Cafardo’s Latest: Moreland, Leon, Red Sox, Gomez, Puig
The latest news and notes from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe…
- The Astros have a lot of interest in Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland, though Cafardo doubts a trade is likely given Texas’ lack of first base depth in the wake of Prince Fielder‘s retirement. (It would also be very unusual to see a trade between two division rivals in a pennant race, even if Houston has fallen well behind Texas in the AL West.) The Astros already have a left-handed hitting first baseman in rookie A.J. Reed, though Reed is still a work in progress despite some improved hitting over the last couple of weeks. While it doesn’t seem like Texas would deal Moreland, he has cleared trade waivers, so he can freely moved to any other club.
- The Nationals‘ trade of Sandy Leon to the Red Sox for cash considerations in March 2015 drew little attention at the time, though it has become an unexpectedly important deal given how Leon has blossomed in Boston. Leon entered the day with a stunning 1.088 OPS over 158 plate appearances this season, completely dwarfing anything he’d done at the major or minor league levels. “I personally signed Sandy Leon when he was 16½ years old…My name is on that one,” Nats GM Mike Rizzo said. “He was a good catch-and-throw kid, and what a kid. He’s one of the greatest young men I’ve ever been around. I’m so happy he’s doing well especially offensively, but I never saw it coming.”
- The Red Sox could fill David Ortiz‘s big shoes by DH at pursuing free agents Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Carlos Beltran, Mike Napoli or Mark Trumbo this winter, as Cafardo feels the team will look for an external solution. The simplest move would be to move Hanley Ramirez to DH, though that leaves both corner infield spots up in the air given the uncertainty around Pablo Sandoval‘s weight, Travis Shaw‘s ability to play every day and the development of prospects Yoan Moncada and Sam Travis.
- Carlos Gomez drew interest from several teams before signing with the Rangers, with Cafardo adding the Indians and Blue Jays to the list of clubs already known to have been looking at the veteran outfielder. Gomez likely would’ve served as platoon partner for Tyler Naquin in center for the Tribe, though despite Michael Brantley missing virtually the entire season, Cleveland’s outfield has actually been pretty solid thanks to unexpected contributions from Naquin, Rajai Davis and (when he hasn’t been at third) Jose Ramirez. Gomez could’ve filled in the Jays outfield while Bautista and Kevin Pillar are on the DL, though his role would’ve been rather unclear once both returned.
- Yasiel Puig “is considered toxic at the moment” and it seems unlikely that another team will take him off the Dodgers‘ hands. One Dodgers official isn’t entirely closing the door on Puig remaining in L.A., saying “At some point, the talent, the maturity is going to take hold. Someone will benefit from it. We hope it’s us, but it’s hard to envision it right now.”
Blue Jays Option Aaron Sanchez To Minors
In a surprise move, the Blue Jays have optioned one of the American League’s best starters, right-hander Aaron Sanchez, to Single-A Dunedin, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (Twitter link). To take Sanchez’s roster spot, the club recalled left-handed reliever Aaron Loup from Triple-A Buffalo.
[RELATED: Updated Blue Jays Depth Chart]
Manager John Gibbons said Friday that the Jays were considering skipping a Sanchez start to limit his workload, notes Davidi (Twitter link), so the fact that he’s headed to the minors isn’t a total shock. As long as he’s down for fewer than 20 days, Sanchez will still accrue a full year of service time, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. That will indeed be the case, as Sanchez expects to rejoin the Jays for an Aug. 31 start against the Orioles, per Davidi (Twitter link).
The hard-throwing Sanchez was previously scheduled to make his 25th start of the year next Saturday against the Twins. In his 24th outing, Sanchez yielded five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk in four innings of a 6-5 win over the Indians on Saturday. Despite that less-than-stellar showing, Sanchez has fared brilliantly this season. In his first full year as a starter, Sanchez has emerged as a high-end option while logging a 2.99 ERA, 7.60 K/9, 2.65 BB/9 and 57.1 percent ground-ball rate in 156 1/3 frames. There has been much discussion along the way about an innings limit for Sanchez, who tossed just over 100 last season in the majors and minors. His previous high since joining the Blue Jays organization as a first-round pick in the 2010 draft came in 2014, when he amassed a combined 133 1/3 innings at three levels. When the Jays switched to a six-man rotation earlier this month to help preserve Sanchez, president of baseball operations Mark Shapiro told the media “no scenario” exists in which the 24-year-old will throw 220-plus innings this season.
At 70-53 and in first place in the American League East, the Blue Jays look as though they’ll play into October, which further complicates the Sanchez situation. If Toronto does clinch a playoff berth, the expectation is that Sanchez will factor heavily into the team’s plans as it attempts to win a World Series. For now, though, Sanchez will go down a few levels to help ensure his place in a potential playoff run. His departure will leave the Jays with a capable rotation featuring AL Cy Young hopeful JA Happ, Marco Estrada, Marcus Stroman, RA Dickey and Francisco Liriano.
