Pirates Promote Kevin Newman, Place Jordy Mercer On DL, Designate Casey Sadler
The Pirates announced a series of roster moves Thursday, most notably placing shortstop Jordy Mercer on the 10-day disabled list due to a calf strain and selecting the contract of shortstop prospect Kevin Newman in his place. To open 40-man roster space, Pittsburgh designated right-hander Casey Sadler for assignment. The Pirates also recalled outfielder Jordan Luplow and optioned catcher Jacob Stallings to Triple-A.
Newman, 25, was the Pirates’ top selection in the 2015 draft (19th overall) and has ranked among the organization’s most highly regarded prospects since. He’s currently sixth in their system, per MLB.com, while Baseball America ranked him seventh on their own midseason update.
It’s been a solid season for Newman at the Triple-A level, hitting .302/.350/.407 with four homers, 30 doubles, two triples and a hefty 28 stolen bases — albeit in 39 attempts. Newman draws praise for his above-average hit tool and speed plus at least average ratings for his glove and arm at shortstop. With Mercer set to hit free agency at season’s end, Newman’s first taste of the Majors will serve as an audition of sorts, as he undoubtedly is consideration to be the team’s shortstop of the future.
Sadler, 28, pitched just 4 1/3 innings with the Bucs this season — his first big league action since the 2015 season. Tommy John surgery after the 2015 season slowed his career, and while he’s posted respectable numbers in Triple-A this year — 3.43 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 in 76 innings — he’ll now be either traded or exposed to outright waivers within the week following a DFA.
Padres Release Phil Hughes
The Padres have released right-hander Phil Hughes following his recent DFA, tweets A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com. He’s now a free agent and can sign with any club for the pro-rated league minimum.
Hughes, who recently turned 32, was traded from the Twins to the Padres alongside a Competitive Balance draft pick in exchange for minor league catcher Janigson Villalobos earlier this season. As part of the trade, San Diego agreed to take on $7.25MM of Hughes’ $13.2MM salary for the 2019 season. In effect, the Padres were purchasing an extra draft pick (No. 74 overall) from the Twins, though San Diego did keep Hughes around to see if he could return to form in a new setting.
That, unfortunately for both team and player, did not prove to be the case. Hughes improved his strikeout and walk numbers substantially in his time with the Padres, but he remained alarmingly homer-prone and ultimately posted a 6.10 ERA in 20 2/3 innings there. It marked the continuation of a rapid, four-year decline for Hughes that is undoubtedly tied to significant injury issues.
Hughes originally signed a three-year, $24MM contract with Minnesota as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. He fell one third of an inning shy of reaching the final incentive threshold in his first season with the Twins and garnered quite a bit of attention when he declined to pitch in relief over the season’s final weekend as a means of crossing that 210-inning line. Hughes was rewarded for a terrific first season in Minnesota all the same — tearing up the remaining two years of his deal and inking a five-year, $58MM contract that offseason.
It was a significant show of faith from the Twins organization, though one could hardly argue with Hughes’ 2014 results. He pitched to a 3.52 ERA in 209 2/3 innings and set the all-time record for K/BB ratio that season (11.63) when he racked up 186 punchouts against a minuscule 16 walks. Hughes spent considerable time on the disabled list in each of the next two seasons, however, and he ultimately underwent surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome in 2016.
Hughes returned to the Twins in 2017 with the hope that the surgery would correct the numbness he’d been experiencing in his pitching hand — a common side effect of TOS — but his symptoms persisted, and he underwent a revision of his TOS surgery later that summer.
In all, Hughes has pitched to a 5.18 ERA in 300 2/3 innings over the past four seasons. He’s tried to reinvent himself along the way, throwing a changeup more heavily at times and, in 2018, attempting to rely more on cutters and two-seamers than his diminished four-seamer. The results haven’t been there for Hughes, though, and he’ll now presumably look to latch on with another organization in hope of overcoming the injury woes that have plagued him in recent seasons.
Royals Acquire International Bonus Pool Space From Rangers
The Royals announced on Thursday that they’ve traded minor league right-hander Kelvin Gonzalez to the Rangers in exchange for international bonus pool allotments.
The 20-year-old Gonzalez — not to be confused with third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez, who was acquired from the Nationals in exchange for Kelvin Herrera — has spent the 2018 season with Kansas City’s Rookie-level affiliate in the Appalachian League. Through 19 1/3 innings, he’s worked to a 4.19 ERA with a 17-to-7 K/BB ratio and a 50.8 percent ground-ball rate. Gonzalez split the 2017 season between the Royals’ Rookie-level Arizona League affiliate and their Dominican Summer League club, pitching to a combined 3.00 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9. He’s made 36 appearances as a professional — all coming as a reliever. He was not ranked among the organization’s top 30 prospects.
