Lorenzo Cain Opts Out Of 2020 Season
Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain has opted out of the rest of the 2020 season, according to a team press release. President of baseball operations David Stearns commented on the situation in the release, saying “Lorenzo Cain has informed us that he will not participate for the remainder of the 2020 season. We fully support Lorenzo’s decision, and will miss his talents on the field and leadership in the clubhouse.”
Cain becomes the 18th player to opt out of playing in 2020, not counting Nick Markakis who initially opted out but chose to resume playing for the Braves. Cain is certainly one of the biggest names on that list, a long-time veteran with a decorated resume that includes two All-Star appearances, a Gold Glove, and a World Series ring as a member of the 2015 Royals.
There hasn’t been any word as to whether or not Cain was opting out due to any personal medical reason, and if Cain isn’t at an increased risk of contracting COVID-19, his decision will mean that he is walking away from the prorated portion of his original $16MM salary for the 2020 season. It’s no small amount of money, obviously, though less of a financial cost for a player who has already banked well over $50MM in career earnings, and is slated to earn $33MM over the 2021/22 seasons as per the terms of the five-year, $80MM deal he signed with Milwaukee in January 2018.
Like all teams, the Brewers have had their share of COVID-19 cases, with Luis Urias and Angel Perdomo both testing positive before the start of Summer Camp. (Eric Lauer also missed time after exposure to someone who was COVID-positive, though Lauer himself didn’t have the virus.) It’s fair to wonder whether Cain’s decision was prompted not necessarily by his own team, but rather the wider scope of coronavirus cases around the National League in particular, with the Marlins and Cardinals. Milwaukee, in fact, was supposed to be the Cardinals’ opponent this weekend before an outbreak within the St. Louis clubhouse led to two postponed games and almost certainly will prevent the two clubs from playing on Sunday.
From a baseball perspective, losing Cain is certainly a blow to a Milwaukee team that had aspirations of another postseason appearance, at minimum. While Cain was coming off an injury-hampered 2019 season that saw post only a .697 OPS over 623 plate appearances, he still managed to generate 1.5 fWAR due to his typically excellent center field defense. Prior to 2019, Cain has been a solidly above-average offensive performer over his previous five seasons, hitting .301/.361/.433 over 2805 PA from 2014-18 with the Royals and Brewers.
Without Cain, Ben Gamel now looks to be the Brewers’ primary center fielder. Gamel has shown decent potential as both an everyday player with the Mariners and a part-timer with the Brewers, hitting a respectable .266/.336/.391 over 1199 PA from 2017-19, though the jury is still out on his center field glovework. Gamel has a -5.0 UZR/150 and minus-1 Defensive Runs Saved over only 181 career innings in center, as the vast majority of his big league playing time has come as a corner outfielder. Avisail Garcia is the only other realistic center field candidate on Milwaukee’s active roster, so the Brew Crew could turn to one of the other options (Keon Broxton, Corey Ray, or Tyrone Taylor) within their 60-man player pool.
Braves Designate Jhoulys Chacin, Select Chris Rusin’s Contract
The Braves have selected the contract of left-hander Chris Rusin, as per the team’s official Twitter account. To create space on both the 30-man active roster and the 40-man roster, Atlanta designated right-hander Jhoulys Chacin for assignment.
Atlanta signed Chacin to a one-year, Major League contract back on July 21, as the club was looking to add some additional rotation depth due to Cole Hamels‘ injured-list stint and Felix Hernandez‘s opt-out. Chacin ended up making two relief appearances for the Braves, both against the Mets — the first was an impressive performance of 3 2/3 scoreless innings on July 26, and the other took place just last night, with Chacin surrendering four earned runs over 1 1/3 innings of work.
The Braves had clearly seen enough following yesterday’s outing, and Chacin now finds himself potentially back on the free agent market in short order. Given that teams are always in need of pitching depth, it’s possible Chacin could find another deal elsewhere, which could mean he’d be joining his fifth different organization in less than a year’s time.
