Mariners Acquire John Andreoli
The Mariners have acquired outfielder John Andreoli from the Twins, as per reporter Joe Veyera (Twitter link). Andreoli appeared in the lineup tonight for Triple-A Tacoma.
Andreoli is back for his third separate stint with the Mariners organization, originally signing with the M’s in the 2017-18 offseason and eventually making his MLB debut with the team last May. Andreoli was claimed off waivers by the Orioles in August and then claimed back by Seattle after the season, kicking off a busy winter of activity that saw Andreoli briefly join the Rangers and Giants on waiver claims before being traded to Minnesota in March.
After that whirlwind, Andreoli ended up batting .196/.324/.359 over 185 PA for the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate. Over 3458 career plate appearances in the minors, Andreoli (who turns 29 next week) has a .266/.370/.386 slash line, plus an impressive 250 stolen bases in 312 chances. As a big leaguer, Andreoli appeared in 20 games with the Mariners and Orioles last season, amassing 67 PA. With extensive experience at all three outfield positions, Andreoli will once again give the Mariners some outfield depth at the Triple-A level.
Reds Outright Jose Lopez Off 40-Man Roster
The Reds announced that right-hander Jose Lopez has cleared waivers and been outrighted off the 40-man roster. Lopez had already been playing at Triple-A Louisville already. The move opens up a spot on Cincinnati’s 40-man, though no corresponding move has been announced.
Once a promising young arm in the Reds’ farm system, Lopez’s stock diminished after a shaky 2018 season that saw him post a 4.47 ERA over 141 Triple-A innings, and those troubles have only increased this season. Lopez had an ungainly 6.98 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and 1.62 K/BB rate over 49 frames for Louisville in 2019, experiencing both a sharp increase in his walk rate, and a whopping 13 homers allowed over those 49 innings.
A sixth-round pick for the Reds in the 2014 draft, the 25-year-old Lopez has yet to crack the Major Leagues. He briefly left Cincinnati’s organization this winter when the Giants claimed him off waivers in February, though the Reds re-claimed Lopez back near the end of Spring Training.
Phillies Acquire Jay Bruce
3:33pm: The trade is now official, per a Phillies announcement, with The Athletic’s Matt Gelb tweeting additional details on the deal: the Mariners will acquire minor league infielder Jake Scheiner from Philadelphia, while the Phillies will receive about $18MM from Seattle to cover the majority of Bruce’s remaining salary.
9:31am: The Phillies and Mariners were rumored to be very close yesterday on a deal that would send first baseman/outfielder Jay Bruce to Philadelphia, and Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia (Twitter link) is reporting that the trade has been completed. Bruce could potentially join his new club as early as today — the Phillies are in Los Angeles completing a series with the Dodgers, while the Mariners are at home this weekend against the Angels.
The exact return headed back to Seattle isn’t yet known, though The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported yesterday that the Mariners would receive a minor leaguer and some money back from Philadelphia to cover the roughly $21.6MM owed on Bruce’s contract through the end of the 2020 season. As per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Phillies will take on “the bulk” of Bruce’s remaining salary, so it’s safe to assume that the M’s will only be getting a minor prospect in return for getting so much cash off their books.
Bruce is no stranger to the trade market, as the 32-year-old has now been dealt four times in less than three years’ time. Bruce most recently went to the Mariners as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to Mets, with Bruce included in the deal largely as a way of partially offsetting Cano’s large contract. In his brief time as a Mariner, Bruce showed plenty of pop, cracking 14 homers and posting a whopping .533 slugging percentage over 184 plate appearances. While Bruce’s average (.212) and OBP (.283) have a lot of room for improvement, it seems as if Bruce has rebounded from a down year in 2018 that was marred by hip problems.
While Bruce has actually been a reverse-splits hitter in the small sample size of his 2019 numbers, the Phillies are counting on his left-handed bat to help their mediocre numbers (91 wRC+) against right-handed pitching. The Phils were known to be looking to add left-handed balance to a lineup almost entirely full of righty bats, aside from Bryce Harper and switch-hitting Cesar Hernandez.
With Harper and Rhys Hoskins respectively locked into the right field and first base jobs in Philadelphia, Bruce looks to be slated for left field when he is in the starting lineup. Andrew McCutchen has been moved over to center field in the wake of Odubel Herrera being placed on administrative leave earlier this week, and it remains to be seen if more outfield moves could be made given that there isn’t any timeline for Herrera’s return. It has been some time since McCutchen was a defensively-viable center fielder, and Bruce’s metrics as a corner outfielder have also been below average for several seasons. It stands to reason that the Phillies could still pursue a center field option in order to give them the flexibility of moving McCutchen back to left field, where he has displayed some solid glovework.
Moreover, the deal is notable in that a trade of this variety is relatively rare in the first days of June. Yes, the playoff race has begun to take shape, but the trade market is not a robust one and plenty of teams have not firmly taken a stance towards buying or selling. For that reason, interest in Bruce may have been limited compared to where it might have been in July, especially if Bruce’s power keeps up. The deal may perhaps be compared to the Braves’ 2017 acquisition of Matt Adams, which occurred on May 20, with Adams stepping in as a stopgap for Freddie Freeman, who suffered a wrist injury that would keep him out for about six weeks. Analogously, Herrera’s stay on the administrative leave has no timetable, leaving the Phils in search of a short-term replacement.
