Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Blue Jays Rumors

East Notes: Cespedes, Hutchison, Parmelee

By | at

The Mets faced a tough last-minute decision on Yoenis Cespedes, as Tim Rohan of the New York Times details in an interesting story on the key deadline addition. GM Sandy Alderson decided to pull the trigger, parting with well-regarded young pitcher Michael Fulmer, after a somewhat nerve-wracking meeting with the organization’s key decisionmakers. You’ll want to give this one a full read if you’re interested in the subject. It also includes some discussion of the complicated matter of whether the team will make a real go at re-signing the streaking outfielder.

Here are a few more notes from the game’s eastern divisions:

  • The Blue Jays will utilize righty Drew Hutchison out of the bullpen for the rest of the year, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm tweets. He’ll be used as a one-inning reliever down the stretch. It remains to be seen whether the 25-year-old will crack the postseason roster as a pen arm, but there’s not much time left for the year to be anything but a disappointment. Hutchison owns a 5.33 ERA in 147 innings, which won’t create quite the arbitration platform he might have hoped for heading into his first season of eligibility.
  • Orioles outfielder/first baseman Chris Parmelee will need surgery to repair a broken left forearm that he suffered recently, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter links). Baltimore hopes to re-sign the 27-year-old, who saw relatively minimal time at the big league level but put up good numbers at Triple-A. He’ll be looking at another minor league deal, of course.

Troy Tulowitzki To Miss At Least Two Weeks With Cracked Shoulder Blade

By | at

SUNDAY: The team “is cautiously optimistic” that Tulowitzki can return in two-to-three weeks, GM Alex Anthopoulos told reports, including the National Post’s John Lott.  The shortstop’s progress over the next few days will better determine his future status, as Anthopoulos noted that “there’s a lot of bleeding internally that needs to subside at this point” and there’s no set recovery time since different people heal at different rates from such injuries.

SATURDAY, 7:36pm: Tulowitzki has been diagnosed with a small crack to his left scapula, tweets Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. He also has upper back muscle bruising. The timetable for his return is unknown, but the loss is certainly a blow to the club. Cliff Pennington is likely to start in his absence.

4:25pm: Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki left the first game of a doubleheader against the Yankees on Saturday with an unknown injury, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm and others report. Tulowitzki collided with teammate Kevin Pillar while catching a popup, then toppled backward strangely. He walked off the field without assistance. X-rays on Tulowitzki’s back and ribs came back negative, although Tulowitzki was also scheduled to undergo an MRI on his upper back, the results of which won’t be available until tomorrow. He is currently day-to-day. Tulowitzki has, of course, dealt with injuries throughout his big-league career, including injuries to his wrist, groin, rib and hip.

Obviously, a significant injury to Tulowitzki would be a blow to the Jays, who are trying to hold off the Yankees and win the AL East. The Jays are very well positioned for a playoff berth no matter what, but they’re only two and a half games up in their division. Tulowitzki hasn’t hit exceptionally well (.234/.316/.370) since arriving from Colorado in a high-profile trade near the deadline, but the Jays are 29-9 in games he’s played for them.

Blue Jays Acquire Darwin Barney

By | at

2:53pm: The Blue Jays will send Double-A catcher Jack Murphy to the Dodgers to complete the trade, Bill Plunkett of the Orange Country Register tweets.  Murphy, 27, has spent the year in Double-A New Hampshire.  He owns a slash line of .220/.309/.315 through 328 plate appearances this year.

9:05am: The Blue Jays announced that they have acquired Darwin Barney from the Dodgers in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  As a post-August 31st acquisition, Barney will not be eligible for postseason play.

Barney, 29, appeared in two games for the Dodgers this season and spent the rest of the season in Triple-A.  At Oklahoma City, Barney slashed .277/.325/.354 with four homers and seven steals across 96 games.  For his career, Barney has a .245/293/.336 major league batting line in parts of six seasons with the Cubs and Dodgers.

Of course, the 2012 National League Gold Glove Award winner has more of a reputation for his defensive work than his hitting.  For his career, Barney owns a strong 12.9 UZR/150 rating at the second base position.  He also has 149 2/3 innings experience at shortstop, where he has graded out with a 40.0 UZR/150, albeit in a very limited sample size.

Barney will join the Blue Jays in New York for today’s contest against the Yankees.

Blue Jays Designate Scott Copeland For Assignment

By | at

The Blue Jays have designed Scott Copeland for assignment, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets.  The move will create room for the newly acquired Darwin Barney on the team’s 40-man roster.

Copeland, 27, made three starts and two relief appearances with the Blue Jays this season.  The right-hander spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A Buffalo, where he pitched to a strong 3.17 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.  The Blue Jays now have ten days to trade, release, or outright Copeland.