Chacin has already appeared for seven different teams over his 12 MLB seasons, and also been part of the Indians and Twins organizations without ever suiting up for them in a big league game. Minnesota was Chacin’s most recent stop before signing on with the Braves, as the Twins inked Chacin to a minor league deal over the offseason but released him less than a week before their July 24th opener.
It wasn’t long ago that Chacin was a solid and durable rotation member, as he posted a 3.69 ERA while averaging 186 innings for the Padres and Brewers over the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Things turned badly for Chacin in 2019, however, as a big spike in his home run rate (an unsightly 2.2 HR/9) resulted in a 6.01 ERA over 103 1/3 frames for Milwaukee and Boston.
Rusin is also looking for a rebound, as his strong 2017 season as a member of the Rockies bullpen was followed up by a rough 2018 (6.09 ERA in 54 2/3 innings) and then a 2019 that saw him appear in only two MLB games, thanks to both back problems and a demotion to the minors. Upon becoming a free agent after the season, Rusin signed with the Braves on a minor league deal, so his arrival on the active roster will ensure some form of (prorated) guaranteed salary.
The 33-year-old offers the Braves some versatility, as Rusin has worked as a swingman in the past, though he will more likely be used in a long relief capacity. Rusin joins Grant Dayton, A.J. Minter, and Tyler Matzek as left-handed options out of the Atlanta pen.
Diamondbacks To Promote Andy Young
The Diamondbacks will give infielder Andy Young his first Major League promotion, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). Young is already on Arizona’s 40-man roster, though the D’Backs will have to make another move to find space on the 30-man active roster.
Originally a 37th-round pick for the Cardinals in the 2016 draft, Young is now on the cusp of the majors after that rather unheralded start to his pro career. The 26-year-old posted some strong hitting numbers during his time in the St. Louis farm system, and came to the D’Backs in the 2018-19 offseason as part of the trade package in the deal that sent Paul Goldschmidt to the Cards. The production continued for Young in his first season as a Diamondback, as he hit .271/.368/.535 with 29 homers over 540 combined plate appearances, split almost evenly between Arizona’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.
MLB Pipeline lists Young as the 15th-best Diamondbacks system, describing him as “a bat-first prospect” who “does enough damage from the right side of the plate to mitigate many of the concerns about his defense.” Young has mostly played second base in the minors, though he has logged a substantial amount of time as both a third baseman and shortstop, plus a handful of games in the corner outfield.
There aren’t any immediate openings for Young at any of those positions on the Diamondbacks’ depth chart, though he can provide backup at multiple spots and also likely log some DH at-bats. If nothing else, Young can add some pop to a D’Backs lineup that has been inconsistent at best over the team’s first eight games.
Marlins’ Isan Diaz Opts Out Of 2020 Season
Marlins infielder Isan Diaz has opted out of the 2020 season. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweeted yesterday that Diaz was considering such a decision, and the move became official last night when Miami placed Diaz on their restricted list. Diaz released a statement on his Instagram page:
“This has been a tough week to see so many of my teammates come down with the virus, and see how quickly it spreads. After much deliberation and thought, I have made the difficult choice of opting out for the remainder of the 2020 season. This has been a decision that I have discussed with my family, and I feel it’s the best one for me and my overall well-being. I will deeply miss my teammates and competing on the field. I wish my brothers the best and look forward to taking the field again with them soon!!”
Diaz is not one of the 18 Marlins players who have thus far tested positive for COVID-19. Given the widespread nature of the team’s outbreak, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if more Miami players joined Diaz in sitting out the 2020 campaign, though obviously circumstances and personal feelings are different for every individual.
With Nick Markakis choosing to end his opt-out and rejoin the Braves, that leaves 17 players who have decided to opt out of the 2020 season. Players who opt out for specific health-related seasons (such as Orioles righty Kohl Stewart, who has Type 1 diabetes) will still receive their full prorated salary and service time, while players without a personal health issue will forego their service time and remaining salary.