Blue Jays Shake Up Scouting & Player Development
TODAY: Toronto has also relieved minor league field coordinator Doug Davis of his duties, Shi David of Sportsnet.ca. A part of the organization since 2006, Davis was one of the highest-ranking members of the player development staff.
YESTERDAY: The Blue Jays have made two significant changes at the top of their scouting department, Baseball America’s John Manuel reports. Scouting director Brian Parker and national crosschecker Blake Davis have been let go from their positions, per the report.
Parker has been with the Toronto organization since 2009 and took the seat atop the amateur scouting group in 2012. Davis has a history not only in scouting, but also as an agent, BP Toronto’s Gideon Turk explains in further detailing their respective roles.
The Jays’ drafting history over the last several years is somewhat mixed, though obviously it remains incomplete. As both of the above-cited pieces detail, the Parker-led drafts have focused on projectable righties. Among the selections, some have reached the majors (Manuel cites Matt Boyd and Kendall Graveman), while others have shown promise (e.g. Conner Greene, Sean Reid-Foley), but none appear particularly likely to be stars.
Regardless of how the work of these two men was assessed, their eventual departure from the organization was fairly likely with the installation of the Mark Shapiro/Ross Atkins-led front office. With this year’s draft recently going in the books — the Jays took right-hander TJ Zeuch with their first selection — it was an opportune time for Shapiro and Atkins to continue re-shaping their support group.
Blue Jays Designate Junior Lake For Assignment
The Blue Jays have activated outfielder Ezequiel Carrera from the disabled list and designated fellow outfielder Junior Lake for assignment, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets.
Lake, 26, has already been designated for assignment and outrighted by the Blue Jays once this season but returned to the big league roster on Aug. 10 when Jose Bautista joined Carrera on the disabled list. His second stint with the Jays was more brief than his first, and he’s now appeared in a total of 22 games with Toronto this season but collected just 39 plate appearances. In that time, Lake has batted .200/.282/.371 with a homer and three doubles. Toronto will have 10 days to make a decision on Lake, though an outright seems likeliest considering the fact that he’s already accepted one such assignment this year. In 703 plate appearances spanning parts of four Major League seasons, Lake is a .235/.278/.376 hitter.
Blue Jays Place Jose Bautista On 15-Day DL
The Blue Jays have placed right fielder Jose Bautista on the 15-day disabled list with a left knee sprain and recalled outfielder Junior Lake from Triple-A Buffalo to take his roster spot, according to Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star (Twitter link). Bautista is the second full-time Jays outfielder to hit the DL this week, joining Kevin Pillar (thumb).
This is the second DL stint of the year for Bautista, who previously missed over a month on account of a sprained toe. Bautista just returned from that ailment July 25 before suffering his latest injury Tuesday. In the 80 appearances Bautista has made this year, he has hit a disappointing .222/.349/.444 in 355 plate appearances, though he has added 15 home runs while continuing to show mastery over the strike zone (16.3 percent walk rate versus a 17.7 percent strikeout rate). Still, combining the decline in Bautista’s 2016 numbers – which are well below the figures he has posted since breaking out in 2010 – with his age (36 in October) and two DL placements doesn’t seem to bode well for the impending free agent’s earning power during the upcoming winter.
From a team standpoint, losing Bautista is clearly a notable blow for playoff-contending Toronto, which carries a 64-50 record into Tuesday and is mere percentage points behind AL East-leading Baltimore. Without Bautista and Pillar, the Jays’ outfield alignment will consist of recent pickup Melvin Upton Jr. in center field, Michael Saunders in right and Darrell Ceciliani in left, as their depth chart shows.
Blue Jays Release Franklin Morales
The Blue Jays have released left-hander Franklin Morales, the team told reporters (Twitter link via Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet). Morales was designated for assignment last Monday following the acquisitions of Scott Feldman and Francisco Liriano.
Morales inked a minor league deal with a $2MM base salary this offseason but spent the majority of the season on the disabled list prior to his DFA last Monday. The veteran southpaw totaled just four innings with the Blue Jays and allowed four runs on three hits and a couple of walks with two strikeouts. While the 2016 season obviously hasn’t been a positive one for Morales, one only needs to look to the 2015 campaign to find his last productive season in the Majors. Morales spent the 2015 season with the Royals and pitched to a 3.18 ERA in 62 1/3 innings. He worked in quite a few low-leverage spots due to last year’s trio of Ryan Madson, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis dominating the late innings for the Royals, but the overall work was among the best of Morales’ career. The longtime Rockies hurler has a career 4.87 ERA in 242 innings as a starter and a 4.25 mark in 248 innings as a reliever.
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.
Mariners Acquire Pat Venditte From Blue Jays
The Mariners have announced that they’ve acquired switch-pitcher Pat Venditte from the Blue Jays for a player to be named. To clear space for him, they’ve designated righty Donn Roach for assignment. Venditte has been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma.
