction won’t matter too much for a Rays team that no longer really seems to have a true starter on its roster at all.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Phillies Acquire Wilson Ramos

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The Rays and Phillies have announced a swap that sends veteran catcher Wilson Ramos to Philly for a player to be named later or cash considerations. To clear a spot on the roster, lefty Zac Curtis was designated for assignment.

Ramos has been on the DL since mid-July due to a hamstring strain, but he can still be moved if both sides are comfortable with his medical reports. At present, he’s expected to return to action sometime in August.

It’s somewhat of a surprise fit, as catching help hasn’t been reported to be among the Phillies’ top interests leading up to the deadline. That said, Philadelphia backstops are hitting a collective .244/.317/.393 this season, and while that’s solid relative to catchers throughout the league, Ramos would represent a definitive upgrade, health permitting. In 315 plate appearances this season, he’s raked at a .297/.346/.488 clip, slugging 14 homers and 14 doubles along the way.

Rocket-armed Jorge Alfaro has been Philadelphia’s primary backstop this season, and while he’s held his own at the plate, his .254/.305/.398 batting line could stand to be improved upon. If the deal for Ramos ultimately goes through, then he’ll likely pair with Alfaro to shoulder the bulk of the catching load behind the dish this season. Ramos would be the second rental bat the Phillies have acquired in the days leading up to the deadline, as they already landed Asdrubal Cabrera from the division-rival Mets on Friday.

The addition of Ramos might limit Alfaro’s playing time for the duration of the 2018 season, but as a free agent at season’s end, Ramos won’t be a long-term roadblock for Alfaro. Ramos is earning $10.5MM in 2018 — his two-year deal called for an $8.5MM base salary but jumped by $2MM when Ramos started his 55th game last season — and is still owed $3.44MM of that sum before the end of the year.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweeted the deal was done, after Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweeted that it was close. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) first connected the sides today.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rays Acquire International Bonus Money From White Sox

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The Rays have acquired some international bonus funds from the White Sox in exchange for minor league southpaw Hunter Schryver, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Daryl Van Schouwen reports (Twitter link).  The exact dollar amount isn’t known, though the international signing slots can be traded in increments of $250K.  The White Sox made a similar trade just two days ago, dealing $1.5MM in international bonus money to the Yankees for minor league lefty Caleb Frare.

Chicago is in the proverbial “penalty box” for the 2018-19 international signing class, as since the White Sox and seven other teams exceeded their bonus pool limit (under the old international signing rules) in past years, they aren’t allowed to sign any players from this signing period for more than a $300K bonus.  It has thus become common to see such penalized teams trading some of their 2018-19 bonus pool money in deals for prospects like Schryver or Frare, or even for established Major Leaguers, i.e. the Braves’ acquisition of Brad Brach from the Orioles.

The Rays will add to their original $6,025,400 bonus pool at the cost of Schryver, a seventh-round pick out of Villanova in the 2017 draft.  The 23-year-old has started just one of his 51 appearances as a pro, and his early returns make him a promising future left-handed weapon out of the bullpen.  Schryver has a 2.70 ERA, 10.5 K/9, and 5.11 K/BB rate over 83 1/3 career innings, and he made his debut at the high-A level earlier this season.

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