Blue Jays To Sign Brett Anderson
The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor-league pact with free-agent lefty Brett Anderson, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Anderson still must undergo a physical before the deal is finalized.
Toronto has struggled to fill out its rotation, with injuries leaving openings and the team dealing away Francisco Liriano at the deadline. While a Wild Card run still seems generally unlikely, there’s enough of an opening that it certainly makes sense for the Jays to seek out some new options. And there could be a greater rotation need if the club ends up dealing Marco Estrada.
Anderson will represent a free-roll for Toronto. The Cubs promised the 29-year-old a $3.5MM payday for the current season and remain on the hook for the remainder after releasing him earlier this summer. Toronto would only need to pony up the league-minimum rate of pay for any time that Anderson spends on the MLB roster.
Both Anderson and the Jays will hope for a bounceback performance after Anderson struggled with Chicago. Back issues have again been a significant problem, and Anderson’s 22 MLB innings have not gone well. In that span, he was roughed up to the tune of 20 earned runs on 34 hits and a dozen walks.
There have been better days in the past, of course. For most of his career, Anderson has turned in quality results when healthy. As recently as 2015, he was able to spin 180 1/3 innings of 3.69 ERA ball, though that was his first full season since 2009 and ending up giving way to an injury-shortened 2016 campaign.
Should the southpaw earn his way back up to the majors, he ought to have enough time to showcase his form for possible winter suitors. While the injury history significantly limits his earning upside, Anderson could still conceivably score a MLB deal over the offseason if he’s able to turn in a handful of effective starts for Toronto.
Blue Jays Select Tim Mayza’s Contract, Release Taylor Cole
The Blue Jays announced on Monday that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Tim Mayza from Triple-A Buffalo. In order to clear roster space, Toronto has optioned right-hander Leonel Campos back to Buffalo and given righty Taylor Cole his unconditional release.
Cole’s release comes on the heels of a tough MLB debut, during which he allowed four runs on six hits and a walk with one strikeout. The Jays had placed Cole on the 10-day DL due to a fractured fifth toe in his right foot shortly after he made that debut. The 27-year-old Cole had a solid 2016 season — 3.97 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 in 77 innings — but missed most of the 2017 campaign recovering from an injury.
As for Mayza, the 25-year-old will be making his own MLB debut the first time he takes the mound. A 12th-round pick back in 2013, Mayza logged a lackluster 4.59 ERA in Double-A before taking off with a 0.93 ERA and a 16-to-7 K/BB ratio in 19 1/3 innings with Triple-A Buffalo. Overall, he has a 3.25 ERA with a 58-to-22 K/BB ratio in 52 2/3 minor league innings this season.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/14/17
Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Chris Smith has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Buffalo. Not to be confused with the 36-year-old A’s righty of the same name, the younger Smith (28) made his big league debut with Toronto this season, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk with one strikeout in five innings of work. Smith has a 4.10 ERA in 26 1/3 innings in the minors this year and a career 4.03 ERA and a 25-to-4 K/BB ratio in 29 Triple-A innings as well as a 2.58 ERA, 11.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in parts of two seasons (73 1/3 innings) in Double-A.
Nationals Place Bryce Harper On 10-Day DL With “Significant” Bone Bruise In Left Knee
3:42pm: Manager Dusty Baker suggested to reporters, including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, that Harper could miss 10 days to two weeks, though he didn’t commit to that as an exact timetable (Twitter link). Regardless, Harper “will be back before the end of the season,” said Baker (via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, on Twitter).
10:22am: The Nationals have placed star outfielder Bryce Harper on the 10-day DL due to a hyperextended left knee. Nats GM Mike Rizzo told reporters (including (USA Today’s Gabe Lacques and the Washington Post’s Jorge Castillo) that Harper suffered a “significant” bone bruise. Michael A. Taylor has been activated from the DL to take Harper’s spot on the roster.
While Harper’s injury is clearly serious in nature and no timetable was provided for his return, this diagnosis is something of a relief to Harper, the Nats and their fans. “We feel we dodged a bullet,” Rizzo said, noting that Harper didn’t suffer any ligament or structural damage to his knee. Rizzo believes Harper will play again before the season is done, thus making him a factor to contribute in the Nationals’ postseason drive.
The team (and the entire baseball world) feared the worst after Harper suffered the nasty-looking injury last night, having to be helped off the field after slipping while crossing first base while attempting to beat out a ground ball. Bone bruises can vary greatly in severity, so Harper may still miss significant time, though the Nats have enough breathing space atop the NL East to be cautious, Rizzo noted.
