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Josh Hamilton To Begin Season On Disabled List

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Josh Hamilton will miss the first month of the regular season after receiving stem cell and PRP injections in his troublesome left knee, the Rangers announced today.  (Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has the details from the team’s briefing with media.)  The Rangers’ plan, as outlined by assistant GM Thad Levine, is for Hamilton to play some minor league rehab games in late April and then be activated off the DL in early May.

“We are giving him an eight-week program because we don’t want to cut any corners,” Levine said. “Last year, we may have accelerated things and he suffered the hamstring injury early and it was an issue all year. This way he will get the benefit of a full spring training.”

It’s been an open question as to how much Hamilton will be able to contribute to the Ranger this season, as the 34-year-old has battled continued pain in his left knee despite two operations in the last six months.  The former AL MVP has played in just 139 games over the last two seasons due to a variety of injuries and Texas was already planning to use Hamilton in a semi-platoon role in left field to try and keep him healthy.

As Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram puts it on Twitter, the Rangers are “taking [a] guarded approach” to Hamilton’s injuries.  While the team is still talking to free agent outfielders, Texas could also use internal options like Ryan Rua, Joey Gallo, Justin Ruggiano or perhaps prospects Nomar Mazara or Lewis Brinson.  Levine said that Hamilton’s DL status doesn’t greatly change the club’s plans for left field since the Rangers weren’t expecting Hamilton as a full-time option anyway.

Outfield Notes: Holliday, Hamilton, De Aza, Victorino, Pagan

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All 1663 of Matt Holliday’s career games in the majors have come in left field or DH, but the veteran is getting some time at first base, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Holliday’s offseason workouts at first were initially reported by Heyman in December, as Holliday is hoping to extend his career by adding some positional versatility.  Quad injuries limited Holliday to just 73 games in 2015 but he has been an extremely productive and usually durable player over his six-plus years with the Cardinals, and he tells Heyman that he hopes to remain in St. Louis “as long as possible.”  The Cards will face a decision in the fall about whether to exercise their $17MM club option on Holliday for 2017 or buy him out for $1MM, though the 36-year-old could cause the option to vest with a top-10 finish in MVP voting.  Here’s some more about other prominent outfield names…

  • Josh Hamilton is visiting Dr. James Andrews’ clinic to get what is being termed as a second opinion on his left knee, which led Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News to rhetorically and somewhat ominously wonder “what was the first opinion?”  Hamilton has undergone two knee surgeries in the last six months and another procedure could be an option to relieve the knee soreness and pain that has continued to plague the outfielder.  The Rangers were already known to be looking for outfield depth, but if Hamilton isn’t healthy enough to manage even the platoon role that the team had laid out for him, Grant figures Texas might pursue a regular left fielder rather than a backup center fielder.  The Rangers might also be forced to give such a player a Major League contract if he’s getting regular playing time.
  • Alejandro De Aza finds himself in the unusual position of having just signed with a new team as a free agent but immediately facing trade speculation, yet the maybe temporary Mets outfielder told reporters (including ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin) that he was just focusing on preparing for the upcoming season.  The Mets’ surprising re-signing of Yoenis Cespedes created a surplus in New York’s outfield, and De Aza could already be the odd man out.  He cannot be traded without his permission until June 15, though this may not be an issue if De Aza wants more playing time elsewhere.  The Rangers have notably been linked to De Aza in trade rumors, pending the Hamilton situation.
  • Shane Victorino is yet another name on the Rangers’ list but Texas is reportedly only interested in signing him to a minor league contract.  Victorino is still holding out for a Major League deal, however, and SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets, that the veteran outfielder could find such a contract within the next few days.  (Again, Hamilton’s health could be a factor if the Rangers remained interested in Victorino’s services.)  On Monday, Yahoo’s Tim Brown tweeted that the Cubs seem like a fit for Victorino, who would fill a reserve role in Chicago.
  • Angel Pagan admitted to reporters (including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle) that he “was a little surprised” by the Giants’ signing of Denard Span.  “It’s not like I was mad, but I had to sit down with my family and explore what was going on and accept it and move on,” Pagan said.  With Span on board, Pagan will spend most of his time in left field, and while he admits it’ll be an adjustment not being a regular center fielder, “I’m just being unselfish to make that move. I just want to be able to provide the best I can to this team.”  Pagan is a free agent himself this coming offseason, so 2016 will be an important platform for him to rebound from three injury-plagued seasons and potentially earn another lucrative contract.

