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Matt Adams Elects Free Agency

By George Miller | July 18, 2020 at 5:04pm CDT

First baseman Matt Adams has exercised the opt-out clause in the minor-league contract he signed with the Mets, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. He’s now a free agent. Adams had been included in the Mets’ 60-player pool.

Adams will look for an opportunity with a new team, with the Mets’ group of position players making it unlikely that Adams would find significant playing time this year, even with the National League playing with a Designated Hitter.

With Pete Alonso firmly entrenched at first base and Dominic Smith right behind him, Adams fell firmly behind that combination in the Mets’ pecking order. Smith will likely get priority as the Mets allocate DH at-bats, and Yoenis Cespedes figures to get some run in that role ahead of Adams.

Adams, 31, was a contributor on last year’s title-winning Nationals team, making 333 plate appearances and slugging 20 homers for the Nats. But his overall performance offensively was nothing special, as he tallied a mediocre .741 OPS. And for a player who’s limited defensively, average offense is often not enough to justify clearing space in the lineup for his bat.

That said, Adams is a decent bet to latch on with another club as a situational role-player. He’s made a living as a pinch hitter and reserve bat, and with a track record of solid power numbers, there are certainly teams who can make use of his skillset.

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New York Mets Transactions Matt Adams

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Braves Add Josh Tomlin, Yonder Alonso To 40-Man Roster

By TC Zencka | July 18, 2020 at 12:29pm CDT

The Atlanta Braves added Josh Tomlin and Yonder Alonso to the 40-man roster today, per David O’Brien of The Athletic.

Tomlin, 35, spent last season in the Braves bullpen. It was his first year away from the Cleveland Indians, where he spent the first nine years of his career as a sometimes-regular piece of the rotation. Pitching out of the Braves pen in 2019, Tomlin appeared 50 times (with 1 start as well), going 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA/4.49 FIP across 79 1/3 innings. He’ll continue to be a long man for the Braves in 2020.

Alonso has bounced around in recent seasons since his days as a regular first baseman with the Padres and A’s. After coming up with the Reds, he has also appeared in the bigs with the Mariners, Indians, White Sox, and Rockies.

The Braves’ roster construction has gone through a number of potential iterations since the restart was announced. Freddie Freeman’s debut was at risk after he tested positive for coronavirus, but their franchise first baseman is back and he plans to be ensconced in the middle of the lineup by Opening Day.

Still, Alonso provides the Braves with a safety net. He struggled mightily to start the year in 2019 while in Chicago (.178/.275/.301 across 251 plate appearances), but after joining the Rockies, Alonso stepped up his production to .260/.357/.479, albeit over a small sample of just 84 plate appearances. Alonso has experience in the DH role, and he’ll compete with Adam Duvall, Austin Riley, and Charlie Culberson to snag the extra ABs afforded by the universal DH. The 33-year-old is a career .259/.332/.404 batting line with 100 home runs over his 10 years in the bigs.

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Atlanta Braves Transactions Josh Tomlin Yonder Alonso

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Dodgers Option Tony Gonsolin To Alternate Training Site

By TC Zencka | July 18, 2020 at 10:47am CDT

The Los Angeles Dodgers have optioned swingman Tony Gonsolin to their alternate training site, tweets Jorge Castillo of the LA Times.

It was clear as early as last week that Gonsolin was unlikely to make the Dodgers’ rotation. There was still a chance Gonsolin would break camp in the bullpen, but it appears the Dodgers have decided to keep him in camp. Presumably, this means they’ll continue to stretch him out for the possibility of joining the rotation at some point during the season. Ross Stripling figures to have the best shot at joining Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Julio Urias, and Walker Buehler in the rotation, though Dustin May could still be in the mix for either the rotation or the pen.

Though Gonsolin pitched well in the majors last season (2.93 ERA/3.86 FIP across 40 innings), he benefited from a below-average BABIP (.209). In 13 Triple-A starts before getting the call-up, Gonsolin put together a blasé 4.35 ERA/4.38 FIP. He’ll remain a depth option for the Dodgers.

In the meantime, the Dodgers have more than enough arms in the bullpen. Presuming Kenley Jansen gets up to speed in time to make the Opening Day roster, he’ll join Joe Kelly, Blake Treinen, Pedro Baez, Caleb Ferguson, Scott Alexander, Brusdar Graterol, Dylan Floro, and lefty specialist Adam Kolarek as pen options for the Dodgers.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Transactions Dustin May Tony Gonsolin

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Indians Ink First-Rounder Tanner Burns

By Jeff Todd | July 17, 2020 at 9:44pm CDT

The Indians have a deal in place with supplemental first-round selection Tanner Burns, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). It’s a $1.6MM bonus that falls shy of the $2,045,400 slot allocation that came with the 36th pick.

