Astros Acquire Scott Kazmir
Athletics starter Scott Kazmir is headed to the Astros in the year’s first major trade, Oakland has announced. Returning to the A’s in the deal are righty Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham, per the release.
Trade talks were said to be “heating up” late yesterday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported. She tabbed Houston as the likely suitor, and indeed that has come to fruition.
He’ll return to his home town in the deal. The Astros had previously pursued him in free agency, but he decided to join the A’s on a two-year, $22MM pact. Kazmir will finish that contract with the Astros, and will also pick up a $500K assignment bonus in the process. Because he was acquired in the middle of the year, the Astros won’t be able to extend Kazmir a qualifying offer, which should aid his free agent case.
In Kazmir, the Astros get a top-performing starter to slot into the club’s rotation. Though he has long been dogged by injury questions, any such concerns are much less prevalent in a rental scenario. The 31-year-old, who burst back onto the scene after a long layoff, threw 190 1/3 quality innings last year and has been even better in 2015. He owns a 2.38 ERA over 109 2/3 frames, with 8.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 to go with a 45.9% groundball rate.
ERA estimators view Kazmir more as a mid-three earned run per nine talent, but that’s plenty useful for a Houston rotation that was in need of good innings down the stretch. He’ll join Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh atop the rotation, which also features the sturdy Scott Feldman and youngsters Lance McCullers Jr. and Vincent Velasquez. Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said that the acquisition gives his club “one of the deepest rotations in the American League,” adding that he hopes the move makes Houston “a viable force,” as Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets.
By moving for a short-term piece, Luhnow avoided the need to part with the organization’s highest-rated minor league talent. That could keep some powder dry should the club look to add a bat or other piece. While neither of the pieces going to Oakland have received much hype, though, it’s worth bearing in mind that they come from a deep Houston system and have improved their stock with their 2015 performances. And A’s GM Billy Beane obviously preferred to add the pair rather than attempting to pick up a draft pick by offering Kazmir a qualifying offer after the season.
Mengden, 22, holds the 19th overall spot in MLB.com’s ranking of Astros prospects. A fourth-round pick in 2014, the righty is said to have four pitches with some promise. That could make him a rotation piece down the line, though some view him as a reliever in the long run. Mengden dominated at the Class A level this year, though he’s slowed somewhat since moving up to High-A, with a 5.26 ERA and 8.7 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 over 49 2/3 innings.
Meanwhile, in Nottingham, the A’s will add Houston’s 22nd-rated prospect, per MLB.com, which says there are some questions whether he can stick behind the dish. He just earned a call-up to the High-A level, and has put up big numbers as his promising power has turned into production. Over 329 total plate appearances this season, Nottingham owns a .326/.383/.558 slash with 14 home runs. That performance bumped the backstop into the top-ten of Houston’s pre-MLB talent in Baseball America’s mid-season update.
While both acquired players obviously have some real promise, it’s notable that Beane elected for a return of more projectable, far-from-the-majors assets. His offseason moves seemingly focused more on adding talent at or near the major league level. It will certainly be interesting to see whether the club follows suit if (or, more likely, when) it moves some of its other veteran pieces.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on Twitter that Kazmir was headed to Houston. Ron Kroichik of the San Francisco Chronicle reported (Twitter links) that a move was afoot.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Images. Post initially published at 12:13pm central time on 7-23-15.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/22/15
Here are some recent minor moves from around the game:
- The Mariners have acquired Triple-A reliever Tyler Knigge from the Phillies in exchange for cash, Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on Twitter. Knigge, 26, was a 12th-rounder back in 2010 that has advanced as far as Triple-A. He’s spent time there in both 2014 and 2015, working to a 4.89 ERA with 5.5 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 70 innings. His numbers at Double-A and Class-A Advanced were markedly better.
- Braves reliever David Carpenter was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Carpenter — not to be confused with the former Atlanta reliever and current Nationals reliever of the same name — has worked 3 2/3 innings in the bigs this season and 46 2/3 innings at the Major League level as a whole. He’s struggled to a 5.40 ERA, though the 27-year-old has a more palatable 2.73 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 over the life of his minor league career.
