Angels Option A.J. Achter
5:51pm: Achter has been optioned, not designated, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter).
5:26pm: The Angels have designated righty A.J. Achter for assignment, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. His roster spot will go to fellow right-hander J.C. Ramirez, who was claimed off waivers from the Reds.
Nationals To Promote Lucas Giolito
The Nationals will promote right-hander Lucas Giolito to make tomorrow’s start against the division-rival Mets, manager Dusty Baker told reporters, including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The promotion of the 21-year-old Giolito, who entered the season rated as the game’s No. 5 overall prospect according to Baseball America and currently rates as the No. 1 prospect in baseball according to updated prospect lists from MLB.com and ESPN, means that injured ace Stephen Strasburg will be replaced, for the time being, by arguably the most interesting arm in all of minor league baseball.
MASNsports.com’s Pete Kerzel wrote about the possibility of a Giolito promotion earlier today, noting that it was likely to be either him or Triple-A righty Austin Voth replacing Strasburg for now. Giolito, who had Tommy John surgery the year he was drafted, is on an innings limit after throwing just 117 innings last year as his workload is slowly ramped up. Per Kerzel in his morning piece on Giolito and Voth, the Nats typically try to keep year-to-year innings increases to 20, so Giolito may not be allowed to go more than 140 or so innings this season. He’s already pitched 71 frames this year, working to a 3.17 ERA with 9.1 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9. And, as the Nats have demonstrated in the past with Strasburg, they’re not afraid to adhere to strict innings limits even in amid the spotlight of a postseason race.
As for how Giolito currently fits into the Nationals’ plans, the organization itself remains a bit unclear on that front. MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman tweets that Baker told the media it’s “impossible” to know how long Giolito will remain in the rotation, and the decision will be handled on a start-by-start basis. Certainly, one would imagine that the health of Strasburg plays into the decision. That piece of information remains an unknown, though, as Baker informed reporters that Strasburg underwent an MRI today, and the team is awaiting the results of the examination. Even if it proves to be a short-term absence for Strasburg, it’s plausible that a strong performance from Giolito could unseat the struggling Gio Gonzalez in the starting five.
Washington selected Giolito with the 16th overall pick in the 2012 draft. He’d previously been considered one of the favorites to go with the No. 1 overall pick that year, but an elbow injury caused his stock to drop. The injury concerns proved valid when Giolito underwent Tommy John surgery, but he’s made a strong recovery and blossomed into the top-shelf prospect that most scouts expected him to become even after that injury.
Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com write in their free scouting report on the 6’6″. 255-pound Giolito that he has the highest ceiling of any pitcher in the minors thanks to an elite fastball, a power 12-to-6 curveball and a changeup that has steadily improved over his minor league career. ESPN’s Keith Law noted that some delivery tweaks in Spring Training actually set Giolito back a ways, but he appears to be back on track at this juncture. BA rated him only behind Corey Seager, Byron Buxton, Yoan Moncada and Julio Urias entering the season, noting that he had some room to improve the command of his secondary pitches as well as other facets of his game like holding runners and fielding his position. Across the board, Giolito is regarded as an elite talent and a player with ace upside if everything clicks at the big league level.
The timing of Giolito’s promotion means that even if he’s in the Majors to stay, he’ll avoid Super Two designation. The most service time he could accrue through season’s end would be 97 days, which would leave him well shy of a fourth trip through the arbitration process. If he is indeed a big leaguer from this point forth, Giolito won’t be eligible for free agency until following the 2022 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rays Designate Ryan Webb For Assignment
The Rays have designated right-hander Ryan Webb for assignment, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). His roster spot will go to previously designated Danny Farquhar, who will return to the big league club after having been sent outright to Triple-A.
Webb, 30, inked a one-year deal that guaranteed him a million dollars this offseason with the Rays. He totaled 17 1/3 innings out of the Tampa Bay bullpen and posted an uninspiring 5.19 ERA, though with 11 walks against just a pair of unintentional walks and an above-average 48.4 percent ground-ball rate, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Webb can right the ship and contribute later this season, be it with the Rays or another organization. Webb entered the 2016 season with a lifetime 3.35 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 376 innings at the Major League level.
Braves Designate Alexi Ogando For Assignment
The Braves have designated right-hander Alexi Ogando for assignment and recalled right-hander Mauricio Cabrera from Double-A Mississippi, the team announced this afternoon.
Ogando, 32, currently has a respectable 3.94 ERA through 32 innings of work out of the Atlanta bullpen, but he’s registered that mark in spite of averaging a whopping 6.5 walks per nine innings. He’s been particularly ineffective over his past 10 outings, yielding nine runs (seven earned) on seven hits and nine walks across just seven innings. The 8.2 K/9 rate he’s posted this season is his best since 2012, and he’s still averaging 94 mph on his fastball, but ERA estimators such as FIP (4.38), xFIP (5.45) and SIERA (5.13) all feel that there’s some significant regression in store for the former Rangers and Red Sox hurler.
