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Rays Designate Ryan Webb For Assignment

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The Rays have designated right-hander Ryan Webb for assignment, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). His roster spot will go to previously designated Danny Farquhar, who will return to the big league club after having been sent outright to Triple-A.

Webb, 30, inked a one-year deal that guaranteed him a million dollars this offseason with the Rays. He totaled 17 1/3 innings out of the Tampa Bay bullpen and posted an uninspiring 5.19 ERA, though with 11 walks against just a pair of unintentional walks and an above-average 48.4 percent ground-ball rate, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Webb can right the ship and contribute later this season, be it with the Rays or another organization. Webb entered the 2016 season with a lifetime 3.35 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 376 innings at the Major League level.

AL Notes: Bregman, Red Sox, Darvish, Cash

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Astros prospect Alex Bregman, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 Draft, will be promoted from Double-A to Triple-A following this week’s Texas League All-Star Game, reports MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (links to Twitter). Bregman played shortstop at LSU and has played 114 of his 125 career games at short, but he’s seen some work at third base recently (11 games) and is often mentioned as a speculative fit to help the ’Stros at the hot corner. The 22-year-old slashed an outstanding .297/.415/.559 with 14 homers, 16 doubles and a pair of triples in his quick run through Double-A, and it’s certainly reasonable to think he could make an impact on the Major League club in the near future. Houston third baseman have batted a paltry .219/.304/.389 this season.

A few more notes from the American League…

  • Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal draws parallels between the Rangers’ trade for Cole Hamels last July and the Red Sox’ need for a starter this season. Like the Rangers last summer, the Red Sox have four or five prospects that are regarded among the very best in the game — Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers and Anderson Espinoza are widely considered to be within the game’s Top 35 prospects or so — meaning the Sox could part with one or even two in an effort to land an impact arm that is controllable beyond 2016. MacPherson lists Julio Teheran and Sonny Gray as potential fits in that regard, and I’d add that the Braves, in particular, provide a comparable opportunity to the Hamels swap; Atlanta is also open to moving Arodys Vizcaino, who could be packaged with Teheran as Jake Diekman was with Hamels last season. Rangers fans will want to take a look at MacPherson’s piece as well, as he spoke with Rangers GM Jon Daniels about last summer’s trade and has a number of quotes from Daniels on his thinking at the time.
  • Speaking of the Rangers, they’re hoping to have Yu Darvish back in their rotation prior to the All-Star break, as MLB.com’s Ryan Posner writes. Darvish tossed a 30-pitch bullpen session yesterday — his first time throwing off a mound since landing back on the disabled list earlier this month — and he’s slated to throw a simulated game on Wednesday of this week. A quick return for Darvish would certainly be a breath of fresh air for the Rangers, who saw sixty percent of their rotation hit the DL within a span of 10 days, as Derek Holland and Colby Lewis followed Darvish to the disabled list in short order.
  • The Rays have now lost 11 straight games, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that the slump should not and will not cost manager Kevin Cash his job. Injuries have played a significant role in the Rays’ June swoon, as Kevin Kiermaier, Steven Souza, Brandon Guyer, Mikie Mahtook and Brad Boxberger all suffered injuries. Evan Longoria, Chris Archer and Logan Morrison all defended Cash when speaking to Topkin and offered plenty of praise for the second-year skipper. Cash is in the second season of a five-year deal that reportedly pays him a total of roughly $5MM.

AL East Notes: Buchholz, Floyd, Rays, Archer

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Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