Rangers Notes: Victorino, Beltre, Daniels

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Here’s the latest from the Rangers’ camp…

  • The Rangers have considered signing Shane Victorino, but only on a minor league deal, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link).  Texas is known to be looking for veteran outfield help, with such names as Alejandro De Aza, David Murphy, Will Venable and (as ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported earlier today) Drew Stubbs also receiving some consideration.  It’s been rather a quiet offseason for Victorino, who is returning to switch-hitting and looking for a one-year contract to rebuild his value after two injury-plagued seasons.  Despite Victorino’s impressive career track record, a minor league contract could be his best option at this late juncture in the offseason; from the Rangers’ perspective, they only seem willing to address their outfield depth need in the form of minor league deals anyway.
  • Adrian Beltre told reporters (including MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan) that he thought about undergoing surgery to repair the torn ligament in his left thumb last July.  Beltre suffered the injury in May and spent most of June on the DL, though he was still in a great deal of pain even after returning.  The veteran third baseman was able to tough it out the rest of the season, however, and only underwent surgery after Texas was out of the playoffs.  As he prepares to enter his 19th MLB season, Beltre said he’s certainly aware of his age but overall, “my body feels pretty good….on the field, I don’t think I have any limitations.“
  • Beltre and GM Jon Daniels both confirmed that there’s mutual interest in working out a contract extension to keep Beltre in Texas beyond the 2016 season.  Despite Beltre’s age, Daniels called him “a unique guy” and said “you want to be cognizant of age — older players have more risk — but there are some guys ahead of the curve and he has proven to be one of those guys in more ways than one. Age is a factor, but it’s less of a factor than other guys.”
  • In other Rangers news from the last two days, the team signed Jeremy Guthrie to a minor league deal and learned that Tanner Scheppers will miss at least five months due to surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.

Tanner Scheppers To Miss Half Of Season

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Rangers right-hander Tanner Scheppers has torn cartilage in his left knee and will miss at least the first half of the season, as The Associated Press writes.   The veteran is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday.

Scheppers, 29, was a staple in the Rangers’ bullpen in 2013, pitching to a 1.88 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 across 76 appearances.  However, injuries have slowed him down ever since.  In 2014, Scheppers made only four starts and four relief appearances thanks to right elbow inflammation.  In 2015, the reliever was hampered by his knee and a sprained right ankle, limiting him to only 42 outings and production that was not in line with his career best.  In total, he posted a 5.63 ERA with 7. 5 K/9 and a sky-high 5.4 BB/9.

Scheppers was drafted by the Rangers in the first round (44th pick) of the 2009 amateur draft.  He is not scheduled to reach arbitration until after the 2016 season and will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2018 season.

Rangers Interested In Drew Stubbs

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The Rangers have discussed Drew Stubbs as an outfield depth option, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweets.  However, Texas only wants to sign him to a minor league deal.

Texas signed Stubbs to a minor league deal back in August after he was cut loose by the Rockies.  After slashing .216/.286/.431 across 51 games for the Rockies, Stubbs hit just .095/.269/.143 for Texas in a limited sample size of 26 plate appearances.  For his career, Stubbs has hit .244/.313/.395 at the plate across seven years.

Stubbs provided the lefty-heavy Rangers with a useful option down the stretch last season and he could be called back to fill the same role in 2016.  Still, the Rangers are not presently willing to give the 31-year-old a guaranteed spot on the varsity squad.  We haven’t heard much about Stubbs’ free agency in recent weeks, so an incentive-laden minor league pact might be a good solution for both sides.

Rangers Sign Jeremy Guthrie

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The Rangers have signed free agent pitcher Jeremy Guthrie to a minor league contract, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com was the first to report the two sides were close to an agreement while T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reported it was a minor pact. The deal is pending a physical.

Guthrie, soon to be 37, is coming off the worst season of his career. Pitching for the Royals, he posted a 5.95 ERA (5.62 FIP), 5.10 K/9, and 2.67 BB/9 in 148 innings. A career high line drive rate led to an above normal .315 BABIP (career .284 BABIP). He also had an elevated 14.1% HR/FB ratio although that has been a common problem for him in recent seasons.