Ogando has been the subject of some trade chatter over the past month, so perhaps Atlanta will be able to find a taker for him. However, if the team ultimately outrights him, Ogando has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency without forfeiting the remainder of his $2MM salary. He’s still owed about $1.06MM of that sum through season’s end, and the Braves will be on the hook for the majority of that unless they can find a trade partner. If he does become a free agent and latch on with another Major League club, he’ll earn the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time spent on a new team’s Major League roster, and that money will be subtracted from the sum still owed to him by Atlanta. In parts of seven big league seasons, Ogando has a career 3.47 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 38.8 percent ground-ball rate across 503 1/3 innings.
As for Cabrera, the 22-year-old will be making his Major League debut when he first takes the hill. He’s worked to a 3.21 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings at Double-A this season, though he’s endured similar control problems to the ones displayed by Ogando in the Majors; Cabrera has walked 22 batters (two intentional) and hit three men during that brief stint at Double-A. Both Baseball America and MLB.com rated Cabrera 27th in a very deep Braves farm system. The Dominican-born flamethrower averages 100 mph on his heater and has topped out at 103 mph, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, though he struggles to command the pitch. Cabrera also features a ridiculous-sounding 92 mph changeup, though BA notes that it needs work. The two scouting reports are split on whether his change or his slider is Cabrera’s best secondary offering, indicating that he’s not especially consistent with either pitch.
Marlins To Sign Jeremy Guthrie
The Marlins are in agreement with right-hander Jeremy Guthrie on a minor league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). He’ll head to Triple-A New Orleans for the time being and hope to emerge as an option for the Miami rotation down the line. Guthrie, a client of Excel Sports, had opted out of a minor league contract with the Padres earlier this month.
Miami has been on the lookout for rotation help as of late, and while Guthrie is no lock to immediately strengthen the Marlins’ starting staff, he’ll give them an experienced arm to add to the depth chart. Guthrie has never been mistaken for a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, but he was a highly dependable mid-rotation piece from 2007-14 when he pitched to a 4.18 ERA with 5.3 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 1579 1/3 innings for the Orioles, Rockies and Royals. While his brief half-season with the Rockies was unsightly, Guthrie was otherwise a durable and useful rotation cog prior to a down season in 2015. While he won a World Series ring with Kansas City last year, he lost his rotation spot partway through the season and ultimately turned in a career-worst 5.95 ERA in 148 1/3 innings.
Guthrie went to Spring Training with the Rangers this season but didn’t make the club and wound up signing the aforementioned minors pact with the Padres. However, he struggled considerably with San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate in the hitter-friendly PCL, recording a 6.60 ERA in 60 innings of work. He’ll hope for better results with the Marlins, who currently deploy Jose Fernandez, Wei-Yin Chen, Adam Conley and Tom Koehler in the rotation. Paul Clemens is currently in the fifth spot, though that’s been somewhat of a revolving door for the Fish, who have also given starts to struggling former top prospects Justin Nicolino and Jarred Cosart — each of whom is currently at Triple-A.
Pirates Designate Curtis Partch For Assignment
The Pirates have announced a trio of roster moves, selecting the contract of righty Chad Kuhl from Triple-A so Kuhl can start tonight’s game against the Dodgers. In corresponding moves, southpaw Kyle Lobstein was optioned to Triple-A and right-hander Curtis Partch has been designated for assignment.
[Related: Updated Pirates depth chart via Roster Resource]
Partch signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh last winter and had a brief cup of coffee in a Pirates uniform, appearing in one game and allowing three runs to the Cubs without retiring an out over three batters faced. Partch has tossed 30 1/3 MLB innings since 2013 and he has a 4.60 ERA over 855 minor league frames (mostly in Cincinnati’s farm system) in a pro career that began in 2007.
Kuhl, a ninth-rounder in the 2013 draft, makes his big league debut tonight after rather quietly developing into one of the Pirates’ better pitching prospects. The 23-year-old right-hander has 2.79 ERA and 2.79 K/BB rate over 438 innings in the Bucs’ system, not missing many bats (a 6.0 K/9) but generating a lot of ground balls. MLB.com ranked Kuhl as the 16th-best prospect in the Pirates’ system while Baseball America ranked him 22nd.
Pirates Release Cory Luebke
The Pirates have announced that southpaw Cory Luebke has been given his unconditional release, according to several media members (including MLB.com’s Adam Berry). Luebke was released after he refused an assignment to Triple-A.
The Bucs designated Luebke for assignment earlier this week, ending a rough stint for the left-hander in Pittsburgh’s bullpen. Luebke posted a 9.35 ERA over 8 2/3 innings, with 11 walks to nine strikeouts. It was Luebke’s first taste of big league action since 2012 as his career was sidelined by multiple injuries, including two Tommy John surgeries.
Check out the MLBTR DFA Tracker for information on the many players currently awaiting their next assignment.
Angels Claim J.C. Ramirez From Reds
The Angels have claimed righty J.C. Ramirez off waivers from the Reds, according to the Halos’ communications department (on Twitter).