  • Clay Buchholz is still getting attention from rival scouts, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports, as the feeling is that the Red Sox could make Buchholz available in a trade.  This is reliant on Buchholz regaining his old form in the rotation, of course, and if the right-hander does indeed look like the Buchholz of old, Boston could then simply keep him to reinforce the shaky back end of its rotation.
  • From that same item, Cafardo also opines that the Red Sox need to improve their bench depth by adding a veteran player or two.  An outfielder would be ideal, as that would allow Brock Holt to return to his ideal superutility role.
  • The Blue Jays announced that righty Gavin Floyd has been placed on the 15-day DL with shoulder tightness.  Floyd threw just four pitches in an appearance on Saturday before taking himself out of the game.  An arm injury of any sort is ominous for Floyd, who has missed extensive time in recent years thanks to a Tommy John surgery and two elbow fractures.  Floyd has had some problems with the long ball but has otherwise pitched pretty well in a relief role for Toronto this season, posting a 4.06 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 3.75 K/BB over 31 innings.
  • The Rays are on a 10-game losing streak and have sunk into last place in the AL East.  Not only are they looking like probable deadline sellers, but CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa wonders if it’s time for Tampa to undergo a fuller rebuild with this iteration of the roster.  The Rays have enough talent on their roster that they could again pursue their usual tactic of “constant retooling” by only moving a few notable players, though Axisa opines that the Rays’ belief in their core group could be shaken given how they’re approaching a third straight losing season.
  • Jake Odorizzi and Matt Moore are sure to be targeted by other teams approaching the Rays about pitching, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times wonders if the Rays would consider moving Chris Archer.  The ace hasn’t pitched well since midway through last season (a 4.59 ERA over his last 32 starts) but between his track record and his inexpensive contract, he would surely net a big return if Tampa made him available.

East Notes: Red Sox, Teheran, Hamels, Rays, Crawford

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Cole Hamels, whose contract permits him to block deals to 20 teams, would not have prevented the Phillies from sending him to the Red Sox, writes WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. “It was a team I would have played for,” says Hamels, who adds that he believes the two sides were never close to trade. The Red Sox pursued Hamels before the Phillies traded him to Texas, but the lefty could block a trade to Boston, and at least some members of the organization believed that was an obstacle. The Hamels deal has, of course, worked out well for the Rangers so far — Hamels was solid down the stretch last year and has a 2.79 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 this season. There’s still plenty of time for the trade to turn out well for the Phillies, however, with Jerad Eickhoff already performing well in the big leagues and Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro and Alec Asher all looking like potential future contributors. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Red Sox have the strong farm system necessary to acquire Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino from the Braves, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. Braves GM John Coppolella, of course, recently said he wasn’t going to trade Teheran, but Cafardo dismisses that claim as “GM speak” and points out that Red Sox senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren was GM of the Braves when Teheran and Vizcaino were coming through their system. (Vizcaino played minor league ball in the Yankees and Cubs organizations as well.) Cafardo points to the Red Sox’ 2005 trade of Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez to the Marlins for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota. The Red Sox paid heavily, as they would likely have to do to acquire Teheran and Vizcaino, but they won the 2007 World Series partially because of the deal.
  • It’s less likely that the Rays will pursue a reunion with free agent Carl Crawford now that they’ve acquired fellow outfielders Oswaldo Arcia and Eury Perez on a pair of minor deals, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. Arcia, in particular, is out of options, which would somewhat limit the Rays’ flexibility in adding another outfielder, such as Crawford, to their roster. The Rays’ outfield has been decimated by injuries, with Kevin Kiermeier, Steven Souza, Brandon Guyer, Mikie Mahtook and Steve Pearce (who the Rays have used as an infielder and DH but who has ample outfield experience) all on the DL. The Rays currently have Arcia, Desmond Jennings, Taylor Motter and Jaff Decker to man the outfield positions. Crawford, formerly a standout with the Rays, batted .185/.230/.235 in 87 plate appearances with the Dodgers before being released earlier this month.

Rays Acquire Oswaldo Arcia, Designate Andrew Bellatti

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The Twins announced that recently designated-for-assignment outfielder Oswaldo Arcia has been traded to the Rays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Tampa Bay has also announced the move, adding that right-hander Andrew Bellatti has been designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

[Related: Updated Tampa Bay Rays Depth Chart]

The 25-year-old Arcia is a former Top 100 prospect that batted .231/.300/.452 with 20 homers as the Twins’ primary right fielder as recently as 2014 (his age-23 season) but has struggled tremendously in each of the past two seasons. Since the beginning of the 2015 campaign, Arcia is batting just .236/.307/.373, and he actually hit worse following a demotion to Triple-A in 2015, slashing .199/.257/.372 in 311 plate appearances with the Twins’ affiliate in Rochester. The Rays will hope that a change of scenery can help the powerful lefty regain some of the promise he showed in 2014 and throughout his career in the minors, where he’s slashed .297/.358/.517 in spite of his 2015 struggles.