For the Mariners, this could be the first of many trades coming over the next two months, as the team is reportedly open to moving several veteran players. Since GM Jerry Dipoto announced his intentions to “re-imagine” the roster last November, the M’s have parted ways with Cano, Diaz, Jean Segura, James Paxton, Mike Zunino, Alex Colome, and a host of other players, significantly cutting payroll and adding young talent to both the farm system and the MLB roster. Getting the Phillies to take the majority of Bruce’s salary already counts as a win for Dipoto, as Bruce’s contract was looking like something of an albatross in the wake of his disappointing 2018 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Rangers Place Joey Gallo On IL With Oblique Strain
TODAY: Gallo has indeed been placed on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain, as per a Rangers announcement. Delino DeShields has been recalled to take Gallo’s 25-man roster spot.
YESTERDAY: Rangers slugger Joey Gallo left the team’s game Saturday with tightness in his left oblique, according to the club’s executive vice president of communications, John Blake. Gallo will undergo an MRI.
Oblique injuries often lead to weeks-long stays on the injured list, which the Rangers certainly hope isn’t the case here. However, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News suggests an IL stint is likely for Gallo.
It would hurt for Texas to go without Gallo, who has been its best player in 2019. The 25-year-old outfielder’s currently on pace for his third straight 40-home run season, though Gallo wasn’t anywhere near this productive in the previous two campaigns. Gallo, who has slashed .272/.415/.633 in 212 plate appearances, ranks fourth in baseball in fWAR (2.9), fifth in homers (17) and seventh in wRC+ (169).
Thanks in large part to Gallo, the Rangers have been one of the majors’ surprise teams this year. The club’s 28-27 with an offense that stands among the league’s highest-scoring groups so far. Texas ranks second in the game in runs (317) and 12th in wRC+ (102).
Brewers Place Jhoulys Chacin On 10-Day Injured List
The Brewers announced that right-hander Jhoulys Chacin has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a lower back strain. Catcher Jacob Nottingham is also headed down to Triple-A, while right-handers Jacob Barnes and Taylor Williams have been recalled from Triple-A to fill the two open spots on the 25-man roster.
Chacin was an quietly effective staple of the Brewers’ pitching staff in 2018, posting a 3.50 ERA over 192 2/3 innings in the regular season and then another 12 1/3 frames of 1.46 ERA ball during Milwaukee’s postseason run. That effectiveness, however, hasn’t carried over to 2019, as Chacin has been hit hard this season. The righty has a 5.74 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 1.52 K/BB rate over 58 innings, with ERA indicators and contact rates (.352 xwOBA to a .343 wOBA) suggesting that his poor ERA is no mirage.
Never a hard-thrower or one to miss many bats, Chacin’s modest strikeout rate has dipped in 2019 while his hard-contact rate has rocketed up to 43.4%, a marked increase over his 36.6% total from 2018. Chacin has also seen a decrease in grounders, and an increase in walks, fly balls, and home runs.
The Brewers have now lost two starters to injury in as many days, after Gio Gonzalez was placed on the IL yesterday with a dead arm. No timeline is known for either Gonzalez or Chacin, as both hurlers have the type of hard-to-diagnose issues that could linger beyond the 10-day minimum stay on the injured list. The Brewers would fill that void with a major reinforcement in Jimmy Nelson, as the right-hander will return after missing over a full season to start Wednesday’s game. Beyond Nelson, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) that Freddy Peralta is likely to receive a spot start in the coming days.
Rays Activate Yandy Diaz From 10-Day Injured List
The Rays announced some roster moves this morning, including the activation of infielder Yandy Diaz from the 10-day injured list. Nate Lowe, called up just yesterday from Triple-A, is on his way back to the minors in a corresponding move. The Rays also optioned right-hander Adam Kolarek yesterday, but Kolarek is now making a quick return to the big leagues since southpaw Jose Alvarado has been placed on the family medical emergency list.
Diaz hit the IL on May 23, with a retroactive placement to May 20, with a left hand contusion after being hit by a pitch from the Yankees’ Chance Adams. While Diaz was reportedly still feeling some soreness in his hand, a brief stint in extended Spring Training camp seems to have done the trick, and the corner infielder will now make his return to Tampa Bay’s lineup. Acquired as part of the three-team trade that sent Jake Bauers to Cleveland last December, Diaz has hit an impressive .256/.339/.500 with nine homers over 180 plate appearances in a Rays uniform, delivering on the promise that his hard-hit ball statistics indicated during his time with the Tribe.
Lowe’s latest turn in the Show lasted only a day, as the slugging first base prospect now has a .263/.310/.316 slash line over 42 PA this season. It stands to reason that Lowe will continue to be shuffled between the majors and minors as circumstances warrant, though the Rays will surely keep an eye on his service time so as to gain an extra year of team control over the youngster.