Ramirez posted a 6.40 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 3.11 K/BB rate over 32 1/3 innings out of Cincinnati’s bullpen this season, allowing an ungainly seven homers over that stretch. The 27-year-old has a 6.41 ERA over 80 career innings with the Reds, Diamondbacks and Phillies dating back to 2013. He could serve as bullpen depth in Anaheim, given how the Angels already have a number of right-handed relief options, or it’s possible another move could be forthcoming.
Draft Signings: 6/25/16
Here’s a roundup of key draft signings not yet covered here at MLBTR.
- The Phillies have signed fifth-round lefty Cole Irvin to an above-slot deal worth $800K, well over the $417,500 value of the 137th pick, reports Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com (Twitter link). Mayo and colleague Jim Callis ranked Irvin as the 138th-best prospect entering the draft, noting that the Oregon standout possesses a 93 to 94 mph fastball and two occasionally above-average secondary offerings – a slider and changeup. Irvin has a solid chance to crack the majors as a back-end starter, according to the MLB.com duo.
- The Tigers have signed fourth-rounder Kyle Funkhouser for $750K, significantly above the pick value of $526,200, as Callis tweets. The Louisville righty was a first-round pick by the Dodgers last season, but he opted not to sign after sliding down draft boards. The righty suffered diminished velocity this year, resulting in his stock dropping still further — MLB.com’s scouting report notes that he threw 88-92 MPH with secondary stuff that was weaker than it had been previously. Callis notes, though, that Funkhouser’s stuff improved as the draft approached.
- The Orioles have agreed to terms with their second-rounder, No. 69 overall pick Matthias Dietz, Callis notes (on Twitter). Dietz will receive $1.3MM significantly above his pick value of $934,400. The Illinois community college righty stands 6’6 and throws 91-94 MPH, touching 98, with a hard slider. He is committed to TCU.
- The Giants have signed Vanderbilt outfielder and second-rounder Bryan Reynolds, as Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The selection, at No. 59 overall, was the Giants’ top pick, since they forfeited their first-rounder with the Jeff Samardzija signing. Via a tweet from Callis, Reynolds will receive $1.35MM, above the pick value of $1.09MM. Callis notes that Reynolds rated as a first-round talent, but he ultimately slid in the draft. Via MLB.com, the switch-hitter has solid tools across the board, but none rank as outstanding, and some scouts fret about his strikeout proclivities.
- The Dodgers have signed 11th-round pick A.J. Alexy for $600K, almost $500K above his pick value, Callis tweets. As Baseball America noted in its pre-draft scouting report (subscription only), the Pennsylvania high school righty currently throws 88-92 MPH, although he’s 6’4 and projectable, with the talent to throw three pitches in the big leagues. He was committed to Radford. The Dodgers should have space to sign him in part because they picked college seniors in the ninth and tenth rounds, and because second-rounder Mitchell White signed for significantly below his pick value.
Braves Sign No. 3 Overall Pick Ian Anderson
SATURDAY, 8:00pm: The signing is official, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
3:33pm: The Braves have announced that they’ve agreed to terms with Anderson. Heyman tweets that Anderson will receive exactly $4MM.
MONDAY: The Braves and No. 3 overall draft pick Ian Anderson are finalizing a deal that’ll pay the high school right-hander about $4MM, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (links to Twitter). Heyman adds that Anderson will not officially sign until he has graduated. That bonus represents a savings of about $2.5MM on his slot value of $6,510,800 (via MLB.com’s Jim Callis) — money that will help the Braves afford later picks such as Joey Wentz, Kyle Muller and Drew Harrington — each of whom has already reportedly agreed to an over-slot deal.
Anderson, who just turned 18 last month, was rated most highly entering the draft by ESPN’s Keith Law (No. 7 overall), but Baseball America (No. 12) and MLB.com (No. 13) each had him as a top-half-of-the-first-round talent as well. Shortly before the draft, rumors surfaced indicating that Atlanta may tab Anderson in order to save some funds which would be allocated tough signs, and that indeed is how their draft played out.
Scouting reports on Anderson from the three outlets above praise his fastball that sits in the low 90s but can reach 95-96 mph, and BA calls his changeup “devastating” while giving him credit for an above-average curve as well. At 6’4″ and 180 pounds, there’s certainly reason to think that Anderson can continue to fill out his frame. Anderson’s stock might’ve been higher this season if he hadn’t been slowed by an oblique injury and a bout of pneumonia. Ultimately, his deal will allow the Braves to add four high-upside arms to their ranks. While three of them (Anderson, Wentz and Muller) will be a ways off because they are of the high school variety, landing three arms that both BA and MLB.com rated within the top 25 draft prospects seems like a strong haul that should only further bolster an impressive Braves farm system.
The Braves were $2,584,700 over-slot on the combination of Wentz, Muller and Harrington, so the savings from Anderson alone appear to be enough to ensure that Atlanta avoids the loss of a future first-round pick. That wouldn’t happen until the Braves exceeded their bonus pool by more than five percent, although Atlanta will pay a 75 percent luxury tax on any overages up to five percent. That, however, hasn’t been a deterrent for teams in the past and should be of fairly marginal consequence to the Braves should they be required to do so this year.