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Rangers Notes: Ross, Bench

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Rangers righty Tyson Ross threw his first live batting practice session today, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (Twitter links). The twenty pitch outing proceeded without issue, which leaves Ross on track for a somewhat more rapid timeline to return to MLB action than had been anticipated. Per Wilson, the bounceback candidate — who’s returning from thoracic outlet surgery — could be available as soon as early May. Texas will pay Ross $6MM this year, with up to $3MM available in incentives, in hopes that he can return to the form that made him one of the game’s more effective starters over the 2013-15 seasons.

  • With some questions in the rotation, especially early on, the Rangers may elect to carry a deep relief unit while relying on just three bench players, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. The key to that arrangement is the versatility of Jurickson Profar and Ryan Rua, who could share time in left with Delino DeShields while also filling in wherever else they’re needed. Profar is primarily an infielder by trade, and that’s where Rua spent most of his minor-league career — though he has played mostly in the outfield in the majors.

Rangers Agree To New Contract With Robinson Chirinos

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2:25pm: Chirinos will earn $2.25MM next year and the option is valued at $2.375MM ($100K buyout), Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. There are also escalators based upon how many times he comes to bat in the upcoming campaign.

2:05pm: The Rangers have announced the extension of a catcher — but not the one who has grabbed headlines thus far over the offseason. Reserve backstop Robinson Chirinos has agreed to a new deal that will guarantee his 2018 salary and tack on a club option for the following campaign. Salary terms have not yet been reported.

While Texas may yet agree to a new deal with starter Jonathan Lucroy, who’ll be a free agent after they season, the club now has some insurance — or, at least, a reserve option — in place. Chirinos was eligible for arbitration for the final time in 2018 after agreeing to a $1.95MM salary for the upcoming campaign. The deal gives the Rangers control over him for an additional season.

Certainly, there’s cause to think that the 32-year-old Chirinos could be a semi-regular option if Lucroy ends up moving on. Over the past three seasons, he has compiled a .233/.307/.437 batting line and contributed 32 long balls over 781 plate appearances. That’s solidly average offensive production, which is better than can be said for most catchers.

Rangers Open To Mid-Season Contract Talks With Yu Darvish

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The Rangers are open to holding contract negotiations with star righty Yu Darvish during the upcoming season, GM Jon Daniels said in an appearance on 1310 The Ticket (as MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports).

While that news suggests there’s still an opening for a deal, Daniels suggested there’s not much going on at present. “Where we left [it] is that either side can privately open it or raise it at any point,” he said. We heard about a month ago that the sides hadn’t engaged in significant discussions to that point.

That said, the veteran executive also made clear that the situation remains ripe for further discussion. “The lines of communication are open, and the relationship is very good,” he explained. “That’s a great starting point.” Daniels stressed that he believes Darvish and his family are “comfortable” in Texas.

The team, too, remains understandably intrigued by finding a way to keep the relationship going. Calling Darvish “one of the most talented pitchers in the game,” Daniels said the organization has ongoing “interest in him staying here.” Club ownership has said the same, so it seems plenty plausible that a concerted effort could take place.

Darvish, 30, has been spectacular for the Rangers, working to a 3.29 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. But he has only managed to throw 645 2/3 innings over the past five years, as he missed time with elbow problems in 2014 and ultimately missed all of 2015 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes currently has Darvish listed second among all 2017-18 free agents.

Tyson Ross Making Progress

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  • Rangers right-hander Tyson Ross will throw live batting practice for the first time this year on Wednesday, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Ross, who’s on the mend from October surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, “has met all checkpoints on time or early so far,” Grant adds. The expectation when the Rangers signed Ross in January was that he’d be ready for major league action by May or June.

Rangers Notes: Cashner, Gonzalez

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Chi Chi Gonzalez Diagnosed With Partial UCL Tear

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Rangers righty Chi Chi Gonzalez has been diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to report. For the time being, he’ll receive a platelet-rich plasma injection and stop throwing for at least six weeks.

At this point, the course of treatment does not include any plans for Tommy John surgery or another procedure to address the injury. Given the promise some other pitchers have shown in bids to avoid such an invasive approach, with the lengthy attendant rehab timeline, perhaps Gonzalez too can return to action without going under the knife.

Indeed, just that hope explains the organization’s decision to pursue treatment at this stage. Club doctor Keith Meister “felt that with the area where the injury is, he has historically had a pretty good success rate for the conservative route of the [PRP] injection,” says assistant GM Josh Boyd. After the six-week layoff, the club will order up another examination to check the progress and determine the next steps.