Burns drew first-round grades from several pundits, with Baseball America, The Athletic, and MLB.com all ranking him among the thirty best players available. ESPN.com and Fangraphs were somewhat less bullish but still saw him as at least a second-round player.

Though he isn’t viewed as possessing overwhelming upside, Burns is seen as having a starter’s arsenal with excellent fastball command. It seems that long-term durability represents the biggest question, though it’s based more on his lack of height (he’s 6’0) than on a particularly concerning history of injuries (though there have been some shoulder woes).

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2020 Amateur Draft 2020 Amateur Draft Signings Cleveland Guardians Transactions

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Red Sox Sign Zack Godley; Rodriguez & Hernandez Back In Camp

By Jeff Todd | July 17, 2020 at 7:01pm CDT

As anticipated, the Red Sox have reached agreement with righty Zack Godley, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports on Twitter. The deal is now formally wrapped up, with Godley taking a 60-man player pool spot and heading to Summer Camp.

Godley will still need to earn his way onto the Boston 40-man and active roster. But he’s expected to have ample opportunity to do so.

The Red Sox did finally get some other good news on the pitching front. Southpaws Eduardo Rodriguez and Darwinzon Hernandez, each sidelined due to coronavirus considerations, are back in camp, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets. They’ll still need to build up to regular season readiness.

Godley, 30, was cut free recently by the Tigers. Since he had participated in the Detroit organization’s Summer Camp, Godley is in a relatively advanced position in terms of readiness. With the Boston rotation short on experienced options, he’s seen as a plug-and-go option.

Whether Godley can seize the opportunity remains to be seen. He has had his chances in recent years but has thus far failed to regain the form he showed earlier in his career. In his best season, 2017, Godley turned in 155 innings of 3.37 ERA pitching with 9.6 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and a 55.3% groundball rate.

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Boston Red Sox Transactions Darwinzon Hernandez Eduardo Rodriguez Zack Godley

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Rockies To Select Contracts Of Daniel Bard, Matt Kemp, Chris Owings

By Jeff Todd | July 17, 2020 at 5:51pm CDT

The Rockies will carry long-lost MLB reliever Daniel Bard on their Opening Day roster, GM Jeff Bridich tells reporters including Nick Groke of The Athletic (Twitter links). He’ll have to be selected to the 40-man roster in order to be activated.

Also making the Rox were outfielder Matt Kemp and utilityman Chris Owings. They’ve had much more recent MLB activity than Bard, but are also looking for redemption after crashing out with other organizations.

Once an exciting young reliever, Bard ended up with irredeemable control problems after an attempted rotation conversion. His path back to the majors has been anything but straightforward. Remarkably, Bard’s last MLB pitch came more than seven years ago, in late April of 2013.

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Colorado Rockies Transactions Chris Owings Daniel Bard Matt Kemp

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Rockies To Release Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee

By Jeff Todd | July 17, 2020 at 4:58pm CDT

The Rockies have requested release waivers on relievers Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter) and Thomas Harding of MLB.com (Twitter link). Barring the extremely unlikely event of a claim, both players will return to the open market.

When last these veteran hurlers tested the waters, they found irresistible bait dangling from the Rockies’ line. Both were lured to Denver with three-year, $27MM deals in December of 2017. Closer Wade Davis followed soon after with a three-year, $52MM pact.

At the time, the hope was that installing a trio of established late-inning arms would put the Rox over the top. It’s not as if any of the hurlers took down much more than was anticipated entering the offseason. But it was a significant risk to add all three. The Rockies were obviously prepared to accept the downside scenario, but surely didn’t think it could work out as poorly as it did.

Shaw, long a high-quality setup man, has limped to a 5.61 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over 126 2/3 innings in Colorado. The 32-year-old struggled in Cactus League action this spring. McGee, soon to turn 34, carries a 5.54 ERA in his 92 2/3 frames since re-signing. While he owns a sturdy-enough combination of 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9, he has allowed two dingers per nine over the past two years.

So, is Coors Field to blame? Shaw was actually quite a lot better at home than on the road last year, so it doesn’t seem to explain much in his case. The opposite is true of McGee. Then again, the more revealing split may be in the platoon department. He was tuned up by right-handed hitters (.326/.390/.663) in 2019.

This move won’t really save the Rockies any money, but it’ll clear the deck for other players and wipe out some final earning possibilities for each of the two veterans.

Shaw’s deal promised him $9MM this year, so he’s still due the pro-rated portion of that. He’ll also get a $2MM buyout on a $9MM option, which would’ve been guaranteed with just forty appearances (had it been a full 2020 season). McGee needed 65 appearances (full season) for his $9MM option to vest. Instead, he’ll earn a pro-rated portion of his $9.5MM salary for 2020 and will also still be due a $2MM buyout.

