Rays Rumors

AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Girardi, Fox

By charliewilmoth | August 13, 2016 at 1:14pm CDT

The Yankees’ aggressive approach to their rebuild contrasts with the path the Red Sox once took, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal writes. This summer, the Yankees have traded veterans and acquired prospects in return, even a number of prospects who aren’t nearly ready for the big leagues. The Red Sox were in a similar position two years ago but took a different approach, dealing Jon Lester for Yoenis Cespedes (who they then sent to the Tigers for Rick Porcello) and John Lackey for veterans Allen Craig and Joe Kelly. (They did deal Andrew Miller for a prospect, Eduardo Rodriguez.) Of course, the Red Sox had a stronger core of young talent than the Yankees did at the time of each team’s series of trades — the Sox’ recent resurgence is due in large part to young talents like Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley who were already in their system. Here’s more from the AL East.

Joe Girardi’s experience with the 2006 Marlins will be helpful in dealing with the Yankees’ increasingly young roster, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Girardi won the NL Manager of the Year award in ’06 for his work with very young players like Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson, Dontrelle Willis, Anibal Sanchez and Jeremy Hermida. The Yankees recently jettisoned a series of veterans and now have youngsters like Tyler Austin, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and Luis Cessa on their roster, and they’ll likely add more young talents, such as Clint Frazier, over the next year or so. (Austin and Judge, by the way, each homered in their first big-league plate appearances today.) Girardi says he doesn’t mind having so many young players on the roster together. “For young players, I think it is probably easier to do it in a group,” he says. “Many times they have been through struggles together before in the minors. More important, when one young player struggles in the majors, he can feel alone and singled out among veterans.”
The Rays and Giants have resolved their issue concerning infield prospect Lucius Fox’s injury status, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The Rays acquired Fox two weeks ago in the Matt Moore deal, but Fox ended up having a bone bruise in his foot that would cost him the rest of the minor league season. The Rays had initially hoped to receive additional compensation from the Giants as a result, but the two sides have now agreed that the Rays will not receive such compensation, since Fox’s foot issue had not yet been determined to be an injury.

AL East News & Rumors: A-Rod, Rays, Marlins, Pearce

By Mark Polishuk | August 8, 2016 at 9:26pm CDT

Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

Alex Rodriguez didn’t close the door on continuing his career beyond his final game as a Yankee on Friday, but playing in his home state of Florida might not be in the cards. The Rays don’t have interest in A-Rod, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports, while MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro believes it is “highly doubtful” that the Marlins sign the veteran slugger. (Both links to Twitter.)
The two Florida teams were listed by ESPN’s Buster Olney (subscription required) as speculative fits if Rodriguez decided to keep playing, with the Twins and Astros also being cited. A-Rod could help on the field if he has anything left in his bat, though Olney noted that Rodriguez’s vaunted game preparation could make him a mentor for young players on the four teams. Once Rodriguez is released, of course, a new team would only owe him a prorated minimum salary, with the Yankees responsible for the rest of his hefty remaining contract.
Steve Pearce left the fifth inning of yesterday’s game due to a right elbow strain, and Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko) that Pearce was feeling much better after receiving a cortisone injection. The team will wait a couple of days to gauge Pearce’s improvement, though Showalter hinted that Pearce could still be worked into games in a non-throwing capacity. The O’s re-acquired Pearce in a deadline trade with the Rays, adding the veteran to provide versatility and to boost the team’s productivity against left-handed pitching.

Injury Notes: Bochy, Pillar, Withrow, Guerra, Cobb

By Mark Polishuk | August 8, 2016 at 5:07pm CDT

Giants manager Bruce Bochy was checked into hospital this morning after feeling ill, according to a statement from the team. Bochy will be monitored overnight and is expected to return to the dugout tomorrow, while bench coach Ron Wotus will manage the Giants tonight against the Marlins. Let’s check in on some on-field injury situations…