The fact that Washington has a 14.5-game division lead and baseball’s third-best record is somewhat remarkable given the number of significant injuries the club has suffered, particularly in the outfield. Adam Eaton suffered a season-ending ACL tear in April, Jayson Werth is still sidelined indefinitely with foot injuries, and Taylor is only just returning after a month on the DL due to a strained oblique. Shortstop Trea Turner could’ve potentially been a candidate to help fill these outfield gaps, though he has been out of action himself thanks to a fractured wrist.
If the Nats are going to be serious World Series contenders, however, obviously they’ll need Harper back in time for October baseball. Harper was in the midst of a superb year, batting .326/.419/.614 with 29 homers over 472 plate appearances, and this injury absence is likely to cost him a chance at his second NL MVP Award in three seasons.
With Harper out, it seems as if Taylor, Brian Goodwin and Howie Kendrick will see much of the action as Washington’s first-choice outfielders, with Adam Lind and Andrew Stevenson providing some left-handed hitting flexibility off the bench. Even this mix of players isn’t quite stable, as Kendrick has been recently bothered by a bad back. It’s possible the Nationals could explore adding more outfield depth in a trade, though they’ll probably wait a week or two to monitor the statuses of Harper and Werth before deciding whether some external help is necessary.
Rangers Release Pete Kozma
The Rangers have released infielder Pete Kozma from his minor league contract, as per John Blake, the team’s executive VP of communications (Twitter link). Texas designated Kozma for assignment and outrighted him off the 40-man roster in July.
Kozma was claimed off waivers from the Yankees at the end of April, appearing in 28 games for Texas and playing around the diamond at all four infield positions. For the season as a whole, Kozma has played in 39 games with the Rangers and Yankees but made only 51 plate appearances, largely serving as a late-game defensive sub or pinch-runner. Kozma only has a .378 OPS for the year, continuing his career-long status as a light-hitting utility specialist.
Padres Extend Andy Green’s Contract
The Padres have extended the contract of manager Andy Green, as per a team press release. Terms weren’t officially announced by the club, though MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell reports (Twitter link) that Green received a three-year extension to his current deal, so he’ll now remain in change of the Padres’ dugout through the 2021 season. FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman recently reported that Green’s original deal included at least one club option year, so this new extension overwrites that option (or options) with a firmer commitment.
Green has just a 119-159 record since being hired as San Diego’s manager in the 2015-16 offseason, though of course his stewardship of a rebuilding team wasn’t being judged on wins and losses. It is clear that upper management feels Green is the best choice to lead the team through the rebuilding phase and eventually into contention.
“[Green’s] managerial style is characterized by intelligence, preparation and integrity, and he has continually proven himself to be the right person to lead this young team,” Padres owners Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler stated in the press release. “We look forward to him managing, motivating and teaching the many waves of talent that we know are on their way to San Diego.”
A veteran of four MLB seasons, Green spent four years managing within the Diamondbacks’ farm system before becoming Arizona’s third base coach for the 2015 season. Green just turned 40 years old last month and is still the second-youngest current manager in the bigs (Rays skipper Kevin Cash is 39).
Brewers Place Brent Suter On 10-Day DL, Designate Michael Blazek
The Brewers have placed left-hander Brent Suter on the 10-day DL with a left rotator cuff strain and designated right-hander Michael Blazek for assignment, as per a team announcement.
[Updated Brewers depth chart at Roster Resource]
Suter’s injury could very well explain his lack of effectiveness over his last three starts (13 ER in 14 1/3 innings), though the southpaw has provided the Brew Crew with solid overall results as both a reliever and starter this season. Suter has a 3.79 ERA, 2.72 K/BB rate and 7.4 K/9 over 59 1/3 IP, starting nine of his 16 appearances. Prior to this ugly three-start stretch, Suter had been on fire, with a 1.50 ERA over his previous five starts and 30 innings pitched.
It isn’t yet known who will step into Suter’s rotation spot. Junior Guerra is probably the likeliest candidate, though the righty has struggled with both injuries and ineffectiveness in the wake of his breakout 2016 year and is currently at Triple-A. Paolo Espino and Wily Peralta are also options in the minors, though these two have also not provided good results at the big league level this season.