It’s at least a moderate surprise to see the Rangers dealing away any international slot allocations, as Texas is not under any penalty for the 2018-19 signing period and is free to spend its pool as it wishes. The Rangers already catcher Jose Rodriguez and infielder Luisangel Acuna (the younger brother of Ronald Acuna) for a combined $2.45MM, and they’ve added at least 11 other international amateurs since the period opened, per Baseball America’s Ben Badler.
The Rangers opened the 2018-19 period with the standard bonus allotment of $4,983,500. The exact amounts of their signings to date haven’t all been reported, nor has the size of the allotment they’re sending to Kansas City, so it’s not known exactly how much Texas has remaining. Under the collective bargaining agreement, international allotments must be traded in $250K increments (though clubs can send under $250K to complete a deal if they have less than $250K remaining).
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/15/18
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Mariners purchased the contract of former big league lefty David Rollins from the Sussex County Miners of the independent Can-Am League, reports Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto. He’ll join the Mariners’ top affiliate in Tacoma. Rollins was starting for the Miners, having notched a 2.79 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 through 113 innings, though he worked exclusively as a reliever in 31 Major League appearances with the Mariners back in 2015-16. Rollins has a 7.60 ERA in 34 1/3 innings at the big league level and also owns a 4.03 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 102 2/3 innings of Triple-A work.
- Catcher Dan Butler cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Red Sox and was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket, tweets Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston. Butler appeared in just two games for the Sox and went 1-for-6 with a single and a sac fly. Between that showing and a brief cameo with the Sox back in 2014, Butler has hit .200/.222/.320 in 27 MLB plate appearances. In 1715 plate appearances at Triple-A across parts of nine seasons, he’s posted a .246/.332/.383 batting line and thrown out 30 percent of would-be base thieves.
Angels Designate Akeel Morris For Assignment
The Angels announced that they’ve reinstated catcher Rene Rivera from the 60-day DL and opened a 40-man roster spot by designating right-hander Akeel Morris for assignment. The Halos optioned catcher Jose Briceno to Triple-A to open room on the 25-man roster.
It’s been a tough season for the 25-year-old Morris both in the Majors and in Triple-A. The former Mets and Braves prospect has been tagged for nine runs on 18 hits and eight walks with seven strikeouts in 14 big league innings this season. His 5.79 ERA in the Majors is actually better than the 5.90 mark he’s posted with Triple-A Salt Lake this season, though Morris has punched out 40 hitters in 39 2/3 innings in Triple-A. He’s still been too prone to walks in the minors, however, which has been a persistent issue for him throughout his professional career.
The Halos will have a week to trade Morris or try to pass him through outright waivers, which would allow them to keep him in the organization without dedicating a 40-man roster spot to the righty. Morris will be out of minor league options in 2019, though, which might make other clubs with interest in the right-hander more reluctant to take a chance on him.
Royals Release Blaine Boyer, Promote Jorge Lopez
The Royals have placed right-handed reliever Blaine Boyer on release waivers, per a club announcement. Boyer’s release will clear a spot on the roster for the promotion of right-hander Jorge Lopez.
Technically, Boyer’s release won’t be official until he clears waivers in 48 hours. Other clubs will have the opportunity to claim him off release waivers in the meantime, though that seems quite unlikely given the veteran’s struggles in 2018. Through 21 2/3 innings with Kansas City this season, the 37-year-old Boyer has posted a disastrous 12.05 ERA with more walks (13) and nearly as many home runs allowed (7) as strikeouts recorded (9). Boyer has had his share of recent success, racking up 212 2/3 innings of 3.51 ERA ball between the Padres, Twins, Brewers and Red Sox from 2014-17.
As for Lopez, he’ll join the Royals as the second piece that the team acquired in the trade sending Mike Moustakas to the Brewers. (Outfielder Brett Phillips is already on the big league roster.) The 25-year-old’s prospect star has dimmed a bit since he was considered a top 100 minor leaguer a couple of years ago, but he’ll look to turn things around in what figures to be an earnest audition on a thin Royals pitching staff. Lopez pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen in the Brewers organization this season, but the Royals are stretching him back out and will take a look at him in the rotation. He’s slated to start tonight’s game.