The Blue Jays have placed center fielder Kevin Pillar on the 15-day DL with a left thumb sprain. Darrell Ceciliani has been recalled from Triple-A to fill a backup outfield role while Melvin Upton Jr. will take over regular duty in center. [Updated Blue Jays depth chart at Roster Resource.] Pillar told reporters, including MLB.com’s Alykhan K. Ravjiani, that he expects to be back after the minimum 15 days. Even if it’s only a short-term absence, however, the Jays’ pre-deadline acquisition of Upton looms large in the wake of this injury, as Toronto previously lacked a solid backup center field option. Upton hasn’t provided much at the plate since joining the Jays, and even his good center field glove will be a defensive downgrade from Pillar, who leads all MLB outfielders in UZR/150 (32.9) and is tied for second in Defensive Runs Saved (17).
The Braves placed righty reliever Chris Withrow on the 15-day DL with an inflamed elbow, and the recently-claimed Chaz Roe will take Withrow’s spot on the roster. [Updated Braves depth chart at Roster Resource.] Withrow has posted a 3.31 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 1.79 K/BB rate over 32 2/3 IP for Atlanta this season. He drew some trade attention from the Mets prior to the deadline, though this injury could scuttle the Braves’ chances of dangling Withrow as trade bait in the August waiver period.
The Brewers will place Junior Guerra on the 15-day DL on Tuesday due to right elbow inflammation, manager Craig Counsell told media (including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Wily Peralta had already been announced as the starter for Tuesday’s game, taking Guerra’s scheduled turn in the rotation. Guerra, a 31-year-old rookie, has been a surprise breakout performer for Milwaukee this season, posting a 2.93 ERA, 7.55 K/9 and 2.43 K/9 over 107 1/3 innings for the Brew Crew.
Rays starter Alex Cobb will take the next step in his injury rehab by moving to Triple-A starts, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter link). Cobb will start for Triple-A Durham on Wednesday. The righty underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2015 and his rehab has taken slightly longer than expected, though he is still tentatively slated to return to the Rays in late August or early September.

Injury Notes: Norris, Hill, Zimmerman, Jennings

By charliewilmoth | August 6, 2016 at 2:35pm CDT

Here are several injury notes from around the game.

The Dodgers have announced that they’ve placed Bud Norris on the 15-day DL with a mild back strain (retroactive to August 1) and recalled fellow righty Ross Stripling to take his place. As SB Nation’s Eric Stephen points out (on Twitter), Norris is the 26th Dodger to head to the DL this season. Stripling will start for the Dodgers today against the Red Sox. Norris has posted a 4.34 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 29 innings with Los Angeles since arriving in a late-June trade with the Braves.
The Dodgers’ need to reshuffle their rotation goes beyond Norris right now, too, as new acquisition Rich Hill has been scratched from his start on Sunday (as the Los Angeles Times’ Mike DiGiovanna tweets) due to remnants of his blister problem. Brandon McCarthy will take Hill’s place. Hill remains on the DL, where he’s been since he was still in the Athletics organization. He hopes to make his Dodgers debut Friday, as FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets.
The Nationals have placed first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day DL with a left wrist contusion, MASN’s Dan Kolko tweets. Zimmerman was hit by a pitch last Sunday and has not played since. To replace him on the active roster, outfielder Brian Goodwin will begin his first stint in the big leagues. It’s been a tough season for the 31-year-old Zimmerman, who has hit just .222/.284/.394 in 335 plate appearances. The 25-year-old Goodwin, a former first-round pick and top prospect, was hitting .284/.350/.434 for Triple-A Syracuse.
The Rays have announced that they’ve placed Desmond Jennings on the 15-day DL with a left knee contusion, activating fellow outfielder Mikie Mahtook (hand) from the DL to take his place. It’s been a very rough go for the 29-year-old Jennings, who’s batted just .200/.281/.350 in 225 plate appearances this season while also missing time due to a hamstring strain. Notably, Jennings also missed most of last season after having arthroscopic left knee surgery and then bruising the knee late in the season.

Rays May Seek Compensation For Lucius Fox Injury

By Jeff Todd | August 5, 2016 at 10:09pm CDT

After weeks of build-up, the Rays shipped lefty Matt Moore to the Giants at the trade deadline for a package that included young infield prospect Lucius Fox. As it turns out, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Fox was dinged up at the time of the trade — which may lead Tampa Bay to seek added compensation from their trade partner.