Given that Kauffman Stadium is one of the most home run suppressant parks in baseball, a move to Texas’ Globe Life Park is not promising. Guthrie will compete with Chi Chi Gonzalez, Nick Martinez, and others for the fifth starter’s role. Colby Lewis, penciled in as the fourth starter, is recovery from a knee injury. Yu Darvish will also eventually rejoin the rotation mid-season.

In addition to competing for a rotation job, Guthrie provides a very necessary safety in the case of injury to Derek Holland or Martin Perez. Both pitchers have missed most of the last two seasons with various injuries.

AL West Notes: Scheppers, Nuno, Guerrero

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Rangers reliever Tanner Scheppers will have surgery on his left knee to repair torn articular cartilage, and he will be unavailable for the first half of the season, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes. Scheppers suffered a bone bruise in his left knee last year, but the Rangers don’t think his current injury is related. “He woke up a few days ago and the knee was a little puffy,” says GM Jon Daniels. “He can’t think of a moment where he tweaked it.” Scheppers, 29, pitched 38 1/3 innings last season, posting a 5.63 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9. Here’s more from the AL West.

  • Mariners manager Scott Servais says lefty Vidal Nuno will pitch only in relief this Spring, MLB.com’s Greg Johns tweets. (Servais also notes that the same is true of Danny Hultzen, although that had previously been reported.) Nuno arrived from Arizona in the Mark Trumbo / Welington Castillo deal last June and posted a 4.10 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in four months in Seattle. The 28-year-old was far more successful (1.91 ERA) in 37 2/3 innings in relief than he was in 51 1/3 innings as a starter (5.08 ERA), and he had a large platoon split, so he might ultimately prove most useful to the Mariners coming out of the bullpen.
  • Longtime Expos and Angels star Vladimir Guerrero will return to the Halos this spring as a guest instructor, Guerrero himself tweets. The 41-year-old Guerrero has been out of affiliated baseball since playing briefly in the Blue Jays’ minor league system in 2012. He signed, but never played, with the independent Long Island Ducks in 2013 before officially retiring with the Angels in 2014. He has, however, remained on the periphery of the game, with his son Vladimir Jr. now a top Jays prospect.

Rangers Extend Jeff Banister

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The Rangers announced on Friday that they have exercised their 2018 club option over manager Jeff Banister and added a new club option for the 2019 season to his contract as well. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that Banister essentially receives an entirely new contract, as he not only secures a 2019 option but also receives a salary raise.

That the decision on Banister comes well before the Rangers had any urgency to make the call indicates how pleased the front office and ownership was with the job that Banister did in 2015 — his first year as a big league manager. In terms of on-field results, there’s little for Rangers decision-makers to be unhappy with. Few pegged the injury-ravaged Rangers to contend in 2015, especially after ace Yu Darvish missed the season due to Tommy John surgery, but Banister’s club ultimately won the America League West on the strength of an 88-74 record. The Rangers’ strong performance under Banister earned him American League Manager of the Year honors in his rookie season as a skipper.

Banister’s Rangers enter the 2016 season with greater expectations. Darvish will return to the picture for much of the upcoming campaign, and the Rangers will enjoy a full season of trade-deadline acquisition Cole Hamels as well. Derek Holland and Martin Perez each hope to be ready for a full season as well after missing significant time early on in 2015.

Quick Hits: Offseason Moves, Moreland, Nats, Story

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ESPN’s Jayson Stark polled a vast number of executives to get their take on the offseason’s dealings. Stark asked execs to name the most-improved and least-improved clubs from each league, the best and worst free-agent signings and trades as well as the most outrageous contract issued this winter (among other categories). The D-backs and Red Sox were runaway winners in the “most-improved” category in the NL and AL, and Stark notes that a common refrain was that this type of hyper-aggressive offseason for the Diamondbacks was “hard to fathom.” Zack Greinke and David Price top the list of best free-agent signings in Stark’s poll, which I find rather curious, as each was a record-setting agreement for players, with Price landing the biggest deal ever for a pitcher and Greinke setting his own record in terms of average annual value. (I’d have figured more execs would’ve been down on the overwhelming risk that accompanies each deal.) The next two names on the list — Ben Zobrist and especially Howie Kendrick — are more in the line with the type of “value” signings one would expect to draw praise from executives. Other categories from Stark include best one-year deal — where, interestingly, Yoenis Cespedes received four votes due to the fact that few believe there’s any realistic chance of him opting into the final two years of his deal — best signing for $3MM or less and best minor league signing. The whole piece is a fun read for those who track offseason dealings carefully.

A few miscellaneous notes from around the league…

  • Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland revealed today that he played the final two months of the 2015 season with a stress fracture in his left foot, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. Moreland believed the stress fracture stemmed from alterations he made to his foot positioning following 2014 ankle surgery, but he’s healed up now and ready to go for the 2016 campaign. The exact date that the injury crept up isn’t specified, but Moreland’s .269/.326/.425 batting line from the season’s second half, while solid in its own right, pales in comparison to the .286/.333/.532 line he posted prior to the All-Star break. Additionally, Moreland describes a spur-of-the-moment meeting that he initiated with assistant GM Thad Levine the night before his arbitration hearing was scheduled, during which the two talked for about 90 minutes and resolved the matter themselves.
  • James Wagner of the Washington Post examines what might’ve been had Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister accepted extension offers from the Nationals when they were made. Desmond somewhat famously rejected a contract said to be seven years and $107MM, although as Wagner points out, that’s a bit misleading due to the fact that Desmond’s two-year, $17.5MM deal that covered the 2014-15 seasons was folded into that value, and the extension (unsurprisingly, in light of this offseason’s happenings) came with deferred money. Zimmermann received an extension offer of $105MM over five years and was narrowly able to top that in free agency, Wagner notes. (He doesn’t list specific numbers in reference to a Fister extension offer.) While the Nats hoped to extend all three players at one point, their absence now clears the way for players like Joe Ross, Tanner Roark and Trea Turner as well as offseason addition Daniel Murphy, in some regards.
  • Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes is expected to be suspended under MLB’s domestic violence policy at some point before the season begins, and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets that manager Walt Weiss indicated that shifting DJ LeMahieu (who inked a two-year deal with Colorado earlier today) over to shortstop is not a consideration. LeMahieu was a shortstop for much of his minor league tenure but has developed into a very sound defender at second base, so it stands to reason that the Rockies don’t want to alter his routine with a temporary position change. Rather, Weiss said that well-regarded prospect Trevor Story is in the mix for playing time in the very likely event that the team is without Reyes. All of this, of course, could have some impact on the aforementioned Desmond, who just yesterday was linked to the Rockies by FOX’s Ken Rosenthal.

Rangers Monitoring Market For Outfielders

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Josh Hamilton reported to camp with inflammation in his recently-repaired left knee, as MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports. With ongoing uncertainty surrounding his availability, the Rangers are keeping an eye on several options for bolstering the club’s outfield depth, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports.

No deals are close to being struck at present, per FOX Sports, but the club is monitoring multiple possibilities. If it adds a bat, Texas would rather a left-handed hitter, though that isn’t seen as essential. The club wouldn’t be looking for a full-time regular so much as a veteran part-timer, it would appear.

One possibility raised in the report is a swap for Mets outfielder Alejandro De Aza. He was only just signed this winter — for one year and $5.75MM — and would therefore have the right to reject any deal. But De Aza has been discussed as a possible trade piece due to New York’s subsequent signing of Yoenis Cespedes.

Alternatives include free agents David Murphy and Will Venable, Morosi adds. Those two former Rangers remain unsigned, among several other notable players lined up as Dexter Fowler and Austin Jackson look for new homes. (For what it’s worth, Fowler and Jackson have long seemed speculative matches with Texas, though there’s no indication they are a present consideration.)

It’s interesting to wonder to what extent the Rangers would prioritize the addition of a center field-capable player. After all, as Sullivan notes, some combination of Justin Ruggiano and Ryan Rua (from the right side) and Joey Gallo, James Jones, or even Ike Davis (from the left) could potentially form a platoon in left if Hamilton misses time. Meanwhile, a potential partner for Delino DeShields Jr. wouldn’t be the worst idea, with only the unproven Jones representing an in-house candidate for that role. Both De Aza and Venable could present such an option.

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