Arcia is limited to the corner outfield and is a liability even there, but he does have experience in both left and right, and the Rays have seen a slew of injuries deplete their outfield depth. Presently, the team is without Kevin Kiermaier, Brandon Guyer, Steven Souza and Mikie Mahtook, as each is on the disabled list. Arcia is out of options, so the Rays won’t be able to send him down without exposing him to waivers once some of their other outfield options are healthy.

Bellatti, 24, made his big league debut with the Rays last season and posted a 2.31 ERA with an 18-to-10 K/BB ratio in 23 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings to open the season at Triple-A this season, however, and hasn’t pitched since.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/23/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Rays have acquired outfielder Eury Perez from the Astros, per an announcement from Tampa Bay’s Triple-A affiliate. Cash considerations will go back to Houston in the deal. Perez, 26, received a career-high 133 plate appearances last year with the Braves, slashing .269/.331/.303 and swiping three bags. The speedy center fielder does bring value with the glove and on the bases, though, so he is at least a useful depth piece. Tampa Bay has dealt with a variety of injuries at the major league level, and was obviously looking to fill out its roster at Durham and ensure that it has options on hand. Perez owns a .267/.298/.385 batting line with nine steals in his 146 plate appearances at Triple-A this year.
  • Southpaw Darin Gorski has joined the Mets on a minor league deal, per an announcement from his independent league club, the Somerset Patriots. (Hat tip to Mike Ashmore of mycentraljersey.com.) The 28-year-old will head to Triple-A Las Vegas, which is where he spent last season. He moved to the indy ranks after putting up 137 innings of 5.52 ERA pitching there in 2015, with 7.1 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9. Those peripherals look about the same over his 60 1/3 frames for Somerset this year, though Gorski has tamped down the earned runs to under four per nine. New York originally selected him in the seventh round of the 2009 draft; this will mark his eighth season with the organization.

NL East Notes: Reyes, Mets, Ramos, Marlins

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The Mets are beginning to “warm up” to the idea of a reunion with Jose Reyes, according to Newsday’s David Lennon. While Lennon cautions that those familiar with the team’s thinking won’t characterize it as any sort of sure thing, the team has begun to discuss the idea more seriously over the past several days, per Lennon. While Reyes has privately voiced a willingness to play third base if it means returning to Queens, Lennon hears that the Mets have also considered sliding Neil Walker to the hot corner when discussing various scenarios, which could open second base for Reyes. The Mets won’t be able to make anything happen on the Reyes front until this weekend, as he still needs to be placed on release waivers and clear (a 48-hour process) before he’s eligible to sign else where.

Here’s more from the National League East:

  • While Reyes is one infield option for the Mets, Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron opines that a trade for Danny Valencia is the perfect fit for New York. In perusing the teams that are likely to emerge as sellers this summer, Cameron notes that there’s a lack of impact bats available that can handle third base. Valencia is the exception, he writes, noting that the former platoon weapon has emerged as a legitimate threat to right-handed pitching over the past season-plus. Indeed, Valencia is hitting .304/.355/.528 across his past 155 contests, and his $3.2MM salary is eminently affordable. Cameron’s assessment is sound, and I’ll add to his argument that the remainder of Valencia’s relatively modest salary is less than the roughly $5.5MM the Mets stand to recoup from the insurance policy on Wright’s contract. Valencia is controllable through 2017 as well, and as Cameron points out, he’d serve as a safety net at third base in the event that Wright is again unable to take the field for the majority of the 2017 campaign.
  • Catcher Wilson Ramos has been a force for the Nationals this year, and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post explores what his breakout means for the organization. “It hasn’t changed a lot for me,” said GM Mike Rizzo. “Since we traded for him, we’ve always seen the upside. We knew he was as good an offensive catcher as there is in the game.” The Nats certainly do not appear to have an everyday option waiting in the wings at the position, so it’s not hard to see the rationale for bringing back the pending free agent. Rizzo suggested that an extension could make sense, even at this point of the season, though he declined to spill any details. “I don’t think it’s ever too late or too early to think about [an extension],” he said. “We’ve got a plan in place for all the guys we have. He’s a guy we see as a long-term asset for us. Those are conversations we keep internal.”
  • Earlier this week FOX’s Jon Morosi reported that the Marlins have interest in Rays righty Jake Odorizzi, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears the same. However, Jackson also notes that the Marlins are aware that their farm system isn’t teeming with the types of players that it would take to net a controllable arm such as Odorizzi. Prior to the season, Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law both rated the Marlins’ farm system 29th among all 30 teams, with only the Angels trailing them. That, paired with the team’s perennially low payroll, makes the Marlins’ search for rotation help a bit more difficult than it might be for most clubs. Jackson also adds that the Marlins figure to skip one more Jose Fernandez start later this season in an effort to conserve some of his innings for a potential postseason berth.