The 19-year-old is said to have been playing through a bruised foot that was not disclosed to the Rays. While not a significant problem, it may prevent Fox from returning to action before the end of the minor league campaign. That wouldn’t seem to be a major long-term issue, but could take away some valuable developmental opportunities heading into the offseason.

The other two pieces of the pact — infielder Matt Duffy and minor league righty Michael Santos — were both on the DL at the time of the deal, with known injuries. But Fox’s malady was apparently not accounted for in striking the agreement.

It’s important to note that there’s no suggestion that Fox would be sent back to the Giants, who only signed him last summer; to the contrary, Topkin says that’s not on the table. For the Rays to achieve any recompense, they’ll have to “work through MLB,” according to the report.

Fox, a switch-hitting Bahamian shortstop, has not been overly impressive in game action in his brief professional career. He owns only a .207/.305/.277 slash over 331 plate appearances in the Sally League. That didn’t stop the Rays from ascribing rather significant value to him, though, and he certainly comes with an impressive prospect pedigree after receiving a $6MM bonus last year as an amateur.

Rays Claim Bobby Wilson, Option Curt Casali

By Steve Adams | August 4, 2016 at 2:47pm CDT

The Rays announced today that they’ve claimed catcher Bobby Wilson off waivers from the Rangers following his DFA on Monday and, in a corresponding move, optioned fellow backstop Curt Casali to Triple-A Durham. Wilson was designated for assignment following Texas’ acquisition of Jonathan Lucroy from the Brewers.

Wilson, 33, got off to a hot start for the Rangers this season but has cooled considerably, leaving him with an overall slash line of .241/.270/.333 through 156 trips to the plate. As a career .212/.268/.309 hitter, Wilson’s overall production in 2016 is a bit of a step up from his career marks, though it still checks in below that of a league-average catcher. He’s struggled a bit to control the running game, catching just 18 percent of opponents that attempted to steal this season. He has, however, been an above-average pitch framer for quite some time in the estimation of Baseball Prospectus.

Casali, 27, has displayed some pop this season with seven homers and seven doubles in 207 plate appearances, but he’s hitting just .169/.255/.322 on the whole and has punched out in exactly one third of his plate appearances this season.

AL East Notes: Moncada, A-Rod, Yankees, Rays, Sanchez

By Steve Adams | August 4, 2016 at 9:15am CDT

Top Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada may not quite be ready to follow Andrew Benintendi to the majors, but GM Mike Hazen says he is playing his way into the team’s near-term plans, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes. Moncada’s big numbers at Double-A have prompted a move to third base, where he could play at the big league level in relatively short order. Hazen analogized the situation to that of Mookie Betts, who also shifted off of second base — in his case, to the outfield — because he was ready to play but was blocked by stalwart Dustin Pedroia. As for timing of a big league promotion, Hazen declined to offer an opinion, but did note that Moncada has had a very different path to this point than did Benintendi. Also, as Mastrodonato notes, he needs to polish his hitting approach and refine his mechanics from both sides of the plate.

A bit more from the AL East…

The Yankees have no plans to release Alex Rodriguez, general manager Brian Cashman said in a recent ESPN Radio appearance (transcript via the Post’s George A. King III). Cashman acknowledged that some of Rodriguez’s at-bats will go to other players, but injuries or matchups could get Rodriguez additional looks down the stretch. The contract of Rodriguez, which calls for him to earn another $27MM through next season, is a factor, Cashman admitted: “First and foremost, you just have to admit it’s not easy to go ahead and eat — meaning release — that kind of money. It’s not something you come to a quick decision on. There are players around the game with big contracts, well-below-average players, for many years, not just a year. Alex hit 33 home runs, I believe, last year. … If we choose to do something, that’s our right at any time, but right now that’s not being done.”
Cashman appeared on yesterday’s Baseball Tonight podcast with ESPN’s Buster Olney (audio link) and discussed the Yankees’ decision to act as sellers at this year’s deadline as well as the prospects he picked up in trades of Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline. Cashman also said he has a list of Pirates prospects at the lower levels of their system from which he’ll select a pair of players to be named later in order to complete the Ivan Nova trade, but they’re still in the process of evaluating their options.
Rays infielder Brad Miller tells Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times that he was “extremely disappointed” to learn that newly acquired Matt Duffy will supplant him as the everyday shortstop upon his return from an Achilles injury. Miller considers himself a shortstop and sounds frustrated that he’ll be moved off the position for the second time in his young career. “I feel like I’ve done everything I needed to do to keep the job, and they didn’t see it that way,” he explains. “The same thing happened in Seattle.” Rays skipper Kevin Cash, though, stressed that Miller will still be an everyday player due to his bat. He’ll move over to first base until Logan Morrison’s return and then presumably see regular at-bats spread across several positions as a means of keeping his .252/.300/.484 slash line and 18 homers in the lineup.
Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM within the past hour (audio link) and said definitively that Aaron Sanchez won’t throw 220 innings this season. Shapiro added that GM Ross Atkins is on his way to discuss scenarios with Sanchez, manager John Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker at today. Said Shapiro of the innings limitation on Sanchez: “There’s no safe way to shut him down and ramp him up again. If you take that out, it’s simply do you let him start to a point where he either fatigues and mandates being shut down or he reaches some arbitrary inning amount — 190 or whatever it is — …or do we reallocate this innings in the bullpen and let him continue to contribute to this team in high-leverage situations?”