Gonzalez, 25, worked to a 3.90 ERA in his first 67 MLB frames upon his 2015 call-up. But he managed only thirty strikeouts to go with 32 walks in that span. Though he was able to generate a strong 48.6% groundball rate and limit opposing hitters to a sparse tally of 49 base hits, he was aided by an unsustainable .206 BABIP.

The results didn’t carry over into 2016. Gonzalez spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he compiled a 4.70 ERA in 138 frames with 5.9 K/9 to go with 2.9 BB/9. He did move into the MLB rotation briefly, but was shelled for ten earned runs on 21 hits — with seven punchouts against nine free passes — in his 10 1/3 innings.

A former top-100 prospect and first-round selection, Gonzalez has long been expected to provided Texas with useful major league innings. But his pronounced struggles over the past two seasons were met with further difficulties this spring, and the injury clouds his future yet more.

In the near term, the loss of Gonzalez for at least a significant chunk of the upcoming season depletes the Rangers’ rotation depth. The organization has seen some promising signs from Andrew Cashner, at least, but at present appears likely to utilize A.J. Griffin and Dillon Gee to open the year while awaiting the return of Cashner and Tyson Ross. There are some other options on hand: Nick Martinez, Eddie Gamboa, Tyler Wagner, and Yohander Mendez all pitched in the majors last year and occupy 40-man spots. Still, the appeal of bringing back the still-unsigned Colby Lewis has only increased since camp opened, though there’s still no apparent movement on that front.

Heyman’s Latest: Quintana, Pagan, Cozart, Padres, Bautista, Giants

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In his latest notes column, FanRag’s Jon Heyman reports that while teams such as the Astros, Pirates, Rangers and Yankees were all linked to Jose Quintana in trade rumors this offseason, the best offer the White Sox received came from an unnamed club that is currently perceived as more of a rebuilding team. That could mean any number of teams — the Braves, Phillies, Twins, Reds, Brewers and Padres are all in the midst of retooling their organizations — and further context is seemingly unknown at this time. A trade of Quintana, at this point, seems far likelier to occur this summer than during the final days of Spring Training, though Heyman’s note is a reminder that Quintana would appeal to virtually any club in baseball. With four years and $36.85MM remaining on his contract, Quintana’s affordable level of excellence can help clubs looking to win now or those looking to contend more in 2018-19.

A few more highlights…

  • The Braves have made “multiple” attempts to sign free-agent outfielder Angel Pagan, but the veteran has been holding out for a big league deal worth around $5MM. Heyman notes that Pagan has received some guaranteed offers, but they’ve come with very low base salaries. Atlanta has also been tied to another reunion with infielder Kelly Johnson, but Heyman notes that Johnson, too, is seeking a Major League contract.
  • Zack Cozart is still available in trade talks, but the Reds haven’t gotten much in the way of appealing offers due to the fact that few clubs are looking for a shortstop right now. The Padres have talked to Cincinnati about Cozart, but Heyman notes that they’re not keen on giving up top-tier talent for a player with only one year of club control remaining before free agency. Heyman notes that San Diego is still on the lookout for a shortstop upgrade.
  • The Rangers would want a Major League ready starting pitcher in any trade involving Jurickson Profar, Heyman notes. The Padres like Profar but wouldn’t be willing to surrender right-hander Luis Perdomo in order to obtain him, he adds. That may raise an eyebrow for some fans, but I’d point out that Perdomo has five years of control remaining (to Profar’s three) and posted a 4.47 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 61.4 percent ground-ball rate across his final 110 2/3 innings in 2016 after a dismal start in the bullpen. In that time, he posted a 3.84 xFIP and 3.88 SIERA. Profar hit .239/.321/.338 in 307 plate appearances last season.
  • Right-hander Jered Weaver tells Heyman that he considered retirement this offseason following a career-worst year in 2016. However, Weaver began to feel stronger after a month of rest, ultimately landing with the Padres on a one-year, $3MM deal. Weaver says that he’s “10 steps above last year” in terms of how he feels physically at this point.
  • The Indians made an offer to Jose Bautista that was for roughly the same $18.5MM guarantee he received with the Blue Jays, Heyman reports, and they weren’t entirely closed off to a multi-year deal. However, Bautista’s preference was to head back to Toronto.
  • The Pirates sought right-hander Derek Law (among other pieces) in trade talks centering around Mark Melancon with the Giants at last year’s trade deadline, per Heyman. It seems that the Pirates were focused on adding an MLB-ready replacement arm for the bullpen in Melancon talks, which they received in the form of left-hander Felipe Rivero. San Francisco, of course, signed Melancon to a four-year deal this winter.