Diamondbacks Outright John Ryan Murphy
Diamondbacks catcher John Ryan Murphy has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Reno, per a team announcement. The Diamondbacks designated Murphy for assignment last Saturday.
The 28-year-old Murphy will continue with the D-backs, who acquired him from the Twins for left-hander Gabriel Moya in July 2017. It was the second trade of Murphy’s career, as the Yankees sent him to the Twins for center fielder Aaron Hicks in a November 2015 swap. Needless to say, New York got the better end of that transaction.
Dating back to his big league debut with the Yankees in 2013, Murphy has hit .219/.265/.357 (65 wRC+) with 18 home runs in 673 plate appearances. While Murphy limped to a 70 wRC+ in 69 PA this year before Arizona cut him from its 40-man roster, his defense has been an asset in the desert. Baseball Prospectus has given the backstop outstanding grades behind the plate over the past year-plus, and Murphy even served as ace Zack Greinke‘s personal catcher until the team went in another direction.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/1/19
The latest in minor moves from around the game…
- Veteran catcher Chris Stewart has opted out of his deal with the Padres, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports. The 12-year MLB vet, a reliable backup for the Giants, Yankees and Pirates, among others, since his debut all the way back in 2006, will again look to provide defensive stability for a club in the stretch run. Stewart’s never hit much, with a career line of .230/.297/.291, but does flash occasional on-base ability and unexpected pop against quality lefties. In 73 plate appearances for Triple-A El Paso this season, Stewart slashed .277/.333/.354 with a lone homer. He led all MLB catchers in 2011 with 21 defensive runs saved in a mere 460 innings behind the dish.
- Righty Jeanmar Gomez has been placed on unconditional release waivers by the Rangers, per the club. The 31-year-old was designated for assignment by the club last week. Gomez was a capable performer for the Pirates and Phillies from 2013-16, but has fallen on hard times in recent seasons. He’s had particular difficulty with stranding runners – a 55.2% LOB mark in ’19 spelled his end in Texas, the latest in a disturbing trend that began in the 2016 season, when his grounder-heavy excellence began slowly to erode.
Mac Williamson Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency
Former Giants outfielder Mac Williamson, designated for assignment for the second time this season by the club last Saturday, went unclaimed on waivers and has elected free agency, Maria Guardado of mlb.com tweets. Williamson previously reported to the team’s AAA affiliate after the first DFA, where a three-week hot streak led to a fifth opportunity with the big club, but this time has decided to test his luck on the open market.
The 28-year-old Williamson – he’ll be 29 next month – was a post-draft favorite in 2012 after being selected in the third round out of Wake Forest. Already 22 at the time of the draft, Williamson’s slow crawl through the minors – injuries often set him back – still had him lingering in Double-A by the time his 25th birthday rolled around.
His first three Triple-A forays, occasionally interrupted by month-long stints with the big club, were mediocre at best – Mac, in fact, seemed on verge of release after an especially poor 2017 showing with Sacramento. A swing change the next season reaped dividends, though, and Williamson seemed primed to seize the everyday left-field job for San Fran after a hot early-season ’18 start. Hopes were derailed when a collision with a wall near the bullpen mound in SF’s Oracle Park resulted in lingering concussion symptoms, and Mac could never quite recapture his early-season sizzle upon return.
2019 hasn’t been kind to him – the 6’5 righty managed just a 14 wRC+ (86 percent below league-average) in 57 plate appearances with the club before his designation. It’s unclear which, if any, clubs will be interested, but Williamson should get a Triple-A opportunity if so inclined. Perhaps a Japanese or Korean team – clubs notoriously interested in the so-called “Four-A” sluggers, many of which, admittedly, sport more impressive AAA numbers than does Williamson – will come calling, though the overseas market is never easy to predict.
Red Sox Place Steve Pearce On Injured List, Sam Travis Recalled
The Red Sox have placed Steve Pearce on the 10-day injured list, with Sam Travis being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to take his roster spot, the team announced.
Pearce was removed from yesterday’s game in the second inning after experiencing back spasms. The rest itself may not be the worst thing for Pearce, who has struggled to get going after being crowned World Series MVP to end 2018. While rarely an everyday player throughout his career, more was certainly expected from Pearce than the .180/.245/.258 line he currently owns – and that’s after some improvement of late.
It’s not a lost season for Pearce, who with only 89 at-bats has more than enough time to raise his numbers, even if his stint on the injured list proves lengthy. A rehab assignment wherein he has the opportunity to play everyday and get into a rhythm could do Pearce some good as well, should they take that route upon his return.
For Travis, the 25-year-old Chicagoan is no stranger to the Red Sox, for whom he has appeared in every season since 2017. This will be his second stint with the club this year after going 2-7 in Boston’s opening series of the year against Seattle. Since then, Travis has slashed .251/.359/.371 in 49 games with Pawtucket. As a right-handed hitter, Travis can slot right into Pearce’s role on the lesser half of a platoon with regular first baseman Mitch Moreland.