Through 37 2/3 innings in Triple-A so far this season, Lopez has posted an ugly 5.26 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9. However, much of that work has come in a terrible setting for pitchers: hitter-friendly Colorado Springs. Lopez’s numbers have been more encouraging in a small sample of nine innings with Kansas City’s top affiliate. He’s also posted a 2.75 ERA with a 56.1 percent ground-ball rate in 19 2/3 big league frames with Milwaukee this season, though a lackluster 15-to-13 K/BB ratio in that time suggests that he’s had a bit of good fortune and is still in need of some refinement.
Yankees To Designate George Kontos For Assignment
The Yankees will designate right-hander George Kontos for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for righty Luis Cessa, per Newsday’s Erik Boland (Twitter link). He’d only been selected to the MLB roster two days prior.
Kontos, 33, appeared in one game in his reunion with the Yankees — the organization that originally drafted him — tossing 1 2/3 shutout innings with just one hit allowed and a pair of strikeouts. He’s pitched with the Pirates, Indians and Yankees this season, totaling 26 2/3 frames with a 4.39 ERA, 15 strikeouts and seven walks in that time.
Though Kontos has generally delivered respectable bottom-line results so far in 2018, his velocity, swinging-strike rate and overall strikeout rate have dipped substantially from 2017 to 2018. He has a quality track record as a useful middle reliever over the past six seasons with the Giants (and, late in 2017, with the Pirates), though he’s already cleared waivers once this season despite that past success. The Yankees will have a week to trade him or pass him through outright waivers in hopes of retaining him, although Kontos has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Marlins Select Austin Dean
The Marlins announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of outfield prospect Austin Dean prior to tonight’s game and optioned infielder/outfielder Christopher Bostick to Triple-A New Orleans in his place.
Dean, 24, was the Marlins’ fourth-round pick in the 2012 draft and ranked 28th among Miami farmhands on the midseason update from Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. He’s had a strong season between Double-A Jacksonville and New Orleans, hitting at a combined .345/.410/.511 clip with a dozen homers, 20 doubles, five triples and a pair of steals in 446 trips to the plate. Dean has also shown outstanding bat-to-ball skills, striking out at just a 12.5 percent clip while drawing walks in 8.7 percent of his plate appearances. Callis and Mayo note that he has more doubles power than home run pop at present, though the Marlins believe he’ll eventually carry some of his raw power over into a game setting.
With Martin Prado recently joining Lewis Brinson on the disabled list, the Marlins can move Brian Anderson from right field back to third base, opening a fairly regular slate of at-bats for Dean in his first look at the Majors. He’ll likely join Magneuris Sierra and Rafael Ortega in the outfield for the time being as he looks to prove that he can be a long-term piece for the Marlins. Dean has primarily played in left field throughout his minor league tenure, and that seems to be his likeliest spot in the big league lineup for the time being, though he does have experience in both right field (1050 innings) and in center field (114 innings).
Orioles Release Danny Valencia
The Orioles announced today that they have released veteran infielder/outfielder Danny Valencia. He had been designated for assignment recently.
Clearly, the O’s weren’t able to find a taker for any of the remainder of Valencia’s $1.2MM salary. Some of that could still be offset at the league-minimum rate, if Valencia catches on elsewhere.
While he’s limited to playing in the corners, and carries unexciting overall offensive numbers, Valencia could still appeal to teams that are considering specialized bench bats down the stretch. He has a long history of success against left-handed pitching.
Cubs Acquire Terrance Gore
The Cubs have acquired outfielder Terrance Gore from the Royals, per an announcement from the Kansas City organization. Cash considerations will head back in return.
Gore, 27, will presumably reprise his role as a late-season/postseason threat on the bases. No doubt he’ll begin his tenure with the Chicago organization in the upper minors, where he has typically resided until rosters expand in September.
Since first cracking the majors in 2014, the light-hitting Gore has taken only 14 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. But he has appeared in 49 total games and racked up 21 steals.
Of course, utilizing a specialist in that manner only requires the commitment of a 40-man spot once rosters have expanded. For the time being, the Cubs won’t even need to tie up a slot on Gore, who had re-joined the Royals on a minors deal over the winter after being cut loose last fall.
Whether or not Gore could also feature on the Cubs’ presumptive postseason roster remains to be seen. The Royals carried him throughout the 2014 and 2015 postseasons, up to but not including the club’s successful return to the World Series in the second of those two memorable campaigns. Despite being in uniform for quite a few contests, Gore has only appeared in eight total playoff games, stealing four bags but never striding to the plate.