Marlins Eyeing Pitching; Odorizzi, Pomeranz Among Targets

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WEDNESDAY: Miami has also reached out to the Padres to ask about lefty Drew Pomeranz, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports. After some solid work in recent years in a swingman capacity, Pomeranz has put up surprisingly excellent numbers as a starter in San Diego, working to a 3.00 ERA with 10.7 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 over 81 innings.

Pomeranz can be controlled for two more seasons after this one via arbitration, and he’ll be building off of a cheap $1.35MM salary. The Marlins are evidently looking at assets with value beyond the present season, though that would certainly raise the acquisition cost for an organization that doesn’t feature a high volume of highly-regarded talent in the upper levels of its farm system.

MONDAY: The Marlins have been looking at both starters and relievers on the trade market, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Among the players they have discussed is Rays’ right-hander Jake Odorizzi, per the report.

It’s not surprising to hear that Miami is looking for arms. The club is certainly in a buying posture as the All-Star break nears; in fact, the Fish have somewhat quietly passed the Mets and currently occupy the second spot in the NL East.

Despite that success, there are some clear questions in the staff. That’s especially true in the rotation, where Jose Fernandez has led a group of otherwise ordinary starters. Major free agent signee Wei-Yin Chen isn’t going anywhere, but hasn’t been great. Adam Conley and Tom Koehler have been ordinary on the whole, while neither Justin Nicolino or Jarred Cosart has managed to lock down a spot.

There are at least some questions, too, in the bullpen, though the results have been more than fine from the team’s top relievers even with Carter Capps and now Bryan Morris missing significant time. A.J. Ramos and breakout righty David Phelps have held down the back of the pen admirably, with Kyle Barraclough racking up strikeouts but also walks. Miami has received good middle-relief work from pitchers like Dustin McGowan and Nick Wittgren, with late-inning lefty Mike Dunn showing promise upon his return. On the other hand, Miami has received a lot of subpar innings from other pitchers. It’s certainly possible to imagine the team pursuing back-end or middle relief help via trade.

Odorizzi looks like exactly the kind of pitcher you’d think the Marlins would look at. He could well be made available even if Tampa Bay doesn’t elect to trigger a broader sell-off, as the team has loads of depth in its own rotation. He has been more solid than great this year, but is a power pitcher with control (through 2019 via arbitration), much like Cosart was when he was added back in 2014.

Injury Notes: Lambo, Harris, Pearce, Mahtook, Brantley, Bautista, Duffy, Richard, Ottavino, Walker

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The Athletics announced that outfielder Andrew Lambo underwent surgery recently to treat testicular cancer. Lambo, 27, has seen limited action in four MLB seasons. He has played mostly at Triple-A over the last four years, posting a strong .264/.332/.467 batting line. MLBTR joins all those around the game wishing him the very best as he recovers; we hope to see him back on the field soon.