This is the case with Diaz, who is just his second year of Major League action. Ranked as a consensus top-100 prospect prior to the 2017 season, Diaz was one of the four prospects acquired by Miami in the blockbuster trade that sent Christian Yelich to the Brewers in January 2018. (This was already the second big trade of Diaz’s young career, as he came to the Brewers as part of the five-player swap that sent Jean Segura from Milwaukee to Arizona in January 2016.)
A .973 OPS in 435 Triple-A plate appearances in 2019 led to Diaz’s first MLB promotion last season, though he struggled in his first stint in the Show. Diaz hit only .173/.259/.307 over his first 201 PA for the Marlins, which could have been part of the reason why Miami acquired Jonathan Villar as its primary second baseman during the offseason. Since Villar is only under contract through the 2020 season, however, Diaz is still projected as Miami’s second baseman of the future.
Yankees Place Tommy Kahnle On IL, Recall Jordan Montgomery
9:20pm: Kahnle will “likely” require Tommy John surgery, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
5:03pm: The Yankees have announced a pair of roster moves in advance of tonight’s game. Righty Tommy Kahnle was moved to the 10-day injured list with what the team termed a “right ulnar collateral ligament injury.” He’ll be replaced by southpaw Jordan Montgomery.
That’s a worrisome addition to earlier news on Kahnle, who had previously been described as suffering from forearm tightness. The reliever was slated to undergo an MRI and visit team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad.
Soon to turn 31, Kahnle had seemed primed to occupy an important role in the Yanks’ pen in 2020. After a rough 2018 showing, he bounced back last season by throwing 61 1/3 innings of 3.67 ERA ball with 12.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.
Montgomery is moving in precisely the other direction. The 27-year-old has been limited to eight appearances over the past two seasons owing to Tommy John surgery. He’s now hoping to regain the promising trajectory he was on before the elbow woes arose.
Kohl Stewart Opts Out Of 2020 Season
Orioles hurler Kohl Stewart has opted out of the 2020 season, the team announced. He will receive his salary and service time because he was in a heightened risk category.
As Stewart discussed in a statement, he has type 1 diabetes. He says he’s at least pausing his participation. O’s manager Brandon Hyde made clear that the team supports his decision.
This was surely a tough call for the 25-year-old. While he was once a #4 overall draft pick, Stewart washed out with the Twins and entered the season hoping for a fresh start after the O’s signed him to a minor-league deal over the offseason. He started the season on the active roster but had not yet appeared in game action.
Stewart has been added to MLBTR’s list of players that have opted out of the 2020 season.
Rangers Select Greg Bird, Jimmy Herget; Designate Ariel Jurado
The Rangers announced they’ve selected the contracts of first baseman Greg Bird and righty Jimmy Herget. To create 40-man space, the team designated righty Ariel Jurado for assignment.
Bird, 27, turned in an impressive showing upon his call-up in 2015 but has fallen flat since. He dealt with numerous injuries and couldn’t replicate his early success with the Yankees. The Texas org picked him up on a minors deal over the offseason.
As for Herget, who’s closing in on his 27th birthday, this’ll be his second look. He threw 6 1/3 innings last year with the Reds, failing to record a strikeout. In 58 1/3 Triple-A frames last year, he worked to a 2.91 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 5.5 BB/9.
Jurado, 24, was dropped after getting quite a few looks over the past two seasons. He carries a 5.85 ERA in his 177 career innings at the game’s highest level. He hadn’t yet appeared in 2020.
Aroldis Chapman Cleared To Return To Yankees
Star closer Aroldis Chapman is headed back to the Yankees, per ESPN.com’s Marly Rivera (Twitter link). Having previously tested positive for COVID-19, he had to register a pair of negative tests.
It isn’t yet clear whether Chapman will jump right onto the active roster at this time. He hit the injured list on July 11th, so he has been out of action for a decent stretch, but perhaps he won’t require much of a ramp-up if he has been able to throw while on the sideline.