Cashner To Meet With Doctors On Friday

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  • Ailing Rangers right-hander Andrew Cashner had a good week of throwing, he told reporters earlier today (Twitter link via MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan). He’s set to meet with doctors on Friday of this week and added that he “should take off from there.” It’s already been reported that Cashner won’t be ready to begin the 2017 season, but an exact timetable for his regular-season Rangers debut is not yet known.

Andrew Cashner Won’t Be Ready For Opening Day

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TODAY: The Rangers may hold off on acquiring a starter due to Cashner’s relative progress, Sullivan writes.  While the righty still may be a longshot to make Opening Day, Cashner might not be out of action for too long, so Texas could get by with internal options.  Griffin, for instance, improved his stock with a good four-inning outing on Saturday.

FRIDAY: Cashner’s outlook seems reasonably positive, per an update from MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan tweets. The righty will have an injection before beginning a new throwing program this weekend, says Sullivan. Notably, follow-up visits to the doctor have not revealed any “major” problems with his arm.

YESTERDAY, 1:00pm: Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail now says, more definitively, that Cashner will not be ready for the start of the season, tweets Wilson.

10:07am: Right-hander Andrew Cashner has suffered a setback in his recovery from biceps tendinitis and will be shut down for another few days, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The latest injury troubles for Cashner now have his readiness to open the season in doubt, and Cashner is likely to undergo an MRI to give the Rangers more information on the issue.

Beyond that, the Rangers saw their catching depth take a hit, as Brett Nicholas will require surgery to repair a torn meniscus and be sidelined into April (Twitter link via MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan). Furthermore, Sullivan tweets that Jurickson Profar jammed his left middle finger while playing in the World Baseball Classic, though there’s no indication that the issue is serious.

Certainly, the larger issue for the Rangers is Cashner’s timeline. Signed to a one-year, $10MM contract this winter, the oft-injured Cashner was penciled in as a likely fourth starter behind Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels and Martin Perez. Tyson Ross was signed this winter to serve as a fifth starter as well, but it was known at the time his deal was finalized that he wouldn’t be ready come Opening Day.

Cashner been dealing with biceps tendinitis since at least last week but was at least playing catch from a distance of 120 feet on Tuesday, Wilson notes. Even that level of activity, it seems, will be halted for the time being, however.

Texas does have a number of alternative options for the final two spots in the rotation, though none is without his question marks. A.J. Griffin is once again in the mix, though he posted an ERA north of 5.00 in 119 innings with the Rangers last season. Former first-rounder Chi Chi Gonzalez is another option, but the 25-year-old had an unimpressive season in Triple-A last year. Nick Martinez, Eddie Gamboa, Tyler Wagner and Yohander Mendez are all also on the 40-man roster, though Mendez has already been optioned out of big league camp. Veteran righty Dillon Gee is also in camp on a non-roster deal and has been healthy to this point.

While pulling one starter (or a combination of starters) from that mix to fill one spot in the rotation seems doable, it may be asking a lot of that group to ably fill two slots in the rotation of an expected contender in the American League West. It’s not yet known exactly how long Cashner will miss, but if he’s deemed to require a significant absence, then certainly one can imagine the Rangers looking to the remaining free agents or to some lower-profile trades to help fill out the rotation. Longtime Rangers fixture Colby Lewis remains unsigned, as do righties Doug Fister and Edwin Jackson (though Texas reportedly decided against making an offer to Jackson after watching him throw last month). Any talk of Texas adding an arm is, of course, speculative in nature to this point, however.

As for Nicholas, his injury thins out the Rangers’ catching depth but isn’t likely to have a significant impact on the team’s big league roster. Jonathan Lucroy and Robinson Chirinos are the clear top two catchers in the organization, although with each playing in the WBC, Nicholas’ injury does leave Texas a bit thin on catching options in camp while that tournament is in progress.

Rangers Not Moving Toward Deal With Colby Lewis

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While it’s possible the Rangers will bring back right-hander Colby Lewis to compete for a spot in their banged-up rotation, there hasn’t been any movement toward re-signing the free agent, general manager Jon Daniels told Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. The 37-year-old Lewis is unwilling to take a minors deal, reports Fraley, so the Rangers will have to remove someone from their 40-man roster if they hand him a major league contract. Nearly all of Lewis’ career has been spent in Texas, where he pitched his first three seasons (2002-04) and the past seven (2010-16). He threw 116 1/3 innings of 3.71 ERA ball last season, though his FIP, xFIP and SIERA each hovered around the 5.00 mark.

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