The 31-year-old Venditte had appeared in eight games with the Jays this season. He’d spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Buffalo, where he posted a 4.37 ERA and 3.3 BB/9, but with a very high 13.4 K/9. He has a 4.58 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 37 1/3 career big-league innings, suggesting his highly unusual ability to pitch with either hand is more than a curiosity. He has, however, been much better as a left-handed pitcher in his brief big-league career, and that trend also existed in the minors this year. The trade for Venditte was the Mariners’ second acquisition of a reliever today, with the first being their trade for Arquimedes Caminero of the Pirates. Whereas that move seemed designed to immediately improve the big-league roster, though, it appears they’ll use Venditte primarily as depth for now.
The 26-year-old Roach has appeared in four games with Seattle in 2016, but he’s spent most of the year with Tacoma, posting a 4.75 ERA, 5.2 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 while pitching 108 innings, mostly as a starter. He has a career 5.77 ERA, 4.6 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in parts of three seasons in the big leagues, during which he’s also appeared with the Padres and Cubs.
Blue Jays Going To Six-Man Rotation; Aaron Sanchez To Continue Starting
After months of debate surrounding emerging Blue Jays ace Aaron Sanchez, the team has made the decision to deploy a six-man rotation featuring Sanchez, Marcus Stroman, J.A. Happ, Marco Estrada, R.A. Dickey and newly acquired Francisco Liriano, per Toronto GM Ross Atkins (via Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi).
As Davidi points out, the solution isn’t perfect, as even with a six-man structure, Sanchez figures to make another eight starts or so, which would push him to 180 innings even if he tossed only five innings per outing. That wouldn’t factor in the postseason, either, and an ideal scenario for Toronto would include Sanchez starting well into a deep postseason run. It’s a similar conundrum that the Mets faced with Matt Harvey last season, though Sanchez isn’t coming back from Tommy John. Rather, he’s simply looking at a massive increase in his workload after throwing a total of 133 1/3 innings in 2014 (a career high) and an even smaller total of 102 innings in 2015. President of baseball operations Mark Shapiro recently told the media that there’s “no scenario” in which Sanchez would be allowed to pitch 220 to 230 innings, and indeed Atkins said that the team plans on avoiding such an extreme spike in his innings.
Atkins suggested to reporters that in addition to the six-man rotation, the Jays will be able to leverage expanded rosters in September in order to perhaps further limit Sanchez’s innings in advance of what the Jays hope will be a deep playoff run. He also implied that Sanchez’s ability to continue bouncing back from starts will impact the plan for the remainder of the season, stressing the importance of remaining “fluid and flexible” in this type of situation. “We have all the math, of course,” said Atkins in reference to various innings projections for Sanchez. “Like I said, we’ll get into an area, hopefully we get into that area. He feels good, he’s recovering well, we’re not seeing fatigue in any way and (if) we get into an area that’s unprecedented, we’re hopeful that happens.” Davidi goes on to report that the Blue Jays have been extensively studying dramatic innings increases from years prior, specifically examining Noah Syndergaard and Jon Lester, among others.
Of course, keeping both Sanchez and Liriano in the rotation comes with other roster construction implications. With six starters on board, the Blue Jays will have to either utilize a three-man bench or a six-man bullpen between now and Sept. 1, when rosters expand. The former of those two options is the current alignment, as can be seen on the Blue Jays’ depth chart, leaving the club with a bench consisting of light-hitting Josh Thole, defensive specialist Darwin Barney and a resurgent Melvin Upton Jr. With Troy Tulowitzki attempting to play through a chip fracture in his thumb and Jose Bautista fresh off the DL due to a foot injury, the possibility exists that the Blue Jays could be stretched thin on the position-player front, though rookie right-hander Danny Barnes could be optioned back to Buffalo should the need for an additional bench player arise.
In 139 1/3 innings this season, the 24-year-old Sanchez has pitched to an American-League-leading 2.71 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 57.5 percent ground-ball rate that trails only his own teammate, Stroman, among qualified Major League starters this season.
Brewers Claim Ben Rowen From Blue Jays
The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Ben Rowen, who was designated for assignment by Toronto following Monday’s acquisitions of Francisco Liriano and Scott Feldman, has been claimed off waivers by the Brewers. He’ll head to Triple-A, according to an announcement from the Brewers.
Rowen, 27, has spent the entire season with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate and posted a very strong 2.47 ERA with 6.3 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in 47 1/3 innings of relief. Rowen’s submarine arm slot makes it exceptionally difficult to elevate the ball against him, as evidenced by the mere eight home runs he’s surrendered in 374 innings at the minor league level (0.2 HR/9). He’s generated ground-balls at a 64.9 percent rate this season at the Triple-A level and boasts a strong 1.85 ERA in his minor league career.