As MLBTR’s DFA Tracker shows, Copeland is now one of three players left in DFA limbo along with Cesar Cabral (Orioles) and Danny Dorn (Blue Jays).

Heyman’s Latest: Harvey, Cespedes, GM Openings, Offseason Decisions

By | at

The Mets expect that they’ll receive calls on righty Matt Harvey, but have no intentions of discounting his trade value based on the recent shutdown controversy, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Harvey is reportedly displeased with some statements from the front office, per Heyman, though it’s far from clear whether there will be any long-term ramifications from the flare-up.

That’s just one of many interesting notes in a column that is chock full of information. Here are some more notable items:

  • Also in the news recently, of course, is outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who has thrived with the Mets and just tweaked his contract to make a re-signing possible. Heyman says that the movement on that front was generated by Cespedes’s side, with the team readily agreeing to the proposal. Steve Adams and I discussed this on Thursday’s edition of the MLBTR Podcast, generally agreeing that he’s unlikely to return despite that agreement given other needs and the presence of Curtis Granderson, Michael Conforto, Juan Lagares, and Michael Cuddyer. But Heyman hears that New York is “expected to make a serious play” for the soon-to-be free agent. Certainly, that’s an important open market storyline to watch this fall and winter. Despite the presence of several other highly-regarded players on the coming market, Heyman says a deal of $175MM (or even more) for the Cuban star would not be surprising.
  • The Red Sox’ GM hiring appears to be wide open, with Heyman writing that Diamondbacks senior VP of baseball operations De Jon Watson presents one possibility from another organization and AGM Mike Hazen could be an internal option. Other names that have come up include the frequently-mentioned Frank Wren and Brewers VP of amateur scouting Ray Montgomery.
  • There is a “prevailing belief” that Reds GM Walt Jocketty will keep his position, says Heyman, though manager Bryan Price seems somewhat more likely to lose his job after a rough season. On the other hand, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale did suggest today on Twitter that Jocketty could be shifted into an advisory role, with Cincinnati hiring a new general manager.
  • Yankees GM Billy Eppler is seen as the favorite to take the GM position with the Angels, says Heyman. Rangers GM Thad Levine could also get a long look, per the report.
  • The Phillies’ GM position just opened, of course, and Heyman says it will be in high demand among young executives — not only because of Philadelphia’s resources, but because the new general manager could be handed fairly broad authority. Possible names have been filtering out since even before Ruben Amaro Jr. was let go, and Heyman lists Angels AGM Matt Klentak, Giants scouting director John Barr, Royals AGM J.J. Piccolo, and the aforementioned Levine as some of the possibilities.
  • Fans calling for the Braves to replace manager Fredi Gonzalez may not get their wish, says Heyman. Gonzalez is “said to be in no jeopardy,” per the report.
  • The Tigers have a lot of work to do under new GM Al Avila, and Heyman says their “winter wish list” includes an outfielder — possibly Cespedes, though he may be too expensive, along with two starters and several bullpen arms. Detroit expects to plunk down some cash in the offseason, he adds.
  • It’s always seemed likely that the Blue Jays would pick up their $12MM option over veteran righty R.A. Dickey, and Heyman says that is highly likely as things stand. Toronto will also at least attempt to retain lefty David Price, who has obviously been outstanding (even by his lofty standards) since being acquired at the deadline.
  • The Dodgers will likely extend lefty Brett Anderson a qualifying offer. The 27-year-old has been well worth the $10MM that Los Angeles paid him this year, putting up a 3.36 ERA over 158 innings — his highest tally since his rookie campaign way back in 2009. Given his age and the fact that he has a nice platform to work from, it would seem likely that Anderson will decline a QO (if extended), though he’ll face a crowded market.
  • Padres president Mike Dee tells Heyman that the organization is frustrated, but has good relationships in its upper front office and is looking forward rather than looking back at last winter. San Diego will need to make a permanent decision with its field staff, and is said to be undecided on whether to retain interim skipper Pat Murphy.
  • Meanwhile, the Padres are assessing “whether to tweak or completely retool” its roster. Interestingly, Melvin Upton has played well enough that he could end up with a regular role as a platoon partner in center alongside Travis Jankowski. San Diego will face a somewhat difficult decision on whether to make starter Ian Kennedy a qualifying offer, but it appears the organization is leaning towards doing so.