This is the second time Blazek has entered DFA limbo this season, as Milwaukee designated the right-hander in April and then outrighted him to Triple-A. A big contributor out of the Brewers’ bullpen in 2015, Blazek struggled last season and has been hit hard in limited action this year, allowing six homers in just 8 2/3 IP en route to an 8.31 ERA. Blazek’s numbers at the Triple-A level have been solid, however, so he’s likely to continue on as organizational relief depth.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/13/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Mets have selected the contract of right-hander Kevin McGowan, who will fill the open roster spot left behind after Neil Walker‘s trade to the Brewers. McGowan, 25, was a 13th-round pick for the Mets in the 2013 draft and he owns a 3.90 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 2.29 K/BB rate over 62 innings (one start in 44 appearances) at the Triple-A level this season.
- The Astros released left-hander Ashur Tolliver, as per Paul Braverman of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies media relations department (Twitter link). Tolliver spent much of the season at Triple-A, where he struggled to a 7.13 ERA and 33 walks (against just 28 strikeouts) in 35 1/3 innings. He also appeared in three games at the big league level for the Astros, posting a 3.60 ERA in five innings but also walking four batters as the control problems continued. Houston outrighted Tolliver off its 40-man roster last month.
- The Mariners selected the contract of righty Christian Bergman prior to yesterday’s game (Bergman got some immediate use, tossing a scoreless inning in Seattle’s 6-3 loss to the Angels.) Right-hander Andrew Moore was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Bergman has a 5.32 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 2.14 K/BB rate in 47 1/3 innings for the M’s this season, with eight of his 10 appearances coming as a starting pitcher. He was outrighted by the Mariners just last week, though made a relatively quick return to not just 40-man status, but the big league roster.
Tigers Designate Edward Mujica For Assignment
The Tigers have designated right-hander Edward Mujica for assignment, as per a team announcement. Righty Jeff Ferrell‘s contract has been selected from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Mujica signed a minor league deal with Detroit last winter and posted some excellent numbers (2.35 ERA, 7.6 K/BB rate, 7.4 K/9) in 46 relief innings for Triple-A Toledo. This performance earned Mujica a promotion on August 3, though the veteran righty was hit hard for 9.95 ERA over 6 1/3 innings, surrendering at least one run in four of his five outings as a Tiger.
Mujica has now pitched in parts of 11 big league seasons with seven different teams, and his Tigers stint marks his first taste of MLB action since 2015. Mujica was an All-Star in 2013 after emerging as the Cardinals’ closer and posted solid numbers out of the Red Sox bullpen as recently as 2014, though he took a step back in 2015 and then bounced around three different teams’ minor league affiliates last season.
Ferrell, by coincidence, also last pitched in the majors in 2015, with a nine-game cup of coffee accounting for his entire MLB resume. The 26-year-old was originally drafted by the Tigers in the 26th round of the 2010 draft, and he has a 4.00 ERA, 2.96 K/BB rate and 7.6 K/9 over 546 1/3 IP in the minors. Working as a full-time reliever this season, Ferrell has an impressive 2.28 ERA and 9.9 K/9 over 55 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A, holding right-handed batters to just a .482 OPS.
Mariners Sign Jeanmar Gomez To Minor League Deal
The Mariners have signed reliever Jeanmar Gomez to a minor league contract, as Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto reports that the Rainiers added the right-hander to their roster on Saturday (Twitter link). Gomez opted out of his minors pact with the Brewers on Monday, according to KKTV 11 in Colorado Springs.
The 29-year-old Gomez signed with the Brewers less than a month ago, on July 15, and performed well with their Colorado Springs-based Triple-A affiliate. Gomez totaled 8 1/3 innings with the club and allowed two earned runs on seven hits and a walk, with seven strikeouts. He wasn’t nearly as effective at the major league level this year with the Phillies, who released him June 24. Philadelphia parted with Gomez after he turned in a 7.25 ERA across 22 1/3 innings and experienced a dip in his already low velocity, though he did post career-best strikeout and walk numbers (8.46 K/9 and 2.82 BB/9) and a 50.7 percent ground-ball rate.
If Gomez ultimately gets to Seattle, it’ll be his fourth major league club since he debuted with the Indians in 2010. Gomez was at his best with the Pirates from 2013-15, when he combined for 3.28 ERA and a 51.5 percent grounder rate in 142 2/3 innings. Last season, Gomez’s first in Philadelphia, he served as the team’s closer and continued to eat innings (68 2/3) and induce grounders (52 percent). Gomez fell out of favor, though, with an 8.33 ERA during the season’s second half. Overall, he registered a 4.85 ERA and 37 saves, earning him $4.2MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility.