Robinson Chirinos’ Fractured Forearm Could Lead Rangers To Trade Market
12:03pm: Chirinos will be out ten to 12 weeks, Grant tweets. Also, Shin-Soo Choo will miss four to six weeks with a Grade 2 calf strain. Choo’s injury has led to speculation about the possible promotion of top prospect Nomar Mazara, but the Rangers have yet to make an announcement about possible roster moves.
9:18am: Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos got hit by a pitch Saturday night and has fractured his forearm, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. Chirinos will be out for at least a month. The Rangers have already had problems with their catching depth this year, leading to a spring trade for Bryan Holaday of the Tigers, and Chirinos’ latest injury could have them heading to the trade market yet again.
“We’ve got a good start with Holaday here,” says manager Jeff Banister. “We are working through all of our other options right now. We’ve got limited, but multiple options.”
Chirinos hit a solid .232/.325/.438 for the Rangers last season and was off to a good start in 2016, so his loss is a relatively significant one. Chris Gimenez and Michael McKenry would normally be possibilities to replace him in the short term, as Grant notes, but Gimenez is recovering from a bacterial infection and McKenry has an abdominal strain. Brett Nicholas, who has never played in the big leagues but who split time between catcher and first base at Triple-A Round Rock last year, is healthy, but would require a 40-man roster move.
Grant thinks the Rangers could look to the trade market, possibly re-acquiring Bobby Wilson (who they shipped to Detroit in the Holaday deal and who’s currently playing for Triple-A Toledo). There’s also the possibility that Chirinos’ injury could spur the Rangers to make a bigger trade for a higher-profile talent like Jonathan Lucroy or Derek Norris, in whom they’ve had interest in the past.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Beltre, Schwarber, Rickard, Sizemore
A Beltre extension with the Rangers is challenging because there just aren’t many comparables, reports Ken Rosenthal in his latest video for FOX Sports. The Rangers consider Red Sox designated hitter to be similar, but Ortiz obviously doesn’t have Beltre’s elite third base defense. Ortiz has made around $13MM to $16MM in each of the last five seasons. His contracts have typically included complicated club options with a variety of vesting scenarios and amounts. If both sides agree to use Ortiz as a yard stick, they’ll still have to figure out how to balance offensive and defensive considerations along with what portions of the deal should be guaranteed.
Here’s more from Rosenthal:
- Kyle Schwarber‘s future at catcher is in question. The Cubs will react to how his rehab progresses, but he already had a short window to establish himself behind the plate. Catching prospect Willson Contreras will probably be major league ready sometime during this season, and he’s always rated as the better defender. Schwarber’s already a questionable outfielder. With Anthony Rizzo locked in at first base, Rosenthal wonders if Schwarber might not be destined to join an AL club.
- The Rays had to make difficult choices when they exposed Tyler Goeddel and Joey Rickard to the Rule 5 draft. The team had a number of right-handed outfielders and pitchers to protect. They weren’t confident Rickard had a high enough ceiling to warrant an eventual everyday role. Outfielders are also hard to stash for a full season than pitchers, making it more likely the club could reacquire Rickard later in the year.
- Former Indians star Grady Sizemore remains a free agent despite posting over an .800 OPS in the second half last year. Sizemore has received minor league offers, but he’s waiting for an opportunity to be a regular contributor. Sizemore doesn’t want to sign with a team just to provide depth. In my opinion, Sizemore may have to pick the best offer soon – perhaps with an opt-out if another club offers a major league contract. James Loney was the most recent player to sign a contract of that type.
AL Notes: Teixeira, Beltre, Heaney, Rays
Mark Teixeira has previously told reporters that he feels like he can play until he’s 40 years old, and the 35-year-old Yankees first baseman doubled down on those comments following last night’s win over the Astros, as MLB.com’s Barry M. Bloom writes. Teixeira said last night that he hopes to play for five to six more seasons beyond the 2016 campaign, adding that he would love to remain in Yankee pinstripes for the remainder of his playing days. “I’ve loved playing here,” said Teixeira. “I’ve loved every minute of it. … I mean, once you’ve played for the Yankees you’ve reached the pinnacle of Major League Baseball. It’s just tough to see myself in another uniform.” Of course, the Yankees’ roster, as currently constructed, could complicate that possibility. Alex Rodriguez is a strict DH now and is signed through 2017, while the Yanks have a highly promising young first base option in the form of Gregory Bird. While Bird will miss the 2016 campaign due to shoulder surgery and could therefore be rusty heading into next season, he looked plenty comfortable against MLB pitching in his 2015 debut after impressing at the Triple-A level as well.
More from the American League…
- Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre told reporters, including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, that he is still waiting on a contract proposal from the Rangers following yesterday’s loss to the Angels. Grant writes that the Rangers’ hesitation, unsurprisingly, is likely due to Beltre’s age. The three-year deal he seeks would cost Texas something in the vicinity of $60MM, and the Rangers must weigh whether that type of investment in Beltre’s age-38 through age-40 seasons is a better course of action than trusting a high-upside but unproven prospect, Joey Gallo, to man the position while making scarcely more than $1.5MM (total) in his pre-arbitration seasons over that same time frame.
- Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney was relieved after receiving encouraging news following an MRI, writes the Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher. “I saw the MRI for myself,” Heaney explained. “Obviously I’m not a doctor, but the way they explained it to me, it looked perfectly sound and healthy,” he added in reference to his ulnar collateral ligament. The words “forearm tightness” have become increasingly frightening in recent years, as that can often be a precursor to Tommy John surgery, but the MRI makes two waves of evaluations that seem to indicate a healthy UCL for Heaney. In his absence, the Halos will turn to Nick Tropeano to step into the rotation, though as Fletcher notes, Tropeano didn’t exceed four innings in an appearance in Spring Training. With Tropeano and Jered Weaver both limited in terms of endurance at this time, there could be some extra stress placed on the ‘pen.
- Former big league right-hander Jeremy Sowers is beginning to carve out a career on the baseball operations side of the game as a member of the Rays organization, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Sowers’ final big league game came in 2009, and since that time he received an MBA from North Carolina. After briefly working in the corporate world, Sowers took a 2015 internship with the Rays, who eventually hired him as a Major League operations assistant. Sowers is working with the Rays’ advance scouting process, and he’s also an integral part of the club’s instant replay process as well as the “information flow with [the Rays’] players and coaches,” per president Matt Silverman.
AL West Notes: Wandy, Beltre, Weaver, Surkamp
The Astros have made veteran left-hander and former rotation mainstay Wandy Rodriguez a an offer to pitch for their Triple-A club, reports MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (Twitter link). The 37-year-old Rodriguez signed with Houston on a minor league deal this winter but didn’t crack the big league roster in Spring Training and is now mulling over the prospect of pitching for the club’s top minor league affiliate, per McTaggart. Rodriguez opened the 2015 campaign with Texas’ other club, the Rangers, and pitched quite well out of the Rangers rotation for a couple of months (3.20 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 across his first 11 starts) before a midsummer meltdown led to his release. Rodriguez spent the first seven and a half seasons of his career with Houston, though the Astros have multiple options ahead of him on the rotation depth chart and a number of lefty relief options at the Triple-A level as well.
Elsewhere in the American League West…
- Rangers general manager Jon Daniels joined 105.3 The Fan yesterday and talked about Adrian Beltre‘s contract status (h/t: the SportsDay DFW, which has transcribed a portion of the interview). Daniels said that retaining Beltre beyond 2016 is still high on his list of priorities. “I love the guy,” said Daniels of Beltre. “I could not appreciate him more on or off the field, and what he’s done for a lot of people – including myself, this franchise, our young players – I love the guy. So, we would still like to be able to find a way to keep him as a Ranger beyond this year. … Whether that gets done now or whether that gets done another time…I think he wants to be here, and we want him here.”
- Angels righty Jered Weaver tells reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, that he is “100 percent” certain that he will return to form. Weaver told the media that his velocity, which sat 80-82 mph late in Spring Training, reached 86 mph a couple of times in a four-inning simulated game earlier this week, and while skipper Mike Scioscia didn’t reveal specific velocity readings from the workout, he did acknowledge that there was improvement. Weaver conceded that he still has work to do both in terms of endurance and velocity, but he expressed confidence in his ability to make strides in both departments. He’s lined up to pitch for the Halos on Sunday, and with yesterday’s news that Andrew Heaney has been placed on the DL due to a forearm strain, Weaver’s performance is even more crucial to the Angels. It should be noted, too, that while 86 mph (especially from a right-hander) is well below average, Weaver enjoyed success in both 2013 and 2014 while averaging about 86.4 mph on his fastball. Scraping 86 and averaging 86 are different, of course, but the uptick in velocity is nonetheless an encouraging sign. Weaver averaged just 83.3 mph on his fastball last year.
- Left-hander Eric Surkamp will start in Felix Doubront‘s place for the Athletics on Friday, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee writes. Surkamp gets the nod over right-hander Jesse Hahn, who will remain at Triple-A Nashville after posting an ERA north of 11.00 in Spring Training this season. Skipper Bob Melvin said that Surkamp is deserving of the job after a strong spring (3.60 ERA, 19-to-7 K/BB ratio in 20 innings), though as Lee points out, the A’s will have to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Surkamp’s promotion. If surgery is the eventual outcome of the “fibrous tearing” that was reportedly found in Doubront’s left elbow, the club could simply transfer the injured lefty to the 60-day DL to create space for Surkamp, though there’s been no definitive word out of Oakland on Doubront, who was headed for a second opinion this week.
Rangers, Burke Badenhop Agree To Minors Deal
5:24pm: James Wagner of the Washington Post adds some clarity from the Nats’ perspective, noting that although Badenhop did re-sign in late March, he was again released on April 1 (Twitter link).
5:19pm: The Rangers and right-hander Burke Badenhop have agreed to a minor league contract, Rangers radio play-by-play man Jared Sandler first tweeted. The 33-year-old ACES client will pitch at Triple-A to open the season.
Badenhop spent the 2015 season with the Reds, posting a 3.93 ERA with 4.9 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 46.7 percent ground-ball rate in 66 1/3 innings. That marked sixth straight season in which he avoided the disabled list. The highly durable Badenhop has averaged 58 appearances and 66 innings per season dating back to the 2009 campaign, logging a 3.50 ERA in that time. Badenhop doesn’t throw particularly hard, having never averaged even 90 mph on his fastball in a season (88.6 mph in 2015), but he’s managed to carve out a history of success based on his strong control and penchant for inducing ground-balls.
This offseason, Badenhop inked a minor league pact with the Nationals, but he ultimately did not make the club out of Spring Training. The Nats announced (via Twitter) that they had released and re-signed Badenhop in late March (to avoid paying him a $100K retention bonus as an Article XX (B) free agent), and he curiously was never reported to have been released from that new minor league pact. However, multiple reporters have noted the transaction, so perhaps Badenhop and the Nats had an understanding that he could pursue a better opportunity if he felt one presented itself. The Rangers have a fairly crowded bullpen picture at the big league level, although they’ve been an oft-mentioned candidate to deal from their bullpen surplus, even as recently as March 31. That, of course, doesn’t mean that any sort of move is nearing fruition, but Badenhop should provide the Rangers with additional depth in the event of a transaction or injury, should either (or both) arise.
West Notes: Rockies, Reyes, A-Gon, Darvish
Rockies GM Jeff Bridich says that the organization has not entertained any thoughts of a full-blown rebuild, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. “We’re always trying to win,” Bridich said. “People are questioning us, or they’re confused. ‘Why aren’t you trying some sort of nuclear rebuild?’ Those things have to happen when you feel like you don’t have talent on the field to compete or a system of depth to add to it. Our belief is that we have talent on this level to compete.” Though the payroll is down a bit over prior years, the club certainly acted as a team with intentions of winning this winter — dedicating assets to the bullpen and then setting aside service-time considerations with the Opening Day promotion of shortstop Trevor Story. Needless to say, the 23-year-old has rewarded that decision early, swatting three home runs in his first two major league games.
Here’s more from out west:
- MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says that a decision on Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes — currently on administrative leave in the wake of domestic violence allegations — will likely come “in days as opposed to weeks,” as Neil Best of Newsday reports. While Manfred emphasized that he hopes to move along quickly now that the charges against Reyes have been dropped, he also expressed hope that he’ll be able to acquire new information before making a final call on whether (and for how long) to suspend the veteran infielder. “The ability of law enforcement to provide us with information, that only goes up,” said Manfred. “They have more flexibility to provide us with information once the criminal process comes to an end, one way or the other . . . We’re trying to take advantage of that additional flexibility to get all of the information that’s available as quickly as possible.”
- There have been complaints in some quarters about the Dodgers‘ offseason — which we just reviewed this morning — because it featured numerous smaller signings rather than a big splash or two. While there’s “skepticism” in “some parts of the clubhouse,” writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, Adrian Gonzalez remains a believer. The veteran first baseman says the organization is well-equipped to deal with injuries with “the best [40-man roster] and the best farm system in baseball,” and predicts that a major mid-season addition would go down if there’s a need. Gonzalez obviously isn’t responsible for any of these decisions, but it’s an interesting perspective.
- Rangers ace Yu Darvish has worked his way up to throwing fifty pitches in his most recent bullpen workout, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports on Twitter. Though a return to the Texas staff is still a ways off, it’s certainly encouraging that Darvish continues to tick past various milestones as he works back from Tommy John surgery.
Brewers Acquire Sam Freeman, Designate Ariel Pena
The Brewers announced on Tuesday that they have acquired left-hander Sam Freeman from the Rangers in exchange for cash considerations. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Freeman, the Brewers have designated right-hander Ariel Pena for assignment.
Freeman, 28, had been designated for assignment himself by the Rangers last week when Texas acquired backup catcher Bryan Holaday from the Tigers. Texas originally acquired Freeman from the Cardinals (also, in exchange for cash) one year and one day prior to his DFA. The former 32nd-round draft pick spent a good portion of the 2015 season in the Rangers’ bullpen, tallying 38 1/3 innings with a 3.05 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 5.4 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent ground-ball rate. Freeman throws fairly hard for a left-hander, averaging 93.8 mph on his heater throughout his career.
Control has been a problem for Freeman throughout his big league career, though, as he’s averaged 4.9 walks per nine innings pitched. Beyond that, he has a bizarre platoon split, having held right-handed batters to a .181/.280/.233 batting line in 232 plate appearances while surrendering a .279/.397/.419 line to opposing lefties. That said, he’ll give the Brewers another left-handed option in the bullpen after injuries have placed both Will Smith and Sean Nolin on the disabled list.
As for Pena, the 26-year-old stood as the last remaining piece from the Brewers’ trade of Zack Greinke to the Angels back in 2012. Milwaukee acquired Pena, right-hander Johnny Hellweg and shortstop Jean Segura in exchange for Greinke, but all three are now out of the organization (though Segura, of course, brought right-hander Chase Anderson and prospect Isan Diaz to the club this winter, so the trade, like most, has had a trickle-down effect of sorts). Pena rated among Baseball America’s Top 30 Brewers prospects from 2012-14, but he never experienced much success in the upper minors and struggled in 2015 (his MLB debut season) and in his lone appearance of the 2016 campaign. All told, Pena has a 5.59 ERA in 29 big league innings, and while he’s managed to whiff 27 batters in that time, he’s also issued 16 walks and hit two batters.