AL Notes: Scioscia, Angels, Orioles, Price

By | at

Reiterating what Angels manager Mike Scioscia recently said himself, club president John Carpino says that the skipper “will not be involved in the GM selection process,” Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. But he also acknowledged that a new hire won’t have full authority to chart the organization’s operating philosophies. Instead, per Carpino, that will be determined through a “collective effort,” which Shaikin says appears to be an implicit validation of the widely-held notion that the incoming GM will face some notable restrictions. Indeed, Scioscia expanded upon his recent comments regarding the need for philosophical harmony, which, he said, “encompasses, certainly, how you are going to recruit talent, the draft, free agents, international scouting, and the development process.” 

  • Answering some Angels fan questions, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez provides a look at some theoretical free agent targets. The Halos have rotation depth, but some within the organization believe a top-end arm would make sense, he says. If not, a significant corner outfielder — he addresses Yoenis Cespedes — could be under consideration.
  • The collapse of the Orioles has been somewhat overshadowed by other divisional storylines, but has nevertheless been dramatic, as ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick explores. “It’s a snowball time of the year,” said manager Buck Showalter. “There’s so much positive and negative feeding frenzy this time of year, nothing is as good or bad as it seems.” There is immense uncertainty in Baltimore entering the offseason, and Crasnick sets the stage well for what figures to be an interesting winter.
  • Blue Jays lefty David Price says he enjoyed his relationship with then-Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, but doesn’t envision being uniquely moved to sign with the Red Sox just because Dombrowski is now at the helm there, as John Tomase of WEEI.com reports. Price did note that he has found his time in Toronto thus far to be “pretty special.”  While it’s not at all clear whether Boston will pursue the star lefty, Dombrowski is obviously a fan (having acquired him at last year’s trade deadline) and has indicated that the team intends to improve the top of its rotation.

Marcus Stroman To Start For Jays On Saturday

By | at

Marcus Stroman will make his return to the Blue Jays’ rotation on Saturday, manager John Gibbons revealed today in an MLB Network appearance (h/t: FOX’s Jon Morosi, on Twitter). He’ll step into the rotation in place of Mark Buehrle, whom Gibbons described as “a little banged up.” Buehrle has returned to Toronto, where he’ll receive a cortisone injection in his left shoulder, tweets Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.

Stroman’s return would’ve seemed impossible a few months ago, as the promising young right-hander tore his ACL just prior to the season. However, Stroman has healed far, far more quickly than anticipated and has already made a pair of minor league rehab starts. If healthy, he can provide a major boost to the Toronto rotation as the Blue Jays attempt to maintain their slim half-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. Stroman will have the opportunity to immediately make a direct impact on that race, as he’ll take the mound at Yankee Stadium.

Stroman allowed four runs on eight hits and five walks with 12 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings in his pair of rehab outings. The former No. 22 overall pick emerged as a potential rotation cornerstone for the Blue Jays in 2014 when he pitched 130 2/3 innings of 3.65 ERA ball, averaging 7.6 strikeouts and 1.9 walks per nine innings. ERA estimators such as FIP (2.84), xFIP (3.17) and SIERA (3.18) all believed Stroman’s true talent level to exceed his ERA in 2014.

MLBTR Mailbag: KBO, Rangers, Reds, Dickey, Sano

By | at

Thanks for all of your questions this week. Remember that you can ask about whatever is on your mind in our Tuesday afternoon chats (~2pm central) or through the Mailbag email address: mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com.

Jung Ho Kang has surprised alot of people playing above the Pirates initial expectations. What other KBO players, besides Nexen’s Byung Ho Park, do you believe can make the transition from the KBO to MLB? — Art Y.

Lotte Giants third baseman Jae-gyun Hwang is one name I’ve been told to keep an eye out for. He’s 28 years old, won’t turn 29 until next July and is hitting .286/.343/.531 with 24 home runs this season. Those numbers aren’t as gaudy as Kang’s or those of Park, but I’d imagine that Hwang will garner some interest from Major League teams this offseason if his team posts him. Hwang won the KBO’s home run derby in 2015 and will be coming off a pair of impressive seasons in Korea.

How is the Rangers’ starting rotation shaping up for 2016? Are there any big name prospects that could be inserted next year? And who do you think the staff ace will be, Darvish or Hamels? — Kenny K.

The Rangers traded a number of their top prospects — including Jake Thompson, Jerad Eickhoff, and Alec Asher — to the Phillies in the Cole Hamels trade. The team still has Chi Chi Gonzalez, a former first-round pick, as an option in the farm system, but I think they’ll look to add at least one more proven arm this winter. Yu Darvish is a better pitcher than Hamels, for my money, but how he recovers from Tommy John remains to be seen. I don’t think the Rangers are concerned about putting an “ace” label on either one of them, nor should they be.