Deadline Notes: Yankees, Sanchez, Peavy, Moore, Rangers, Liriano

By Jeff Todd | August 2, 2016 at 11:16pm CDT

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner had a long and interesting chat the Michael Kay Show (audio link) in which he discussed his organization’s rare sale-side moves at the deadline. Carrying three ace closers, he said, was an “incredible luxury, but not a necessity,” which seemingly helped to ease his mind in parting with Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. He further explained that the organization didn’t simply decide at some point that it would undergo a sale, but instead considered each individual move on its own merit as opportunities arose. Generally, he emphasized that he looked closely at every player in every deal and suggested that the group of trades has helped position the organization for the near-future and beyond. There’s plenty more in the interview, which is well worth a full listen.

Here are few more notes coming off of the trade deadline …

As has been expected, the Yankees will call up catcher Gary Sanchez once again, per Shane Hennigan of the Scranton Times-Tribune (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear whether he’ll just provide a temporary DH option — as he did earlier in the season — or stick for good, but Steinbrenner did note that the organization believes he’s ready for extended big league time. The owner emphasized that fans can expect to see several fresh faces down the stretch as the Yankees look to see what they have in the upper-level prospects they have been developing — not to mention those just added over the last several days.
The Giants have moved veteran righty Jake Peavy to the bullpen to accommodate the acquisition of Matt Moore, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports. Though Peavy has worked almost exclusively in the rotation over his long career, he seemingly took the news quite well. San Francisco has liked what it has seen of late from Matt Cain, who was the other candidate to move to a relief role, and thinks that Peavy will be better able to handle the transition, skipper Bruce Bochy explained.
Speaking of Moore, the Rangers turned their attention elsewhere given the Rays’ asking price on the lefty, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Texas would have needed to send not only Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz — each of whom were packaged to acquire Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress — but also Jurickson Profar, per the report.
Part of the calculus for the Blue Jays’ acquisition of Francisco Liriano was the opportunity for him to work again with backstop Russell Martin, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca explains. Both GM Ross Atkins and manager John Gibbons noted the importance of that connection, and Martin offered glowing reports of Liriano’s stuff. As Atkins put it: “The experience of Russ and the familiarity, if we come up with a plan we should expect some correction. This is not on Russ Martin by any means, but we did see that as an added benefit.”

Orioles Acquire Steve Pearce

By Tim Dierkes | August 1, 2016 at 3:48pm CDT

The Orioles acquired infielder Steve Pearce from the Rays, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. The Rays will receive 21-year-old High-A catcher Jonah Heim in return, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Orioles have officially announced the deal.

Pearce, 33, had a successful run with Baltimore from 2013-15 before signing with Tampa Bay on a one-year free agent deal. He’s owed about $1.6MM for the rest of the season, plus incentives once he reaches 400 plate appearances. Pearce, a right-handed hitter, has an excellent .309/.388/.520 line in 232 plate appearances on the season. He’s done a lot of damage against lefties, crushing five home runs and four doubles in just 63 plate appearances. For the Rays, Pearce has mostly served as a first baseman, second baseman, and designated hitter. He’s played the outfield as well, and Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said today on MLB Network Radio that the veteran’s versatility will allow the club to carry an extra pitcher. You can check out the Orioles’ updated depth chart here.

