Quick Hits: Rivera, Orioles, Lackey, Fernandez, Myers, Rays
The Yankees unveiled a Monument Park plaque in Mariano Rivera‘s honor, yet as Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including Fangraphs’ David Laurila) this weekend, Rivera could have become Florida Marlins property via the 1992 expansion draft. Dombrowski, then the Marlins GM, would’ve chosen Rivera if the Rockies hadn’t taken Yankees farmhand Brad Ausmus with the previous selection. Since the rules prevented a team from losing more than one player in an expansion draft, that took Rivera and any other unprotected Yankees off the board. Here’s some more news from around baseball as we wrap up the weekend…
- With Darren O’Day back on the DL, BaltimoreBaseball.com’s Dan Connolly opines that the Orioles should try to acquire a veteran southpaw reliever to fill the void. Connolly reports that the O’s looked into the Rockies‘ Boone Logan and the Padres‘ Brad Hand and Ryan Buchter prior to the trade deadline, so it’s possible the Orioles could revisit those talks, though it will be much harder to complete a deal through August trade waivers.
- John Lackey spoke last season of signing one more two-year contract and then retiring, though ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the right-hander could continue past the 2017 season if the desire and ability is still there. Lackey is enjoying another solid season, and Olney notes that the veteran is actually posting a career high in fastball velocity at age 37 (though this velocity is a rather modest 91.8 mph, after six seasons in the 91.5-91.7 mph range). Lackey would be 39 on Opening Day 2018, so if he is still pitching well, I would suspect he’d explore another contract with a contending team. Staying with the Cubs may well be at the top of Lackey’s list given how the team seems to be entering a long-term contention window.
- It’s no surprise that the big-market Cubs and Phillies are prepared to be big spenders in the coming years, though Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe notes that the traditionally low-payroll Marlins could also potentially become more open to big salaries. With a new local TV contract on the horizon, the revenue increase could make the Marlins more likely to re-sign Jose Fernandez, who has long been considered a good bet to leave Miami in free agency after the 2018 season.
- As the Padres are about to begin a series with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times revisits the three-team blockbuster between San Diego, Tampa and Washington in December 2014. Right now, the deal doesn’t look like a good one for the Rays — Steven Souza has yet to become a consistently productive player, while three of the players Tampa flipped in the deal (Wil Myers, Joe Ross and Trea Turner) are all enjoying success in 2016. It could be years, of course, before we can really judge the trade as a win or loss for any of the three clubs. Topkin also notes that Myers was the source of some clubhouse issues in Tampa Bay, so it’s possible he would never have had his breakout season without a change of scenery.
Managerial News & Rumors: Collins, Cash, Ventura
Here’s the latest on the job security of a trio of big league managers…
- The Mets have no plans to make a managerial change, a front office source tells Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. There had been some whispers about Terry Collins’ job security in the wake of the club’s underwhelming season, though in fairness to Collins, he has been hampered by a lackluster offense and some key injuries (most notably to Matt Harvey and David Wright). The Mets are 59-58 after today’s victory but they’re just two games behind Miami for the last NL wild card slot, and the Marlins got some bad injury news themselves today.
- Rays owner Stuart Sternberg gave manager Kevin Cash a strong vote of confidence, telling Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that there is “zero” chance of Cash’s job being in danger. The Rays are just 127-151 under Cash, who is in the second year of a five-year deal to manage the club. It was an unusually strong commitment for a first-time manager, yet it was a sign of the confidence Sternberg and team executives had in Cash. Even in regards to the team’s recent struggles, “to go through these sort of times will only make [Cash] a better manager,” Sternberg said. “We knew coming in, he was here as a long-, long-term guy….But he handled things extraordinarily. As I would expect he would. And it makes him even more valuable going forward.”
- Robin Ventura wants to return as the White Sox manager in 2017, though he tells Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that “you have to have somebody ask you to do it and all that. That’s stuff that happens after the season is over, if you get there.” The Sox are on pace for the fourth straight losing season of Ventura’s tenure, and the skipper is in the last year of his contract.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Girardi, Fox
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.”