Here are some injury notes from around the league:

  • Cardinals righty Mitch Harris required significant elbow surgery to reattach his ulnar collateral ligament, he announced on Instagram. The 30-year-old cracked the majors last year for St. Louis, providing 27 innings of 3.67 ERA pitching. MLBTR wishes the best of luck to the former Naval officer, who has one heck of a back story.
  • The Rays got some more news on the injury front today, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). Steve Pearce will hit the DL with a hamstring injury, and could miss around three weeks. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like the type of hammy issue that is terribly likely to require a truly lengthy absence. Meanwhile, outfielder Mikie Mahtook’s broken hand will not need surgery, meaning that he could return within six weeks — which is better than had been feared.
  • The Indians were relieved to find that outfielder Michael Brantley’s latest discomfort is only a bout of biceps tendinitis, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports on Twitter. There had been some concern that his surgically-repaired shoulder was showing further signs of trouble.
  • Blue Jays star Jose Bautista will need “a couple weeks” in a walking boot after being diagnosed with turf toe, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets. That’s largely what was expected when Bautista hit the DL; Toronto will hope that rest and a brief rehab build-up will allow the slugger to return in short order.
  • The Giants may be without Matt Duffy for a bit longer than had been hoped, per Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area (on Twitter). He’s expected to wear his own boot for three weeks, and it would seem likely that he’ll need a bit of a build-up from that point on.
  • Cubs lefty Clayton Richard hit the DL with a blister issue, per a team announcement. Chicago also optioned righty Adam Warren to Triple-A, where he’ll stretch out as a starter for an upcoming heavy stretch of play. Righty Spencer Patton and lefty Gerardo Concepcion will head up to the big league club to fill in. Of course, it’s fair to wonder how long the Cubs will continue to roll with Richard, who has struggled quite a bit thus far after a solid 2015.
  • Adam Ottavino’s rehab has moved to the Triple-A level for the Rockies, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports on Twitter. That’s good news for the righty as well as the team; Ottavino was emerging as a force in the pen before undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.
  • The Mariners announced that righty Taijuan Walker’s foot issue is only tendinitis. He likely won’t require a trip to the DL, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Rays’ Mikie Mahtook Suffers Fractured Left Hand

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The Rays were burdened by yet another long-term injury in last night’s game, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that outfielder Mikie Mahtook suffered a fractured left hand when he was hit by a pitch and could be on the shelf for up to two months as he recovers. While Mahtook isn’t exactly a household name, he’s a former first-round pick that had been seeing quite a bit of playing time for the Rays with Kevin Kiermaier, Steven Souza and Brandon Guyer all currently on the disabled list. Now, he’ll join his teammates there and likely remain on the DL longer than any of Tampa Bay’s currently injured outfielders.

[Related: Updated Tampa Bay Rays depth chart]

Mahtook, 26, was hitting just .154/.200/.185 through a fairly tiny sample of 70 plate appearances, so the Rays won’t be losing one of their more productive bats due to this injury. However, the former No. 31 overall pick flashed his upside in his MLB debut last season when he batted .295/.351/.619 in 115 trips to the plate as a late-season call-up with the Rays. While it’d be overzealous to expect production along those lines again from Mahtook, some form of middle ground between last season’s excellence and this season’s futility is probably Mahtook’s true talent level. He’s batted a combined .241/.293/.453 in that time. When paired with his ability to play all three outfield positions, that makes him a useful piece even if he’s not necessarily a starting-caliber player.

Looking at the bigger picture, Mahtook’s loss further thins the outfield depth for a Rays team that presently sits 8.5 games out of the division lead at 31-37. While it’s too early to deem the Rays to be sellers — manager Kevin Cash told Topkin after last night’s loss the organization “believes … we can kind of right this ship” — they are currently facing an uphill battle to get back into contention. The presence of an entire starting-caliber outfield on the disabled list is further compounded by a short-term injury to surging slugger Steve Pearce, who, as Topkin notes, will miss a few days with a hamstring injury sustained in last night’s contest.

As the aforementioned depth chart notes, the Rays look lined up to rely upon Corey Dickerson, Desmond Jennings and Jaff Decker in the outfield for the time being, though perhaps the versatile Brad Miller could see some time in the outfield as well, with Nick Franklin getting another look in the Majors (my own speculation).

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