The Yanks worked out a new deal last fall with Chapman, who could’ve opted out and tested free agency. The 32-year-old is earning a pro-rated portion of a $16MM salary this year and will be due the same in each of the next two campaigns.
It’s good to hear that Chapman was able to clear the virus in short order. And it’s obviously also great news for the back of the Yankees pen. Chapman’s flamethrower of a left arm wasn’t quite as hot last year, when he averaged a mere 98.2 mph on his four-seam fastball, but he offset that by gaining confidence in his slider.
Even in his slightly less-dominant form, Chapman remained an absolute force. He threw 57 innings of 2.21 ERA ball last year, sporting a 14.1% swinging-strike rate while allowing just 0.47 homers per nine.
White Sox Promote Nick Madrigal, Designate Kelvin Herrera
The White Sox have called up second baseman Nick Madrigal, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). His promotion had been anticipated but was not yet confirmed to be imminent.
Reliever Kelvin Herrera was designated for assignment to create 40-man and active roster space. He was in the second season of a two-year, $17MM deal.
Madrigal, the fourth overall pick in the 2018 draft, will not have a chance to accrue a full season of MLB service. He will, however, be on track to ultimately qualify for arbitration after the 2022 season as a Super Two player.
It’ll certainly be fun to watch the 23-year-old in the majors. He has quite an unusual skillset, with negligible power but otherworldly contact ability and plate discipline.
A consensus top-50 prospect leaguewide, Madrigal have to keep hitting and walking at a tremendous rate to be an above-average MLB hitter. Last year, over the three highest levels of the minors, he logged 532 plate appearances of .311/.377/.414 hitting. Though he managed only four home runs, Madrigal amazingly struck out only 16 times while drawing 44 walks.
As exciting as it is for the Sox to welcome Madrigal, bidding adieu to Herrera represents an acknowledgement of a disappointment. The 30-year-old signed his contract after recovering from a major foot procedure but just hasn’t returned to form.
As MLBTR’s Connor Byrne examined in depth recently, the once-excellent reliever has struggled mightily in Chicago. He limped to a 6.14 ERA in 51 1/3 innings in 2019 and was shelled for four earned runs over his first two outings in 2020. Worst still, his typically upper-nineties fastball velocity has drooped to about 94 mph thus far this season.
With the decision, the White Sox will owe Herrera the remainder of the pro-rated portion of his $8.5MM salary this year. They’ll also still have to pay him a $1MM buyout on a 2020 vesting/club option.
Cubs Sign Cody Allen To Minor League Deal
The Cubs announced Friday that they’ve signed right-hander Cody Allen to a minor league contract and assigned him to their alternate training site in South Bend. The team’s player pool is now up to 58.
It wasn’t that long ago that Allen, 31, was considered one of the game’s best closers. He’s struggled considerably over the past two seasons, but from 2013-17, Allen was a ninth-inning buzzsaw in Cleveland, pitching to a 2.59 ERA and 2.86 FIP with 122 saves, 11.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and 0.86 HR/9.
In the two years since that dominant stretch, though, Allen’s average fastball has dipped by a bit more than three miles per hour. He stumbled to a 4.70 ERA in his final year prior to free agency but was still able to land a sizable one-year deal with the Halos. Unfortunately, he was clobbered for an ERA north of 6.00 and cut loose before the season had even reached the halfway mark. Allen carries a 5.10 ERA with 109 strikeouts against an unpalatable 53 walks in his past 90 MLB frames.
Two years ago, a bullpen featuring both Allen and Craig Kimbrel would’ve been the envy of 29 other teams in the league. Both pitchers have seen rapid downturns in performance now, however. The Cubs badly need one or both former stars to figure things out, as their patchwork bullpen has already proven to be a major weakness early in 2020. Chicago relievers have already yielded 20 runs on 18 hits and a ghastly 20 walks in just 18 2/3 innings. Seven of those hits have left the yard.