- The Dodgers recently released righty Ryan Buchter after he opted out of his deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The 28-year-old notched a stellar 1.65 ERA with 39 strikeouts against 16 walks in 32 2/3 innings at Triple-A this season.
- And the Rays released infielder Vince Belnome, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. The 27-year-old Belnome has been solid throughout most of his Triple-A tenure, but he’s slumped to a triple-slash of just .169/.293/.225 in 191 plate appearances this season.
- The Brewers announced yesterday that they’ve signed lefty Jeremy Horst and released right-hander John Ely. Horst, 29, saw a fairly significant amount of Major League action from the 2011-13 seasons with the Reds and Phillies. He has a career 3.32 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 in 72 2/3 innings. Horst began the season with the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate, where he tallied a 1.64 ERA with 42 strikeouts against 16 unintentional walks in 38 1/3 innings. As for Ely, the now-29-year-old Ely logged 115 2/3 innings with the Dodgers from 2010-12 but hasn’t appeared in the bigs since. Injuries have played a role in his absence from the league, but he also struggled to a 7.42 ERA in 13 1/3 innings between Rookie ball and Triple-A this season.
Orioles Release Wesley Wright
JULY 22: The Orioles announced that Wright has been released. The Reynolds Sports Management client is free to sign with any club.
JULY 15: The Orioles have designated lefty Wesley Wright for assignment, the team announced. The MLB.com transactions page first cited the move. Wright had been on the 60-day DL, but now hits DFA limbo immediately upon being activated.
Wright, 30, only made it into two big league games this year after signing a one-year, $1.7MM free agent deal with Baltimore. Shoulder issues have plagued the southpaw, who has struggled to a 7.71 ERA in ten rehab appearances at Triple-A, striking out five and walking seven in 11 2/3 innings. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com adds that Wright has struggled to regain his usual velocity.
Last year, Wright was an effective member of the Cubs bullpen. Over 48 1/3 frames, he put up a 3.14 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 52.1 percent ground-ball rate. Wright was especially dominant against opposing lefties, and should get another look from a team in need of depth in that specialty.
Pirates Designate Jayson Aquino
The Pirates announced a series of roster moves that include the designation of lefty Jayson Aquino for assignment, as Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on Twitter. Infielder Pedro Florimon is headed to the active roster, while Wilfredo Boscan was optioned to Triple-A.
Pittsburgh added Aquino in a minor trade with the Blue Jays back in May. The 22-year-old has bounced around quite a bit in the last year after seeing his prospect stock fall. He’s thrown 78 2/3 innings at the High-A level with the Pittsburgh organization, working to a 3.78 ERA with 5.7 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9.
Obviously, the Pirates felt it was necessary to get another infielder onto the active roster after losing both Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer to injuries. Though he’s never hit much, Florimon offers a quality glove up the middle.
Blue Jays Claim Ty Kelly From Cardinals
The Blue Jays have claimed infielder/outfielder Ty Kelly off waivers from the Cardinals, Toronto announced (h/t to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, on Twitter). Kelly was designated for assignment yesterday.
The 27-year-old Kelly has not yet seen action at the big league level despite occupying a 40-man spot. Over parts of four seasons at Triple-A, he owns a .261/.381/.379 slash across 1,110 plate appearances.
But those numbers are down since St. Louis acquired the switch-hitter in an offseason deal with the Mariners. In his 269 plate appearances this season at Memphis, he’s slashed just .203/.317/.286. And after swatting 15 home runs last year, Kelly has managed only two long balls thus far in 2015.
Nationals Release Jose Valverde
The Nationals have announced the release of veteran reliever Jose Valverde. As Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com notes on Twitter, Valverde had an opt-out clause in his deal.
While Valverde never got the call to the big league club, he did put up some solid numbers over his time at Triple-A. Over 26 1/3 innings, he owns a 2.39 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against just 1.0 BB/9. The latter number is particularly notable, given that Valverde has walked nearly four batters for every nine innings pitched over his lengthy MLB career.
It has been a few years since Valverde has been a productive pen arm at the game’s highest level. He’s been hit hard since a three-year run as a quality late-inning arm for the Tigers, during which he tossed 204 1/3 innings of 3.00 ERA ball. Nevertheless, given his results in the minors, it would not be surprising to see the 37-year-old pop up onto an active roster late in the season.