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Colorado Rockies Newsstand Transactions Bryan Shaw Jake McGee

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Cubs Select Jason Kipnis, Return & Re-Acquire Trevor Megill

By Jeff Todd | July 17, 2020 at 3:40pm CDT

The Cubs have announced a pair of 40-man roster moves, with Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic among those to cover things on Twitter. The club selected the contract of veteran infielder Jason Kipnis, ensuring he’ll be on the Opening Day roster when the season gets underway.

To create 40-man roster space, the club made a two-part move with respect to recent Rule 5 pick Trevor Megill. After he cleared waivers — any other team could’ve stepped into the R5 rights by committing a 40-man spot — the Cubs sent cash to the Padres to secure Megill’s permanent rights. He’ll remain in the team’s 60-man player pool.

Kipnis has long seemed likely to crack the Cubbies’ roster and that’s now in the books. The 33-year-old struggled in spring action but offers ample versatility and veteran guile while also carrying a hint of upside. Kipnis has hit at a below-average rate for each of the past three seasons, but was a star-level performer before that. He has long carried heavy platoon splits, so the Cubs may see value in limiting him to deployment against right-handed pitching.

As for Megill, 26, the Cubs obviously saw merit in not only drafting him but pursuing his long-term rights. He did carry 12.7 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 last year in 50 1/3 Triple-A frames, though he managed only a 4.47 ERA. The club was clearly also concerned with being required to carry Megill on the active roster this year. This way, it can allow him to continue developing and call upon him only if it seems prudent. If he doesn’t earn his way to the majors in 2020, Megill will be eligible again for the Rule 5 draft this winter.

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Chicago Cubs San Diego Padres Transactions Jason Kipnis

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Nationals Release Fernando Abad, Add Yasel Antuna To Player Pool

By Connor Byrne | July 17, 2020 at 9:39am CDT

The Nationals announced that they have released veteran left-handed reliever Fernando Abad. The club also added infield prospect Yasel Antuna to its 60-man pool, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com tweets. Washington now has 57 players in that group.

The Nationals signed Abad to a minor league contract in December, but he didn’t participate in their Summer Camp for an undisclosed reason. It turns out that Abad tested positive for COVID-19 when he arrived at camp, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Fortunately, Abad was asymptomatic and has just finished his 14-day quarantine.

The 34-year-old Abad last appeared in the majors a season ago, when he threw 13 innings of 4.15 ERA ball and notched 6.23 K/9 and 2.08 BB/9 as a member of the Giants. He was far better at the Triple-A level, where he posted a 3.07 ERA and logged a tremendous strikeout-walk ratio (10.0 K/9, 0.8 BB/9) in 44 frames.

While Abad hasn’t pitched much in the majors over the past couple seasons (he didn’t at all in 2018), he has been successful with a few teams – including the Nationals in 2013. He’s the owner of a lifetime 3.67 ERA with 7.62 K/9 and 3.16 BB/9 across 330 2/3 innings.

Antuna, now 20 years old, left the Dominican Republic in 2016 to sign with the Nationals for a hefty bonus of $3.9MM. He has since split his time between rookie and Single-A ball. Although he missed all but three games last year because of Tommy John surgery and lower body injuries, Antuna’s still regarded as one of the Nationals’ most promising prospects. Baseball America (No. 9), FanGraphs (12) and MLB.com (12) each place him near the top of Washington’s system.

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Transactions Washington Nationals Fernando Abad Yasel Antuna

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Austin Meadows Tests Positive For Coronavirus

By Connor Byrne | July 16, 2020 at 10:00pm CDT

10:00pm: Meadows offered Topkin an encouraging update via text, writing: “The first couple days I was pretty fatigued and some mild cold symptoms. But feeling ready to go now.” There’s no known timetable for his return, though.

8:01pm: The Rays have placed outfielder Austin Meadows on the injured list as a result of a positive COVID-19 test, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The club has also added left-handed reliever Aaron Loup to its 40-man roster.

Meadows has been absent from workouts since last week, so this isn’t necessarily a stunning development. Nevertheless, it’s certainly disheartening to see another positive test confirmation. It’s unclear whether Meadows is exhibiting any symptoms at the moment, but he’ll need to show he’s asymptomatic and test negative for the illness twice in a 24-hour span before he’s eligible to return to the Rays.

When he is able to come back, Meadows will try to build on an exemplary first season with the Rays. The 25-year-old emerged as one of the sport’s brightest young talents last season, hitting .291/.364/.558 with 33 home runs and 12 stolen bases en route to an All-Star nod.

Loup, 32, joined the Rays on a minor league contract in February. His 2019 season, which he spent with San Diego, was largely a wash because of elbow problems that limited him to 3 1/3 innings. Loup has typically been reliable throughout his career, though, having recorded a 3.45 ERA with 8.39 K/9, 2.76 BB/9 and a 54.3 percent groundball rate over 326 frames since he debuted with the Blue Jays in 2012.

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Newsstand Tampa Bay Rays Transactions Aaron Loup Austin Meadows Coronavirus

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