I’d expect next season’s rotation to include Darvish, Hamels, Derek Holland, Martin Perez and either Gonzalez or a starter that isn’t currently in the organization. Nick Martinez and Nick Tepesch are serviceable stopgaps, but the Hamels acquisition was made primarily to help this team contend in 2016 and beyond. Whether they look to re-sign Yovani Gallardo or add a similarly established mid-rotation arm like Ian Kennedy or Mike Leake, adding some certainty makes sense given the injury troubles they’ve had in recent seasons.

With the Reds being heavily invested in Votto/Bruce/Bailey and seemingly committed to Hamilton, what are best steps to get back into contention? Of course Winker and Stephenson are pieces; what else might be explored? — Tony R.

Getting “back into contention” seems to imply that the team can do so in 2016, and I don’t believe that to be the case. The Cardinals, Pirates and Cubs, as currently constituted, make the NL Central the toughest division in baseball. The Reds’ best bet, in my eyes, is to spend another season trying to bolster their crop of young talent. There are too many questions — Billy Hamilton’s OBP, the health of Homer Bailey, Zack Cozart and Devin Mesoraco, a disastrous bullpen beyond Aroldis Chapman — to make a run at the division realistic.

Moving Brandon Phillips’ contract to clear an everyday spot for Eugenio Suarez at second base would be a good start to things for the Reds this winter. He can still play a solid second base, and 2015 has been a nice rebound for Phillips, but shedding a nice chunk of the $27MM he’s owed would be highly beneficial.

Chapman, Jay Bruce and even Todd Frazier are all names the Reds should be willing to listen on, as they’re a small market club that probably can’t afford to meet the long-term asking price of Frazier or Chapman. Spend another year stockpiling pitching to pair with Raisel Iglesias, a hopefully revitalized Bailey and Anthony DeSclafani (though DeSclafani’s platoon woes — 4.85 FIP/4.76 xFIP vs. left-handed hitters — are troublesome).

Should Toronto exercise Dickey’s $12 million option or can they acquire a superior, or equal, SP in the FA market at the same price? — Pete T.

Dickey’s poor start and still-underwhelming season numbers lead me to believe most people think this answer’s a flat no, but for me, it’s a yes. The Blue Jays hold a $12MM option with a $1MM buyout on Dickey’s age-41 season, making it an $11MM decision.

R.A. Dickey has been incredibly durable, and the relative certainty of 200+ innings carries extra value for a club that has so many question marks throughout the rest of its rotation. Also at play is the fact that Dickey has quietly had a very strong few months. After a poor start to the year, he’s sporting a 3.19 ERA in 118 2/3 innings. FIP (3.98) and xFIP (4.65) are less optimistic in that time, but Dickey has maintained a well-below-average BABIP over the past six seasons, making the .279 mark he’s posted in this recent stretch seem more sustainable.

The Blue Jays didn’t get the ace they’d hoped when they acquired Dickey, and the price they paid (Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud) looks poor in hindsight. But Dickey doesn’t need to be an ace by any stretch of the means to justify an additional $11MM of spending on a one-year deal. That’s mid-rotation starter money, and he still fits that bill.

Why does it seem that every news outlet says Carlos Correa is going to win AL ROY when Miguel Sano has played better than him? — Jackson L.

Sano has out-hit Correa by a wide margin, but he’s done so in 100 fewer plate appearances while spending nearly all of his time at DH. Correa’s played a respectable shortstop while hitting about 35 percent better than the league-average bat this season. The average shortstop, in comparison, has been about 15 percent worse than the league-average bat in 2015. Sano’s been absolutely outstanding, but he lacks the playing time Correa has amassed, and more importantly, defense matters. If anyone were going to steal it from Correa, my vote would go to Francisco Lindor.  Sano is in the mix, to be sure, but he’d need a poor finish from Correa and continued dominance at the plate to pass him up.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Marco Estrada

By | at

It took only a month for the Blue Jays to elevate Marco Estrada from rotation depth to full-time starter.  After Daniel Norris’ early struggles got him demoted in early May, Estrada stepped into the open rotation spot and has quietly delivered some quality numbers.  Estrada has a 3.18 ERA, 6.78 K/9, 2.93 K/BB rate over 147 1/3 innings, highlighted by no-hit bids in consecutive June starts.  This solid season couldn’t have come at a better time for Estrada as he prepares to hit the open market this winter.