Padres Option Will Middlebrooks
The Padres have optioned third baseman Will Middlebrooks to Triple-A, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports on Twitter. Outfielder Abraham Almonte has been brought up to take his spot on the roster.
It’s a disappointing, if unsurprising, move for the 26-year-old Middlebrooks. The former top prospect was acquired over the offseason from the Red Sox as something of a turnaround candidate, but has put together a sub-par .212/.241/.361 batting line in 270 plate appearances on the year. Though a .237 BABIP explains some of that, particularly given that Middlebrooks is making as much hard contact as he always has, he’s always carried a low average on balls in play in the majors (.276 career).
Throw in below-average defensive ratings, and Middlebrooks has once again sported a WAR mark well into the negative figures. While San Diego surely held out at least some hope that Middlebrooks would provide a long-term option at the hot corner, he’ll need to do some work in the upper minors to earn another shot at big league playing time. With his first crack at arbitration on the horizon, he could be a non-tender candidate at this point (though he is rather unlikely to command a huge salary).
Cubs Designate Clayton Richard
The Cubs have designated lefty Clayton Richard for assignment, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports on Twitter. Chicago has brought up Yoervis Medina to take his spot on the active roster.
Richard, just acquired from the Pirates to provide a temporary rotation option, has allowed nine earned runs over 15 frames with Chicago. He’s permitted 19 hits (including two long balls) and five walks in that stretch, while striking out only six batters.
It remains to be seen whether any other clubs will be willing to give an active roster spot to Richard, who could conceivably find a role with a team that deals away from its rotation over the coming days. He did produce rather excellent results (1.89 ERA in 62 innings) during his run at Triple-A for the Pittsburgh organization.
Blue Jays To Sign Joba Chamberlain To Minors Deal
The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league deal with reliever Joba Chamberlain, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. The 29-year-old was released recently by the Tigers.
Chamberlain owns a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings on the year, but there were some suggestions that he may have been a bit unlucky in Detroit. Opposing hitters own a .360 BABIP against him, as well as a 21.7% HR/FB rate. While solid contact could explain those marks, Chamberlain’s fastball velocity is in line with his career numbers and he’s struck out 6.1 batters per nine while walked just 2.0.
Toronto has long been looking for ways to bolster its bullpen, and will at the very least pick up some depth in Chamberlain. It’s far from clear that the signing will keep the team out of the market for relief arms, but perhaps it reduces the need for the club to deal for a serviceable veteran in addition to whatever else it might get done.
Royals Option Yordano Ventura
The Royals have optioned young righty Yordano Ventura, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports on Twitter.
Ventura, 24, established himself as one of the game’s more interesting young arms last year. He threw 183 innings of 3.20 ERA ball, with 7.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 and a 47.6% groundball rate. Ventura then contributed another 25 1/3 frames, with an identical earned run average, to the team’s World Series run.
That excellent campaign led Kansas City to lock him up for the foreseeable future in early April. Ventura received a five-year, $23MM guarantee while also giving the Royals two option years at $12MM apiece.
It’s been something of a different story this year, at least in terms of results. Ventura has permitted 5.19 earned per nine over the 76 1/3 innings he’s worked thus far.
His average fastball velocity is down by a decent bit, but that does not seem to explain things. The peripherals all look the same: Ventura has struck out 7.7 and walked 2.9 batters per nine while inducing grounders at a 52.0% clip, all the same or better than last year.
Indeed, Ventura’s FIP (3.69), xFIP (3.68), and SIERA (3.71) all suggest that there has been something else at play. He has allowed a .321 BABIP while carrying a 64.8% strand rate, both of which suggest a fair dose of bad luck.
Regardless, the Royals obviously felt it was time for a break from the big leagues, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggested was possible this morning on Twitter. Things certainly have taken a turn for the worse of late, as Ventura has not lasted more than five innings in a start since the end of May (while also missing time with a hand injury). He’s permitted one earned run per inning pitched over that stretch. The return of lefty Jason Vargas created the need for a rotation spot, and Ventura will head down to Triple-A to work out whatever issues the team has identified.