Notable Roster Decisions: Stephenson, Royals, Rangers
With the next wave of season openers nearly upon us, here are a few of the final notable roster decisions from around the league…
- The Reds have placed right-hander Homer Bailey on the disabled list and promoted fellow right-hander and top prospect Robert Stephenson, the club announced. However, it appears that Stephenson, who rates among the game’s 35 best minor leaguers (per Baseball America, MLB.com and ESPN’s Keith Law) will merely be making a spot start and isn’t yet being viewed as a long-term option in the rotation; C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that Stephenson will likely be optioned back to Triple-A following his start, as right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will be ready to come of the DL and join the rotation on April 10. Cincinnati currently has Raisel Iglesias, Brandon Finnegan and Stephenson lined up for their season-opening series against the Phillies, with Alfredo Simon set to start the club’s fourth game of the year. DeSclafani should grab Stephenson’s spot in the rotation’s second cycle of the season, and right-hander Jon Moscot should be able to return mid-month — possibly to start on April 17. As such, Stephenson’s promotion could simply amount to a glimpse of the future for Reds fans at this time, though Cincinnati’s rotation picture is fluid enough to imagine Stephenson changing their plans with a dominant showing. Service time doesn’t figure to be a major factor here, as the Reds would only lose a year of control if Stephenson were to accrue 172 days of service this season, and a quick return to the minors would make that unlikely.
- Veteran right-hander Chien-Ming Wang made the Royals‘ roster, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes. Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland, who filled that same role with the Yankees a decade ago when Wang was pitching in New York, tells Flanagan that the righty looks like the pitcher he had in his rotation 10 years ago. Wang’s velocity is said to have spiked to the mid-90s this spring, and when he does toe the rubber for the Royals, it’ll be the first time he steps foot on a Major League mound since 2013. Additionally, outfielders Reymond Fuentes and Terrance Gore have made the Kansas City roster. (Neither Wang nor Gore appeared in last night’s season opener against the Mets.)
- The Rangers assigned right-hander A.J. Griffin to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, but as Anthony Andro writes for MLB.com, there’s a good chance he could be recalled on Friday to serve as the club’s fifth starter. As Andro notes, the assignment could be a tactical move, as Texas doesn’t need a fifth starter until Friday, and stashing Griffin at Triple-A will allow the club to carry an extra reliever for the time being (in addition to delaying a 40-man roster decision). Griffin, though, has not yet been officially informed that he is the team’s fifth starter, Andro stresses. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets the same, adding that the lack of definitive word from the club could indicate that the Rangers are still looking at the trade market for starting pitching additions.
Latest On Extension Talks Between Rangers, Adrian Beltre
The Rangers have yet to present Adrian Beltre with a firm contract offer, the third baseman himself tells Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. “We’ve still got nothing to say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ to,” Beltre told Grant. “I would have thought that we’d have that by now. But I’m not worrying about it by any means.” Grant adds that Beltre does not want to continue back-and-forth negotiations into the season, but Beltre did add that he’d consider offers if it were a means of a mere “yes” or “no” to a proposal from the Rangers. Such a scenario could indeed play out, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweeted last night that talks between the Rangers and agent Scott Boras have been productive enough that they’ll continue into the regular season.
Beltre, who will turn 37 later this week, has reportedly been seeking a three-year deal that tops Pablo Sandoval‘s $19MM average annual value, which would suggest a target of something along the lines of a three-year, $60MM contract. That’s a sizable commitment, considering any deal would kick in after this season, thus covering Beltre’s age-38 through age-40 seasons. However, based on his stellar production over the entirety of his first five seasons with Texas, it’s hard to argue that Beltre hasn’t earned a hefty payday. Since signing with the Rangers prior to the 2011 season, Beltre has batted .309/.358/.514, averaging 27 homers per season to go along with continually elite defense in spite of his advancing age. Even in a 2015 season that was marred by thumb and back injuries, Beltre slashed .287/.334/.453 with 18 home runs.
Of course, those injuries and Beltre’s age are the primary reasons that extending a three-year offer is such a risk-laden concept. Then again, if Beltre remains healthy this season and enjoys a typical season at the plate and in the field, Beltre should be able to land at least three years at a strong annual rate, even if it’s not from the Rangers. Set to be a free agent following the 2016 season, Beltre landed ninth on Tim Dierkes’ first installment of MLBTR’s 2016-17 free agent power rankings. It’s worth noting that in Grant’s column, he writes that GM Jon Daniels is open to the idea of making an in-season proposal, and considering Daniels’ previous comments about retaining Beltre beyond the 2016 campaign, it stands to reason that there’s a good chance some kind of offer will eventually be put forth. Whether that ultimately results in a new contract, though, is another matter.
Roster Notes: Brewers, Weeks, Abad, Phillies, Ramos, Pena
Here’s a roundup of today’s notable roster decisions….
- The Brewers announced that the contracts of right-hander Blaine Boyer and left-hander Chris Capuano have been selected. Both pitchers were told they had made the team earlier this week, and the moves are now official that Milwaukee has created some corresponding roster space. Sean Nolin and Yhonathan Barrios were both moved to the 60-day DL, while Will Smith was placed on the 15-day DL.
- The Diamondbacks selected Rickie Weeks‘ contract, the team announced. Weeks, looking to rebound from a disastrous 2015 season, signed a minors contract with Arizona last month. The D’Backs placed A.J. Pollock and Josh Collmenter on the 15-day DL in corresponding moves.
- The Twins selected the contract of Fernando Abad, the team announced. The southpaw signed a minor league deal with Minnesota in December after the A’s non-tendered him. Abad posted a 4.15 ERA last season, with some unfriendly advanced metrics and uncharacteristically poor results against left-handed hitters.
- The Phillies finalized their 25-man roster, announcing that they have selected the contracts of lefty James Russell, infielder Emmanuel Burriss and outfielder Cedric Hunter. In corresponding moves, Cody Asche and Michael Mariot were put on the 15-day DL retroactive to March 25, and Matt Harrison, Aaron Altherr and Mario Hollands were each placed on the 60-day DL.
- Left-hander Cesar Ramos has accepted an assignment to the Rangers‘ Triple-A affiliate to begin the season, Rangers executive VP of communications John Blake tweeted. Ramos signed a minor league deal with Texas in January after being somewhat surprisingly non-tendered by the Angels.
- Cardinals backup catcher Brayan Pena will begin the season on the DL and will require surgery to remove a body from his left knee, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch writes (Twitter links). That means the Cardinals will add minor-league signee Eric Fryer to their roster to serve as their backup catcher until Pena can return, which should take two to four weeks. The 30-year-old Fryer played most of last season with Triple-A Rochester in the Twins system, batting .293/.367/.360. He’s appeared in bits of five big-league seasons with the Pirates and Twins.
- Outfielder Jabari Blash, a Rule 5 pick from the Mariners, has made the Padres‘ Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets. The 26-year-old Blash batted an impressive .271/.370/.576 and 32 homers in a 2015 season split between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma, then followed that with a decent spring in which he hit .204 but with four homers and eight walks in 59 plate appearances. The Padres also announced that fellow outfielder Travis Jankowski has made the team.
- The Rays have selected the contract of lefty Dana Eveland and optioned righty Andrew Bellatti and outfielder Mikie Mahtook, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes (Twitter links). The moves also mean righty Danny Farquhar has made the team. The 32-year-old Eveland pitched only briefly in the Majors last season, but got good results for three different Triple-A teams, posting a 1.95 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 55 1/3 innings.
- The Braves have announced their Opening Day roster. The Braves were already in MLBTR’s pages today as they designated Michael Bourn and Emilio Bonifacio for assignment and selected the contracts of Drew Stubbs and Alexi Ogando. In addition, they reassigned Jhoulys Chacin to Triple-A Gwinnett. The idea, via David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter), is that he’ll make one start there and then join the Braves when they need a fifth starter, which should be April 12. Notable names who made the team include righty Dan Winkler, a 2014 Rule 5 pick, along with rookie righties Jose Ramirez and John Gant.