It was a little under 14 months ago that Estrada was losing a starting job, as the Brewers demoted him to the bullpen after he posted a 4.96 ERA and a whopping 27 home runs over his first 107 innings of the 2014 season.  MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes saw Estrada as a borderline non-tender candidate last winter, but the Jays agreed to a one-year, $3.9MM deal after acquiring him from Milwaukee in exchange for Adam Lind.  Despite moving to a hitter-friendly AL ballpark in the wake of a season that saw him devastated by the long ball, Estrada has posted a career-low 8.1% homer rate in 2015, well below his 12.1% mark he posted from 2008-14.

Marco EstradaAdvanced metrics, however, don’t paint nearly as flattering a picture of Estrada’s performance this season.  The low strikeout rate, only a 32.2% grounder rate, a .225 BABIP and 77% strand rate all add up to an unimpressive trio of ERA indicators — 4.28 FIP, 4.89 xFIP, 4.58 SIERA.  Estrada’s K/9 has steadily dropped in each of the last four seasons and his current 6.78 mark would be the lowest of his career.

Estrada’s success might go beyond just some batted-ball luck.  For starters, he is widely regarded as possessing one of the game’s best changeups.  Estrada throws his signature pitch 28.5% of the time and at an average speed (78.7 mph) over 10 mph slower than his 89.3 mph fastball, an unusually large velocity drop that creates all sorts of difficulty for batters.  Since the start of the 2011 season, Estrada has the lowest line drive rate (18.1%) of any pitcher in baseball with at least 600 innings pitched, so his low BABIP number both this season and over his career (.276 prior to 2015) can partially be explained by the fact that hitters simply have trouble making solid contact with Estrada’s arsenal.

It’s worth noting that, going into 2014, Estrada was considered by some to be a possible breakout star following two strong seasons for Milwaukee.  Estrada’s agents at TWC Sports will likely point to 2014 as the outlier of the righty’s four most recent seasons due to the spike in home runs.  If Estrada can hold his own (2014 excepted) in the likes of Miller Park and Rogers Centre, it could be argued that he could be even more effective in a less-notorious hitters’ park given how he limits hard contact.

This winter’s free agent class is heavy with top- and front-of-the-rotation arms, and Estrada’s market will further diminish due to the fact that he turns 33 in July 2016.  A three-year contract is probably stretching it for a pitcher that old, though it could be argued that Estrada has the type of pitching style that will age well.

I can see Estrada landing a two-year deal in the $20MM range, perhaps with an option added.  It’s hard to find comparable contracts given Estrada’s somewhat unique career history, though he could be seen as something of a blend of Carlos Villanueva (a swingman) and Scott Feldman (a non-strikeout pitcher coming to free agency fairly late), with Estrada falling between Villanueva and Feldman in terms of being an established starter.  Villanueva signed a two-year, $10MM free agent deal with the Cubs after the 2012 season and Feldman inked a three-year, $30MM deal with the Astros after 2013, so a two-year/$20MM projection for Estrada splits that difference exactly.

It’s possible Toronto could look to bring him back since David Price may leave in free agency and Mark Buehrle may retire, though the team hopes to have a healthy Marcus Stroman and a more seasoned Aaron Sanchez in the 2016 rotation.  It’s probably unlikely the Jays make Estrada a qualifying offer since they wouldn’t be keen on paying him roughly $15.7-$16MM on a one-year deal if he accepts.  While Estrada is probably looking for multi-year security for his first dip into free agency, it’s not out of the question that he would be the first player to accept a qualifying offer if the Blue Jays did offer one.  If Estrada and his agents felt having draft pick compensation attached would severely harm his market (a likely scenario), he could take the QO, still score a nice one-year payday and stay in a familiar situation with a strong lineup and defense.

Presuming he doesn’t have the qualifying offer hanging over him, Estrada could get a lot of interest as an under-the-radar choice for a team that misses out on the big names in the first or second tier of free agent arms.  His price tag should be reasonable enough that small or mid-market teams could get into the mix, as well as larger-market teams looking for help at the back of their rotations.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher/USA Today Sports Images

Blue Jays Claim Matt Dominguez, Designate Danny Dorn

By | at

The Blue Jays have claimed third baseman Matt Dominguez off waivers from the Brewers, the team announced (h/t to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, on Twitter). Toronto has designated first baseman/outfielder Danny Dorn to clear roster space for the move.

Still just 26 years of age, and once a top prospect, Dominguez was unable to lock down a big league job despite a long look from the Astros. He was claimed off waivers by Milwaukee earlier in the year, in hopes that he’d provide a near-term option with some upside, but apparently has not shown enough to warrant a call-up from the Brewers.

Dorn, 31, has had an eventful year after nine seasons exclusively in the minors. After seeing a brief debut with the Daimondbacks, he was claimed by Toronto and will presumably now find another new organization. Dorn owns a lifetime .280/.355/.485 slash with 106 home runs over 2,847 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top