Heim has struggled offensively at High-A this year, hitting .216/.300/.344 in 329 plate appearances. MLB Pipeline ranked him 13th among Orioles prospects, praising his defense and makeup. The Rays will hope the switch-hitting Heim progresses offensively in the coming years. The Rays made two additional trade deadline deals today, sending Matt Moore to the Giants and Brandon Guyer to the Indians.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants Acquire Matt Moore For Matt Duffy, Prospects

By Jeff Todd | August 1, 2016 at 3:45pm CDT

In their second significant deadline deal today, the Giants have acquired southpaw Matt Moore from the Rays. Tampa Bay has long been said to be pursuing trades involving its controllable starters, and this one comes in right at the wire.

[Related: Updated San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays Depth Charts]

Currently injured third baseman Matt Duffy headlines the package going to Tampa Bay. Infield prospect Lucius Fox is also included, with righty Michael Santos is heading to the Rays to round things out. There are some complicating factors in this pact that seem likely to cause a delay in an announcement, per reports. Duffy’s DL placement and Fox’s relatively recent international bonus appear to be two possible causes. Sherman tweets that Tampa Bay will cover a portion of that sum, which may require league approval.

The 27-year-old Moore brings plenty of talent, but also a good deal of risk, with him to San Francisco. Entering the 2014 season, Moore was considered one of the best young pitchers in baseball, but he popped his UCL after just two starts.

Since returning from Tommy John surgery in the middle of 2015, Moore has pitched to a 4.52 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 over 193 innings. Those numbers are trending up this year, generally, and Moore has regained much of the fastball velocity that he showed earlier in his career, so clearly the Giants’ scouts saw plenty to hang their hats on. And Moore has run up seven consecutive quality starts, allowing just nine runners to cross the plate in 40 2/3 frames.

That being said, it’s not all rosy for the lefty. Even in his recent string of nice starts, he has managed only 25 strikeouts against 14 walks. And he currently owns a 4.50 FIP, 4.67 xFIP, and 4.41 SIERA on the year, with Moore benefiting a bit from a .280 BABIP against. Still, he should provide a nice boost to a rotation that has two questionable pieces at the back end in veterans Jake Peavy and Matt Cain, and there’s upside aplenty in this contract.

Indeed, the early-career extension that Tampa Bay signed with Moore has proven to be an asset, even if it’s not quite as valuable as it once seemed destined to be. He’s only owed the balance of a $5MM salary this year, and is under control for three more years through club options. San Francisco can keep him through 2019 at a grand total of only $26MM, a pittance in the current market.

For the Giants, Moore is the second significant left-handed pitcher acquired today, as the club also landed reliever Will Smith. The pair came at a steep cost. In this particular deal San Francisco was forced to give up a player in Duffy who entered the year as the club’s regular third baseman.

Duffy certainly hasn’t matched his productivity from a year ago, when he ran up a surprising .295/.334/.428 batting line with a dozen home runs and a dozen stolen bases in his rookie campaign. Thus far in 2016, he has not only battled through injuries, but owns a much less useful .253/.313/.358 slash.

Tampa Bay obviously sees something in Duffy, though, as reports have suggested the team held out for his inclusion before striking the deal. Critically, he delivers a top-quality glove at third. Despite his struggles at the plate, Baseball-Reference credits him with 1.6 WAR on the year due almost entirely to the leather. Plus, he won’t qualify for arbitration until after next season, so there’s plenty of cheap control remaining.

The other two pieces of this deal are of the more speculative prospect variety. Fox signed on with San Francisco for a $6MM bonus as an international free agent last summer, he’s considered a quality prospect despite his struggles this year in A ball, and only just turned 19. Meanwhile, the 21-year-old Santos has a big frame and big arm, and has featured on organizational top prospect lists with the Giants. Pitching this year in the Sally League, he has a 2.91 ERA over 58 2/3 innings (ten starts) with 6.8 K/9 and a sparkling 0.8 BB/9.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that Moore was going to the Giants (Twitter links). Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter), ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link), and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) reported the package returning to Tampa Bay.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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